After nearly two decades, the Afghanistan War ended in August 2021, when United States forces evacuated the country. For the nearly 40.9 million Afghans left behind, the rippling impacts of the war have created a devastating crisis. Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis has made nearly every aspect of life take a turn for the worst under the rule of the Taliban. Crucially, this includes economic struggles, which then affect access to food and healthcare.
Part of the reason for the harsh and sudden economic downturn for Afghanistan came as a result of the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. Since then, most foreign aid has been revoked, including from sources such as:
- The United States
- The World Bank
- The International Monetary Fund
- The Asian Development Bank
As a result, nearly $2 billion in aid has been stopped, causing the economy to collapse, as prior to this, Afghanistan was nearly dependent on foreign aid.
Humanitarian Crisis
The economic collapse was the result of multiple failures or setbacks Afghanistan faced in recent years. Drought, the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts all came to a head with the Taliban takeover. Food insecurity has been at the forefront of the humanitarian crisis plaguing the Middle Eastern country.
According to the World Food Programme, 95% of Afghans are food insecure as of January 2022. Drought and rising food prices in the last year have increased the severity of food insecurity, which is now up 14 points from 81% the year before.
Food insecurity isn’t due to a lack of food in the country and is rather due to a lack of economic security. As of 2020, 85% of Afghans did not have a bank account. In the current crisis, humanitarian aid is not enough. Afghans need access to secure finances to lift themselves out of poverty and to allow them to purchase food and other necessities.
However, Afghanistan’s Central Bank’s credentials are not recognized internationally, which essentially renders it useless as a financial institution. This is a security measure, as there are fears that the Taliban could use any money for their own purposes. However, the group Human Rights Watch writes of a way to legitimize the Central Bank without giving funds indirectly to the Taliban, in a practice called “ringfencing.”
A Human Rights Watch article stated the ways to protect money going into Afghanistan. By “(ensuring that bank leaders have sole and independent authorities and credentials), put in place independent auditors to monitor the bank’s transactions internationally and domestically and ensure that assets made available are being used for legitimate central banking functions and humanitarian and commercial purposes.”
Measures to ease the burden of the economic crisis will go a long way to aid Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Digital Payments
One creative attempt to relieve the financial woes felt by Afghans is the use of digital payments. The Center for Global Development released a brief in May 2022 on the potential impact of digital payments on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Digital payments do not include cryptocurrency, though it doesn’t exclude the possibility. They work similar to apps like Venmo or CashApp, where money goes directly to consumers and then to the places they do business. The rise of technology like QR codes has made digital payments even more accessible.
In a country similar to Afghanistan, digital payments are seen as a way to alleviate economic hardship without inadvertently giving money to the Taliban, or paying the Taliban to regulate financial institutions. Instead, security measures including biometric data on smartphones or customer due diligence protocols. The protocols are already in place for digital payments used by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which often utilize digital payments for salaries in the countries they operate in.
The benefit of digital payments is the traceability, unlike bank notes. However, one potential disadvantage is that many Afghan women do not have access to smartphones or are illiterate, which would be a greater barrier to the effective use of digital payments.
There are various digital payment platforms that have already shown success. Fintech for International Development partnered with several NGOs to launch “Lotus20”, which had a successful pilot program in Kenya. In Afghanistan, the platform seeing success is “HesabPay”, which has partnered with more than 4,000 Afghan merchants to accept digital payments.
A Look Ahead
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is rapidly growing and will continue to get worse. There are a plethora of other issues contributing to the total devastation and yet so many can be traced back to economic pitfalls. Digital payments have the potential to help Afghans regain control of their finances and lives in a time of near constant crisis.
–Emma Rushworth
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The State of Poverty in Jamaica
Tourism Industry in Jamaica
Due to the nation’s heavy reliance on the tourism industry, the COVID-19 pandemic affected Jamaica significantly. The tourism industry alone accounts for $60 billion in gross domestic product while generating 2.8 million jobs for the citizens of Jamaica, according to Prime Minister Andrew Holness. In 2019 alone, a staggering 4.2 million tourists flocked to the beaches and resorts on the island.
However, once the pandemic hit Jamaica, the tourism industry came to a halt as did tourism-based income. The gross domestic product decreased by 9.9% in the year 2020, accounting for the steepest decline in the island’s history. During the peak of the pandemic, in July 2020, the unemployment rate reached 12.6%.
The CARE Programme
To combat this harsh reality, the Jamaican government stepped up to the plate to assist citizens. One of the most significant moves the government receives applause for is its implementation of a social and economic support program called the CARE Programme.
In order to improve the state of poverty in Jamaica, the program provided “compassionate grants to those who were unemployed or informally employed” before the onset of the pandemic. Those facing unemployment as a result of the pandemic received “temporary unemployment benefits” and the program supplied grants to small businesses and self-employed individuals whose income decreased due to the pandemic. The CARE Programme also provides aid to ill, elderly and disabled Jamaicans as well as other economically disadvantaged groups by boosting aid through existing initiatives. The program also gave incentives to companies in specific sectors to retain employees who fall in the lower-income bracket.
Due to the government’s generous and swift reaction to the pandemic, the state of poverty in Jamaica has continuously improved post-pandemic. In the year 2022, the percentage of people active in Jamaica’s labor force has risen. According to Carol Coy of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) as of April 2022, “The overall number of persons in the labor force rose by 24,900 or 1.9% to 1,350,300.” In addition to its renewed workforce, Jamaica anticipates that tourism in the nation for the year 2022 may bring in approximately USD $2.9 billion while drawing up to 2.5 million tourists to the island.
Looking Ahead
The perseverance of the Jamaican citizens and the government has led to a historic turnaround for the nation’s economy post-pandemic. While poverty has long ridden the island, the resiliency of the Jamaican people has brought the nation back from the brink of complete economic collapse. The current state of poverty in Jamaica makes it apparent that the future is more prosperous than ever.
– Austin Hughes
Photo: Flickr
How Digital Payments Can Aid Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis
Part of the reason for the harsh and sudden economic downturn for Afghanistan came as a result of the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. Since then, most foreign aid has been revoked, including from sources such as:
As a result, nearly $2 billion in aid has been stopped, causing the economy to collapse, as prior to this, Afghanistan was nearly dependent on foreign aid.
Humanitarian Crisis
The economic collapse was the result of multiple failures or setbacks Afghanistan faced in recent years. Drought, the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts all came to a head with the Taliban takeover. Food insecurity has been at the forefront of the humanitarian crisis plaguing the Middle Eastern country.
According to the World Food Programme, 95% of Afghans are food insecure as of January 2022. Drought and rising food prices in the last year have increased the severity of food insecurity, which is now up 14 points from 81% the year before.
Food insecurity isn’t due to a lack of food in the country and is rather due to a lack of economic security. As of 2020, 85% of Afghans did not have a bank account. In the current crisis, humanitarian aid is not enough. Afghans need access to secure finances to lift themselves out of poverty and to allow them to purchase food and other necessities.
However, Afghanistan’s Central Bank’s credentials are not recognized internationally, which essentially renders it useless as a financial institution. This is a security measure, as there are fears that the Taliban could use any money for their own purposes. However, the group Human Rights Watch writes of a way to legitimize the Central Bank without giving funds indirectly to the Taliban, in a practice called “ringfencing.”
A Human Rights Watch article stated the ways to protect money going into Afghanistan. By “(ensuring that bank leaders have sole and independent authorities and credentials), put in place independent auditors to monitor the bank’s transactions internationally and domestically and ensure that assets made available are being used for legitimate central banking functions and humanitarian and commercial purposes.”
Measures to ease the burden of the economic crisis will go a long way to aid Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Digital Payments
One creative attempt to relieve the financial woes felt by Afghans is the use of digital payments. The Center for Global Development released a brief in May 2022 on the potential impact of digital payments on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Digital payments do not include cryptocurrency, though it doesn’t exclude the possibility. They work similar to apps like Venmo or CashApp, where money goes directly to consumers and then to the places they do business. The rise of technology like QR codes has made digital payments even more accessible.
In a country similar to Afghanistan, digital payments are seen as a way to alleviate economic hardship without inadvertently giving money to the Taliban, or paying the Taliban to regulate financial institutions. Instead, security measures including biometric data on smartphones or customer due diligence protocols. The protocols are already in place for digital payments used by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which often utilize digital payments for salaries in the countries they operate in.
The benefit of digital payments is the traceability, unlike bank notes. However, one potential disadvantage is that many Afghan women do not have access to smartphones or are illiterate, which would be a greater barrier to the effective use of digital payments.
There are various digital payment platforms that have already shown success. Fintech for International Development partnered with several NGOs to launch “Lotus20”, which had a successful pilot program in Kenya. In Afghanistan, the platform seeing success is “HesabPay”, which has partnered with more than 4,000 Afghan merchants to accept digital payments.
A Look Ahead
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is rapidly growing and will continue to get worse. There are a plethora of other issues contributing to the total devastation and yet so many can be traced back to economic pitfalls. Digital payments have the potential to help Afghans regain control of their finances and lives in a time of near constant crisis.
–Emma Rushworth
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Global Engineering Brigade Provides Clean Water in Honduras
In Honduras, these efforts are needed more than ever as 5.7% of the population lacked access to clean water in 2021. The following year, Honduras’s capital Tegucigalpa also experienced a clean water shortage for its 1.5 million residents. Coupled with unsafe drinking sources, malnutrition and poor health care, there are increased fears of pneumonia, which is one of the leading causes of child deaths in the country.
Global Engineering Brigades
Global Brigades began in 2003 when Shital Vora, a physical therapist student at Marquette University recruited about 20 students to volunteer in Honduras. While students initially only delivered medical supplies, the scope of the program has since evolved. Global Brigades now also provides clean water, legal help and guidance on improving public health. During the pandemic, engineering students collaborated with communities over Zoom to help with clean water systems specifically.
Water Systems
Ongoing projects in five areas of Honduras continued post pandemic lockdowns. In cities such as Loz Izotes, residents’ primary water sources are local streams with untreated water. For this community, the only way to get sufficient water flow for everyone in the area is to build a well and install an efficient pump system. The location was assessed in 2016 and a water system is designed. However, a project partner is needed to bring the plan to completion.
Volunteering Process
The global engineering brigade has a five-step process for each water system project. Although it is typically a week-long trip, chapters strive to follow these steps to ensure clean water is presented to the community. Students and other volunteers first meet with community residents and leaders to assess current water sources and the community’s needs.
Once the assessment is done, Global Engineering Brigade engineers work with volunteers to design the project. They map the area, design the water system and create a budget that works with the community. With the project developed and the budget created, the volunteers present their findings to the community before they begin construction.
Volunteers also have the opportunity to visit previously completed projects to follow up and ensure it is operating correctly. The construction phase can take time due to funding. While volunteers are not expected to stay during the construction they can extend their trip if they want to.
Ongoing Projects and Future
While the pandemic temporarily changed the way the Global Engineering Brigade operated, engineering students are now back to work in person in 2022. At the beginning of the year, the University of Birmingham in England began to fundraise for their trip to Honduras planned for July 2022.
Similarly, Dalhousie University in Canada raised $30,093.34 for their trip to Honduras in May 2022. In 2021, the engineering students participated in a TeleBridage, helping communities virtually during the pandemic.
The University of Central Florida (UCF) in the United States is scheduled to travel to Honduras in May 2023. Students at UCF also joined the TeleBrigade in 2021 to help with the water access crisis.
Global Engineering Brigades worldwide continue to raise money and provide water systems to countries lacking clean water. As of 2019, 45 water systems have been constructed with the Global Engineering Brigade’s assistance.
– -Sara Sweitzer
Photo: Flickr
Updates From AIDS Conference 2022
The AIDS conference displayed many breakthroughs in HIV prevention and the intersections between sciences such as clinical, political, social and behavioral. The greatest clinical development, according to the co-chair of the conference Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy, was the research that found that the receipt of a long-acting injection shot of antiretroviral medication every eight weeks is “safe and superior” to daily oral medication.
Necessary Steps
However, though medical science is taking strides forwards, the rollout of these treatments remains behind. Esteban Burrone, the Head of Policy at the Medicines Patent Pool, described the necessary steps to promote the equitable rollout of HIV antiretroviral medication. Each country needs FDA approval, licensing, manufacturing and recommendation in guidelines for a rollout to receive approval. Things that can help fast-track product rollout in countries are “community involvement in demanding access, pursuing early licensing, securing national approval, equitable pricing agreements.” In addition, Dr. Karin Hatzold, a public health physician, discussed how access to “diagnostic strategies such as HIV self-testing… [and] operations research to optimize delivery models” are crucial for a successful rollout and introduction to products.
Reaching Rural Areas
Tackling the difficulty of delivering medications to vulnerable populations in developing countries, however, is Dr. Rosalind Parkes-Ratanshi. Parkes-Ratanshi discussed a pilot project in Uganda where medical drones help distribute HIV medication in remote locations and for mobile populations. Her medical drone project is also used for COVID-19 and STI sample delivery. Although this does not address the policy required to roll out new products in other countries, it is a step to reaching rural populations with already approved antiretroviral medication.
New Framework
Furthermore, representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), Global Fund and the International Aids Society (IAS) presented new people-focused guidelines that the WHO has adopted to focus on structural barriers. This includes reducing stigma and eradicating “punitive laws.” The new framework also works to target key populations who make up 70% of new HIV infections according to UNAIDS. Each presenter at the AIDS conference including the WHO strives to progress the global community toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target, a goal that states by 2030, 95% of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 95% of people who know their status will be receiving treatment and that 95% of people on HIV treatment will have an undetectable viral load making the chance of infecting others very low.
PEPFAR News
PEPFAR, the U.S. President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, announced that 5.5 million babies across the world have been born HIV-free due to the program’s efforts. PEPFAR’s efforts to expand treatment and prevention services to many target populations across the globe have reached millions. U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy Ambassador-at-Large Dr. John Nkengasong described the prevention program that made this possible. “In collaboration with countries, communities, and our partners, PEPFAR supported comprehensive HIV prevention programming for adolescent girls and young women, voluntary medical male circumcision, and we scaled up treatment for women and men with viral suppression.” Other PEPFAR announcements included reaching the 90-90-90 UNAIDS target in at least 12 “high HIV disease burden countries” and treating approximately 20 million men, women, and children with antiretroviral medication.
These were only a fraction of the many positive advancements that researchers discussed at the 2022 AIDS conference. Much progress has occurred in understanding other barriers such as the social, political and economical barriers to reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goal by 2030. Check out the AIDS 2022 website for more information about the 24th Annual AIDS conference.
– Jordan Oh
Photo: Flickr
Past and Present: Positive Effects of US Foreign Aid
The Marshall Plan
In 1948, western Europe sought postwar aid for rebuilding their nations. The U.S. issued the Marshall Plan, created by U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The plan provided $13.3 billion in foreign aid over four years. With this aid, western Europe began successfully rebuilding itself.
Due to this aid, the countries of western Europe are now some of the U.S.’ strongest allies and trading partners. These partners include but are not limited to France, England and Germany. By helping countries in need and investing money into international aid, these countries invest back in the U.S. This has positively impacted the U.S. economy and its global reputation. Those countries now see the U.S. as an ally, not an isolationist state.
The Green Revolution
The U.S. helped to reduce food insecurity and poverty globally by championing the Green Revolution, a 1940s revolution of agricultural techniques started by Norman Borlaug in Mexico. Due to the successes in Mexico’s agricultural sector, countries worldwide began using these Green Revolution techniques in the next two decades. Initially, Borlaug developed resilient and high-yielding varieties of wheat to increase agricultural yields. Later, Borlaug developed high-yielding varieties of rice.
To expand Green Revolution techniques to the rest of the world, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and other government agencies decided to fund further research. In 1963, through this financial support, Mexico established a research center called The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
Nations across the globe reaped the benefits of Borlaug’s and the research institution’s efforts. The U.S. Agency for International Development stood as a driving force in expanding the Green Revolution globally, “producing history’s most dramatic increase in food production through the development of high-yielding cereal varieties.” USAID was key in launching the Green Revolution, a term former USAID Administrator William Gaud coined in 1968.
During the middle of the 1960s, Asia noted high rates of famine and malnutrition, especially in countries like India. Higher yielding wheat and rice varieties led to poverty reduction and economic growth. In Asia, real per capita incomes increased by nearly 50% between 1970 and 1995, and poverty reduced from “nearly three out of every five Asians in 1975 to less than one in three by 1995.” In India, the rural poverty rate was as much as 65% before the mid-1960s, but by 1993, it had reduced to about 33%.
Possibilities for the Future of Ukraine
The U.S. can invest more in international aid and foreign affairs. Although the U.S. is the world’s wealthiest country, foreign aid was less than 1% of its budget in 2019. Ukraine and other countries impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war received a $40 billion aid package from the U.S. in May 2022. Yet, the U.S. allocated nearly half for military aid and just $16 billion for humanitarian and government assistance.
Looking to the Past
Past and present examples show the positive effects of U.S. foreign aid. The Marshall Plan shows how the U.S. gained long-term allies, and the Green Revolution highlights how U.S. foreign aid decreased world poverty. The Russia-Ukraine war is a current conflict in which the U.S. can allocate more foreign aid with the assurance of past proven success.
– Thomas Bogucki
Photo: Pexels
Quadloop Tackles Energy Poverty
Inequitable E-Waste in Central Africa
Over 95% of Nigeria’s 250,000 tons of e-waste contain dangerous compounds such as mercury, lead and cadmium. Improper disposal of hazardous materials has been shown to pollute and contaminate the environment, air, water and food sources, endangering e-waste workers and residents close to landfills. In extreme cases, toxic heavy metals have threatened child development and led to neurological damage. The European Union and U.N. also report on the inequity of e-waste: Developed countries offload their waste into Africa.
In Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania receive the most e-waste from developed countries. Due to inequitable policy and waste management systems, these countries cannot handle the surplus of waste from other countries. The following e-waste pollution leads to environmental contamination and subsequently endangers human health. The ongoing energy crisis is another concern: The Energy Progress Report of 2022 estimates that “92 million Nigerians lack access to electricity from the national grid.” With an energy grid that has already broken down five times in 2022 so far, policymakers and companies see renewable energy as a prime solution.
What Quadloop Does
Quadloop tackles energy poverty by collecting e-waste and reusing it to create renewable energy products. The company strives to reduce the buildup of e-waste in central Africa by using a circular economy model to turn e-waste into electricity for Nigerians lacking access.
An early prototype released in 2018, the Bliss Solar Lamp, provided low-income and vulnerable communities with clean energy using circuit LED batteries and replacing fire-hazardous kerosene lamps. Since then, the company has responded to feedback and researched further to create a more efficient and sustainable lamp design.
Quadloop later created IDunnu, a solar wall lantern from 70% recycled waste. The portable lantern’s components include a remote control, an automatic daylight sensor, a USB charging port and a rechargeable 10,400 mAh lithium-ion battery.
Projected Growth
Igweilo used his technological and entrepreneurial experience to start Quadloop, with the initial goal of solving rising e-waste and poor energy distribution in Nigeria. The company seeks educational programs, such as training at Lagos business schools, to increase awareness and encourage jobs in renewable energy.
Quadloop has seen significant recognition for creating reliable and renewable energy. In 2020, the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center granted Quadloop $10,000 for future development. In 2021, Igweilo won a Meaningful Business 100 award recognizing entrepreneurs making progress toward the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Now, Quadloop’s goal is to become the foremost indigenous company working toward eliminating the issue of e-waste in Africa. The company aims to expand to neighboring countries like Tanzania and Ghana to help with their similar energy issues.
– Nethya Samarakkodige
Photo: Flickr
Social Entrepreneurship Empowers Disability Justice
Social Entrepreneurship Track
Social entrepreneurship is quickly gaining popularity in the world of innovation. It is an initiative that pursues an innovative idea to address the root causes of communal issues such as poverty, water scarcity, disability justice and much more.
MIT recognizes the potential of social entrepreneurship. Hala Fadel, the Founder and Chair of MITEF Pan-Arab, commented that “the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem has reached an inflection point as 450-plus alumni are leading their way through the domains of renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and environmental infrastructure.”
Money goes into social businesses to create social impact, not to maximize dividends on investment. Without pressure from opportunistic stockholders to optimize profit, these peace-driven projects can expand impact and be self-sustaining and ethical.
A fundamental principle of social entrepreneurship is a pledge to higher than standard working conditions and wages. These initiatives provide proper employment for locals who are working to confront their communities’ problems. The emergence of this new wave of entrepreneurship is productive for social health, innovation and middle-class development. Social entrepreneurs may become major drivers of poverty reduction action in the future.
Social Business Highlight: Entaleq
Entaleq, one of the program’s successful alumni, is a mobile phone application aiming to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in Egypt. The Helm Foundation developed the app, and the nonprofit works to fight poverty and domestic violence.
The Helm Foundation’s mobile app positively influences people’s lives in North Africa. Entaleq allows users to comment and review locations that have disability access. The Helm Foundation also helps build and advocate for accessibility infrastructure in Egypt. As the 2020 winner of MITEF’s social entrepreneurship track, Entaleq hopes to reach the global market shortly.
Disability Justice and Poverty Reduction
Disability justice is essential for global poverty alleviation. According to a report from the International Labor Organization (ILO), people with disabilities are typically among the world’s poorest demographics, especially in low-income countries. According to a U.N. report, people with disabilities are likely 7% to 10% of any nation’s population.
Furthermore, there is an undeniable connection between disability, conflict and poverty. War continues to wound the bodies and minds of people around the world. People from conflict-heavy areas are more likely to have limited support and decreased job opportunities. A focus on disability justice is vital for recently post-conflict countries as they navigate reconstruction and poverty reduction.
Disability justice is often limited to caregiving. However, conceptions of disability justice may expand to more inclusive design and improvements to daily living which the Entaleq app does in Egypt.
How MIT’s Annual Pan-Arab Competition Helps Entrepreneurs
MIT’s annual Pan-Arab Competition is sure to bring together some of the brightest young entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa. Participants will gain valuable training and exposure to a global network of innovators. Successful startups receive equity-free funding to advance projects. MITEF’s ideas, startup and social entrepreneurship tracks offer several routes for budding innovators.
Entaleq won funding in the 2020 social entrepreneurship track. The platform allows people to review disability accessibility at locations around Egypt. There are deep intersections between disability and poverty, and this technology enhances app users’ mobility and agency. Innovative social initiatives such as Entaleq prioritizing community care are making transformative impacts, showing how social entrepreneurship empowers disability justice.
MITEF’s Pan-Arab competition may be used as a model for sprouting innovation. Government funding in social entrepreneurial education will reap benefits, from local communities to the macro global economy. The MITEF Pan-Arab Competition’s proven success is designing a new identity for the world of technology and innovation.
– Samson Heyer
Photo: Flickr
Poland Welcomes Ukrainian Refugees
Who are the Refugees?
The majority of the 6.5 million Ukrainians who have fled the country are women and children. This is because, under Ukraine’s martial law, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country. Fathers, husbands and sons have had to stay behind, resulting in many families being separated.
Not all refugees fleeing from Ukraine are Ukrainian. Students from African countries, Afghan refugees and Belarusian asylum seekers make up a sizeable portion of those who cross into Poland in the flight from violence, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). When the EU announced temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees, the IRC also urged that the same auspices be extended to non-Ukrainian residents and asylum seekers.
What Do the Refugees Need?
Refugees arriving in Poland are fleeing areas heavily inflicted by fighting with some having spent weeks living in bomb shelters and basements. Scared for their own lives as well as the lives of any loved ones left behind, refugees enter Poland in a state of acute distress and anxiety. On top of their concern for family members still in Ukraine, refugees must also deal with the stress of mapping out their future course of action with far fewer economic resources and social ties than they had in their home country.
Refugees’ main needs are health and medical services. At the beginning of the crisis, those making the journey across the border endured freezing temperatures and went days without enough food and water. “People are arriving across the border exhausted, hungry and cold,” said IRC Ukraine emergency response team lead Heather Macey to Rescue.
The government of Poland has installed numerous reception centers throughout the country in response. There, refugees can receive any medical attention they may need and recuperate for a few nights before finding shelter elsewhere in the country. The IRC has played a critical role in providing these centers with blankets and sleeping bags as well as necessary medical equipment.
Poland’s Open Door Policy
Poland has been quick to establish systems of legal stay, access to employment, education, health care and other social welfare for newly arriving refugees. Polish authorities have registered more than 1.1 million people with the Government of Poland and granted them with a state ID number that gives them access to these services, U.N. reports.
While the Polish government has accomplished much on its own, other international organizations like the IRC and the UNHCR have played a critical role in supporting government-led efforts, specifically in providing cash assistance and delivering emergency supplies. “[More than] 100,000 refugees have already received financial support from UNHCR to cover their basic needs, such as paying rent or buying food and medicine,” said Olga Sarrado, spokeswoman for UNHCR.
With the help of its partners, Poland has shown an impressive crisis response. It is important to remember however that the Russian-Ukraine war is ongoing, and the country is to expect even larger flows of refugees further into the year meaning that more support will be needed going forward.
– Lauren Kim
Photo: Flickr
International Partnerships Reduce Indo-Pacific Piracy
Past Collaborations
In 2008, after piracy surged, Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) — an anti-piracy operation — was formed to coordinate missions among China, America, Japan and India. This alliance aimed to prevent piracy and poverty in pirate-prevalent nations. Then, in September 2009, the U.S. and China ramped up their collaboration. In total, the Chinese Navy, with U.S. assistance, “rescued … 43 ships in 32 missions.”
The Gulf of Aden, however, is perhaps the greatest cooperative victory. Much of the world’s oil and food exports are transported through the gulf, making the Gulf of Aden a crucial economic pipeline. In 2010, a U.N. Contact Group approved the U.S. and China’s plans for mitigating piracy in the Gulf, supported by India.
Anti-piracy initiatives with this level of cooperation are much more effective than a single nation’s efforts. No country can handle the vast ocean alone. As a naval expert said, “ To catch a pirate, cooperation is key.” Cooperating to end piracy may also save the world up to $12 billion a year and help decrease global poverty, according to a non-profit’s 2010 report.
Recent Initiatives
China partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to clamp down on piracy and prevent primarily low-income countries in the Indo-Pacific from experiencing pirate-inflicted economic damage. Meanwhile, Japan joined U.S. and U.K. naval vessels in 2021 anti-piracy drills, providing another guard against pirates.
More broadly, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an alliance consisting of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan, recently planned several joint defense operations for mitigating Indo-Pacific piracy. In 2021, the alliance set a precedent where all four countries participated for the second consecutive year in over a decade.
American Funding
Piracy often begins in poverty and goes on to cause poverty, creating a loop. Put simply: poverty motivates potential pirates to steal. Rather than more minor acts of thievery, this often spirals into massive maritime violations. In the past decade, Congress considered funding vulnerable countries as a method of piracy prevention. Thus, in the past year, the U.S. provided $253 million for financial development in Somalia.
Furthermore, Congress passed the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative, which would gradually dispense $425 million toward piracy prevention. By economically supporting the Indo-Pacific region, overall poverty decreases and residents are less likely to resort to piracy. Piracy and its adverse effects can diminish by continuing to facilitate anti-poverty programs in the Indo-Pacific and other vulnerable regions. Major world powers have shown that cooperation works. Their international partnerships reduce Indo-Pacific piracy and help ease global poverty.
– Ashwin Telang
Photo: Flickr
MAB Improves Visual Health in Malaysia
The Gurney Training Center for the Blind
The Gurney Training Center for the Blind is MAB’s vocational training school for those with visual impairment. This center provides both vocational training and rehabilitation services. The center’s vocational courses allow people with visual impairment to receive proper training in a field. Some of the vocational training courses include skills such as woodworking, massage therapy, telephony, industrial work and computer programming. The center also offers rehabilitation services, including physical therapy, counseling, casework, mobility training, communication and social skills, and recreational activities.
Taman Harapan Agricultural Training Center
The Taman Harapan Agricultural Training Center teaches skills for various farming and breeding methods. Other related courses offered include ones such as horticulture and craft making. Like Gurney’s, the center also provides rehabilitation services such as techniques for daily living.
Information Technology
MAB also provides training in how to use assistive devices and software. Additional services include the repair and replacement of this adaptive equipment. The organization also advocates for those with visual impairment by prompting employers and policymakers to provide Information and Communication Technologies facilities (computer labs, laptops, tablets, etc.) in the workplace.
Job Placement
MAB provides a job placement program to help its clients find stable work and improve the economic mobility of Malaysian people with visual impairment. MAB provides work placement by offering different resources, such as placing trained individuals into appropriate employment opportunities, helping with loans for assistive equipment needed for jobs, and working with the Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Human Resources to address employment matters.
Assistance to Blind Children Centers (ABC)
ABC Centers are several early intervention programs that provide essential services to children with visual impairment. These children are provided with physical training, basic living skills, preschool activities, recreational activities and counseling services. This center also aids parents by providing services such as education and counseling on visual impairment.
Public Transportation
Safety while riding public transportation is a recurring issue for people with visual impairment. In a broad collaboration with several government ministries, Nongovernmental Organizations and MAB, the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation in Malaysia installed directional tactile tiles on the Putrajaya MRT Line. These tiles give tactile feedback to commuters along the most efficient path from the entry point to the rail platform. The tiles also help indicate where an elevator or escalator is.
MAB improves visual health in Malaysia by promoting such inclusive designs and providing various services. With more efforts like MAB’s, people with visual impairment in Malaysia can integrate into a more inclusive society with improved opportunities for economic mobility.
– Max Cole
Photo: Flickr