On July 18, 2022, the leaders of 11 sub-Saharan African countries officially announced the launch of the Education Plus initiative, marking a significant stride forward for girls’ education and the empowerment of women. At a recent summit meeting of the Africa Union in Zambia, these leaders expressed and guaranteed their support. Ultimately, the initiative empowers girls in Africa by promoting education for women in hopes that this increased access to education will mitigate HIV/AIDS in the region.
HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa
Unfortunately, the stigma around HIV in Africa creates social barriers that impede an infected person’s access to treatment. Historically vulnerable populations, which typically include those who live in countries where HIV is a major epidemic, consistently struggle to access treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), The HIV epidemic most affects the WHO Africa Region.
About 25.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have HIV infections, according to SOS Children’s Villages. However, populations in Africa face structural barriers “that increase their vulnerability to HIV and impede their access to prevention, testing and treatment” resources, according to the WHO. This includes “laws that criminalize their behavior, stigma, discrimination and violence.”
The Impact of COVID-19 on Girls in Africa
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced almost 20 million girls out of school in low and middle-income nations. In particular, sub-Saharan Africa noted a high rate of out-of-school female students, even before the onset of the pandemic. Though in some countries, like Ghana, many students re-enrolled in school, girls accounted for the majority of the students who did not re-enroll.
The financial strain of the pandemic meant many families could not afford the costs of education and the gendered norm of females bearing the burden of household chores and caretaking also prevented girls from re-enrolling. The COVID-19 pandemic also increased the risk of HIV/AIDS. The Education Plus initiative will strive to protect the inherent rights of adolescent girls and women to feel safe, maintain good health and have access to education.
Reducing HIV Prevalence
The Education Plus initiative’s primary purpose is to help end Africa’s HIV pandemic. Helping girls stay in secondary school and teaching essential life skills is crucial to achieving this. According to several studies, an adolescent female who completes her secondary education is 50% less likely to contract HIV. Additionally, a combination of this emphasis on education with additional services that empower women can further decrease this risk.
The Education Plus initiative especially advocates for cost-free high school education for both males and females in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025. In addition, the initiative calls for schools to incorporate “comprehensive sexual education” into their curriculums. The initiative calls further for protection from gender-based violence and programs that help students make the transition from school to the work environment, among other priorities.
The Importance of Education for Girls in Africa
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema stressed the importance of learning, stating that education is “the greatest equalizer” and that “with appropriate education, everyone receives the opportunity to explore their full potential and be able to participate in the development process.” This also means that people have better access to jobs, which will alleviate poverty and reduce HIV risks in vulnerable environments.
At the Africa Union Summit, leaders highlighted the necessity of promoting women’s rights, especially in such a way that would help combat gender-based discrimination and violence. Member states of the Africa Union hope that implementing the Education Plus initiative will help combat HIV/AIDS. According to the World Bank, educated females are more knowledgeable about nutrition and health care, enter marital unions later in life, have healthier children and “are more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes.”
The countries involved in the initiative are Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda. The initiative will run till 2025 and five U.N. agencies lead it: UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and U.N. Women. Empowering young women and reducing gender equality is a key strategy to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
Specifically, the initiative will encourage government-level decision-makers to prioritize health and education policies that place women at the forefront. Additionally, it will pressure governments to provide universal and free secondary education for their citizens. Completion of secondary education, which is an even more urgent concern in the wake of the COVID pandemic, will ultimately reduce the risk of HIV by as much as half in some countries.
Looking Ahead
This rights-based initiative is essential because it responds to gender-based abuses and inequalities. It will ensure that adolescent girls and young women have equal access to an education that will benefit them in many ways — reducing the risk of domestic abuse, promoting good health and establishing financial stability, among other advantages. Leaders hope that this will make the promise of gender equality a reality while also addressing a significant epidemic.
– Shiloh Harrill
Photo: Flickr
3 Global Nonprofit Organizations That Empower Women
Women for Women International
Women for Women International serves poor and socially marginalized women in 14 conflict-affected countries. Some of these are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Nigeria, Iraq and Rwanda. The organization’s broad goal is to support female survivors of war and conflict.
Women for Women International provides a 12-month program that invests in women’s skills and community rebuilding. The year-long program uses a “Gendered Graduation Approach,” which combines elements such as social protection, livelihood development and financial access.
Women for Women International is also empowering women by providing them with educational resources that they would otherwise not have exposure to. The program teaches new topics every two weeks, and these not only include traditional education like numeracy and literacy but also subjects that teach the value of women’s work, such as gender equality, women’s solidarity and networking, leadership, advocacy and health and wellness just to name a few. Educating women in financial literacy is also an essential pillar of the organization’s work. The program provides each participant with $10 per month over the course of 12 months; these cash transfers give women the important opportunity to be responsible for their own money. Upon graduating from the program, “79% more women reported being involved in household decisions about having more children, and 56% more reported being involved in financial decisions.”
Participants also report that their daily income more than doubled upon completion of the program, averaging $2 compared to $0.80 at the beginning of the year. Women for Women International also notes that the average savings for the women who participated increased from $13 to $88 by the end of the program.
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF)
The Maasai Girls Education Fund (MGEF) is empowering women and girls of the Maasai community in Kenya. It works in Kajiado County, “where two-thirds of Kenya’s Maasai population lives” and “only 48% of Maasai girls are enrolled in school.” Only 5% of those who are enrolled in school make it to the secondary level. Maasai girls living in poverty tend to drop out due to financial constraints and detrimental cultural norms such as early/child marriage or the belief that girls do not need to receive an education. The Maasi Girls Education Fund’s broad goals are “to increase enrollment of Maasai girls in Kenya, reduce the dropout rate and support every student until they have the knowledge and skills to enter the workforce in Kenya.”
The organization directly helps Massai girls by providing scholarships from primary school all the way through the university level. It has a network of volunteers who locate young Maasai girls that may not be able to obtain an education otherwise, obtain their parent’s permission and helps them enroll in boarding school.
Providing girls with the opportunity to attend boarding schools removes the physical and cultural barriers that contribute to girls’ low educational attainment. It can also eliminate physical barriers that girls may have to attend school, such as long walks. Boarding schools also provide girls with the space to pursue their education without impeding cultural pressures like early marriage. Educational opportunities for women and girls also result in improved literacy, health and economic independence metrics.
The organization also provides life skills workshops dedicated to educating the Maasai community (girls, boys, mothers, chiefs and elders) about HIV, female genital mutilation and “the social structure that makes girls vulnerable to teen pregnancy.” The program demonstrates to the community the economic value and other benefits of educating girls. The aim is to instill an acceptance of girls’ education within the community. Since 2000, the organization has helped more than 250 Maasai girls receive primary to post-secondary education.
Women’s Global Empowerment Fund
Founded in 2007, the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund is helping those in northern Uganda living in poverty through its programs that have political, social and economic focuses. Its programs provide women in poor and rural areas with microcredit services, leadership development, health initiatives and basic business and literacy education. The Women’s Global Empowerment Fund partners with local on-the-ground organizations so that the communities and cultures inform the programs.
The organization’s Credit Plus program has helped provide thousands of loans to women who “would normally not have access to traditional banking and lending institutions.” This supports women’s economic empowerment by promoting small-scale entrepreneurship. Additional programs include a healthy periods initiative, a literacy program, agricultural loans and training, leadership development programs and other training initiatives. Its programs provide women in “post-conflict northern Uganda” with space for activism.
The literacy program provides participants with materials such as books and pens, and the program includes classes over the course of six months. The organization has claimed that as of 2016, more than 1,400 women have participated in its literacy program.
Each of these nonprofit organizations uplifting women emphasizes the importance of education in the pursuit of women’s social empowerment and economic independence. The Women’s Global Empowerment Fund states that “It is through information and education that self-esteem and empowerment are facilitated, enabling women to stand up and lead themselves out of the vicious cycle of poverty that is often presented before them.”
– Ashley Kim
Photo: Flickr
Everything You Need to Know About Human Trafficking in Kazakhstan
The Initial Abduction
All groups are at risk regardless of gender or age. Forced sex work, labor, coercion into criminal behavior and child adoption are the primary motivators for human trafficking in Kazakhstan, and the strategies these traffickers use are very organized. Strangers, acquaintances, friends, lovers, employers or family can be responsible for luring victims. Traffickers often lure victims in rural areas to large cities with promises of employment, only to deceive them once they reach their destination.
The offer of waitressing, modeling, or nanny work in the city for women and young girls is a ploy many sex traffickers will use before forcing them into commercial sexual exploitation.
Traffickers often coerce vulnerable men and women into labor and export them to countries like Russia and Brazil. Additionally, some adults and children perform criminal activities for their traffickers. At-risk children who do not end up in forced labor or sex work beg on the streets or are “sold” for adoption in other countries.
Amendments to Increase Criminal Penalties
An essential first step to combating human trafficking in Kazakhstan was the rescindment of article 68 of the criminal code which “allowed defendants to pursue settlements by paying monetary compensation to the victim in exchange for having the criminal case withdrawn.” In addition, laws at this time did not see aggravated circumstances such as force, fraud or coercion as significant elements in human trafficking.
With the implementation of six new articles to the penal code that criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking, human trafficking offenders now face more severe penalties. Human traffickers can face four to seven years in prison for adult trafficking, five to nine for child trafficking and five to seven years for related crimes. These penalties could increase to 18 years in prison, depending on the aggravated circumstances.
Improved Case Investigations
According to the U.S. Department of State, police in Kazakhstan evaluated 72 cases of human trafficking and continued to investigate 23 open cases in 2020. The government prosecuted 45 investigated cases in 2020, convicting 11 traffickers. There has been a lack of labor trafficking convictions, but the Kazakhstani government held three traffickers responsible for their labor crimes for the first time in three years. Overall, this represents progress in addressing human trafficking compared to 2019 when police investigated 45 human trafficking cases.
The Kazakhstani police have recently examined the organized crime activity of a transnational trafficking organization. Working with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, police forensics were able to link eight individuals who may be responsible for the trafficking of a group of Kazakhstani women to Bahrain. Additionally, police implemented “Stop Trafficking” operations to investigate human trafficking and close down commercial sex businesses and organizations such as brothels or pimps over a few days.
Developed Victim Identification Guidelines and Training
The Kazakhstani government has worked to strengthen their teams with guidelines and victim identification training. The Ministry of Internal Affairs Trafficking in Persons Training Center worked with 168 police officers regarding the investigation approaches to human trafficking cases in 2020. Police officers, judges, prosecutors and labor inspectors received training to identify and effectively persecute labor trafficking cases. Attorneys received training on proper legal protocol when assisting human trafficking victims. Labor inspectors’ responsibilities extended to include mandated reporting of identified victims of human trafficking to law enforcement. The government funded this training, whereas NGOs partially funded previous years’ training programs. The government administered training online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
NGOs’ Contribution
NGOs working to stop human trafficking in Kazakhstan believe the government must address the problem within the system. There are rarely investigations into government officials or police officers suspected of collusion with human traffickers. NGOs reported that traffickers would bribe officials to avoid persecution for their crimes, and some officials would facilitate labor and trafficking organizations.
NGOs play an essential role in the fight against human trafficking in Kazakhstan as they work to increase awareness of the issue. Organizations, such as the Sana Sezim Center, provide shelter, food and transportation for those who have escaped trafficking situations. The Sana Sezim Center has helped 208 victims of human trafficking find legal counsel through its “Safe Migration in Central Asia” program. Another NGO, Zhan Zholdas, offers psychological and medical help and safe sex education. Zabota, the Legal Center of Women’s Initiatives and Megapolise are a few other NGOs fighting human trafficking in Kazakhstan.
Looking Ahead
In July 2022, the Kazakhstani Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that a draft anti-trafficking law would be in development in April 2023. The government revisits and updates anti-trafficking prevention and response procedures every three years in an effort to be more proactive when it comes to tackling human trafficking in Kazakhstan.
– Mikada Green
Photo: Unsplash
Bangladeshi Parenting App ToguMogu Wins UNFPA Innovation Award
On August 1, 2022, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) announced 10 winners of its Joint Innovation Challenge 2022 called “Positioning to Scale: Innovations to Empower Women and Girls.” Recognizing the lost progress in women’s rights because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNFPA launched the challenge in March 2022 to support unique, affordable and sustainable initiatives that work toward advancing gender equality and women’s rights. One of the winners is ToguMogu, a maternity, parenting and family health platform — the “first parenting app” in Bangladesh.
The Competition Details
UNFPA partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and the International Trade Centre to fund the challenge and support the winners’ initiatives. After receiving 300 applications from 61 nations across the globe, UNFPA picked 20 finalists who pitched their ideas to a panel of experts.
From there, the panel selected 10 winners who will each receive an investment of $60,000 and a nine-month contract with UNFPA. Alongside ToguMogu, the winners come from diverse spread of countries ranging from Mongolia to Rwanda. Some of the other innovative projects include a diagnostic system for preeclampsia and a board game that educates its players about sexual and reproductive health.
What is ToguMogu?
Founded in 2016 but registered in 2017, the ToguMogu company aimed to create an all-encompassing platform to support parents from pregnancy till their child turns 5 years old. The platform offers product recommendations for newborns, educational content for first-time parents, a doctor database and recommendation services for pre-schools, daycares and after-school programs. In 2019, the company “fully launched [its] website with different services,” The Daily Star reported. The company launched the ToguMogu parenting app in 2020 to accompany its services.
For context, Bangladesh has a relatively high infant mortality rate at 24 deaths per 1,000 live births, as the World Bank estimated in 2020. A study that Jyoti Vijay led, which was published in 2019, found that infant mortality and socioeconomic status have links with higher mortality rates observed in families from a lower-income background.
In addition, a study that Sanjit Roy led, which was published in 2018, found that the risk of early neonatal mortality — the death of an infant before seven days old — increases when the mother has not received an education. Therefore, there is a great necessity for platforms like the ToguMogu app, which offers parents easy access to educational resources and information to better care for their infants. ToguMogu’s website states that its goal is to provide a one-stop platform for parenting, especially for the large population of new and young parents in Bangladesh.
ToguMogu Founding
The ToguMogu company was born after co-founder Dr. Nasimul Islam Maruf and his wife became new parents in 2016 and felt lost looking for support during their pregnancy and parenting journey, especially when it came to finding educational content in Bengali, the national language of Bangladesh.
CEO and co-founder Nazmul Arefin Momel told Future Startup that the company initially started as a content website, before gradually expanding to e-commerce and product recommendation services as well as partnering with third-party services to create the doctor database, for instance.
After the company launched the ToguMogu parenting app in September 2020, a new version update came out in April 2021. As of July 2022, the app had more than 100,000 downloads and registered users.
Other Successes
The ToguMogu company stood as one of six winners of the 2022 STITCH for RMG Global Innovation Challenge, which the H&M Foundation launched in partnership with The Asia Foundation and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). The challenge aimed to support female workers in the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh, a vulnerable population that often faces poverty and unsafe work conditions. ToguMogu’s work in the garment industry is to increase job retention after pregnancy and motherhood and ensure those female workers have the resources needed to make family care easier. ToguMogu won a $30,000 grant and will pilot its project in specific factories.
Future for the Joint Innovation Challenge
UNFPA and its partners will provide a virtual boot camp, mentorship and training until December 2022 to all of the winners. The training and boot camp will touch on project design planning, including market entry and deployment, to facilitate the implementation of these initiatives by March 2023. With the support and funding from the U.N., projects such as ToguMogu can have a tangible impact on women’s health and rights.
– Ramona Mukherji
Photo: Flickr
The Feed the Future Initiative in Cambodia
Feed the Future is a project that aims to address food insecurity in countries around the world. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) coordinates the program between local actors in chosen countries and various agencies within the federal government of the United States. One of the main goals of Feed the Future is to foster the development of regional agricultural markets in the countries in which it works, thus promoting long-term sustainability. Other goals of Feed the Future include the expansion of technologies shared between agricultural communities and positive changes in nutrition, particularly for mothers and children. Notably, Feed the Future works with universities to fund agricultural research as well as national governments and private employers to improve agricultural policy and the economy. One of the recipients of USAID’s Feed the Future initiative is Cambodia, where 45% of the population experience food insecurity and 77% of people in rural areas rely on agriculture as their livelihood.
Improvements in Agriculture Yields Lower Poverty Rates
During 2004 and 2012, improvements to agriculture in Cambodia helped reduce poverty from 53% to 18%. This decrease occurred in part due to increased use of land for farming and expansion of technologies such as fertilizers, irrigation and mechanization. However, the growth of the agriculture industry in Cambodia began to slow the following year, necessitating a renewal of policy changes and programs to boost long-term output.
Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II
With assistance from USAID, the Feed the Future initiative in Cambodia created a program called Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II began in 2017 and lasted through 2022. The program successfully generated more than 2,500 jobs and boosted agricultural policy. The direct economic impact of the program resulted in “$28 million of new private sector investments” and “$75 million of incremental sales” for businesses.
Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest III
Due to the recent success of Harvest II, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken unveiled the continuation of the program with Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest III, or simply Harvest III, on August 4, 2022. This program is a further $25 million investment in agriculture in Cambodia over five years. USAID will continue to coordinate the program and will work with local technological and economic institutions and agricultural actors to improve both the job and product markets. The government expects that the program will create “$38 million in new private sector investments” and “ $100 million in sales,” which represents a significant improvement from the previous success of Harvest II.
The following week, on August 9, 2022, the United States Ambassador to Cambodia, W. Patrick Murphy, affirmed the start of Harvest III with the Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries, H.E. Veng Sakhon in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. After an almost $100 million investment in agriculture in Cambodia, Ambassador Murphy expresses hope that the continuation of Harvest III will maintain progress in improving agriculture and nutrition, especially among women and children in Cambodia.
– Kaylee Messick
Photo: Flickr
5 Things to Know About Food Banks in Africa
Food banks are relatively new to Africa.
While there may be many hunger relief initiatives in Africa with long histories, food banks, especially those formed by local initiatives, did not form before the beginning of the 21st century. The earliest African food banks include the Egyptian Food Bank, founded in 2006, and FoodForward South Africa, founded in 2009.
Food is sourced directly from farmers and processing companies.
Most food waste in Africa comes from post-harvest and food processing levels of food distribution. This is unlike established food banking systems in the U.S. and Europe, which mainly source food waste from restaurants, supermarkets, grocery stores and other similar places. Other differences between these established systems and emerging ones in Africa and other parts of the world are challenging what is understood about food banking. As a result, food banking is being reevaluated on its impact on food insecurity.
Food banks expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the number of people in Africa suffering from hunger increased by 46 million; by 2021, 278 million people on the continent faced hunger. New food banks in Africa stepped up to cope with the increase and served 906,026 people, increasing their reach by 169% compared to their impact in 2019. Through the Africa Food Bank Incubator Conference held annually since 2019, African food banks came together virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic to share advice and strategies contributing to their exponential growth.
In 2019, African food banks joined the Global Food Banking Network for the first time.
The Global Food Banking Network is a nonprofit organization supporting food banks worldwide. Except for its partnership with FoodForward South Africa, the organization had no presence in the African continent. In 2019, the organization partnered with 40 food banks in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar and Botswana to form the Africa Incubator Program.
Food banks are helping food insecurity.
Food banking systems as a means to combat food insecurity and food waste in Africa will continue to mature as the continent continues to develop alongside the refinement of international interdependence. The present challenges to food banking in Africa can therefore be considered an opportunity to test innovative solutions in the fight against food poverty.
– Kena Irungu
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Assistance for Neglected Venezuelan Children
Due to hyperinflation and political instability, Venezuela is facing a humanitarian crisis that has pushed thousands of citizens to flee the country in search of refuge elsewhere. According to the National Survey of Living Conditions (Encovi), 76.6% of Venezuelans endured extreme poverty in 2021. Venezuelan children face the disproportionate impacts of extreme impoverishment as their basic needs go unfulfilled. Hogar Bambi Venezuela prioritizes the well-being of neglected Venezuelan children amid the chaos and instability.
Hogar Bambi Venezuela
Founded in 1992, Hogar Bambi “provides shelter, protection and comprehensive care” to neglected Venezuelan children up to 18 years old “who have been orphaned, abandoned or otherwise deprived of family nurturing,” according to its donation page on GlobalGiving. By ensuring “shelter, food, education, health care and emotional support,” the organization hopes to meet children’s physical, emotional, social and educational needs to ensure proper development and establish the foundation for a brighter future in adulthood. This support can be for the entirety of one’s childhood or can conclude through reunification with biological families and/or foster family placement.
A Trade Program for Teenagers
One of the many programs that Hogar Bambi offers in its assistance for neglected Venezuelan children is a trade school for its teenage members. Recognizing that many of the organization’s teenagers, upon reaching the age of 18, were leaving the organization’s care without the necessary skills to live an independent life and earn an income to support themselves, Hogar Bambi felt it necessary to sculpt these individuals into meaningful contributors within their industries of interest.
As such, from the age of 15, the organization assesses children’s interests and skills and places them into a course to develop these skills so that the children can enter an income-generating trade once leaving Hogar Bambi. A 17-year-old Hogar Bambi teenager completed a “manicurist and pattern designer course” in August 2022, and by February 2023, will attain a high school diploma. Additionally, a young man who displayed an interest in patisserie took a pastry course and has been working at a pastry shop for more than 12 months now.
This career-oriented service relies on collaborations with companies. Real Estate Securities Fund, for instance, offered office tours and trade-specific training to teenagers within Hogar Bambi’s trade program and Izcaragua Country Club “teaches trades related to maintenance and club management.”
Change in Perspective
Coming into Hogar Bambi’s care, past experiences and trauma weigh many of the children down, and consequently, some children view their futures in a pessimistic light. Through Hogar Bambi’s assistance for neglected Venzulean children, however, children develop can-do attitudes and are guided to move toward thoughts of empowerment. Enderson Matos, the operative director of Hogar Bambi Venezuela, said in an interview with Sarah Begum that Hogar Bambi’s environment makes it so that the kids in their care “[think] beyond a simple problem such as ‘I was abandoned by mom’ toward ‘I can create many new things.’”
Support in Numbers
Last year, a Hogar Bambi fundraiser in Florida raised upward of 80 boxes worth of aid, which consisted of various necessities like food, clothes, school supplies, diapers and toys. Other initiatives, like the Baby Formulas Campaign, established in 2017, have equally impressive results. The campaign, which monthly sponsors financed, had delivered more than 1,100 kilos of formula and milk to Venezuela by 2020.
Foster Family Placement
Through a foster family placement program, Hogar Bambi seeks to assist neglected Venezuelan children in the form of familial care. Children with no possibility of reuniting with their families are eligible for the program. A “group of professionals” manage all the necessary protocols and assessments required by law. Prospective foster families should be able to offer the “love, care and dedication that every human being deserves,” the organization says on its website. Hogar Bambi is currently fundraising to secure finances to launch the program and has so far met 25% of its US $25,000 goal.
Hogar Bambi aims to fulfill the comprehensive needs of children so that they may have a promising future. The organization’s assistance for neglected Venezuelan children ensures children can one day become well-rounded, self-sufficient and productive adults.
– Jacob Lawhern
Photo: Flickr
Modern Social Systems in Romania
Romania existed under the rule of communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu from 1965 to 1989. This regime maintained a highly divisive society that witnessed large levels of economic inequality. During the transition into a post-communist state, Romania placed a heavier emphasis on economic prosperity as the crux of a good democracy as opposed to increased political liberties. Due to large-scale economic structural changes during this period of transition, the nation experienced hyperinflation, the loss of millions of jobs and a significant drop in living conditions. This resulted in social disintegration and distrust, widespread corruption, increasing inequality and high levels of poverty. These ramifications are still visible today in the modern social systems in Romania, or lack thereof, that perpetuate a cycle of poverty.
A Look into Ceauşescu’s Regime
The era of communism saw Romania adopting Soviet policies, reserving ultimate authority to the communist party. This included a focus on heavy industry as opposed to consumer goods, causing mass starvation and higher rates of mortality in the nation. Citizens waited in long lines to receive basic necessities, such as bread and milk, while Ceauşescu built the Palace of the Parliament, currently the second-largest administrative building in the world, to refashion the nation’s capital city. The infamous network of the secret police, or the Securitate, instilled fear and paranoia in the country, infiltrating almost all social settings to suppress any opposition to the communist party.
As resource deprivations became more common and poverty began to affect the privileged classes, people grew more unhappy with the communist regime. The end of this era was more violent than any other communist collapse in Eastern Europe with the assassination of the Ceauşescus being the signifying turning point. The weak and disorganized opposition parties that replaced the dictatorship made for a difficult post-communist transition.
Corruption in Romania Today
The economic transition following the fall of communism in Romania saw multiple collapses with the loss of millions of jobs. This resulted in widespread rates of poverty and corruption. According to Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Romania is one of the most corrupt countries in the European Union with a score of 45 out of 100, “where[zero] means highly corrupt.”
Modern social systems in Romania do little to counter this and instead further the issues. In the judicial system, “bribes and irregular payments” are commonplace to secure favorable court outcomes. Corruption scandals involving judges, the court’s inconsistency and the lack of experience with a market economy and other systems make the judicial institution unreliable and incredible. Because of this, Romania weakly enforces its anti-corruption laws. Bribes and irregular payments also go toward public services, constituting the primary obstacle to maintaining a functional public administration.
Social Assistance Programs
In 2019, the World Bank reported that 23.4% of Romania’s population lived under the national poverty line poverty. In 2015, BBC News stated that poverty disproportionately impacts the Roma population in several European countries, including Romania. In addition, according to UNICEF in 2021, one in three children in Romania face the danger of “poverty or social exclusion.”
Because of a dysfunctional public administration overrun by corruption, social assistance programs are weak and difficult to access. Several programs give equal assistance regardless of whether one is wealthy or impoverished, allowing some to take advantage of this system. The lack of direct attention to those who are in need in addition to non-transparent bureaucratic procedures prevents these programs from providing real aid.
Romania’s main strategy in combating child poverty has been “child allowances and other social benefits, combined with investments in infrastructure and the promotion of economic development and jobs,” said UNICEF. However, these investments have not had any significant impact on the rates of child poverty. Cash allowances are not a sustainable solution to the other challenges that vulnerable families face, including subpar education, child abandonment and high infant mortality rates.
Solutions
Nonprofit organizations such as Freedom House and UNICEF are continuously working to support anti-corruption and social assistance measures globally. Freedom House has issued annual reports and statistics analyzing Romania’s judicial framework, corruption and civil society among many other topics, providing necessary criticism to catalyze change.
UNICEF has implemented the Minimum Package of Services (MPS) solution in Romania to assist with rates of child poverty. This program is now part of the law on Social Assistance and ensures the right of every child to services in “health, nutrition, education [and] protection.” Since its onset, MPS has reduced child poverty from 30% to almost zero in certain communities, addressing issues such as “violence, early pregnancy [and] preventable diseases” through the collaboration of “at least one social worker and one community nurse” with school counselors as well as home visits and outreach work.
Looking Ahead
The flawed transition out of more than two decades of dictatorship in Romania set the stage for the current issues that the nation grapples with. Modern social systems in Romania are creating barricades that prevent real assistance from reaching those in need. This perpetuates poverty and maintains corruption. These ramifications are visible in all aspects of society and affect citizens from young to old. Therefore, intervention is necessary to reform these systems, prevent corruption, continue progressing past Ceauşescu’s regime and reduce poverty.
– Kimberly Calugaru
Photo: Flickr
Education Plus Initiative Empowers Girls in Africa
On July 18, 2022, the leaders of 11 sub-Saharan African countries officially announced the launch of the Education Plus initiative, marking a significant stride forward for girls’ education and the empowerment of women. At a recent summit meeting of the Africa Union in Zambia, these leaders expressed and guaranteed their support. Ultimately, the initiative empowers girls in Africa by promoting education for women in hopes that this increased access to education will mitigate HIV/AIDS in the region.
HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa
Unfortunately, the stigma around HIV in Africa creates social barriers that impede an infected person’s access to treatment. Historically vulnerable populations, which typically include those who live in countries where HIV is a major epidemic, consistently struggle to access treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), The HIV epidemic most affects the WHO Africa Region.
About 25.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have HIV infections, according to SOS Children’s Villages. However, populations in Africa face structural barriers “that increase their vulnerability to HIV and impede their access to prevention, testing and treatment” resources, according to the WHO. This includes “laws that criminalize their behavior, stigma, discrimination and violence.”
The Impact of COVID-19 on Girls in Africa
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced almost 20 million girls out of school in low and middle-income nations. In particular, sub-Saharan Africa noted a high rate of out-of-school female students, even before the onset of the pandemic. Though in some countries, like Ghana, many students re-enrolled in school, girls accounted for the majority of the students who did not re-enroll.
The financial strain of the pandemic meant many families could not afford the costs of education and the gendered norm of females bearing the burden of household chores and caretaking also prevented girls from re-enrolling. The COVID-19 pandemic also increased the risk of HIV/AIDS. The Education Plus initiative will strive to protect the inherent rights of adolescent girls and women to feel safe, maintain good health and have access to education.
Reducing HIV Prevalence
The Education Plus initiative’s primary purpose is to help end Africa’s HIV pandemic. Helping girls stay in secondary school and teaching essential life skills is crucial to achieving this. According to several studies, an adolescent female who completes her secondary education is 50% less likely to contract HIV. Additionally, a combination of this emphasis on education with additional services that empower women can further decrease this risk.
The Education Plus initiative especially advocates for cost-free high school education for both males and females in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025. In addition, the initiative calls for schools to incorporate “comprehensive sexual education” into their curriculums. The initiative calls further for protection from gender-based violence and programs that help students make the transition from school to the work environment, among other priorities.
The Importance of Education for Girls in Africa
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema stressed the importance of learning, stating that education is “the greatest equalizer” and that “with appropriate education, everyone receives the opportunity to explore their full potential and be able to participate in the development process.” This also means that people have better access to jobs, which will alleviate poverty and reduce HIV risks in vulnerable environments.
At the Africa Union Summit, leaders highlighted the necessity of promoting women’s rights, especially in such a way that would help combat gender-based discrimination and violence. Member states of the Africa Union hope that implementing the Education Plus initiative will help combat HIV/AIDS. According to the World Bank, educated females are more knowledgeable about nutrition and health care, enter marital unions later in life, have healthier children and “are more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes.”
The countries involved in the initiative are Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda. The initiative will run till 2025 and five U.N. agencies lead it: UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and U.N. Women. Empowering young women and reducing gender equality is a key strategy to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
Specifically, the initiative will encourage government-level decision-makers to prioritize health and education policies that place women at the forefront. Additionally, it will pressure governments to provide universal and free secondary education for their citizens. Completion of secondary education, which is an even more urgent concern in the wake of the COVID pandemic, will ultimately reduce the risk of HIV by as much as half in some countries.
Looking Ahead
This rights-based initiative is essential because it responds to gender-based abuses and inequalities. It will ensure that adolescent girls and young women have equal access to an education that will benefit them in many ways — reducing the risk of domestic abuse, promoting good health and establishing financial stability, among other advantages. Leaders hope that this will make the promise of gender equality a reality while also addressing a significant epidemic.
– Shiloh Harrill
Photo: Flickr
The Battle to Improve Vaccine Access in Brazil
During the pandemic, many governments have worked independently and together to combat the virus and provide vaccinations for citizens in their states. However, Brazil has proven itself to be an exception, as vaccine access for Brazil was incredibly limited due to the president’s resistance. However, as of June 2022, 80% of the population is now vaccinated, and this rate is higher than the world average.
How President Bolsonaro is Infringing on Vaccination Rights and Access
Brazil operates on a universal health system that guarantees public access to necessary vaccines. In fact, vaccination rights have constitutional protection and the government has a legal duty to ensure them. As in all other countries, the circumstances that the pandemic caused generated an urgent need for vaccines, requiring a rapid, planned response by government authorities. However, President Bolsonaro failed to make COVID-19 mitigation a political priority throughout the country. He turned his back on science to endanger the health and lives of Brazilians and adopted policies that placed their health at great risk. One of his main methods involved spreading false information about COVID-19.
President Bolsonaro also opposed social distancing, refused to wear a mask, and regularly shook hands with his supporters. His ultimate goal was to achieve herd immunity in Brazil by allowing the disease to spread. Additionally, he deliberately refused to follow WHO recommendations and sought to block officials from following COVID-19 mitigation guidelines, vetoing legal mask mandates. President Bolsonaro’s failure to prioritize the health of his citizens shows his disregard for human rights amid a global pandemic. Thankfully, however, other actors were eager to take this task into their own hands.
ANVISA’s Crucial Role in Vaccine Access
Now, more than 80% of the Brazilian population has received COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccinations have undergone successful distribution through the National Immunization Program. Yet, distributing these vaccines was not easy — rather, President Bolsonaro’s neglect of public health guidance made distribution more complicated. The main actor behind vaccination distribution was ANVISA, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. ANVISA works with the Ministry of Health, which is responsible for controlling and regulating health-related products in Brazil.
The Ministry issued several regulations to enable the distribution of emergency vaccines, but it lagged in its development of a national COVID-19 vaccination plan. Thus, ANVISA took matters into its own hands and negotiated vaccine access for Brazil with willing and available manufacturers. However, the Ministry’s standstill is understandable, considering President Bolsonaro’s eagerness to undermine the pandemic and the fear that officials would receive negative retaliation for combatting the virus. Because of this fear, the ministry lost the trust of many Brazilian citizens. Therefore, ANVISA was able to quickly gain public trust and vaccine access for Brazil because of its administrative independence, financial autonomy and the stability of its leaders and technical personnel. Additionally, it gave scientifically supported and unbiased solutions and technical decisions.
ANVISA’s role has proven to be incredibly crucial. It has issued emergency regulations and analyzed requests for the emergency use of vaccines, demonstrating its thought processes through open, public meetings. ANVISA presented every decision to the Brazilian community, which increased public trust in the approved vaccines.
Struggles to Access COVID-19 Vaccines
Acquiring these vaccines was difficult, as one of the only allowed options was the Sputnik V vaccine, which initially did not receive approval from ANVISA and therefore could not be imported to and used in Brazil. In the meantime, ANVISA worked with local Brazilian governments to negotiate for vaccine access and advance other non-pharmacological efforts to control the pandemic and spread trusted and accurate public health information. Some of these efforts included partial lockdowns and social distancing, for example. These efforts generated more public trust, which paved the way for the eventual vaccination campaign.
ANVISA’s technical performance and consistent course of action eventually assisted local governments in importing safe, effective vaccines and increasing community trust in products, thus improving vaccine access for Brazil. One such process involved giving the Russian COVID-19 vaccine a chance, despite concerns because otherwise, there would not be enough vaccines. Despite safety concerns, ANVISA allowed Sputnik vaccines into Brazil, importing 928,000 doses. Even though this is just a fraction of the total that Brazil requested, it went a long way. However, importing the Sputnik vaccine meant that stringent measures to monitor the vaccine’s safety had to undergo implementation.
Now, Brazil can selectively import vaccines that specific countries have approved for emergency use. It is now restricting Sputnik imports and monitoring them closely. Only healthy adults are eligible for the Sputnik shots and vaccine distributors within Brazil must specify that the vaccine is a Sputnik vaccine.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed, overall, that Brazil’s federal government was not ready to deal with an international public health emergency — a lack of governance and political influence over science prevented the Ministry of Health from vaccinating the country, but thankfully, ANVISA’s consistency in action assisted local governments in eventually vaccinating most of the country. This demonstrates the cruciality of administrative autonomy in organizations and the abilities that such organizations have in implementing policies and actions that help preserve the health of an entire country.
– Shiloh Harrill
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The EU Introduces the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan
The European Union (EU) has implemented a plan to tackle its most prominent social issues by the year 2030. In 2021, the EU created the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, a plan that targets social inequality on the continent. The plan includes various principles and goals that the EU hopes to achieve by the year 2030. For the plan to succeed, leaders all across will need to take responsibility and cooperate to improve social conditions on the continent.
20 Key Principles
The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan targets 20 key principles that it highlights in three chapters. The first chapter focuses on making jobs more accessible to more people in Europe. It includes principles like gender equality and equal opportunities. Meanwhile, chapter two is about working conditions to ensure that conditions are fair for Europe’s employees to create a healthy, secure and productive work environment. This chapter identifies principles such as wages and work-life balance.
The final chapter is the longest of the three as it contains 10 of the 20 principles. It prioritizes inclusion for all citizens regardless of age, gender, economic status and more. A few of the principles that comprise chapter 3 are health care, social protection and minimum income.
Ambitious Goals
In addition to the 20 key principles, the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan also includes three “ambitious targets” for the EU to reach by 2030. The first of these goals is to have at least 78% of the population between the ages of 20 to 64 employed. In 2020, Europe had an employment rate of 72.4%. To reach that 78% mark, Europe would have to raise its employment rate by 0.56% each year of the decade.
The second target is to have at least 60% of adults participating in training. This includes educational learning and job training. According to the European Commission, 37% of adults were in training in 2016. If the EU intends to achieve its goal, this number will have to nearly double by 2030.
The third and final goal is to have a reduction of at least 15 million people that are at risk of poverty or exclusion. In 2019, there were 91 million people that were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. If the EU can achieve this goal, it would make for a 16.5% decrease in this area.
The Timeline
As mentioned before, the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan sets goals for the year 2030; and, it also sets out smaller objectives to reach each year before then. Currently, the plan lists specified goals up until the year 2025. More goals for the following years will likely be added as the decade progresses.
For 2021 and 2022, there are many objectives that the EU hopes to reach. For example, 2021’s list of goals includes a plan of action for the “social economy,” an “employment report” and a “skills and talent package.” In 2022, the EU is looking to propose various work-related initiatives as well as achieve other goals.
The next three years only contain one or two goals each. The first report on “essential services” and the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) will be complete in 2023. The year 2024 will evaluate the European Labor Authority and 2025 will review the Action Plan as a whole.
Steps That the EU Has Already Taken
So far, the EU has already made significant progress toward reaching its goals. Some goals reached completion before the EU created its Action Plan. For example, in 2020, the EU had already implemented multiple social equality strategies and a “skills agenda.”
In addition to these, other initiatives have emerged to help the EU with the action plan. In 2021, the European Commission started the first stage of its consultation of social partners to improve working conditions across the continent.
The year 2021 also saw Europe make strides toward improving equality. The Commission created a strategy regarding the rights of people with disabilities. This strategy works toward the goal of making sure that none of Europe’s population experiences exclusion from society. As Europe goes further into the decade, it can expect to see many progressive movements and changes that will surely improve the continent’s state of social equality.
Photo: Flickr