Mohan Peiris, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the U.N. said, “Sri Lanka had a success story to tell the world – unfortunately, this is now a forgotten story.” The news that ought to be extensively disseminated to the general public is the successful rehabilitation of all 594 child soldiers in Sri Lanka that the LTTE recruited without prosecution, with priority given to their investigations and swift resolution of their cases. Lamentably, misinformation that the remnant elements of this group of non-State actors propagated hounded the diffusion of this news.
The Way Children Become Soldiers for the LTTE
A documentary by The Social Architects South Asia features interviews with former child soldiers in Sri Lanka, who talked about the myriad motives for their engagement with the militant organization.
Due to the sexual violence –sex slavery and mass rape– that the Sinhalese Sri Lankan government forces committed against Tamil females, a significant fraction of the girls in the LTTE, where men and women were considered equal and held the same right to identify as combatants, as a ray of hope and a promise for change, for which they joined the organization.
While this pattern became increasingly famous as the sexual violence peaked in 2009, the atrocity persisted post-war. The LTTE grants women the title of “Birds of Freedom.” Though this can appear rather voluntary, the law forbids a child from willingly enlisting in the LTTE armed force. Thus, every form of recruiting counts as abduction.
Next, the LTTE will either torture or kill families, who object to the admission of their children into the Baby Brigade of the LTTE or make them pay the price in cash or gold. In order to save their children, many affluent and educated families fled to North America, Europe and India.
Poor families oftentimes originating from the lower caste had little choice but to surrender their children, who would then be the front-line attackers. On account of their refusal to join the LTTE, the group abducted many children, the documentary reported.
Action Plan on Children Affected by War
In June 2003, the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, together with the United Nations Agencies and the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, agreed to the formal Action Plan on Children Affected by War with the aim of stopping the recruitment of minors and releasing any remaining juveniles to their families or new transit camps. However, despite the agreement, the LTTE had recruited more than twice as many children as it released. The LTTE deliberately started its re-recruitment of child soldiers in mid-2004 under the pretext of guarding them against external danger.
UNICEF planned a public awareness campaign on children’s rights as part of the Action Plan for Children in conjunction with the National Child Protection Authority to express objection to child recruitment. UNICEF then put the mass media campaign on hold indefinitely in January 2004 because the LTTE did not agree with the core messages.
In March 2006, the LTTE highlighted that the topic of child recruiting does not belong within the purview of the CFA and should not be on the discussion table at the next round of negotiations during a meeting with the Norwegian ambassador Hans Bratskar in preparation for negotiations in April 2006, according to SCOPP report.
According to Bratskar, the history of the six rounds of negotiations shows an acknowledgment that child recruiting should stop and that continuing recruitment was very detrimental to LTTE’s reputation internationally. The LTTE refused to attend the April negotiations as a result of this conversation.
The Bring Back the Child Campaign
In February 2009, the Srilankan government and UNICEF launched a “Bring Back the Child” campaign. The government troops defeated the LTTE in May 2009.
In October 2009, officials from the Military of Defense reported that a leading school in the capital Colombo welcomed 144 former child soldiers in Sri Lanka, who had received rehabilitation in the north under the first stage of the rehabilitation program.
Sri Lanka rehabilitated all 594 child soldiers in February 2021 under LTTE recruitment without prosecuting them, according to The Morning. Exposure to violent conflict and the death of loved ones can result in trauma and other psychological repercussions that have an impact on a child’s development and education. They received national identification cards, which made them feel like they belonged. With the aid of rehabilitation programs, they went back to their families. Today, the majority of child soldiers in Sri Lanka finish high school or get a job-related education.
Despite the amazing progress of the Sri Lankan government in putting an end to the problem of child soldiers, escaping the vicious cycle of violence while dealing with a series of cognitive and behavioral problems as a result of past traumas requires prolonged care, welfare, psychotherapy, appropriate monitoring and social support. It is essential that people discuss the institutional and societal prejudice that former child soldiers experience today as well as how to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers altogether.
– Karisma Maran
Photo: Flickr
GENDES AC Fights Gender Inequality in Mexico
Gender inequality is one of the most widespread barriers to global development. The World Economic Forum has reported that political participation, economic opportunity, education and health care are still not fully accessible for women around the world and noted that it would take about 132 years to dissolve the gender gap in the world’s current trajectory. Gender inequality in Mexico reflects a similar reality — in 2021, almost 44% of females 15 and older participated in the labor force compared to 75.7% of males. Furthermore, females in Mexico contribute 30.7% of their time to unpaid care work in comparison to just 10% of men. These numbers work to reinforce poverty as having more women in the workplace brings many positive benefits that lift up entire economies. GENDES AC aims to reduce gender inequality in Mexico by focusing on the roles of men.
Gender Inequality in Mexico
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on just how deeply rooted the exclusion of women is. In Mexico, at the onset of the pandemic, women faced higher rates of job losses and shouldered the burden of unpaid domestic care. According to a study that Paula Andrea Valencia Londoño led, “The inequality in the distribution and use of time is an important determinant in workforce inequality.” Further, “the fact that women bear the brunt of unpaid domestic labors and caregiving has limited their economic participation and constitutes one of the principal barriers to their economic independence.”
Violence against women in Mexico is common and citizens have criticized the government for failing to effectively protect women. A May 2022 Americas Quarterly article said that there are about 10 femicides in Mexico each day. Mexico’s government has largely dissolved social programs aimed at empowering women, contributing to increasing gender equality in the nation.
GENDES AC
Founded in 2008, GENDES AC is a nonprofit based in Mexico that fights this gender inequity with a unique approach. In Mexico, “the presence of a machista culture, in which men exaggerate the violent, authoritarian, aggressive aspects of male identity, can be seen in the socially entrenched gender inequality and sexist, patriarchal structures,” said a journal article by Sarah Frances Gordon. This type of cultural norm dictates the nature of relationships between men and women in Mexico, in private spheres as well as in the broader economic landscape.
GENDES AC operates workshops for men to challenge their cultural biases and unlearn the social stigmas surrounding violence and relationships. These workshops teach men to contribute to gender equality and the protection of women by identifying their own actions that contribute to these injustices. GENDES AC’s mission is to involve men in the restructuring of gender norms in order to create a safer space for women to participate in civil society.
GENDES AC also conducts research and partners with local governments and civil society to propose public policy solutions that effectively utilize gender inclusion for development. It releases a number of publications, ranging from providing education about the interplay between masculinity and poverty to guidebooks for those seeking to relearn new behaviors that empower their communities. The organization’s release titled “Gender Equality Policies” offers insight into culturally relevant strategies for Mexico to improve outcomes for women.
Looking Ahead
Coupled with sound economic and public policy, community-based efforts to restructure power and increase understanding may be the best approach to fighting gender inequality in Mexico. GENDES AC is doing the grassroots work necessary to garner national attention and create change.
– Hannah Yonas
Photo: Flickr
Home of Angels’ Work Aiding Children in Uganda
A Brief Introduction to Jaaja Barb’s Home of Angels
The Jaaja Barb’s Home of Angels’ name has a heartwarming meaning. Jaaja stands for “grandma” in Lusoga and Barbara Giraud is a grandmother who helped found the organization alongside Edwin Lufafa, who is from Jinja, Uganda.
Jaaja Barb’s Home of Angels aims to improve life for Uganda’s children. In Uganda, HIV/AIDS has left many parents unable to afford child-rearing responsibilities. In many cases, young children are caring for themselves and their younger siblings at the same time and many children are homeless. Statistics showed that one in four of Uganda’s households has at least one orphan.
The intent of the organization is to help children find a home and gain education. As a result, Jaaja Barb’s Home of Angels is not only providing a safe haven for orphan children but also acting as a children’s welfare project.
Success Stories
The Borgen Project emailed the staff at the Home of Angels to learn about their experiences with the organization and its accomplishments. The inquiry revealed that Edwin and Barb rescued 11 children who were living at an abandoned orphanage and provided them with shelter, food and water.
Currently, the organization is taking care of 32 children and has even implemented a nursery and a primary school, thanks to donations and the selling of banana bread. The organization also built a grass hut where the children can have meals and attend events. It also contains a projector and screen from which the children can learn English. Additionally, the organization implemented a well to provide both the shelter and its community with access to sanitary water.
Looking Ahead
More recently, Jaaja Barb’s Home of Angels is providing aid to poor families with mentally and physically challenged children by giving their families land and seeds to grow food. Additionally, Edwin is teaching families how to make bricks to sell.
The kindness and love that Barb, Edwin and their co-workers are giving to children in Uganda are incredibly important. Their efforts have helped feed and shelter many children and their families.
– Ella Li
Photo: Flickr
Renewable Energy in Afghanistan
Afghanistan faces an uphill battle in the supply of reliable electricity to rural communities. As of 2016, it produced only 22% of the country’s electricity needs domestically, mainly as hydroelectric (88%). Afghanistan’s rural regions often experience major neglect. In response, the Afghan government, with the help of foreign aid initiatives, is making a proactive shift towards off-grid renewable sources. This implementation of domestic renewable energy sources in Afghanistan will help the country more effectively alleviate poverty.
Afghanistan’s Energy Reliance
The import of 78% of Afghanistan’s grid-supplied electricity comes from neighboring Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Turkmenistan. However, after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the Afghan government has increasingly struggled to pay for imported electricity, due to political instability, dysfunctional public services and the international freeze on overseas assets.
Afghanistan’s dependency only exacerbates its unstable international relations. In 2021, the country faced the daunting prospect of losing power, with only 38% of the 38 million residents having access to electricity. The burden of repaying outstanding bills to neighboring countries weighs heavily on the Taliban government. Meanwhile, independent companies are reliant on international loans to reimburse their neighbors.
Amid the rising insecurity surrounding the availability of electricity, there seems a desperate need for domestically sourced sustainable forms of energy. With this in mind, private organizations and government initiatives have been instrumental in the development and implementation of renewable energy in Afghanistan.
Off-the-Grid Renewable Options
Since much of rural Afghanistan is isolated and mountainous, the cost of transmission to these communities is not always feasible. However, off-grid renewables, that is energy sources that do not have a connection to a central grid system, have proven to be pivotal in electrifying regions without access to reliable power.
In 2002, the Afghan government established the national solidarity program (NSP), and with the help of USAID, managed to implement mini-grid systems powered by micro-hydro and solar projects. These mini-grids allow local communities to manage and take ownership of renewable energy.
Independently-sourced renewable energy can have a myriad of benefits to Afghan society, economy and environment. Organizations like the nonprofit Mercy Corps, with help from the U.K. Department for International Development, have worked with locals in establishing affordable renewable energy. Using a unique funding model, the organization helped bring solar power to a hospital in Lashkargah, Helmand Province, that now has access to electricity 24/7. By merging business incentives and humanitarian objectives, the hospital has been able to repay the initial start-up costs of solar implementation, and now has unlimited access to cheap, reliable off-grid electricity.
A Substantial Cause for Optimism
These initiatives benefit the country’s energy independence while also minimizing the impact on the environment. Mercy Corps has managed to install more than 300 solar systems across the country, and they strive to further integrate these technologies into programs that supply renewable energy in Afghanistan.
Investments in off-grid renewables like solar or micro-hydro can have an important effect on Afghanistan’s development. Access to consistent and clean energy helps alleviate poverty since more people have access to better health care, education and amenities. Furthermore, reliable electricity for water distribution centers and cold-storage facilities helps to sustain the basic needs of rural communities.
– Namra Tahir
Photo: Flickr
How the Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka is Exacerbating Poverty
Surrounded by the Indian Ocean in Southern Asia, the island nation of Sri Lanka is currently facing its worst economic crisis in history. While the country once held great promise with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailing it as “Asia’s fastest growing economy” in recent years, the country has faced a great economic decline. A combination of extreme corruption, political instability and deficit borrowing has led to an economic downtrend that the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war recently heightened. As a result of this political and economic unrest, poverty rates are rising. This is how the economic crisis in Sri Lanka is exacerbating poverty within the country.
Poverty in Sri Lanka
Compared to other countries in the region, poverty rates in Sri Lanka are not as bad. For example, pre-pandemic poverty rates in surrounding countries such as Bangladesh and India were more than 20%, but Sri Lanka’s rates never passed the 10% mark. However, the most recent data regarding the state of poverty in Sri Lanka from the World Bank reveals that there are more than 847,100 people in Sri Lanka living below the poverty line. This means that there are currently more than 847,100 people without access to education, food, water and shelter in Sri Lanka.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Poverty
Historically, Sri Lanka has been especially dependent on government-guided market investments and tourism to keep its economy afloat. Most recently, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latter industry felt the greatest impact. Losing a great percentage of tourism meant the country had to exhaust its foreign currency reserves, leading to further disaster in May 2022 as the country began to default on public debt payments. This led to a rise in inflation and as a result, more Sri Lankan families were borderline in poverty.
Russo-Ukrainian War Exacerbating the Issue
Economic conditions were already poor pre-war, but the greatest rise in poverty rates happened recently as Putin enforced a blockade of wheat exports. Several impoverished Sri Lankan families relied on wheat to provide stable, relatively affordable food to their loved ones, but with the removal of this option, families had to either consistently go hungry or abandon their children.
The Current State of Sri Lanka
According to the U.N., an estimated 10,000 children already rely on some form of institutional care due to poverty. The number of these children requiring assistance from these institutions is rapidly increasing as a consequence of increasing poverty rates due to the economic crisis. Unfortunately, these institutions lack the resources necessary to provide for these children. Additionally, this has caused student enrollment to decrease and, conversely, caused child abuse rates to increase. Both factors have contributed to increased rates of general poverty over time.
What Does This Mean?
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka is especially troubling and not only raises concerns about malnutrition, disease and death in the country but also extends to other areas of the world as similar patterns are present in other Asian and African countries. There is hope, however, as Sri Lanka has the potential to serve as a cautionary tale for other countries to prepare their economies for potential, post-pandemic deficiency. Additionally, financial aid from bordering countries, such as India, promises Sri Lanka a degree of stability as they work through this trying time. India has provided Sri Lanka with $5 billion in assistance throughout the crisis along with food and fuel supplies. Furthermore, India has opened the Tamil Nadu borders to Sri Lankan refugees seeking additional support.
– Aarika Sharma
Photo: Flickr
US Provides $15 Million to Fight Hunger in Nepal
However, almost 90% of Nepal’s population became fully vaccinated in July 2022, partially thanks to the World Bank Group COVID-19 response programs that are helping more than 100 countries improve the health and well-being of their citizens.
Still, more support is needed to address hunger in many countries including Nepal. According to a World Food Programme country brief from July 2022, 25% of Nepal’s 28.5 million population lived on less than fifty cents a day and 36% of children under the age of 5 were malnourished.
USAID Package to Help Nepal
The country’s food crisis has also been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war and a widespread fertilizer shortage. The war is driving up inflation, especially for commodities such as gas, agricultural goods, metal and minerals.
On August 22, USAID announced a $15 million aid package to address the hunger crisis in Nepal. This assistance helps ensure people in Nepal have enough nutritious food to sustain themselves. USAID will be working with the government of Nepal to make sure that the country’s specific needs and goals are met, despite rising prices and food shortages. Ensuring access to nutritious food is the main goal of this funding and it will be accomplished in two main ways.
Support to Local Farms
Approximately 68% of workers in Nepal work in agriculture. Even so, food supply often runs short because farmers have little access to newer methods of farming that often produce higher yields. This funding is set aside to help Nepal produce more food, which will not only boost food security but also increase incomes.
Nutrient-Enhanced Food for Kids under 5 and pregnant women
Approximately 36% of Nepali children under 5 are chronically malnourished, which means that their development becomes significantly impaired, or “stunted”. Additionally, about 20% of Nepali women are anemic and one in 10 experience stunted growth. The cycle of malnutrition continues when pregnant women are unable to provide enough nutrients to sustain their children. For the following reasons, USAID will be prioritizing extra quality nutrition for women and children.
Outlook
This funding will be incredibly impactful for women, children, people with low literacy levels, rural households, disabled people and minorities who already have limited access to services. Overall, the Global Hunger Index suggests that hunger in Nepal could be addressed by eliminating child marriage, empowering women and marginalized groups and improving health care and education.
– Ava Ronning
Photo: Wikimedia
Rescuing Child Soldiers in Sri Lanka
Mohan Peiris, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the U.N. said, “Sri Lanka had a success story to tell the world – unfortunately, this is now a forgotten story.” The news that ought to be extensively disseminated to the general public is the successful rehabilitation of all 594 child soldiers in Sri Lanka that the LTTE recruited without prosecution, with priority given to their investigations and swift resolution of their cases. Lamentably, misinformation that the remnant elements of this group of non-State actors propagated hounded the diffusion of this news.
The Way Children Become Soldiers for the LTTE
A documentary by The Social Architects South Asia features interviews with former child soldiers in Sri Lanka, who talked about the myriad motives for their engagement with the militant organization.
Due to the sexual violence –sex slavery and mass rape– that the Sinhalese Sri Lankan government forces committed against Tamil females, a significant fraction of the girls in the LTTE, where men and women were considered equal and held the same right to identify as combatants, as a ray of hope and a promise for change, for which they joined the organization.
While this pattern became increasingly famous as the sexual violence peaked in 2009, the atrocity persisted post-war. The LTTE grants women the title of “Birds of Freedom.” Though this can appear rather voluntary, the law forbids a child from willingly enlisting in the LTTE armed force. Thus, every form of recruiting counts as abduction.
Next, the LTTE will either torture or kill families, who object to the admission of their children into the Baby Brigade of the LTTE or make them pay the price in cash or gold. In order to save their children, many affluent and educated families fled to North America, Europe and India.
Poor families oftentimes originating from the lower caste had little choice but to surrender their children, who would then be the front-line attackers. On account of their refusal to join the LTTE, the group abducted many children, the documentary reported.
Action Plan on Children Affected by War
In June 2003, the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, together with the United Nations Agencies and the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, agreed to the formal Action Plan on Children Affected by War with the aim of stopping the recruitment of minors and releasing any remaining juveniles to their families or new transit camps. However, despite the agreement, the LTTE had recruited more than twice as many children as it released. The LTTE deliberately started its re-recruitment of child soldiers in mid-2004 under the pretext of guarding them against external danger.
UNICEF planned a public awareness campaign on children’s rights as part of the Action Plan for Children in conjunction with the National Child Protection Authority to express objection to child recruitment. UNICEF then put the mass media campaign on hold indefinitely in January 2004 because the LTTE did not agree with the core messages.
In March 2006, the LTTE highlighted that the topic of child recruiting does not belong within the purview of the CFA and should not be on the discussion table at the next round of negotiations during a meeting with the Norwegian ambassador Hans Bratskar in preparation for negotiations in April 2006, according to SCOPP report.
According to Bratskar, the history of the six rounds of negotiations shows an acknowledgment that child recruiting should stop and that continuing recruitment was very detrimental to LTTE’s reputation internationally. The LTTE refused to attend the April negotiations as a result of this conversation.
The Bring Back the Child Campaign
In February 2009, the Srilankan government and UNICEF launched a “Bring Back the Child” campaign. The government troops defeated the LTTE in May 2009.
In October 2009, officials from the Military of Defense reported that a leading school in the capital Colombo welcomed 144 former child soldiers in Sri Lanka, who had received rehabilitation in the north under the first stage of the rehabilitation program.
Sri Lanka rehabilitated all 594 child soldiers in February 2021 under LTTE recruitment without prosecuting them, according to The Morning. Exposure to violent conflict and the death of loved ones can result in trauma and other psychological repercussions that have an impact on a child’s development and education. They received national identification cards, which made them feel like they belonged. With the aid of rehabilitation programs, they went back to their families. Today, the majority of child soldiers in Sri Lanka finish high school or get a job-related education.
Despite the amazing progress of the Sri Lankan government in putting an end to the problem of child soldiers, escaping the vicious cycle of violence while dealing with a series of cognitive and behavioral problems as a result of past traumas requires prolonged care, welfare, psychotherapy, appropriate monitoring and social support. It is essential that people discuss the institutional and societal prejudice that former child soldiers experience today as well as how to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers altogether.
– Karisma Maran
Photo: Flickr
She’s Next Program Empowers Women Entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa
In September 2021, Visa, a large virtual payment and financial services company expanded its She’s Next program to help women entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In August 2022, Visa announced that the development will include a $3.5 million grant to organizations that support small and micro businesses (SMBs), such as the African Women Impact Fund (AWIF), a U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) cause. The grant will “fund the working capital needs of women fund managers” and support “55 women who responded to AWIF’s call to action.”
Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Africa
First introduced in 2019 in the United States, the She’s Next program advocates for women entrepreneurs globally through all stages of business growth. This newly expanded program provides these business owners with “access to insights via research and engagement with small businesses, private and public sector communities and educational resources. ”
Visa’s partnership with She Leads Africa, an online platform that connects African women entrepreneurs, provides users with access to a network of more than 700,000 female business owners, resources for digital accessibility and funding.
Gratifying an Essential Market
According to Forbes, Africa is “the fastest-growing continent” in the world as of 2021. As digital literacy becomes increasingly desired, and mandatory for some, it is imperative that African countries prepare their citizens. The International Finance Corporation has reported that in eight years’ time, digital skills will be essential to “230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa.”
As of 2019, only half of the nations in Africa provide computer skill training as a subject in their education curriculums in comparison to “85% of countries globally.” This paired with a high demand for digital skills creates a skill shortage, making it more difficult for companies to hire locally.
The World Bank said that “This translates into an opportunity estimated at $130 billion to provide digital skills through a combination of business-to-consumer, business-to-business and business-to-government training services.”
The Rise of Digital Commerce
Through a research study called “Understanding Women-Owned SMEs,” Visa aims to understand how technology affects women-led businesses’ success in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. This study found that, in addition to pandemic-related struggles, “a lack of technological infrastructure,” economic volatility and a “regulatory environment” are the most prominent obstacles to business growth for women entrepreneurs.
The study found that 83% of survey respondents who implemented digital payments experienced increased revenue. About 70% of women foresee their customers using “e-commerce platforms” more frequently post-pandemic, further encouraging these women entrepreneurs to establish an online presence.
Women Entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa
As of 2017, SSA had the “highest rate of women entrepreneurs” globally (27%). In fact, Uganda and Botswana had the highest percentage globally at 34.8% and 34.6% respectively. However, female entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa garner profits 34% lower than males.
A lack of education and skills reduces women’s access to employment opportunities. As a result, women may look to entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty. Initiatives such as Visa’s She’s Next program address the barriers that women entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa face, furthering their economic independence and prosperity.
– Aishah French
Photo: Flickr
Libya’s Digital Strategy
Libya is a country in North Africa. One of the largest countries in Africa, Libya has many deserts and is rich in culture and natural resources. There is a greater requirement for a digital lifestyle in today’s culture. The expanding digitalization in Libya is now undergoing exploitation effectively for the country’s benefit. Beginning on February 15, 2022, in New York, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Libya will concentrate on a new digital strategy to help communities and countries use digital technology as a tool to help combat and expand economic opportunity, promote diversity and reduce inequality. UNDP intends to keep up with the constantly evolving digital landscape and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with its daring new Digital Strategy 2022–2025.
Implementation
According to UNDP Libya, the strategy provides a three-pronged strategy for how UNDP would help countries profit from digital technology. First, UNDP will integrate digital into its work, experiment with new methods and technologies, scale up effective solutions and use foresight to comprehend potential futures in order to amplify development outcomes. Second, it will ensure that everyone is included in digital technology by making building more “inclusive digital ecosystems.” Third, UNDP will keep evolving and setting the bar high in order to satisfy present and foreseeable technical needs. To promote cooperation around the ethical and sustainable use of technology, UNDP will also interact with business entrepreneurs, academics, researchers, students and policymakers.
The Reason the Digital Strategy is Necessary
Libya has grappled with the problem of conflict since April 2019. Unfortunately, this has negatively affected Libya’s services such as electricity. According to a Human Rights Watch article, “The United Nations-recognized and Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) has been embroiled in an armed conflict with the rival Interim Government based in eastern Libya.” As a result, violence impeded the delivery of essential services, including power and health care. Armed groups on all sides persisted in carrying out illegal killings and indiscriminate shelling that killed civilians and destroyed crucial infrastructure.
In addition, when Libya’s provisional unity government formed in March 2021, internet freedom declined significantly. The population became less able to have access to the internet. The population grew adamant about better living conditions and less corruption in 2020 and as a result, local authorities throttled cell service. Libya has endured technological issues and the plan will guide UNDP’s efforts to address the new issues that the new digital environment brought on. There is also a large digital gap that UNDP is trying to diminish. There is a digital gap of about 2.9 billion people in developing countries and this consists mainly of women and children. Digital technology has the potential to amplify biases and further inequities if it is not used responsibly.
A Promising Future
Libya’s digital strategy has a strong potential for success. It will help Libya to benefit from a more digitized economy. According to UNDP Libya, “the strategy complements the U.N.’s global efforts to expand access to affordable broadband and enhance the digital capacity of key groups including women and people with disabilities – ultimately creating new opportunities like jobs while boosting human development.” Libya’s Digital Strategy is helping lessen the burden on the less fortunate by ensuring that everyone has access to digital futures, which can improve job opportunities and education.
– Frema Mensah
Photo: Flickr
How H-E-B is Reducing Mexican Hunger
Texans have grown up with H-E-B being a household name. The grocery store is famous for its fresh produce, low prices and wide variety. Most Texas residents, however, are ignorant of the good work the establishment does abroad. Mexico, the state’s neighbor to the south, is a developing country with quite a bit of malnourishment and poverty within its borders. H-E-B recognized this reality and implemented generous relief measures, making H-E-B v.s. Mexican hunger is an interesting and unforeseen rivalry.
Crisis in Mexico
As of 2020, 6.1% of Mexico’s population was undernourished, a figure that is part of an alarming trend of increased hunger. Such movements are a consequence of a variety of factors, whether that be the 2012 statistic of 10% of Mexicans who are 50 years or older having no education or the data from that same year that showed 17% of men and 14% of women had no health insurance. Undesirable employment due to illiteracy and empty bank accounts due to high medical bills leaves individuals with limited food options and gives generous organizations like H-E-B a lot to combat.
Relief Efforts
A quarter of all donations come from the H-E-B Reclamation Center, reducing the number of shipping fees the banks have to pay and greatly improving their administrative abilities. That is alongside the figure of 50% of contributions originating from H-E-B’s Retail Donation Program, a policy that entails stores donating their unsold commodities to various food banks, according to H-E-B’s website. This means that it delivers the aid quite efficiently.
After all, in 2020 more than 600 truckloads of food were delivered to banks, 80,000 meals were donated to hospitals, and there was a 35% increase in the total amount of pounds of aid being distributed with respect to the previous year.
H-E-B took this efficiency one step further by providing the storage materials for these organizations, a rare move among food bank contributors, and by partnering with notable anti-poverty groups such as the Global Food Banking Network. In working with these NGOs, H-E-B has donated more than 1 billion pounds of food since its Food Bank Assistance program’s genesis, according to its website. Every year the corporation holds what it calls the Feast of Sharing at several different locations both within the states and in Mexico.
Even when the pandemic was raging, the company found a philanthropic alternative to this tradition, donating more than 340,000 meals to various meal centers and poverty-fighting organizations. Such adaptivity truly highlights how H-E-B v.s. Mexican hunger is fierce competition.
Sourcing
When H-E-B expanded into Mexico in 1997, the corporation created new relationships between Mexican companies and the store, giving the agricultural industries down south a welcomed boost. For goods that do not come from the Mexican fields, Texas farmers are then there to stock up the locations across the border, which means more business for them in the long run.
Larger Scale Implications
Given the mutually beneficial aspects of H-E-B’s international initiatives, other public and private aid measures on the global stage seem more enticing. Many naysayers to U.S. corporate and federal assistance claim that the nation has so many problems of its own, it should not look abroad for dilemmas to fix. These two concerns are not mutually exclusive, however, operations like mere grocery stores can foster meaningful economic growth in markets far and near.
– Jacob Lawhern
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Recent Ceasefires Bringing Peace to the World
Since the start of the decade, three wars have come to an end following years of brutal conflict. With the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, oftentimes, flooding the news, it can be easy to forget about the positive side of international affairs. However, there have been several conflicts that have ended in recent years. The end of the war has allowed various countries to rebuild during their times of peace and focus on strengthening themselves internally. Here are some examples of recent ceasefires that are bringing peace to the world.
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Ceasefire Agreement
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan with the most Armenians. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh voted to become part of Armenia. This caused Azerbaijan to take action to reclaim its lost territory.
The war originally began in 1988 and ended in 1994 with a ceasefire; however, it did not lead to the signing of a peace treaty. The war resumed in 2020 for about a month and a half before Russia negotiated a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan. During the initial conflict, more than 600,000 people experienced displacement and the resumption of the war in 2020 displaced 75,000. Ultimately, Nagorno-Karabakh returned to being part of Azerbaijan.
Following the war, Azerbaijani families began to return to Nagorno-Karabakh. With its newly regained land, Azerbaijan has decided to take advantage of various technological advancements since the start of the original war. The village of Aghali, specifically, will be a testing ground of sorts for the country’s “smart villages concept.” This will allow displaced families to home to new houses with smart technology and improved rural lifestyles with the additions of digital connectivity and automation.
The 2020 South Sudan Civil War Ceasefire
After earning its independence in 2011 and becoming the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan became entrenched in years of civil war. There were various factors behind the start of the war; but, much of it is due to the political rivalry between Salva Kiir and Riek Machar.
Similarly to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, both sides agreed to a ceasefire in 2018. Unfortunately, the ceasefire did not hold and fighting continued for two more years. It was not until 2020 that Kiir and Machar agreed on another ceasefire to officially end the war. There are currently about 2.3 million people that the conflict displaced.
While the war has left Sudan in ruins, many of its citizens have hope for the future. The first encouraging sign came when Kiir appointed Machar as the first vice president, signaling an effort to maintain peace. Additionally, South Sudan looks to improve its struggling education system. Just before the war, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) received a grant of $36.1 million to implement its education plan. Despite the conflict, the funding was fairly successful and contributed to the construction of 25 primary schools and a strategy to increase gender equality. With the war over, the GPE has given South Sudan another grant of $35.7 million to build on the foundations that were set in the preceding years.
The 2020 Libyan Civil War Ceasefire
In 2011, Libya attempted to create a new, democratic government after the overthrowing of the previous leader, Muammar Gaddafi. What followed was a disagreement between two different government ideologies that escalated into a full-scale civil war. The war was mainly between the leader Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, and rebel general Khalifa Haftar
This war in particular was the Second Libyan Civil War. The first took place in 2011 while the second ran from 2014 to 2020. Over the course of the war, more than 200,000 people experienced displacement and many more still require “humanitarian assistance.” After years of fighting, the two sides, eventually, came together and agreed to a “permanent cease-fire.” Many viewed this as a great accomplishment.
Shortly after the ceasefire agreement, Libya implemented a temporary joint government to avoid any clashes between the two opposing sides until proper elections can be implemented. Before the war, Libya included many unfinished buildings and projects that were on hold. Now, with the war officially over, several countries have taken interest in Libya’s reconstruction effort. Italy, in particular, would like to protect its interests in Libya’’s plentiful oil reserves. Italy also proposed the construction of a solar power plant in Libya.
While it can, sometimes, feel like the world is in a constant state of violence, these examples are proof that ceasefires are bringing peace to the world. Nations that have been fighting for years are burying the hatchet and transitioning into a new era of harmony. As their reconstruction efforts continue, many people can rest a bit easier knowing that the world is more peaceful than it once was.
– Tyshon Johnson
Photo: Unsplash