Plastic pollution in Ghana is a serious threat to the welfare of millions. About 91.5% of all plastic waste produced in Ghana isn’t recycled, instead washing up on shorelines or ending up in landfills. Several companies are trying to change this. New initiatives are being integrated into Ghana’s infrastructure in order to alleviate some of the challenges facing many of the country’s poorest residents. Here are some of the companies fighting plastic pollution in the West African nation.
Norfund
Norfund, a Norwegian, government-owned investment fund, is an organization designed to aid developing nations with vital investments to lower poverty rates. The Norfund Act of 1997 highlights the purpose of “developing sustainable business and industry in developing countries by providing equity capital.”
In July 2023, Norfund created a $10.5 million plan to support the recycling capacity of Miniplast Ghana, one of the leading plastic manufacturers in Ghana since 1988. Miniplast, based in the capital of Accra, will receive the highest quality machinery to upgrade its recycling capacity from around 1,300 tonnes a month to 1,700.
Miniplast manufactures many unique industrial and household products from plastics. A newly developed in-house recycling operation sources local plastic waste to be used in these products, turning otherwise polluting material into items such as chairs and tables for local schools.
This is not the first investment Norfund has made with Miniplast, Empower New Energy was able to install solar energy plans in their factory due to the investment fund. An approximated 15,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be reduced from Ghana’s emissions over the next 30 years, providing environmental support to thousands of the most vulnerable.
According to Norfund, the plan aims to create more than 850 jobs not only for Miniplast but across the whole chain of plastic manufacturing and trade, helping to prevent further plastic pollution in Ghana whilst also giving employment to people who need it.
Coliba
Coliba Ghana is a company set up in 2016 by Prince Agbata to help reduce plastic pollution. Through a partnership with One Young World, Coliba was able to successfully gain a partnership with a division of Coca-Cola in West Africa, securing investment for 200 plastic recycling centers in Ghana — 40 of which have already been built.
A key component of Coliba’s strategy to reduce plastic pollution is the Coliba 2.0 mobile app, a service designed to make recycling for business and public sector institutions far easier. The plastic waste generated from these sites is collected by “Coliba Rangers,” workers trained extensively in sustainability, not only providing people in Ghana with successful careers but also a great education on the risks of pollution to welfare.
Another of Coliba’s main goals is to begin operations on processing plants that can produce higher quality plastic from recycled materials, ensuring that the products used can continue to be recycled many times in the system.
Maame Abena, a Coliba Ranger, highlighted how his role at Coliba has enabled him to gain financial freedom. He stated “Coliba’s arrival has brought huge change in my work. Now the type of plastic that I could sell I can now sell for more money. This also has allowed me to get enough money to cater for my family.”
Blue Skies Holdings
Blue Skies Holdings is a U.K.-based fruit and dairy company that, in April 2023, set out a plan of five shortlisted solutions to help mitigate the effects of plastic pollution in Ghana.
The initiative is called FRESHPPACT, and the objective is to utilize several innovations to reduce plastic usage, such as biodegradable workwear, plant-based polymers to be used in packaging and coconut coir mulch in agriculture.
From the five finalists, the solutions best equipped to aid Ghana’s problem will receive up to £200,000 to implement their products into the market. All of these individual companies have tested their products in the rural communities of the nation, ensuring that their product is directly aiding the people who will need it the most.
Blue Skies’ commitments fall in line with the U.N. Global Goals, with its main focus on eradicating poverty. In its 2021 blueprint, the company stated that it will attempt to achieve zero poverty by protecting human rights, investing in the foundation of countries such as Ghana and ensuring health and safety. According to the blueprint, a report of the social value of its work in Ghana in 2021 alone generated $11.5 million of value — $2.4 million of which directly impacted their goal of zero poverty.
There are a multitude of businesses that are aiming to decrease the amount of plastic pollution in Ghana. The hidden risks of this form of pollution to the poverty-stricken are incredibly high, increasing risks of cholera outbreaks and poorer living conditions. However, with the aid of companies across the globe, and vital waste collectors in urban areas, there is hope that this issue can bring forward better environmental stability and a better, brighter economy.
– Oliver Rayner
Photo: Flickr
Combating Plastic Pollution in Ghana
Plastic pollution in Ghana is a serious threat to the welfare of millions. About 91.5% of all plastic waste produced in Ghana isn’t recycled, instead washing up on shorelines or ending up in landfills. Several companies are trying to change this. New initiatives are being integrated into Ghana’s infrastructure in order to alleviate some of the challenges facing many of the country’s poorest residents. Here are some of the companies fighting plastic pollution in the West African nation.
Norfund
Norfund, a Norwegian, government-owned investment fund, is an organization designed to aid developing nations with vital investments to lower poverty rates. The Norfund Act of 1997 highlights the purpose of “developing sustainable business and industry in developing countries by providing equity capital.”
In July 2023, Norfund created a $10.5 million plan to support the recycling capacity of Miniplast Ghana, one of the leading plastic manufacturers in Ghana since 1988. Miniplast, based in the capital of Accra, will receive the highest quality machinery to upgrade its recycling capacity from around 1,300 tonnes a month to 1,700.
Miniplast manufactures many unique industrial and household products from plastics. A newly developed in-house recycling operation sources local plastic waste to be used in these products, turning otherwise polluting material into items such as chairs and tables for local schools.
This is not the first investment Norfund has made with Miniplast, Empower New Energy was able to install solar energy plans in their factory due to the investment fund. An approximated 15,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be reduced from Ghana’s emissions over the next 30 years, providing environmental support to thousands of the most vulnerable.
According to Norfund, the plan aims to create more than 850 jobs not only for Miniplast but across the whole chain of plastic manufacturing and trade, helping to prevent further plastic pollution in Ghana whilst also giving employment to people who need it.
Coliba
Coliba Ghana is a company set up in 2016 by Prince Agbata to help reduce plastic pollution. Through a partnership with One Young World, Coliba was able to successfully gain a partnership with a division of Coca-Cola in West Africa, securing investment for 200 plastic recycling centers in Ghana — 40 of which have already been built.
A key component of Coliba’s strategy to reduce plastic pollution is the Coliba 2.0 mobile app, a service designed to make recycling for business and public sector institutions far easier. The plastic waste generated from these sites is collected by “Coliba Rangers,” workers trained extensively in sustainability, not only providing people in Ghana with successful careers but also a great education on the risks of pollution to welfare.
Another of Coliba’s main goals is to begin operations on processing plants that can produce higher quality plastic from recycled materials, ensuring that the products used can continue to be recycled many times in the system.
Maame Abena, a Coliba Ranger, highlighted how his role at Coliba has enabled him to gain financial freedom. He stated “Coliba’s arrival has brought huge change in my work. Now the type of plastic that I could sell I can now sell for more money. This also has allowed me to get enough money to cater for my family.”
Blue Skies Holdings
Blue Skies Holdings is a U.K.-based fruit and dairy company that, in April 2023, set out a plan of five shortlisted solutions to help mitigate the effects of plastic pollution in Ghana.
The initiative is called FRESHPPACT, and the objective is to utilize several innovations to reduce plastic usage, such as biodegradable workwear, plant-based polymers to be used in packaging and coconut coir mulch in agriculture.
From the five finalists, the solutions best equipped to aid Ghana’s problem will receive up to £200,000 to implement their products into the market. All of these individual companies have tested their products in the rural communities of the nation, ensuring that their product is directly aiding the people who will need it the most.
Blue Skies’ commitments fall in line with the U.N. Global Goals, with its main focus on eradicating poverty. In its 2021 blueprint, the company stated that it will attempt to achieve zero poverty by protecting human rights, investing in the foundation of countries such as Ghana and ensuring health and safety. According to the blueprint, a report of the social value of its work in Ghana in 2021 alone generated $11.5 million of value — $2.4 million of which directly impacted their goal of zero poverty.
There are a multitude of businesses that are aiming to decrease the amount of plastic pollution in Ghana. The hidden risks of this form of pollution to the poverty-stricken are incredibly high, increasing risks of cholera outbreaks and poorer living conditions. However, with the aid of companies across the globe, and vital waste collectors in urban areas, there is hope that this issue can bring forward better environmental stability and a better, brighter economy.
– Oliver Rayner
Photo: Flickr
Farmers and Food Security in Africa
Agriculture Food Insecurity and Africa
In Africa, drought spreads across much of the continent, COVID-19 continuously threatens the economies of many countries and 281 million people are food insecure. In fact, 55 million African children under the age of five are considered severely malnourished. Yet, agricultural development to foster food security is consistently a small portion of national investments, as 48 out of 54 African governments spend only about 3.8% of their budgets on agriculture. Without access to nutritious food to eat every day, many Africans are looking for ways to make the agricultural systems more efficient and resilient. In a 2022 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference, representatives from more than 50 African countries came together to discuss regional agricultural systems and how they might be improved. Ultimately, it was decided that there are a number of factors that play into the development of agriculture in Africa — such as digitalization, education, infrastructure and financing. Agricultural development, through whatever form it takes, must be a priority in the future if food insecurity can ever be eradicated.
The CAADP
A number of programs support this move toward continent-wide food security in Africa. The Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) is one initiative that looks to reduce poverty and foster food security in Africa through agricultural development. It is a continent-wide program led by a number of African countries. It has four primary goals: Sustainably manage land and water control systems, improve rural infrastructure and trade, increase food supply and improve agricultural development. Participating governments allocate around 10% — or more — of national budgets to agricultural and rural development. As a result, they have achieved agricultural growth rates of 6% per annum.
The FSRP
The Food Systems Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa (FSRP) is an impressive new project to increase food security in Africa. As of 2022, the World Bank Group approved $2.3 billion of funding to make it possible. With a focus on food crisis response strategies, the FSRP works to strengthen warning systems, increase emergency support, supply food reserves and create trade measures. It also increases the resilience of food systems — meaning they rely on the production of farming to provide for food-insecure places. This is done through the support of agricultural programs such as the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA). Thus, the FSRP can strengthen agricultural resilience and allow people to sustainably live and eat.
Beyond Food Security in Africa
Agricultural development surely combats food insecurity, but its positive impacts go beyond that. Agriculture is the backbone of many African economies — crops, livestock, fisheries and more provide 80% of the population with jobs, contribute 43% to the continent’s GDP and account for 70% of export earnings. Thus, initiatives such as the FSRP are more than just food-based programs. They fight poverty itself.
– Char Nieberding
Photo: Unsplash
Combating Genocide in Iraq
Who Are the Yazidis?
The Yazidis are an ethno-religiously distinct minority group, based predominantly in the Nineveh Province of northern Iraq. There are also significant populations in Turkey, Syria, Armenia and Georgia. The Yazidis practice a distinct religion, Yazidism, which is a monotheistic religion that incorporates aspects of the three Abrahamic religions as well as Zoroastrianism but claims to predate all four.
Historically, the Yazidis have been subject to large-scale discrimination and genocide, particularly in the last 200 years. Throughout the Ottoman Empire, they were subjected to more than 70 genocidal episodes, and more recently, in 2007, suicide car bombings killed an estimated 800 Yezidis in Iraq, and in 2014, ISIS killed around 5,000 Yazidis in Iraq and caused more than 100,000 people to flee their homes.
Combating Genocide
In an effort to combat the effects of the Yazidi genocide, the organization Yazda was created in 2014 to provide relief and support to survivors of genocide. Most recently, Yazda has produced a set of 45 videos to celebrate and increase global awareness of the Yazidi culture across the world, in light of its being attacked by numerous groups over time. The videos were released on the Yazda YouTube channel and were created by Yazidi filmmakers.
This project was made possible by the funding that the U.S. provided to Yazda as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 2017, the U.S. has made a concerted effort to concentrate Iraqi aid on helping fund stabilization programs that benefit oppressed minorities in Iraq as well as programs that aim to bring justice to victims of war crimes and genocide in Iraq. Hence, in addition to support for the 45 videos celebrating Yazidi culture, USAID has helped Yazda create a program that offers a multitude of services to survivors of the 2014 Yazidi genocide in Iraq. This includes mental and psychological support, help with legal documentation and emergency cash relief.
Personal Story
One such example is a 10-year-old girl named Amsha, who in 2014, along with her mom and sister, had been kidnapped and subjected to immense torture for three years by ISIS. After experiencing immense traumatic events as a little girl, Amsha developed severe PTSD and sleeping difficulties along with other psychological challenges. Yazda has provided Amsha with psychological support services, material aid including food and hygiene products, and legal support to help obtain compensation as a genocide survivor. Thankfully, because of Yazda and the support that they have received from USAID, Amsha is now doing much better.
Conclusion
While it is impossible to bring back the lives that have been lost from the Yazidi genocide in Iraq, this does not mean that combatting genocide in Iraq should not be an object of concern for U.S. foreign aid. By supporting organizations like Yazda, the U.S. can play a large part in helping preserve the heritage and culture of minorities that have been threatened by genocide as well as offering psychological and material support to survivors like Amsha. Most recently, Yazda’s release of 45 videos celebrating Yazidi culture, made possible by U.S. foreign aid, will go a long way towards helping cement the importance of Yazidi people and their heritage across the world.
– Athan Yanos
Photo: Unsplash
SHE Project Expands Financial Opportunities for Women
The country of Sierra Leone suffered from the onslaught of an 11-year civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in displacement, thousands of deaths and sexual violence. Since then, the country has continued to experience hardships, with many living in extreme poverty. Adding to this, Sierra Leone’s citizens continuously face the effects of multidimensional poverty due to the absence of strong financial and education systems. Rural areas, specifically, endure the harshest impacts of poverty, most notably because of the lack of resources found in these neighborhoods. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the extent of poverty in Sierra Leone, but the rural areas ultimately garnered the most difficult consequences, including the closing of locally-owned businesses and a reduction of incomes and salaries. As the pandemic ravaged the nation, the Solar Harnessed Entrepreneurs (SHE) Project came to fruition as a saving grace. The project allies with the most vulnerable and expands financial opportunities for women.
The Intentions of the SHE Project
The SHE Project secures and provides women with renewable energy-powered sources to operate their businesses. Prior to the installation of the project, many businesses located in the rural areas of Sierra Leone did not own or utilize this technology, and thus, they often suffered at the whims of debt crises, virus outbreaks and the global pandemic. Items such as a solar-powered freezer, for instance, allow businesswomen to expand the products they can sell and reach larger markets.
CARE, an international NGO, created the SHE Project in 2022. Now, the multidimensional organization receives further aid from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). Since its implementation, the SHE Project has worked to aid 8,000 women in Sierra Leone by providing them with the resources to transform their businesses into green organizations that employ renewable energy and technology. This transformation increases financial opportunities for women because it enables growth and consistency in ways that business owners could not guarantee beforehand.
Why Women?
The SHE Project supports the financial development of female-owned businesses. Female empowerment serves as one of its main goals, especially because women often complete dangerous and time-consuming tasks, like collecting fuel, that exacerbate the climate crisis and harm their health.
In this sense, the SHE Project also boasts the humanitarian goal of restructuring the traditional, harmful manner in which women receive an income. With support from renewable energy sources, women can have greater control over their financial assets, and they can rely less on the dangerous tasks of assembling fuel, for example.
When orchestrating the SHE Project, CARE took its development a step further in its attempts to empower women. By working with microfinance institutions to combat the fact that female-owned businesses generally receive little to no income, CARE provided women with low-interest loans. In addition to the use of solar-powered resources, women also received training sessions regarding financial development and a newfound ability to expand their businesses to new markets. The series of steps taken by CARE and other organizations incentivizes financial opportunities for women.
Especially notable to this project is the fact that CARE also seeks to target the persistence of patriarchal values. By organizing “household dialogues,” trained professionals spoke with fathers and husbands to discuss the importance of female empowerment.
Inspiring Stories
The SHE Project is a successful initiative that continues to find, educate and employ women with the tools to expand their businesses and succeed as financially independent income earners.
While most women in Sierra Leone did not have access to the tools to increase market access or maintain their businesses during hardships, the SHE Project has revolutionized this, increasing financial opportunities for women and increasing equality.
Marie Squire of Ghangbatoke has experienced an increase in sales due to the freezer that the SHE Project provided her with. In fact, the freezer, instrumental for keeping cold drinks–the base of her business–fresh, has allowed her to keep her family afloat.
Similarly, Mariama Fortune honored the imported freezer as the origin of her success. As a single mother who had difficulties beginning her fried cassava business, Mariama always wanted to provide for her children. Now that she has the freezer to help her business and supply food for her family, she believes she can focus on the future, including the prospect of educating her children.
The Future
Given the success of the SHE Project, which targets changing weather patterns, female empowerment and financial success, the Sierra Leonean government has recognized the importance of supporting this initiative. Bukai Bindi Hindowa, the Deputy Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs expresses an enthusiastic outlook for the continuation of the project, ultimately marking the reduction of poverty and the development of a stabilized female workforce. As the government invests time, effort and resources in the SHE Project, which bolsters financial opportunities for women, Sierra Leone can continue to see the reduction of barriers that limit forward growth.
– Maddy Grieco
Photo: Flickr
3 Ways Tesla Can Eliminate Poverty in India
3 Ways Tesla Can Eliminate Poverty in India
Tesla’s Future in India
Although the future of Tesla in India is not fully determined, its potential benefits act as another tool for India’s efforts to eradicate poverty. These efforts have been highly successful; from 2011 to 2019, the population of Indians living below the poverty line decreased by 144.89 million people. As India emerges as a global leader in the fight against poverty, the country still has much work to do. Companies that invest in India, however, can help the country complete its efforts. In this way, Tesla can be a major boon for India and further its efforts to eliminate poverty.
– Manav Yarlagadda
Photo: Unsplash
A Look at Sanya: Biggest Slum in Tokyo
If one were to try to locate Sanya on a modern map, it would be impossible, having been erased 50 years ago in an attempt to keep the slum’s violence, homelessness and poverty from tainting the image of Tokyo. Sanya is not even located in a single district; it has been divided between the districts of Kiyokawa and Zutsumi. The biggest slum in Tokyo remains officially unnamed, but the name Sanya is kept alive by local residents.
The Population of Sanya
About 1,500 individuals of the Sanya population are low-income workers as well as retired laborers — many of whom were responsible for rebuilding Japan after World War II. Most of these people are between the ages of 60 and 70, and because of this, the once-active hostels are now being transformed into slow retirement homes. The elderly population is isolated in Tokyo’s hidden slum; poverty and age push them farther away from regular, Japanese society — outside of Sanya as well as internally. Because the average age in Sanya is so high, many of the people who reside here are only living off of pensions — contributing to the growing impoverished population in Sanya.
Gentrification Attempts Are Hurting Longtime Residents
To those who have lived in Sanya for decades and are part of the largely impoverished population in the district, gentrification is not the answer to financial problems, but the problem itself. Local authorities fight to resist commercial developments, but are no match for private landowners set on tearing down pre-existing buildings—such as hostels and other lodging facilities—to build more efficient housing. The retired, senior residents living off of mere pensions find this particularly frustrating because, with such little income, it would be incredibly difficult to relocate out of these hostels and start anew elsewhere.
Hotels, apartments and stores are being built as tourism flourishes — completely changing Sanya’s ambiance. Many residents claim that Tokyo’s hidden slum is not only losing living opportunities for the impoverished due to gentrification but also its culture. Old and original stores are being torn down for new ones, and this irks many residents.
Hope in the Forgotten District
Japan is actively working to combat poverty and provide assistance to the impoverished through The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR). Currently, there are hundreds of millions being poured into vital components of the economy, such as health, transport, agriculture and technical assistance. This project was established in 2000 but is geared more toward the international population of Asian countries located near Japan. But Sanya, Tokyo’s hidden slum, has its own prominent business working to combat the struggles of the local impoverished.
YUI Associates is a community building project based in Sanya and works to help the displaced population through a myriad of initiatives as well as bringing awareness to the issues within Sanya. This social enterprise additionally owns a couple of hotels for both travelers and Sanya residents struggling to get by.
YUI Associates also owns the Sanya Cafe, a cafe determined to serve affordable items and provide retired laborers with meals in exchange for collected trash. This cafe was also named in an attempt to unofficially emphasize and declare that Sanya is the true name of this district — expunged or not. Not only does YUI Associates work firsthand with the impoverished population of Sanya, but workers also take to the streets on Mondays to clean the community and converse with residents and listen to any that want to talk.
In a place nicknamed “The Lost District” and the “Place Where People Come to Disappear,” hope prevails in Sanya. Resilience is seen in the strong spirit of the residents, and with businesses like YUI Associates, Sanya improves constantly.
– Nina Argel
Photo: Unsplash
5 Charities Operating in Uzbekistan
5 Charities Operating in Uzbekistan
These charities in Uzbekistan endeavor to create a positive impact on the lives of the Uzbek people as well as international journalists and reporters.
– Sharvi Rana
Photo: Unsplash
3 Organizations Fighting Food Insecurity in Zambia
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger is a nonprofit organization that aims to end hunger through prevention and treatment programs. To help eradicate malnutrition, they created the Seeds of Hope program in Zambia’s Western Province, where 82% of the population lives in poverty. The program provides local farmers with resources and teaches them “climate-smart agricultural practices.” Climate change has challenged communities that rely on farming; therefore, they need sustainable solutions that protect their crops year-round.
Examples of Seeds of Hope projects include teaching water management, building irrigation systems and introducing drought-resistant crops. They also provide new tools and technologies, such as fishing gear and devices that capture excess carbon. Increasing food production will grow the country’s economy “by creating new markets and supporting agribusiness models,” demonstrating the many ways Seeds of Hope can make a difference.
The World Food Program (WFP)
Since 1.5 million smallholder farms produce most of Zambia’s food supply, the World Food Program has introduced a two-year project to help maximize their harvests. Severe droughts between 2018 and 2019 caused half the country and millions of farmers to lose their crops. The WFP’s project works with over 100,000 farmers in five districts across southern and western Zambia. Their goal is to implement “improved farming methods and crop management practices and technologies to reduce post-harvest losses.” They educate farmers on the entire harvesting process, from cultivating land and crop rotation to transportation and storage.
The WFP gives farming communities the resources they need to sustain production quantities, such as affordable storage bags, seeds and mulch. The project has seen promising results, with locals yielding enough crops to feed their families and create revenue.
United Nations Volunteers
In March 2020, Hiroaki Sonoda, a United Nations Volunteer from Japan, started the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) project. He came to the country as a Value Chain Development Specialist with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The project aims to resolve malnutrition and food insecurity in Zambia through economically sustainable farming. Sonoda personally “produced agribusiness and marketing information” to help communities earn more money for their harvests.
FAO-trained officers work locally to implement marketing strategies and sustainable farming techniques. The officers collaborate with local governments to ensure that the SIFAZ project is accessible across the country. So far, the program has helped more than 150 cooperatives, totaling 16,000 farmers in 27 districts across Zambia.
While rates of poverty and malnutrition are growing, several organizations have created programs that reduce food insecurity in Zambia. The projects provide new resources, including irrigation systems, marketing strategies and crop management, that create profitable and sustainable farming practices.
– Diana Grant
Photo: Flickr
Mental Health in Côte d’Ivoire
Mental Health Statistics
As of 2007, the government has funded a program titled the National Program for Mental Health (also known as PNSM) which allows civilians to receive the help that they require and deserve. This could be due to the aftermath of the First Ivorian Civil War from 2002-2007, in which many people were left with unresolved mental and psychological issues. There is no exact number of people who are suffering from mental health issues in Côte d’Ivoire, but there are only three mental health facilities for 21 million people.
However, due to recent developments, this statistic is about to change; many charities are introducing schemes and programs targeted at reducing the number of people who are suffering from mental health issues and are unable to get help.
Bluemind Foundation
The Bluemind Foundation is a nonprofit charity set up in 2021 to help tackle women’s mental health battles throughout Africa. Their first mission for Côte d’Ivoire was to introduce the ‘Heal by Hair’ program.
The program is designed to give hairdressers the skills and knowledge that they will need in order to recognize the warning signs of somebody who is battling with mental health and how to adapt their visit to make it the most beneficial. This scheme was introduced to over 200 hairdressers throughout Côte d’Ivoire in August 2022 and is aiming to be completed around March 2024.
This project is a prime example of how a community can be a massive help when tackling both local and global issues, as opening the lines of communication between hairdressers and clients creates a friendly and secure environment for conversations to occur. There are also charities that use other vectors like religion to improve the number of people suffering, such as Brothers of Charity.
Brothers of Charity
The Brothers of Charity was first opened in 1807 by Fr. Peter Joseph Triest with the aim of teaching young religious men to care for the elderly. However, their services were first introduced to Côte d’Ivoire in 1992 when the Congregation opened a house in Abidjan, allowing the brothers to receive both spiritual advice and professional training. This then led to the two-year-long development of a psychiatric hospital.
Looking Up
Thanks to charities such as ‘Heal by Hair’ and ‘Brothers of Charity’ alongside the development of government-funded programs such as PSNM, more help is on the way to address mental health in Côte d’Ivoire. This means that the population of Côte d’Ivoire can now finally process the traumatic events that they have experienced so far this century and move toward a life of healing.
– Ella Bushell
Photo: Flickr
Behind the Policies: Energy Poverty in Chile
Chile stands out as a frontrunner in Latin America’s renewable energy landscape, with its ambitious 2022 commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Notably, this coastal nation has emerged as a solar and wind energy champion, capitalizing on both developmental efforts and government support to furnish nearly half of its population with clean energy sources.
Although these endeavors mark a commendable stride forward, a significant facet of energy consumption in developing regions remains unaddressed by the Chilean government: energy poverty. This often neglected concern looms over Chile. While affluent households already approach net-zero carbon emissions, a considerable 30% of households still rely on wood for heating, a proportion that balloons to 75% in rural locales.
Even as legislative efforts advocate for more stringent policies aimed at transitioning to renewable energy, the specter of energy poverty in Chile persists, underscoring the complexity of the nation’s energy transformation journey.
The Risks of Energy Poverty in Chile
As Chile approaches the 100% mark for households with access to electricity, the reality for many rural families is an inconsistent and unaffordable electrical line. About 90% of Chileans in a 2018 survey reported spending more than 10% of their monthly income on an energy bill, and even then many still lack access to essential amenities such as heating and consistent internet connection.
Lack of heating is a pressing concern for many rural communities, especially in mountainous regions. This leads to an influx of wood-fueled heating in rural areas where electrical heating is inaccessible. Wood-fueled heating produces far more CO2 emissions and is linked with increased risks of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in households experiencing energy poverty. Territories in Southern Chile also have increased firewood usage where energy is unavailable. Despite legislators’ claims to work towards shifting these areas towards clean energy, less than 5% of people in polluted areas participate in policy action.
Amidst these issues, Chilean policymakers plan to tighten their carbon tax policy, which disproportionately impacts those already living in energy poverty. These policies could lead to a 16.7% increase in the proportion of households paying more than 10% of their income for access to energy.
Providing Access in Rural Areas
Fortunately, communities and initiative programs alike are working towards improving energy poverty in Chile. One such program is the Energy Inclusion Program founded in 2018, which uses international collaboration and public-private funds to provide equitable energy access to vulnerable consumers. In 2021, an advocate for the Energy Inclusion Program assisted a rural Chilean village north of Santiago in providing hot water and electricity to elderly and struggling families who could not afford energy bills. A community cooperative for renewable energy helped 40 households in the village install a solar farm with a 50kW capacity. Similar initiatives have taken off in many parts of the nation, including programs funded by the Entrepreneurship and Alternative Energy Generation (EGEA) and EBP Chile.
Moving Forward
Chile’s route towards renewable energy is commendable, and its initiatives have encouraged many other Latin American nations to pursue revised climate-centered legislation. Regardless, energy poverty in Chile negatively impacts rural and impoverished communities that possess limited resources to maintain the country’s lofty net-zero goals.
Through community inclusion and global programs, families in poverty have renewed prospects towards pushing Chile’s emerging economy to become a global leader in climate change policies and renewable energy.
– Inaya Lala
Photo: Wikipedia Commons