Once dubbed the “Paris of the Middle East,” Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was well-known for its vibrancy. It comprised culture, music, art and a spirited social life inspired by France after it gained independence in 1943. Until 1975, Lebanon was in a state of peace and prosperity and it was a popular tourist destination and center for international trade. While that all changed when a 15-year-long civil war raged on and completely changed the governance of the nation socially and politically, the Lebanese people never lost their celebrated resilience.
About the Rule of Law in Lebanon
The aspiring future of Lebanon was heavily altered after the 15-year civil war of 1975 that left Lebanon in a rather unique state of fragility. While the nation had both an open political system and economy after gaining independence from the French, with low poverty levels compared to others in the region, the War greatly impacted Lebanon’s sense of safety, political regimes and infrastructure. Thus, in efforts to rebuild the state and end the war in 1989, the government signed the National Reconciliation accord in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Notably, the amended Lebanese Constitution that followed called for establishing a constitutional court and enhanced the power of the Sunni Muslim Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri, over the Maronite Christian president and the Shi’a Muslim speaker of Parliament.
This judiciary structure and political system of Lebanon, which both French and Ottoman models inspired, had a multi-confessional structure. It called for equality before the law and equal representation of Lebanese civilians, protecting their freedom of religion, and respecting rights for the Cabinet to act as a mechanism for fairness between the religions. Furthermore, it also allowed the Syrian forces that remained in Lebanon as a result of the Syrian occupation of 1976 to stay in the country as a stabilizing force.
However, it suffered significant division following the war, as warlords began holding seats in Parliament after a national amnesty in 1990. There were also exchanges of personal benefits between the government and parliament, and conflict over sectarian interests that deeply impacted the rule of law in Lebanon. Despite this, Lebanon still managed to see five prosperous years starting in 2000, until the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri in 2005.
The Way This Has Impacted the Nation
The year Prime Minister Hariri was assassinated, the Syrian occupation ended, and thus, Syrians received permission to remain in Lebanon and increase their military power. Because of this, they began interfering in Lebanese political affairs, and a series of events followed that included continuing assassinations, a war between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, Hezbollah’s retaliation and their invasion of Sunni areas in Beirut as well as further religious showdowns, corruption and economic mismanagement.
The Lebanese government’s structure meant that it needed to include all factions, which led to leaders monopolizing their shared power amongst themselves, and then using that power to pursue their own agendas and interests, allowing for sectarian divide. This political unrest and breach of Lebanon’s security, as well as threats from neighboring countries, severely rattled rule of law in Lebanon.
Thus, Lebanon grew to become the most indebted country after the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri, as the nation became financially reliant on internal and external borrowing. Lebanon was unsuccessful in producing long-term economic growth, despite the fiscal, monetary and central bank policies that attempted to reduce its deficits.
With this debt and other economic disasters, the political structure of Lebanon adopted a clientelist structure as the productive sector only favored elites, making the economy unproductive and undiversified, worsening poverty levels and deepening inequality. In 2020, the top 10% of Lebanese workers received 56% of the total income earned from 2005 to 2014 and the lowest 50% of the population received only 11%.
Solutions
All the political unrest amongst leaders in government created an ethnoreligious identity and social dynamic that formed multiple political parties, creating a strong sense of community amongst the people and militias who support each other despite contributing to an insurgency in the country.
In October 2019, citizens across Lebanon stormed Beirut streets as they protested against a tax on WhatsApp calls, which was meant to act as one of Beirut’s solutions to combat economic pressures. However, these protests eventually turned into nationwide protests that lasted for months, as the Lebanese people saw these tax measures issues as only favoring the elite at the expense of the lesser privileged middle class.
This shows that hope still exists for the future of Lebanon, as Lebanese people have taken measures to improve the rule of law in Lebanon. Following the protests in October 2019, Lebanon saw an increase in community-based and grassroots networks, as well as public mobilization, looking for peaceful change. After the explosion in Beirut in 2020, for example, youth groups, women’s networks and Chief Starting Officers joined together to assist vulnerable families and keep community tensions under control, as well as tackle the spread of fake COVID-19 news.
Among these initiatives is the Grassroots Lebanon Non-Profit Organization (GLNPO), a network of Lebanese citizens looking to take action into their own hands to improve the standards of living that Lebanon’s fragility impacted. GLNPO encourages a sense of belonging and looks to promote a high sense of solidarity and agency among the community by tackling poverty, improving education, providing medical support and raising awareness of a number of issues impacting society. So far, GLNPO has provided relief after the Beirut explosion in 2020, distributed aid to schools and hosted cultural events among many other projects that aim to benefit the future and people of Lebanon.
– Noura Matalqa
Photo: Flickr
Examining Humanitarian-to-Humanitarian Organizations
Humanitarian-to-Humanitarian Organization Categories
Looking Ahead
Humanitarian-to-Humanitarian organizations increasingly work toward the improvement and success of the humanitarian system and are crucial for the development of an even stronger and more successful humanitarian order. As in the words of Kim Scriver, director of the H2H network, “Often… we talk about system change in terms of… big heavy policy processes. H2H actors provide an important counterpoint to that. They are in the system but at the edge of it, able to demonstrate different [kinds of] change.”
Photo: Flickr
Improving Life for Costa Rica’s Poor
In the last few years, Costa Rica has experienced an increase in poverty, despite predicted lowering rates. In 2021, poverty reached 23% of households. This is equivalent to 383,500 households. About 6.3% of these households live in extreme poverty, meaning they cannot meet their basic needs. Translated, this means that 376,800 people cannot meet their basic food needs to survive. Increasing unemployment rates, which rose to 18% in 2021, are partially to blame for the increased poverty level among Costa Rica’s poor.
Women and Poverty
Poverty affects women at a more significant percentage in Costa Rica. This is partly due to the low labor force participation rates of women in the region. Paired with the lower wage that women often make compared to men, it seems inevitable that more women in Costa Rica continue to fall into poverty. Single mothers are specifically at risk. More than half of single mothers live in poverty, and their situation continues to deteriorate.
Bringing Awareness to Slums
Slums are one of the most concentrated examples of the intense poverty throughout Costa Rica. According to GlobalGiving, “Costa Rica has over 300 of these precarios in which more than 35,000 families live, almost all of them existing below the poverty line.”
A video that The Tico Times posted walks viewers through Triángulo de la Solidaridad, one of the best-known slums, in a tour that Boy with a Ball, a nonprofit organization that is working to improve the community. The video depicts tiny homes made of tin and wood crammed closely together. The community has unreliable electricity and no sewage system. More than 500 families live in these conditions, with 50% remaining unemployed. In an effort to bring awareness and relief to these communities, Boy with a Ball offers tours of the slums to tourists. Matus, a tour guide for Boy with a Ball explains his motivation behind aiding the cause: “I like [the tours] because this way I can show the other side of Costa Rica that normally tourists wouldn’t see.”
Boy With a Ball
Boy with a Ball began in 2004 when a small group of volunteer workers moved to San Jose, Costa Rica to work in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods. Since then, the company has created teams working in Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria and multiple cities in the U.S. In 2021, the organization impacted 2,577 youth and had more than 1,000 volunteers. The organization has also created 11 tutoring centers with more than 60 operating small groups to create personal mentoring relationships with youth in poverty.
Boy with a Ball works to reach the youth in the slums who often become involved in crime and drug trades in an attempt to escape their circumstances. By providing mentorship and the resources necessary to transform them into leaders for the community, the volunteers hope to encourage the next generation to build a life outside the slums.
The Future of Costa Rica’s Poor
The organization Action Change has extended its work outside of the slums in an attempt to bring education to more children and lower future poverty rates. According to Action Change’s website, “Poverty is a huge factor in education, families that have parents with less than 6 years of education, tend to have lower income and their children don’t finish school.” In addition, low funding for schools has left many children without a safe space to learn and play, by gathering funding and empowering community members, Action Change hopes to grow local communities and develop education throughout Costa Rica. The organization encourages students to stay in school by providing them with better-quality learning materials and safer school environments.
Action Change has supported more than 50 projects worldwide and celebrated the 15-year anniversary of its work in 2020. Action Change has raised more than $2 million to fund its projects to help Costa Rica’s poor.
Both Boy with a Ball and Action Change hopes to change the future statistics of poverty by empowering the next generation to build sustainable and prosperous lives. One child at a time, Costa Rica works to prevent future families from suffering the same poverty as their ancestors.
– Brooklynn Rich
Photo: Flickr
5 Charities Operating in Nigeria
In Nigeria, approximately four out of 10 citizens live in poverty, according to a report from the World Bank. The document details an analysis of Nigeria’s first official poverty numbers in almost 10 years, reporting upon the increase in poverty rates due to weaknesses in the labor market, minimal market growth and human capital as low as 0.4 in 2020. In the report, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri spoke about the overlap of financial and humanitarian interests. He remarked on the necessity of “boosting health and education, bolstering productive jobs, and expanding social protection.”
With elevated inflation rates pushing more than 8 million Nigerians below the poverty line, the World Bank stresses the three types of reforms for Nigeria:
Below are five charities operating in Nigeria which have aims that align with the listed reform focuses:
1. Lagos Food Bank Initiative
Founded in 2016, the Lagos Food Bank Initiative (LFBI) is a nonprofit that focuses on nutrition to fight hunger and reduce food waste. With a focus on children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, those with diet-related illnesses, citizens older than 50 years old and impoverished families, LFBI combats poverty on the front lines. Since its founding, LFBI has reached 160 communities through its various programs, such as:
According to the 2021 annual report, LFBI distributed 641,207 kg of food and sundry, placed 195 citizens in jobs and served 294,855 beneficiaries, logging up to 33,3312 volunteer hours.
2. Amaudo Itumbauzo
Established in 1989, Amaudo Intumbauzo aids those “roaming the streets” and living with mental illnesses in southeast Nigeria. According to the website, as a result of both “negative cultural beliefs” and a lack of resources or understanding, many vulnerable Nigerians are left without treatment, care and even homes.
Amaudo aims to provide a place for healing, offering a rehabilitative “safe haven” while also administering community-based services on mental health awareness and discrimination. The organization’s rehabilitation center, Okopedi, accommodates up to 60 residents living with severe mental illnesses, helping residents with support through counseling, medication, training and family tracing. Through other projects, such as the Ntalakwu project, Project Comfort and the Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP), Amaudo works to promote a deeper understanding of mental illnesses and support those mental health effects.
3. The GEANCO Foundation: Saving and Transforming Lives
Established in 2005 by Godwin Onyema, the GEANCO Foundation (representative of the initials of each member of the Onyema family: Godwin, Ebele, Afam, Nche & Nma and Chukwogzie Onyema) is one of the five charities operating in Nigeria that aims to improve health care and save lives in Nigeria.
Since its founding, GEANCO has aided more than 200 Nigerians in receiving life-saving medical procedures, such as hip and knee replacements and bone structure repairs. Moreover, the organization makes significant donations to schools, and maternal and infant health facilities and funds “hundreds of thousands” of scholarships, all working to provide Nigerians with opportunities to secure a safe, healthy future.
4. TASTE Nigeria
TASTE is a U.K. charity that encourages volunteers from around the world to share expertise in sustainable technology with Nigerians. One of TASTE’s primary focuses in communal support is providing access to clean water. One way the organization aids communities is through funding the development of “powered burholes,” which pump fresh water through pipes, which they did recently in the town of Jemkur. From working with locals to developing community construction teams, TASTE supports community members through a series of “streams,” as listed on its website:
5. Education as a Vaccine (EVA)
Education as a Vaccine (EVA) is a nonprofit that aims to improve Nigerian health and further development in Nigeria. EVA focuses on reaching the youth by providing “innovative, efficient and effective” education lessons on reproductive and sexual health as well as child rights. With nearly 46% of the population currently less than the age of 15, Nigeria’s 40 million women of “childbearing age” combat “disproportionately high levels of health issues surrounding birth.”
Founded in 2000, at the core of EVA is the belief that when equipped with necessary resources and support, young people contribute largely to the development of an entire country.
According to the website, EVA’s primary advocacy focus areas are:
Since its founding, EVA has served 185,201 children, 464,925 youth and 70,671 adults. In total, EVA’s programs have reached 720,797 individuals through:
While these five charities operating in Nigeria are conducting meaningful and impactful work, they are just a few of many organizations focusing on alleviating the symptoms and causes of poverty. Each organization’s website show information about their work, current focuses, efforts and programs.
– Micaella Balderrama
Photo: Pixnio
Everything to Know About Women’s Rights in Fiji
Fiji is a white sand archipelago in the South Pacific ocean. Fiji’s palm-lined beaches and turquoise lagoons continue to attract tourism to this exotic location. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened economic matters by prohibiting the country’s main source of income. This economic stress has exacerbated issues of women’s rights in Fiji, but the people fighting against female discrimination continue to create democracy, provide education and empower the women of the Pacific Island.
Women’s Rights and Global Poverty
One of the biggest myths about ending global poverty is that achieving it is possible without confronting gender inequality. Recent statements have indicated that 2.4 billion do not receive equal opportunities to their male counterparts and struggle to recover from poverty due to their low social status in many cultures. The empowerment of women could help to reduce gender inequality and transform global poverty from a gendered issue, according to Global Citizen.
In Fiji, women’s salaries are approximately 30,000 FJD less than men’s on average per year. Women’s lack of freedom in the household and the control held over their resources renders women the most vulnerable group in Fijian society. Currently, female poverty is on the rise in Fiji due to the economic crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One way to help is microfinance. It involves providing women in poverty with small loans, affording financial freedom and enabling the development of small businesses. The South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) is the largest microfinance firm fighting against female poverty. SPBD launched the Fiji Bloom Program, an initiative that addresses the unique needs of Fijian women entrepreneurs. Bloom aims to transform small women-owned enterprises into thriving businesses and mobilize other Fijian institutions to join them on their mission.
The Problem in Fiji
Fijian society often views women as “second-class citizens,” according to Al Jazeera. This is due to entrenched patriarchal norms that continue to define contemporary views of women. Unfortunately, women’s inferior status in Pacific island society has led to violence against young women. In 2016, 59% of all rape cases involved girls under the age of 18. This is an issue that the ignorance of women in the justice system further exacerbates.
According to the U.N., the economic strain placed on the country through the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened issues of gender inequality. The stress of unemployment has caused a surge in domestic violence against women who are locked down in their homes, Al Jazeera reports. This has led to poverty and violence being considered critical gender issues in Fiji.
Fiji is fighting for the cause. In 2020, women held 19.6% of parliamentary seats, compared to 0% in 1987. Also, Fiji ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1995, meaning women’s rights in Fiji are finally receiving recognition.
The People Making a Difference
The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) envisions a democratic Fiji where gender equality, good governance and the realization of human rights create sustainable national development. Founded in 1986, FWRM aims to eliminate the attitudinal and institutionalized discrimination that oppresses women.
GIRLS is one of FWRM’s programs providing education on feminism, sexual health and human rights to girls aged between 10 and 17. It works to challenge gender stereotypes by encouraging male-dominated sports like rugby and creates a culture of understanding amongst young girls.
“Democratization, policy transformation, intergenerational leadership and organizational strengthening” are the four pillars from which FWRM operates. So far, FWRM has established four successful programs targeted at girls and women of different age groups. One, the Fiji Women’s Forum, united women across diverse groups to increase women’s participation in the Fiji national elections held in September 2014.
Lobbying, mobilizing and advocating, they are the NGO secretariat transforming the discriminatory structures that prohibit female empowerment. From a small group of Fijian women who wanted to make a difference to a leading organization with global connections, empowerment is on the horizon.
Looking Ahead
The fight for women’s rights in Fiji is a fight against violence, poverty and institutionalized misogyny; one that has been fought for decades. Gender stereotyping and a lack of feminist education are the problems Fijian girls and women face today, but FWRM highlights the possibility of empowerment. In 2018, FWRM GIRLS and Emerging Leaders Forum Alumni (ELFA) held an intergenerational women’s movement event where girls and women together shared stories of abuse, empowerment and everything in between, Fawcett reports. This inspiring display of solidarity reflects the liberation of women’s rights in Fiji so far.
– Abigail Vaughton
Photo: Flickr
Indonesia’s Informal Economy
Indonesia’s informal economy has been a significant contributor to its economic growth and is also an important source of employment for many of its poorest citizens. It is estimated that around 57% of the Indonesian workforce works in the informal sector and that it accounts for roughly one-quarter of the country’s GDP. However, low wages, poor working conditions and a lack of social protections often characterize the informal economy, making it difficult for workers to escape poverty.
Microfinance in Indonesia
One of the key challenges facing Indonesia’s informal economy is a lack of access to finance and other forms of support. Many of the country’s informal businesses are unable to access traditional sources of finance (such as bank loans) due to a lack of collateral or credit history. This inhibits these businesses’ growth and makes it harder for their workers to escape poverty. Furthermore, “only around 22% of Indonesian citizens are connected to formal financial institutions,” according to the Financial Services Authority (OJK).
To address this, the Indonesian government has implemented several initiatives aimed at supporting informal businesses and workers. For example, the government has established Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) that provide access to finance for informal businesses. These MFIs play a crucial role in promoting economic development, providing small loans, savings accounts and other financial services to low-income individuals and small businesses that may not have access to traditional banking services.
MFIs bridge the financial inclusion gap by providing access to credit and other financial tools that can help individuals and businesses to grow and thrive. By supporting entrepreneurship and economic activity, MFIs help to create jobs and stimulate local economies, which can in turn reduce poverty and increase prosperity. In Indonesia, the OJK regulates MFIs and requires them to adhere to strict standards to protect clients’ interests.
Upgrading Skills
The government has also implemented various schemes to upgrade the knowledge and skills of workers to improve their employability and competitiveness in the job market.
One such initiative is the Manpower Competence Development program, which provides funding for workers to participate in training and education programs. The program targets workers in the informal sector, as well as those in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), aiming to help them improve their productivity and performance.
The government also supports the development of vocational training centers and polytechnics, which provide practical, hands-on education in a variety of technical and professional fields. By investing in the education and training of its workforce, Indonesia’s government is helping to build a more skilled and capable labor force, which will contribute to the overall development and prosperity of the country.
Hazardous Working Conditions
Due to the lack of regulations and protections in this sector, workers in Indonesia’s informal economy often face hazardous conditions. Many are employed in dangerous industries such as construction, mining and manufacturing, where they are exposed to risks such as accidents, injuries and occupational diseases.
Informal workers are also more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by employers, who may not provide adequate safety equipment or training and may ignore safety standards to cut costs. In addition, informal workers often lack access to health care and other social protections, making it difficult for them to seek treatment or compensation when they experience injuries on the job.
One approach to remedying this situation is for the government to increase regulation and oversight of working conditions in this sector. This can include establishing and enforcing safety standards, as well as providing resources and support to help informal businesses comply with these standards. Alternatively, the Indonesian government could attempt to increase the availability of affordable safety training and equipment for informal workers. This would help workers to protect themselves and their colleagues from potential hazards on the job.
In addition, ongoing U.S. Department of Labour efforts to educate informal workers about their rights and how to advocate for better working conditions could be bolstered. This can include providing information about available resources and support, as well as helping workers to organize and speak out for change.
Conclusion
While Indonesia’s informal economy plays an important role in the country’s economic growth, it is also a source of low-wage, unsafe, insecure employment that traps workers in a cycle of poverty. To truly address poverty in Indonesia, the government must support informal businesses and workers, ensuring that they can participate in and benefit from Indonesia’s economic growth as well as the country’s elites.
– Thomas Everill
Photo: Unsplash
How Charities are Improving Rule of Law in Nicaragua
The rule of law in Nicaragua has been precariously balanced for decades. The narcotics trade is rife in Central America, with the Global Organized Crime Index citing the nation as a trans-shipment point for cocaine. The illicit cargo travels from its source of production in South America to its consumer market in North America. Along this journey, drug cartels and gangs use violent means to control the products. Invariably, it is the country’s poorest and most desperate inhabitants who end up working for these criminal organizations.
Working to Stabilize a Fragile Environment
Christian Aid has been one of the key organizations working to create new opportunities for Nicaraguans. Through its partnership with Hibiscus Cooperative and Soppexcca, Christian Aid has afforded training for farmers growing hibiscus, coffee and cocoa to enhance their production, marketing and sales skills. Subsequently, this has allowed local producers to reach new customers and earn a better and more secure living without the influence of cartels. These attempts to bring stability to the local economy go hand-in-hand with the fight to protect the rule of law in Nicaragua, an increasingly volatile nation.
Presidential Crackdown on Religious Freedom Limits Charity Work
Foreign aid provides funding for charitable organizations in Nicaragua and has become even more critical following the country’s controversial election in November. Chatham House has reported that more than 40 governments across the globe denounced the legitimacy of President Daniel Ortega’s campaign. Ortega ran for his fourth consecutive term in November 2022, continuing a tenure that began in 2007. With the majority of his political opponents currently imprisoned, most regarded his reelection as a foregone conclusion. During a televised speech in September, Ortega launched a campaign against the Catholic faith, accusing the Pope of being a dictator and describing priests as ‘killers’ and ‘coup-
Ortega’s authoritarian rule of law in Nicaragua has seen him initiate a war on religious freedom. In an attempt to limit the influence of Christianity, which he sees as the only viable threat to his leadership, Ortega suspended 2,600 nonprofit organizations in Nicaragua in 2022, according to Christianity Today.
NGOs That are Still Operational
While Ortega’s assault on the NGO sector will have significant repercussions on the rate of poverty in Nicaragua, there are organizations that are still functioning. El Porvenir is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that works to provide clean water through community water systems. The charity focuses on various aspects of sanitation, including building double-pit latrines, educating communities on the best practices for health and hygiene and restoring watersheds via nature-based design and reforestation. So far, the organization has benefitted nearly a quarter of a million people in Nicaragua, building 14,000 latrines and planting 1.6 million trees.
Ultimately, the situation in Nicaragua is delicately poised. The purging of thousands of NGOs by Ortega’s government is deeply troubling for those who wish to see a brighter future for a nation with such a high rate of poverty. However, hope exists moving forward as the work that currently operating NGOs are doing may help create a sustainable future for a time when democracy might one day return and a legitimate rule of law in Nicaragua can be reinstated.
– Max Edmund
Photo: Flickr
ICRC’s Response to Somalia’s Food Crisis
Somalia is facing significant consequences as a direct result of changing weather patterns. The most serious is the food crisis and severe malnutrition it faces due to droughts, poor crop yields and livestock deaths. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for immediate action as the continuing conflict and rising food and energy costs will require immense humanitarian aid in 2023. The ICRC is tackling Somalia’s food crisis by implementing several programs and methods, including teams on the ground that provide water and food, financial help, nutrition services and health care (mobile health teams).
Somalia’s Food Crisis
Many different factors have led to the food crisis in Somalia. Changing weather patterns and the resulting “worst drought in 40 years” has left more than 7 million people without adequate food, British Red Cross reports. The droughts have prevented access to food and water and led to the death of livestock that Somalians depend on for their livelihood. Another factor that has contributed to Somalia’s food crisis is the conflict.
Conflict throughout Africa and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the displacement of populations and a rise in food and fuel prices. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which produces a quarter of the world’s wheat and grains, is a significant contributor to the hunger crisis since Somalia relies on its exports for 90% of its wheat and grains, ICRC reports.
The rising food and energy costs are hurting communities steeped in armed conflict and violence. The ICRC has indicated that the price of food staples has risen to more than 30% in Somalia. The consequences of the food crisis in Somalia have left many exhausted as people are displaced and struggle to find necessities such as water and food. Many children are unable to attend school to fulfill their education needs.
Ultimately, as of May 2022, Somalia has seen drought affect 6.1 million people and the displacement of 760,000 people throughout the country without access to sufficient water, food and health care. An update that the ICRC provided in the month of August indicates that the internal displacement throughout Somalia due to the drought continues to rise. About 30,000 people experienced displacement in May 2022, 100,000 people in June 2022 and 83,000 people in July 2022, totaling more than a million people displaced in Somalia in 2022.
Emergency Funding For Families
One of the ways the ICRC is tackling the food crisis is by providing monthly payments of $90 to more than 150,000 families in the south and central parts of Somalia to help them purchase food and other necessities. As of the end of August 2022, the program had provided more than $13 million. The program’s outcome has seen positive results. One of the recipients, Dadir Ahmed Adan was able to use the money to open a small shop for $50 and save the rest of his money to buy food for his children after losing his livestock to the droughts.
The primary objective of this program is to help the most vulnerable people survive and minimize debt. The impact of the droughts has caused families to become displaced as they lost their livelihoods. They end up in desperate situations where they look for help from other family members or aid organizations.
Agricultural Cooperatives
Another way that the ICRC is tackling Somalia’s food crisis is by supporting agricultural cooperatives designed to help bear the brunt of changing weather patterns. The cooperatives involve training, farming tools, drought-resistant seeds and cash that is necessary for the fuel in order to irrigate. The ICRC cash assistance will continue distributing cash assistance to people in conflict-affected areas of Somalia and rehabilitating boreholes and wells. Communities will also benefit from primary health care services and mobile health clinics and support. Through this program, the ICRC has managed to help more than 150,000 families with life-saving assistance to purchase food and other necessities, following severe droughts in Somalia.
Provision Of Clean Water and Sanitation
The ICRC is also tackling Somalia’s food crisis by increasing the production and quality of water to alleviate the impact of droughts. This consists of “electromechanical quick fixes, re-drilling of boreholes, increasing the water storage by constructing elevated water tanks, water catchment systems, animal troughs and generator houses for strategic existing borehole/mechanized hand-dug well locations.”
Since the beginning of 2022, the ICRC has successfully distributed fuel and made quick fixes to 26 electro-mechanical boreholes. They completed the construction of five water reservoirs and half a dozen hand-dug wells and rainwater catchment systems. They have also constructed community water sand filters and animal troughs.
The ICRC’s success in aiding drought-stricken regions comes from their initiative and determination, along with support from local communities. The organization ensures that the most vulnerable people in Somalia have the means and access to clean water and sanitation and that these facilities have proper maintenance and improvement.
Road Ahead
The work that the ICRC conducted in response to the food crisis continues and the challenges for 2023 are ever-present. This is a year where humanitarian support is greatly necessary and the ICRC has appealed for $2.9 billion to fund its work in 2023. The ICRC expects the situation to get worse throughout the year, with children and the elderly being the most affected.
– Arijit Joshi
Photo: Flickr
What to Know About Human Trafficking in Mauritania
The U.S. Department of State has ranked Mauritania on the Tier 2 Watch List, indicating that it needs to do much more when it comes to tackling human trafficking. The Tier 2 Watch List reflects countries that have made strides to stop human trafficking but do not comply with all of the established minimum prevention criteria. Here is some information about human trafficking in Mauritania.
About Human Trafficking in Mauritania
Slavery and child labor have been part of Mauritania’s long history. Mauritania did not abolish the practice until 1981, and it was only two decades later before it became a criminal offense. This is the root cause of human trafficking in the region.
Indeed, many often refer to Mauritania as one of the last strongholds of slavery. Estimates point to approximately 20% of the 3.4 million Mauritanians living in some form of enslavement; women and children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking.
Many factors complicate the issue of slavery and bondage in Mauritania. Like many other religions, Islam does not condemn slavery and recognizes it as an institution. The Maliki School of Islamic Law was famous in Mauritania before the 19th century. After the holy wars, labor was necessary to boost the economy and Muslims used Maliki law to justify the enslavement of black Africans.
Human trafficking in Mauritania has deep roots. Slavery and the trafficking of children operate quietly in the nomadic and pastoral settlements of the country. People often pass slaves down through family ties and generations. There are no chains and few large transactions that one can track in Mauritania. The government has also allowed a system of forced labor to exist.
Solutions
Mauritania’s government implemented the Law of Associations, which gives NGOs more room to investigate issues, establish a permanent committee on trafficking and increase fundraising for the anti-trafficking national action plan (NAP). The law has anti-trafficking organizations’ investigations involving three hereditary slavery instances in the country. According to the U.S. Department of State’s data, authorities arrested 14 traffickers and prosecuted five traffickers since 2020. As a member of the G5 Sahel (countries that cooperate with counterterrorism efforts), Mauritania has been willing to comply but large improvements on behalf of the Law on Associations have not undergone fulfillment.
Although the government showed some commitment to the cause, it has yet to develop strong enough institutions to prosecute traffickers effectively — to which the severe impacts of COVID-19 did not help to strengthen their anti-slavery institutions. Human trafficking in Mauritania can disappear, but only if the country takes more effective measures.
Room for Improvement
The U.S. Department of State has suggested that Mauritania increase efforts to prosecute cases of human trafficking and hereditary slavery; which would include directing law enforcement to investigate instances of trafficking and slavery fully. There should also be an institution in place to help victims of human rights violations such as human trafficking in the Sahel.
A glimpse into the marginalized groups in Mauritania provides a sense of optimism for a better future. Biram Dah Abeid is an abolitionist in Mauritania who authorities previously arrested for fighting against the country’s deeply rooted slave tradition and recently became a member of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations to truly improve their human rights initiative. He founded the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement, which actively sought to empower people in Mauritania to protest slavery in a non-violent manner. The non-violent tactics include sit-ins, publicizing the issue and assisting victims. The Netherlands presented him with the Human Rights Tulip Award in recognition of his work.
Human trafficking and slavery have significant roots in the nation’s history, but the government has made some efforts to combat the issue. More work is essential to improve the safety and security of marginalized groups in Mauritania.
– Anna Richardson
Photo: Flickr
Fragility and Rule of Law in Lebanon
Once dubbed the “Paris of the Middle East,” Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was well-known for its vibrancy. It comprised culture, music, art and a spirited social life inspired by France after it gained independence in 1943. Until 1975, Lebanon was in a state of peace and prosperity and it was a popular tourist destination and center for international trade. While that all changed when a 15-year-long civil war raged on and completely changed the governance of the nation socially and politically, the Lebanese people never lost their celebrated resilience.
About the Rule of Law in Lebanon
The aspiring future of Lebanon was heavily altered after the 15-year civil war of 1975 that left Lebanon in a rather unique state of fragility. While the nation had both an open political system and economy after gaining independence from the French, with low poverty levels compared to others in the region, the War greatly impacted Lebanon’s sense of safety, political regimes and infrastructure. Thus, in efforts to rebuild the state and end the war in 1989, the government signed the National Reconciliation accord in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Notably, the amended Lebanese Constitution that followed called for establishing a constitutional court and enhanced the power of the Sunni Muslim Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri, over the Maronite Christian president and the Shi’a Muslim speaker of Parliament.
This judiciary structure and political system of Lebanon, which both French and Ottoman models inspired, had a multi-confessional structure. It called for equality before the law and equal representation of Lebanese civilians, protecting their freedom of religion, and respecting rights for the Cabinet to act as a mechanism for fairness between the religions. Furthermore, it also allowed the Syrian forces that remained in Lebanon as a result of the Syrian occupation of 1976 to stay in the country as a stabilizing force.
However, it suffered significant division following the war, as warlords began holding seats in Parliament after a national amnesty in 1990. There were also exchanges of personal benefits between the government and parliament, and conflict over sectarian interests that deeply impacted the rule of law in Lebanon. Despite this, Lebanon still managed to see five prosperous years starting in 2000, until the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri in 2005.
The Way This Has Impacted the Nation
The year Prime Minister Hariri was assassinated, the Syrian occupation ended, and thus, Syrians received permission to remain in Lebanon and increase their military power. Because of this, they began interfering in Lebanese political affairs, and a series of events followed that included continuing assassinations, a war between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, Hezbollah’s retaliation and their invasion of Sunni areas in Beirut as well as further religious showdowns, corruption and economic mismanagement.
The Lebanese government’s structure meant that it needed to include all factions, which led to leaders monopolizing their shared power amongst themselves, and then using that power to pursue their own agendas and interests, allowing for sectarian divide. This political unrest and breach of Lebanon’s security, as well as threats from neighboring countries, severely rattled rule of law in Lebanon.
Thus, Lebanon grew to become the most indebted country after the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri, as the nation became financially reliant on internal and external borrowing. Lebanon was unsuccessful in producing long-term economic growth, despite the fiscal, monetary and central bank policies that attempted to reduce its deficits.
With this debt and other economic disasters, the political structure of Lebanon adopted a clientelist structure as the productive sector only favored elites, making the economy unproductive and undiversified, worsening poverty levels and deepening inequality. In 2020, the top 10% of Lebanese workers received 56% of the total income earned from 2005 to 2014 and the lowest 50% of the population received only 11%.
Solutions
All the political unrest amongst leaders in government created an ethnoreligious identity and social dynamic that formed multiple political parties, creating a strong sense of community amongst the people and militias who support each other despite contributing to an insurgency in the country.
In October 2019, citizens across Lebanon stormed Beirut streets as they protested against a tax on WhatsApp calls, which was meant to act as one of Beirut’s solutions to combat economic pressures. However, these protests eventually turned into nationwide protests that lasted for months, as the Lebanese people saw these tax measures issues as only favoring the elite at the expense of the lesser privileged middle class.
This shows that hope still exists for the future of Lebanon, as Lebanese people have taken measures to improve the rule of law in Lebanon. Following the protests in October 2019, Lebanon saw an increase in community-based and grassroots networks, as well as public mobilization, looking for peaceful change. After the explosion in Beirut in 2020, for example, youth groups, women’s networks and Chief Starting Officers joined together to assist vulnerable families and keep community tensions under control, as well as tackle the spread of fake COVID-19 news.
Among these initiatives is the Grassroots Lebanon Non-Profit Organization (GLNPO), a network of Lebanese citizens looking to take action into their own hands to improve the standards of living that Lebanon’s fragility impacted. GLNPO encourages a sense of belonging and looks to promote a high sense of solidarity and agency among the community by tackling poverty, improving education, providing medical support and raising awareness of a number of issues impacting society. So far, GLNPO has provided relief after the Beirut explosion in 2020, distributed aid to schools and hosted cultural events among many other projects that aim to benefit the future and people of Lebanon.
– Noura Matalqa
Photo: Flickr
How Paratus and Meta are Improving Zambian Towns
To improve the state of the network in Zambia, back in November 2022, Paratus Zambia and Meta announced the building of a 900 km open-access metro fiber network in 10 Zambian towns. That will allow people in underserved communities to get access to a high-quality internet connection.
About Paratus
The Paratus Group is a multinational provider of a wide-ranging and independent African network, which includes Paratus Zambia. Paratus Zambia is the top provider of corporate internet, MPLS, cloud and satellite services in the area. One of the group’s goals is to transform Africa through first-rate digital infrastructure and customer support.
The operational staff of Paratus is based in seven African countries – Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. The company’s expanded network offers a satellite connectivity-focused service in 37 African countries. It provides top-quality service while connecting African enterprises across the continent. The group also has an international presence in Europe, the U.K. and the U.S.
Paratus’s Successes in Zambia
Paratus Zambia has invested in cutting-edge technologies to deliver steady, dependable and fast internet connection with reduced latencies and direct peering with the largest international internet service providers. It offers connectivity to hundreds of Zambian enterprises across many different industry sectors, through its own vast fiber and microwave network. With the help of its expanded network, 4,000 terminals in more than 35 countries in central and west Africa may access the internet.
Because high-speed internet connection is significant for businesses Paratus Zambia uses its own fiber to provide the fastest internet connection to Zambians in Zambian towns. Also, Paratus Zambia integrated auto-failover from fiber to wireless if the client’s primary connection fails, that way the client gets an extra layer of resilience, which ensures that the business can still keep running.
Paratus delivers tailor-made Cloud Solutions. The help of Cloud Solutions can keep company data safe and accessible. In addition to that Paratus offers public, private and hybrid Cloud Solutions with guaranteed accessibility based on solid data centers and communication infrastructure. Paratus also removed high upfront expenses and allowed technology costs to change as the business grows, that way companies can avoid financial risks.
What Paratus and Meta are Doing for Zambia
Paratus Zambia with the help of Meta will build and operate the network to offer wholesale services to mobile network operators and internet service providers. As a result, locals will get around 500 new jobs, more affordable services and better coverage. The network will also connect to Lusaka’s Paratus carrier-neutral data center, where Paratus can provide direct, high-quality access to nearby enterprises, IT News Africa reports.
All of it will be crucial to the economy of Zambia and contribute to giving millions of people and hundreds of enterprises access to the internet through a fiber network that is faster and more secure. That is not all Paratus Zambia is also working on a separate project to connect Zambia’s metro networks to numerous towns and cities. According to IT News Africa, towns where the metro fiber will be available at the end of 2023: Kitwe, Ndola, Livingstone, Chingola, Chililabombwe, Solwezi, Chambishi, Kabwe, Luanshya and Mufulira.
A good internet connection is essential not only for entertainment reasons but also for businesses and people who work remotely. More people have access to it – more people have jobs and money which helps reduce poverty globally as well as in Zambian towns.
– Elizaveta Medvedkina
Photo: Flickr