Madagascar’s exotic flora and fauna belie a broken and underdeveloped health information system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the probability of dying by the age of 5, per 1,000 live births in Madagascar is 50.24. The problem is not only a lack of access to health care but also lags in timely information, which prevents Malagasy people from taking proper precautions against infectious diseases.
Although 77% of Madagascar’s population is literate and 57% have access to mobile phones, people in the rural areas are still hampered by low literacy rates and a lack of a proper telecommunication system. Consequently, people share the majority of health-related facts orally, leading to the rampant spread of misinformation. In an effort to debunk myths and reform Madagascar’s health information system, a local NGO called Doctors for Madagascar, initiated a project that utilizes a unique tool for its success: singing.
Beginning of the Project
In 2018 and 2019, the measles epidemic in Madagascar caused more than 200,000 cases and over 1,000 deaths. During this time, health workers observed a deficiency of knowledge among rural people in southern Madagascar about measles vaccination.
To dispel the false rumors circulating, Doctors for Madagascar teamed up with local singer/songwriter Ebera to start the “Singing Sensitization” project as a medium of “getting accurate health information to isolated, rural communities in the country’s south.”
Free live music performances took place in places such as markets so that it could reach as many different demographics as possible. The song “The Measles” by Ebera became vastly popular among the rural Malagasy people for its educative lyrics and lilting tune.
The lyrics contained all information from verifiable sources such as the WHO and the Malagasy Ministry of Health. The song warned — “measles — they’re lethal” and advised them to take their children to the hospital if they showed symptoms like coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or diarrhea, instead of bringing them to “a shaman or a witch.” In addition, the song also urged villagers to get the measles vaccination as it would help protect them better against the disease.
Melodies During COVID-19
The success of “Singing Sensitization” during the measles outbreak in Madagascar encouraged the NGO to continue its project during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave in 2020, songs focused on the importance of wearing masks, washing hands regularly with soap and water as well as social distancing. The productions also placed emphasis on the origin and spread of the virus.
According to the WHO case study, these performances were conducted sporadically “at eight to nine locations each month (or bimonthly in each village) in Ampanihy until August 2021.” The infrequency was a result of compliance with social distancing rules proposed by the government.
The Song of Victory
Conveying facts through songs sung in local dialects has proven effective especially since the performances conclude with an informative Q&A session, where health workers address additional questions and concerns.
This created trust between the villagers and the health workers. The project members often held focus group sessions and informal interviews with “community leaders, health care workers, and local health authorities” to understand how much the villagers had learned and retained as well as identify what was lacking in their knowledge, WHO case study reports.
The team modeled additional performances based on these discussions, focusing on filling the “knowledge gaps” and denouncing any inaccurate information.
Additionally, these discussions helped the “Singing Sensitization” team infer that the reach of their performances was approximately 60–70%, with “a positive uptake of the initiative by the local population,” WHO case study reports.
Making it Large Scale
“Singing Sensitization” has greatly helped in improving rural Madagascar’s health information system. As of now, the biggest challenge is getting funding, recruiting more local performers and expending time and energy on translating lyrics into different local languages.
Nonetheless, the team wants to expand its project and take it to other “hard-to-reach” rural communities. One of their goals is to introduce a radio network for easier and wider transmission of information.
– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Flickr
Energy Poverty in Nigeria
Nigeria had the largest energy access deficit in the world in 2021. Regarding energy affordability, it can provide itself completely with self-produced energy. However, according to a report from the World Bank, “as many as four in 10 Nigerians live below the national poverty line.” The report also noted that they lack education and access to basic infrastructures such as electricity, safe drinking water, and basic sanitation. The energy poverty issue in Nigeria has put many Nigerians, especially in the rural areas, at a high risk of relying on hazardous and polluting sources of lighting such as candles and kerosene lanterns. Lack of access to energy or electricity is directly related the economic hardship, food crises, health concerns and perpetuation of the poverty cycle.
Overview of Energy Poverty in Nigeria
The rapid population growth in Nigeria has increased the overreliance on fossil fuels that contributed to creating socio-economic drawbacks. The massive demand and the lack of an established energy supply chain in Nigeria resulted in acute energy poverty. In 2020, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) estimated that almost 90 million people in Nigeria do not have access to grid electricity and the millions of those connected to the grid have less than 12 hours of electricity every day. The major problem with the energy shortage in Nigeria, regardless of the possession of enough conventional energy resources, is the inadequate supply of distribution, which is not able to meet the basic demand for the increased population.
Energy poverty in Nigeria is more severe in rural areas, where the majority of the population lives with a lack of infrastructure and an unstable and insufficient power supply, according to Environment, Development and Sustainability journal. The effects of energy poverty were worsened by COVID-19 when the household demand and industrial demand increased. The pandemic disrupted the supply chain due to the shortages in the workforce. Since the off-grid sector requires extensive labor, the shortage of workforce due to the safety restrictions during the pandemic stagnated the off-grid businesses. The downfall of the off-grid businesses in Nigeria pushed Nigerians to heavily rely on other nonrenewable resources of energy that also don’t adequately meet the demand.
Energy Disparities in Rural Population in Nigeria
In 2021, according to the World Bank, about 47% of Nigerians are living in rural areas. The percentage of access to electricity in the rural population was 24.6% in 2020, while the percentage of energy access for the urban population in Nigeria was 83.9%.
The large socio-economic disparities between urban and rural areas have enlarged the gap in accessing electricity. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, CEO of Nigeria’s REA, remarked on the seriousness of the issue in the rural areas in 2021, “…it’s not just a question of having no lights. There are adverse effects on business, social structures and the well-being of people in rural areas.”
Efforts to Address Energy Poverty in Nigeria
To address the energy poverty issue in Nigeria, the Nigerian government and international corporations have put vast investments in building an off-grid clean energy sector and the adoption of clean energy solutions to address the energy deficit in Nigeria. Accompanied by the donor agencies with financial and technical support, the off-grid market in Nigeria exponentially grew.
In 2021, according to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), developing the off-grid sector in Nigeria would create a $9.2 billion per year market opportunity for solar home systems that could save $4.4 billion per year for Nigerian homes and businesses. The enlargement of off-grid renewable electric sources in Nigeria has reduced the prices of solar energy over the years. However, David Arinze, a renewable energy specialist and program officer, pointed out during an interview in 2021 with The Cable, that the focal point of reducing energy poverty must be the government’s need to help the local sector scale and promote integrated collaborations with the local stakeholders in the renewable energy sector.
Since the electricity deficit in Nigeria cannot be resolved only with national efforts, international support has been implemented. To elaborate, the Federal Government of Nigeria launched the first off-grid energy system to address the energy deficit in 2018, Electrification Project for Nigeria with financing support from the World Bank worth $350 million. With the help of agencies of the Federal Ministry of Finance and REA, the project has been dealing with increasing electricity services for households, public educational institutions and various enterprises.
Technical assistance in building a framework for rural electrification of upscaling and improvement on building an extended supply chain could amend the energy poverty in Nigeria, especially in the rural areas. With the expansion of the off-grid energy businesses in Nigeria, the prospect of adequate energy distribution is positive.
–Youngwook Chun
Photo: Flickr
The Uprise Enables African Talent to Enter the NFL
NFL Africa and The Uprise
Umenyiora first conceived of an NFL talent-finding program targeted toward African youth upon noticing a sizable increase in the amount of NFL African players during the past decade. The trend reminded him of Ugboaja’s initiative in 2014; the basketball star had approached Umenyiora for help with sponsoring young Nigerian basketball players.
At the same time, Umenyiora noted that many African youths have the physical traits essential for success as a football player, which would give them a natural advantage over other hopefuls while making a career out of football. Furthermore, competition is comparatively more fierce in basketball and soccer, seeing as the two sports are popular worldwide. American football would provide the scouted youth with more opportunities with regard to potential to sign onto professional leagues.
In this way, Umenyiora solidified his idea for The Uprise. Due to his position as an NFL ambassador at that time, he easily secured support from the league and founded The Uprise camp.
Current Impact
The Uprise has already helped three African athletes get signed to NFL rosters, after holding training camps in multiple African countries and selectively sending promising players to Arizona for more training. Kehinde Oginni Hassan, Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi and Chigbo Roy Mbaeteka, who have never before played organized football, impressed the general managers enough to receive contracts and the opportunity to travel to the International Combine in London. Beyond this quantifiable impact, The Uprise has also served as a beacon of hope for many African youths by providing them with a viable and accessible pathway out of poverty, which is extremely valuable, given the 70% poverty rate among youth in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016.
Future Plans
More than securing NFL contracts for players, Umenyiora envisions sending the athletes to high schools and colleges in the United States and the United Kingdom. The former football champion is already working toward this end. For the upcoming NFL camp in Ghana, Umenyiora has organized for both NFL coaches and colleges to be on-site. In addition, he is also planning high-level camps, which sports companies will host, in Kenya, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda and Nigeria.
Umenyiora hopes for a future where at least 15% to 20% of NFL players are from Africa. He also seeks to increase interest in football in Africa to deepen the continent’s connection with the NFL and foster a sense of communal pride for players of African descent who have already found success in their football careers.
Looking Ahead
As unemployment continues to pose challenges for African youth, Umenyiora’s initiative is a crucial intervention to provide an accessible and sustainable method of lifting oneself out of poverty. The Uprise is seeing tremendous success so far and its impact is projected to increase with the abundance of companies and colleges now recognizing the wealth of football talent waiting to be discovered in Africa.
– Emily Xin
Photo: PixalBay
Repairing Madagascar’s Health Information System Through Singing
Although 77% of Madagascar’s population is literate and 57% have access to mobile phones, people in the rural areas are still hampered by low literacy rates and a lack of a proper telecommunication system. Consequently, people share the majority of health-related facts orally, leading to the rampant spread of misinformation. In an effort to debunk myths and reform Madagascar’s health information system, a local NGO called Doctors for Madagascar, initiated a project that utilizes a unique tool for its success: singing.
Beginning of the Project
In 2018 and 2019, the measles epidemic in Madagascar caused more than 200,000 cases and over 1,000 deaths. During this time, health workers observed a deficiency of knowledge among rural people in southern Madagascar about measles vaccination.
To dispel the false rumors circulating, Doctors for Madagascar teamed up with local singer/songwriter Ebera to start the “Singing Sensitization” project as a medium of “getting accurate health information to isolated, rural communities in the country’s south.”
Free live music performances took place in places such as markets so that it could reach as many different demographics as possible. The song “The Measles” by Ebera became vastly popular among the rural Malagasy people for its educative lyrics and lilting tune.
The lyrics contained all information from verifiable sources such as the WHO and the Malagasy Ministry of Health. The song warned — “measles — they’re lethal” and advised them to take their children to the hospital if they showed symptoms like coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or diarrhea, instead of bringing them to “a shaman or a witch.” In addition, the song also urged villagers to get the measles vaccination as it would help protect them better against the disease.
Melodies During COVID-19
The success of “Singing Sensitization” during the measles outbreak in Madagascar encouraged the NGO to continue its project during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave in 2020, songs focused on the importance of wearing masks, washing hands regularly with soap and water as well as social distancing. The productions also placed emphasis on the origin and spread of the virus.
According to the WHO case study, these performances were conducted sporadically “at eight to nine locations each month (or bimonthly in each village) in Ampanihy until August 2021.” The infrequency was a result of compliance with social distancing rules proposed by the government.
The Song of Victory
Conveying facts through songs sung in local dialects has proven effective especially since the performances conclude with an informative Q&A session, where health workers address additional questions and concerns.
This created trust between the villagers and the health workers. The project members often held focus group sessions and informal interviews with “community leaders, health care workers, and local health authorities” to understand how much the villagers had learned and retained as well as identify what was lacking in their knowledge, WHO case study reports.
The team modeled additional performances based on these discussions, focusing on filling the “knowledge gaps” and denouncing any inaccurate information.
Additionally, these discussions helped the “Singing Sensitization” team infer that the reach of their performances was approximately 60–70%, with “a positive uptake of the initiative by the local population,” WHO case study reports.
Making it Large Scale
“Singing Sensitization” has greatly helped in improving rural Madagascar’s health information system. As of now, the biggest challenge is getting funding, recruiting more local performers and expending time and energy on translating lyrics into different local languages.
Nonetheless, the team wants to expand its project and take it to other “hard-to-reach” rural communities. One of their goals is to introduce a radio network for easier and wider transmission of information.
– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Flickr
Cash Transfers in Government Policy
Conditional Cash Transfer Initiatives
Cash transfers prove to be a simple and efficient way to provide low-income families with access to food rather than providing the food itself. Research shows that families struggling to make ends meet will likely spend cash transfers on pure necessities. However, critics still remain concerned over the misuse of cash transfers given to poorer families.
This is why cash transfer programs often rely on pre-agreed conditions. For example, for a family to be a beneficiary of a cash transfer program, they must agree to send their children for regular health checkups and must ensure school attendance.
In a study conducted by Bastagli et al. (2016), monitoring and assessing 56 cash transfer programs across 30 countries, households noted significant positive impacts from cash transfer programs. In a vast majority of cases, cash transfers led to an increase in household food expenditure, a reduction in the poverty rate and a positive local economic impact.
The Hidden Benefits
Despite the effectiveness of cash transfers in pulling people out of poverty, governments rarely use these programs or do not at all. Why? The short answer would be politics. Voters are not likely to vote for a party that requires higher tax payments from individual citizens but is far more likely to support a “free-school lunch” project. That is because to the average citizen, free lunches to low-income children do not feel like a cost coming from their own pocket while a cash transfer does.
Further, many fail to consider that cash transfers address financial limitations to basic social services, such as education and health care, and thereby, are able to reduce multidimensional child poverty. For many, the cost of school supplies, stationery, health service costs and prescription fees is not within the realm of what is financially possible.
An evaluation of cash transfer programs finds that 13 out of 20 reporting studies note a rise in school attendance rates. Furthermore, nine out of 15 reporting studies witnessed a rise in beneficiaries’ utilization of health care services.
Argentina’s Cash Transfer Program
In 2009, the Argentinian government implemented the Universal Child Allowance (AUH) Programme, a conditional cash transfer program with the goal of breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty. The program targets individuals younger than 18 who reside in financially unstable households, including households facing unemployment or households headed by workers in the informal economy sector.
The individual that qualifies for the program will receive 80% of a specific allowance monthly. The individual will receive the remaining 20% and future payouts on the condition that they satisfy certain school attendance requirements and attend health check-up appointments. By 2018, the program had benefited 3.9 million children since its implementation, equating to 0.6% of the nation’s GDP.
In agreement with the importance of cash transfer programs, the chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, Alison Garnham, has argued that countries should ensure a “minimum layer of protection” via free school meals and sufficient cash transfers in government policy as a part of a long-term poverty reduction campaign.
– Pauline Luetzenkirchen
Photo: Flickr
Doctors Without Borders Helps Ukraine
Doctors Without Borders Helps Ukraine
Since Russia launched a large-scale military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, millions of people have fled their homes, 7 million remaining displaced in Ukraine and 5 million fleeing to various neighboring countries.
Doctors Without Borders has maintained a presence in Ukraine since 2014, working to respond to the needs of HIV and tuberculosis patients. As the war has escalated over the last couple of months, the organization has halted its normal activities and launched emergency projects in Ukraine, tending to the current residents as well as the refugees in surrounding countries.
Doctors Without Borders teams are making every effort to help in Ukraine. Working with Ukrainian railways, the organization constructed a two-car medical train to transport patients from the east side of the country– the most affected side– to medical facilities on the west side of the country in April 2022. Doctors Without Borders is also setting up mobile clinic teams around the country.
Since implementing these teams at the war’s beginning, the organization has carried out more than 800 medical procedures in the subway stations, where Ukrainians are taking shelter against Russian bombing, according to its website. A team in Southwestern Ukraine has started tending to the needs of displaced people who need mental health care, and those who were receiving treatment for injuries and illnesses before the war broke out.
Helping Ukrainian Doctors
Due to the lack of trauma training that many Ukrainian doctors have, Doctors Without Borders has employed trauma specialists to teach those working in the hospitals how to assess and deal with trauma cases. A large effect that Doctors Without Borders has had on helping in Ukraine is the donation of medical supplies to the already-existing clinics and hospitals in the country.
Prior to the war’s outbreak, supply lines around the country were already extremely insecure, and the effects of the war have heightened the uncertainty of the lines even more.
Ukrainians have been in desperate need of medical equipment since the war’s beginning, having to make do with a very limited supply of first-aid kits, surgical tools, general resources and funds to administer vaccines. In March 2022, Doctors Without Borders delivered its first shipment of medical supplies to the Ukraine Ministry of Health and has continued to donate on a regular basis, according to its website.
COVID-19
Before the war, around 35% of Ukrainians had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As the conflict continues to rage, a surge of COVID-19 cases is taking place as a result of the disruption to testing and vaccine administration. As of August 2022, there are currently more than 4,000 active cases of COVID-19, and very limited supplies to help.
Doctors Without Borders teams around the world have been responding to the pandemic since 2020 and make no exception in Ukraine as the war brings up other pressing health issues. COVID-19 activities are remaining at the forefront of health care within the organization’s emergency activities, as Doctors Without Borders is providing Ukrainians with regular testing and vaccinations.
In addition to medical supplies and treatment, Doctors Without Borders has also donated a large supply of cold-weather clothing and tents to support the large population of homeless Ukrainians, according to its website. As the war continues to rage, Doctors Without Borders, in conjunction with other global aid organizations, is doing everything possible to provide relief to those who are unfairly facing displacement and danger.
– Ava Lombardi
Photo: Unsplash
How Berdo Aids the Disabled in Bangladesh
Job Placement
A common issue among the disabled is getting secure employment. The job-generating project aims to aid the disabled in finding suitable employment. An important aspect of this will be communicating with prospective employers in order to best accommodate the needs of the disabled. This program is funded by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The program has produced in excess of 115 jobs for people with disabilities, as of data from 2008.
Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
Community-based rehabilitation for the disabled is provided through the following methods:
Community-based counseling with other disabled people.
Training in mobility and skills needed for daily living.
Facilitating access to necessary loans.
Improving disability awareness.
Local self-help groups, parents groups and Disability Persons Organizations (DPOs).
Facilitating enrollment in schools for the disabled.
Braille Library
Access to braille literature is essential for the blind to obtain new information. A library with audiobooks, CDs and braille books is located in Bangladesh. Five hundred braille books and 300 audiobooks are currently available. The library also contains a recording studio for recording audiobooks.
The School of Information and Technology for the Visually Impairment (SITVI)
The School of Information and Technology for the Visually Impairment (SITVI) is a program to teach essential computer and internet skills to the visually impaired. Relief International Schools online provided the computers needed for this program. This program currently has four computers but will likely expand in the future.
Promotion of Human Rights
The Promotion of Human Rights of Persons with Disability in Bangladesh (PHRPBD) is a program that aims to expand and protect the rights of the disabled community. This program works alongside the Center for Disability in Development (CDD). These rights are addressed through several small meetings of female Persons with Disabilities (PWD):
Distribution of necessary assistive devices.
Helping people with disabilities obtain disability allowances.
Assisting children with disabilities with admission into schools.
Referral services and regular check-ups
Education
Berdo has opened centers in Dhaka and Madaripur. Within these centers are schools and hostels for the blind to access. Services provided by these centers include:
Foodservice
Lodging
Medical check-ups
Counseling Support
Education
Sports
Cultural Activities
Japan provided Berdo with a grant of $87,350. With this fund, Berdo was able to obtain and utilize a braille press. A braille press is essential for the process of making texts that can be accessed by the blind. Specifically, the organization will this press to make texts for the Berdo Blind School, library members and other blind people within Bangladesh. This could enhance the self-reliance of the visually impaired as well as promote adequate education.
While the current scope of Berdo is somewhat small compared to the population, it is providing essential services for the disabled. These services should continue to be expanded upon in order to give equal opportunities and allow the disabled to achieve more stability and success.
– Max Cole
Photo: Flickr
Sex Trafficking in Papua New Guinea
What is Happening in Papua New Guinea?
The U.S. Department of State placed PNG on a Tier Two Watch List. “The government of Papua New Guinea does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so,” according to the U.S. Department of State report. There are many challenges and attributes to consider when evaluating sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea. Although PNG lacks a lot of resources, the country has begun to improve in its elimination of sex trafficking.
As one of the World’s least developed countries, PNG faces many challenges with education, advocacy and law enforcement of sex trafficking. Furthermore, the country has not prioritized the incarceration of traffickers. According to the TIP 2021 report, PNG did not report any new investigations or prosecutions in 2021.
Since its Criminal Code Amendment in 2013, PNG has only prosecuted one individual that resulted in incarceration in November 2020. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, PNG has seen a decrease in all criminal investigations, with minimal energy spent on sex trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of State.
The Efforts
Although sex trafficking in PNG may look glum, the country is continuing to work toward the goal of elimination. Since the release of the 2020 Trafficking in Person (TIP) report, PNG has gone from Tier Three to a Tier Two Watch List. The main difference in these tiers is that as a Tier Three, it is stated there is no effort to eliminate trafficking.
PNG has also made slight efforts to broadcast and spread awareness to the public. On the country’s national day against human trafficking, “local authorities sponsored an article in their national newspaper to increase general awareness of trafficking,” according to the Tier Two Watch List.
In coordination with law enforcement agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has provided aid for both international and domestic victims. In 2019, PNG launched a “safe bus” in the capital city of Port Moresby which expanded to Lae. The bus began as a result of sexual harassment and assault on public transportation. Since its implementation, it has kept women and children safe in transit to and from work and school.
There are many providers of aid internationally, including the U.N., IOM and the U.S. government. Within the TIP reports, the U.S. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons also provides Prioritized Recommendations. Most notably, the recommendations, among others, include “implementing existing standard operating procedures (SOPs), increasing protective services for victims of trafficking, instituting a policy framework, increasing awareness of and participating in the committee by civil society and protection stakeholders and acceding to the 2000 U.N. TIP Protocol.”
The Progress
As a Tier Two Watch List country, the elimination of sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea is slowly improving. However, a lot of work needs to be done to accomplish this. With “an acute lack of financial and human resources,” according to the U.S. Department of State, PNG struggles to make strides.
Although domestic attempts to eliminate sex trafficking may appear minimal, the country has shown great growth by improving on the TIP Tier list. International support such as aid from the U.S. and the U.N. is continuing to rise. The government has followed prioritized recommendations, such as amending the criminal code in 2013.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally. It can be difficult to look past such daunting statistics. However, PNG is growing its resource pool and on the road to the elimination of sex trafficking. With the continued support of foreign aid, sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea could improve.
– Sierra Winch
Photo: Flickr
Green Initiatives Reduce Poverty in Ghana
Ghana’s Precarious Dependency on Natural Resources
Residents of the Bia Biosphere Reserve in Ghana are extremely dependent on the forest for their livelihoods. As cocoa farmers, harvesters of wild honey, mushrooms and other non-timber forest products, the people living in the region cannot economically sustain themselves without such natural resources. And yet, environmental depletion has become a serious concern, seeing as local populations rely almost exclusively on the forest’s resources for income. Large corporations also contribute to this degradation: unmanaged solid waste and gold mines result in air, plastic and water pollution, contaminated sites diffuse hazardous chemicals, and general deforestation and overfishing severely strain the biosphere.
Beyond the sheer environmental toll, the economic costs of such overexploitation are immense. The World Bank Ghana Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) estimates that environmental degradation incurs an annual cost of $6.3 billion, equivalent to nearly 11% of Ghana’s 2017 GDP. Air pollution costs nearly $2 billion and causes approximately 16,000 deaths each year. The damage caused by water pollution equates to 3% of the GDP. Land degradation costs over $500 million while deforestation costs $400 million per year. In addition to the immediate economic tolls, the depletion of natural resources inhibits the potential for future growth.
Green Economy Initiatives
In response to the increasingly salient threat of the Ghanian economy’s overdependence on natural resources, local communities have begun working with UNESCO and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to put in place green economy initiatives. The project builds on the Green Economy Scoping Study, performed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) between 2012 and 2013. The goal of such initiatives is to uncover income alternatives, as to reduce local populations’ reliance on natural resources for economic survival.
The project, launched in 2013, has thus far identified multiple viable alternatives to depleting natural resources, a few of which include mushroom farming, bee-keeping, snail rearing and palm oil production. According to UNESCO, there have been 235 direct beneficiaries, of which 91 are women, who received training and support as part of the green initiatives to transition to alternative livelihood options. In addition to the direct crafts, the residents also received education in marketing and investing, as to ensure the sustainability of their new businesses.
The green economy initiatives have had tremendous positive impacts on the socio-economic status of local communities, who have since been able to vary their sources of income and avoid environmental depletion. The project attests to the importance and viability of reconciling nature and economy for sustainable growth.
– Emily Xin
Photo: Unsplash
5 Facts about Education in Niger
5 Facts about Education in Niger
UNICEF continues to advocate for more accountability of Niger’s government, urging them to allocate more funds toward education. In July 2020, the Global Partnership for Education donated $70,000 to Niger to help it recover from the pandemic, which will go toward drawing up a plan to rebuild and redefine education in Niger. Organizations around the world are acknowledging the disparities in Niger’s education system and are working to provide a stronger foundation for students.
– Ava Lombardi
Photo: Flickr
Right To Be Free Addresses Human Trafficking in Ghana
Impact
Peasah says that the organization’s mission is to make the world a better place for everyone. RTBF directly supports the “rescue, rehabilitation, reunification and reintegration of victims of human trafficking” and other exploitative conditions.
Further, modern-day slavery is far more widespread and in need of urgent action than the world may be aware of. To illustrate, the U.S. has a total population of 320 million, out of which more than 400,000 are enduring conditions of modern slavery. In Ghana, more than 130,000 live in modern slavery out of a total of 30 million. Of all the children trafficked in Ghana, an estimated 60% have been trafficked on Lake Volta, one of the hotspots where Peasah has worked.
Founding of Right To Be Free
Peasah says he was supposed to become a lawyer long before he started working as a social worker full-time. Instead of studying law, he went to school for social engineering and part of his studying would take place outside of the classroom, on the streets.
Wanting to go into the areas most affected by poverty, he conducted a six-month academic project on the streets of Ghana where he worked for the International Organization for Migration near Lake Volta. Peasah and his team “identified trafficked children working on and along the lake as fishing children, cattle herdsmen or domestic servants in the villages.” A quickly assembled team found that these children were in most cases trafficked by their parents – with and without consent – to support their respective households. In response, Peasah and his team established a program to rescue these trafficked children, marking the beginning of Right To Be Free.
The Main Factors contributing to Human Trafficking
Peasah says, in his view, that the two biggest problems contributing to human trafficking are extreme poverty and ignorance. In terms of Africa, it is also the lack of employment and lack of opportunity that makes trafficking so widespread. He explains that children who lack perspective or a financial support network at home, especially girls, are more susceptible to lures of a better life in Kuwait, Qatar and the Gulf countries through potential jobs as domestic servants.
Advocacy
Right To Be Free follows the four Ps: “protection, prevention, prosecution and partnership” in order to foster genuine and sustainable improvement. Annually, RTBF staff members work with local villagers to raise awareness of the dangers of human trafficking.
Staff members also teach local fishermen about the legal and social consequences of child labor and provide alternate fishing methods or occupational training. Peasah points out that many parents genuinely believe their children may have a chance at a better life and send their children off based on false promises made by human traffickers.
Once children are rescued from oppressive conditions Right To Be Free tries to rehabilitate them and later integrate them back with their families. Where necessary, Right To Be Free provides micro-loans to victims’ parents or guardians to support them financially while simultaneously monitoring them. Right To Be Free facilitates education programs, either in the shape of community schools or as a course to teach women skills valuable for future employment.
The Link between Human Trafficking and Global Poverty
“Every country whether that is Ghana, Liberia, Pakistan, or Egypt has its unique answer to the root of human trafficking, yet the one unifying tie is that all people in those areas lack something. Poverty and trafficking 100% have a link.” Children are taken out of school by their parents to help with the family income, which results in a lack of education and vulnerability to trafficking. If the same parents had wealth, there would be no need to take children out of school and they would be apprehensive of the dangers of trafficking.
Future Plans
Peasah revealed that he would like to initiate a program where children who are currently suffering in silence can have a rescue line they can call. He says that rather than only working with the parents, it is just as important to give continued support to the children as well. Further, Right To Be Free plans on building more schools for communities over the coming years to educate children and parents on the dangers of trafficking.
– Pauline Lützenkirchen
Photo: Flickr