Across Europe, the world’s finest football teams often sport morally reprehensible betting companies and loan sharks abreast their jerseys. Fans across Europe not only accept but also expect trading moral integrity for financial gain. In December 2022, Nottingham Forest Football Club decided that its football players would wear the crimson-red Garibaldi symbol of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) on their shirts in the premier league to advocate for global change. Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR have forged a partnership that could raise expectations of sporting institutions across Europe.
About the UNCHR
Since its foundation in 1950, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has provided aid to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and those without a state to call home. The UNCHR is the largest and most significant NGO to wage war against the displacement of the persecuted.
The Issue of Displacement
Despite forward momentum in many socio-economic issues across the globe, there is unprecedented displacement in both the developed and undeveloped worlds. For the first time in recorded history, approximately half of the displaced individuals reside in urban areas.
Displacement occurs due to conflict, violence and persecution, which are all abundant in the modern world. There are active armed conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Afghanistan, mass human rights violations in Myanmar and ongoing genocide in China. Consequently, 2021 yielded the highest number of forcibly displaced people the world has witnessed since World War II. Indeed, 89.3 million people forcibly fled their homes in 2021.
How the UNCHR Provides Shelter
As of 2022, more than 6.6 million refugees are living in camps, demonstrating how homelessness manifests as a result of displacement. Whilst camps can provide decent emergency shelters, issues such as isolation, aid dependency, disease, fire, sanitation and personal safety arise.
When all other solutions have been exhausted, the UNCHR constructs settlements for displaced individuals. The UNCHR has formulated a master plan approach, which strives to provide shelter that does not fall foul of the previously stated risks. Well-planned settlements are not prone to fire or disease outbreaks, as sanitation and spacing are well-managed. Food, water, toilets and medical care are all within walking distance of a resident of the ideal settlement. Footpaths should always be well-lit, as there is also a particular emphasis on safety for women.
To avoid the risks that encumber vast refugee camps and settlements, the UNCHR distributes tents and materials from centers in Dubai, Copenhagen and Durban. It also invests in communal shelters and new homes. Furthermore, the UNCHR provides self-help schemes that assist displaced individuals in reconstructing and constructing new homes.
The UNCHR in Pakistan
When a barrage of severe flooding struck Pakistan in late 2022, the UNCHR sprung into action. The enormous monsoon impacted the lives of 33 million Pakistani people, killing more than a thousand. Those who remained faced the grim prospect of homelessness during a natural disaster, as the flood destroyed 300,000 homes and damaged 650,000 more.
During the aftermath, the UNCHR coordinated closely with Pakistani authorities. Tireless UNCHR volunteers helped distribute some 10,000 tents to the devastated Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistan regions. The UNCHR has pledged to assist 50,000 households by providing shelter, food and clean water to the most vulnerable victims of this disaster. In addition to providing immediate relief, the UNCHR is liaising with local authorities to build up stockpiles of essential amenities should the flooding escalate.
Why the Partnership Between Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR is One to Celebrate
Fans of Nottingham Forest should be proud of their club. Sitting in the Trent End or the Brian Clough Stand, they will see the UNCHR featured on red banners, screens and flags. They will hear the announcer pay tribute to the refugees of Pakistan and elsewhere. But most importantly, the 4.7 billion fans who tune in to watch the premier league will see a football club that proudly uses its enormous platform to fight against poverty. If every football team in team Europe were to trade a sponsor for a charity of the UNCHR’s merit, billions of people would have exposure to charitable causes daily. Indeed, if every team in every sport were like-minded, the televised sport could become a vehicle for enormous social change. In the meantime, fans of positive change can celebrate that Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR are making a start.
– David Smith
Photo: Flickr
Nepal’s Economic Recovery
Nepal, a landlocked nation famous for the mountainous range of the Himalayas on its borders, has been working to restructure its economy, bring new opportunities to its citizens and decrease poverty rates. Historically, Nepal’s poverty rates have been incredibly high, currently leveling at about 25%, with a heavy reliance on agriculture, lacking education and infrastructure, and many more variables that have stunted and limited economic growth for decades. Many feared that Nepal’s economy was on its way to economic collapse and crisis. Instead, Nepal has recently had some of its most promising improvements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nepal’s Economic Burdens and Poverty Exacerbators
The factors increasing Nepal’s poverty rates are numerous. One of the greatest is Nepal’s reliance on agriculture. Agriculture serves as Nepal’s primary source of income and food. Such farming practices are known as “subsistence farming, and 68% of Nepal practices subsistence farming. Agriculture is responsible for one-third of Nepal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It connects employees ranging from farmers to small-business merchants and large-scale international traders. Nepal is vulnerable to severe droughts and flooding, resulting in a vicious cycle that upsets the agriculture sector and limits production, income and the food available per family.
A wide class divide has also exacerbated Nepal’s poverty challenges, as the education system in Nepal has exemplified. Nepal’s education system has been slowly expanding to reach the rural regions, specifically the Kathmandu region, where the public and private sectors are integrating to be more inclusive for children of all ages. Net enrollment in schools is up to 97%, but more than 770,000 children are still unable to obtain a comprehensive education as many areas do not have schools or the ones that do exist are understaffed. Minimalized education perpetuates regional poverty, limiting upwards economic progression.
Nepal’s Economic Recovery
Economists have feared that Nepal is due for an economic crisis similar to the one that Sri Lanka experienced in 2022. Sri Lanka’s economy slid into a crisis due to extremely high external debt, a tremendous trade deficit and overwhelming inflation. The crisis is increasing poverty rates, about 25% in Sri Lanka, with the urban poverty rates tripling since 2021. The government is struggling to restructure the economy and take control of the rising poverty rates and joblessness, but Nepal’s economy is not on the same track.
Nepal’s external debts have much lower interest rates than Sri Lanka’s, and the government has implemented new transparent and efficient policies that concentrate efforts on local infrastructure changes. Despite the challenges regarding Nepal’s reliance on agriculture, agriculture became a savior for the nation after the economy lost income from tourism and external support systems. Nepal’s economic recovery would not be possible without the changes to its debt or agriculture system.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) predicts that Nepal’s economy will again experience a year of modest improvement for the fiscal year 2023, with further decreases in poverty, meaning Nepal’s economic recovery was not temporary. The government has tightened restrictions on imports and exports to ensure the economy remains stable. The new restrictions created new reliances on agriculture, forcing the government to invest extra efforts in the agriculture system’s impact locally before returning to expanding trade externally. The pauses allow the government to take stock of its depleted foreign currency reserves before deciding which allies to renew, strengthen or end.
Improvement to Education in Nepal
Nepal’s education system has improved as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the schools to reconfigure their newly developed teaching styles and practices. The pandemic’s pauses in everyday life presented Nepal with the opportunity to implement new teaching programs nationwide. The original interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic in daily life slowed the pace at which Nepal can reach the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The government aimed to hit benchmarks by 2022 to exemplify the progress in academia throughout Nepal, but the new plans restructured the older outline for the education goals. The alterations to the Nepalese education system can provide new academic opportunities for an education that can lift children out of poverty.
Despite Nepal’s economic strife in years past, the COVID-19 pandemic was a window of opportunity for the government to restructure the nation’s reliance on agriculture and deficient education system and reconfigure trade deals with international allies. Nepal’s economic recovery shows that the country is nowhere near an economic crisis, as the private sector may have feared, but it is on a stronger path to recovery than ever before.
– Clara Mulvihill
Photo: Flickr
The Fight to Eliminate Human Trafficking in Zimbabwe
Every year, the country of Zimbabwe faces the ever-present issue of human trafficking. The targets of human trafficking in Zimbabwe and the rest of the world are typically women and children whom the traffickers exploit as free labor for their businesses. This business of human trafficking is especially prevalent in Zimbabwe, rooting itself into the country similar to weeds. However, there is hope as Zimbabwe can pass legislation to suppress human trafficking.
Targets of Human Trafficking in Zimbabwe
Every year, the United States Department of State conducts reports on the various levels of human trafficking in countries across the world. The U.S. Department of State uses three different criteria to determine a country’s level of human trafficking.
As of 2023, the U.S. Department of State recognizes Zimbabwe as a Tier 2 watch list. According to the report, human trafficking in Zimbabwe uses the victims of trafficking for various reasons including, mining for gold and diamonds, sex trafficking, cattle herding, domestic service and agriculture. About 71% of children who are victims of human trafficking work in the agricultural industry of Zimbabwe, where the children labor on tobacco, sugarcane and cotton farms. Another part of working in the agricultural sector is forestry and fishing, in which children harvest and pack goods.
The report also states that children ages 9-14 are used as “nannies, housemaids, and gardeners in urban areas and mining communities,” where employers withhold wages and deny the children access to school, as an incentive for the children to work. Zimbabwe also has multiple traditional practices which make young girls subject to trafficking including trading girls for food or money and using girls as “replacement brides” for deceased family members.
The Failure of Zimbabwe’s Legislation
In 2019, Zimbabwe released a three-year plan with hopes of reducing human trafficking. Strategies named in the plan to lower human trafficking include:
Each of these strategies fundamentally failed, which the U.S. Department of State goes into detail about in their 2022 report on Zimbabwe.
VOT access to services has not seen significant improvement. In fact, the Zimbabwean government has still held no trials for 17 VOT from a case in 2016, regardless of the victims urging for a trial. The report states that bribery is still highly prevalent too. The U.S. Department of State has reported one example of this in which border officers accept bribes in exchange for allowing unauthorized crossings over the border.
The US Department of State’s Report on Investigations
The report also finds judges accepting payments of “farms and houses” to turn a blind eye in court. While 500 officers and 10 immigration officers have received training on trafficking, the government did not provide effective procedures to investigate cases. The lack of proper procedures results in law enforcement dishing out wage infractions or immigration violations, instead of human trafficking violations.
Shelter for VOT is lacking as well, in which traffickers kidnap children from one of the government-run homes and force the children to work on citrus farms in Mazowe. Cooperation at the International level requires improvement as well. One key way Zimbabwe is not in cooperation at the International level is concerning how they write their laws on human trafficking. Zimbabwe’s law regarding human trafficking, the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Act, is not consistent with International law by way of not defining “exploitation” adequately. This leaves Zimbabwe without “comprehensive prohibitions of trafficking crimes.”
Improvements by the Zimbabwean Government
The Zimbabwe government hopes 2023 will be a year of improvement for the human trafficking situation. In April 2022, the Information Minister of Zimbabwe, Monica Mutsvangwa informed the media that the government will introduce a Trafficking in Persons Bill. The contents of this bill are focusing on strengthening the current laws regarding human trafficking in Zimbabwe. This bill also contains the definition of “service exploitation.” Introducing this definition will allow for much less leeway for human traffickers, as there will be strong legal guidelines on what is technically human trafficking.
The situation of human trafficking in Zimbabwe is deep-rooted and corruption has accelerated it. While the level of human trafficking in Zimbabwe is not ideal by any measure, it is seeing improvement. With the hopes of new legislation on the horizon, Zimbabwe could see massive changes in 2023 which would drastically improve the situation for the country.
– David Keenan
Photo: Flickr
How Huru International is Working to End Period Poverty in Africa
Huru International, a New York-based nonprofit organization, has been providing aid in order to end period poverty in Africa since 2008. The organization provides environmentally-safe, reusable menstrual products, along with education to help African women and students gain a deeper understanding of their own menstrual health. Huru also works to provide them with opportunities they otherwise would not have in order to combat period poverty in Africa.
Lorna Macleod founded Huru International in 2008 in order to fight HIV in Mukuru kwa Njenga. Prior to founding the organization, she noticed how many girls in the area were struggling to keep themselves clean and healthy during their periods. Macleod knew that many residents of Mukuru already struggled with basic hygiene because of their lack of “electricity, clean water, waste management and adequate medical care,” making period poverty inevitable in the area. Macleod wanted to combat this issue.
Education
Huru International uses a variety of educational methods in creating an “adaptable and accessible” curriculum to teach young women about their menstrual health and what they can do to keep themselves safe. The organization also works to educate boys about the menstrual cycle in order to create a generation of allies to their female peers and help them become respectful members of society joining the fight against period poverty in Africa.
Huru also includes education on the recognition and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Within these safe spaces, information about STD testing centers and contraceptives is provided to all – from youth classes to young adults.
Skills Development Program
Huru International provides a Skills Development Program, where East African women go through a four-month course to gain helpful skills in order to ensure a future of “economic stability, employment, financial independence, and optimism toward their future.” More than 65% of those involved with the program have no income.
The program tackles many issues present in East Africa:
AmericaShare and Micato Safaris
AmericaShare is a nonprofit organization that emerged in 1986 that supports the children of Mukuru in Nairobi, Kenya by offering programs that provide education and community development. Huru International founder Lorna Macleod co-founded Micato, AmericaShare’s parent company.
The two legs formed the nonprofit Micato-AmericaShare, in order to provide aid to Kenyan citizens affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the consequential poverty that followed.
Micato-AmericaShare also introduced the School Sponsorship Programme, where those who have traveled with Micato Safaris can sponsor a child and allow them to attend a high-quality boarding school.
Conclusion
Huru International has reached more than 465,000 people, provided 210,000 of its menstrual kits – coined “Huru Kits” – and has created 1.7 million reusable pads since its creation in 2008. The organization reports that out of the girls who have received a Huru Kit:
With Huru’s continuous support, supplies and educational programs, the mission to end period poverty in Africa can become a more pragmatic goal instead of a far-fetched dream.
– Aspen Oblewski
Photo: Flickr
USAID’s Support of the Cambodian Fish Industry
The Cambodian fish industry is vital to the nation’s food security and economy. Recent support that USAID provided has bolstered the skills, knowledge and resources of those engaged in the fish market. This action provides positive assistance to strengthen a vital system within an impoverished country.
The Importance of the Cambodian Fish Industry
Cambodia depends on the strength of its fishing industry, both for the economy and for the nourishment of the general population. It is estimated that its fisheries produce around 2.1 million tonnes of fish per year. According to Open Development Cambodia, “The country holds two world records: the highest catch of inland fisheries per capita and the highest consumption of freshwater fish per capita.” Since seafood is so ingrained in Cambodian society, growths within this field have the ability to reduce poverty and raise the quality of living for inhabitants. As of 2019, 17.8% of the population lived below the poverty line. Two separate projects that USAID produced are fostering positive growth within the Cambodian fishing industry, showing promising implications for future success.
New Fishway Development
The first of these projects reached completion on August 24, 2022. USAID funded the creation of two new fishways to increase accessibility to fishing in the Pursat Province. Prior to the official construction of the new fishways, two demonstrative fish passes were constructed in 2019 and 2021 to act as proof of concept. Because the passes correctly showed the possible impact of the final plan, USAID moved forward with the project shortly after.
These new routes will allow fish to avoid irrigation structures and travel upstream, touching communities in otherwise unreachable areas. USAID states that “These fishways also demonstrate that small-scale fish passes are a feasible, relatively inexpensive solution to the problem of declining fish stocks,” which provides a sense of optimism for future use of similar ventures. The new fishways will allow growth within the crucial Cambodian fish industry.
Nutritional Information Database
Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, is another USAID program. A Cambodian researcher by the name of Chakriya Chum has been collecting fish samples across the country for more than a year, for the sole purpose of creating a nutritional database focused on the fishing industry. Feed the Future has supported her work in the hopes of spreading dietary knowledge across Columbia.
Because the population is so highly reliant on fish, it is important for citizens to understand the differences between each type. Chum stated that “Knowledge and research [generated with and] transferred to the community will improve health, fish processing and their livelihood.” The database includes information about best practices for preservation, which will hopefully increase national food security. In addition to the general population, policymakers and farmers can utilize this information to help them create more productive practices.
Both USAID projects provide support for the Cambodian fish industry, an important factor in national food security and economic matters. In the coming years, these programs may be able to expand to neighboring areas and expand in size to create greater change on an international level.
– Hailey Dooley
Photo: Flickr
USTDA Provides Power Grant to Malaysia
On January 12, 2023, the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) provided a power grant to Malaysia. Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), Malaysia’s state-owned energy company, received this grant to assist with the “utility’s digital transformation.” This grant will further the use of more renewable energy and aid in giving sound clean energy to about 2.5 million people, including those in neighboring countries who are also on the Borneo Grid.
“Around the world, we have seen the transformative impact of digital infrastructure on achieving ambitious clean energy, energy efficiency, and other climate-related goals. Our partnership with Sarawak Energy is intended to support their vision of sustainable growth by meeting the region’s need for reliable, renewable energy,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Director.
Diving into the Grant
The total contribution of the grant comes in at $1 million USD and will continue SEB’s, “aim of becoming a sustainable digital utility by 2025 and beyond.” The agreement of the grant came into effect during the fifth Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Tokyo, Japan.
During the duration of the grant, USTDA will evaluate SEB’s current digital landscape and “support the company’s strategic roadmap to enable the adoption of smart grid and digital power plant technologies, enhance efficiency, increase cyber security as well as meet growing connectivity commitment and service reliability requirements to drive sustainable economic growth in Malaysia.”
SEB chose the nonprofit group Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to oversee the technical study of the project and provide assistance throughout the project. “SEB expresses gratitude to USTDA for this new partnership and welcomes EPRI’s technical support,” said Datu Sharbini Bin Suhaili, Group CEO of Sarawak Energy Berhad.
USTDA’s championing of the project will further the goals of both the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. “The Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment will deliver game-changing projects to close the infrastructure gap in developing countries, strengthen the global economy and supply chains, and advance U.S. national security.”
A Brief History of EPRI
Founded in 1972 in California, EPRI operates as a not-for-profit-independent energy research company. EPRI has a presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The company collaborates with more than 450 companies spanning 45 countries by “driving innovation to ensure the public has clean, safe, reliable, affordable, and equitable access to electricity across the globe.”
With regard to the USTDA providing the power grant to Malaysia, EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor had this to say, “EPRI is pleased to assist Sarawak in the modernizing of its grid, as this fits with our society-based mission to ensure the public has clean, safe, reliable, affordable, and equitable access to electricity across the globe.”
Looking Forward
With the USTDA providing this power grant to Malaysia, it will not only benefit Malaysia’s renewable energy goal but it will also provide energy to millions across multiple countries who are in poverty. The goals of the grant as well as the goals of the USTDA’s other projects will see that those underserved and in need of basic needs receive proper care.
– Sean McMullen
Photo: Flickr
The Partnership of Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR
Across Europe, the world’s finest football teams often sport morally reprehensible betting companies and loan sharks abreast their jerseys. Fans across Europe not only accept but also expect trading moral integrity for financial gain. In December 2022, Nottingham Forest Football Club decided that its football players would wear the crimson-red Garibaldi symbol of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) on their shirts in the premier league to advocate for global change. Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR have forged a partnership that could raise expectations of sporting institutions across Europe.
About the UNCHR
Since its foundation in 1950, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has provided aid to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and those without a state to call home. The UNCHR is the largest and most significant NGO to wage war against the displacement of the persecuted.
The Issue of Displacement
Despite forward momentum in many socio-economic issues across the globe, there is unprecedented displacement in both the developed and undeveloped worlds. For the first time in recorded history, approximately half of the displaced individuals reside in urban areas.
How the UNCHR Provides Shelter
As of 2022, more than 6.6 million refugees are living in camps, demonstrating how homelessness manifests as a result of displacement. Whilst camps can provide decent emergency shelters, issues such as isolation, aid dependency, disease, fire, sanitation and personal safety arise.
When all other solutions have been exhausted, the UNCHR constructs settlements for displaced individuals. The UNCHR has formulated a master plan approach, which strives to provide shelter that does not fall foul of the previously stated risks. Well-planned settlements are not prone to fire or disease outbreaks, as sanitation and spacing are well-managed. Food, water, toilets and medical care are all within walking distance of a resident of the ideal settlement. Footpaths should always be well-lit, as there is also a particular emphasis on safety for women.
To avoid the risks that encumber vast refugee camps and settlements, the UNCHR distributes tents and materials from centers in Dubai, Copenhagen and Durban. It also invests in communal shelters and new homes. Furthermore, the UNCHR provides self-help schemes that assist displaced individuals in reconstructing and constructing new homes.
The UNCHR in Pakistan
When a barrage of severe flooding struck Pakistan in late 2022, the UNCHR sprung into action. The enormous monsoon impacted the lives of 33 million Pakistani people, killing more than a thousand. Those who remained faced the grim prospect of homelessness during a natural disaster, as the flood destroyed 300,000 homes and damaged 650,000 more.
During the aftermath, the UNCHR coordinated closely with Pakistani authorities. Tireless UNCHR volunteers helped distribute some 10,000 tents to the devastated Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistan regions. The UNCHR has pledged to assist 50,000 households by providing shelter, food and clean water to the most vulnerable victims of this disaster. In addition to providing immediate relief, the UNCHR is liaising with local authorities to build up stockpiles of essential amenities should the flooding escalate.
Why the Partnership Between Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR is One to Celebrate
Fans of Nottingham Forest should be proud of their club. Sitting in the Trent End or the Brian Clough Stand, they will see the UNCHR featured on red banners, screens and flags. They will hear the announcer pay tribute to the refugees of Pakistan and elsewhere. But most importantly, the 4.7 billion fans who tune in to watch the premier league will see a football club that proudly uses its enormous platform to fight against poverty. If every football team in team Europe were to trade a sponsor for a charity of the UNCHR’s merit, billions of people would have exposure to charitable causes daily. Indeed, if every team in every sport were like-minded, the televised sport could become a vehicle for enormous social change. In the meantime, fans of positive change can celebrate that Nottingham Forest and the UNCHR are making a start.
– David Smith
Photo: Flickr
How The Neema Project is Empowering Women in Kenya
As of 2022, 52% of the overall population of Kenya is living in extreme poverty. The majority of the impoverished population lives in rural areas, where the primary source of income is agriculture. The Neema Project focuses on empowering women in Kenya who may suffer abuse and unemployment.
Women in Rural Kenya
According to data from 2020, only 29% of Kenyan women are empowered. While progressive reforms have improved women’s lives in Kenya, rural areas still have gender restrictions that impact women. As of 2022, 78% of individuals living in Kenya live in rural areas. This ultimately means that farming and agriculture are the main sources of income. In the agricultural process, women are limited in the resources they have access to. Men hold control over financial services and farming technology and exclude women in policy decisions.
According to a 2021 study that occurred in Kenya, 78.3% of adult women face severe food insecurity. With high poverty rates and little political voice, women in Kenya find it much harder to overcome hunger. The study also found that 22.8% of Kenyan women older than 15 years experience violence at some point in their lives. Women in rural sectors of Kenya face adverse living conditions that prohibit them from improving their lives. Whether it be through gender-based policy or violence, it is difficult for Kenyan women to obtain adequate employment. Empowering women in Kenya is crucial to overcoming these obstacles.
The Neema Project
Founded in 2014, The Neema Project emerged in an attempt to restore faith and hope to women in Kenya. Since its inception, The Neema Project has provided aid to 134 young women and more than 50 children.
One of the women Neema provided aid to is Maureen, who could not afford to attend high school due to living in extreme poverty following the death of her father. Living with her aunt, Maureen applied to Neema in 2018 and it granted her admission. Since her time in the program, Maureen was able to obtain the medical aid she needed for a severe bone infection she had since she was 10 years old. Maureen had undergone abuse and trauma prior to joining Neema; counseling allowed her to find peace within herself despite all the hardship she has endured. Now at the age of 28, Maureen is now in a healthy marriage, has a baby boy as well as her own business. Maureen’s story exemplifies how Neema’s foundation is not only empowering women in Kenya but also creating a lasting impact on women living in inadequate conditions.
Neema has now begun a campaign titled Securing Her Future. The purpose of the said campaign is to secure a permanent structure that would enable the organization to aid a greater number of women. The goal is to obtain the funding needed by 2024, Neema to create a more suitable facility that would house classrooms, a chapel, kitchens and even daycare.
– Micaela Carrillo
Photo: Flickr
Mukuru and WeThinkCode Teach African Women How To Code
One area where the fight against poverty in Africa has had significant support is the continent’s tech industry. As more tech companies and startups move into Africa, the result is an increase in opportunities for Africans to enter the sector as developers and IT experts. In 2020, the number of professional software developers in Africa rose from 690,000 to 716,000, which is due in part to countries like Kenya making it mandatory to teach programming in school. The tech industry continues to provide many amazing opportunities for Africans and African women to rise out of poverty.
However, one group that has not experienced the full positive impact of Africa’s tech industry is women. Today, women make up less than 20% of the digital workforce. Despite making up about 60% of Africa’s workforce, women often find themselves in low-income and labor-intensive jobs such as farming that provide little opportunity for economic and career development. By not being as readily included in Africa’s tech industry, African women – especially those who are in deeper poverty – are at a strong disadvantage.
Thankfully, there are those who realize this discrepancy and are working to provide opportunities for women to enter Africa’s tech industry. Two of these organizations are Mukuru and WeThinkCode, a financial service company and an educational institution, respectively, that recently hosted a hackathon to help female developers show their skills and gain impactful career opportunities.
Opportunities Through Coding
Both institutions have great influence in the sphere of Africa’s digital economy. Mukuru is an innovative money transferral service located in South Africa, while WeThinkCode is an academy that provides top-class coding education to residents of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province. In September 2022, both organizations teamed up to host a woman-only hackathon, to which they invited female students of WeThinkCode and bursary recipients of the Mukuru Education Fund.
A “hackathon” is an event where multiple people get together and work on one or several coding projects over a specific period of time. The goal for this hackathon was for the selected female programmers to create either a financial education or management tool that Mukuru would then use to serve its customers. Designed to allow the attending women to put their coding skills on display, the event helped women win internships and important job shadowing opportunities.
Deidré Vrede, Mukuru’s CSI manager, cited the problem of women in Africa’s tech industry making up less than 20% of the workforce, and how she felt their hackathon was a great step forward in remedying this issue. “Judging by the innovation, skills and creativity on display [at this hackathon], the future of women in IT is bright,” she said. Nyari Sumashonga, the CEO of WeThinkCode, concurred, stating her belief that the young women that participated will be role models for future generations of women wishing to enter the tech industry.
Woman Leading Tech
Mukuru and WeThinkCode’s hackathon serves as a great example of the work occurring to provide African women with opportunities to gain meaningful careers in the tech industry, regardless of their economic status. Providing opportunities for impoverished women to prove their skills and climb the professional ladder will not only help raise them out of poverty but will also be a boon to Africa’s tech industry.
– Elijah Beglyakov
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
3 Projects Investing in Renewable Energy in Uganda
Uganda is a country that is home to roughly 49 million citizens, and of these citizens, only 42% have access to electricity. The country works around the clock to grow infrastructurally and economically so that it may provide equitable access to all its citizens. However, more than this, the government, nonprofits and foreign countries are pooling their efforts to create a future for renewable energy in Uganda.
About Electricity Access in Uganda
Uganda faces a few key issues when it comes to getting electricity to its people and throughout its country. Currently, it is facing three main issues:
Uganda faces the issues many countries do, and while these issues are complicated, they are not impossible for countries to overcome. People from across the country and from across the globe are implementing numerous innovative and educational projects so that the country may continue in the search for and construction of renewable energy in Uganda.
The Energy for Rural Transformation (ERT) Project
The Ugandan government is spearheading a renewable energy project called the Energy for Rural Transformation (ERT) project. The Ugandan government has enacted the project in parts since the early 2000s and is currently in its third phase. The project is targeting the most remote citizens of Uganda first as it aims to build energy infrastructure in rural areas and bring internet and technological information and communication to schools and hospitals. Once the government connects these areas to the grid, it turns the newly built infrastructure into green energy resources including solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.
More than 7,000 people have been connected to the electrical grid and there has been a 31% decrease in the use of nonrenewable energy for industry from the past two phases. The third phase of this project aims to not only bridge the gaps where there are still vast expanses of rural areas in Uganda that do not have a connection to the electrical grid but also to bring renewable, green energy for an equitable future.
The Uganda National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Alliance (UNREEEA) has also promoted Uganda’s renewable energy development. It is a nonprofit conglomerate of green energy business leaders trying to promote private investment in green energy building within the country. UNREEEA helps to advocate to private business owners and energy companies to invest in the long-term future of renewable energy in Uganda, and among these advocacy efforts is its Green Banking Project. It has teamed up with the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS) to educate on, promote and encourage private and decentralized businesses to bring their companies to all of Uganda.
UNREEEA and UIBFS have created online training courses, seminars and partner lectures to instruct businesses on why they should build renewable energy in Uganda as well as the best ways to implement green energy within the country. UNREEEA and UIBFS are working tirelessly to encourage worthwhile investments in Uganda’s technological and renewable future.
Germany’s Role in Promoting Renewable Energy in Uganda
Germany has recently been lending a helping hand to Uganda’s renewable energy front. Germany’s project started in 2020 and will be ending this November in 2023, and it is an intellectually collaborative project that focuses on bringing more biogas plants to Uganda. Biogas is a modern form of renewable energy, and because of Uganda’s low rainfall and wind rates, it can be very helpful in alleviating the challenges of implementing other forms of green energy posed by changing weather patterns. The German Biogas Association (FvB) is currently helping the Uganda National Biogas Alliance (UNBA) by freely sharing its information on biogas technologies. The FvB has helped support and advocate for the interest of biogas, develop services and infrastructure and train management positions during the past three years. The FvB is a leading example of how all countries can benefit by lending a helping hand.
While not every person in Uganda has access to electricity or the internet, every person in Uganda can rest assured that their country’s leaders are working to not only give everyone equal opportunities but also to invest in a green, renewable future. Uganda faces many challenges like the lack of infrastructure, the lack of fiscal resources, harsh weather and desert terrain and many other issues. Despite this, the government, nonprofits and neighboring countries continue to collect their efforts and garner support for capacity building and green energy advocacy across all of Uganda.
– Alexandra Curry
Photo: Flickr
How KOICA and USAID are Aiding the World
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is partnering with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote developmental change in 11 areas around the world. These areas include education, global health and economic security. The partnership will run from 2023 to 2025 and is benefitting areas around the world including in Africa, Latin America and the Indo-Pacific region.
The agencies first met in Washington D.C. at the USAID headquarters on December 5, 2022, to discuss measures related to their joint effort. This meeting was the first between the agencies’ leaders in eight years. According to U.S. Mission Korea, “Once a recipient of USAID support, South Korea is now a leading democracy and strong partner of the Agency and the broader U.S. government, providing $2.9 billion in development assistance globally in 2021.” Here is more information about how KOICA and USAID are aiding the world.
Overview of How South Korea is Aiding the World
South Korea or officially known as the Republic of Korea began donating to the international community in 1963. This donation was through Triangular Cooperation with USAID. Korea went from being an aid recipient of USAID to being, “the first former aid recipient to join OECD’s Developmental Assistance Committee.”
The KOICA originated in 1991 and to this day follows its guiding mission of “contributing to the common prosperity and the promotion of world peace through inclusive, mutual development cooperation leaving no one behind.”
Since KOICA’s founding, it has donated a total of $563 million to countries across the world. The most recent partnership with USAID will increase this total and further benefit those around the world.
How KOICA and USAID are Aiding the World
On top of the 11 areas the two agencies wish to focus upon, they will work towards 27 tasks in these 11 areas. The two agencies have also agreed to have a shared platform for exchanging results and implementing common projects between them. The utilization of Korea’s digital economy strength will benefit the two agencies, and the two countries’ “common values of human rights, rule of law, and civil society, and in the sector of private partnership.”
Both the President of KOICA, Sohn Hyuk-sang, and USAID administrator, Samantha Power had high praise for the most recent cooperation between the agencies. They both hope the most recent Work Plan will continue to sustain a positive relationship between the U.S. and Korea as well as use the two countries’ resources to help others across the globe.
President Sohn had this to say about the meeting, “As we meet the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance in 2023, I am pleased that the development cooperation agencies of our two countries can gather in one place to discuss sustainable and fruitful cooperation as a part of realizing our global comprehensive strategic alliance.”
About The Work Plan
The Work Plan will fall into place with Korea’s new Indo-Pacific strategy. According to KOICA’s website, “Through the implementation of the Work Plan, KOICA plans to focus on carrying out development cooperation to support developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region in responding to [changing weather patterns] and disasters.”
The Work Plan has the potential to deliver quality resources and aid to developing countries across the world. The way that KOICA and USAID are aiding the world will have an immensely positive effect on those in need. The goals of the project will greatly benefit those who are underserved including those who are in poverty as well as those experiencing the most challenges due to changing weather patterns.
– Sean McMullen
Photo: Flickr