HIV prevalence in Tanzania accounted for 4.8% among people aged 15-49 in 2019. HIV/AIDS’s consequences in a developing country can be devastating, leading to more deaths, slowed economic growth and further misery. HIV and poverty share a critical connection, both acting as the cause and the outcome of one another. The virus poses a more lethal and dangerous threat to the economically vulnerable part of the population that might not always have access to food, medicines and proper health care services. Tanzania has invested in an initiative called Education Plus to eliminate HIV in the country. Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools should fight HIV by ensuring education for girls and young women.
HIV and Education
Sub-Saharan Africa is considered the epicenter of the disease, with 69% of the HIV-positive world’s population living in the region. Another critical characteristic of the epidemic is its relationship with education, where less educated groups tend to be more vulnerable to contracting the disease.
Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools to fight HIV is a plan that will further develop through the country’s commitment to Education Plus. The initiative is the result of the combined efforts of UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNICEF, U.N. Women and others to fight and prevent HIV through the empowerment of adolescent girls and women in sub-Saharan African countries. Their strategy aims to achieve gender equality with secondary education as a central focus. Tanzania became the 13th African country to join Education Plus.
The Background
In Tanzania, over the last 12 years, the number of HIV infections dropped by almost half and the number of deaths decreased from 52,000 to 27,000 in 2019. Nevertheless, in 2019 the country has seen the number of HIV-positive individuals amount to 1.7 million. Evidence shows a considerable vulnerability in women to develop the infection.
Younger groups between the age of 15 and 24 represent one of the most prominent groups of new infections, making up 30% of the newly infected population, UNAIDS reported. According to UNICEF, the disease does not exist equally across the country, with a prevalence mainly in the southern areas.
The mainly affected population are people injecting drugs, men who entertain sexual relationships with other men, female sex workers, transgender individuals and prisoners. Studies show that crucial contributors to virus transmission are younger age, lack of education, alcohol use and the number of sexual partners.
Socio-economic Backgrounds
Tanzania’s poverty rate was 26.4% in 2018 and HIV is a disease that tends largely affects those coming from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
According to a report from the National Education Profile in 2018, 61% of females aged 14-19 in Tanzania were out of school compared to 51% of males from the same age group. According to UNAIDS, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Such aspects are definitive in keeping young women out of education and about 27% of girls aged between 15 and 19 in Tanzania are either pregnant or already have a child. As of 2019, adolescents and young women constituted 24% of new cases worldwide in sub-Saharan Africa.
Before joining the UNAIDS initiative, Tanzania was already making progress in tackling the issue with the revision of the HIV and AIDS Act, which now permits self-made HIV testing and has lowered the age of consent to take the test.
Education Plus
Research shows that secondary education has a significant role in the reduction of the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Access to education leads young women to pay more attention to matters of sexual and reproductive health and it allows them to become economically independent later in life and ensure higher incomes for the future. It also decreases the risk of them becoming child brides and teenage mothers.
The initiative Education Plus began with the focus of helping achieve gender equality, ensuring free and good secondary education for all women by 2025 in sub-Saharan African countries. The plan consists of encouraging decision-makers to raise and expand investments and efforts on instructions and teachings for girls and young women. Such measures aim to prevent HIV and offer major social and economic benefits, including to those who already have contracted the virus, UNAIDS reported on its website.
Not only does the initiative give young women the opportunity to complete secondary education, but it also offers “universal access to comprehensive sexuality education, fulfillment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, freedom from gender-based and sexual violence, school-to-work transition and economic security and empowerment,” according to UNAIDS website.
The project relies on the help of influential U.N. leaders and partners and their role as advocates for the education of young girls to encourage further action and investment in the cause. Education Plus is the ideal approach to facilitate Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools to fight HIV.
The country’s high secondary school dropout rate is a risk factor in the development and spread of an epidemic that needs significant attention and intervention.
The Relationship Between Poverty and HIV
The socioeconomic status of people infected with HIV has a significant role in their living conditions. Many of the situations associated with the risk of contracting the virus are the consequences of coming from a disadvantaged background, such as a lack of access to decent food, housing, safety and the need to exchange sex for basic necessities.
HIV also has a negative impact on the socioeconomic state of a population. Poor health conditions can impact an individual’s ability to work and function independently, and according to research, the unemployment rate of those living with HIV/AIDS goes from 45% to 65%, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).
Looking Ahead
Despite the country still being a lower-middle income economy, Tanzania’s financial status is growing and has been so for the last decade. One of the key battles to win in order to ensure the economic reprise of Tanzania is through a strategy that allows for its population to have good health and work at their full potential.
Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools to fight HIV is not only an investment to fight and defeat a fatal disease responsible for 32,000 deaths in 2020, but also to build a country characterized where gender equality and strong economic performance are a reality.
– Caterina Rossi
Photo: Flickr
How NALA is Revolutionizing the Remittance Economy in Tanzania
Tanzanian-born Benjamin Fernandes sought to improve the remittance economy with Nala – a pioneering consumer payment platform. Utilizing USSD technology found in feature phones, NALA does not require internet connectivity for access and its design aims to reduce user data costs. NALA is the first East African company to receive acceptance into Y-Combinator and, in 2018, it won three awards in Africa: EcoBank Africa Fintech Challenge, AppsAfrica Disruptive Innovation Award and the SeedStars Best Startup in Tanzania. This innovative and revolutionary platform is making waves in the African tech scene and changing the remittance economy.
Revolutionizing the Way People Manage Finances
NALA is revolutionizing the way people in Tanzania and in Africa manage their finances. Launched in 2018, the company initially focused on helping Tanzanians and Ugandans manage their financial well-being. Over time, the company pivoted to become a money transfer application for the African diaspora. Now, NALA is available in five countries – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana – and is continuously expanding to other parts of the world.
To date, NALA has helped more than 8,000 customers with transactions of more than eight figures, making it an invaluable resource for those looking to send money to Africa.
NALA, the Tanzania-based fintech startup, has just secured a whopping $10 million in funding to expand its operations across the African continent. This sizable investment comes from “top angel investors like the creators of Monzo, Robinhood, Alloy and Deel and Peeyush Ranjan, the head of Google Payments who also joined in on the investment.”
In 2022, NALA launched a crowdfunding campaign to give its early adopters a chance to purchase shares in the company. This ambitious move shows just how committed NALA is to becoming a leading fintech player in Africa. The potential for growth in Africa’s fintech sector is enormous, and NALA’s bold move to secure such a large funding round is a sign that it is well-positioned to capitalize on this potential. With the backing of some of the world’s top angel investors, NALA is sure to make waves in Africa’s fintech space in the coming years.
Shaking Up the Remittance Economy
NALA is shaking up the remittance market with its innovative solution. With Wise, Remitly and SendSprint dominating the market, NALA takes it one step further by giving its users flexibility and full control over the remittances they send to Africa. According to the World Bank, “the average transfer fee to Africa is estimated at 9% – that’s $3.3 billion out of the $48 billion sent to sub-Saharan Africa last year.” NALA has set out to reduce this fee and bring transparency to the costs of remitting money to Africa, by offering its users low and transparent transfer costs.
NALA, as of December 2022, has expanded to more than 19 European countries as part of its mission to financially empower African people across the world. It is offering an easy and cost-effective way for customers to send remittances from Europe to African countries through this move.
The World Bank estimates that, on average, the cost of sending remittances from European countries like Italy, France and Germany is between 3% and 7%, with the entire process taking up to two days. With NALA, it is a simple and fast process that actually saves money. The expansion has had a significant impact on the 11 million African migrants living in Europe by providing them with more options for remittance payments.
Breaking the Barriers
NALA has built a unique platform that breaks the barriers to its customers’ accessing payments. The app is able to offer users a convenient way to send money, whether it is for a few dollars or thousands. NALA offers “full control over your remittances” and its service is available at the time and date of your choice. NALA aims to achieve a revolution in the workings of the remittance system through its innovative solution.
– Frida Sendoro
Photo: Flickr
How Malawi Eliminated Trachoma
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Malawi is among 15 countries that recently eliminated trachoma. Presently, trachoma is one of the 20 most dangerous neglected tropical diseases identified by WHO. The eradication of trachoma has been a 12-year process by the Malawi government and non-governmental organizations. Here are all the facts about how Malawi eliminated trachoma and the lessons from their success in global health.
The History of Trachoma and Malawi
During the last 20 years, people at risk of blindness from trachoma decreased from 1.5 billion to 125 million. However, trachoma remains a severe health problem for more than 35 countries throughout the poorest regions of Central and South America, Asia and Africa. Specifically, trachoma disease is most prevalent in Africa, representing 84% of the worldwide concentration.
In Malawi, trachoma became endemic during the 1980s. But the government ignored the disease until 2008 when WHO and Sightsavers implemented surveys in the country. Afterward, the government of Malawi noted that 7.6 million people could contract trachoma in 2015.
The Path to the Eradication of Trachoma in Malawi
In 1996, WHO created the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020. The plan defined the elimination of trachoma as less than 2% in adults ages 15 or older and only one case per 1,000 people. According to WHO, the project targeted children ages 1 to 9 years old to obtain less than 5% infection. Specifically, Malawi was among the key 25 African countries in the project for the elimination of trachoma.
The effects of trachoma were especially life-threatening for millions of children in Malawi and caused financial instability for their families. However, between 2013 and 2015, the Malawi Ministry of Health mapped and targeted 25 districts most at risk of developing trachoma. The Malawi Ministry of Health used the Global Trachoma Mapping Project guidelines to establish the most endemic districts, which totaled about 9 million people. There were six districts, as the Malawi Ministry of Health reported, but none had surgery services. Lastly, in the Mchinji district, the disease prevalence was 21.3% for children ages 1 to 9 years old.
The Solution
In 2022, the Malawi Ministry of Health eliminated trachoma through SAFE, a strategy that WHO recommended. Furthermore, the Sightsavers organization and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust partly organized and funded the strategy. The SAFE strategy includes surgery to stop eyelashes from scrapping the eye, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvements, according to Uniting to Combat NTDs.
As a result, trained local surgeons treated more than 6,000 cases of trachoma and volunteers distributed more than 22 million drug treatments that Pfizer donated. They supported more than 250 schools to improve hygiene and sanitation in their community. Lastly, Malawi is one of the first countries to adopt the Kigali Declaration on neglected tropical diseases, strengthening their political commitment to eradicate the disease.
A Victory for the People
The eradication of trachoma represents a victory for the people and government of Malawi. However, many lives did not survive in time along the path to find the solution. Still, the complete elimination of the disease represents the effectiveness of collaboration among international efforts.
The Malawi Ministry of Health, WHO, nonprofit organizations and the willingness to adopt the SAFE strategy demonstrate the value of continual support for these international organizations by high-income countries and individuals.
– Andres Valencia
Photo: Flickr
Tanzania’s Investment in Secondary Schools to Fight HIV
HIV prevalence in Tanzania accounted for 4.8% among people aged 15-49 in 2019. HIV/AIDS’s consequences in a developing country can be devastating, leading to more deaths, slowed economic growth and further misery. HIV and poverty share a critical connection, both acting as the cause and the outcome of one another. The virus poses a more lethal and dangerous threat to the economically vulnerable part of the population that might not always have access to food, medicines and proper health care services. Tanzania has invested in an initiative called Education Plus to eliminate HIV in the country. Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools should fight HIV by ensuring education for girls and young women.
HIV and Education
Sub-Saharan Africa is considered the epicenter of the disease, with 69% of the HIV-positive world’s population living in the region. Another critical characteristic of the epidemic is its relationship with education, where less educated groups tend to be more vulnerable to contracting the disease.
Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools to fight HIV is a plan that will further develop through the country’s commitment to Education Plus. The initiative is the result of the combined efforts of UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNICEF, U.N. Women and others to fight and prevent HIV through the empowerment of adolescent girls and women in sub-Saharan African countries. Their strategy aims to achieve gender equality with secondary education as a central focus. Tanzania became the 13th African country to join Education Plus.
The Background
In Tanzania, over the last 12 years, the number of HIV infections dropped by almost half and the number of deaths decreased from 52,000 to 27,000 in 2019. Nevertheless, in 2019 the country has seen the number of HIV-positive individuals amount to 1.7 million. Evidence shows a considerable vulnerability in women to develop the infection.
Younger groups between the age of 15 and 24 represent one of the most prominent groups of new infections, making up 30% of the newly infected population, UNAIDS reported. According to UNICEF, the disease does not exist equally across the country, with a prevalence mainly in the southern areas.
The mainly affected population are people injecting drugs, men who entertain sexual relationships with other men, female sex workers, transgender individuals and prisoners. Studies show that crucial contributors to virus transmission are younger age, lack of education, alcohol use and the number of sexual partners.
Socio-economic Backgrounds
Tanzania’s poverty rate was 26.4% in 2018 and HIV is a disease that tends largely affects those coming from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
According to a report from the National Education Profile in 2018, 61% of females aged 14-19 in Tanzania were out of school compared to 51% of males from the same age group. According to UNAIDS, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Such aspects are definitive in keeping young women out of education and about 27% of girls aged between 15 and 19 in Tanzania are either pregnant or already have a child. As of 2019, adolescents and young women constituted 24% of new cases worldwide in sub-Saharan Africa.
Before joining the UNAIDS initiative, Tanzania was already making progress in tackling the issue with the revision of the HIV and AIDS Act, which now permits self-made HIV testing and has lowered the age of consent to take the test.
Education Plus
Research shows that secondary education has a significant role in the reduction of the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Access to education leads young women to pay more attention to matters of sexual and reproductive health and it allows them to become economically independent later in life and ensure higher incomes for the future. It also decreases the risk of them becoming child brides and teenage mothers.
The initiative Education Plus began with the focus of helping achieve gender equality, ensuring free and good secondary education for all women by 2025 in sub-Saharan African countries. The plan consists of encouraging decision-makers to raise and expand investments and efforts on instructions and teachings for girls and young women. Such measures aim to prevent HIV and offer major social and economic benefits, including to those who already have contracted the virus, UNAIDS reported on its website.
Not only does the initiative give young women the opportunity to complete secondary education, but it also offers “universal access to comprehensive sexuality education, fulfillment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, freedom from gender-based and sexual violence, school-to-work transition and economic security and empowerment,” according to UNAIDS website.
The project relies on the help of influential U.N. leaders and partners and their role as advocates for the education of young girls to encourage further action and investment in the cause. Education Plus is the ideal approach to facilitate Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools to fight HIV.
The country’s high secondary school dropout rate is a risk factor in the development and spread of an epidemic that needs significant attention and intervention.
The Relationship Between Poverty and HIV
The socioeconomic status of people infected with HIV has a significant role in their living conditions. Many of the situations associated with the risk of contracting the virus are the consequences of coming from a disadvantaged background, such as a lack of access to decent food, housing, safety and the need to exchange sex for basic necessities.
HIV also has a negative impact on the socioeconomic state of a population. Poor health conditions can impact an individual’s ability to work and function independently, and according to research, the unemployment rate of those living with HIV/AIDS goes from 45% to 65%, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).
Looking Ahead
Despite the country still being a lower-middle income economy, Tanzania’s financial status is growing and has been so for the last decade. One of the key battles to win in order to ensure the economic reprise of Tanzania is through a strategy that allows for its population to have good health and work at their full potential.
Tanzania’s investment in secondary schools to fight HIV is not only an investment to fight and defeat a fatal disease responsible for 32,000 deaths in 2020, but also to build a country characterized where gender equality and strong economic performance are a reality.
– Caterina Rossi
Photo: Flickr
Cervical Cancer In Nigeria
Cervical cancer in Nigeria is a major public health issue, as the country has 56.2 million women who are at risk of having the disease. Cervical cancer ranks second on the list of most common cancers in women ranging between the ages of 15 and 44, in Nigeria.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a virus that commonly transmits through sex, causes cervical cancer. It can transmit from mother to child. Cervical cancer is treatable when one detects it early and manages it clinically. According to WHO, HPV 16 and 18 are responsible for 70% of cases of cervical cancer.
In a 2021 report, the HPV Information Center stated that there were 12,000 new cases in 2020, while almost 8,000 women die annually from cervical cancer in Nigeria. This type of cancer affects the cervix. The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina in a woman and is located between the uterus and the vagina. The cervix functions in various processes such as menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth and also the protection of reproductive organs.
Treating Cervical Cancer in Nigeria
The poor health service system makes accessibility to the treatment of cervical cancer in Nigeria difficult. Being a low and middle-income country, Nigeria’s health system lacks cervical cancer services. Cervical cancer is preventable and treatable, but without the necessary vaccines and other health services, prevention and treatment are difficult.
Although HPV vaccines are effective, they cost a lot and are quite unaffordable. A dose of HPV vaccine costs no less than 13,000 Naira ($29.18), three doses are necessary and the doses are only available in private health facilities. The scarcity of vaccines also stresses the ones who can afford them.
In November 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a cervical cancer screening and treatment project in Anambra state, Awka. The project aims at the treatment and prevention of cervical cancer in women of productive age across the state.
Some of the medical equipment and supplies that WHO donated include “four examination couches, 20 anglepoise lamps, 50 Cusco’s speculum, 15 instrument trolleys with wheels, 50 disposable aprons, 50 kidney dishes, 20 mackintoshes standard size, 100 packets of swab sticks, 10 punch biopsy forceps, 150 liters of 90% ethanol solution, etc.”
WHO has decided to train 100 health workers on the processes involving cervical cancer screening services and also provide ongoing technical support to ensure the project achieves its goal.
Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN)
Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), collaborates with local government authorities and primary health care systems, in a bid to eliminate cost barriers, it also “conducts mobile outreach clinics offering a wide range of sexual reproductive health services, including cancer services, to vulnerable communities in hard-to-reach, poor and marginalized areas” free of cost.
The intervention of WHO and PPFN in various states of the country brings more awareness about cervical cancer. Making screening more available will make early detection and prevention possible.
– Oluwagbohunmi Bajela
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Human Trafficking in Benin
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act
According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), human trafficking is the act of forced sexual exploitation or the subjection of labor through involuntary servitude. The TVPA outlines the minimum standards a country must meet to eliminate trafficking. This is to ensure that countries label human trafficking as a punishable crime and make serious efforts toward change.
The TVPA ranks countries by tiers regarding the government’s efforts towards ending human trafficking, with Tier 1 indicating countries that meet the minimum standards of effort and Tier 3 being countries that do not meet the standards and are not making moves to do so. Benin falls under Tier 2, as the country does not fully meet the standards but is attempting to do so. The government is taking steps to convict more traffickers, expand awareness and victim identification, identify traffickers and increase training for law enforcement. Unfortunately, Benin authorities have failed to sentence convicted traffickers.
Human Trafficking in Benin
Benin’s trafficking portfolio explains that most trafficking in the country is internal and involves low-income children and other vulnerable populations. Common tactics of this type of recruitment include the false promises of education and a job. Most traffickers are known community members, like civil servants and farmers. Debt bondage is another way traffickers trap victims. In 2022, the Benin government reported a total of 701 trafficked victims. Overall, 111 children and 40 adults were sexually trafficked and 550 children were reported to be labor trafficking victims.
Beninese children are not just exploited within the country but throughout Western Africa. Within the Republic of Congo, Benin is the largest source of trafficking victims, with nationwide child and forced marriages and domestic servitude. Women from Benin are frequently trafficked for labor and commercial sex internationally.
Strives Toward Change
The Department of State in the U.S. recommends that the country should continue developing training of law enforcement and judicial officials to improve their investigations and prosecutions of traffickers in accordance with its laws. Expanding capacity to provide nonmedical services to victims and finalizing an agreement with Togo and Nigeria that shares information and cooperate on transnational investigations would help too.
The U.N. also suggests the global incorporation of training on human trafficking for medical and behavioral health professionals to aid victims and increase prevention. This includes teaching patients about informed consent, providing trauma-informed care and having resources for victims that support food security and housing.
There are multiple multilateral organizations and agencies that are fighting human trafficking specifically in West Africa. ECPAT works towards ending the sexual exploitation of children and partnered with a network of NGOs called C.L.O.S.E. to reach as many victims as possible. Benin’s International Criminal Police Organization National Central Bureau Cotonou also works to protect national security by investigating trafficking routes, along with being a major player in the organization’s fugitive investigation operations. In 2021, Benin’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons rescued more than victims, arresting 75 traffickers and convicting three.
Although much more attention is needed to address human trafficking in Benin, the government’s efforts coupled with victim support from NGOs will help to move the needle on this dire issue.
– Audrey Gaines
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts About Child Poverty in Equatorial Guinea
5 Facts About Child Poverty in Equatorial Guinea
Room for Improvement
Equatorial Guinea’s high-income levels also tell us that there is a potential to not only address its poverty issues but also other important problems such as education and health care. High levels of income inequality and limited penetration of social welfare have limited the progress of the country. However, as the report by the Overseas Development Institute suggests, by addressing these issues quickly, Equatorial Guinea could soon be on a rapid road to progress.
While this is what the government could do to improve the socioeconomic situation of its citizens, the work of nonprofits organizations such as the SOS Children’s Villages will go a long way to helping children in Equatorial Guinea.
– Ritvik Madhukar Annapragada
Photo: Flickr
USAID Programs in Zimbabwe
HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe
In 1991, HIV rates in Zimbabwe reached as high as 49.6% of citizens aged 15-49. This means that, just 32 years ago, about half of Zimbabwe’s adult population was HIV-positive.
While the statistic has dramatically improved to 2.4% in 2021, HIV remains a pressing health concern in the country. According to WHO (World Health Organization), HIV infection rates were the same in 2021 as in 2020, with as many as “4,000 new infections every day in 2021.” Under PEPFAR (U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), USAID’s investment is changing lives for Zimbabweans. WHO also reported that, of these new infections, there seemed to be “key populations”: sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, people in prisons, and transgender people.” Based on these statistics, PEPFAR has begun releasing and administering Cabotegravir (CAB-LA), a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention — with a focus on delivery to those “sidelined from access to health care because of laws and societal segregation.”
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) approved the long-acting injectable in November of 2022, Zimbabwe being the first country in Africa to approve it.
Agriculture in Zimbabwe
Another way USAID is contributing to Zimbabwe’s development is through agricultural support. Through its Feed the Future program, USAID has offered assistance in rural employment, agricultural productivity and economic development to over 200,000 smallholder farmers.
Zimbabwe’s Fostering Agribusiness for Resilient Markers Activity (FARM), another USAID assistance program, has also had a major involvement in farming development. Established in 2020 and designed to run through June 30, 2025, FARM aims to support Zimbabweans through “climate-smart increased production, productivity, and market linkages,” essentially protecting and commercializing smallholder farmers to facilitate long-term growth. Two ways FARM aims to accomplish this goal, according to USAID, is through:
“Livelihoods opportunities and incomes diversified and expanded through establishing resilient and sustainable market linkages; increased off-farm income opportunities; increased agricultural production and productivity; increased access to appropriate finance; increased adoption of good animal husbandry practices (GAHPs), good agricultural practices (GAPs) and climate-smart technologies and increased investments along the targeted value chains.”
“Improved hygiene- and nutrition-related behaviors through increasing nutrition-sensitive agricultural production and productivity and increased incomes coupled with training and technical assistance on good household nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation practices.”
Thus, USAID’s agricultural assistance programs not only support farmers but equip smallholder farmers with the resources they need to sustain agricultural commerce.
Democracy Building in Zimbabwe
USAID also focuses on democracy, human rights and governance in Zimbabwe. The agency’s work in this regard started in November 1999 in order to assist with a peaceful transition of power amid recent elections. Overall, USAID “strengthens accountability systems by assisting Parliament to increase their independence and effectiveness, improves inclusive electoral processes to better reflect citizen voices, expands access to information, and activates mechanisms for citizen advocacy and oversight.”
Looking Forward
With developmental assistance through USAID’s programs in Zimbabwe, life-threatening diseases like HIV are on the decline, and the economy is growing far more independent through agricultural development assistance. By providing life-saving medicine and prevention practices, alongside crucial agricultural developmental support and democracy building, USAID is aiding Zimbabwe in building a healthy future for all.
– Micaella Balderrama
Photo: Flickr
A Restaurant for Homeless People in Istanbul
“Hanging a bread” is a long-standing Turkish tradition during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset. Before breaking the fast, people form queues in front of bakeries for a hot piece of “pide” bread. At the time of payment, they pay for an additional piece for those in need. The bakers secretly distribute these donations so that nobody knows who donates and receives them. This sharing tradition has expanded, as exemplified by a former homeless person, Ayşe Tükrükçü, who founded “Hayata Sarıl Lokantası” (Embrace Life Restaurant), a restaurant for homeless people in Istanbul.
Poverty and Homelessness in Turkey
According to the World Bank, in 2019, Turkey recorded a poverty rate of 10.2%. However, with the impact of COVID-19, this percentage increased to 12.2% in 2020. Additionally, despite being lower than other European countries, Turkey has a homeless population of roughly 70,000. At that point, the role of charities fighting against extreme poverty comes to the forefront.
The Story Behind the Restaurant
Having been a victim of domestic and sexual abuse and lived in the streets for months, Ayşe Tükrükçü did not want anyone to face the same conditions she experienced. After receiving support from “Şefkat-Der” (an organization supporting homeless people in Turkey), she wanted to help this disadvantaged group embrace life again. Tükrükçü went on to establish “Hayata Sarıl Derneği” (Embrace Life Association) in February 2017. Nine months later, the association started “Hayat Sarıl Lokantası” to serve as a restaurant for homeless people in Istanbul.
How Does the Restaurant Work?
The restaurant operates as a regular restaurant during lunchtime and accepts meal donations that pay for an additional meal. In the evening, it turns into a soup kitchen and distributes donations to the homeless people in the area. This initiative has drawn the general public’s attention, and volunteers, such as famous Turkish chefs, have also served in the restaurant several times.
Along with serving food to the homeless, the association also provides legal, psychological, training and basic medical support to them so they can build new lives. The association does not have any income-generating operations yet, and thus, these services are reliant on individual and corporate contributions. Thanks to media coverage and drumbeat, big firms such as Grundig – a home appliances brand – help keep Hayata Sarıl Derneği alive through sponsorships. However, in an interview, Ayşe Tükrükçü mentioned that regardless of the amount of the donation, they value all personal contributions as much as sponsorships because the donors join a community dedicated to doing good and bonding with those in need.
The Success of the Initiative
The success of Hayata Sarıl Lokantası is hidden in numbers. According to its website, between November 2, 2017, and February 14, 2020, the restaurant served 57,268 plates of free meals, hosted more than 500 volunteers in the soup kitchen, and saved 6,100 kg of food from being wasted.
A restaurant for homeless people in Istanbul reflects the outcome of an individual’s efforts to decrease poverty and its effects. The restaurant not only works to address an important social issue but has also brought the community together to implement long-term solutions that will positively impact thousands of people.
– Murathan Arslancan
Photo: Flickr
Visa’s Investment in Africa’s Digital Economy
As the world’s digital economy expands at an exponential rate, it continues to be a vital component in raising the world’s impoverished nations and people out of poverty. By the end of the decade, 70% of new value in the global economy will transpire from digitally-enabled businesses. There is a great opportunity for impoverished and developing countries to boost their own economies and raise their people out of poverty by having access to these emergent digital markets.
However, Africa has been lagging behind in its digital economic growth. That is why Visa, a large multinational financial services corporation based in the United States, has pledged to invest $1 billion in Africa’s digital economy by 2027, helping create opportunities for more Africans to engage in the digital market, as well as have access to safe, reliable financial services and technologies.
Identifying the Problem
The growth of Africa’s digital economy has been stunted and uneven. As of 2015, almost 500 million adults in Africa or nearly 40% of Africa’s total population lack access to formal financial services including banking services and access to digital purchase platforms. Compounding this issue is the fact that things like digital payment methods are not readily available. More than 40 million merchants (i.e, stores, vendors, etc.) in Africa do not accept digital payments and less than 50% of the entire adult population have made or received digital payments of any sort as of December 2022.
Digital economic inequality is not only present when comparing Africa to developed nations, but also within its own borders as well. For example, in Central Africa, only 11% of adults have a bank account, compared to 51% in the far more developed region of South Africa. This stark divide is especially present in access to financial technologies. For example, while there are 50 ATMs per 100,000 individuals in South Africa, there are only 11 per 100,000 individuals in North Africa and less than five per 100,000 individuals in all other African sub-regions.
Visa’s Pledge
This lack of access to financial resources and technologies, especially in the global digital market, is a large issue facing the impoverished populations of Africa. It is not insurmountable, however. Visa believes that Africa can overcome its issues, which is why the company has pledged to invest $1 billion in Africa by 2027 to accelerate the growth of the continent’s digital economy. Visa, one of the largest financial companies in the world, has established a plan to upscale the company’s African operations on all fronts, including the deployment of new technologies and providing opportunities to educate locals in digital economics.
Over the next five years, Visa will establish local operations for the first time in several impoverished African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia and Sudan. Part of this growth involves the implementation of new technologies that make it easier for both consumers and merchants to make digital payments, like Tap to Phone, a technology that allows people to make purchases with a simple tap on one’s smartphone. Such innovative solutions will not only encourage more consumers and vendors to make digital payments but will also make it easier and safer for them to do so.
Visa has also pledged to invest in education and empowerment for those especially struggling to enter the digital economy. For example, the company has teamed up with She’s Next, a global advocacy program for women-owned small businesses, which brings funding, mentoring and networking opportunities to female entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa. Visa’s plan to increase financial literacy also focuses on crossing language barriers; for example, it is working on the first-ever Arabic version of its financial education program, Practical Money Skills.
Visa’s Pledge to Develop Africa’s Digital Economy
There is still a long way to go to connect Africa’s impoverished people with the world’s digital economy. However, thanks to the work of Visa and other organizations, and to increasing awareness of their need, there will be great progress in accelerating Africa’s entrance into the global digital economy.
– Elijah Beglyakov
Photo: Flickr
HIV/AIDS in Uganda: Addressing the Gender Gap in Treatment
Uganda is among the largest countries in Africa and is home to around 46 million people. Many have recognized Uganda for its significant efforts to mitigate HIV/AIDS among its population in the last couple of years. Nonetheless, HIV/AIDS in Uganda continues to present disproportionate ramifications among women. This is why government partnerships with several foreign agencies are key to facilitating effective treatments for HIV-infected women of all ages and addressing the gender gap in treatment.
History of HIV/AIDS in Uganda
The HIV virus ranks among the most dangerous health diseases in many Sub-Saharan African countries. In Uganda specifically, the disease has been following an exponential upward trend since the start of the 1980s. Among female adults (>15 years), HIV-recorded cases ranged from 1.7% for those between the ages of 15 and 19 to 13.6% for those 50-54 years of age. HIV also underpins gender inequality, as 12.4% of females between the ages of 30 and 34 had HIV while only 4.8% of males in that same age group had HIV. In Kampala in 1985, estimates indicated that 11% of pregnant women had HIV, which likely only increased up to the early 90s since by 1992, 18% of Uganda’s overall population had HIV.
Progression of HIV/AIDS in Uganda and Women
Over the past few decades, Uganda has significantly progressed in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Through the introduction of behavioral and educational policies, Uganda’s government reduced the prevalence of the HIV burden to 7%. Uganda’s government launched various campaigns devoted to advocacy efforts encouraging citizens to undergo testing, as well as donated condoms among different rural regions of the country. From 2011 to 2016, the country witnessed an overall 18% decline in the prevalence of HIV-recorded cases for ages 15-49. This indicates effective development in the health sector, which is especially necessary to alleviate the number of cases.
According to UNAIDS statistics, HIV continues to affect almost 570 Ugandan girls and women aged 15-24 per week. One can attribute the increased vulnerability of young girls to HIV to their reproductive systems which have not yet matured, which increases their susceptibility to contracting the virus during sexual intercourse. Data shows that in Uganda, two-thirds of all new infections of HIV occur in young girls, but only about 30% of them receive any HIV testing services.
Working Towards Equality
The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program and the CDC partnered to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Uganda. Since March 2022, the CDC supplied HIV treatment for more than 700,00 people residing in Uganda, including around 19,875 pregnant and breastfeeding women. Based on Uganda’s Ministry of Health records, there has been a considerable decline in mother-to-child transmission of HIV in 2000 from 20% to 2.8% in 2021. Considering this, it seems that Uganda is making progress in addressing the gender gap in treatment.
The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) is a non-governmental institution, which has significantly reduced the number of HIV cases in the country since its inception in 2006 by Uganda’s government. The NGO works to support infected patients through its community drug distribution point (CDDP) by providing physical and psychological aid. The CCDP reduced travel time for Antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the wait times from typical pharmacies from two to three hours to 30-45 minutes. An estimated 65% of the patients enrolled in the CDDP program are women, with the program targeting 200 female sex workers.
The battle against HIV/AIDS in Uganda has been persistent for several years. With the various external and internal forces working to reduce existing inequalities in HIV treatments in Uganda, Women may be better able to access adequate treatment. Collaborations such as those between the government of Uganda and governmental agencies from the U.S. demonstrate the importance of U.S. aid and a mutual goal in addressing the gender gap in treatment and helping the most vulnerable populations across the world.
– Andres Valencia
Photo: Unsplash