The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently worked to help citizens improve their mental health in North Macedonia. In North Macedonia, the insurance fully covers mental health services and psychotropic medicines. According to the Mental Health Atlas, there were 179 psychiatrists in the country as of 2020.
There were also 20 hospital-attached mental health outpatient facilities as opposed to zero “community-based/non-hospital” mental health facilities. And other mental health facilities totaled 32.
The Mental Health Atlas also reported four mental hospitals and eight psychiatric units in general hospitals. In addition, there were 376 mental health nurses in North Macedonia, with the country spending 7.3% of its total health expenditure on mental health.
The Pressures of Poverty
In 2022, the WHO stated that nearly 40% of the nation’s residents were “at risk of poverty or severe material deprivation in 2019.” COVID-19 added to preexisting barriers to health equity, causing many to experience mental health challenges.
Rising costs of basic necessities pose another threat to impoverished citizens of North Macedonia. According to UNICEF, a 25% increase in household energy/heating costs and a 29% increase in food costs could disproportionately affect poorer households with multiple children.
A 2022 UNICEF mental health workshop for social protection frontline workers provided evidence of the negative effect of poverty on mental health in North Macedonia. Workers interested in learning how to cope with stress and build resilience shared their experiences with stress caused by daily dealings with complex cases of poverty and related adversities.
Economic Effects of Global Crises
COVID-19 took a toll on mental health in North Macedonia. In 2022, WHO also added that the pandemic diminished social and financial protection systems, leading to substantial mental health challenges. Furthermore, a 2023 UNICEF report highlighted a link between the pandemic and symptoms of anxiety and depression among the country’s residents.
The report examined 11 nations, including North Macedonia, and showed a statistically significant relationship between personal exposure to the virus and anxiety/depression symptoms in adults. Around 42% of adolescent respondents also reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety in response to the pandemic.
The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also affected nations, including North Macedonia. According to UNICEF’s 2022 Country Office Annual Report, North Macedonia’s economy, which was recovering from the blow it suffered during the pandemic, faced another setback due to the war. Unfortunately, these economic events also pose risks to mental health in North Macedonia.
Economic Threats to Mental Health
Ongoing trends suggest that economic instability threatens mental health in North Macedonia. In a 2015 review, Ben Fell and Miles Hewstone argued that poverty increases the risk of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and drug addiction.
Instances of poverty’s harmful effect on mental health exist abroad. A 2020 article by Lee Knifton and Greig Inglis revealed that in 2018, 23% of men and 26% of women in the most impoverished areas of Scotland reported symptoms of possible psychiatric disorders, as opposed to 12% of men and 16% of women in its most well-off areas. With a heightened risk of poverty comes a threat to mental well-being.
Systemic Barriers to Quality Care
Recent reforms have focused largely on North Macedonia’s mental health system. A May 2022 WHO news release reported that from 2000 to 2008, WHO and the Ministry of Health initiated reforms that moved North Macedonia’s mental health care out of hospitals and into community mental health centers.
This migration of mental health care reflects a need to remove patients from the negative conditions of hospital-based mental health units. A 2010 BalkanInsight article revealed that conditions at the Demir Hisar psychiatric hospital in North Macedonia were dehumanizing and that hospitals like Demir Hisar were underfunded and understaffed.
WHO Takes Action
Between 2008 and 2017, the WHO’s efforts to improve the mental health situation in North Macedonia faced challenges that were due to a reduction in government support for community-based mental health services.
In 2018, the Republic of North Macedonia adopted the new National Strategy for the Promotion of Mental Health. Goals include decentralizing mental health services, decreasing the number of psychiatric hospitals and strengthening staff at community mental health centers, according to a May 2022 WHO news release.
Stojan Bajraktarov, director of the Psychiatric Clinic in Skopje, North Macedonia, explained that education, communication and cooperation are key in delivering quality mental health care at a primary care level.
Taking Inspiration from Crisis
The pandemic, while tragic, has also provided an opportunity to improve access to quality care for mental health in North Macedonia. The pandemic inspired many to push health equity higher up the political agenda, said Anne Johansen, WHO’s special representative to North Macedonia. Overall, this can have lasting positive impacts on the country and its residents.
– Noel Teter
Photo: Pixabay
How Mamotest is Improving Breast Cancer Detection in Latin America
Breast cancer is “the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the Americas,” accounting for 16% of female cancer-rated mortality, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported in 2018. However, the survival rate for breast cancer in Latin America (27%) is significantly lower than in the U.S. (99%). This is due to a number of factors, including a lack of access to early detection and treatment services. Poverty also plays a role. In Latin America, 80% of females older than 40 lack access to mammograms due to equipment insufficiencies and a lack of health care professionals in this field. Also, where mammogram services are available, the costs are very high, UNDP Digital X explains. Furthermore, many women lack formal employment, making the high costs of mammograms prohibitive. Mamotest aims to improve breast cancer detection in Latin America.
Mamotest
Mamotest is a digital health company that is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve breast cancer detection in Latin America. The company’s AI-powered platform can detect breast cancer with accuracy. Mamotest also offers a mobile app that allows women to book appointments, upload their mammograms and receive their results online. Mamotest has operated in Argentina since 2017 and it has recently expanded into Mexico. Guillermo Pepe founded it in 2013 as the first telediagnostic solution for breast cancer detection in Latin America.
The Benefits of Mamotest
Mamotest’s AI-powered platform is a significant advancement in the fight against breast cancer in Latin America. The platform makes it possible to provide early detection and treatment services to women who would otherwise not have access to them. This helps to increase the survival rate for breast cancer in the region. Early detection can raise the survival chances to 90% or more.
The United Nations (U.N.) regards Mamotest as “one of the four organizations changing the first level healthcare sector globally,” Mexico Business News reports.
The company has screened around 650,000 women. In Argentina, the company has 15 centers with a screening rate of 60,000 women per year. Mamotest helped 87% of the screened patients to receive an early diagnosis and begin treatment early on.
It is cost-effective, efficient and easily accessible to women in remote areas with certified examination reports available within 24 hours. UNDP Digital X says a mammogram in Latin America costs between $70 and $150 and the public sector does offer these services but the waiting list is typically four to six months.
Monetary Savings
As per the Swiss consultancy agency LeFil, Mamotest has resulted in benefits of around $6.2 million annually. Patients have saved $1.73 million annually due to “avoided out-of-pocket diagnostic costs, transportation expenses, treatment cost for uninsured patients and unpaid work days for patients without insurance or formal employer’s coverage,” LeFil says. Families of patients have saved $1.1 million annually that could have arisen from funeral expenses and lost income for household members caring for the ill member, among other costs.
A Notable Impact
Mamotest has made a notable impact so far. It has delivered “100 medical refresher courses,” diagnosed 150,000 women and ran 35 breast cancer awareness-raising campaigns. Further, Mamotest has performed 10,000 free mammograms through the support of Fundación Telmed. Mamotest’s efforts, in part, have influenced three provinces to pass a legal policy ensuring all people a day off work to undergo medical tests.
Owing to its positive impact on the lives of marginalized women in Latin America, Mamotest won the Zayed Sustainability Prize in 2022 in the health category for being an innovative and sustainable tech solution.
Mamotest is committed to continuing to innovate and improve its services. The company is currently working on developing new AI algorithms that will improve the accuracy of its platform. Mamotest is also working on expanding its services to reach other parts of Latin America like Peru, Uruguay and Mexico to help women fight breast cancer.
– Sarmad Wali Khan
Photo: Flickr
Eliminating Gender Inequality in Taiwan
The Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, is ranked first in Asian countries in the U.N. Gender Inequality Index for gender equality. This means that Taiwan has been successfully empowering, educating and creating equal opportunities for its women. But despite this fact, gender inequality in Taiwan endures.
The Gender Wage Gap
One perpetuating issue is the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap in Taiwan is at 15.8%, meaning women would have to work a total of 58 more days to earn equal pay.
In an effort to combat the wage gap, the Taiwan Ministry of Labor (MOL) established ‘Equal Pay Day’ in 2012 to raise awareness of the issue.
As things stand, there are several issues that may be contributing to this issue of inequality. Primarily, women have historically experienced discrimination due to the potential for maternity leave. Some Taiwanese women shared similar experiences. Hiring committees will often ask them if they are pregnant or intend on getting pregnant, and the answer can play a huge role in whether employers will hire them.
However, the overall heightened awareness about gender inequality and the work of the MOL has resulted in tangible progress. Back in 2012, women earned 16.6% less than men. In the last few years, the gap has closed by 0.8%.
Taiwan has also continued to increase the number of women in positions of political power and/or the workforce. About 51% of women over the age of 15 were in the labor force as of 2015, with an average monthly income of $1,346. As for political positions, female lawmakers make up 42.5% of the parliament, Legislative Yuan. Currently, the following are some programs addressing gender inequality in Taiwan.
Taiwan Women’s Center
The Taiwan Women’s Center, which originated in 2008, is an organization that aims to spread gender equality. Its conference rooms in Taipei City, its headquarters, host discussions, seminars and training courses about feminism. Members discuss potential solutions to relevant issues regarding how Taiwan can create a gender-equal society.
The website features videos on the history of gender equality in Taiwan. It also provides links to other organizations striving to make Taiwan a safe and equal country for everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or sexuality.
Gender Equality Committee of the Executive Yuan
The Gender Equality Committee of the Executive Yuan, established in 1997, works to sustain and enforce government laws and legislation that protect women’s rights.
Some historical accomplishments of the GEC include the establishment of the Commission on Women’s Rights Program (CWRP), the passing of the Enforcement Act of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the establishment of the Department of Gender Equality.
The website includes a tab with various programs that can help kickstart “gender-responsive actions.” These “toolkits” aim to educate and inspire women to participate and be active in the fight for gender equality.
The Awakening Foundation
The Awakening Foundation is a nonprofit and nonpartisan group that has aided many in the fight for gender equality. Established in 1982, it originated as a magazine to protest against the way people treated women in Taiwanese culture. Some of the foundation’s original projects focused on ending child sex trafficking.
Currently, it aids Taiwanese women by lobbying for feminist reforms, providing legal assistance and counseling, as well as monitoring a hotline that reaches about 2,000 citizens per year. Recently, the Awakening Foundation has been working on mandating paid parental leave, as well as educating the public with articles on why women play a vital role in the advancement of politics.
Looking Ahead
Although Taiwan has made significant progress toward gender equality, progress is still ongoing. The current initiatives continue to push for a world where gender equality is the norm. With continued support and education on the issue, and based on the progress so far, there is a chance that one day, gender inequality in Taiwan will become an issue of the past.
– Alex Hasenkamp
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Improving Mental Health in North Macedonia
There were also 20 hospital-attached mental health outpatient facilities as opposed to zero “community-based/non-hospital” mental health facilities. And other mental health facilities totaled 32.
The Mental Health Atlas also reported four mental hospitals and eight psychiatric units in general hospitals. In addition, there were 376 mental health nurses in North Macedonia, with the country spending 7.3% of its total health expenditure on mental health.
The Pressures of Poverty
In 2022, the WHO stated that nearly 40% of the nation’s residents were “at risk of poverty or severe material deprivation in 2019.” COVID-19 added to preexisting barriers to health equity, causing many to experience mental health challenges.
Rising costs of basic necessities pose another threat to impoverished citizens of North Macedonia. According to UNICEF, a 25% increase in household energy/heating costs and a 29% increase in food costs could disproportionately affect poorer households with multiple children.
A 2022 UNICEF mental health workshop for social protection frontline workers provided evidence of the negative effect of poverty on mental health in North Macedonia. Workers interested in learning how to cope with stress and build resilience shared their experiences with stress caused by daily dealings with complex cases of poverty and related adversities.
Economic Effects of Global Crises
COVID-19 took a toll on mental health in North Macedonia. In 2022, WHO also added that the pandemic diminished social and financial protection systems, leading to substantial mental health challenges. Furthermore, a 2023 UNICEF report highlighted a link between the pandemic and symptoms of anxiety and depression among the country’s residents.
The report examined 11 nations, including North Macedonia, and showed a statistically significant relationship between personal exposure to the virus and anxiety/depression symptoms in adults. Around 42% of adolescent respondents also reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety in response to the pandemic.
The recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also affected nations, including North Macedonia. According to UNICEF’s 2022 Country Office Annual Report, North Macedonia’s economy, which was recovering from the blow it suffered during the pandemic, faced another setback due to the war. Unfortunately, these economic events also pose risks to mental health in North Macedonia.
Economic Threats to Mental Health
Ongoing trends suggest that economic instability threatens mental health in North Macedonia. In a 2015 review, Ben Fell and Miles Hewstone argued that poverty increases the risk of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and drug addiction.
Instances of poverty’s harmful effect on mental health exist abroad. A 2020 article by Lee Knifton and Greig Inglis revealed that in 2018, 23% of men and 26% of women in the most impoverished areas of Scotland reported symptoms of possible psychiatric disorders, as opposed to 12% of men and 16% of women in its most well-off areas. With a heightened risk of poverty comes a threat to mental well-being.
Systemic Barriers to Quality Care
Recent reforms have focused largely on North Macedonia’s mental health system. A May 2022 WHO news release reported that from 2000 to 2008, WHO and the Ministry of Health initiated reforms that moved North Macedonia’s mental health care out of hospitals and into community mental health centers.
This migration of mental health care reflects a need to remove patients from the negative conditions of hospital-based mental health units. A 2010 BalkanInsight article revealed that conditions at the Demir Hisar psychiatric hospital in North Macedonia were dehumanizing and that hospitals like Demir Hisar were underfunded and understaffed.
WHO Takes Action
Between 2008 and 2017, the WHO’s efforts to improve the mental health situation in North Macedonia faced challenges that were due to a reduction in government support for community-based mental health services.
In 2018, the Republic of North Macedonia adopted the new National Strategy for the Promotion of Mental Health. Goals include decentralizing mental health services, decreasing the number of psychiatric hospitals and strengthening staff at community mental health centers, according to a May 2022 WHO news release.
Stojan Bajraktarov, director of the Psychiatric Clinic in Skopje, North Macedonia, explained that education, communication and cooperation are key in delivering quality mental health care at a primary care level.
Taking Inspiration from Crisis
The pandemic, while tragic, has also provided an opportunity to improve access to quality care for mental health in North Macedonia. The pandemic inspired many to push health equity higher up the political agenda, said Anne Johansen, WHO’s special representative to North Macedonia. Overall, this can have lasting positive impacts on the country and its residents.
– Noel Teter
Photo: Pixabay
How Fintech is Transforming Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
With the right strategy, overcoming these challenges carries great potential to change the livelihoods of millions. Experts at McKinsey, a global consulting firm, found that the market for financial services in Africa could reach $230 billion in collective revenue in the next two years. Boston Consulting Group and QED Investors estimated that Africa’s fintech sector could reach a revenue compound annual growth rate of 32% by 2030. In fact, fintech companies are expected to make up nearly a quarter of all banking valuations worldwide by then.
Fintech in sub-Saharan Africa: A Frontier For Change
Fintech encompasses any kind of platform that sidesteps traditional roadblocks to saving and spending in some form of credit or cryptocurrency. Alternatives like blockchain, peer-to-peer lending and equity-based crowdfunding can be up to 80% cheaper, with interest rates on savings up to three times higher. By using technology to keep all users accountable, these systems incentivize honest transactions and sustainable supply chains.
These technologies can streamline the investments necessary to facilitate small business ventures, eco trade and agriculture. Pula Advisors underwrites climate risks that negatively affect crop yields with digital micro-insurance for over 1 million farmers across Zambia, Kenya and Nigeria. In Mozambique, Vodafone has piloted an electricity initiative that provides customers with off-grid solar devices they can buy and recharge with mobile transfer service M-Pesa.
Online banks are longer lasting and relatively less capital-intensive to establish in Africa. For perspective, about 65% of companies in the United States (U.S.) fail within the first 10 years. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that U.S.-based companies raise the most capital and experience the least longevity. African companies raise the least from investors and fare the longest. The difference between the two lies in prioritizing change readiness rather than investor relationships. Successful African entrepreneurs can secure stakeholder support by ensuring market acceptance and engaging customers on a community level.
E-commerce Giant Chips In
Amazon Web Services launched its inaugural FinTech Africa Accelerator in June 2023. The equity-free program is hosting a cohort of 25 startups to fast-track their go-to-market strategy, technical development and fundraising efforts. Exxtra, Chumz and Vargent have already validated their proof of concepts, exemplifying the unmet niche fintech addresses across Africa.
Exxtra provides over 10,000 Ghanaians short-term loans in under 24 hours with no collateral or guarantors required. Chumz uses Kenyan software to create group saving accounts with interest rates up to 8%, free of charge. Vargent is like a Nigerian Venmo for instant money transfers around Africa with safeguards for illicit laundering.
Summit Scheduled for November in Zambia
The 10th bi-annual Africa Fintech Summit is happening this fall in Lusaka. Past meetings have been held throughout the continent, in Lagos, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Cape Town and internationally this past April in Washington, D.C. The conference hosts panels, workshops and a pitch competition to foster conversations between industry regulators, investors and founders. Its tech exhibition has welcomed over 4,000 participants from 100 countries since 2018. Zambia is regarded with optimism within the industry, recently cited as Africa’s next major tech hub. Between 2015 and 2020, the country’s mobile money penetration increased by 10%. Also, Its current administration is prioritizing digital inclusion as a means for economic growth with business-friendly legislation.
Looking Ahead
Self-sufficient economies are on the horizon, and this is a result of the emergence of fintech in Sub-Saharan Africa. Already on Amazon’s radar, African fintech is emerging as a viable initiative for empowering the underbanked.
– Avery Pearson
Photo URL: https://unsplash.com/photos/aVbHFu-Doo4
Poverty and Higher Education in Iran
A Brief History of Higher Education in Iran
The 1979 Islamic Revolution redefined the political structure of Iran by creating the Islamic Republic. As the nation began to desecularize, almost all universities stopped operations until 1983 during the revision of curricula. Simultaneously, post-revolutionary policy emphasized funding for creating rural infrastructure but invested little in ensuring equal access to secondary education and creating job opportunities. Consequently, employment prospects have faced limitations, even for students who completed higher education in Iran.
For instance, the 2016-17 Iranian census reported unemployment rates of 34.6% and 45.7% for college-educated men and women, respectively. Therefore, Iranian young people have increasingly left the country to pursue higher education elsewhere and university enrollment rates within the country have substantially dropped. For example, in 2014-2015, there were 4,811,581 students enrolled at Iranian universities, and this number decreased by more than a million to 3,616,114 students in 2017-2018.
Growing poverty in Iran has only exacerbated the dropping rates of college graduates, with many families unable to afford even basic education for their children. As of 2019, an estimated 7 million Iranian children were “deprived of education” due to poverty. Furthermore, financial difficulties forced about 25% of enrolled students, especially females, to drop out of school.
Particularly in rural communities, a lack of sufficient educational facilities, funding to maintain schools and increasing tuition rates are heightening barriers to secondary education. Simultaneously, low university admission rates, high college graduate unemployment rates and nominal government support for college students are dissuading struggling families from applying for higher education in Iran. Equally, exorbitant international fees make education abroad an impossibility for some 33% of Iranian families who, according to estimates, are now living in extreme poverty.
Improving Accessibility
In light of recent sanctions and other economic shocks, Iran’s GDP growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has been modest. While this has limited the government’s ability to provide support for college students, organizations like A More Balanced World (AMBW) have remained committed to providing funding and opportunities for students who cannot access education due to poverty.
With programs in 11 countries around the world, AMBW’s Iranian program funds first, secondary and university-level education for students from struggling families. Its scholarships and sponsorships are having a profound impact on Iran’s youth. For example, AMBW supported Siavosh, a student from Iran’s Hamadan Province, beginning in the eighth grade, making it possible for him to complete his education at an elite school and pursue his dreams as a weightlifter.
Another organization investing in higher education in Iran is Keep Children in School (KCIS), which is working “to break the cycle of poverty by providing financial support for educational needs of underprivileged children.” Focusing specifically on countries including Iran and Afghanistan, KCIS supports primary through university-level education and offers opportunities for donors to provide individual sponsorship for children in need. To date, the organization’s financial assistance has facilitated the education of more than 1,800 young people.
Looking Ahead
Education, especially higher education, can be a gateway out of poverty, allowing disadvantaged young people to gain control over their futures and secure meaningful livelihoods. While there appears to be a need for efforts that focus on creating a more sustainable job market within Iran, organizations like AMBW and KCIS are helping the country’s youth obtain the higher education needed to reshape the future.
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Soaring Rates of Food Insecurity in Afghanistan
The Current Reality
According to the 2023 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, an alarming 40% of Afghan citizens, or about 17.2 million people, were suffering from crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity (Phases 3 and 4) as of April 2023. While that figure was expected to drop to about 15.3 million people between May and October 2023, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently reported that, among those currently suffering from food insecurity in Afghanistan, an estimated 3.2 million children and 840,000 pregnant or lactating women are acutely malnourished. With undernutrition accounting for the deaths of an estimated 3 million Afghan children annually as of 2021, the current situation is dire.
Challenges and Ramifications
Natural disasters have exacerbated food insecurity in Afghanistan in recent years. For instance, in 2018 and 2019, the country suffered flash floods and droughts that had a detrimental impact on the lives and livelihoods of more than 350,000 people. These disasters damaged agricultural infrastructure and croplands, leading to a shortage of affordable, easily accessible nutritious foods.
Furthermore, heavy snow accumulation during the winter season obstructed roads, worsening food shortages and hindering resupply efforts. Coupled with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, such disasters have left swelling numbers of Afghan households and individuals unable to fulfill their nutritional requirements due to insufficient availability of food.
Additionally, UNICEF reports that mothers lack the nutritional education to understand the food needs of themselves and their children. According to UNICEF, just 50% of Afghan babies are breastfed for the recommended duration of six months and only about 12% of 6-24-month-old infants receive the requisite daily nutritional intake during this crucial development phase. Consequently, as of 2021, the mortality rate for Afghan children under the age of 5 was 56 per 1,000 live births, according to the Asian Development Bank.
Evolving Measures
However, since 2021, the Government of Afghanistan has been collaborating with the United Nations and other partners to implement initiatives that address malnutrition and famine in Afghanistan. These programs prioritize child-centered intervention, encompass strategies for mitigating severe malnutrition and aim to promote the consumption of fortified meals among families.
For example, one of the objectives of the government’s Kabul Declaration is to reduce the rate of stunting among children 5 years and younger to 10% by 2030. The approach to achieving this goal prioritizes key factors such as the promotion of nutrition, the enhancement of maternal nutrition, the improvement of feeding practices for infants and young children and the provision of essential micronutrients.
The WFP has also been providing vital food and nourishment that is helping to alleviate food insecurity in Afghanistan and save lives. In 2022 alone, the WFP’s food assistance aided 23 million Afghan people, including more than one million children and more than 500,000 expectant and lactating mothers.
Changing Lives and Providing for a Better Future
Recent sanctions and reductions in humanitarian assistance have heightened the threat of food insecurity in Afghanistan. With famine consuming the country at an alarming rate, the efforts of the Afghan government, the U.N. and the WFP have been critical for mitigating the crisis. Still, there appears to be room for more effort to address the famine and food insecurity that millions across the country face. Such additional efforts could be vital for alleviating hunger and malnutrition in Afghanistan and ensuring that its citizens have a fair chance at life.
– Valentina Ornelas
Photo: Flickr
Artificial Intelligence Teaching Robot Improves Education in Vietnam
Robotics using artificial intelligence have become increasingly prolific over the past decade. Usually, the programs power the execution of rudimentary tasks such as walking or holding items, and the robots often have sensors that make them aware of their surroundings. Additionally, the actual programming software that developers use for AI robots is a simulation of human intelligence. This allows the robot to process and analyze information and data, as well as “think,” communicate with and respond to humans. AI robots can also accumulate experience through special algorithms which allow them to learn rapidly. Here is some information about Vietnam’s artificial intelligence teaching robot.
Vietnam’s Artificial Intelligence Teaching Robot
EdTech startup Open Classroom recently developed Vietnam’s first artificial intelligence teaching robot, Tri Nhan. In addition to the typical features and functions of traditional artificial intelligence robots, Tri Nhan stands at 1.8 meters tall and has synthetic human organs such as lungs, a heart, a simulated DNA double-helix structure and “good” and “evil” circuits, making it seem even more human-like.
Tri Nhan means both “artificial intelligence” and “wise man,” and the world’s first robot, Sophia, meaning wisdom, inspired it.
Tri Nhan is also equipped with five “senses” — vision via cameras in its eyes, hearing via long-range microphones, smell via air quality sensors, touch via temperature and pressure sensors and taste via a meter attached to an anti-toxic device. These artificial “senses” have merged with a Google search engine, allowing the robot to conduct various tasks.
Additionally, Tri Nhan has also been equipped with an artificial “personality,” which is almost human-like, according to Pham Thanh Nam, the AI expert who developed the robot. Tri Nhan has a certain level of emotional intelligence and even tells jokes.
How Does This Improve Education?
Tri Nhan can recognize voices speaking both Vietnamese and English and process natural human conversation, as well as translate sentences from other languages. Currently, Tri Nhan’s main purpose is for teaching assistance. It can answer questions from teachers and students and cater to many different subject areas, as it recognizes a question and then searches for the information online using search engines. This artificial intelligence teaching robot can also solve mathematical equations and read poetry, making it a useful tool in any classroom. Using its high-level programming, Tri Nhan helps to actively teach children, as well as give them assessments and correct their mistakes. It can also help students learn from their mistakes and use the skills they have learned in lessons. Parents can also receive reports and track their children’s grades via an app linked to Tri Nhan.
This helps both students and teachers in Vietnam significantly, as teachers are often overworked due to the shortage of teaching staff in the country, and students lack a high level of personalized attention from the overworked teachers. The Vietnamese education authority stated in 2022 that Vietnam needed more than 94,700 teachers across all levels of education. Many areas that lack teachers are remote, but even high schools in Ho Chi Minh City are suffering from overcrowding and staff shortages.
Innovations such as artificial intelligence teaching robots have improved the quality of teaching for many students and teachers who have had the opportunity to use them, which is a welcome advantage in less developed countries such as Vietnam.
Education and Poverty
Lack of education is one of the main factors perpetuating poverty and impeding economic development in many countries. Inadequate education prevents people from acquiring the fundamental skills and knowledge to obtain meaningful employment and financial stability. Higher levels of education can break cycles of poverty and improve people’s standard of living.
Although there is still a certain amount of technological development required to produce a fully-functional teacher in Tri Nhan, it is highly feasible that an AI-teaching robot such as Tri Nhan could be educating children in the future, and it is clear that the Vietnamese EdTech sector has established a solid foundation in this sphere.
– Molly Wallace
Photo: Flickr
Informal Education in India
India has 28.7 million illiterate adults, the most in the world. According to the U.N. Population Division, approximately 50.3% of India’s population is under 25 years old, accounting for more than 40%of India’s population. Meanwhile, literacy rates improved to 77.7% in 2020. The lack of literacy could hinder the country’s prospects. The demand for education has increased, but as noted by Karthik Muralidharan, an assistant professor at the University of California, India’s problem relates more to the lack of supply than the lack of demand.
The lack of supply can result from several factors, including inadequate funding for public schools, a shortage of qualified teachers, insufficient infrastructure and a lack of accountability and transparency in the education system. The rising demand, faced with the shortcomings of state education, has created a market for low-budget private schools, for-profit enterprises and small entrepreneurs to charge small sums to poor parents.
Low-Budget Private Schools
James Tooley, a professor who people know for his work on low-cost private education in India, has pointed out that the government has been underestimating the number of low-cost private schools in the country, as many are not formally registered. His recent research has led him to find 1,224 private schools in the city of Patna, where the government had listed only 40.
The low-budget private slum schools, which legislation requires to operate as charities, have not been part of government schemes to help maintain small businesses afloat during the pandemic. Consequently, many of the schools closed down after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the absence of more formal education, there appears to be a need for the emergence of solutions to maintain and expand private schools in slum areas. For instance, in Mumbai, the Doorstep School, a mobile classroom, found an innovative way to reward its most hardworking students by naming streets after them. These lanes, which are often not found on maps, become well-known, particularly among slum dwellers, providing students with a sense of pride and much-needed encouragement.
Solutions to Help Slum Education Initiative Survive and Strive
Owners of private schools in slums have very low chances of obtaining government loans. One way to support these schools could be to provide small loans to individual private schools to facilitate the upgrade of the facilities required for pupils to learn effectively, both in terms of study and sanitation. Investments could also help the schools improve teacher training programs, ensuring meeting and hearing to required standards.
Partnering with local NGOs such as the School-in-a-Box Project, the Ashraya Initiative for Children, the Barefoot College, the Balwadi School and the Snehalaya Shelter along with many others, do remarkable work in adapting to the needs of each community. These organizations provide education at various levels, and this is alongside health care and other essential services for children and women living in impoverished neighborhoods and slums across various Indian cities.
Improving Education
Education in Indian slums is a domestic issue with global implications. India, the world’s second-most populous country, has a significant portion of its population living in slums. The current generation of young people needs better education to acquire the skills and knowledge required to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. This could potentially have ripple effects on the global economy, workforce, as well as international development and poverty reduction efforts.
Apart from benefitting India, improving education in Indian slums could also benefit the United States (U.S.). Increased economic growth in India could create new opportunities for investment and trade, potentially benefiting both countries.
What is Next?
Education is not a luxury but a fundamental human right. Improving access to education for underprivileged communities is crucial for achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a set of 17 goals adopted by the U.N. to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all. SDG4 aims to ensure the provision of inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
– Hanna Bernard
Photo: Flickr
Poverty Eradication in Democratic Republic of Congo
Digital Aid Program
During the pandemic, Togo launched the Novissi program. This initiative was partly led by Joshua Blumenstock, co-director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), with an aim to identify those affected by poverty using “machine learning combined with mobile phone records and satellite data.” Novissi provided Togo’s poorest with cash transfers as a form of aid as the pandemic ravaged the nation.
Modeling this example, in December 2021, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government also initiated a COVID-19 relief program. With financial help from the World Bank and technical assistance from GiveDirectly, Congolese citizens receive access to $25 online payments over a period of six months. The transfer of cash and the aspects of financial independence play significant roles in poverty eradication in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
National Development Plan
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) National Development Plan (NDP) for 2022-2026 seeks to create “wealth upstream, in order to have, downstream, the necessary levers to deal with the country’s problems.” By focusing on strengthening the country’s economy and enlisting help from foreign aid, this program aims to resolve its most glaring poverty difficulties. It operates on six pillars:
Opportunity International’s Programs
Around 10 million hectares of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 80 million hectares of plowable land are currently under cultivation, leaving a vast amount of fertile soil bare and untouched. Because of this discrepancy, which leaves families without a stable food supply, Opportunity International, a nonprofit organization that assists individuals in starting businesses, attending school, cultivating farms and reducing poverty, spearheaded the Agriculture Finance program across Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This initiative focuses on the market research of crops and collaborating with cooperatives to provide people with financial and agricultural training. Agricultural Finance also opens banking services for farmers and provides them with ready-to-use seeds and fertilizers in addition to enlisting a market of buyers. Positively, this program aided more than 540,000 farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Looking Ahead
These crucial developments to further poverty eradication in the Democratic Republic of Congo signal hope for a better future. As things stand, the trends suggest that focusing on technology-based solutions in the financial and industrial markets expands opportunity and paves the path for stability.
– Maddy Grieco
Photo: Flickr
Period Poverty in Argentina
The Context
Argentina is home to more than 10 million menstruating individuals with many unable to afford sanitary products for themselves. The country currently taxes menstrual products at 21%, leaving these essential products out of reach for many, especially lower-income women.
According to research conducted by the anti-poverty group La Poderosa, six out of 10 women living within the country have had to deprioritize the purchase of menstrual products in order to afford food.
Another issue with access to period products relates to the heavy stigma surrounding menstruation; the shamefulness of the topic means there is a lack of proper menstrual education and people struggle to voice the issues regarding period inequality. Despite this, a number of groups focus on combating menstrual stigmas and taboos and finding solutions to address the issue of period poverty in Argentina.
#MenstruAcción
This campaign, #MenstruAcción, led by the feminist group EcoFeminita, advocates for the free distribution of menstrual products and protections and education for people who menstruate. Since its origin in 2017, the campaign has tracked legislation promoting the dissemination of sanitary products or the elimination of tax on menstrual products.
Along with this, the organization offers educational resources for the classroom, helping to better inform the population and destigmatize menstruation. So far, the campaign has achieved notable success. It contributed to the passing of bills for tax reduction and/or free distribution of menstrual products within Argentina’s municipalities and provinces.
Pro Mujer
This Latin American organization focuses on providing health, education and career-related resources to women in the region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pro Mujer launched the Una Para Vos, Una Para Todos Campaign, working with Johnson & Johnson to help combat period poverty in Argentina, according to its website.
By the end of 2020, the organization was able to deliver both education and sanitary products to more than 21,000 people. In total, Pro Mujer was able to distribute around 26,000 menstrual products.
Argentinian Red Cross
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Red Cross has worked to reduce the impacts of period poverty in Argentina. The organization’s outreach particularly focuses on the struggle that individuals face in gaining access to menstrual hygiene products.
The Argentine Red Cross provided napkins, tampons and menstrual cups to those most in need of supplies. The organization also worked to provide educational material on the use of period products.
Why it Matters
The work of these organizations has made a significant impact on the day-to-day lives of Argentinian women. By increasing education and access to sanitary products, these groups have the potential to make a long-term difference in reducing period poverty in Argentina.
On top of this, legal protections and benefits that initiatives like MenstruAcción support have already begun to minimize these inequalities. While there is still more work to do, the future seems to hold promise for those struggling with period inequality.
– Mary Burke
Photo: Flickr