As monkeypox cases continue to come on the radar in the U.S. and Europe, wealthier countries are rolling out vaccines and medications to address the issue, bringing to light the inequities Africa faces in response to the monkeypox outbreak in Africa.
What is Monkeypox?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a zoonotic disease (transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms that closely resemble the indications of smallpox, although less severe. The name of the disease, monkeypox, arose “from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958.” The first case of monkeypox among humans occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970.
Symptoms begin with “fevers, chills, sweats, fatigue and enlarged, tender lymph nodes in the neck and groin.” The next phase involves “a multi-stage rash” that eventually develops into prominent pustules, mostly on an individual’s face, palms and soles of the feet. The disease is generally mild, however, serious illness and mortality can occur.
According to the WHO, the monkeypox virus transmits “from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.”
Monkeypox Outbreaks
Monkeypox endemic countries fall within Central and West Africa. The first known group of infections to occur outside of Africa happened in 2003 in the United States. The outbreak began as a result of “imported Gambian rats” transferring the virus to prairie dogs. Humans then acquired these dogs as pets, resulting in the infections of 87 children and adults. There were no fatalities but three children endured severe illness.
Before 2022, the United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore and the U.S. noted several isolated cases from travelers who had visited Nigeria. On May 7, 2022, the U.K. noted a case of monkeypox from a traveler returning from Nigeria. As of June 6, 2022, the U.K. and 29 other non-endemic countries have noted more than 550 cases of monkeypox.
Africa Sees Inequity in Monkeypox Response
Health care officials in developed regions have access to vaccines and medicine to steady the progression of the monkeypox outbreaks in these areas. This has brought to light the reality that monkeypox treatment has been available for a long time, yet Africa has struggled without resources to combat this virus for decades.
Africa notes “more than 1,400 monkeypox cases and 63 deaths in four countries where the disease is endemic — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Nigeria.” As wealthier countries roll out vaccines and antivirals, Dr. Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye, leader of Nigeria’s monkeypox working group, said that “there are currently no vaccines or antivirals being used against monkeypox in [Nigeria].” People with potential monkeypox infections enter isolation and authorities monitor their contacts.
Dr. Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of global public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, acknowledged this inequity, noting “a different attitude to the kinds of resources we deploy depending on where cases are.” He said further that “It exposes a moral failing when those interventions aren’t available for the millions of people in Africa who need them.” The World Health Organization has about 31 million smallpox vaccines that could treat monkeypox, however, it has never dispensed these vaccines to address the monkeypox outbreak in Africa.
Jay Chudi, an expert living in Enugu, Nigeria, an area noting monkeypox cases since 2017, says cases in wealthier countries prompted the world to confront the spread of monkeypox. “We are now seeing it can end once and for all, but because it is no longer just in Africa. Now everybody is worried,” Chudi said.
JYNNEOS Smallpox (Monkeypox) Vaccine
In 2019, the FDA approved a two-dose vaccine called JYNNEOS to prevent both smallpox and monkeypox in adults. As of June 8, 2022, this vaccine is available in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Canada and Nigeria.
Despite the availability of vaccines, many African countries continue to endure the hardships of the monkeypox epidemic. With the availability of the JYNNEOS vaccine in Nigeria, Africa now has newfound hope.
– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Flickr
Inflation in Turkey
Turkey is one of many countries that the consecutive crises the world is facing, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have affected. Each crisis has its consequences on Turkey’s economy. The Turkish government has also taken actions that have led to the devaluation of the lira, which has contributed to rising inflation rates in Turkey. In fact, Turkey’s inflation rate for the month of May 2022 reached 73.5%, the highest rate in 24 years. Similar to other countries, inflation in Turkey sparked an increase in the prices of basic resources, leading to a significant impact on the impoverished. These circumstances force the government to implement reforms to protect Turkey’s most vulnerable people.
Causes of the Inflation in Turkey
Even before the coronavirus outbreak and the war in Europe, inflation in Turkey was slowly taking place as the state grappled with significant debt amid the Turkish lira progressively losing its value. The citizens of Turkey consider the Turkish president responsible for the degradation of the nation’s economic situation, given that he insists on keeping interest rates low, according to the New York Times.
The onset of COVID-19 led to further degradation of the economic situation in Turkey due to the disruption in the supply chain. However, Turkey successfully managed this crisis and stood among the few countries noting a positive growth rate for the year 2020.
On the other hand, the recent war between Russia and Ukraine had a serious impact on the Turkish economy. Turkey has important economic ties with both countries and sees its economy affected not only by the increase in the price of energy products but also by the impact this crisis has on agricultural trade, tourism and construction projects in which Turkey is involved.
Poverty and Inflation
The unconventional strategies that the Turkish president adopted, in addition to the two major crises the world now faces, strongly impact inflation in Turkey. Unfortunately, the rise in the prices of food and energy affects low-income households most, according to the World Bank.
A poll indicates that in May 2021, just 53.6% of the Turkish population could meet their basic needs. High inflation and the devaluation of the Turkish lira are “fast eroding the purchasing power of the minimum wage, public-sector salaries and pensions.” In fact, prices are skyrocketing. Electricity bills are reaching unprecedented cost levels and the price of a kilogram of flour has doubled in less than four months, dramatically rising from 110 lira in January 2022 to 220 lira in April 2022, The Guardian reported. Inflation also harshly impacts farmers as they struggle to keep up with large industrial corporations, “with the prices of agricultural producers falling well behind those of industrial producers,” leading to decreased revenues.
Solutions
The methods of the Turkish President Erdoğan, in the form of lowering interest rates, have not been effective in reducing inflation in Turkey. In fact, economic experts consider Erdoğan’s strategy economically unorthodox.
Nevertheless, to ease the economic situation for citizens, in February 2022, the Turkish government decided to address rising inflation by reducing the value-added tax (VAT) on basic food items from 8% to 1%. In March 2022, the government reduced the VAT on a number of other essential products too. In agriculture, the government reduced VAT “on all kinds of certified seed, seedling and sapling deliveries” to 1%. The government also reduced the VAT on certain hygiene products from 18% to 8%.
In addition, in 2021, the government provided the most impoverished with energy bill subsidies to the value of $12.2 billion. The government is thus aiming to support 50% of the price of natural gas and 25% of the price of electricity. In December 2021, the government also rose the minimum wage by 50% to help struggling citizens enduring the impacts of high inflation rates.
Looking Ahead
With a government following unusual economic policies and global crises affecting the proper functioning of the economy, inflation in Turkey continues increasing, exacerbating situations of poverty. Despite all that, Turkey has a strong economy capable of exporting large quantities of diverse products, which helped the nation surpass many challenges in the past. With the gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the country can fully reopen its doors to tourists, which will also give the nation an economic boost during this crisis.
– Youssef Yazbek
Photo: Flickr
How Pakistan is Cutting Fuel and Energy Subsidies
Pakistan is cutting fuel and energy subsidies that the recently ousted PM Imran Khan instituted. These cuts have come at the request of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as they do not align with an agreement that occurred in 2019 wherein the country would receive necessary bailout funds to help its struggling economy.
The IMF’s Role in Subsidy Cuts
The IMF claims the fuel and energy subsidies did not receive proper funding and therefore were creating an even larger financial burden for the already struggling country. Former PM Imran Khan initially instituted the subsidies in February 2022. They were successful in lowering the price of fuel while also causing the government to take on an estimated potential debt of 260 billion rupees ($1.289 billion).
Although it was a tough political decision to make, the newly instituted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the government would be ending the subsidies and that fuel prices would sharply increase. If PM Sharif had not cut the fuel and energy subsidies, the country would have lost out on billions in necessary bailout funds from the IMF. Pakistan finds itself in a dire economic situation with its funding gap, which American bank Morgan Stanley speculated to be near $8 billion. A gap that substantial means these funds are absolutely necessary to keep the country afloat economically and stable politically.
Economic Impact
Inflation rates have hit double digits while the country faces a default on its debt without the IMF’s bailout funds. With respect to the potential default, the cutting of fuel and energy subsidies appears to be absolutely necessary. However, PM Sharif’s administration still hesitated at the decision due to the potential loss in political capital and the further financial burden it will place on Pakistanis across the country. The rupee declined in value by a whopping 7% in the month of May, the largest decrease since March 2020, according to Al Jazeera. The rise in inflation has put a lot of stress on a country already struggling with 21.9% of the population living below the national poverty line as of 2018.
Just a week prior to the announcement of the subsidy cuts the country had already raised fuel prices by 20% as the first step after a meeting with the IMF in Doha. The prices then increased a further 17% after the fuel and energy subsidy cuts to a price of 209.86 Pakistani rupees ($1.06) per liter of petrol. As fuel prices rise, so will inflation rates, exacerbating the dire economic situation in the short term. Yet, the cuts are absolutely necessary for Pakistan’s long-term outlook. Without the fuel and energy subsidy cuts, Pakistan would default on its debt essentially throwing it into economic chaos. The IMF’s bailout funds offer the country a little more time to figure out how to curb inflation rates and reassess its fuel price crisis.
Political Unrest
The current political turmoil enveloping the country made PM Sharif’s decision to cut the fuel and energy subsidies even more difficult. Pakistan only ousted former PM Khan from power in April 2022 after a vote of no confidence in the Pakistani parliament. Currently, the country’s parliamentary elections will not occur until 2023. That has not stopped PM Khan from gathering his supporters with claims that the Parliament wrongly removed him from power. In late May, he even led his supporters to the capitol building in Islamabad where a conflict with police broke out.
Many political strategists within Pakistan feared that if Pakistan cuts fuel and energy subsidies, it could exacerbate the current economic situation and further motivate former PM Khan and his supporters to push for a new election. Despite Pakistan’s recent financial and political turmoil, the hope is that the newly installed government’s cooperation with the IMF will help stabilize the country.
– Devin Welsh
Photo: Unsplash
New Water Treatment System in Somalia
In May 2022, Aptech Africa, a solar energy and water pump specialist based in Kampala, Uganda, installed a new water treatment system in Caynabo, Somalia. Funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), this reverse osmosis solar-powered desalination system will increase access to clean drinking water for people in Caynabo, an internationally unrecognized state in Northwestern Somalia.
New Plant Operation
The new water treatment in Somalia can provide for the drinking needs of many people as the “flexotank capacity is 45m3/s,” which can fill up a minimum of four water distribution trucks daily while operating four distribution taps. Pumps that lead to pipes directly into the hydraulic container withdraw the much-needed clean water provided by this new system. As result, valves needed to be installed in order to make certain that the pump operates smoothly.
Ongoing Health Concerns
Prior to the installation of the water treatment system in Somalia, Abdullahi Mohammed, the project coordinator of the Ministry of Water, stated that many people in this state “suffered poor hygiene and kidney stones” due to inadequate access to clean drinking water. Most of the households could not even access five liters of water in a day. Bottled water is not an option for the impoverished people of the area, with a cost of about $0.45 per liter.
Clean Water Inaccessibility
Before the new water treatment system in Somalia came about, the Caynabo residents requiring clean water had to travel to Burco town, a town more than 80 miles away from Caynabo. Traveling these long distances is unaffordable for many, therefore, many people resort to consuming well water in Caynabo. In addition to containing high levels of saline, the water is not safe for human consumption.
Kidney Stone Aggravation
Health issues may begin to subside as access to clean drinking water improves. Kidney stone disease (KSD) is one of the prominent diseases that many citizens of Caynabo endure. A low intake of fluids directly correlates with the formation of kidney stones. The recommended amount of water that individuals should consume is three liters per day at a minimum. This prevents the formation of kidney stones and aids in many other functions of the body.
A Bright Future for Residents
The new reverse osmosis system has brought much-warranted relief to the citizens of Caynabo. People no longer have to travel extremely long distances to acquire clean water. The new system is able to provide the town with enough water to serve the entirety of its population. The 7,000 people living in the area now have relief from the impacts of a very prominent issue. Located in the center of Caynabo, the site even has troughs for camels to drink water. In addition, the water treatment system in Somalia can provide 3,000 citizens from neighboring towns with clean water on a daily basis as well.
The new water desalination system provides a sustainable solution to water inaccessibility in Caynabo and upholds the right to water access for all.
– Christina Papas
Photo: Flickr
NGOs Combating Poverty in Israel
While some might question whether there is poverty in Israel, according to a report released in 2021 by Israel’s National Insurance Institute, about 21% of Israelis are poor. The report considered a poor person as one who earned less than $900 a month, which is less than the median income in the country. In fact, as of 2021, only six countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have a higher poverty level. Luckily, a number of organizations within the country are combating poverty in Israel.
Ongoing and Escalating Israeli Poverty
Unfortunately, these issues are nothing new. John Gal, the chair of the Welfare Policy Program at the Taub Center and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem states, “Our policies don’t really deal very adequately with poverty. We spend less on social welfare than most other welfare states and the benefits and the assistance that these people are getting is not enough to push them above the poverty line.”
Most of the citizens trapped below the poverty line belong to families with at least five children. These include Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs. As of December 2021, 932,000 Israeli households are below the poverty line. Also, 2.5 million citizens live in poverty and 1.1 million of those citizens are children.
The report also addressed how COVID-19 escalated poverty in Israel. The number of middle-class Israelis decreased by 10% between 2020 and 2021. Further, of the 932,000 households in economic distress, more than 300,000 of them joined those ranks in 2021 due to the effects of the pandemic.
Beyond Poverty
Moreover, poverty is not the only issue that Israeli children are currently dealing with. According to the Jerusalem Post, there has been a staggering 43% spike in children who are suicidal. Further, depression debilitates 39% of those children. COVID-19’s long-lasting effects on the education system account for these spikes.
Organizations Combating Poverty in Israel
Fortunately, there are numerous organizations supporting pandemic recovery and combatting ongoing poverty. Two are Pitchon-Lev and Latet.
Pitchon-Lev is an apolitical non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 1998, that focuses on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty in Israel. In 2004, it launched its educational project. That project promotes leadership and personal empowerment through two programs. Project seven mentors students through three years of high school, three years of military service and one year of civilian life. On the other hand, the TAVOR program is short-term and intense. In the most recent school year, 400 new students joined the program and a total of 27 programs are in operation throughout the country.
Latet is the largest Israeli NGO combating poverty and food insecurity. The word “Latet” means “to give.” Established to reduce poverty, as well as to promote a more just society, Latet provides assistance to needy populations. Latet annually supports 60,000 families by running the top national food bank and by working with 180 neighborhood groups. Latet Youth began with the goal of educating Israeli youth on the benefits of volunteerism and social solidarity. It focuses on at-risk youth and brings together youth from diverse backgrounds: Jews, Bedouins and Druze.
Even though ongoing and escalating poverty plague this beautiful country, thankfully there are strong NGOs combating poverty in Israel.
– Austin Hughes
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Cancer Care in India
Cancer is an issue common across the world, without a cure no matter the financial circumstances of a country. The care that is available for treating cancer is expensive, limiting cancer care to individuals who are financially well-off. India is looking to establish universal health care insurance so that more people can access health care and organizations aim to extend the reach of cancer care in India.
India’s Poverty Epidemic
Poverty is one of India’s largest problems, with 256 million inhabitants living below the poverty line of $1.90 a day as of 2020. Poverty is a complicated issue, with many different causes and effects that intertwine. The economic causes of poverty in India include rising rates of unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, slow economic growth and development and resource deprivation. The social causes of poverty include caste system-based discrimination, societal inequality and corruption. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, inflation has increased worldwide, with especially high inflation rates in developing countries.
In countries already struggling with economic instability, like India, inflation hits hard. The cost of living goes up, but it does not always mean that salaries go up to support that. Several organizations aim to unravel the web of poverty by seeking to help the impoverished improve their quality of life.
Cancer and Poverty
Medical care is significantly expensive, even in developed countries. It is no different in India. Along with general inflation, India is also facing increasing medical inflation. In 2021, India noted “the highest medical inflation rate among the Asian countries,” at 14%. In April 2022, the price of medical treatment, including medicines and procedures, rose by 7.21%. These circumstances make it difficult for the impoverished to access health care services in India, let alone specialized cancer care. According to statistics from the National Cancer Registry Programme, about 1.4 million people in India had cancer in 2020.
Because of circumstances of poverty and the expensive nature of health care, among other reasons, the majority of Indian cancer patients often do not receive an official medical diagnosis until the cancer is in its later stages.
Fortunately, the Indian government has recognized this and is moving toward creating universal health care insurance, which would extend health care to more people from lower socioeconomic classes. In particular, this would cover chemotherapy and other cancer medications to improve cancer care in India.
In an article, Dr. Navneet Singh, an expert in “non-small cell lung cancer,” stressed the importance of patient advocacy in countries like India. This involves educating the public on cancer and treatment options. Singh said further that developed countries like the United States can aid India and other developing countries with similar issues “in the area of patient support groups and advocacy platforms.”
CAM Ensures Accessible Health Care
Organizations such as Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM) aim to make health care accessible and affordable for the impoverished in India. In terms of cancer care, the organization runs a cancer center to provide treatment to impoverished cancer patients. The organization began in 1972 because of the dream of Dr. H.M Patel, a former minister of India. Patel looked to create an institution to “offer comprehensive and compassionate health care to everyone and anyone.” CAM takes special measures for those in less stable economic situations by providing free consultations and free treatment to women and children below the poverty line.
With commitments from the government and organizations, cancer care in India can include the impoverished.
– Kelsey Jensen
Photo: Flickr
Brazilian National School Feeding Program Brings Aid
The world wastes about 1.3 billion tons of food fit for human consumption, according to a 2020 World Food Programme (WFP) article. Meanwhile, many global citizens, young and old, struggle to secure enough food to sustain themselves on a daily basis. This is a difficult and localized reality prevalent in many communities throughout Brazil. The Brazilian government implements the Brazilian National School Feeding Program to address hunger among schoolchildren.
Food Waste and School Closures
A 2020 article from the WFP USA explains that society perpetuates food waste in one of two ways. Either excess eatables are disposed of at businesses like hotels and restaurants (typical of high-income countries) or farm-grown produce is otherwise ruined in the process of taking it from field to plate (more common in low-income countries). In Brazil, both of these situations are commonplace.
Providing food to children, in particular, is a task that fell by the wayside in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 15% of Brazilian households endured hunger. School closures due to the pandemic cut off Brazilian children’s access to meals provided by school feeding programs. In 2021, The New York Times reported that “Children, many of whom have been out of school for over a year, beg for food outside supermarkets and restaurants” in Brazil. These circumstances highlight the critical role of school feeding programs in poverty-stricken nations.
The Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE)
For several decades, the Brazilian government and related organizations have strategically worked to improve meals for schoolchildren. While, initially, this entailed offering enough food to keep students coming to school, it now focuses on an equally important facet of diet — nutrition.
In 1954, with the goal of feeding students in Brazil, Brazil established the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE). The program, which remains active and important to the Brazilian education system to this day, supports 40 million students or more. It supplies meals on a daily basis to these students, now drawing on the expertise of more than 8,000 nutritionists for better dietary protocol.
Including More Vegetables and Using Local Resources
In modern-day Brazil, the law mandates that a minimum of 30% of the eatables in school feeding programs must come from small-scale farmers. It is also preferred that feeding programs acquire such produce from local businesses rather than acquiring produce from more distant sources. The meals within these programs are based on menus designed by nutritionists to ensure necessary developmental nutrition and efficient use of local food sources.
Observances such as these are part of a movement within the program in more recent years attempting to curb health complications in juveniles. In the early 2000s, obesity became one of the main pitfalls associated with Brazil’s Zero Hunger Program, an endeavor that the PNAE became part of in 2003. In 2016, a third of Brazilian children between 5 and 9 fell in the overweight category of body mass.
Since then, the PNAE has adjusted its feeding strategy to address this dilemma. The PNAE now gives precedence to fresh fruit and vegetables, rather than foods high in sugar. Overall, the PNAE places an emphasis on nutrition rather than just the sheer quantity of food offered to schoolchildren.
Digital Engagement for the PNAE Community
In addition to making better nutrition decisions while feeding students in Brazil, the PNAE has also put time and effort into providing a means for digital community engagement. The ePNAE app helps teachers, nutritionists, parents of students and the children themselves to look at menu options throughout the country.
This social app, according to the Government of Brazil, “allows you to monitor the data on the transfer of funds to each school and assess the quality of school meals in your region.” The mainstream application, available through the Play Store and App Store, also offers a number of “healthy eating tips.” In this way, the ePNAE app itself helps educate parents and students on the importance of nutrition.
The PNAE, as one of the largest school feeding programs globally, successfully improved its strategy for feeding students in Brazil. Inspired by the PNAE’s successes, other nations looking to promote similar programs study and implement its modus operandi.
– John Tuttle
Photo: Flickr
The Monkeypox Outbreak in Africa
As monkeypox cases continue to come on the radar in the U.S. and Europe, wealthier countries are rolling out vaccines and medications to address the issue, bringing to light the inequities Africa faces in response to the monkeypox outbreak in Africa.
What is Monkeypox?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a zoonotic disease (transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms that closely resemble the indications of smallpox, although less severe. The name of the disease, monkeypox, arose “from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958.” The first case of monkeypox among humans occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970.
Symptoms begin with “fevers, chills, sweats, fatigue and enlarged, tender lymph nodes in the neck and groin.” The next phase involves “a multi-stage rash” that eventually develops into prominent pustules, mostly on an individual’s face, palms and soles of the feet. The disease is generally mild, however, serious illness and mortality can occur.
According to the WHO, the monkeypox virus transmits “from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.”
Monkeypox Outbreaks
Monkeypox endemic countries fall within Central and West Africa. The first known group of infections to occur outside of Africa happened in 2003 in the United States. The outbreak began as a result of “imported Gambian rats” transferring the virus to prairie dogs. Humans then acquired these dogs as pets, resulting in the infections of 87 children and adults. There were no fatalities but three children endured severe illness.
Before 2022, the United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore and the U.S. noted several isolated cases from travelers who had visited Nigeria. On May 7, 2022, the U.K. noted a case of monkeypox from a traveler returning from Nigeria. As of June 6, 2022, the U.K. and 29 other non-endemic countries have noted more than 550 cases of monkeypox.
Africa Sees Inequity in Monkeypox Response
Health care officials in developed regions have access to vaccines and medicine to steady the progression of the monkeypox outbreaks in these areas. This has brought to light the reality that monkeypox treatment has been available for a long time, yet Africa has struggled without resources to combat this virus for decades.
Africa notes “more than 1,400 monkeypox cases and 63 deaths in four countries where the disease is endemic — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Nigeria.” As wealthier countries roll out vaccines and antivirals, Dr. Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye, leader of Nigeria’s monkeypox working group, said that “there are currently no vaccines or antivirals being used against monkeypox in [Nigeria].” People with potential monkeypox infections enter isolation and authorities monitor their contacts.
Dr. Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of global public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, acknowledged this inequity, noting “a different attitude to the kinds of resources we deploy depending on where cases are.” He said further that “It exposes a moral failing when those interventions aren’t available for the millions of people in Africa who need them.” The World Health Organization has about 31 million smallpox vaccines that could treat monkeypox, however, it has never dispensed these vaccines to address the monkeypox outbreak in Africa.
Jay Chudi, an expert living in Enugu, Nigeria, an area noting monkeypox cases since 2017, says cases in wealthier countries prompted the world to confront the spread of monkeypox. “We are now seeing it can end once and for all, but because it is no longer just in Africa. Now everybody is worried,” Chudi said.
JYNNEOS Smallpox (Monkeypox) Vaccine
In 2019, the FDA approved a two-dose vaccine called JYNNEOS to prevent both smallpox and monkeypox in adults. As of June 8, 2022, this vaccine is available in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Canada and Nigeria.
Despite the availability of vaccines, many African countries continue to endure the hardships of the monkeypox epidemic. With the availability of the JYNNEOS vaccine in Nigeria, Africa now has newfound hope.
– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Flickr
How the Batonga Foundation is Empowering Women
Angélique Kidjo is an African singer. She was born on July 14, 1960, in the city of Ouidah, in what is now Benin. Kidjo sings in many different music styles (Afropop, jazz, gospel, Latin, etc.) and languages, as she is fluent in five. She has received many musical accolades, including four Grammy awards. Kidjo began her activist career in 2002 when she became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She founded the Batonga Foundation in 2006, which focuses on empowering women in Benin and surrounding countries.
Women’s Education and Rights in Benin
Benin is a francophone country located in West Africa. The country gained independence from France in 1975, when its name changed from Dahomey to the People’s Republic of Benin. As of 2020, Benin had a population of approximately 12 million. Beninese people speak an estimated 68 languages with the most common ones being French, Fon, Yom and Yoruba.
Benin’s economy relies mainly on agriculture and trade with Nigeria. It grew by approximately 6.6% in 2021 according to the World Bank. In 2019, Benin’s poverty rate was 38.5%, an 11% drop from 2015.
Beninese women meet obstacles including poverty, familial expectations and forced marriages early in their life stopping them from progressing educationally. Kidjo’s Batonga Foundation highlights that uneducated young women end up married before turning 18. Although the literacy rate among Beninese youth has risen in recent years, in 2018 among individuals ages 15 to 24, males had a 69.76% literacy rate and females had a 51.94% rate. Additionally, young women have often been pushed away from education due to long, inflexible hours unrelenting to girls expected to do housework often. Teachers are mainly male and perpetuate gender stereotypes in their classrooms.
Batonga Foundation
Kidjo founded the Batonga Foundation in 2006, alongside Mary Louise Cohen and John Philips, with the aim of empowering young African women. The foundation is named after her 1991 song, “Batonga.” Kidjo has always been an avid gender equality advocate and recognized the potential of her continent. Growing up, she saw her peers not pursue higher education and work low-income jobs, which is one of several factors that inspired Kidjo to found the project.
Kidjo’s Batonga Foundation primarily supports and invests in secondary and higher education for girls in Benin in multiple ways. Some examples are granting scholarships, building secondary schools and providing mentoring programs.
Among the Batonga Foundation’s goals is empowering young women economically. Young Women Business Circles connect female entrepreneurs ages 18 to 30 with access to a trained business expert, a mentor and 20 to 25 peers. The women receive business and financial literacy help and small business seed funding.
Additionally, the Batonga Foundation hosts 126 Leadership Clubs. The clubs are safe spaces for adolescent girls to meet with peers and gain access to an older female mentor. Mentors at these clubs teach the girls about reproductive health, financial literacy, economic independence and leadership.
Batonga Foundation Accomplishments
In the 16 years and counting that the Batonga Foundation has been in action, it has achieved a significant amount.
Kidjo’s foundation has supported more than 3,000 young women and girls, reaching 15 rural communities. There are 50 Young Women Leadership Clubs, 55 Batonga mentors and 126 Leadership Clubs. Through her hard work in activism and frequent trips to Africa, Kidjo has supported thousands of young women on the path to independence and success.
– Sophie Buibas
Photo: Flickr
Health Care in Mauritius
Mauritius, an African island nation in the Indian Ocean, had been an agrarian society with high unemployment rates and low per capita GDP for much of its history as an independent nation. However, in recent years, the country has shifted to having a diversified economy, high employment rates and higher life expectancy. Mauritius reached a per capita GDP of around $11,000 in 2018, and in 2020, achieved an all-time-high employment rate of 93.63%. In an April 2020 Poverty and Equity Brief, the World Bank highlights that Mauritius has eradicated extreme poverty. Along with these milestones, health care in Mauritius has also shown tremendous progress as the main cause of mortality shifted from infectious diseases to degenerative diseases, signaling the advancement of health care technology and policies.
5 Facts About Health Care in Mauritius
Looking Ahead
At the onset of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) placed Mauritius among the African nations at significant “risk of a public health disaster” due to its dense population, a high proportion of elderly citizens and high rate of chronic illnesses. However, Mauritius’ progress and commitment to protecting the health and wellness of its citizens proved to be key in combating COVID-19 as Mauritius emerged as one of the few coronavirus-free places on Earth. Mauritius avoided WHO’s prediction by immediately implementing public health safety measures such as lockdowns, mass testing and contact tracing.
With continued progress in the health care arena, Mauritius stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration to post-colonial countries that progress is possible.
– Samyukta Gaddam
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
WFP’s Cash and Food Assistance Programs
The World Food Programme (WFP) implements cash and food assistance programs that give individuals at risk of falling into poverty money and food to support themselves. The WFP’s cash and food assistance programs’ main goals are to reduce poverty, alleviate food insecurity and boost economic development.
Assisting the DRC
A successful example is the WFP’s cash assistance program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where 26 million people are at risk of facing acute hunger as of May 2022. An article published on May 17, 2022, states that the WFP considers the DRC its “biggest emergency” because conflict and the pandemic compound the nation’s circumstances of poverty.
Benefiting about 100,000 of the most impoverished people in the N’sele municipality, the WFP’s social protection and cash assistance program has occurred in partnership with UNICEF. The cash assistance equates to about $40 a month for beneficiaries to sustain their livelihoods and afford food, which became expensive as a result of the Ukraine-Russia war.
Community members attest that the cash assistance program in the DRC has helped improve the lives of many people. The WFP’s recent success with the cash assistance program in the DRC stands as proof that continuous international financial support for the WFP is necessary to help the developing world tackle poverty.
In recent years, the WFP has been experiencing “funding shortfalls” due to the pandemic’s impact on member states’ abilities to donate. This negatively affected WFP’s ability to reduce poverty further in developing or war-torn countries around the world. Thus, increased financial contribution to the WFP can lead to economic recovery in developing countries.
How Funding Shortfalls are Impacting WFP’s Goals
Although the reduced funding negatively impacted WFP’s cash and food assistance programs, it hurt refugees and vulnerable communities more. For example, in 2021, the WFP had to consider cutting down on food rations for refugees in Cameroon as a result of insufficient funding, potentially impacting 70,000 Nigerians and 100,000 Central African Republic refugees.
In Jordan, the WFP could no longer provide food aid to about 263,000 Syrian refugees by the close of August 2021. In Tanzania, the WFP’s refugee support program had to implement “ration cuts of up to 32[%] of the minimum calorie requirement since December 2020” due to funding inadequacies.
This highlights the necessity of continued funding of the WFP to help developing countries reduce poverty and boost their economies.
WFP Tackles Poverty Despite Funding Issues
Despite its recent financial setbacks, the WFP is still the world leader in tackling food insecurity and poverty. Ukraine stood as the breadbasket of the world until the Russian invasion in February 2022, prompting a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
However, the WFP’s cash and food assistance programs managed to mitigate the impacts of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. For example, in May 2022, the WFP managed to give 1 million Ukrainians cash to support themselves amid the crisis and “injected nearly US$74 million into the Ukrainian economy.” Furthermore, the WFP is delivering essential foods, such as rice and pasta, to approximately 420,000 people a month.
Countries Financially Supporting the WFP
There are still countries around the world that acknowledge the crucial role of the WFP’s cash and food assistance programs in reducing poverty. On May 19, 2022, the United States Congress passed H.R. 7691, which authorizes the government to spend $5 million on humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. This funding authorization will help the WFP “provide life-saving assistance to millions of people around the world.”
On May 30, 2022, the European Union donated €5 million to the WFP so it can deliver food to 1.6 million food-insecure individuals in Burkina Faso.
Looking Ahead
The World Food Programme still stands as the leading global humanitarian organization that saves millions of lives daily, which is why it won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. However, the WFP still needs continuous international support through increased financial contributions from the international community.
Global citizens and anti-poverty advocates must continue to push their governments and representatives to donate more to the WFP to address the impacts of funding shortfalls on the world’s most disadvantaged people.
– Abdullah Dowaihy
Photo: Flickr