Despite the poverty rate in Guatemala rising from 45.6% to 47% in 2020, social protection programs have prevented a calamity as the implications of COVID-19 hit vulnerable households. UNICEF initiated financial and social programs to support households in Guatemala to ease the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Guatemala.
Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Guatemala
The COVID- 19 pandemic devastated Guatemala as one of the most impoverished countries in Central America. The state suffered numerous losses as its already poor health system faces challenges in keeping up with the pandemic events. According to Alonzo et al. (2021), the pandemic complicated pre-pandemic stressors given that Guatemala is known for high rates of chronic malnutrition, poverty and inequality.
Poverty Rate in Guatemala
With increasing population rates, Guatemala is a country faced with crises that require humanitarian interventions. According to the World Bank, Guatemala’s poverty rate of 52.4% in 2020 has created vulnerabilities that harshly affect children. Chronic child malnutrition impacts 47% of children younger than 5 and 58% of Indigenous Guatemalan children.
Additionally, Hurricanes Eta and Iota led to devastation for numerous households, increasing the catastrophic implications of COVID-19 in November 2020. The IFRC reported that “at least 1.5 million people were displaced in Central America as a consequence of disasters, including Hurricanes Eta and Iota: 937,000 in Honduras, 339,000 in Guatemala and 232,000 in Nicaragua.” Such projections paint the true situation in Guatemala as poverty ravages the population.
Government Responses in Guatemala
Since 2018, Guatemala has introduced social and financial programs targeting poverty alleviation. The nation allocated 1.3% of its GDP to fund projects like Bono Social, the national cash transfer program, and Bono Familia, an emergency cash assistance program to support families during COVID-19.
According to Cejudo et al. (2020), Bono Familia provides a “temporal supplementary monthly income of $130 to vulnerable families with a monthly electricity consumption below 200 kWh (based on their electricity bill).” Combined with Bono Social, the national cash transfer scheme, the government supported vulnerable families, ensuring they received financial aid to boost their economic situation.
Other programs include Fondo de Protección al Empleo and Bono al Comercio Popular. The former establishes a temporary daily income for formal workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. The latter targeted informal traders. However, the public criticized these government interventions due to poor execution. Additionally, the bureaucratic nature of the fund distribution made it difficult for the targeted families to receive financial assistance.
Role of UNICEF in Mitigating COVID-19’s Impact
The Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) and UNICEF have been working together to improve the administrative and managerial processes that support Guatemala’s interventions for poverty that the COVID-19 pandemic caused. With the support of the World Bank, UNICEF introduced initiatives to support Guatemala’s social protection frameworks. By launching an effective Management Information System (MIS), UNICEF initiated strategies to enhance children’s access to education and health services. As part of the Bono Social initiative, the goal was to fulfill the potential of young boys and girls through education.
Within three months of Bono Familia’s implementation, UNICEF and World Bank helped more than 2.6 million people across 340 municipalities in Guatemala through emergency cash transfers. Therefore, as families lost income through employment loss, the program boosted their financial support to protect vulnerable households.
Accessing Vulnerable Households
UNICEF faced difficulties reaching vulnerable households, especially since the organization lacked data on the social demographic of Guatemalans. To overcome this, the humanitarian organization introduced an innovative platform that enabled a social registry. Consequently, this ensured the Guatemalan government could enhance its cash transfer policies to meet the objectives of its social programs. Therefore, Guatemalans received cash injections that allowed payment in pharmacies, stores and gas stations.
Through technological solutions, UNICEF learned more about responding to Guatemala’s poverty. According to its report, most of the younger population supported the older generation, ensuring they received access to social programs. Additionally, the integrated platform has undergone establishment on a national grid, allowing better approaches for implementing future programs.
Eradicating Poverty in Guatemala
As Guatemala enhances its social protection programs to ensure every household can access them, eradicating poverty must follow strategic responses aligned to its economic and political framework. According to UNICEF, legal and political ideologies should support the vision of social protection programs, mainly targeting vulnerable households. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenge of poverty in Guatemala and responses must focus on addressing gaps in technology and information to better access vulnerable families.
Most importantly, engaging with humanitarian groups to increase contact points in social protection programs has enhanced the capabilities of the Guatemalan government in mitigating poverty. As more community stakeholders involve themselves in the implementation stages at local and national levels, organizational capacities to reduce poverty in Guatemala are more effective. With UNICEF offering support to “develop a consolidated social protection system which includes strengthening all child-focused social protection programs, enhancing access to services as well as early childhood programs and augmenting humanitarian support,” stakeholders can effectively mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Guatemala.
– Hanying Wang
Photo: Flickr
The Economic Crisis Affects Children’s Mental Health in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is suffering from the worst economic crisis in the country’s history. The crisis’ impacts have reached into every aspect of Sri Lankans’ lives. A July 2022 report by Save the Children reveals the heavy toll economic problems have had on children’s mental health in Sri Lanka.
A Country in Turmoil
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka’s economy has been weakening. The World Bank estimates that the pandemic forced an additional half a million Sri Lankan people into poverty. As a result of Sri Lanka’s pandemic-induced economic downturn, the World Bank changed Sri Lanka’s classification from upper-middle income to lower-middle-income in 2020. In 2022, inflation and food shortages have exacerbated Sri Lanka’s economic struggles. Now, in August 2022, Sri Lankans are waiting for days in long lines for fuel and struggling to cope with food shortages and rolling blackouts.
In May 2022, the nongovernmental organization Save the Children began collecting data to better understand how Sri Lanka’s economic crisis affects children and families, with a particular emphasis on the impacts on children’s mental health in Sri Lanka. Save the Children gathered data from 2,309 households with elementary school-aged children in May and June. To collect data, Save the Children called families throughout the country and recorded responses from parents or caregivers.
Families Feel the Impacts
Save the Children’s survey revealed that Sri Lankan families have borne several negative consequences of the economic crisis. Of the survey respondents, 85.1% reported losing income since the start of the nation’s economic crisis with 58.1% of families reporting economic losses of more than 50% of income and 10.9% losing the entirety of their income.
More than half of households described an inability to meet the family’s basic needs such as food, water, household goods, shelter and health care. Only 31% of respondents reported the ability to completely fulfill their family’s food and nutrition requirements. About 74% reported that they had needed to change their eating habits in the week before the survey to save money. A mere 17% of participants described that they had not had to make changes to their lifestyle to adapt to the economic crisis.
Alongside changes in the country’s economy, parents have noticed changes in children’s mental health in Sri Lanka, the survey revealed. Less than a third of survey respondents answered that the economic crisis had negatively impacted their children’s well-being. Included in that 31% who reported changes in their children’s behavior were 12.7% of respondents who saw changes in their children’s appetite, 9.7% who observed increasing aggressive behavior and 6.7% who noted changes in emotional regulation ability. Additionally, more than half of survey participants reported that the economic crisis had impacted their children’s education, with 33.9% unable to afford school materials and 29.8% unable to afford extra educational classes for all their children.
The International Community Responds
On June 9, 2022, the United Nations (U.N.) released a Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan that set the goal of helping 1.7 million Sri Lankans struggling with the consequences of the country’s economic downturn. On August 5, 2022, the U.N. released a follow-up report detailing that, since the release of the plan, it had already provided more than a quarter million children with school supplies, assisted 48,000 children in accessing uninterrupted learning, delivered food to more than 40,000 people and improved access to clean water for 31,450 people in Sri Lanka.
In addition to assistance from the U.N., the United States pledged $6 million in June 2022 to address Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. The U.S. funds will go toward supporting agricultural productivity and small businesses as well as facilitating governmental management of the crisis.
Aid from the international community will ensure that Sri Lanka can recover while safeguarding the well-being of the nation’s children.
– Anna Inghram
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
How One Farmer Changed Agriculture in Niger
More than two decades ago, Tony Rinaudo started his journey in transforming the field of agriculture in Niger. Rinaudo is originally from Australia and has worked for the Australian branch of World Vision, a humanitarian organization that strives to reduce poverty. While his official title is natural resources management specialist, his work in the region of Niger earned him the nickname of “The Forest Maker.”
About Niger
Niger is a country just above Nigeria located in West Africa. Land surrounds it on all sides. The location of the country lends itself to low rainfall and drought as well as land degradation and desertification. The agricultural sector sustains the livelihoods of many Nigeriens, however, the unpredictable climate often leads to food insecurity and malnutrition. Niger accepts the assistance of organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the implementation of the Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE II) program to improve agriculture in the nation.
This program builds off of the first phase of RISE, which began in 2012. While traditional assistance programs typically address specific humanitarian crises in the short term, RISE hopes to engage with local and national communities to a greater extent to encourage long-term resilience.
Recurring Problems
Agriculture in Niger faces several current problems. In less than four decades, the use of land for agriculture increased by 94.2% by 2013. This expansion is the result of population growth and affects areas such as the Tillaberi, Zinder-Maradi and Manga regions as well as along the Niger River. As farmland spreads across Niger, the natural flora of the landscapes disappears, enlarging the sandy areas, which leads to desertification.
The effects of desertification are important to monitor for a nation that relies on agriculture, such as Niger. Desertification makes farming more difficult, which leads to increases in food insecurity and poverty.
These effects create a broader impact than the immediate problem of a decreased ability to farm. In a somewhat cyclic impact, nearby Nigeria faces difficulties preserving the land of the Akure-Ofosu Forest Reserve due to problems associated with poverty. Because people cannot find jobs in the major cities of Nigeria, people turn to the reserve for hunting, logging and creating land for agricultural use through the use of fires and deforestation. In a period of 18 years, the main forest on the reserve experienced a decline of 44% by 2020 and continues to decline.
The Work of Tony Rinaudo
Rinaudo foresaw the beginnings of the problems of agriculture in Niger more than two decades ago and pursued a change in the landscape. After previously attempting to plant new trees in the region, Rinaudo realized that an easier method to enact change is to utilize the existing landscape. He used a process called Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). The first part of the process involves the use of existing tree stumps and roots. The second step involves pruning stems to allow the chosen plants to regrow with adequate resources. Regenerating the natural landscape brings food for animals, fuel and nutrients to the soil. The practice of FMNR expanded across Africa and Asia to 25 countries.
Rinaudo’s work through FMNR led to the restoration of 200 million trees in Niger across 5 million hectares of degraded agricultural land. Rinaudo advises that change occurs by listening to the region’s citizens, enhancing their pre-existing skills and understanding the hesitations toward change.
Rinaudo said that FMNR can see long-term success if a local government guarantees ownership of trees to the communities caring for them and enacts local enforcement laws in cases of breaches while establishing “legal, transparent and fair markets for timber and non-timber forest products.”
In many ways, World Vision Australia and Rinaudo’s efforts parallel the endeavors of USAID as these efforts emphasize the long-term solutions to food insecurity and poverty with a community-led approach. With these continued efforts, farmers obtain the ability to sustainably continue the practice of agriculture in Niger for many generations.
– Kaylee Messick
Photo: Flickr
Addressing the Looming Debt Default Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had countless consequences across the globe, namely public health emergencies and economic shutdowns. In many developing and low-income countries, one now sees what economists are calling a debt default crisis, which means that the economic burden of the pandemic and supply chain shortage has piled up so high on some countries that they are defaulting on their loans from foreign bondholders. A full-blown debt default crisis is dangerous because essential commodities and resources could become impossible to access in low-income countries, forcing many into poverty.
Debt Crisis Looms as Global Economy Worsens
Over the last six months, the number of emerging markets with sovereign debt and distressed trading levels has “more than doubled,” according to Bloomberg. This means that many low-income countries are trading and investing with money that they do not have, making these nations more vulnerable to debt crises. Debt default crises are particularly dangerous for low-income countries because the prices of necessary commodities such as food, fuel and medicine are skyrocketing due to inflation, interest rates are rising and job markets are failing. Economists point to 19 countries that house more than 900 million individuals who are particularly vulnerable to a debt default crisis, as well as a few countries that are already experiencing debt crises, including Sri Lanka and Lebanon.
Consequences of a Debt Default Crisis
Developing countries and emerging economic markets comprise about 40% of the worldwide GDP, which is part of the reason why a looming debt default crisis is worrisome to economists. Foreign bondholders are at risk of losing almost $240 billion if developing countries are unable to pay back their debts. Crushing international debt would be disastrous for not only low-income countries but developed countries as well.
The supply chain shortages could worsen, emergency health care responses could slow down and unemployment could rise. The international community is already seeing serious fallout from the debt default crisis in Sri Lanka, where disastrous fuel and food shortages are causing civil unrest.
Across low-income countries, hunger is increasing and millions more are at risk of falling into extreme poverty. Loan restructuring plans and international organizations are not working fast enough to prevent this devastation, hence the lack of essential emergency aid and foreign assistance.
Action from International Organizations
Shortly after the onset of the pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and G20 established the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in anticipation that the pandemic would cause significant economic issues for low-income nations. This initiative provided about $13 billion of debt relief to close to 50 nations.
However, this short-term “safety net” drew to a close at the end of 2021, around the same time that many high-income countries, including the United States, significantly reduced their foreign COVID-19 aid. Additionally, G20 met again earlier in July 2022 to discuss potential plans of action to hold off a looming debt default crisis but failed to issue a communiqué after the summit. International leaders are struggling with cooperation because of the complicated relationship between Russia and Ukraine.
After the DSSI, the G20 developed the Common Framework for Debt Treatments, but it requires further refining to “provide meaningful relief to countries that need it.” The World Bank and IMF have provided guidelines in this regard.
Moving Forward in a Debt Crisis
Many low-income countries are approaching a debt default crisis, which would cause a perfect storm of economic hardships including inflation, higher interest rates and slowed job markets. International organizations like the IMF and G20 need to prioritize loan restructuring plans so that the global economy does not suffer from the loss of $240 billion. High-income countries like the United States can play a more significant role by prioritizing foreign aid to minimize devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid the fallout from the pandemic and the supply chain issues from the war in Ukraine, international leaders can take prompt and effective action to avoid a devastating debt default crisis.
– Ella DeVries
Photo: Flickr
Top Gun’s Budget Reveals Funding Possibilities
The Filming of “Top Gun: Maverick”
Given Cruise’s commitment to realism, it may be unsurprising that scenes including flights in F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets are real. Actors flew in jets rented directly from the U.S. Navy, getting the chance to experience the thrill of high speed and the grueling reality of high gravitational force.
However, this immersive approach to moviemaking came at a staggering cost. Bloomberg reports that the film’s production paid upward of $11,000 per hour to access the fighter jets. Yet, these fees are only a little higher than basic operation costs. The Department of Defense reports that operating a F/A-18 Super Hornet costs $10,507 per hour, not including the initial purchase cost of the aircraft.
Top Gun and Defense Spending
These figures hint at the department’s astronomical spending each year. The defense department’s budget request for this upcoming fiscal year is $773 billion— $30.7 billion more than in 2022.
DOD’s purpose is to deter war and ensure the nation’s security. However, countless military officials maintain that preventing war by funding international aid programs such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) can be more cost-effective in the long run.
International aid programs that reduce hunger and disease and spread stability through education can prevent conflict globally. As the “Top Gun: Maverick” budget highlights, the cost of everyday military operations can be exorbitant. The U.S. could funnel some of that money into international aid instead.
What One Hour of Flight Time Could Do for Global Poverty
To illustrate this point, one can look at what the U.S. military could do with the funding that matches one hour of flight time in a fighter jet— $10,507.
Moving Forward
Seeing how Top Gun’s budget reveals funding possibilities gives pause to how much change is feasible. With even a portion of the $773 billion in yearly defense spending, just one hour of flight in a fighter jet could do much for global poverty.
The organization Global Campaign on Military Spending works to advocate for the reallocation of military spending to peace and public aid programs. Established in 2014, it holds an annual event to raise awareness about military spending and to change the conversation.
– Grace Ramsey
Photo: Flickr
Safeguarding Southeast Asia’s Fishing Industry
A 2018 article by The Asia Foundation stated that roughly 12% of the global population depends on fisheries and the aquaculture industry for their livelihoods and more than 50% of the global population relies on fish and seafood as a major source of protein. Over the past few decades, Southeast Asia has established a fishing metropolis but the region has struggled with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. However, in the last five to 10 years, the region has begun to regulate Southeast Asia’s fishing industry and watch for illegal fishing. There are many important reasons to regulate the fishing industry, including keeping the ecosystem healthy and populated.
The Fishing Industry
Southeast Asia, consisting of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei and Timor-Leste, has some of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world. Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) estimates that Southeast Asia contributed approximately 52% of total fishery production globally in 2018, reaching 46.5 million MT of fish at a value of more than $51 billion.
Identifying the Problem
The Asia Foundation said that about “64[%]of the fisheries’ resource base is at a medium to high risk from overfishing.” Cambodia and the Philippines hold the highest risks. Some common methods of destructive fishing are:
Most of the overfishing destruction seen in Southeast Asia is due to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). In 2018, The Asia Foundation said that to keep the fishing industry of Southeast Asia alive, the region would “need to decrease all destructive fishing practices and reduce harvest by nearly 50%.”
Health Concerns
The world widely recognizes that fish is a vital source of food. Low in saturated fatty acids, a source of protein and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, fish is consumed across the world. There are several concerns when it comes to the relationship between overfishing and human health.
To begin with, overfishing harms the marine ecosystem. From pollution of oils and gas via fishing boats to removing an unnaturally large fish population from the seas, there is a clear trend of regression of reefs and shifts in the marine ecosystem food chain.
At the top of the food chain, humans feel the ripple effect below them. If the location of fisheries experiences pollution due to fishing techniques such as poison or blast fishing, then humans eat the polluted fish.
Although these factors may impact the health of humans, just as significant is the concern of food security. According to Reuters, “In Bangladesh, Cambodia, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and some small island developing states, fish contributed 50% or more of total animal protein intake.”
Visible Progress
In March 2018, The Asia Foundation met with the U.S. Department of State, the Royal Thai Government and the People’s Republic of China to create a regional assessment of fisheries to safeguard food security in Southeast Asia and Southeast Asia’s fishing industry. Specifically, experts from these groups looked into developing a legal framework to improve fishery management and combat IUU fishing. In addition, the groups looked at “emerging new technologies to support sustainable fisheries management.”
Most of Southeast Asia consists of developing countries that do not have the accessibility and financial support to outsource fish and protein in the event of the fishing industry collapsing, not to mention the millions of job losses that would ensue. Policy and regulations to better control Southeast Asia’s fishing industry will not only allow for a sustainable fishing environment but will also increase food security and ensure better health for Southeast Asia.
– Sierra Winch
Photo: Flickr
Ukrainian Diia App Helps Refugees Receive Aid and News
The Functionalities of the Diia APP
Ukraine’s official site, ukraine.ua, states that one of Diia’s goals is “to make 100% public services available online.” The available services include access to digital documents, such as one’s driver’s license or passport, that have the same legal strength as a physical copy. Furthermore, the app also allows Ukrainians to make payments to the government or register new businesses quickly.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change reported 13 million Diia users in Ukraine by the close of 2021, which was partially influenced by the introduction of COVID-19 aid and vaccine certification through the app. As the population in Ukraine in 2020 stood at about 44.13 million, around 29.5% of the Ukrainian population used the Diia app in 2021.
Post-War Digital Connections
However, the Diia app became significantly more important following the February 2022 Russian invasion. The United Nations Refugee Agency recorded more than 6.3 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe as of August 10, 2022. As early as May 2022, the United Nations estimated that more than 8 million Ukrainians faced internal displacement within Ukraine itself. Despite this, the app can still track the locations of registered Ukrainians no matter where they are and provide limited cash aid as well as the services mentioned above.
The government also introduced a simplified identification process that allows Ukrainians access to certain neighboring countries such as Moldova and Poland. Furthermore, it adopted the aid system used for COVID-19 to send “the equivalent of the monthly minimum wage” to anyone working in war-affected regions. Thus, the government is providing financial assistance to those both in and outside of Ukraine to support citizens and keep them out of poverty.
Finally, the app allows Ukrainians to keep track of the events taking place in their home country from firsthand sources. In an interview with the news site Emerging Europe, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stated that the app gives constant information on the state of the war and allows citizens to directly support the military with funding. This is important because the Diia app bypasses language barriers and disinformation to directly inform its citizens regardless of where they are.
The Future of Digitalization
Although not intended for a wartime scenario, Diia is making a massive difference to keep displaced Ukrainians financially secure and aware of current events. Not only does this help keep citizens afloat and out of poverty but it also helps keep their spirits up by informing them about the events occurring in their home country.
Diia’s widespread post-war availability proves the advantages of reaching out to those unable to easily access government services due to location, physical handicaps or poverty. Digital systems that aid those struggling in society can often be adjusted and reused in times of crisis to aid the general public and keep them from falling into poverty themselves.
– Henry Bauer
Photo: Flickr
Hustle and Hierarchy in South Korea
South Korea has a highly developed economy and hard-working citizens and many know it for its evolution from a developing nation to an advanced state within a few generations. South Korea’s citizens follow the country’s intense work ethic, which allows its cities, such as the famous capital city Seoul, to continue their progress in technological advancement. Although one can see the results of the South Korean hustle through the maturation of its economy in recent history, the hierarchy in South Korea has also had damaging effects on young workers and the elderly.
Corporate Culture in South Korea
Corporate culture in South Korea centers around hierarchy, in which your age and status are crucial. The work-life balance is unstable, as late at night, managers will often ask employees to come in early the next day or to finish work when they are not on the clock. However, while it is acceptable for employees to refuse this extra work, employees who comply often receive superior treatment. Around the world, within corporate culture, higher compensation usually follows greater responsibility and vice versa. However, within the hierarchy in South Korea, others expect employees with lower status to work harder to help those above them. Stagnant wages, which are highly dependent on long-term loyalty to the company, paired with long working hours pose a challenge to young professionals trying to afford a living.
One can consider some young employees predisposed to elderly poverty, as income inequality in the first half of their working years makes retirement planning extremely difficult.
Additionally, it is common for bosses to pressure employees to go out for food and drinks after the office closes, staying long past office hours. Oftentimes, this leads to unproductive mornings since the lively night before might have included drinking and socializing.
In general, lower productivity commonly results in less consumption, as the economy is not able to consume and produce services for the same quantity of labor. Because some employers value looking busy rather than true productivity, productivity within Korea has struggled.
Elderly Poverty
Despite one’s age being a factor within the hierarchy, surprisingly half of the South Korean elderly live in poverty. In 2020, 40.4% of South Koreans 66 years or older were living in poverty.
Due to South Korea’s aging population, experts believe that nearly one in two people living in poverty in the future will be elderly.
One crucial reason for this is that the younger generation cannot support their parents and South Korean corporate culture contributes to this issue. Hustle culture in South Korea generally requires employees to work longer hours than in comparison with other countries within the Organization For Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Average working hours in Korea are 17% higher than the OECD average.
With the westernization of the Korean workplace and subsequent family expectations, the younger generation is less inclined to live with their parents to support them. In 1994, 54.7% of elderly people lived with their children, however, this number decreased to 23.7% by 2017.
Aside from the inability of young professionals to care for their parents, increasing poverty among the elderly is due to the structure of the salary system within the corporate culture. Hierarchy dictates that salary increases based on how many years a loyal employee has worked for the company. Although those within the system receive more respect, the higher salaries to the older working generation incentivize companies to encourage early retirement.
Government pensions following retirement only amount to $200. According to the National Pension Research Institute Survey, this is just a quarter of what is necessary for single households. In addition, pensions only go to 35% of the elderly population.
Alleviating Stress
Despite the harm that arises from longer working hours, South Korea hit an all-time high in productivity in 2020. Recently, many corporations have shortened working hours so that employees may have a better work-life balance. Millie, a book firm, as well as e-commerce company Cafe24, implemented a four-day work week to reduce worker fatigue. In addition, some airlines and duty-free stores have followed suit. To measure the opinions of the working citizens, surveyors asked 1,164 office workers how a four-day work week would benefit them; half of the participants claimed that fewer hours would result in self-improvement. When the surveyors asked what the office workers would first do with their new free time, 44.5% asserted that they would try a new hobby.
Reducing obstacles to the elderly will immensely bolster the workforce and improve productivity, while actively fighting discrimination and reducing elderly poverty. Among surveyed Koreans aged 40-50, 64.9% believed that reserving more jobs for the elderly would best reduce elderly poverty. The Aged Employment Promotion Act of 2003 aimed incentives at companies to increase the employment of the elderly. Many agree that the proliferation of these policies will alleviate poverty among the aging.
– Caroline Zientek
Photo: Flickr
The Importance of Foreign Aid in Times of Crisis
The world seems to be dwindling under a series of historic shocks. Beginning with a global pandemic in 2020 and moving to a new war in Europe as well as significant changes in abortion legislation in the U.S., many parts of the world are moving into an energy crisis. With wealthy nations having their hands full with domestic issues and geopolitical antagonism, developing countries are on their own. Here is why foreign aid in times of crisis is a critical issue and what some are doing about it.
Partnership and Security
When globalization is on the decline, poorer countries often end up on their own. That puts the countries in a position where they have to find countries and organizations that are still willing to provide foreign aid in times of crisis to them after wealthier western countries have disregarded their needs. Instead wealthier western countries defaulted on their promises to raise living standards and increase national security. With the world becoming increasingly fragmented with a lack of genuine cooperation, global welfare and security are at a large risk. Further, global issues, such as the climate crisis, that require a joint effort from as many nations as possible, will be even harder to address.
Changing Weather Patterns
Whilst changing weather patterns are a hurdle that every country needs to face and adapt to, it is the low-income countries that carry the brunt of it. Especially, the sub-Saharan regions in Africa that such weather phenomena affect leading those regions to be reliant on long-term investment. A study that the IMF conducted has shown that one draught can decrease an African country’s medium-term economic growth potential by one percentage point. Meanwhile, savings from long-term investments that go towards improving resilience and coping mechanisms have proven to be of great significance. Some of the coping mechanisms include improved seed varieties, durable health systems and refined access to finance and telecommunications.
In Ethiopia alone, farmers’ yield increased by 40% as a result of improved seed varieties that proved resistant to rust, a fungus. Unfortunately, countries that face challenges of adaption most often do not possess the means to do so. The farmers lack funding and institutional capacity, hence why it is down to the international community to prevent changing weather patterns from threatening development and stability in low-income countries.
Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has cost 15 million lives and pushed 100 million people into poverty in 2020 alone. The pandemic demanded a unified response across nations, constituting large amounts of foreign aid in times of crisis, to prevent a setback in human development and human rights. Yet, that did not happen. Instead, developed countries injected trillions of dollars into their own recovery, leaving poorer countries to mend themselves. It does not come as any surprise that in May 2022, 72% of people in high-income countries received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, contrary to 17% in low-income countries.
With developing countries entering the pandemic with lower fiscal buffers than they had in 2008-09, in the aftermath they are now faced with unequal recovery, effects of the climate crisis and economic shocks to food, fuel and financial markets. Arguably, the neglect of the global responsibility that wealthy countries cause this. The U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ stressed to the Economic and Social Council segment on operational activities for development, in New York, in May that “In a world of crisis, rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is more important than ever.”
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
More encouraging is the 2030 Agenda that the United Nations developed which constitutes a reformed development system to provide foreign aid in times of crisis that matches countries’ needs and priorities. No poverty, no hunger, good health, quality education and gender equality are only some examples of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to accelerate progress in low-income countries.
To promote substantial change, funding is necessary. With less than 10 years left, world leaders at the SDG Summit in 2019 promoted “A decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”. This represents the kind of innovative, cooperative model the world needs to rekindle relationships, strengthen organizations and expand financing in times of crisis.
The World Bank Suspends Debt
In an attempt to ease the burden COVID-19 and other shocks have put on low-income countries, the world has introduced the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). The initiative suspended $12.9 billion in debt-service payments for 48 participating countries, allowing them to focus their financial capacities on protecting the lives and livelihoods of their citizens.
Looking Ahead
The multitude of crises and complexity of domestic and global issues that the world is facing has led to a demand for stronger leadership and cooperation at all levels. Moreover, the bar is rising higher for the wealthier nations to live up to their responsibility to lower-income nations by providing enough funding to prevent setbacks in human development and promote sustainable progress.
– Pauline Lützenkirchen
Photo: Flickr
Plastic Bricks for Affordable Housing
In 2021, the global population rose to 7.84 billion from 6.92 billion people in 2010. U.N. Habitat estimated in 2020 that about 1.6 billion people globally endured “inadequate housing conditions” or homelessness. Due to the severity of the issue, the U.N. Commission for Social Development placed affordable housing at the top of the agenda for its 58th session in February 2020. Here is some information about how some organizations are creating affordable housing by using plastic bricks and other low-cost materials.
The Global Housing Shortage
Part of the problem is that as the global cost of housing itself has increased, global average income has not increased fast enough to keep up, leading to increased homelessness. Unsurprisingly, it is low-income households and vulnerable groups that this trend hits the hardest. Additionally, housing conditions are also deteriorating in terms of poor structural durability, overcrowding and inadequate basic facilities. Increasing rural to urban migration that has led to the exponential increase in the creation of slums and informal settlements has exacerbated this. The U.N. estimates that “3 billion people will require adequate and affordable housing by 2030.”
At this rate, urban poverty and inequality can only increase. Government assistance and protection can only do so much. While government assistance increases the supply of affordable housing, it still does not completely meet the demand. Homelessness services such as shelters and subsidized housing are not permanent solutions either. The supply of affordable housing should increase, but the increasing cost of construction for both buyers and suppliers hinders this, especially for those in the middle to low-income bracket. As a result, several companies around the world are recycling plastic as an alternative to expensive construction materials.
Nelplast
Nelplast Eco Ghana is a construction company making building bricks through recycled plastic waste. Nelson Boateng made waves in 2021 when he built a home for himself entirely out of plastic bricks in just 72 days. It cost him less than $10,000. Boateng used to recycle plastic sachets to make plastic bags, but when extreme flooding struck his Ghanaian hometown Ashaiman in 2015, he took a different route. The government at the time identified sewage blockage by plastic waste as a significant cause and Boateng did not want to contribute to the problem anymore. He started constructing plastic pavements and intends to build affordable homes out of plastic to solve the housing deficit in Ghana. Boateng’s plastic home with plastic bricks is evidence that it is possible. His only desire is for increased investment to scale up his impact.
OTHALO
OTHALO is a Norwegian-based company that makes building systems out of recycled plastic. The goal is to fill the gap in the supply of affordable housing by addressing the growing issue of plastic waste. Through this technology, OTHALO can build cost-effective housing, including “Temperature Controlled Mobile Storage Units, modular buildings, refugee shelters or living pods” and schools and hospitals.
OTHALO’s target market is developing nations that urgently require cost-effective housing, refugee camps and “temperature controlled units for storage of food and medicines,” especially amid crises. OTHALO has developed “five segments of unique housing solutions” to meet the need for affordable housing and emergency shelter units by governments and humanitarian organizations.
The OTHALO Modular Shelter is a combination of a living space, office space, sleeping space and storage. OTHALO utilizes modular construction to build larger structures, such as camps that are easy to disassemble.
SMaRT
Veena Sahajwalla founded the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology, otherwise known as SMaRT, at the University of South Wales in Australia. In 2021, SMaRT launched the Green Ceramics MICROfactorie which creates ceramics from recycled plastic, glass and textiles for communal and industrial use in indoor spaces. The creation of green ceramics follows the invention of green steel by Sahajwalla in 2003, which involves recycling rubber tires to use in steel production. In 2018, Sahajwalla launched “the first e-waste microfactory, which processes metal alloys from old laptops, circuit boards and smartphones.” These green alternatives are cheaper to make and are more sustainable.
In a demonstration of this, SMaRT partnered with Mirvac, a property development and management group in Australia to successfully build an apartment out of recycled waste. The next challenge of this partnership is to scale up to bigger projects.
Technological innovation does not just encourage economic development but also provides innovative solutions to social problems. Companies that pioneer these solutions should receive active support to be able to resolve homelessness and poverty through affordable housing.
– Kena Irungu
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Guatemala
Despite the poverty rate in Guatemala rising from 45.6% to 47% in 2020, social protection programs have prevented a calamity as the implications of COVID-19 hit vulnerable households. UNICEF initiated financial and social programs to support households in Guatemala to ease the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Guatemala.
Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Guatemala
The COVID- 19 pandemic devastated Guatemala as one of the most impoverished countries in Central America. The state suffered numerous losses as its already poor health system faces challenges in keeping up with the pandemic events. According to Alonzo et al. (2021), the pandemic complicated pre-pandemic stressors given that Guatemala is known for high rates of chronic malnutrition, poverty and inequality.
Poverty Rate in Guatemala
With increasing population rates, Guatemala is a country faced with crises that require humanitarian interventions. According to the World Bank, Guatemala’s poverty rate of 52.4% in 2020 has created vulnerabilities that harshly affect children. Chronic child malnutrition impacts 47% of children younger than 5 and 58% of Indigenous Guatemalan children.
Additionally, Hurricanes Eta and Iota led to devastation for numerous households, increasing the catastrophic implications of COVID-19 in November 2020. The IFRC reported that “at least 1.5 million people were displaced in Central America as a consequence of disasters, including Hurricanes Eta and Iota: 937,000 in Honduras, 339,000 in Guatemala and 232,000 in Nicaragua.” Such projections paint the true situation in Guatemala as poverty ravages the population.
Government Responses in Guatemala
Since 2018, Guatemala has introduced social and financial programs targeting poverty alleviation. The nation allocated 1.3% of its GDP to fund projects like Bono Social, the national cash transfer program, and Bono Familia, an emergency cash assistance program to support families during COVID-19.
According to Cejudo et al. (2020), Bono Familia provides a “temporal supplementary monthly income of $130 to vulnerable families with a monthly electricity consumption below 200 kWh (based on their electricity bill).” Combined with Bono Social, the national cash transfer scheme, the government supported vulnerable families, ensuring they received financial aid to boost their economic situation.
Other programs include Fondo de Protección al Empleo and Bono al Comercio Popular. The former establishes a temporary daily income for formal workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. The latter targeted informal traders. However, the public criticized these government interventions due to poor execution. Additionally, the bureaucratic nature of the fund distribution made it difficult for the targeted families to receive financial assistance.
Role of UNICEF in Mitigating COVID-19’s Impact
The Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) and UNICEF have been working together to improve the administrative and managerial processes that support Guatemala’s interventions for poverty that the COVID-19 pandemic caused. With the support of the World Bank, UNICEF introduced initiatives to support Guatemala’s social protection frameworks. By launching an effective Management Information System (MIS), UNICEF initiated strategies to enhance children’s access to education and health services. As part of the Bono Social initiative, the goal was to fulfill the potential of young boys and girls through education.
Within three months of Bono Familia’s implementation, UNICEF and World Bank helped more than 2.6 million people across 340 municipalities in Guatemala through emergency cash transfers. Therefore, as families lost income through employment loss, the program boosted their financial support to protect vulnerable households.
Accessing Vulnerable Households
UNICEF faced difficulties reaching vulnerable households, especially since the organization lacked data on the social demographic of Guatemalans. To overcome this, the humanitarian organization introduced an innovative platform that enabled a social registry. Consequently, this ensured the Guatemalan government could enhance its cash transfer policies to meet the objectives of its social programs. Therefore, Guatemalans received cash injections that allowed payment in pharmacies, stores and gas stations.
Through technological solutions, UNICEF learned more about responding to Guatemala’s poverty. According to its report, most of the younger population supported the older generation, ensuring they received access to social programs. Additionally, the integrated platform has undergone establishment on a national grid, allowing better approaches for implementing future programs.
Eradicating Poverty in Guatemala
As Guatemala enhances its social protection programs to ensure every household can access them, eradicating poverty must follow strategic responses aligned to its economic and political framework. According to UNICEF, legal and political ideologies should support the vision of social protection programs, mainly targeting vulnerable households. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenge of poverty in Guatemala and responses must focus on addressing gaps in technology and information to better access vulnerable families.
Most importantly, engaging with humanitarian groups to increase contact points in social protection programs has enhanced the capabilities of the Guatemalan government in mitigating poverty. As more community stakeholders involve themselves in the implementation stages at local and national levels, organizational capacities to reduce poverty in Guatemala are more effective. With UNICEF offering support to “develop a consolidated social protection system which includes strengthening all child-focused social protection programs, enhancing access to services as well as early childhood programs and augmenting humanitarian support,” stakeholders can effectively mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Guatemala.
– Hanying Wang
Photo: Flickr