One of the most significant exports that Cuba continually delivers is doctors. Offering quality services at a price that the most vulnerable and impoverished patients can afford, these medical practitioners are changing the world. In 2020, patients worldwide called upon around 800 Cuban doctors and nurses at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, Human Rights Watch, an international NGO that advocates and researches human rights violations and other organizations claim a dark side to the philanthropic efforts that Cuba presents. Moreover, controversy surrounds Cuba’s medical internationalism with claims of Cuban doctors working under repressive regulations that violate their fundamental human rights.
Cuba’s History of Medical Internationalism
After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the socialist government addressed its main societal concerns: universal health care and free education. As a result, while revamping the health care system in the country through strategic methods, the government achieved its goals of providing free healthcare and quality education. Using these values, the Cuban government began a program to bring humanitarian medical aid worldwide. According to the BBC, Fidel Castro himself described the exported medics as Cuba’s “army of white coats.”
Its history of medical altruism began in 1963 when Cuba sent 56 doctors to replace the French doctors that left Algeria, according to TIME. After Algeria gained independence from France in 1962, one of the newly formed country’s main issues was the mass exodus of French doctors. According to Granma, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, more than 3,000 doctors left the nation. Cuba supported the country while it rebuilt its health care system.
Cuba would also help other nations in times of catastrophes, such as Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. With equipment and valuable knowledge, 380 Cuban health care providers were some of the first doctors to respond to the crisis. They operated four clinics in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, providing life-saving procedures such as amputations, sutures and antibiotics. In an interview with pharmacist Ildilisa Nunez, a member of the Cuban Miracle Mission, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that 605 people came to the clinic within 12 hours of the earthquake.
In that critical moment, Cuban doctors could provide the aid that the citizens needed, especially during the pandemic.
Cuban Medical Personnel During COVID-19
Forty countries worldwide received the aid of Cuban health care providers during the pandemic. While Cuba is often helping nations with weak health care systems, wealthier nations such as Italy and Andorra have received Cuban aid too. For example, in Lombardy, Italy, the region’s health minister Guilio Gallera asked for the help of Cuban medics in March 2020, according to The Economist. On March 22, 2020, 52 Cuban doctors arrived from Havana to help.
Some host countries, according to NBC, are learning from Cuba how to handle the pandemic effectively. These strategies include “isolating cases, tracing their contacts, screening for sufferers and swiftly applying therapeutic treatments like the antiviral agent interferon.” Even nations that have ended agreements, such as Brazil, have requested aid once more because of the pandemic’s damage. Brazil received 1,012 Cuban doctors that allowed them to practice in “basic primary medicine for two years without having to requalify to practice,” NBC reports.
The pandemic caused nations worldwide to turn to Cuba for aid. Still, there is a darker side to their humanitarian assistance.
A Violation of Human Rights
Human Rights Watch accused the Cuban government of imposing regulations that have violated Cuban medics’ fundamental rights. Some of these liberties included “the right to privacy, freedom of expression and association, liberty and movement, among others,” as Human Rights Watch reported.
Under the Resolution 168 of 2010 that the Ministry of External Commerce and Foreign Investment wrote, it is a disciplinary offense to have any relationships with others who are not consistent with the values that Cuban society holds. In addition, personnel deployed abroad, under the same order, must disclose all “romantic relationships” to their supervisors, Human Rights Watch reports. The government also limited the freedom of expression using regulations that the Human Rights Watch said were “unnecessary and disproportionate to any legitimate government aim.”
Not only do Cuban medics suffer from restrictive bans that limit their freedom, but they also endure threatening situations. Around 41% of Cubans that worked abroad say they experienced sexual assault while at their posts. If the deployed personnel wanted to leave the program, they would face an eight-year ban from Cuba, according to VOA News.
Though, the string of infractions does not stop. Multiple organizations, including Human Rights Watch, accused the Cuban government of exploiting the medical personnel wages. Prisoners Defenders reported that “doctors on average receive between 10% and 25% of the salary from the host countries,” with Cuba’s authorities keeping the rest, according to BBC. With lucrative missions that bring Havana $8.5 billion a year, a large sum of money is continually withheld from Cuban doctors, according to VOA News.
The Future of Cuba’s Medical Internationalism
While Cuban medical aid has helped countries worldwide, there has been a call to question how humanitarian the government has been to its employees. Only the future will tell if Cuba will end up before the International Criminal Court and the United Nations to face their crimes. However, in the end, the world needs the aid that Cuban doctors have provided for over half a century.
– Gaby Mendoza
Photo: Flickr
Facts About Poverty in the Canary Islands
In the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of Northwest Africa, the beautiful landscapes often distract from the harsher reality of the community: high levels of poverty in the Canary Islands.
Poverty Statistics in the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands has one of the highest poverty rates out of all of Spain’s regions. In 2012, the Canary Islands ranked “fifth out of 17 regions” for the highest levels of relative poverty. In 2013, unemployment levels reached 34%, higher than any other region of Spain, and 38% of residents were facing poverty. Child poverty in the Canary Islands is also high with almost 30% of children living in poverty in 2013, according to UNICEF. Poverty continues to persist in the region with the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbating the situation further. According to a survey that occurred in the last quarter of 2020, “3.3 million people in Spain” overall faced “a severe lack of necessary items.” However, 15.6% of respondents from the Canary Islands faced the greatest challenges in securing their basic needs until month-end, a percentage higher than that of any other region.
Social Exclusion and Migration
Poverty manifests itself through social exclusion, a lack of access to crucial opportunities and services, such as infrastructure, health care, education and social welfare. In 2018, almost 30% of the Canarian population endured social exclusion, with 334,000 people facing “severe social exclusion.” In addition, foreigners to the Islands face a greater risk of experiencing social exclusion.
The Canary Islands community has seen an uptick in migrants since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, migrants usually traveled from sub-Saharan Africa to Mediterranean countries, but due to COVID-19 restrictions in these countries, their paths diverged, leading them to the Canary Islands instead. In 2020, approximately 23,000 migrants from Africa arrived on the Canary Islands’ shores. The pandemic-induced increase in both poverty levels and the migrant population places strain on the archipelago, where a lacking job market only becomes more competitive and health officials struggle to detect COVID-19 as migrants arrive. These migrants experience greater rates of social exclusion as more barriers stand in the way to the resources they need to survive.
A Solution to Spain’s Poverty Overall
In May 2020, the Spanish government gave its approval for “a minimum income scheme” to aid about 850,000 of the most impoverished households across the country, bringing positive impacts to around 2.3 million people overall. The Spanish government commits to providing eligible households with an income of between €462 ($514) and €1,015 ($1,130) per month. Government officials expect the program to decrease extreme poverty by 80% and lower high poverty rates by 60%. This initiative aids the Canary Islands as it is a region of Spain, but the program does not target poverty specifically in this area.
Looking ahead, more initiatives that directly impact the Canary Islands would best help improve the region’s circumstances of poverty. More targeted programs by national and local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, can help reduce poverty in the Canary Islands.
Photo: Flickr
The Digital Gap in Latin America and the Caribbean
As the World Economic Forum has noted, the COVID-19 “pandemic has exposed a deep digital divide” across the world. An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study from 2020 indicated that the digital gap in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) equated to “three in 10 people” who do not have access to the internet. The pandemic highlights the importance of the internet and digital technology in keeping businesses and people connected by allowing for continuous contactless services and transactions. The LAC region has made great strides in improving internet access and has developed creative ways to ensure that marginalized and low-income communities can access the internet.
Factors Influencing the Digital Gap in Latin America and the Caribbean
Many factors influence digital accessibility, including income levels and location. The internet gap between low and high-income households equates to roughly 40%. About 67% of urban households have internet connections in comparison to 23% of rural households. Evidently, the digital divide is deep, but the LAC region has committed to closing this digital gap.
4 Ways the LAC Region is Closing the Digital Gap
Societal Benefits of Addressing the Digital Gap in the LAC Region
Closing the digital divide in Latin America and the Caribbean is critical to improving educational, health and economic opportunities in the region. The World Bank has played an instrumental role in ensuring connectivity in countries such as Haiti and Colombia. In Haiti, the World Bank is assisting with the broadband connectivity needs of roughly “1,300 public institutions.” In Colombia, the World Bank is assisting the Colombian government with advancing policy and regulations in order to “expand broadband access.”
The Future of Digital Technology
Many LAC nations are experiencing a boom in internet adoption and access as organizations and governments take the necessary steps to close the digital divide in the region. The COVID-19 pandemic not only reveals the educational and health gaps that exist in the LAC region but also presents an opportunity to transform health care and education systems and build infrastructure in order to dissolve barriers to growth and development.
– Jennifer Hendricks
Photo: Flickr
Cuban Doctors: From Heroes to Victims
One of the most significant exports that Cuba continually delivers is doctors. Offering quality services at a price that the most vulnerable and impoverished patients can afford, these medical practitioners are changing the world. In 2020, patients worldwide called upon around 800 Cuban doctors and nurses at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, Human Rights Watch, an international NGO that advocates and researches human rights violations and other organizations claim a dark side to the philanthropic efforts that Cuba presents. Moreover, controversy surrounds Cuba’s medical internationalism with claims of Cuban doctors working under repressive regulations that violate their fundamental human rights.
Cuba’s History of Medical Internationalism
After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the socialist government addressed its main societal concerns: universal health care and free education. As a result, while revamping the health care system in the country through strategic methods, the government achieved its goals of providing free healthcare and quality education. Using these values, the Cuban government began a program to bring humanitarian medical aid worldwide. According to the BBC, Fidel Castro himself described the exported medics as Cuba’s “army of white coats.”
Its history of medical altruism began in 1963 when Cuba sent 56 doctors to replace the French doctors that left Algeria, according to TIME. After Algeria gained independence from France in 1962, one of the newly formed country’s main issues was the mass exodus of French doctors. According to Granma, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, more than 3,000 doctors left the nation. Cuba supported the country while it rebuilt its health care system.
Cuba would also help other nations in times of catastrophes, such as Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. With equipment and valuable knowledge, 380 Cuban health care providers were some of the first doctors to respond to the crisis. They operated four clinics in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, providing life-saving procedures such as amputations, sutures and antibiotics. In an interview with pharmacist Ildilisa Nunez, a member of the Cuban Miracle Mission, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that 605 people came to the clinic within 12 hours of the earthquake.
In that critical moment, Cuban doctors could provide the aid that the citizens needed, especially during the pandemic.
Cuban Medical Personnel During COVID-19
Forty countries worldwide received the aid of Cuban health care providers during the pandemic. While Cuba is often helping nations with weak health care systems, wealthier nations such as Italy and Andorra have received Cuban aid too. For example, in Lombardy, Italy, the region’s health minister Guilio Gallera asked for the help of Cuban medics in March 2020, according to The Economist. On March 22, 2020, 52 Cuban doctors arrived from Havana to help.
Some host countries, according to NBC, are learning from Cuba how to handle the pandemic effectively. These strategies include “isolating cases, tracing their contacts, screening for sufferers and swiftly applying therapeutic treatments like the antiviral agent interferon.” Even nations that have ended agreements, such as Brazil, have requested aid once more because of the pandemic’s damage. Brazil received 1,012 Cuban doctors that allowed them to practice in “basic primary medicine for two years without having to requalify to practice,” NBC reports.
The pandemic caused nations worldwide to turn to Cuba for aid. Still, there is a darker side to their humanitarian assistance.
A Violation of Human Rights
Human Rights Watch accused the Cuban government of imposing regulations that have violated Cuban medics’ fundamental rights. Some of these liberties included “the right to privacy, freedom of expression and association, liberty and movement, among others,” as Human Rights Watch reported.
Under the Resolution 168 of 2010 that the Ministry of External Commerce and Foreign Investment wrote, it is a disciplinary offense to have any relationships with others who are not consistent with the values that Cuban society holds. In addition, personnel deployed abroad, under the same order, must disclose all “romantic relationships” to their supervisors, Human Rights Watch reports. The government also limited the freedom of expression using regulations that the Human Rights Watch said were “unnecessary and disproportionate to any legitimate government aim.”
Not only do Cuban medics suffer from restrictive bans that limit their freedom, but they also endure threatening situations. Around 41% of Cubans that worked abroad say they experienced sexual assault while at their posts. If the deployed personnel wanted to leave the program, they would face an eight-year ban from Cuba, according to VOA News.
Though, the string of infractions does not stop. Multiple organizations, including Human Rights Watch, accused the Cuban government of exploiting the medical personnel wages. Prisoners Defenders reported that “doctors on average receive between 10% and 25% of the salary from the host countries,” with Cuba’s authorities keeping the rest, according to BBC. With lucrative missions that bring Havana $8.5 billion a year, a large sum of money is continually withheld from Cuban doctors, according to VOA News.
The Future of Cuba’s Medical Internationalism
While Cuban medical aid has helped countries worldwide, there has been a call to question how humanitarian the government has been to its employees. Only the future will tell if Cuba will end up before the International Criminal Court and the United Nations to face their crimes. However, in the end, the world needs the aid that Cuban doctors have provided for over half a century.
– Gaby Mendoza
Photo: Flickr
Inclusive Education Programs Combat Learning Poverty
UNICEF is working alongside NGO Zhan, a software development company and a youth center to help children in Kazakhstan who have visual impairments gain more out of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program teaches children with visual impairments how to access useful learning resources and maximize the benefits of technology. Inclusive education programs are particularly valuable in developing countries where many often stigmatize disabilities and those with disabilities do not receive accommodation from schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has made inclusive education even more essential due to an expansive surge in digital learning, which is rarely accessible to children with disabilities.
UNICEF’s Approach
UNICEF and NGO Zhan program taught children how to navigate smartphones, computers, web resources and messenger and navigation apps. The children also learned the basics of programming and became familiar with several software programs, as UNICEF reported.
Children who participated in the program ended up with heightened abilities to communicate with their teachers, peers and families, both inside and outside of school. Children with visual impairments who learn technological skills like computer programming have better chances of finding stable jobs later in life. Inclusive education programs like UNICEF’s help provide opportunities to children with disabilities who may otherwise lack access to education altogether, especially in developing countries.
Educational Benefits
Children with disabilities are often marginalized within educational systems, which makes it difficult to find career opportunities as adults. Children with disabilities face disproportionate amounts of exclusion in low-income areas, according to the World Bank. Educational programs that provide learning resources for children with disabilities help put them on level playing fields with their classmates.
Teachers in developing countries often lack the training and resources to assist children with disabilities, so outside organizations like UNICEF can help make schools more inclusive. According to the World Bank, inclusive education programs may involve teacher training, removing physical barriers for students and obtaining accessible learning materials. These resources allow children with disabilities the opportunity to learn the same material as their classmates without falling behind in school or missing out on job opportunities in the future.
Socioeconomic Benefits
Around the world, 57 million children lack access to primary education. While many children with disabilities struggle to keep up in school without accommodations, others lack access to education altogether. Educational disparities in low-income areas are particularly common among young girls.
Inclusive education programs and policies can improve child literacy, gender equality and educational opportunities at large for children with disabilities. When more children have access to positive educational experiences, more children can enter the workforce and contribute to their local and national economies.
UNICEF’s program for children with visual impairments is a prime example of how inclusive education can benefit children’s education and social lives. Inclusive education accepts and embraces all children, allowing them to succeed in school and pursue their ambitions for the future.
– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Unsplash
The Global Alliance Helping Small Livestock Producers
Livestock production has an important role in preventing global undernourishment and starvation. Food derived from livestock contributes more than 30% of mankind’s protein intake and 40% of agricultural gross domestic product. In addition, livestock production creates jobs for more than a billion destitute persons. Nonetheless, small livestock producers are often very impoverished and 70% of the world depends on the health of their animals for survival. The Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) is an organization that helps small livestock producers to rise out of poverty and earn a living by raising healthy animals.
A Vision to Assist Impoverished Farmers
Although livestock production supports more people than any other activity, providing food, clothing and income, producers in developing countries tend to own just a few animals and are in danger of falling below the poverty line. For example, in Nigeria, on average, a small farmer in a family of six owns a one-half acre of land with around seven Tropical Livestock Units (TLU) composed of chickens, cattle, goats or pigs. A TLU is a unit of measurement for an animal feeding operation that assigns a number to each type of animal. Furthermore, in Tanzania, a small livestock producer typically owns up to four cattle, five goats and 11 chickens. Nearly half of these farmers subsist on less than $1.25 daily. GALVmed helps small producers in Africa and South Asia maintain their livestock’s health to prevent the loss of animals to disease.
Founded in the United Kingdom in 2004 by the Animal Health Programme, GALVmed received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department of International Development based in London. GALVmed’s goals are to develop and provide vaccines as well as other health tools and medical diagnostics for diseases that harm impoverished farmers’ livestock. Since 2008, GALVmed has received $215 million in donor funding for programs that provide economically sustainable aid for livestock health.
Providing Affordable Vaccines
Typically, livestock vaccines are very affordable and extremely effective. One example is the vaccine for East Coast Fever. At around $7 per dose, one shot of the vaccine protects a cow for its entire life. Moreover, Newcastle Disease is a global poultry illness that can rapidly decimate more than three-quarters of a farmer’s flock, yet just one dose of the vaccine, which costs two cents, protects a chicken whose eggs will help feed a family and contribute to a farmer’s earnings. In addition, another GALVmed program works to fight diseases, such as African swine fever and tick-borne illnesses that can eradicate an entire herd of animals, leaving the producer’s family without food.
Preventing Diseases Zoonotic Diseases
An additional benefit of vaccinating livestock is the prevention of zoonotic diseases, illnesses that can transfer from animals to humans. Scientists now believe that three out of every four new human infectious diseases derive from animals. GALVmed addresses several previously ignored zoonotic diseases that affect small livestock producers in South Asia and Africa. One example is brucellosis, a disease that attacks people who have exposure to infected goats, cattle and pigs or who consume “contaminated dairy products. “More than half a million new human cases occur each year, and often, farmers must euthanize the infected animals to stop the spread of disease.
Unfortunately, every year, small livestock producers in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa lose around $500 million due to brucellosis infections. To reduce the harsh impact of the disease, the organization provides testing and vaccination kits. Moreover, another disease GALVmed combats is a global poultry virus called fowlpox that results in reduced growth rate and egg production. Again, a timely vaccine can prevent this devastating illness.
With support from donors, GALVmed continues its lifesaving work in eliminating livestock diseases and ensuring that small livestock producers can support their families, resulting in reduced poverty around the world.
– Sarah Betuel
Photo: Flickr
Green Efforts to Reduce Global Poverty
Global poverty is an increasingly pressing issue that obstructs the development of various nations around the world. In 2019, Nowcast estimated the extreme poverty rate at 8.2%. The number continued to increase as it reached 9.5% in 2020. However, global poverty remains the focus of many non-governmental organizations as United Nations-led programs return to the forefront of the battle against it. However, as various factors continue to intersect with the already dire situation, the diversification of poverty initiatives became an important requirement. Thus, the United Nations launched the Poverty-Environment Initiative to highlight the importance of sustainability and green efforts when it comes to tackling poverty within developing nations.
What is the Poverty-Environment Initiative?
The Poverty-Environment Initiative is an effort that several United Nations factions and departments launched to tackle the impacts of poverty through environmental development. U.N. Environment, UNDP, UNCDF and U.N. Women have backed the initiative. Currently, the initiative is operating in various countries within Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe. The collaborative effort explores the various ways poverty-alleviating policies can intersect with environmental goals to guarantee a more sustainable and healthy future in developing nations.
What are the Poverty-Environment Initiative’s Main Goals?
The Poverty-Environment Initiative’s main aim is to reduce the potentially damaging repercussions of economic growth on the environment. The initiative recognizes that many developing nations often exploit their natural resources and damage various ecosystems to pry themselves out of poverty. Various phenomena such as rising per capita consumption, industrialization and the rapid and uncontrolled increase of agriculture occur when a struggling nation attempts to diversify income resources.
Governments’ fixations on increasing economic development often make environmental degradation a negligible repercussion. As countries grow more industrialized, alleviating poverty comes at a devastating cost: an increase in air pollution. For example, the Chinese government could have pulled its people out of severe poverty. However, as the living standards increased, the quality of air worsened significantly. The decrease in the quality of air had detrimental impacts on the overall population’s health as well as China’s local ecosystems and wildlife.
Consequently, centering profit and sidelining environmental repercussions within government policies greatly affected the environment in developing countries. Therefore, the Poverty-Environment Initiative’s green efforts extend to improving the quality of life for those in developing nations without allowing environmental degradation to be a consequence. Moreover, it is important to note that the initiative uses the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals to set a clear roadmap toward reaching its objectives.
The Poverty-Environment Initiative’s Success Story in Thailand
The Poverty-Environment Initiative’s work in Asia yielded promising results, especially within Thailand’s most vulnerable provinces, according to a UNDP-UNEP report. Thailand’s Ministry of Interior led the operations and several partners such as Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the National Economic and Social Development Board provided assistance. The initiative’s efforts started within three major provinces: Samut Songkram, Nan and Khon Kaen.
To aid development, the initiative implemented various methods in the three provinces. For example, the U.N. programs studied the ecosystems within the three provinces using integrated ecosystem assessments to supply clear and concise data to lawmakers and governmental departments. The data could be a helpful planning and budgeting asset while keeping green policies and environment-friendly practices in mind, as UNEP reports.
In addition, the Poverty-Environment Initiative’s green efforts extended to a policy tool known as the “green growth indicators,” which allows government officials and ministries to track the environmentally friendly growth achieved.
The Poverty-Environment Initiative managed to build a clear roadmap to a green and sustainable economy by supplying developing countries with the tools necessary to make informed decisions.
– Nohad Awada
Photo: Unsplash
How Smart Cities in Latin America Alleviate Poverty
According to TWI, “a smart city uses information and communication technology (ICT) to improve operational efficiency, share information with the public and provide a better quality of government service and citizen welfare.” The primary purpose of a smart city is to improve the lives of its citizens by using innovative technology “to optimize city functions and promote economic growth.” According to the Inter-American Development Bank, “a Smart City is one that places people at the center of development,” highlighting the value of smart cities in addressing issues that impact a city’s most marginalized population. In particular, smart cities in Latin America have the potential to lift the region out of poverty.
Addressing Poverty with Information and Communication Technology
In Latin America, smart cities are gaining more traction as nations look for innovative ways to address poverty and improve the lives of their citizens. Across the region, developing nations are embracing information and communication technology to address environmental concerns, improve energy efficiency and provide people with essential resources such as running water.
Investment in smart city infrastructure allows for the opportunity “to build more reliable power grids or expand the Internet” to stimulate economic growth in low-income communities. In addition, technological advancements in public transportation have the potential to create an equitable and accessible city, providing people on the periphery the opportunity to access urban centers unlike ever before. More than half of the world’s population live in cities with a projected increase to 66% by 2050. As rural communities continue to seek economic opportunities in the urban landscape, it is more important than ever for cities to implement the people-centered model of smart cities.
4 Smart Cities in Latin America
Rising Smart Cities in Latin America Alleviate Poverty
Cities throughout Latin America are alleviating poverty by integrating smart technology into their frameworks. Urban areas that focus on creating smart and connected systems of living offer numerous benefits for their people, including improving the quality of life and ensuring the sustainable application of resources. With an urbanization rate of 80% in 2017, Latin America stands as the world’s most urbanized region, which means there is ample opportunity for smart city implementation.
– Jennifer Hendricks
Photo: Flickr
The Effects of the Economic Collapse in Lebanon
Poverty continues to loom over Lebanon’s most vulnerable communities, leaving them to battle with deteriorating living standards and several health hazards. Lebanese people’s quality of life sank to an unprecedented low due to many reasons. One of the most prominent reasons for the economic collapse in Lebanon is the Lebanese government’s immense amount of debts that add up to the “equivalent [of] 150% of national output.”
Lebanon’s Economic Landscape
Some financial experts describe the Lebanese government’s economic system “as a nationally regulated Ponzi scheme where new money is borrowed to pay existing creditors.” Adding to the nation’s troubles, the corrupt elite in Lebanon exploited the country’s foreign aid and income post-civil war and continue to do so to this day. The indebted government struggled to make ends meet, which led to the devaluation of the national Lebanese currency. While the economic collapse affected all citizens residing on Lebanese land, the already dire standard of life of the Lebanese lower-class became worse in several ways.
5 Ways the Economic Collapse in Lebanon Impacts Disadvantaged People
Beit El Baraka
As the factors mentioned above overlap, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) launched several initiatives and efforts to aid Lebanon’s most vulnerable communities. One of the most prominent NGOs currently operating on a large scale within Lebanon is Beit El Bakara. The NGO is dedicated to helping Lebanon’s vulnerable families by covering medical expenses, paying bills and tuitions and providing meals and essential services. Since its launch, Beit El Baraka’s team helped more than 128 families pay their electricity bills, paid 93 families’ rental costs, covered the cost of treatment for 1,681 patients in need and refurbished 3,011 homes across 62 Lebanese areas.
The economic collapse in Lebanon is becoming increasingly dire. Without help, Lebanon and its people could face a catastrophic fate as more than half of the population sinks below the poverty line. Therefore, aiding the Lebanese population should be a top priority of the international community.
– Nohad Awada
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Challenges for Impoverished Indigenous Australians
As of 2021, Australia remains within the top 15 economies in the world. However, as the Australian economy flourishes, the Indigenous Australian community remains a forgotten minority. According to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), a former Indigenous Australian government body, this marginalization increases several poverty risks within the community. In reference to research that the ATSIC conducted, more than 120,000 Indigenous Australians are currently living below the poverty line. This indicator signifies that more than 30% of the Australian Indigenous population endure “income poverty” and suffer from various forms of inequality on several life-impacting bases. A closer look at the challenges for impoverished Indigenous Australians provides insight into the severity of this marginalization.
Education and Work
Indigenous Australians often face income inequality when they join the workforce. Between 2018 and 2019, the weekly “median gross adjusted household income” of Indigenous Australians aged 18 and older was approximately $553. This number is a cause for concern because it is significantly lower than the wages of non-Indigenous Australians whose weekly median gross household income is about 65% higher.
Moreover, Indigenous teenagers are three times more likely to not receive full-time education than any non-indigenous group in Australia. Roughly 70% of young adult Australian Indigenous people do not work a full-time job or engage in full-time education, which causes an increased risk that affects their income average, living standards and overall quality of life.
Indigenous Australians must overcome several struggles when seeking out education. One of the biggest obstacles Indigenous Australians in under-funded or rural areas must overcome is the language barrier. The Australian nationwide curriculum includes only English instruction, which creates a language barrier for students within remote Indigenous areas.
Furthermore, schools in rural areas often occupied by Indigenous Australians are severely underfunded. The Australian government spends 47 cents on education per child in remote communities for every dollar spent on education per child in the Northern Territory of Australia. Also, many impoverished Australian students live with their extended family in overcrowded households, which creates distractions and deprioritizes education for Indigenous youth. All the factors mentioned above lead to an increased poverty rate in Indigenous communities due to the poor quality of education or the complete lack of it.
Health
Poverty within Indigenous Australian groups is also a significant contributor to the increased health hazards Indigenous Australians face. Many illnesses threaten the lives of indigenous Australians at much higher rates than non-Indigenous Australians. For example, diseases that otherwise do not exist within other communities threaten Indigenous Australian communities. Moreover, disability, as well as chronic and terminal illness, are observed at much higher rates within Indigenous communities throughout the country. These implications lead to a decreased life expectancy among Indigenous Australians as projections determine that they could live “20 years less” than any other group of people in Australia.
It is important to note that, according to a 2019 Oxfam analysis of Australian inequality, Australian indigenous women face several additional threats when it comes to poverty. Many gender-based health risks arise due to poverty and inequality. Indigenous Australian women face an increased infant mortality rate. In fact, the infant mortality rate for Indigenous Australian women is about twice the rate of their non-indigenous counterparts. In addition, Indigenous Australian women face the consequences of income inequality. Women in Australia make 85 cents for every dollar a man makes. This income gap widens further when it comes to Indigenous women, which puts them at an increased risk of poverty.
Combating COVID-19
The Australian Department of Health states that COVID-19 poses a greater health risk to Indigenous Australians in comparison to non-Indigenous people. Several structural and systematic injustices, such as limited access to health care, added risks due to pre-existing health issues and the lifestyles within remote Indigenous Australian communities, lead to this reality. However, the Australian government launched several efforts to help lessen the dire impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous Australians. This assistance materialized in the Indigenous community as 53% of Indigenous Australians older than 16 were receiving income support throughout the pandemic, which helped alleviate the impacts poverty has on these communities all over the country.
Community Support for Impoverished Indigenous Australians
While injustices continue to increasingly affect Indigenous Australian communities, it is important to note that activists are leading multiple efforts and initiatives to aid with alleviating poverty in these communities. For example, based in Victoria, Australia, Pay The Rent Grassroots Collective is a collaborative effort between Australians that aids struggling Indigenous Australians by collecting funds from non-Indigenous Australians. Because of this group, many native clans and people avoid instability by allowing the Indigenous Australians within Pay The Rent’s decision-making team to study the community’s needs and establish solutions to meet these needs.
As social and economic hardship continues to affect Indigenous Australians, taking action through evident support and direct aid to the community’s most vulnerable is more important than ever. As funds increase, it is clear to see that the nongovernmental organizations founded by Indigenous Australians are taking steps toward alleviating poverty among impoverished Indigenous Australians.
– Nohad Awada
Photo: Flickr
Using Green Trade to Transform Developing Nations
Following the impacts of COVID-19, many developing countries are attempting to rebuild their economies and alleviate the financial hardships of the people facing these impacts. Prior to the pandemic, the International Energy Agency predicted that renewable energy would expand by 50% between 2019 and 2024. As of 2022, it seems many nations are more focused on economic advancement rather than avoiding environmentally dangerous actions. Many world organizations are advocating for “greening trade” as a new growth strategy that could protect the environment and benefit nations with high poverty levels as a consequence of the onset of COVID-19. Green trade has the potential to transform developing countries.
What Does Greening Trade Mean?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), greening trade involves promoting sustainable measures to engage in trade that do not pollute land or water. The process focuses mainly on engaging in trade with renewable energy and energy efficiency markets. Greening trade helps the environment while maintaining trade relations for economic prosperity.
Evidence of Success in Greening Trade
In 2019, Palgrave Communications reported that the green trading industry generated $1.3 trillion in the United States economy alone. The industry has created 9.5 million full-time jobs in the U.S. In China, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that a mix of carbon taxes and green investment could have the potential to increase China’s GDP by 0.7% and create more than 12 million jobs by 2027. It is clear that green trade has created success in major economies globally.
How Can Greening Trade Reduce Poverty?
The World Trade Organization (WTO) released a study in January 2022 suggesting that more trade in green technologies could help developing nations transition to a low carbon economy. This is an advantage for nations with impoverished populations because new guidelines by WTO may require green practices in the future. In consideration, implementing green policies could prepare developing countries for future trading markets while preventing the countries from lagging behind.
Greening Trade Begins in Developing Countries
In September 2021, the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative hosted an event to explore opportunities for green trade with Europe’s new Green Deal. The event occurred in hopes of encouraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to do the same. The AfCFTA is projected to bring 30 million Africans out of poverty simply by means of trade and would benefit from engaging in green trade to maintain trade relations with the United Nations. The recent African Green Recovery Action Plan states that “for the COVID-19 recovery to be sustainable, it must link a green recovery with an inclusive recovery.” The plan insinuates that marginalized groups and those in poverty can benefit from green plans.
The World Bank states that Vietnam should use its resources to promote green trade to maintain a competitive edge in international markets and generate new, innovative jobs for the unemployed to combat pandemic-induced poverty levels. Green recovery is crucial in the post-COVID-19 era to improve the conditions of those in poverty, specifically in developing countries that have the opportunity to rebuild.
Ways to Green Trade
UNEP suggests four ways that governments can actively engage in greening trade:
Green trading is a relatively new industry and its full economic potential has not yet come to fruition. If developing countries take advantage of engaging in green trade now, these nations could be setting themselves up for the future of trade in general while benefiting their economies.
– Rachel Reardon
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