The continent of Africa makes enough food to feed its entire population. However, there are still plenty of citizens who go to bed hungry and live in poverty. Due to the general struggle of exporting goods, Africa can barely get its products out to other countries, much less within the region, because goods cost much more than they normally would. However, there are organizations, such as USAID and legislation such as the African Free Continental Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) that are working on reducing trade tariffs and increasing trade within Africa.
Terrifying Tariffs
Africa’s infrastructure was designed to send out goods and other resources to other areas in the world, not for trading within the region. This dilemma has created many roadblocks to trading across borders. One of these is that the price of trading outside the continent has risen dramatically. Specifically, “the cost of goods in the region is nearly 40% above retail because it costs that much to get it to consumers,” according to USAID.
Trade within the region of Africa only makes up 13% of the total. According to USAID, the continent drags behind other global superpowers in trade. In fact, Asia is responsible for 40% of trade in the region, the EU is responsible for 60% of trade and North America has 31% of total trade.
Fighting the Good Fight
Food insecurity is one of the most significant impediments to economic prosperity in Africa and the result of a lack of increasing trade within Africa. More than 27 million people in the region are still food insecure and require assistance, amounting to a 39% increase since 2016.
However, USAID is working with the government in Africa and private sector organizations on reducing the costs of doing business, and increasing trade within Africa. USAID Trade and Investment Hubs are working to improve the opportunities for investment. “For every $1 of public money spent, the hubs leverage $9 in private sector investment.”
There are other solutions too. Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which reduced both the cost of importing/exporting goods by half, Africa has begun back-and-forth trade with the U.S. Over 10 years later, “U.S. businesses have exported $37 billion worth of goods to East Africa,” USAID reported.
Another effort toward increasing trade in Africa is the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Area Agreement, (AfCFTA), “a landmark trade agreement,” signed in 2018.
The AfCFTA, An Overview
The AfCTFA pressures countries to remove tariffs on 90% of goods and will create a market that has, “over a billion consumers” and a total GDP of more than $3 trillion, according to a Brookings report. This would make Africa “the largest free trade area in the world.”
Thanks to the fact that the AfCFTA has been increasing trade within Africa, the number of goods trading within the region has increased from around 10% in 1995 to about 17%. However, as stated before, the region’s total trade with itself still remains low compared to other global superpowers such as Europe, Asia and North America.
However, according to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the AfCFTA will increase the number of agricultural products traded within the country by 20 to 30%. By accepting the agreement, state revenue, income for farmers, and investments in modern agricultural practices will increase. ECA wrote a report on the AfCFTA and explained that “the AfCFTA potentially embodies a ‘win-win’ approach such that all countries across Africa and vulnerable communities within these countries receive benefits from the agreement,” according to a Brookings report.
A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report in 2021 showed that Africa’s, “untapped export potential amounts to $21.9 billion, equivalent to 43% of intra-African exports.”
Due to COVID-19, the date of free trade in Africa pushed back to January 1, 2021. Just a month before free trade was supposed to begin, an African coffee and cocoa merchant named Meron Dagnew visited the AfCFTA Secretariat in February 2020. “I am hoping to not pay as much as 35% tariffs on my goods… I could then make a profit, expand my business and hire more people,” she said.
The lack of modern transportation systems holds back traders like Dagnew to ship their goods. According to Africa Renewal, “African countries could rake in $20 billion yearly by simply tackling non-tariff barriers that slow the movement of goods.”
There are plenty of blockades to increasing trade within Africa, such as tariffs, food insecurity and a lack of modern agricultural practices. However, thanks to the help of organizations such as USAID, and legislation such as the African Free Continental Trade Agreement, Africa is slowly making their way towards being able to provide for each and every citizen and promote growth within the region’s hard-working traders.
– Henry Hyman
Photo: Flickr
USAID Programs in Namibia
The factors include prevention and treatment for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, fundamental access to education, “community-based natural resource management”, “democracy and governance” and establishing employment opportunities and expanding on existing enterprises.
Energy Programs in Namibia
Electricity access is still lacking in parts of southern Africa. In 2020, The World Bank reported that only 56% of Namibians had access to electricity. Namibia is one of 11 nations in the Southern African Energy Program (SAEP), which was launched in 2017. Another country targeted by SAEP is Zambia. In 2021, Namibia imported 100 megawatts (MW) from Zambia according to NamPower, Namibia’s national electric utility provider.
Of note, renewable energy has been a focus of the SAEP, using existing resources from its parent organization USAID to fund a renewable energy feed-in-tariff program. The feed-in-tariff program provides individuals with means to renewable energy similar to solar panels. Excess or unused energy produced is sent to the national power grid and the individual is given a tariff or small sum for the unused energy. If an individual in the program needs more energy than they produced, they can get energy from the national grid.
Tuberculosis in Namibia
Tuberculosis (TB) is the fourth highest cause of death in Namibia. Around 1,500 people died from TB in 2020 according to the organization Stop TB.
Still, Namibia has had some recent success thanks to USAID treatment programs. New incidences of TB in Namibia were at the lowest rate in over a decade with approximately only 11,700 cases in 2020. Additionally, treatment programs were largely successful; USAID reports an 87% success rate in new TB cases in 2020. A course of several antibiotics is the routine treatment for TB.
TB ties into a greater health problem in Namibia, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). According to USAID, 61% of people in Namibia with TB are also HIV positive. In 2020, 1,989 Namibians were diagnosed with both HIV and TB.
Combating HIV in Namibia
In Namibia, USAID and PEPFAR have provided substantial help in the fight against HIV. USAID programs in Namibia geared toward HIV provide counseling, resources and treatment for Namibians with HIV. This includes pregnant women at risk of passing HIV to their children.
USAID’s efforts have paid off. For 20 years, new HIV and AIDS cases have been on the decline. HIV is the virus that, if left untreated, can develop into AIDS. In 1998, new AIDS cases in Namibia were estimated to be at 22,000. In 2020, there were only an estimated 5,500 new AIDS cases according to UNAIDS, the joint program in the United Nations dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS.
One of the most effective ways to prevent HIV is using condoms during sex. In Namibia, the demand for access to condoms exceeds the supply, which is where USAID comes in. Supplying condoms to Namibians is one prong of the strategy to combat HIV. The most recent update to fighting HIV through USAID programs in Namibia came in early June 2022. USAID donated 6.9 million condoms and 2.6 million bottles of personal lubricant to the country to fight to help prevent the spread of HIV.
Final Thoughts
USAID programs in Namibia have been actively fighting to improve conditions in the southern African country. Direct efforts from USAID, including energy programs through SAEP, have given access to electricity to thousands of Namibians. Healthcare to treat and prevent diseases like HIV and TB have increased living conditions in Namibia, highlighting the need for programs to help Namibians in the fight against poverty and disease.
– Emma Rushworth
Photo: Flickr
Opportunities for African Students in Chinese Universities
In recent years, China has become one of the most popular destinations for students from other developing countries, mainly African states, to seek higher education. The number of African students in Chinese universities reached a new peak of 81,562 in 2018, compared to less than 2,000 in 2003. It is worth asking how universities in China are attractive to African students and how those students benefit from this study experience overseas.
Growing Recognition of Chinese Higher Education
Speaking of opportunities to study abroad, most people immediately think of the U.S. and the U.K. as the ideal destinations, as the two countries occupied nine of the top 10 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2023. However, it is essential to notice that the Chinese universities’ performance in the world rankings is improving yearly, so many see them as providing an excellent academic environment for students as well.
In 2015, the two most prestigious universities in China, Peking and Tsinghua, ranked 51st and 47th in the QS World University Rankings. However, in the 2023 list, they ranked 12th and 14th respectively, showing that Chinese higher education is receiving more international recognition.
In 2018, 11% of students from Africa and the Middle East who chose to study abroad picked China as their destination. Additionally, the survey showed that universities in China are the sixth most popular among those students, ranking higher than both France and Switzerland.
Opportunities and Experiences of African Students in Chinese Universities
The fact that African students in Chinese Universities are becoming more common is significant due to China’s soft power diplomacy. As the Chinese government cooperates economically and politically with African states, it becomes more valuable and practical for African students to study in China. Indeed, China embraced those students with open arms.
First of all, the Chinese national government, local government, Confucius Institute and individual universities (including Peking university) have set up multiple scholarships for international students. Most of those scholarships cover all the fees of tuition and teaching materials, as well as living expenses. Some scholarships even provide free medical insurance and plane tickets to travel home and return to school.
Also, the Chinese government valued African students in their university as a successful soft power approach to push forward international cooperation. According to Global Times, in October 2021, China-Africa Institute held the First Forum on International Students from Africa named “We, the Inheritors of African-China Friendship,” with Martin Mpana, Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Cameroon to China, giving the opening speech. This encouraged more African students to pursue higher education in China.
Moreover, many significant figures in African politics had previous experience as a student in Chinese universities. For example, in 2005, 22 critical African politicians had received scholarships in China before, and eight of them explicitly worked on the diplomatic relationship with China.
African students that China Daily interviewed stated that studying and knowing about China helped their future careers as many Chinese-related investments and cooperations created jobs in their homeland. He also believed that learning from Chinese business could help to improve Africa’s economy.
Case Study: Peking University African Student Association
African students in Chinese universities would not feel alone, as many of them have their own student society. The Peking University African Student Association is one of them. The Association organizes many academic and social activities for African students. It also provides overseas African students with invitations and information to study at Peking University, including collaboration with African Student Associations from other schools like Tsinghua University.
In 2020, the Peking University African Student Association took a significant role in the Ninth Meeting of the China-Africa Think Tank Forum, showing their influence in promoting African students’ participation in Chinese academic activities.
Overall, the number of African students studying in Chinese universities continues to rise. This sizeable eastern economy could provide more opportunities for higher education for students from other developing countries.
– Ella Li
Photo: Flickr
Increasing Trade Within Africa
The continent of Africa makes enough food to feed its entire population. However, there are still plenty of citizens who go to bed hungry and live in poverty. Due to the general struggle of exporting goods, Africa can barely get its products out to other countries, much less within the region, because goods cost much more than they normally would. However, there are organizations, such as USAID and legislation such as the African Free Continental Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) that are working on reducing trade tariffs and increasing trade within Africa.
Terrifying Tariffs
Africa’s infrastructure was designed to send out goods and other resources to other areas in the world, not for trading within the region. This dilemma has created many roadblocks to trading across borders. One of these is that the price of trading outside the continent has risen dramatically. Specifically, “the cost of goods in the region is nearly 40% above retail because it costs that much to get it to consumers,” according to USAID.
Trade within the region of Africa only makes up 13% of the total. According to USAID, the continent drags behind other global superpowers in trade. In fact, Asia is responsible for 40% of trade in the region, the EU is responsible for 60% of trade and North America has 31% of total trade.
Fighting the Good Fight
Food insecurity is one of the most significant impediments to economic prosperity in Africa and the result of a lack of increasing trade within Africa. More than 27 million people in the region are still food insecure and require assistance, amounting to a 39% increase since 2016.
However, USAID is working with the government in Africa and private sector organizations on reducing the costs of doing business, and increasing trade within Africa. USAID Trade and Investment Hubs are working to improve the opportunities for investment. “For every $1 of public money spent, the hubs leverage $9 in private sector investment.”
There are other solutions too. Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which reduced both the cost of importing/exporting goods by half, Africa has begun back-and-forth trade with the U.S. Over 10 years later, “U.S. businesses have exported $37 billion worth of goods to East Africa,” USAID reported.
Another effort toward increasing trade in Africa is the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Area Agreement, (AfCFTA), “a landmark trade agreement,” signed in 2018.
The AfCFTA, An Overview
The AfCTFA pressures countries to remove tariffs on 90% of goods and will create a market that has, “over a billion consumers” and a total GDP of more than $3 trillion, according to a Brookings report. This would make Africa “the largest free trade area in the world.”
Thanks to the fact that the AfCFTA has been increasing trade within Africa, the number of goods trading within the region has increased from around 10% in 1995 to about 17%. However, as stated before, the region’s total trade with itself still remains low compared to other global superpowers such as Europe, Asia and North America.
However, according to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the AfCFTA will increase the number of agricultural products traded within the country by 20 to 30%. By accepting the agreement, state revenue, income for farmers, and investments in modern agricultural practices will increase. ECA wrote a report on the AfCFTA and explained that “the AfCFTA potentially embodies a ‘win-win’ approach such that all countries across Africa and vulnerable communities within these countries receive benefits from the agreement,” according to a Brookings report.
A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report in 2021 showed that Africa’s, “untapped export potential amounts to $21.9 billion, equivalent to 43% of intra-African exports.”
Due to COVID-19, the date of free trade in Africa pushed back to January 1, 2021. Just a month before free trade was supposed to begin, an African coffee and cocoa merchant named Meron Dagnew visited the AfCFTA Secretariat in February 2020. “I am hoping to not pay as much as 35% tariffs on my goods… I could then make a profit, expand my business and hire more people,” she said.
The lack of modern transportation systems holds back traders like Dagnew to ship their goods. According to Africa Renewal, “African countries could rake in $20 billion yearly by simply tackling non-tariff barriers that slow the movement of goods.”
There are plenty of blockades to increasing trade within Africa, such as tariffs, food insecurity and a lack of modern agricultural practices. However, thanks to the help of organizations such as USAID, and legislation such as the African Free Continental Trade Agreement, Africa is slowly making their way towards being able to provide for each and every citizen and promote growth within the region’s hard-working traders.
– Henry Hyman
Photo: Flickr
Bitcoin in Argentina
Economic consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain shortages have ramped up inflation in Argentina to record levels. At its peak, economists estimated that inflation in Argentina reached a 60% increase since the beginning of the pandemic. The rapid deflation of the peso pushed about 37.7% of the population of Argentina below the poverty line by significantly reducing their purchasing power, signaling a serious economic crisis. The adoption of bitcoin in Argentina is helping people to fight against inflation and poverty.
Bitcoin in the Developing World
In recent years, many developing nations have turned to bitcoin for a couple of different reasons. First, bitcoin is decentralized, meaning that international organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) do not regulate it. Second, bitcoin is highly effective at containing inflation and is a relatively steady asset as opposed to standard market investments and savings.
The cryptocurrency penetration rate in Argentina has reached 12%, Cointelegraph reported. This is more than double most other countries in Latin America. Due to the success of bitcoin in Argentina, the central bank motioned to forbid financial institutions from operating with digital assets.
The IMF and the World Bank claimed that cryptocurrency in developing countries is dangerous, because it opens doors for money laundering and economic volatility, according to Politico. Bitcoin is also an environmental hazard. “If Bitcoin were a country, it would be among the top 30 energy users in the world,” Foreign Policy reported. This means that as bitcoin increases in popularity around the world, it could harm the environment and worsen changing weather patterns.
The Key to Sustainable Global Development
Many economists believe that bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency hold the key to sustainable global development. This would be particularly beneficial to the world’s poorest nations and communities. Decentralized finance allows people to build entire financial ecosystems without intervention from world banks, according to Foreign Policy. Because of decentralized financial blockchains, people across the world have broader access to capital and can easily and securely transfer money.
People in the developing world usually experience exclusion from modern cryptocurrency systems due to their technological complexities and the necessity of online financial literacy. Because of this, the expansion of bitcoin in Argentina and other developing nations marks a victory in the fight against global poverty.
One of the greatest advantages that bitcoin offers to a country like Argentina is that it can provide a “financial identity” to people who have not had access to financial institutions like banks. As of 2022, 1.7 billion people across the world lack access to modern financial services, according to Foreign Policy. Therefore, providing access to financial assets is a priority in the fight for global development.
Bitcoin as a Method of Reducing Poverty and Inflation
The success of bitcoin in Argentina and other developing nations is catching attention around the world, particularly from the federal governments of rich countries like the United States and global organizations like the IMF. The IMF and the World Bank are actively working to prevent countries like Argentina from adopting bitcoin as a legitimate form of national currency. However, their efforts are failing because multiple countries in the Central African States, as well as El Salvador, have already motioned to adopt Bitcoin as a national currency, according to Politico.
While Argentina has not yet officially adopted bitcoin, the nation is experiencing significant economic growth and optimism for the reduction of the alarmingly high poverty rate. As economic complications from the pandemic and global conflicts increase, many countries in the developing world are finding significant successes in financial systems that have traditionally only benefitted rich nations.
– Ella DeVries
Photo: Flickr
How Aid Programs in Brazil Fight Poverty
As of 2021, approximately 27 million people make up Brazil’s poor living under the poverty line, which is 12.8% of the country’s populace. This, after the poverty rate dropped to 4.5% in August 2020 with the help of a federal fund transfer program, hit individuals and families hard who had struggled with severe poverty prior to this COVID-19 aid program. The recess that monetary security provided was short-lived. Yet, while unsustainable, the program nevertheless did help those in need. Aid programs in Brazil have helped many families stay afloat amid economic uncertainty.
The Bolsa Família Program
With dilemmas revolving around the economy springing up anew, many of the country’s poor fell back on benefits from the government-funded Bolsa Família program. However, some who ended up back in poverty while trying to provide for their families, complained that the program denied them monthly aid due to ineligibility, Reuters reported.
Increased Welfare with the Auxílio Brasil Program
Also in 2021, the administration of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro (elected to that office in 2018) expanded welfare payments through the Auxílio Brasil program. The current administration promotes the program unabashedly throughout some of Brazil’s poor districts. Indeed, Auxílio Brasil allotted for the poorest Brazilians a payment of R$400 ($85) per month, a 75% increase on what the previous Lula-era Bolsa Família program paid out on average.
However, there are concerns about whether or not the new government program will live up to its lofty expectations. If not, the administration might declare a state of emergency. “This would enable Bolsonaro to avoid fiscal guidelines with a view to improving the Auxílio Brasil handouts” probably as much as R$600, according to Businesslend.
Government aid programs in Brazil, such as the selective Bolsa Família stimulus allowances attest, show varying levels of efficacy, and the country’s poor views them as an irritation at times. Welfare programs, whether backed federally or internationally, have, nevertheless, paid off for certain communities while their stability is not always a given.
IFAD Program Helps Thousands Out of Poverty
At the end of June 2022, a report came that the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) assisted “around 257,000 rural families to overcome poverty in Brazil from 2016 to 2022.” An invested budget of $453 million allowed IFAD to establish six distinct projects dealing with rural development.
As the fourth largest global food producer, Brazil relies heavily on agricultural goods both for its own population and for exporting internationally. The vast majority of agriculture in the country comes from family-run farms, which produce 70% of the foodstuffs Brazilians eat. Unlike big-time agribusinesses, the family-operated farms of Brazil generate jobs in their local communities. Family farming employs 70% of Brazil’s rural workforce. Conservationists and other analysts frown upon what they perceive to be an overemphasis on industrialized agriculture, citing the benefits of family farming.
Given that family-owned farming is the backbone of the country’s agriculture, IFAD’s aid was all the more impactful since, in order to help Brazil’s poor, it focused on rural farming communities – social hubs known for their regular employment and food production. Rossana Polastri, the relevant regional director at IFAD, said the success of the program “was possible due to the strong commitment of the federal and state authorities to family farming as a way for rural poor populations to lift themselves out of poverty,” IFAD reported on its website.
On the updraft of its recent success, IFAD has also supported the Amazon Sustainable Management Project, a program intended to reduce rural poverty and deforestation in the Amazonian region, according to IFAD’s website. The success enjoyed by several aid programs in Brazil shows that, with proper planning and the right means, these programs can do what they say they can – reduce poverty.
– John Tuttle
Photo: Flickr
Resurgence of Polio in Pakistan
Polio, for many in the United States today, is not much more than a history lesson. Whether it is former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s battle with the disease or the innovations of Dr. Jonas Salk in his creation of a vaccine, the illness tends to only touch most people through books and movies, or when a newborn is vaccinated. Over the last few decades, much of the rest of the world has shared in these triumphs. It is still present in the human population and though outbreaks are diminishing, they do occur. After experiencing significant progress throughout 2021 and for some time into 2022, there are new cases of polio in Pakistan.
What the Outbreak Looks Like
While most people will clear the polio virus without experiencing serious issues, its debilitating symptoms can leave victims with brain and spinal cord injuries. Polio will cause meningitis in around one out of 25 people infected and paralysis in one out of 200. Furthermore, adults who have previously recovered can develop post-polio syndrome which presents itself as new muscle pain or paralysis later in life.
For centuries, people lived with the fear of disability from this disease. Since the advent of vaccinations, the vast majority of nations have eradicated polio. Pakistan, along with its neighbor Afghanistan, has been slower to share in this progress. These two countries are the last where polio is still considered an endemic disease, meaning that it is constantly spreading.
Cases have been diminishing for a long time, however. For example, the incidence of paralysis from polio in Pakistan fell from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just 84 in 2020. The country recently experienced a hiatus in polio detection that lasted from January 2021 until April 2022 when the diagnosis of polio in a baby boy in the North Waziristan district interrupted the progress, The Guardian reports. Eleven children in Pakistan have been diagnosed with the illness since.
Why is Polio Resurging in Pakistan?
Polio continues to cause outbreaks in Pakistan for much of the same reason that other diseases as many in the population do not have immunity against it. Polio vaccines have proven to be highly effective on the individual level and can create herd immunity when around 80-85% of the population receives a vaccine.
Reaching the level of vaccine coverage that herd immunity from polio requires is difficult because of the misinformation surrounding vaccines in Pakistan. Due to vaccine hesitancy, some parents in Pakistan have obtained fake vaccine markings or simply refused inoculation. Even when they do follow through on receiving a vaccine, mistrust is still high. In 2019, more than 25,000 students asked for hospitalization after unsubstantiated claims of adverse vaccine reactions spread in northwest Pakistan.
Mistrust is not just an endogenous problem. The actions of foreign entities have also caused harm to Pakistan’s health system. In 2011, the CIA ran a fake vaccination program, which collected blood samples of children in an attempt to track down Osama bin Laden by finding his relatives. Oxford University Press article demonstrates that news of the CIA’s campaign not only led to a drop in vaccine uptake between 23% and 39% but also empowered extremist groups.
These groups have engaged in violence against vaccination workers that carry on to this day. Most recently, on June 28, 2022, a gunman killed a polio worker and two policemen involved in vaccination.
What Are the Solutions?
While imperfect, things are far from grim in the fight against polio in Pakistan. As noted earlier, the incidence has plummeted in the last few decades. Much of this is due to vaccine drives from a number of sources including the government and international organizations.
Since the 1990s, the Pakistani government has partnered with the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PPEI), a group that a consortium of international organizations funded, to create the annual National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP). These plans have demonstrated success through various initiatives to immunize populations via vaccination programs, disease surveillance and outreach.
Under part of its plan, hundreds of thousands of vaccinators go door-to-door offering immunizations to children below the age of 5. Another method these groups have employed to keep spread in check is regular wastewater inspections. This gives public health officials a better idea of disease prevalence and where it is spreading. Finally, to counter much of the misinformation and hesitancy, the plan calls for partnerships with civil society and religious leaders to mainstream the use of vaccines.
Though most countries technically eradicated polio, Pakistan is not alone in the recurrence of it. In 2022, cases have occurred in 30 countries across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. In June 2022, the United Kingdom detected the disease in London’s wastewater. With a polio vaccination rate of 86% in London, a significant part of the population is susceptible to infection demonstrating the danger that festering diseases, such as polio, pose to people all around the world.
– Joey Harris
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Malawi Uses Drones to Tackle Malaria
Although it is a country of progress, Malawi faces social issues and is currently dealing with the impact of disease and finding solutions. The use of a technology method, specifically drones to tackle malaria, is helping to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and it could be the breaking point of innovation used to eradicate malaria throughout the nation.
Impact of Malaria on Malawi’s Health Care
In Malawi, malaria is the leading cause of death in young children. Each year, there are about 5 million cases of malaria. Experts believe that Malaria is responsible for 34% of all outpatient visits and 40% of all hospital admissions among children under the age of 5. Although Malawi strives to improve economically it still remains one of the world’s poorest nations.
More than 70% of the population lives in poverty, with $1.90 per day. According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on the economy of Malawi. This is because COVID-19 has had a negative monetary impact on economic growth and health care. Prior to COVID-19, telemedicine innovations were expanding due to their promise to provide accessible health care to remote populations that lack access to local resources or expertise.
Experts say that the overburdened health care system leads to increased cases of individuals dying from illnesses like malaria before receiving treatment and COVID-19 has slowed down health services. Therefore, lowering the possibility of transmission of malaria could be an essential part of the nation’s malaria control effort.
The Implementation
Malawi is using drones to tackle malaria in order to keep an eye on mosquito breeding sites in Malawi’s central district known as Kasungu. This is the way to assist scientists in mapping the locations of mosquito infestations in water bodies, according to the World Economic Forum. Along with the African Drone Academy and the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust (MLW), researchers set out to track mosquito habitats in Kasungu. Kasungu is abundant in dams and reservoirs, which sustain insect breeding sites during the dry season, The Telegraph reported.
Researchers used drones to map prospective larval homes in an area of 10 kilometers squared by taking in-depth pictures of the area from a height of about 120 meters. With the help of a GPS, the researchers then sampled larvae in order to find out which areas were more prone to mosquito breeding. Following that, they monitored the possibility of exposure within the home, enabling extremely focused malaria disruption activities.
The Aftermath
It is evident that Malawi strives to curb the impact that malaria has on its people. A campaign has started in order to stop malaria by the year 2030 and such efforts have the potential to be achieved. The use of technology to curb issues within a modern world is showing to be progressive. In fact, according to The Telegraph, researchers claim that the investigation of using drones to tackle malaria has improved understanding of how minor dams and reservoirs impact mosquito populations.
The project’s success has encouraged the researchers to modify the technology to track the effects of plastic trash on the ecosystem and human health as well. Malawi’s continued progress and innovation could help the poor fight against malaria, leaving less of a burden on them for health care.
– Frema Mensah
Photo: Unsplash
Child Marriage in the Ivory Coast
Child marriage in the Ivory Coast remains a prevalent issue. The Marriage Act of 1983 states that the legal age for marriage is 18 for women and 21 for men. However, 27% of women marry before the legal age of 18 and 7% marry before the age of 15. The numbers are less extreme on the male side where 4% marry before the age of 18.
Driving Factors
There are a few factors that lead to child marriage in the Ivory Coast. According to Girls Not Brides, poverty and education drive child marriage. Child marriage is often a survival mechanism to escape poverty especially when parents cannot afford to pay for education. Education is limited in the Ivory Coast. Secondary schools are scarce and oftentimes girls must board or find temporary living situations to attend them. As a result, they end up without parental or guardian supervision and are vulnerable to sexual violence and child marriage.
The third factor that can lead to child marriage in the Ivory Coast is adolescent pregnancy. In fact, according to Girls Not Brides, one in four women have their first child before the age of 18 and after pregnancy, many end up in a forced marriage. This attitude towards marriage ties into traditional religious beliefs that many leaders in the Ivory Coast have promoted. Many communities still abide by traditional beliefs regarding child marriage instead of the actual law.
Early Progress
In the early years of combatting child marriage in the Ivory Coast, there was steep progress. The government funded the development of more than 9,000 preschools and primary schools between 2011 and 2013 along with 38 secondary schools. In addition, in 2013, it also passed a law to allow students without birth certificates to attend primary school. In 2017, there was an initiative following the law to allow students in primary schools to acquire birth certificates through their school directors.
Between 2013 and 2015, the national government tried to enforce a plan to engage the community and religious leaders to address the child marriage issue. The President endorsed the plan. However, it fell through due to a lack of resources and budget.
Current Progress
The Ivory Coast government does not have a current plan or strategy to tackle the child marriage issue. However, there are organizations that focus on improving education, especially for girls which could have a direct impact on the child marriage rates. One such organization is Girls Not Brides. Girls Not Brides has a national partnership with the Ivory Coast which includes 17 member organizations working together to end child marriage.
Réseau Ivoirien pour la Défense des Droits de L’Enfant et de la Femme (RIDDEF) is a local non-governmental organization that originated in 2013. It has committed itself to women’s and children’s rights in the Ivory Coast. In partnership with the Embassy to Canada in the Ivory Coast, RIDDEF conducted a project addressing child marriage. RIDDEF brought sexual education campaigns to more than 20 schools and reached more than 6,000 students.
In addition, RIDDEF started a program where older women are partnered with younger girls to talk through sensitive conversations. The project also mobilized community leaders in both religious and education sectors to speak out against child marriage.
Ending child marriage means granting human rights to young people and especially young girls. When progress on the governmental level is slow, tackling issues that have direct impacts on the child marriage rates such as increasing education and shifting traditional attitudes are crucial.
In addition to improving human rights, ending child marriage could lead to more economic and social opportunities. Therefore, there is great potential for both social and economic growth in communities within developing nations such as the Ivory Coast.
– Jordan Oh
Photo: Flickr
Progress in Stopping HIV/AIDS in Argentina
According to UNAIDS, 140,000 adults and children were living with HIV/AIDS in 2020. Additionally, 5,600 new cases of HIV/AIDS emerged that same year. However, since 2015, the incidence rate for HIV/AIDS in Argentina has been on a steady decline. The Argentinan government and various organizations are working to ensure each person has access to treatment and education about HIV/AIDS. These efforts are leading to a safer and more equal society.
Past Efforts in Stopping HIV/AIDS in Argentina
There have been significant efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS in Argentina within the past 30 years. In 1992, the Argentinian National Ministry of Health created the National Control Program of Human Retroviruses to diagnose and treat patients and ensure giving the medication to the population. The program included more research into AIDS prevention and treatment while also providing the public with the necessary medical assistance and education to prevent the disease altogether.
In 1995, the Argentinian government passed another law guaranteeing nationwide access to HIV/AIDS treatment regardless of the patients’ affordability. According to the World Bank, the implementation of efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS saved 4,379 people from HIV/AIDS between 2000 and 2010.
Then, in 2015, Argentina began to adhere to the 90-90-90 target with the aim of achieving it by 2020. The rule targets are diagnosing 90% of people with HIV, treating 90% of people with ART and giving an undetectable viral load to 90% of those on ART. This target progressed Argentina’s goal of stopping HIV/AIDS.
Moving Forward
While Argentina is working to eliminate HIV/AIDS, more recently, its government is also working to improve human rights for those with HIV/AIDS. The Argentinian Congress passed a new law that made mandatory testing illegal, progressing the Argentinian society in the human rights field. This new law protects Argentinians who have HIV/AIDS against discrimination and allows them to remain confidential about their medical diagnoses.
Argentinians are working to end the stigma of HIV and protect the confidentiality of those who have it. Other organizations are also dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS in Argentina. Established in 1987 in Los Angeles, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has the goal of providing care to HIV/AIDS patients at all times in their life.
In Argentina from 2016 until today, AHF provided 120,000 HIV tests and supported seven clinics with over 120,000 patients across South America. Their efforts allow for more people to get access and treatment to fight HIV/AIDS, and they are just one of the many organizations working toward stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS in Argentina continues to be an issue in society. However, with all the efforts from the Argentinian government and various organizations, more and more people are able to access treatments and health care. More work is necessary to fully eradicate HIV/AIDS from Argentina completely, Argentina is on its way to its goal of becoming fully HIV/AIDS-free.
– Janae O’Connell
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
CHN on the Go: Community Health Nurses in Ghana
On a routine home visit, Barbara Senu, a nurse, was worried about a newborn baby’s umbilical cord stump. The baby’s young mother applied sand and toothpaste and Barbara feared it would lead to an infection that could turn deadly. The nurse, while still in the young mother’s home, pulled out her phone and took a video to post it on the CHN (Community Health Nurse) on the Go WhatsApp group. At that time, she was informed to tell the mother not to do so and gave the mother instructions on umbilical cord care. CHN on the Go has helped nurses in Ghana better serve the community.
Working in Aloneness
Discovered in July 2014, CHN on the Go is a smartphone app that is helping nurses in Ghana bring the necessary needed maternal and child health services in hard-to-reach areas in Ghana. The app is also improving the knowledge and skills of nurses in developing communities to feel less lonely from their relatives that live far from their area, Concern Worldwide U.S. reported.
Regularly nurses would walk for hours or get around by motorcycle or canoe to get to their patients. The nurses would leave their homes early in the morning and return late at night, visiting more than a dozen villages in one month, according to Concern Worldwide U.S. Once the nurses arrive, they have to deal with difficulty in helping young mothers and newborns because of the lack of recognition and potential for career advancement, this has left the nurses unmotivated and shell shocked.
Communication Skills
The most popular feature of the CHN on the Go smartphone app is the app’s e-courses. The app lets the nurses in Ghana get credit for the completed and passed classes, helping them to get credit while also increasing their clinical knowledge and improving their education and careers. More than half of the nurses find it difficult to leave their jobs and return to school.
According to Concern Worldwide U.S., the topics on the app range from family planning to pregnancy issues. The nurses have said they go over the e-learning courses at least once or twice before going to bed at night. The pictures on the CHN on the go smartphone app help the nurses effectively communicate a problem if it arrives. The images help because some clients aren’t literate, and the nurses can’t speak the local dialect. Visuals placed on the smartphone help mothers throughout their pregnancies and even after.
In Closing
CHN has achieved the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MGDs). CHN argues that this app will help improve health service deliveries and positive outcomes such as maternal and child health, guinea worm station coverage and HIV/AIDS treatment. CHNs have faced many challenges, like capacity problems and neglect by the health care system but have no plans of giving up.
In June 2019, more than 80% of CHN had had at least supervision interactions with their clients. There was a total of 215 CHNs using the CHN on the Go app as well as 55 supervisions using the app as well between January and July 2015 across five districts. CHN on the Go hopes to continue helping mothers and their children in hard-to-reach places.
– Alexis King
Photo: Flickr