Over the last three decades, maternal and children’s health has improved significantly worldwide. The newborn survival rate has almost doubled since 1990 and maternal mortality rates have seen a 34% decrease since the beginning of the century. However, progress in health care is not globally even. Maternal and child health care in developing nations is out of reach for many expectant mothers and young children, resulting in high mortality rates.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 95% of women who died during pregnancy or labor in 2020 came from low and lower-middle-income countries. Furthermore, around 79% of neonatal deaths in the same year occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia. In both instances, lack of quality health care is the leading cause of death. Poverty, low numbers of qualified medical professionals and poor sanitation and resources are among the key reasons that health care in developing nations has been slow to advance. Muslim Hands is working to improve maternal and child health care in developing nations through its maternal health clinics and educational programs.
About Muslim Hands
Muslim Hands is a U.K.-based NGO that supports poverty-stricken communities in more than 30 developing nations. The organization, established in 1993, began as a volunteer movement in Nottingham to support victims of the Bosnian war. Muslim Hands’ work soon spiraled from grassroots activism into an international aid movement.
Muslim Hands tackles poverty in numerous ways, from training teachers to establishing schools to building water wells worldwide. Providing maternal and child health care in developing nations is among the organization’s highest priorities in the fight against global poverty.
The Motherkind Campaign
Motherkind is Muslim Hands’ maternal health campaign. It emphasizes educating women on health care and providing maternal health support in high-risk countries. For example, the organization has developed midwifery training courses in Niger and health workshops in Indian villages.
A key focus of the Motherkind campaign is running maternal health clinics in Somalia and Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Somalia are among the developing nations with the highest infant and maternal mortality rates because health care in general is largely inaccessible in these countries. Motherkind clinics offer services to give children and mothers the best possible chance of survival.
In both countries, malnutrition is rife due to rampant poverty and barriers created by political conflict. In Somalia, persistent droughts have caused food insecurity, increasing the likelihood of malnourishment. To address this issue and prevent pregnant women from developing micronutrient deficiency disorders, Motherkind clinics offer micronutrient supplements like Vitamin A, foliates and iron to pregnant and breastfeeding women. This supports healthier pregnancies and, for breastfeeding women, ensures that babies receive the nutrients necessary for healthy development.
The lack of health centers and medical professionals in Somalia and Afghanistan contributes to high rates of maternal and infant mortality. The WHO estimates that nations need a minimum of 23 medical professionals per 10,000 people to provide adequate health care services. In 2021, Afghanistan had just 4.6 medical professionals per 10,000 people, falling critically below WHO guidelines. Moreover, 43% of the Afghan population does not have a health center located within a half-hour’s travel, severely limiting access to vital health care. As a result, 57% of births in Afghanistan occur without any health care professionals present.
Improving Childbirth and Infant Development
Muslim Hands is working to end unattended births through its community outreach program. Motherkind clinics train health workers to conduct home visits during pregnancy, assist during labor and provide postnatal care for mothers and infants. This outreach program helps women give birth safely while building meaningful bonds and trust between mothers, babies and health workers. The Somalia clinic assists 15-20 births each month and the Afghanistan clinic treats approximately 44,000 people annually.
Muslim Hands also provides child health treatments. A critical service it provides is vaccinations to protect children from easily preventable but deadly diseases. This is especially important in Somalia where some children are not vaccinated at all. This is due to both a shortage of vaccines, especially in areas where ongoing conflict has led to restrictions and the fact that some parents are uninformed or misinformed about the importance of vaccinations.
Motherkind clinics offer vaccines to protect children against diseases including tuberculosis, measles and tetanus. The organization also gets to the root of vaccine distrust by hosting discussion sessions to inform parents about the necessity of immunization and dispel misinformation surrounding vaccination. To date, Muslim Hands has vaccinated upward of 70,000 infants and children in its clinics.
The Motherkind clinic in Somalia also conducts nutrition screenings for children and disseminates advice to mothers on how to provide a balanced, nutritious diet for their children using local ingredients.
Looking Forward
Muslim Hands hopes to open more Motherkind clinics to continue improving maternal and child health care in developing nations. The organization is currently building a new health center in Mauritania, which will serve almost 2,000 people from four different villages. Additionally, Muslim Hands plans to expand its current health services to offer mental health care to women and children.
Despite uneven global development in maternal and child health care, Muslim Hands is working to provide better health care, support and resources for mothers and children in developing nations. The organization’s efforts to ensure that improvements in maternal and children’s health are felt on a global scale are helping to pave the way toward a more equitable future.
– Mohsina Alam
Photo: Flickr
Renewable Energy in Peru
Peru has excellent potential for renewable energy — its geographical landscape offers opportunities for solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric energy. In recent years, the Peruvian government and energy companies have shifted focus to increasing the use of renewable energy in Peru, which would provide jobs and create an opportunity for export growth.
Electrifying Peru
The government is working to provide all its communities with reliable and renewable electricity; however, this does not come without challenges. The Peruvian Amazon makes up 62% of the country and its difficult terrain means that connecting the area with the national grid is challenging. A 2020 report by Energypedia found that the Amazon region had the lowest rural electrification rate, 18%, compared to the coastal regions that are more accessible.
Access to electricity is key to poverty alleviation, economic growth and greater quality of life. Communities without electricity are isolated from society and their day ends when natural light ends. A lack of electricity also limits the availability of services and impacts the operations of facilities. In response, several energy companies are working to provide renewable energy in Peru and improve the quality of life in regions where there is a disconnect.
Facing the Impacts of a Lack of Electricity
Peru’s former minister of energy and mines, Miguel Incháustegui, stated that the largest proportion of energy in the Amazonian region in Peru comes from fossil fuels. Because this region is often isolated from the national grid, it must use generators to power its health centers, homes and educational institutes, which is detrimental to the environment. Generators are costly and use gasoline, a fossil fuel that is both expensive and scarce.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the nation switched to online learning, school-age children from rural communities could not access education due to the lack of electricity and internet connection. In the Amazon, 42% of children did not have complete access to education and became more isolated. In 2021, the Catholic mission Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos provided solar-powered radios to ensure children could tune into lessons offered by the Peruvian Ministry of Education.
Acciona Provides Energy
Acciona is a renewable energy company working to expand renewable energy in Peru. The company is constructing a wind farm in the Ica region that will be fully operational by the end of 2023 and will generate enough energy for 478,000 households. Additionally, the revenue from the wind farm will go into educational programs to support environmental and social initiatives.
In 2019, Acciona delivered electricity to 400 families in the Peruvian Amazon. Acciona’s program, Luz en Casa Amazonía, has provided electricity to Indigenous communities and aims to extend its outreach to an additional 1,000 households. Acciona uses third-generation photovoltaic kits that are easy to manage and transport and remain free of harmful contaminants.
Positive Impacts
The extensive use of renewable energy in Peru has a positive impact on the environment, health and education. Old forms of lighting, such as lighters and oil lamps, generate harmful fumes that increase the likelihood of lung disease. Acciona reports that households mainly use electricity to extend study hours, prepare meals and continue daily activities after dark. Better health and access to education for more hours a day can help to alleviate poverty in rural communities.
Renewable energy is important in order to overcome poverty. A 2022 Enel report said renewable energy in Peru could make up around 81% of its power generation by 2030. A move in the right direction to make green electricity readily available to all Peru’s inhabitants would certainly help improve living conditions across the country.
– Eva O’Donovan
Photo: Flickr
Non-Communicable Diseases in Small Island Developing States
NCDs in SIDS
Due to their size, location and susceptibility to extreme weather events, Small Island Developing States, commonly referred to as SIDS, are a collection of 52 islands and coastal countries that face similar development difficulties. World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that SIDS has the highest number of non-communicable diseases and “mental health risks” in the world.
At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the U.N. acknowledged SIDS as a “special case for both their environment and development.” These states grapple with several interrelated issues, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic and additional factors such as unemployment and poverty. A U.N. assessment in 2018 calculated the multi-dimensional poverty rate across 16 SIDS and came to an average rate of 47.5%. Conditions of poverty contribute to the rise of non-communicable diseases and mental health issues.
The five core types of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are “cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma), diabetes and mental health,” according to the Healthy Caribbean Coalition. NCDs already disproportionately affect developing countries, which account for close to 75% of NCD deaths, equating to 28 million people.
Action to Address NCDs
In January 2023, WHO, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Government of Barbados hosted a “SIDS High-level Technical Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health” that lasted two days. The conference’s primary focus is to promote domestic action and global cooperation to address NCDs and mental health in SIDS.
About 80% of NCDs are preventable, according to the NCD Alliance. Founded in 2009 and based in Switzerland, the NCD Alliance’s goal is to “unite civil society and drive action on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and care, leaving no one behind,” bringing together 300 members across 81 nations. By 2025, the NCD Alliance aims to reduce premature deaths caused by NCDs by 25%. By 2030, it aims to reduce this rate by 33% and advance “mental health and well-being.” Through advocacy efforts, NCD education initiatives for health care professionals, accountability, monitoring and more, the NCD Alliance promotes health and saves lives.
The NCDA 2021-2026 Strategy bases its efforts on four goals: advocacy and accountability, capacity development, knowledge and partnerships. The phase sets out both short- and long-term strategic goals to “support civil society in driving progress on NCD prevention, care and financing,” the NCD Alliance website says.
NCD Alliance Prioritizes SIDS
The Alliance collaborates with regional organizations, such as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pacific Community (SPC), to support efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in Small Island Developing States.
In addition, the NCD Alliance works with SIDS to address the social determinants of health that contribute to the burden of NCDs, such as poverty, food insecurity and lack of access to health care. The Alliance advocates for policies that promote healthy lifestyles, such as tobacco control measures, healthy food options and physical activity promotion.
Overall, the NCD Alliance plays an important role in advocating for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in Small Island Developing States and supporting efforts to address the social determinants of health that contribute to these diseases.
– Lauryn Defreitas
Photo: Flickr
Reducing Gendered Poverty by Empowering Women
Statistics prove that poverty affects women more than men as women make up the majority of the world’s poor. The social structures and barriers in many, if not all, countries are the reasons for this accelerated rate of poverty among women. These barriers include gender wage gaps, the lack of access to decent working conditions and opportunities, the amount of unpaid work women do in their communities and households and the fact that their workdays are longer. Many organizations recognize these issues and are taking a stand against gendered poverty by empowering women.
The Importance of Empowering Women
It is important to include everyone’s needs in the fight against poverty. However, because poverty impacts women at an exacerbated rate, their empowerment and advancement in society create statistically higher rates of economic growth in countries where women are a priority. Across developing nations, women make up 40% of all farmers, yet they own as little as 1% of the land. When the narrative changes and women can own just as much land as men, crop yields have the potential to grow up to 10%.
Similarly, women and girls attend school at a much lower rate than men and boys. With just 10% more girls attending school, a nation can see its GDP expanding by about 3%. When women secure an economic opportunity that brings in an income, they tend to reinvest their earnings into their families and community. This means higher education rates, lower hunger rates, healthier family models (fewer child mortality, fewer unwanted pregnancies) and increased local economic growth.
U.N. Women Fights Gendered Poverty
The United Nations is currently making great progress by spearheading and promoting many projects around the world that focus on women first to eradicate poverty. U.N. Women recognizes that zero poverty is not achievable without dissolving gender inequality and placing women at the center of development efforts.
U.N. Women initiatives have benefited more than 100,000 impoverished and disadvantaged women in 29 districts in India. As the result of one particular project, “more than 30,000 marginalized rural women now manage worksites and are able to ensure wages are paid and demand their rights under pension, social protection and livelihood programs,” the U.N. Women website says.
Chars Livelihoods Program (CLP)
The chars of Northwestern Bangladesh, or riverine islands, are susceptible to destruction through flooding and erosion. Many people living on these chars suffer from poverty and are vulnerable to losses of assets and livelihoods due to floods and erosion.
One program that put women at the center of its efforts is the Chars Livelihood Program (CLP), which ran in various phases from 2004 to 2016 through funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). The program sought to help families rise out of poverty by giving women of households living in poverty investment capital, intellectual resources and economic courses and by educating communities on gender discrimination. These actions led to women investing in long-term, sustainable income-generating opportunities and familial betterment and saw women becoming more participatory in the community and taking control of their independence.
The first phase of the CLP (CLP-1) operated between 2004 and 2010 on the chars of the Jamuna River. CLP-1 aimed to assist 55,000 of the most impoverished families and is estimated to have positively benefited more than 900,000 individuals.
Moving Forward
When countries find solutions to address gendered poverty, leaders can then start to eradicate poverty at the source. By giving women economic opportunity, social space and personal autonomy and empowerment, countries open up the globe’s playing field to a marginalized group that plays a significant role in global economic growth.
– Alexandra Curry
Photo: Flickr
The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Tanzania
UNAIDS data from 2021 shows that about 1.7 million people in Tanzania live with HIV. The prevalence rate of HIV among adults between 15 and 49 is about 4.5%. Despite these challenges, the country has progressed in increasing access to HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy in recent years. However, much work remains in addressing the underlying factors driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania, including poverty, gender inequality and stigma/discrimination against key populations.
Poverty and Aids in Tanzania
According to the World Bank, in 2018, almost 45% of the population survived on $2.15 or less daily. HIV/AIDS and poverty are closely linked as circumstances of poverty can increase the risk of HIV infection.
Poverty can limit access to education, health care and economic opportunities, making it more difficult for people to protect themselves from HIV and access HIV prevention and treatment services. People living in poverty are also more likely to experience malnutrition and an HIV infection can worsen these preexisting conditions.
The disease disproportionately affects adolescent and adult females in the country — this group makes up about 80% of new HIV infections in Tanzania. Tanzania’s objective is to achieve “HIV epidemic control by 2030,” and with the aid of international charities and foreign aid, Tanzania is making progress toward this goal.
NGOs Addressing the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Tanzania
The Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is a nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of children living with HIV/AIDS for more than 30 years. Its focus on prevention, care and treatment is crucial in the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially in Tanzania where “Tanzania has the third-highest number of HIV-positive children in sub-Saharan Africa,” the nonprofit’s website says.
EGPAF-Tanzania is currently enabling more than 120,000 HIV-positive adults and more than 6,500 children in Tanzania with access to antiretroviral treatment. Over the last year, EGPAF has provided HIV testing to close to 500,000 Tanzanians and has identified more than 22,000 newly detected HIV cases. Additionally, EGPAF has provided more than 5,000 pregnant females with treatments to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Frameworks and Foreign Aid
In December 2022, President Samia launched Tanzania’s fifth Multisectoral National Strategic Framework for HIV and AIDS. Under this strategy, Tanzania seeks to align with UNAIDS’s vision of “zero new infection, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related death” by 2026. The world target is to reach the three zeros by the year 2030.
Tanzania is also heavily reliant on external financing, and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which came into effect in 2003, is the “largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in the world.” As of 2022, the U.S. government has invested $5.4 billion in “bilateral HIV efforts” and $1.6 billion in “multilateral efforts,” which includes $50 million for UNAIDS and $1.56 billion for the Global Fund.
Next Steps
Tanzania has made significant progress in reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which aim to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. The targets aim to have 95% of people living with HIV diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 95% of those on ART with suppressed viral loads.
According to UNICEF, Tanzania’s progress toward the 95–95–95 national goal for 2022 stood as follows: 83% of people with HIV knew their status, 95% of people living with HIV received treatment and 92% of people on treatment experienced viral suppression.
Looking Ahead
Knowing one’s HIV status is critical for accessing treatment and preventing the transmission of the virus to others. With more people living with HIV in Tanzania aware of their status, more individuals can receive the care and support to manage their conditions and prevent the further spread of the virus.
However, it is important to note that there are still individuals in Tanzania who are living with HIV and are unaware of their status. Efforts need to continue to increase HIV testing and encourage individuals to get tested regularly. Additionally, there is a need to address the barriers that may prevent some individuals from getting tested, such as stigma and discrimination.
Overall, while Tanzania has made significant progress, the country must continue to take action in this sector. However, Tanzania is on course to reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 objectives by 2025. The Tanzanian government can better control the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania with the aid of groups like the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation.
– Lauryn Defreitas
Photo: Flickr
5 Nigerian Designers Contributing to People’s Empowerment
Nigeria is Africa’s most populated country, with about 223.8 million people, and Lagos is its biggest city. Underemployment and unemployment remain a challenge in Nigeria, especially for the youth. Several Nigerian designers are using their platforms and knowledge to create opportunities for African artisans and young Nigerian designers.
5 Nigerian Designers Empowering People
Having had his label for several decades and seen much success, Atafo uses his experience and expertise to empower the next generation of African designers. As a supporter of the African fashion movement, he advocates for and empowers young Nigerian designers and artisans. His free mentorship program, Fashion Conversations, seeks to provide inspiring young designers with the knowledge and resources of fashion design to start their own labels and make their way in the fashion industry. Atafo sees Nigeria’s fashion industry as a “vehicle for development.”
These Nigerian designers not only bring unique African designs to the global market but also empower local artisans in the process through job opportunities and mentorship, thereby positively contributing to poverty reduction.
– Maya Steele
Photo: Flickr
Literacy and Education in Oaxaca, Mexico
There are several barriers to education in Oaxaca, Mexico, including a lack of resources and funding, high poverty rates and inadequate infrastructure. Organizations are working to make quality education accessible to children in Oaxaca and improve literacy rates through reading programs.
Poverty in Oaxaca
According to World Bank data from 2020, agricultural land accounts for about 50% of Mexico’s total land area. However, in rural and typically agricultural-based areas, poverty rates are usually higher than in urban areas and educational attainment rates are low.
Furthermore, in agriculture-based southern states such as Oaxaca, one of the most impoverished states in Mexico, the costs of education are out of reach for many families as about 24% of the population lives in extreme poverty. According to Mexico’s official statistics, in 2020, only 35% of Oaxaca’s population had completed primary school education and just 18.5% had completed secondary school.
Access to education is obscured for many disadvantaged Mexicans in states such as Oaxaca. For those who are able to access education, the lack of funding in schools created inadequate environments for learning. Many early education schools in Mexico do not have access to running water, making it difficult for students to comfortably engage in learning.
The illiteracy rate within Oaxaca State varies greatly across rural and urban communities. In 2020, the illiteracy rate within Oaxaca’s largest urban city, Oaxaca City, stood at 2.37%. On the other hand, one of Oaxaca’s more rural municipalities, Santiago Yaitepec, had an illiteracy rate of 28%. In 2020, in Santiago Yaitepec, less than a quarter of the population had completed at least a middle school education and about 6% achieved a high school diploma.
Improving Literacy and Education in Oaxaca
The Ananda Learning Center is situated in San Sebastián Río Hondo, a rural village in Oaxaca with about 2,000 residents. It aims to provide a holistic and affordable private-level education to Indigenous Zapotec children from the village. The school teaches in both English and Spanish to open up more opportunities for children. The Ananda Center allows quality education for disadvantaged children and is currently fundraising to continue its operations.
A nonprofit organization named Fundacion Alfredo Harp Helu Oaxaca (FAHHO) aims to improve education and literacy among Oaxaca’s disadvantaged children. The FAHHO has established several libraries in areas of Oaxaca so that children and adolescents may access reading material to improve their literacy skills.
The FAHHO also runs mobile libraries to improve reading skills among children. A van supplied with “books, boxes, mats, shelves and easels” travels to communities and coordinators conduct reading initiatives and fun learning activities. The FAHHO established the We Keep Reading Program in 2008 and relies on the help of voluntary readers. By 2014, the initiative reached more than 6,000 children a week within 21 schools across more than five of Oaxaca’s municipalities.
The FAHHO and the Ananda Learning Center focus on improving literacy and education in Oaxaca’s most disadvantaged communities. Empowering children with education will allow them to rise out of poverty — a positive impact that will have a community-wide reach in disadvantaged areas.
– Micaela Carrillo
Photo: Flickr
Muslim Hands Provides Maternal and Child Health Care
Over the last three decades, maternal and children’s health has improved significantly worldwide. The newborn survival rate has almost doubled since 1990 and maternal mortality rates have seen a 34% decrease since the beginning of the century. However, progress in health care is not globally even. Maternal and child health care in developing nations is out of reach for many expectant mothers and young children, resulting in high mortality rates.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 95% of women who died during pregnancy or labor in 2020 came from low and lower-middle-income countries. Furthermore, around 79% of neonatal deaths in the same year occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia. In both instances, lack of quality health care is the leading cause of death. Poverty, low numbers of qualified medical professionals and poor sanitation and resources are among the key reasons that health care in developing nations has been slow to advance. Muslim Hands is working to improve maternal and child health care in developing nations through its maternal health clinics and educational programs.
About Muslim Hands
Muslim Hands is a U.K.-based NGO that supports poverty-stricken communities in more than 30 developing nations. The organization, established in 1993, began as a volunteer movement in Nottingham to support victims of the Bosnian war. Muslim Hands’ work soon spiraled from grassroots activism into an international aid movement.
Muslim Hands tackles poverty in numerous ways, from training teachers to establishing schools to building water wells worldwide. Providing maternal and child health care in developing nations is among the organization’s highest priorities in the fight against global poverty.
The Motherkind Campaign
Motherkind is Muslim Hands’ maternal health campaign. It emphasizes educating women on health care and providing maternal health support in high-risk countries. For example, the organization has developed midwifery training courses in Niger and health workshops in Indian villages.
A key focus of the Motherkind campaign is running maternal health clinics in Somalia and Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Somalia are among the developing nations with the highest infant and maternal mortality rates because health care in general is largely inaccessible in these countries. Motherkind clinics offer services to give children and mothers the best possible chance of survival.
In both countries, malnutrition is rife due to rampant poverty and barriers created by political conflict. In Somalia, persistent droughts have caused food insecurity, increasing the likelihood of malnourishment. To address this issue and prevent pregnant women from developing micronutrient deficiency disorders, Motherkind clinics offer micronutrient supplements like Vitamin A, foliates and iron to pregnant and breastfeeding women. This supports healthier pregnancies and, for breastfeeding women, ensures that babies receive the nutrients necessary for healthy development.
The lack of health centers and medical professionals in Somalia and Afghanistan contributes to high rates of maternal and infant mortality. The WHO estimates that nations need a minimum of 23 medical professionals per 10,000 people to provide adequate health care services. In 2021, Afghanistan had just 4.6 medical professionals per 10,000 people, falling critically below WHO guidelines. Moreover, 43% of the Afghan population does not have a health center located within a half-hour’s travel, severely limiting access to vital health care. As a result, 57% of births in Afghanistan occur without any health care professionals present.
Improving Childbirth and Infant Development
Muslim Hands is working to end unattended births through its community outreach program. Motherkind clinics train health workers to conduct home visits during pregnancy, assist during labor and provide postnatal care for mothers and infants. This outreach program helps women give birth safely while building meaningful bonds and trust between mothers, babies and health workers. The Somalia clinic assists 15-20 births each month and the Afghanistan clinic treats approximately 44,000 people annually.
Muslim Hands also provides child health treatments. A critical service it provides is vaccinations to protect children from easily preventable but deadly diseases. This is especially important in Somalia where some children are not vaccinated at all. This is due to both a shortage of vaccines, especially in areas where ongoing conflict has led to restrictions and the fact that some parents are uninformed or misinformed about the importance of vaccinations.
Motherkind clinics offer vaccines to protect children against diseases including tuberculosis, measles and tetanus. The organization also gets to the root of vaccine distrust by hosting discussion sessions to inform parents about the necessity of immunization and dispel misinformation surrounding vaccination. To date, Muslim Hands has vaccinated upward of 70,000 infants and children in its clinics.
The Motherkind clinic in Somalia also conducts nutrition screenings for children and disseminates advice to mothers on how to provide a balanced, nutritious diet for their children using local ingredients.
Looking Forward
Muslim Hands hopes to open more Motherkind clinics to continue improving maternal and child health care in developing nations. The organization is currently building a new health center in Mauritania, which will serve almost 2,000 people from four different villages. Additionally, Muslim Hands plans to expand its current health services to offer mental health care to women and children.
Despite uneven global development in maternal and child health care, Muslim Hands is working to provide better health care, support and resources for mothers and children in developing nations. The organization’s efforts to ensure that improvements in maternal and children’s health are felt on a global scale are helping to pave the way toward a more equitable future.
– Mohsina Alam
Photo: Flickr
Things to Know About the 8 March Principles
Upholding International Human Rights Law
International human rights law enacts commitment from states to respect, protect and fulfill basic human rights. When states become parties to international human rights treaties, the countries agree to not interfere with the “enjoyment of human rights” and “to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses” while “[taking] positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights.”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) that the United Nations General Assembly adopted on December 10, 1948, first codified international human rights law. Today, the UDHR is widely recognized as the fundamental global standard for human rights. It establishes civil, social, cultural, political and economic rights that every human must receive and that all individuals and societies have a duty to uphold.
The UDHR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) together form the International Bill of Human Rights. Adopted in 1966, the ICCPR and ICESCR strengthened international human rights law by further outlining the rights that every individual is entitled to.
According to OHCHR, states must adopt and implement international human rights law at both the national and international levels to ensure effectiveness. Alongside international treaties, guidelines and principles, most states adopt national constitutions and other laws, which sometimes reflect regionally-specific concerns, aimed at protecting basic human rights.
The 8 March Principles
Introduced on International Women’s Day 2023, the 8 March Principles address overcriminalization in matters pertaining to sexual activity, gender identity and expression, HIV, drug use, homelessness and poverty. The principles apply international human rights law to correct the injustices of criminal laws that allow governments to prosecute individuals and groups on such bases.
The principles are the outcome of a 2018 workshop that UNAIDS, OHCHR and ICJ held to discuss the harmful human rights impact of criminal laws. The meeting clarified the need for a set of jurists’ principles that would guide courts, legislatures, advocates and prosecutors in addressing the detrimental human rights impact that criminal laws can have. Finalized in 2022, the principles took more than five years to develop.
Despite their name, the 8 March Principles include 21 principles divided into three categories: general part one, general part two and special part three. The first two categories apply general principles of criminal law and international human rights law “to proscribe certain conduct in a non-discriminatory way, respecting the rule of law.” Special part three applies these principles to specifically address the criminalization of conduct related to sex and sex work, drug use and possession, HIV, homelessness and poverty.
Implementation and Progress
According to ICJ’s policy director Ian Seiderman, “Criminal law is among the harshest of tools” that states can use “to exert control over individuals,” and therefore, should be “a measure of last resort.” Yet, across the world, an increasing “trend toward overcriminalization” is notable.
Currently, for instance, more than 130 countries criminalize HIV exposure, non-disclosure and transmission, according to UNAIDS. The 8 March Principles aim to end discrimination and denial of basic human rights on such bases.
While many states are rapidly implementing the principles, those that are not parties to international human rights treaties have yet to adopt them. The constant push to implement the 8 March Principles at both the national and international levels is integral to global progress. The principles will ensure that no individual or group experiences discrimination regarding these matters and will uphold the basic rights and protections of every human being.
– Brianna Green
Photo: Flickr
How Corruption in Argentina Impacts Poverty
Corruption and Poverty in Argentina
Today, corruption remains a sizeable problem. According to a Latinobarómeter study from 2017, 35% of Argentines “would tolerate a certain amount of corruption” if it resolved some of the problems in the country. Until recently, corruption was quasi-permissible, with a lack of clear bidding rules leading to infamous cases such as that of former President Cristina Fernández de Kircher, who authorities sentenced to six years for a $1 billion public works fraud case in 2022. Administrative systems have suffered such dysfunction that simple processes like obtaining a birth certificate have required extended periods of waiting.
Corruption and poverty are interlinked, and thus, Argentina’s battle against corruption is congruent with its battle against poverty. Internally, corruption generates governmental inefficiency as corrupt agendas invariably incur a lack of foresight and cooperation to bring what is best for the state and all its people. Internationally, corruption deters private investment as prospective venture capitalists are frightened by high levels of risk. Both of these ultimately damage the economy, and in doing so, impact the most poverty-ridden demographics.
In an interview with the Finance and Development magazine, and initiative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), head of anti-corruption in Argentina, Laura Alfonso, explains how corruption deepens poverty. “People living in poverty are victims of corruption because it generates, along with inefficiency and poor administration of the state, low-quality public services and infrastructure investment, which directly affects the quality of life of these people.” She says further, “The first victims of corruption are always those most in need. They are also deprived of new employment opportunities, because we all know that corruption is, sadly, a factor that deters quality private investment.”
Successes in Fighting Corruption
Fortunately, former President Mauricio Macri’s government (2015-2019) has bolstered Argentina’s battle against corruption. Argentina’s battle against corruption has had two fronts, legislative and administrative.
In terms of administrative reform, the creation of the Ministry of Modernization in 2015 has made invaluable headway, according to the IMF. An autonomous organism with national outreach, the ministry collaborates closely with government agencies and local authorities to develop transparency and legitimacy. Since its conception, administrative modernization has led to the digitalization of files, making management more transparent and thus reducing corruption.
Data is now available online, meaning the “affidavits of the 45,000 executive branch civil servants” are openly available, according to the IMF. Argentina stands as the only nation that publishes such information openly, with yearly updates. As a result, the government and its officials have had more accountability for vis-à-vis government spending and whether funding is leveraged to reduce poverty.
The ministry has also modernized human resources, with public officials now having a greater opportunity for training and progression as well as more transparency with regard to wages, contracts and the recruitment process, all in a bid to foster more professionalism, according to the Centre for Public Impact.
Legislative Reform
In terms of legislative progress in Argentina’s battle against corruption, the country made a significant breakthrough in March 2018 when the government brought Law No. 27401 into effect. The law modified the Argentina Criminal Code (ACC) and gave greater power to prosecutors regarding corruption. For instance, the law allows criminal liability for legal persons “even when the individual who had intervened in the alleged crime could not be identified.”
Turning the Tide
The legislative and administrative initiatives the government enacted over the past few years made definitive headway in Argentina’s battle against corruption. In 2016, Argentina climbed from 54th position to 17th in the Global Open Data Index, and since 2015, more than 70% of provinces in Argentina adopted the Federal Commitment for the Modernisation of the State. Argentina now possesses a singular, “centralized website for public sector job opportunities” and citizens have online access to a guide of more than 7,500 government administrative processes.
Importantly, since 2015, the nation’s score on the Corruption Perceptions Index has improved, moving from 32 to 45 in just four years, before a slight decrease to 38 in 2021 and 2022. Though this remains a low score relatively, the country is making quantifiable improvements nonetheless with a moderate level of stability.
A Brighter Future
Argentina still remains a nation divided over corruption. Fissures over corruption are still visible, explaining why despite improvements, the nation still ranks relatively low on the Corruption Perceptions Index. Improvements in corruption nonetheless bring hope to Argentina and other nations suffering similarly that a single political incumbency, aided by unilateral cooperation from regional and national authorities, can achieve marked improvement.
– Gabriel Gathercole
Photo: Flickr
iPhone Manufacturing to Boost India’s Economy
China has long been the backbone of iPhone production. However, Apple’s significant dependence on China has become an increasing concern due to rising labor costs and strict, zero-tolerance COVID-19 policies, which have hampered production since the start of the pandemic. India’s lower labor costs and rising technology manufacturing sector make it an inviting location for production.
The Make in India Initiative
In 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Make in India initiative to encourage investment in various economic sectors and boost employment rates. According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate in India stood at 7.7% in 2021 compared to 4.6% in China. Make in India highlighted electronics manufacturing as a critical area of development for the country and Modi sees great potential in making India a global technology manufacturing hub. The government also introduced Production Linked Incentive Schemes, which provide financial incentives for investing in various sectors, including electronics manufacturing, that are promising for the creation of new jobs.
Job Creation and Gender Equality
Given that India began producing smartphones less than 10 years ago, it is notable that India is now the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer after China. India’s rapid progress helped attract Apple’s attention, spurring the company’s transition into this growing sector. According to current estimates, India will manufacture around 25% of iPhones by 2025.
As part of Apple’s move into India, its key manufacturer, Foxconn, plans to invest $700 million to construct a new factory in the state of Karnataka in Southern India. Planned for a 300-acre site near Bengaluru, Karnataka’s capital and India’s IT hub, the factory is expected to create some 100,000 jobs. The investment demonstrates Apple and Foxconn’s shared commitment to increasing production in India and decreasing reliance on China.
Apple and its collaborators also hope to build women’s hostels near new factory complexes in India. These would provide female workers with safe accommodation and reduce travel times. The goal is to encourage more women to enter the workforce as manufacturing expands in India, thereby strengthening gender equality in India.
Labor Laws
Additionally, Apple and the Indian Cellular and Electronics lobby group, which represents the company and its suppliers, are pushing for labor law reforms that would make working hours more flexible. Eager to garner a higher share of global technology production, Indian authorities have been receptive to the proposed reforms. In February 2023, the state of Karnataka passed the Factories Bill, which introduces working hours akin to those of China’s iPhone factories.
The planned reforms include moving from three eight-hour shifts per day to two 12-hour shifts. While full-time weekly working hours will remain capped at 48, overtime allowance will increase from 75 to 145 hours across a three-month period. Women will also be allowed to work night shifts, which is currently prohibited in much of the country. With their written consent and employers’ agreement to fulfill certain security measures, such as ensuring safe transport and restroom facilities, women in Karnataka will be permitted to work between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Growing Economies
Such reforms aim to increase the flexibility of work patterns and women’s presence in the workforce while reducing unemployment and encouraging investment in the technological sector in India. Eager for continued economic growth, the Indian government sees Apple’s expansion in the country as an opportunity to create jobs, increase Indian workers’ disposable income and boost overall GDP. In the long term, local sourcing and manufacturing of iPhone components will help further stimulate local Indian economies and lower production costs. Finally, Apple and Foxconn’s demonstrated confidence in India’s technological manufacturing capabilities will encourage further investments.
The Indian government, via the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), has not released official poverty statistics since 2011, but other estimates indicate that millions of people in India still endure poverty. Transitioning iPhone manufacturing to India is a mutually beneficial development. Not only will it serve Apple and Foxconn as businesses but it will also strengthen the present and future Indian economy while lifting people out of poverty through job opportunities.
– Sophie Sadera
Photo: Flickr