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USAID Helps Stabilize Mali’s Government 

USAID and Mali’s Government
The West African Country of Mali is one of the most war-torn countries in the world. Routinely experiencing coups and civil wars, the country remains politically unstable. With a nominal GDP of only $17.39 billion, Mali lacks the ability to neutralize violent guerilla fighters and secure control over its provinces. As such, the country is also a victim of widespread poverty. In the wake of the political instability and subsequent poverty, USAID has intervened to help alleviate violence, promote humanitarian efforts and stabilize Mali’s government.

USAID Programs

Recently, USAID has granted $152 million in humanitarian aid, which will be designated for governmental security and the establishment of civil organizations, which “empower Malians to play an important role at the local level of a decentralized government system.” Specifically, USAID has established the Mali Electoral Transformation Activity program, the People at Peace program and the Civic Engagement Program to accomplish its goal of augmenting Mali’s government.

Mali Electoral Transformation Activity Program

Beginning in 2021, and expected to run till 2023, USAID’s Mali Electoral Transformation Activity Program helps maintain peace through non-violent transitions of power that reflect democratic tenets. With a budget of $3 million, the program targets “the capacity, integrity and transparency of Mali’s electoral system to hold credible elections allowing citizens to select their leaders peacefully and democratically.”

Moreover, it empowers Malian shareholders and businessmen to take an active role in their government, while simultaneously opening governmental participation to marginalized groups. Although the program is young, it promises Mali and brighter future and a more stable government.

People at Peace Program

Governments are only as stable as the citizens they govern. Beginning in 2019 and running till 2021, USAID’s People and Peace Program “builds resilience to conflict and violent extremism with communities in southern Mali.” Through a people-to-people approach bringing together different group leaders from different ethnic groups, Lafia increases local capacities to counter the drivers of conflict and extremism. With a budget of $1,684,850, People at Peace principally challenges community groups to take on joint violence prevention.

It also provides local communities “with relevant governmental authorities and civil society actors in the implementation of national policies,” rendering law and order. As a result, through People at Peace, USAID helps stabilize Mali’s government by successfully training 1,286 youth in “social or leadership skills,” renewing local communities’ faith in stopping crime and increasing the “proportion of people in target communities who report receiving information on national policies.”

Civic Engagement Program

From 2016-2021, and with a budget of $12,344,862, USAID’s Civic Engagement Program empowers young citizens to engage in their local communities and governments for the purpose of future stability. Specifically, the program “enables Malians to better fulfill their end of the social contract and to make their government more responsive and accountable to citizens.” In the course of this program, USAID successfully worked with local Malian civil societies, “improving public services and providing better access to and oversight of government for marginalized groups.”

Furthermore, the Civil Engagement Program also educates Malians on their rights as citizens, thereby letting them better identify and understand government policies and regulations. With this program, USAID has assisted 486 civil society organizations, hosted 555 activities designed to promote the civic participation of women in government and trained 482 youth. USAID helps stabilize Mali’s government by equipping Malians with the adequate skillsets and knowledge to secure a better future.

All of these programs are oriented towards achieving USAID’s vision of international equity, humanitarian ideals and the alleviation of poverty. Because of its government work in countries like Mali, underdeveloped nations have hope for a brighter future aside from the violence that often plagues their borders.

– Jacob Crosley
Photo: Flickr

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Marcus Rashford’s Campaign Fights Against Child Poverty

Marcus Rashford's CampaignMany know Marcus Rashford for his role on the soccer field as a player for the famous Manchester United team. However, Rashford is also an activist in the fight against child poverty in the United Kingdom. With 22% of adults and 30% of children in Britain living in poverty, this is an important issue, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coming from a background of poverty himself, Marcus Rashford’s campaign gives a voice to the impoverished youth.

Marcus Rashford’s Campaign Combats Child Hunger

One of Rashford’s most significant passions is combating child hunger. In June 2020, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the soccer star launched a campaign asking the government to continue using food vouchers for students during summer vacations. For many impoverished children, school lunches are a necessary resource to receive proper daily nutrition. Rashford’s campaign provided vouchers to underprivileged families, allowing children and families to access school lunches and groceries during the summer. Additionally, he raised £20 million with FareShare, a U.K. organization that has provided 131.9 million meals to charities and vulnerable people.

The public has shown strong support for Rashford’s campaign. During his initial campaign, the government rejected his ideas. However, the people rallied in his support, causing the government to backtrack, providing 1.3 million students with meal vouchers for a six-week summer break period. His October 2020 petition calling for the government to extend free school meals to other vacations and expand eligibility garnered more than 500,000 signatures. Although this request was not successful, local businesses followed with their support, even businesses that the pandemic hit hard. Additionally, Rashford used his Twitter account, with more than 3.5 million followers, as a directory of food banks, providing valuable information for those the government denied food.

Educational Resources

Along with his work against child hunger, Rashford also works to provide underprivileged children with educational resources. Rashford has said he only properly started reading books for leisure at age 17 because his family never had the budget for it. After learning that more than 380,000 children in the U.K. never owned books of their own, Rashford sought to change that. In the fall of 2020, he launched a book club with Macmillian’s Children’s Books to provide books to children. Through Marcus Rashford’s campaign, thousands of children now have access to a new hobby that they previously viewed as a privilege.

In May 2021, the Sunday Times Giving List notably recognized Rashford as the youngest person to top its list of British philanthropists. This accolade was due to Rashford’s generous donations to various food, poverty and community charities. The soccer player has raised more than £20 million in donations, putting his “Giving Index” rating at 125%; his wealth is £16 million. Due to the additional waves of COVID-19, there is a high demand for donations.

Rashford has proven himself to be a valuable contributor both on and off the field. Through his hard work and dedication, millions of children across the U.K. have had access to food and books. With his substantial passion, Rashford shows no signs of slowing down in his philanthropic efforts.

– Carly Johnson
Photo: Flickr

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Children in Morocco are Breaking Cyclical Poverty

samis-project-how-children-in-morocco-are-breaking-cyclical-poverty
Children in Morocco have turned tragedy into new beginnings. Sami’s Project, named after a young Moroccan student who died of cancer, has mobilized thousands of students across Morocco to plant fruit trees in rural communities. Since 2011, Moroccan children have planted 35,000 trees across the country through Sami’s Project while gaining agricultural management skills. Centered in the rural province Essaouira, the project aims to supply students with the resources and curriculum necessary to plant and manage fruit trees and botanical gardens. In 2018 alone, 19,000 children mobilized to plant trees across 23 provinces in Morocco. The goal of the project is not simply to reforest Morocco. The group also works toward a larger impact on national poverty reduction.

Decreasing Food Insecurity in Rural Communities

By planting fruit trees, the project directly improves food security in rural provinces. Over the last two decades, Morocco has drastically reduced the prevalence of multidimensional poverty from 58.9% in 1998 to 3.6% in 2021. Within that last 3.6%, 80% of those still living in poverty live in rural communities. By planting fruit trees in rural communities, the organization directly increases food supplies to populations that poverty most impacts.

Planting fruit trees in these communities has economic and ecological benefits, outside of food production. By improving native biodiversity through fruit tree planting, the project works to decrease soil erosion in arid regions. This has the potential to increase the amount of arable land in rural agricultural communities. In Morocco, 80% of agricultural land is currently at threat of desertification. Planting trees and increasing green spaces improve the resiliency of land and slow the process of desertification. According to Sustainable Food Trust, more than half of the active workforce in Morocco works in agriculture. Therefore, Sami’s Project works toward protecting both job security and food production.

Future Building Through Youth Outreach

Auxilary to providing fruit trees, Sami’s Project also provides teachers in rural Morocco with a curriculum that teaches sustainable nursery management. The project gives teachers the ability to equip their students with organic certification training, product management skills and hands-on business development skills.

Through the project, children build and manage fruit tree nurseries and botanical gardens. By developing these skills through a sustainable and organic curriculum, the children build a base for becoming more competitive agriculturalists. The project then sells the food it produces to the local communities, simultaneously increasing local food security and bringing in revenue for the schools, according to High Atlas Foundation.

Improving Education Infrastructure

Finally, the organization uses the funds to improve school infrastructure. Sami’s Project funds clean drinking water systems and improves sanitation infrastructure. Through the project, clean water systems and bathrooms have undergone construction in 12 schools in rural Morocco, as High Atlas Foundation reports. The goal is to increase access to education for children in Morocco and ensure students have access to basic necessities while at school.

By equipping teachers and students with fruit trees, Sami’s project has increased food security for rural communities. It has also improved education infrastructure and given children in Morocco the skills to grow into agriculturalists.

– Aiden Smith
Photo: Flickr

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Offshore Renewable Energy in Portugal

Renewable Energy in PortugalPortugal is taking advantage of its Atlantic coast by investing in offshore wind farms. These developments occur in an effort to reverse the negative economic effects of COVID-19 and downsize energy poverty in the country. The expansion of renewable energy in Portugal has the potential to reduce the country’s expensive dependency on imports while simultaneously creating new local jobs and domestic industries.

The Issue of Energy Poverty

The United Nations defines energy poverty as a lack of “access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.” Compared to other countries in the European Union, Portugal endures some of the highest rates of energy poverty, with nearly 20% of the country’s population reporting that they were unable to properly heat and cool their homes in 2018. Compared to the EU’s average of 6.9%, Portugal has a notably high rate. Energy-inefficient homes result in extremely high energy bills for citizens when temperatures fluctuate, especially in the winter. Recent studies show that 75% of the buildings in Portugal fail to meet the required guidelines for heating. This is an issue that has devastating impacts on the overall health of residents.

The Portuguese government does provide discounts on gas and electricity for households that meet certain socioeconomic criteria, and in 2020, nearly 753,000 households in Portugal received the electricity social tariff. Additionally, approximately 35,000 received the natural gas social tariff. However, the development of renewable energy and the subsequent reduction of overall energy costs could eliminate the need for these social tariffs altogether.

The Economic Effects of COVID-19

Like many countries, Portugal’s economy has faced huge setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its GDP decreased by 8.4% in 2020, “the largest annual decline since 1936.” In order to combat this decline, the country is making strides to expand its renewable energy sector.

The hope is that it can transition from the expensive task of importing fossil fuels to finding innovative ways to generate its own clean energy. Renewable energy in Portugal has expanded greatly in recent years, providing more than 50% of the country’s electricity needs in 2019, with hopes to reach 80% by 2030.

Innovations in Wind Energy

One area of renewable energy in which Portugal has become a leading European country is the development of wind energy. In 2019, Portugal’s Atlantic coast became home to the second floating wind farm in Europe, an alternative to onshore turbines which can disrupt tourism and generate noise complaints. Previously, offshore wind farms were limited to shallow waters, preventing countries like Portugal from taking advantage of the industry due to its deep Atlantic waters.

However, incredible innovation by the WindFloat Atlantic project produced three wind turbines located 20 km offshore from the port city Viana Do Castelo, minimizing disruption to the local fishing industry and taking advantage of more powerful winds and deep water storms. These three turbines alone possess an installed capacity of 25 megawatts. This is “roughly equivalent to the energy consumed by 60,000 homes in one year.” The cutting-edge feat of the Windfloat Atlantic Project has captured the attention of many other coastal countries who hope to develop similar technology and presents great potential for a resurgence in Portugal’s economy.

Renewable Energy and Economic Growth

COVID-19 caused unemployment in Portugal to skyrocket by 36.2% between May 2019 and May 2020. Throughout the pandemic, workers without a higher education degree were most affected, with an average increase in registered unemployment of 38.3% between the same dates. However, the expansion of offshore wind energy is creating new job opportunities for this demographic which do not require higher education.

Wind energy in Portugal currently gives employment to approximately 22,000 people, and the WindFloat Atlantic project, which Ocean Winds implemented in 2011, has created 1,500 jobs for local citizens. Increased dependence on renewable energy in Portugal will also decrease electricity bills for residents and become a pivotal agent in combating energy poverty. Many expect that the pioneer project will grow in the coming years. Portugal is in the perfect position to capitalize on that growth, improving the lives of its citizens and revitalizing its economy in an earth-friendly way.

Like many countries, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were detrimental to Portugal’s economy. However, the success of the WindFloat Atlantic project has resulted in more job opportunities for those who became unemployed during the pandemic, a decreased dependence on energy imports and the downsizing of energy poverty due to the more affordable prices that renewable energy sources are able to offer. The cutting-edge technology of Portugal’s offshore wind farm has sparked excitement in many other European nations who hope to develop similar projects along their coastlines. As a new leader in the development of renewable wind energy, Portugal will continue to innovate and pave the way for cleaner, more affordable energy for all.

– Hannah Gage
Photo: Flickr

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COVID-19’s Impact on Ireland

COVID-19’s Impact on Ireland
After introducing one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, Ireland ranked first on Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking in September 2021. According to the Financial Post, “Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking scores the largest 53 economies on their success at containing the virus with the least amount of social and economic disruption.” Ireland’s high vaccination rates and economic plans likely contribute to it securing the first-place ranking. By September 10, 2021, 90% of Ireland’s adult population was fully vaccinated. However, as Ireland slowly eases its restrictions, there are concerns that COVID-19’s impact on Ireland may be lasting.

COVID-19’s Far-Reaching Impact

By November 27, 2021, Ireland reported more than 556,000 COVID-19 cases and 5,652 deaths. However, the death toll is not the only measurement of COVID-19’s impact on Ireland. As the government attempts to combat the pandemic, there is evidence that COVID-19 also impacts Ireland in several other ways:

  1. High unemployment rates plague Ireland. In 2020, the unemployment rate in Ireland reached an all-time high of 31.5%. However, despite COVID-19’s impact on Ireland last year, unemployment has dropped to 7.9% in October 2021. Ireland’s Finance Ministry estimates that the rate will reduce further to 7.2% in 2022.
  2. COVID-19 harshly impacts certain industries. Across the world, the tourism and hospitality sectors faced the most severe impacts of COVID-19. Border closures, travel restrictions and limitations on gatherings significantly impact these sectors. According to the Northern Ireland Hotel Federation, in April 2020, about 90% of hotel staff in Northern Ireland were “furloughed or laid off.”
  3. COVID-19 impacts education in Ireland. In September 2021, Irish schools noted a high absence of school children due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. In the second week of September alone, 12,000 children in Ireland missed school because of close contact with COVID-19 positive individuals. One official describes the school system as “overwhelmed,” prompting the Northern Ireland Assembly to schedule an urgent meeting to address the situation.
  4. Ireland’s health care system is under pressure. A sudden surge in COVID-19 cases has led to absent health care workers. In October 2021, approximately 2,700 infected health workers did not attend work due to COVID-19. The decreasing staff numbers in hospitals has major consequences. Hospitals across Ireland had to cancel more than 400 medical procedures in October 2021 due to staff shortages.

A Hopeful Look to the Future

Despite COVID-19’s Impact on Ireland, hope is on the horizon. In June 2021, the Irish government revealed its National Economic Recovery Plan. The plan commits €3.6 billion to assist employees and businesses enduring the harsh impacts of COVID-19. The plan also involves “a phased ending to pandemic unemployment payments, property tax increases for some and an emphasis on the green economy.”

One of the plan’s most salient features is its attempt to combat the unemployment rate. The plan extends the Public Employment service, increasing its caseload by 100,000 per year. The strategy also supports the upskilling and reskilling of the labor force. The plan also seeks to increase incentives for recruiting unemployed youth.

In October 2021, the Irish unemployment rate fell to a level of 10%, which is the nation’s lowest rate since the inception of the pandemic. The represents a sharp decline from not just the previous month’s 12.4% unemployment rate but also the 31% all-time high from the previous year. In addition, the youth unemployment rate is falling and the Central Bank predicts that Ireland’s recovery plan could create 160,000 jobs before the end of 2023.

– Richard J. Vieira
Photo: Flickr

How Radio Educates Rural Tanzanian Communities

loliondo-radio-educating-rural-tanzanian-communities
The radio is a powerful poverty-fighting tool; it is low-cost and easily accessible to people in rural communities as a source of information. For children and teachers alike in these areas, educational radio programs are a valuable resource. By helping to educate children, radio gives children the skills that they need to acquire a job in the future and rise out of poverty. Radio also increases access to news and information in impoverished communities and keeps people up to date on societal developments. Additionally, nonprofits and campaigns striving to combat poverty can spread their messages through radio and garner support for their causes. Radio can combat poverty by educating people in rural communities and helping nonprofits share their missions. One such radio station is Loliondo FM, which operates in Tanzania. Here is how Liondo is educating people in rural Tanzanian communities.

Loliondo FM Benefits the Maasai

The Maasai tribe, in particular, benefits from listening to the Loliondo FM radio program. The Maasai tribe, located in parts of Tanzania and Kenya, has retained its culture and traditional way of living despite the tides of the modern world. However, due to modern developments and land acquisition of the Maasai’s traditional lands, the tribe faces both displacement and high rates of poverty.

With the increasing calls for change comes the need to educate the Maasai children. Radio stands as the most convenient method in this regard. Its portability and ability to tune into stations over long distances make it ideal for the nomadic lifestyle of the Maasai people located in Tanzania. Through radio, the Maasai learn about a range of social, economic, political and health issues. Some topics include poverty elimination efforts, human rights, the impacts of female genital mutilation, HIV/AIDS prevention and the importance of girls’ education. Loliondo radio increases the Maasai’s awareness of global issues and readies them for future changes.

Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Rights

Loliondo FM especially benefits the girls of the Maasai tribe. The Maasai communities are traditional and typically patriarchal in nature with distinct gender roles. Through programs on gender equality and women’s empowerment, Loliondo FM is working to improve conditions for Maasai women, educating them to make informed choices in their lives. Tribal women in rural Tanzanian communities learn about issues such as gender-based violence, pregnancy and sexual health by listening to radio programs.

Girls who cannot attend school can learn through radio programs. The radio station also functions as a reporting system for gender-based violence incidents, with many women reaching out to through radio for help. Upon receiving these calls, Loliondo FM works with local community officials and members to resolve these cases. Through education and intervention, Loliondo FM is improving the lives of Maasai women and girls.

Conserving the Environment

Loliondo FM also encourages “active citizenship” to safeguard the environment and protect the livelihoods of the people in rural Tanzanian communities dependant on the environment. To raise awareness of the issue, Loliondo FM created educational radio broadcasts in addition to developing discussion groups “for sharing lessons.” The radio station “took [260] students to Serengeti National Park” in Tanzania to teach them about the importance of environmental conservation.

Thanks to Loliondo FM, 700,000 people received environmental education updates. The radio station also gathered the community to plant 1,000 trees around community schools. Loliondo FM’s work brings awareness to crucial global issues while giving the youth opportunities to make a difference.

The radio’s portability and affordability make it an ideal tool for bringing education to Africa’s tribal people and helping to lift them out of poverty. Through educational programming and coordination with community members, Loliondo FM raises awareness of social, health and gender equality issues while positively impacting the environment.

– Alison Ding
Photo: Flickr

The Benefits of Typhoon-Proof Wind Turbines

Typhoon-Proof Wind TurbinesA Japanese energy startup called Challenergy is creating the first wind turbines that can withstand and harness energy from typhoons. The wind turbines are designed to help countries, especially in Asia, derive some benefit from frequent tropical storms. Typhoon-proof wind turbines could provide a solution to the challenges storm-prone countries often face when they have to shut down standard wind turbines because of typhoons. The robust design of typhoon-proof wind turbines could make renewable energy more accessible to developing countries where tropical storms are prevalent. Building the turbines could also create jobs and protect the environment, which benefits low-income communities.

Deriving Benefits From Typhoons

Atsushi Shimizu, the founder of Challenergy, told Reuters that a central goal behind creating the turbines is to turn typhoons into a positive. Tropical storms have historically caused ample damage to Japan and other Asian countries, but the typhoon-proof wind turbines could make the storms highly beneficial to people and the environment. Typhoons often destroy traditional wind turbines and put them out of service, but the design of Challenergy’s “Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine” withstands and benefits from storms by harnessing powerful wind energy. The turbines could save people, energy and the environment by withstanding tropical storms and providing sustainable energy, even during typhoon season.

How Typhoon-Proof Wind Turbines Work

Challenergy designed the “Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine” without the traditional pointed blades that are characteristic of wind turbines. The typhoon-proof wind turbines resemble egg beaters, featuring square, upright blades that spin horizontally in the wind’s direction. As a result, Challenergy’s wind turbines are sturdier and better able to capture clean energy from typhoons than traditional wind turbines.

Shimizu told CNN that Japan has often imported wind turbines from Europe, but they are poorly designed for areas with frequent typhoons. If Challenergy’s typhoon-proof wind turbines are successful, Shimizu predicts the turbines could provide enough clean energy to “power Japan for 50 years.” Challenergy is on its way to introducing a new, sustainable energy source to Japan and the rest of the world through its typhoon-proof wind turbines.

The Benefits at Large

Every year, Japan experiences around 26 typhoons and other tropical storms, which makes it difficult to maintain wind turbines and harness energy from the storms. Challenergy’s typhoon-proof wind turbines could provide a long-term solution to Japan’s current low capacity for wind energy. The turbines could create jobs in Japan and other countries and provide a reliable source of clean energy amid both normal and extreme weather conditions. Challenergy’s turbines offer a solution to the challenges of integrating clean energy in typhoon-prone countries. The turbines could help all parts of the world, regardless of climate, adopt sustainable energy sources to protect the environment, which everyone relies on to survive.

Challenergy is still testing its wind turbines to optimize performance, but nevertheless, the typhoon-proof turbines offer hope of a clean energy source that will cater to countries that experience an abundance of natural disasters. For many developing countries, this could mean a long-term energy supply that shows resilience in the face of frequent natural disasters in contrast to traditional wind turbines.

– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Honduras

Human trafficking in Honduras
Human trafficking in Honduras is one of the most prominent human rights issues in the country. A 2020 report by the U.S. Department of State identifies Honduras as a Tier 2 country since it is making great strides in reducing human trafficking cases. However, the country still needs to meet the set baselines. With the new legislation, a new anti-trafficking plan and advocacy efforts by government-backed programs, Honduras is on its way to creating a safer society.

Causes of Human Trafficking in Honduras

The main causes of human trafficking in Honduras are unemployment, lack of economic opportunity and family issues. These issues leave people desperate to have a stable income and, unfortunately, make them more vulnerable to human trafficking. According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate in Honduras reached 10.98% in 2020, about a 5% increase from the unemployment rate of 5.7% in 2019. Often, traffickers lure victims to other countries with false promises of an escape from poverty and crime-ravaged areas, according to the 2021 report by the U.S. Department of State.

Honduras is primarily a source country for sex trafficking and forced labor. Oftentimes, traffickers exploit victims within their own communities and homes. Traffickers transport women and children, who are primarily victims of sex trafficking, abroad to experience exploitation in countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and the United States. Additionally, traffickers usually transport people for forced labor to Guatemala, Mexico and the United States.

As the U.S. Department of State reported, traffickers force their victims to beg on the streets, traffick drugs and work in the informal sector. Children have to work in dangerous occupations such as the agricultural, construction, manufacturing and mining industries. The U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that 9% of children from ages 5 to 14 in Honduras are working. Around 53% of these children work in the agricultural sector, 12.7% work in the industry sector (mining, construction and fireworks production, etc.) and 34% work in the services sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation, negatively impacting economic opportunity further. This has increased the vulnerability of people to human trafficking in Honduras, according to the 2021 report by the U.S. Department of State.

Government Initiatives

The previously mentioned report shows that the Honduran government is taking action to reduce cases of human trafficking in Honduras in the following ways:

  1. Increasing funding for Inter-institutional Commission to Combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons (CICESCT): In 2019, the Honduran government increased funding to 5.5 million lempiras (USD 221,400). CICESCT uses this funding to provide assistance to victims such as protection and therapy. In 2020, CICESCT’s immediate response team provided 67 victims with these services. Additionally, CICESCT works with other organizations and NGOs to provide further assistance to victims such as medical care.
  2. Identifying More Victims: Law enforcement and social service providers have certain procedures to follow to identify symptoms of human trafficking and refer suspected victims to the CICEST immediate response team.
  3. Enacting a New Penal Code Provision: The definition of trafficking is now as per international law. However, the new penal code lowered the penalty for trafficking, resulting in the crime not being on par with other serious misdemeanors.
  4. Implementing the 2016-2020 National Anti-Trafficking Plan: This plan includes measures such as providing anti-trafficking training to the public (virtually during the pandemic) and providing awareness-raising campaigns through social media. The Honduran government also formed a network of 32 government agencies and NGOs to help carry the plan out.

UNODC Campaign

In 2019, the Honduran government joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Blue Heart Campaign. The idea is to raise awareness about human trafficking in Honduras and to prevent these crimes. The Blue Heart Campaign focuses on advocacy and seeks to recruit others to help prevent human trafficking crimes by building political support to take more action against it. The campaign sends its donations to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, whose goal is to aid other organizations and NGOs globally to assist victims. According to the UNODC, the campaign resulted in the rescuing of 194 people in 2019.

CICESCT

CICESCT is a Honduran government agency that aims to reduce the number of human trafficking cases and to provide care for victims. Since its formation in 2012, Honduras has increased funding for CICESCT. This allows for more aid and investigations into human trafficking cases. In 2018, more than 300 victims received aid, protection and services (mental health counseling, food, housing, legal care and medical care) to integrate back into society. Also, 28 people received prison sentences with time ranging from five to 15 years for human trafficking.

Moving Forward

There are still critical issues to resolve regarding human trafficking in Honduras. However, the country has made significant progress and is continuing to work on eradicating human trafficking from the country. If this level of progress and awareness continues, Honduras can achieve a trafficking-free society.

– Shikha Surupa
Photo: Unsplash

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LEGO Encourages Learning Through Play

learning through play
As the world grapples with COVID-19, countless indirect consequences and equally urgent issues have gone unnoticed amid the panic and chaos of the pandemic. Although these other aspects of quality of life are not as attention-grabbing as a death count or an infection total, they are still important to recognize. COVID-19 significantly impacts the education of children across the globe, disproportionately affecting underprivileged children. LEGO encourages learning through play to “[empower] children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners,” especially amid global challenges.

Pandemic-Induced School Closures

UNESCO estimates that, at the peak of the pandemic in March 2020, more than 180 countries imposed nationwide school closures, impacting 87% of the global student population. These closures occurred suddenly, and without adequate funding and infrastructure to transition to different forms of learning while still preserving quality, education systems in low-income nations faced significant challenges.

Even before the pandemic hit, in 2018, UNESCO reported roughly “258 million children and youth” out of school. In 2019, a UNHCR report indicated that 3.7 million refugee children were out of school globally. The World Bank reports that just “63% of refugee children are enrolled in primary school” in comparison “to 91% globally.” Furthermore, just “24% of refugee adolescents are enrolled in secondary schools compared to 84% globally.” In addition, a mere “3% of refugee youth have access to higher education compared to 37% globally.”

Education as a Pathway out of Poverty

For people suffering poverty and crises beyond their control, education is key. Capabilities such as literacy, basic arithmetic skills and writing proficiency serve as stepping stones to success. These skills grant impoverished people access to higher-paying, skilled jobs, creating a pathway out of poverty. The Global Partnership for Education estimates that “171 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty” if all children had basic reading proficiencies. The way to effectively, efficiently and permanently eliminate poverty is by investing in children’s education.

The LEGO Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the LEGOs brand, is stepping up to combat barriers to education. A nation’s most valuable resources are its people, and therefore, there exists a distinct link between a country’s education system and the general economic and social well-being of the nation’s citizens. Recognizing the far-reaching effects of education and the importance of play in learning, LEGO Foundation began incorporating the concept of learning through play to enrich education systems, mindsets and resources throughout the world.

Learning Through Play

Research finds that “learning through play supports the development of early literacy and numeracy skills in an integrated approach, while also cultivating children’s social, emotional, physical and creative skills.” Studies also find that many traditional forms of education, involving more creatively restricted, socially inflexible and generally unenjoyable training and subsequent assessment, fail to optimally develop and teach children.

However, simply accusing existing education systems of overly didactic and stiflingly structured teaching methods is not enough to encourage change, especially in areas where resources are scarce and change is too expensive. Considering the research of many scientists, engineers, educators, creatives and experts, the LEGO team came together to create engaging play-full activities.

LEGO’s Let’s Build Together initiative is an online experience with games and constructive education activities developed to stimulate development through play. For children and classrooms unable to access this content online, the LEGO Foundation donates Play Boxes to organizations caring for vulnerable children. The boxes promote learning through play with a “variety of elements which are valuable as teaching and learning tools in any curriculum, from early childhood to adulthood.”

Partnering with UNICEF

Beginning in 2015, LEGO chose to partner with UNICEF to support education through play, with a special focus on children in impoverished nations. In 2020, the LEGO Foundation provided $28 million worth of funding to UNICEF to support the education of children, for instance, by supplying LEGO Play Boxes to countries such as “Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey.” In Rwanda and South Africa, teacher training curriculums now incorporate learning through play.

Through research, action and play, LEGO has found ways to ensure children receive an education, regardless of their economic and social backgrounds. In the face of the effects of COVID-19 and other humanitarian crises, it is important to prioritize children’s education, recognizing that education provides a pathway out of poverty.

– John J. Lee
Photo: Flickr

The Battle Against Alcohol Consumption in Moldova

moldova's-battle-against-alcoholism
Despite only having a population of roughly 2.6 million people, alcohol consumption in Moldova has consistently been among the world’s highest. In 2016, the country was number one, with a per capita consumption of 15.2 liters among people ages 15 and up. Focusing only on the members of the population who drink, the per capita consumption was 22.8 liters. Yet, countries like Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, which consumed 27.9 liters and 24 liters respectively, passed Moldova’s consumption.

WHO reported that Moldova also had the highest percentage of deaths from alcohol-related causes – 26.1% of total deaths. About one in four deaths have a link to alcohol compared to the world average of one in 20. To put the matter in greater perspective, the population of Moldova was roughly 2.8 million in 2016, while the crude death rate was 11.45 deaths per 1,000 people. That means there were about 32,060 deaths, around 8,368 of which occurred due to alcohol-related causes.

About Alcohol Consumption in Moldova

To better understand the heavy alcohol consumption and the high number of alcohol-related deaths in Moldova, it is important to ask how and why drinking became such an issue, even when compared to countries notorious for drinking like Russia, Ukraine and Germany. One of the main contributing factors is Moldova’s wine-drinking culture and the prevalence of homemade wine. In 2016, wine made up 56.6% of the recorded alcohol consumed. Beer accounted for 16.2% and spirits made up 25.2%, according to the WHO report.

A WHO report shows that 60% of the total alcohol that people consumed in Moldova was unrecorded, compared to Russia, which had an unrecorded consumption of 24%, and Ukraine, which showed that 36% of its alcohol consumption was not on record. The majority of the unrecorded alcohol Moldovans consumed was homemade wine. However, if one bases alcohol consumption in Moldova strictly off sales data, an entirely different narrative unfolds.

According to Moldova’s official sales data from 1970 to 2015, wine consumption appears to have peaked at more than 50% of total consumption in the late 1980s. Following the 1980s, wine consumption experienced a rapid decline until 1995. After this, consumption rose slightly before falling to its lowest point in 2005 when wine consumption made up about 10% of the total. From there, it rose to just below 20%, as a study published in the European Journal of Population showed.

Understanding Wine Consumption in Moldova

The sales data makes it appear as though spirits have dominated alcohol consumption since the 1980s, it is on the decline while beer is on the rise. Meanwhile, the data implies wine consumption has accounted for the lowest share of consumption since before 2000. However, further research states that most of Moldova’s alcohol consumption is unrecorded, wine consumption is the main type of unrecorded consumption and that Moldova has a wine-drinking culture. This demonstrates how significant the issue of homemade wine really is.

There are a few significant points about the fact that people are making, buying and consuming so much homemade wine is significant. Firstly, there is the issue of the circumstances when people consume wine instead of beer and spirits. People generally consume beer and spirits for leisure, like when someone is at a party or goes out with friends, usually in the evening or at night. On the other hand, they often consume wine with meals anywhere from the afternoon onward. In addition, people also consume it at celebrations, according to the previously mentioned study.

A wine drinker could easily consume wine every day at dinner and think nothing of it. A social drinker who likes beer or spirits might at most only go out and drink with friends once or twice on weekends. In wine-drinking cultures, wine is practically a necessity with certain meals, so people in countries that have such cultures drink wine ritually. Chronic conditions like cirrhosis of the liver frequently occur due to the regular wine-drinking Moldovans engage in. The same study shows that since homemade wine is unregulated, it is unknown what all could be in it. As a result, it could be more harmful than legally distributed wine.

Anti-Alcohol Measures

Although alcohol consumption in Moldova has been significant, the situation has improved as the government and NGOs make efforts to reduce consumption, alcohol-related diseases and deaths. For decades, Moldova did not take any anti-alcohol measures after experiencing the increased life expectancy benefits of measures the Soviet Union took in 1985. Without measures in place, alcohol consumption rose to more than 23 liters per adult in 1997. By 2004, it was above 21 liters.

Efforts to Reduce Alcohol Consumption and Deaths

In 2012, the government adopted the National Program on Alcohol Control that would be in effect until 2020. A few of the measures within the program were raising the age requirement to buy alcohol, reducing the legal blood-alcohol level for drivers and raising the price floor on certain alcohol products. The first and third measures, however, could simply drive people to consume cheaper, homemade alcohol.

In a low-middle income country, heavy alcohol consumption can slash deep into many Moldovan’s budgets. Homemade wine that is cheaper than milk is alluring to drinkers living in poverty. It is satisfying and worsening their alcohol addictions, which in turn leads to spending more money on alcohol. This is why the charity Mission Without Borders has provided regular food packages to 500 families struggling with alcoholism. However, according to Time, people sometimes exchange these packages for alcohol.

In 2014, Dr. Andrei Usatîi, Moldova’s Minister of Health, initiated a nationwide alcohol awareness campaign to inform Moldovans about the dangers of alcohol abuse. The automobile club “Automobil Club din Moldova” conducted a survey of 9,000 drivers as part of its 2015 anti-drunk driving campaign. Only 15% of Moldovan drivers knew the legal blood alcohol content for drivers. However, 16.75% of respondents claimed they were used to driving after drinking heavily. In 2012, WHO found that 69% of Moldovan drinkers are unconcerned about future alcohol-related health problems. Also, 81% do not plan to start drinking less.

The Future of Alcohol Consumption in Moldova

With alcohol-related causes accounting for 26.1% of deaths in Moldova, a country that at times has consumed more alcohol than anywhere, serious changes must occur. WHO projects that alcohol consumption will only be down to 15.1 liters from 15.2 in 2025. However, government and NGO efforts can bring consumption down further. Informing the people and taking measures against alcohol, particularly homemade wine, is essential for reducing casualties and chronic diseases.

– Nate Ritchie
Photo: Flickr