Activists are urging politicians and development agencies to reform foreign aid and humanitarian work on the ground. Critics of the developmental sector tie it to colonialism, and actors within foreign aid are thinking about improving the quality of life for people around the globe while also moving away from colonial ideologies. Outreach International is one of the organizations helping to change the realities of the developmental sector.
The Relationship Between Colonialism and the Developmental Sector
The foreign aid sector has received criticism for being a neocolonial agent. The arguments are that Western countries impose their cultures on non-Western cultures through development programs and that the Global North portrays the Global South as helpless.
In the history of development programs, Western countries have imposed their values on non-Western countries and have touted modernization. Prominent Western officials, who were unaware of the Global South’s everyday realities, designed the programs without input from the actual citizens. The West brought values and practices to non-Western countries that were not necessarily important or even helpful for the people in these countries, as these experts mainly were from non-aid countries.
Additionally, some have portrayed foreign aid recipients as helpless. The foreign aid sector has not historically given agency to people in recipient countries to decide what they want for their futures and how they wish to achieve it. A mentality developed that the Global North could “save” the Global South from misery and poverty even though the Global South was not asking for anyone to save it.
The developmental sector receives criticism, but it has also helped people around the world. For instance, from 1990 to 2019, extreme poverty has substantially decreased from 36% of the global population to 8% of the worldwide population, maternal and infant mortality rates have reduced by 50% and smallpox cases no longer exist.
Neocolonialist criticisms invite the developmental sector to reflect on its history and current practices. The inclusion of voices from aid-recipient countries in creating and implementing development programs can produce sustainable poverty reduction.
Prioritizing Community Voices: Outreach International
Outreach International is a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the challenges of global poverty. The organization partners with nine locally-registered nonprofits that operate in nine countries spanning from Africa to Latin America to Asia, and the organization has been in operation for 42 years. Outreach International’s program interventions focus on organizational, capacity and leadership development. The organization, alongside its program and community partners, has worked on 541 community issues, and 62,724 people benefit from the organization’s work.
Collaboration with local communities in poverty-reduction work is the cornerstone of Outreach International’s programming. In fact, The Borgen Project spoke with Dr. Elene Cloete, Director of Research and Advocacy for Outreach International, and she shared that, “We [Outreach International] believe that you can support people in obtaining greater social, economic health…. They [locals] are in [EC1] and should be in the driving seat of their community-led development.”
The Participatory Human Development Process (PHDP), Outreach International’s own methodology, creates sustainable improvements to everyday life. Through the PHDP, the organization and its program partners facilitate discussion among community groups so that locals are the ones who identify the poverty-related problems that are most salient to them and so that local communities can create their own solutions. The PHDP enables communities to plan their futures.
Outreach International’s On-the-Ground Success in the Philippines
Rural communities often face high rice prices in the Philippines. Rural communities also rely on wage labor in the agricultural sector, and rural Filipinos can only work during the planting and harvesting seasons. Between these seasons, many rural Filipinos are out of a job. Combined with high rice prices, rural Filipinos struggle to feed their families.
Outreach International, its program partner, Outreach Philippines, Inc. and rural Filipino communities have worked together to establish a program that allows rural communities to access rice from their own community-based organizations at very low interest, especially in comparison to the other options that rural Filipinos have. The community groups implement rice loan projects through which they buy rice at an affordable price because they purchase the rice in bulk. The interest rate powers the growth of the local community groups by increasing the number of people who can take part in them.
Rural communities own and run the rice loan project, and the program’s rice and money remain in the communities, giving agency to rural Filipinos and allowing them to access a more sustainable source of food. Dr. Cloete sums the program up beautifully; “That’s the beauty of it. Because the project is owned, managed, driven by the community, they have ownership over the project. And they can decide what issue they want to address next. We have this beautiful cyclical thing that takes place.”
Activists and organizations within the developmental sector are encouraging it to veer away from neocolonialism and instead make local voices heard. Outreach International is a crucial example of championing sustainable poverty reduction through the empowerment of local communities. The organization is contributing to changing the developmental sector, and it will be exciting to see Outreach International’s growth and impact over the coming years.
– Anna Ryu
Photo: Unsplash
Changing the Developmental Sector
Activists are urging politicians and development agencies to reform foreign aid and humanitarian work on the ground. Critics of the developmental sector tie it to colonialism, and actors within foreign aid are thinking about improving the quality of life for people around the globe while also moving away from colonial ideologies. Outreach International is one of the organizations helping to change the realities of the developmental sector.
The Relationship Between Colonialism and the Developmental Sector
The foreign aid sector has received criticism for being a neocolonial agent. The arguments are that Western countries impose their cultures on non-Western cultures through development programs and that the Global North portrays the Global South as helpless.
In the history of development programs, Western countries have imposed their values on non-Western countries and have touted modernization. Prominent Western officials, who were unaware of the Global South’s everyday realities, designed the programs without input from the actual citizens. The West brought values and practices to non-Western countries that were not necessarily important or even helpful for the people in these countries, as these experts mainly were from non-aid countries.
Additionally, some have portrayed foreign aid recipients as helpless. The foreign aid sector has not historically given agency to people in recipient countries to decide what they want for their futures and how they wish to achieve it. A mentality developed that the Global North could “save” the Global South from misery and poverty even though the Global South was not asking for anyone to save it.
The developmental sector receives criticism, but it has also helped people around the world. For instance, from 1990 to 2019, extreme poverty has substantially decreased from 36% of the global population to 8% of the worldwide population, maternal and infant mortality rates have reduced by 50% and smallpox cases no longer exist.
Neocolonialist criticisms invite the developmental sector to reflect on its history and current practices. The inclusion of voices from aid-recipient countries in creating and implementing development programs can produce sustainable poverty reduction.
Prioritizing Community Voices: Outreach International
Outreach International is a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the challenges of global poverty. The organization partners with nine locally-registered nonprofits that operate in nine countries spanning from Africa to Latin America to Asia, and the organization has been in operation for 42 years. Outreach International’s program interventions focus on organizational, capacity and leadership development. The organization, alongside its program and community partners, has worked on 541 community issues, and 62,724 people benefit from the organization’s work.
Collaboration with local communities in poverty-reduction work is the cornerstone of Outreach International’s programming. In fact, The Borgen Project spoke with Dr. Elene Cloete, Director of Research and Advocacy for Outreach International, and she shared that, “We [Outreach International] believe that you can support people in obtaining greater social, economic health…. They [locals] are in [EC1] and should be in the driving seat of their community-led development.”
The Participatory Human Development Process (PHDP), Outreach International’s own methodology, creates sustainable improvements to everyday life. Through the PHDP, the organization and its program partners facilitate discussion among community groups so that locals are the ones who identify the poverty-related problems that are most salient to them and so that local communities can create their own solutions. The PHDP enables communities to plan their futures.
Outreach International’s On-the-Ground Success in the Philippines
Rural communities often face high rice prices in the Philippines. Rural communities also rely on wage labor in the agricultural sector, and rural Filipinos can only work during the planting and harvesting seasons. Between these seasons, many rural Filipinos are out of a job. Combined with high rice prices, rural Filipinos struggle to feed their families.
Outreach International, its program partner, Outreach Philippines, Inc. and rural Filipino communities have worked together to establish a program that allows rural communities to access rice from their own community-based organizations at very low interest, especially in comparison to the other options that rural Filipinos have. The community groups implement rice loan projects through which they buy rice at an affordable price because they purchase the rice in bulk. The interest rate powers the growth of the local community groups by increasing the number of people who can take part in them.
Rural communities own and run the rice loan project, and the program’s rice and money remain in the communities, giving agency to rural Filipinos and allowing them to access a more sustainable source of food. Dr. Cloete sums the program up beautifully; “That’s the beauty of it. Because the project is owned, managed, driven by the community, they have ownership over the project. And they can decide what issue they want to address next. We have this beautiful cyclical thing that takes place.”
Activists and organizations within the developmental sector are encouraging it to veer away from neocolonialism and instead make local voices heard. Outreach International is a crucial example of championing sustainable poverty reduction through the empowerment of local communities. The organization is contributing to changing the developmental sector, and it will be exciting to see Outreach International’s growth and impact over the coming years.
– Anna Ryu
Photo: Unsplash
Burundian Refugees Flee Violent Living Conditions
Burundi is a country in East Africa comprising three ethnic groups of the same cultural background, history and language. The Hutu and Tutsi groups are responsible for years of war that plagued the Burundi communities. After 12 years of war, a ceasefire went into effect in 2005, ending the Burundian Civil War. However, Burundian refugees are just now returning to their homes after initially fleeing their violent living conditions.
The Civil War left approximately 200,000 people dead, and many displaced. To prevent attacks, civilians had to enter camps, which resulted in malnutrition, disease and death. The war resulted in a 19% increase in poverty between 1994 and 2006. According to the World Food Program (WFP), Burundi is one of the world’s poorest countries, with more than 50% of the population living in poverty.
The Fleeing of Burundian People
Many Burundians fled to surrounding countries due to the war, political inconsistency and human rights violations. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled Burundi since 2015. Many refused to return until it was safe.
The majority of Burundian refugees, more than 200,000, resided in Tanzania. Rwanda hosted more than 80,000 in the Mahama camp, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) held 45,000.
Underfunding became an increasing problem with many of the refugees living in camps. People had limited access to resources such as food and classrooms, and shelters began to deteriorate. Experts determined that approximately 2 million people in Burundi were food insecure during October 2017.
The Efforts to Make Refugees’ House a Home Once More
Although the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and partners have not encouraged refugees to return, they are working with relevant governments to assist those who do return to Burundi. In 2018, UNHCR and its partners launched a Burundi Regional Refugee Response Plan for that very reason of support. More funding is necessary to sustain a large amount of returning refugees.
Included in the refugee return package are household items, three months rations, cash and non-food items. The cash grant increased in 2020 from $75 to $150 an adult and $35 to $75 a child. The increase is to ensure sustainability for three months.
Making a Safe Return Home
President Ndayishimiye’s call for refugees to return home finally occurred in June 2020. Since then, convoys of around 1,500 refugees are arriving in Burundi every week. Now that the political tension has subsided, refugees have the opportunity to return safely.
A 2021 Burundi Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan that UNHCR created is also in place. The 2021 Burundi Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan goals are to implement livelihood projects, increase the value of companies, strengthen programs to access and improve health services, water and sanitation, education, social protection and human rights.
Additionally, the community developed a joint response plan along with Burundian authorities to ensure a stress-free return, a safe environment and access to food, shelter, water and sanitation, education, health and job opportunities.
Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR and partners are working to ensure a safe transition from camps to Burundi. COVID-19 symptom checks, rapid tests and social isolation are all mandated.
Overall, the success of this plan is dependent solely upon funding. Burundian refugees could potentially build their lives and create stability with support from the community itself, UNHCR and partners and the Government of Burundi.
– Destiny Jackson
Photo: Flickr
5 Alternatives to Fast Fashion
The fast fashion industry creates inexpensive clothing to keep up with rapidly changing trends. Many brands in the fast fashion industry use cheap labor to produce garments, which often leads to the exploitation of workers and the environment. Fast fashion companies tend to target workers in low-income areas who have limited alternatives for employment. As a result, people in low-income areas are more likely to tolerate the poor, exploitative labor conditions that are prevalent in fast fashion. Microfibers and waste are often byproducts of fast fashion, contributing to water pollution and food chain disruptions, which disproportionately affect impoverished areas. Several alternatives to fast fashion can make consumers’ wardrobes more ethical and sustainable, reducing global poverty at the same time.
5 Alternatives to Fast Fashion
Reducing Poverty Through Ethical Shopping
Shopping ethically contributes to combating global poverty and environmental degradation. Many fast fashion alternatives exist to help consumers stand up against workplace exploitation in low-income areas. Over time, ethical clothing purchases can make monumental impacts on the lives of people around the world.
– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Unsplash
Women’s Rights in Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, with a population of 6.6 million inhabitants. Women in Nicaragua face many challenges such as increased poverty and violence. The following will present several areas where women’s rights in Nicaragua require improvement.
Violence Against Women
In Nicaragua, violence against women in the form of abuse is one of the most serious social issues that the country faces. Among married women in Nicaragua, 52% have reported cases of spousal abuse, with a median duration of five years. Additionally, 21% of these women reported an overlap between both emotional and sexual violence, with 31% of these women being sexually and/or violently abused during their pregnancy.
Needless to say, these statistics are disheartening and scary. With such high rates of abuse around the country, there seems to be little or no hope for Nicaraguan women to escape this abusive cycle. However, there are several organizations that have contributed to the decrease of sexual abuse in southern countries, such as Self-Help International. It is the largest global organization that works to prevent torture and abuse of all sorts by educating and empowering women in developing countries. Misinformation about abusive relationships is very common among Nicaraguan women. Organizations like this allow women to escape this kind of relationship.
The Gender Gap
The Human Development Report has ranked Nicaragua 124 out of 189 countries based on Gender Equality Index in 2017. Additionally, women are more likely to face poverty in Nicaragua than men. With facts like these, it is evident that there is a disparity between men and women in Nicaragua.
Family members are often the ones who push women in Nicaragua to the sex trafficking industry. Additionally, 28% of Nicaraguan women give birth before they are 18, which is mostly due to sexual violence. This is the issue of society not discouraging violence against women.
Women’s Rights and Poverty
The 2016 poverty rate in Nicaragua was 24.9% with an average salary being $265. A large number of women in Nicaragua experience pregnancy at a young age. They usually stay at home and care for their children rather than working and garnering an income. However, the income that their male counterparts provide for their families is frequently insufficient. In fact, about 78% of households in Nicaragua live in ‘substandard’ conditions, the highest rate in all of Latin America.
This problem returns to the roots of the gender gap and women’s treatment in Nicaragua. It means that the cycle of women having children at a young age and caring for them with a low household income will only continue across the years, even affecting future generations. This means that one of the most important places to start with solving this problem is encouraging education about abuse.
Solutions
Though there are certain difficult cases that prevent the maximum execution of women’s rights in Nicaragua, hope still exists for the country. With a declining number of abuse cases due to the exposure of organizations like Self-Help International, women’s rights in Nicaragua are beginning to solidify. Self-Help has been working to solve global issues like hunger and poverty since 1999, and it provides education and opportunities for women in these countries. In 2019, Self-Help was able to offer clean drinking water to 3,600 Nicaraguan residents in nine communities. With this preceding success, it is likely that Self-Help’s initiative to alleviate the women’s rights issues in Nicaragua will quickly gain traction.
Self-Help is currently working on a project to educate and empower 200 Nicaraguan women through workshops and microloans. This could lead to a reduction in young women entering and staying in abusive relationships. It is the success of the organizations like this one that can bring hope to women and influence the policymakers when spreading awareness about women’s rights.
Though Nicaragua’s statistics regarding women’s rights and abuse are not yet within positive measures, the work of NGOs should result in the improvement of conditions for women in Nicaragua over the next decades.
– Andra Fofuca
Photo: Flickr
The Implementation of Revised Lacey Act Provisions
The Lacey Act, which received amendments in 2008, makes it “unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase either in interstate or foreign commerce any plants.” There have been amendments to provisions under the Lacey Act that went into effect on October 1, 2021, under Phase VI that requires plant import declarations pertaining to wood imported into the United States.
When a company or an individual is in violation of the Lacey Act, they will be subjected to penalties, fines and possible prison time. There are penalties that government penalties determine. Those in violation of the Lacey Act may face additional penalties or fines, with civil penalties costing $10,000 per violation and criminal penalties amounting to $20,000, as well as a possibility of up to 5 years in prison.
How Does the Lacey Act Help End Global Poverty?
The Lacey Act protects against illegal plant exports, including illegally sourced timber. The act can alleviate the negative impacts of illegal logging, which can “cause environmental damage, costs governments billions of dollars in lost revenue, promotes corruption, undermines the rule of law and good governance and funds armed conflict in timber-producing countries,” such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Benefits of the Lacey Act
One advantage of the Lacey Act is that it addresses two long-term development goals. The first is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, which aims to protect terrestrial ecosystems while also providing sustainable forest management. The second goal is SDG 12, which is about sustainable production and consumption. Through enforcement of the Lacey Act, the legislation can protect jobs, protect the environment and help countries establish a rule of law and eliminate corruption.
The Lacey Act Can Protect Jobs
The Lacey Act protects foreign markets from illegal logging by preventing illegally sourced foreign wood and wood products from entering the U.S. The World Bank Group published a 2019 paper that found “illegal logging, fishing and wildlife trade have a combined estimated value of USD 1 trillion or more per year.” Due to illegally sourced plant products, developing countries “forego an estimated USD 7-12 billion each year in potential revenues.”
The Lacey Act Helps Protect the Environment
As a result of the loss of biodiversity and other environmental damages, deforestation is a major contributor to global warming. With “40% of all logging coming from illegal logging,” deforestation is only going to get worse. The Lacey Act requires developing countries and companies exporting to the U.S. to combat deforestation. They must also ensure they legally and environmentally carry out logging.
The Lacey Act gives countries the incentive to establish a rule of law and eliminate corruption. Illegal logging undermines basic rule of law in developing countries because loggers must rely on police, prosecutors and judges to keep them from being punished. Illegal logging and corruption have been linked in Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries. By preventing illegal logging through the Lacey Act, corruption can reduce or disappear entirely.
The Lacey Act and Global Poverty
As previously mentioned, the Lacey Act helps countries establish a rule of law and crackdown on corruption. Corruption is one of the leading causes of poverty, since it can “lower economic growth, as well as reduce foreign and domestic investment and increase income inequalities.” The Lacey Act has already seen an increase in due diligence assessments and demand for certified wood products as a result of reducing illegal logging.
Illegal logging costs developing countries $10 billion annually. By eliminating illegal logging, money can help provide vulnerable communities with programs and services that help alleviate global poverty.
– Grace Watson
Photo: Flickr
AmazonPasto: Sustainable Farming Techniques in the Amazon
AmazonPasto, an app that the Instituto Ouro Verde built, will bring sustainable farming techniques to rural farmers in the Amazon. The organization expects AmazonPasto to help Brazilian rural farmers increase their agricultural yield. The app also provides rural farmers access to economic development services. Importantly, AmazonPasta offers a concept for future innovations in global poverty reduction strategies.
What is the IOV?
The Instituto Ouro Verde (IOV), or Insitute of Green Gold, is a Brazilian non-governmental organization (NGO) fighting rural poverty with innovative solutions. Launched in 1999, the IOV operates within eight different municipalities across Brazil. Working to build a more resilient Brazilian economy, the NGO connects small farmers to sustainable land restoration practices. Already, the IOV works with 1,200 small-scale farmers and has restored 2,700 hectares of pastoral land. Also, this land now produces $35,000 in agricultural products a year. By building stronger food production systems, the IOV hopes to promote social participation and fight poverty head-on.
Why Focus on Small Farmers?
Brazil is currently the fourth largest agricultural production economy in the world. Small-scale farming operations are the chief economic drivers. In fact, small-scale farms are responsible for 85% of all agricultural production and employ 75% of the total farm labor pool.
Operating in rural regions, the small-scale agricultural sector also has the highest wealth inequality within Brazil. This makes it a focal point of poverty reduction strategies. Poverty in Brazil has dramatically improved over the last three decades, dropping from 17.4% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2020. However, of the estimated 20 million people remaining in poverty, rural farming supports nearly half. For this reason, targeting rural farmers for economic development has become a key aspect of ending poverty in Brazil.
How is an App Going to Help?
The Brazilian NGO launched AmazonPasto as a way to expand rural reach. Researchers at the organization found that most farmers had access to a smartphone. Using this to their advantage, the Instituto Ouro Verde built AmazonPasto as a central hub for land restoration practices.
Within the app, farmers can build sustainable farming techniques by deciding what native trees they should plant and how to improve soil quality. They can also access troubleshooting practices. Farmers can also upload their ideas and share them with each other. The AmazonPasto has already created over 60 hectares of silvopastoral systems. These are areas where animals graze among the trees. In turn, the silvopastoral systems produce both milk and crops. The Brazilian government can buy the milk and crops at a fixed price for use in schools and other institutions. The 60 hectares house 20,000 trees, and IOV hopes to increase the project by 150 hectares each year for the next six years.
By providing a source for both reliable income and food, the AmazonPasto app and the project have made a dramatic difference for the small-scale farmers. This is especially true for a number of farmers who were previously homeless.
Moving Forward
While the app currently only undergoes use for sustainable farming techniques, the IOV hopes to expand the utility of AmazonPasto to other development services. The organization has begun extending microcredit lines to rural farmers and small communities. As of 2021, the IOV has identified 21,000 properties that may benefit from their work. The institute predicts their combination of economic and ecological development strategies will reforest 3,000 hectares of protected land. Further, if all goes according to plan, the AmazonPasto app expects to help produce $7.9 million of agricultural yield.
Rural poverty deep in the Amazon may sound like a foreign affair, but an app successfully increasing accessibility for those in poverty has broad implications for the future of global poverty reduction.
– Aiden Marina Smith
Photo: Flickr
Low Health Literacy in Developing Countries
While developing countries often face pressing issues such as inadequate health care, a less obvious but equally threatening problem is low health literacy rates. In comparison to developed nations, health literacy rates in developing nations are significantly low. However, if society as a whole works to educate and empower individuals to make better choices regarding their health, low health literacy, also known as the “silent killer,” will see a drastic reduction. Here is some information about low health literacy in developing countries.
Defining Health Literacy
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health literacy as an individual’s ability to adequately comprehend health information and to implement this knowledge into their everyday life in order to “maintain or improve quality of life.” An individual with lower health literacy is more likely to make questionable health choices and is less likely to take preventative action against manageable diseases.
Limited health literacy also correlates with unhealthy lifestyle choices, increased hospitalization rates and higher mortality rates. These impacts make it clear to understand how inadequate health literacy serves as a “silent killer,” especially within developing nations where these rates are prominently low.
The Situation in Developing Countries
Low health literacy rates link to inadequate education systems and health systems because these structures hold the responsibility of relaying health information to the general public. Thus, nations that lack these proper systems are more likely to have insufficient health education levels.
A survey of adult citizens in Isfahan, Iran, indicates that almost 80% of respondents did not have sufficient health literacy. Most of the respondents with inadequate health literacy were females with “low financial status” and limited education. This data suggests that an overwhelming number of individuals in developing nations lack satisfactory health education, particularly women. The reason for this is likely issues of gender equality — women lack access to education, essential services and employment opportunities. Furthermore, poverty disproportionately impacts women all over the world.
Taking Action
There are several ways to improve health literacy rates, and therefore, improve global health. It is crucial to educate the population on their health and to empower them to effectively manage their well-being. Several interventions have proven effective. In South Africa, providing individuals with informative yet easy-to-read pamphlets that include graphics is improving health education in the country. Meanwhile, in China, findings determined that “periodic training of health educators is essential for improving health knowledge” among the general public.
Media is yet another way to improve health education. In Uganda, “more than one in three used the internet to search for health information.” In Iran, secondary school students cited television as their most helpful source of information on HIV/AIDS. In Israel, “a model of Media Health Literacy (MHL)” showed potential in improving health literacy among younger citizens.
Across Asia, the Asian Health Literacy Association (AHLA) works to understand and improve health literacy rates. This organization aims to raise awareness of this issue “among researchers, officials, healthcare organizations as well as experts in health and education, corporations and media” in order to formulate effective interventions to improve these rates in Asia. AHLA sees this as an essential part of improving the quality of healthcare “and reducing health disparities between communities, groups and nations.” Ultimately, the AHLA aims to improve global health, starting with Asia.
Moving Forward
Increasing health literacy rates in developing countries is an effective way to improve global health and eliminate inequalities. Through education programs, improved communication and dedicated organizations, these rates can improve. By educating individuals on matters of health, people all over the world can live an improved quality of life.
– River Simpson
Photo: Flickr
Examining 60 Years of USAID’s Foreign Assistance
On November 3, 2021, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) celebrated its 60th year of existence. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 made the formation of USAID possible. USAID’s creation stems from President John F. Kennedy’s aim to consolidate the foreign assistance work of several organizations into one main agency. Today, USAID operates in more than 100 nations across the world, fully or partially manages $24.8 billion in accounts and employs roughly 3,450 U.S. citizens to help fulfill USAID’s foreign assistance mission.
Official Mission Statement of USAID
As an agency representing the foreign assistance interests of U.S. citizens, USAID aims to “promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad and advance a free, peaceful and prosperous world.” Ultimately, USAID plays an instrumental role in making a reality the foreign policy values of the U.S. As such, “through partnerships and investments” USAID aims to “save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.”
The Birth of USAID
Coming out of World War II, the U.S. stood as the world’s preeminent superpower. However, not long after, in 1947, the Cold War rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union began. Looking to prevent the spread of communism, the U.S. realized its endeavors would require more than just military might — the U.S. would also need to win the hearts and minds of developing countries before the Soviet Union did.
Through diplomacy and goodwill, the U.S. hoped to spread democratic and free-market principles to as many countries as possible, and in return, not only stop the spread of communism but also open up new global markets for trade and shared prosperity. With this goal in mind, President Kennedy felt the U.S. needed a more strategic approach to foreign assistance. Therefore, he pushed Congress to pass the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which empowered him to then create USAID via executive order.
USAID Over the Years
USAID’s approach to international development has evolved over the years. In the 1960s, the focus was on large-scale capital and technical assistance projects in select countries committed to economic reforms. Gears shifted in the 1970s when the agency pivoted toward a more humanitarian approach that focused on widespread delivery of food, education and health services to the most impoverished populations. The 1980s brought about the increasing use of U.S. NGOs and for-profit contractors to fulfill USAID’s mission. In the post-9/11 world, development assistance in Afghanistan and Iraq would consume a large share of the USAID budget as the U.S. sought to rebuild these war-torn nations.
The Legacy
In the early years of USAID’s foreign assistance, the U.S. stood as the undisputed leader in international development aid. Through its innovative development and humanitarian efforts over the decades, it is clear that USAID has helped shape a better world with much less hunger, disease, illiteracy, child and infant mortality and all-around suffering than would otherwise be the case. Other advanced nations have since developed similar programs, with several countries now spending significantly more on official developmental assistance than the United States, proportional to their respective gross national incomes (GNI). However, the U.S. still leads in absolute spending, with $47 billion in foreign assistance obligations worldwide in 2019, of which, USAID obligations made up 45%.
In a November 3, 2021, tweet to mark the 60th birthday of USAID, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “Now more than ever, as we face historic challenges in global health, climate and other critical issues, it’s vital that our diplomacy and development go hand in hand. That’s why I’m so grateful to the outstanding public servants at USAID…” Ultimately, USAID’s foreign assistance transforms nations, improving the lives of millions of people while contributing to the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reducing global poverty.
– Jeramiah Jordan
Photo: Flickr
Sam Smith Supports War Child
Two filmmakers founded War Child in 1993 after observing the violence that children endured during periods of war. The organization describes itself as “the only specialist charity for children affected by conflict.” With the slogan, “A world where no child’s life is torn apart by war,” War Child works to address the realities children face during war and provide them with prompt support, safety and coping mechanisms. The organization shows children from Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic that there is more to life than the destructive nature of war.
War Child’s Work
Since the traumatic impacts of conflict and violence on children, War Child takes an approach to help children through four key areas: protection, education, livelihoods and advocacy. Armed groups tear children from their families through false promises of education or money while abducting others. This can leave these children with severe and lifelong psychological problems. The organization’s support includes “setting up children’s helplines,” strengthening child justice systems, “rehabilitating and reintegrating former child soldiers” as well as reuniting children with parents.
More than 75 million children ages 3 to 18 are not in school in 35 countries experiencing war. War Child aims to address this problem in multiple ways, including providing children with early childhood education programs and initiating Education in Emergencies initiatives. The organization also provides teachers with training to best support learners in conflict-ridden environments. By incorporating play into learning programs, the organization attempts to remedy trauma. These initiatives give children a sense of normalcy during a period of time in their lives where chaos surrounds them.
The organization also recognizes the need to provide children with humanitarian aid to address their basic human needs. The organization provides cash assistance to communities for people to use according to “their own priorities and preferences.” To strengthen economic resilience, the organization assists people in securing employment or establishing businesses “by providing them with technical, business and life skills, establishing group-based saving schemes and providing small grants making the best out of existing market opportunities. ”
In many crisis-prone countries, agriculture plays an important role. As such, War Child created Peace Gardens. Peace Gardens allow children to develop agricultural skills while increasing food security as crop produce can provide nutritious school meals for children.
Sam Smith’s Role in War Child
Sam Smith’s global impact extends far beyond his role as a singer-songwriter. Smith became War Child’s Global Ambassador in 2017 after conversing with a child in Jordan who, as Smith put it, “said something that will stay with me forever.”
Smith subsequently took to his social media pages, urging his fans to support War Child. For his 26th birthday, in 2018, Smith asked that his friends, family and fans make donations to War Child instead of buying him birthday gifts. After releasing his hit single “Too Good at Goodbyes,” in 2020, he launched a four-city mini-concert tour, with all profits from the ticket sales going toward supporting War Child.
War ravages land and people, however, children face disproportionate impacts of war. Through the efforts of War Child, children living in conflict-riddled lands can look toward a brighter tomorrow.
– Nia Hinson
Photo: PxHere
Shark Conservation Alleviates Poverty in West Africa
In the past 50 years, global shark and ray populations have declined by more than 70%. The drop is largely due to the high demand for shark fin soup and medicinal shark products. Shark hunting provides a major source of income for people around the world, especially in places like West Africa where dwindling fish populations limit other fishing opportunities. However, shark hunting poses a threat to humans and aquatic ecosystems by causing imbalances in the food chain. Shark conservation alleviates poverty by preserving marine ecosystems that people rely on for food, medicine and income.
Socioeconomic Impacts
Shark and ray products play significant roles in West African economies, particularly when it comes to trade. Fishermen kill more than 100 million sharks every year. In West Africa, fishermen commonly pursue shark hunting because commercial fish populations are becoming scarce. The loss of sharks further disrupts the food chain by limiting the number of apex predators. As a result, big fish consume smaller fish that might otherwise be the targets of commercial fishermen.
Shark products are expensive, high-protein alternatives to traditional fish, but diminishing shark populations has greater ecological implications. In the long term, many ecosystems will not be able to survive without sharks, causing the communities that rely on those ecosystems to suffer. Therefore, shark conservation can alleviate poverty by maintaining a steady food supply chain for communities around the world.
Local Shark Monitoring and Management Versus Legislation
In Liberia, more than 30,000 people rely on fishing as a main source of income. Fish also account for about two-thirds of the country’s animal protein consumption. Therefore, preserving aquatic ecosystems, in part by protecting sharks, is essential to Liberia’s economy and health. Methods of shark conservation include shark monitoring and sustainable fishing management.
The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority started an initiative in 2019 to monitor and collect data on fishing and shark populations in Liberia. A 2014 pledge that Liberia made with 12 other West African nations to conserve shark and ray populations inspired the initiative. According to a trial program, Liberian waters are home to 19 shark species that all fall under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species. Critics of the initiative worry that data collection will not be enough to preserve shark populations. Legislative action may be necessary to make a lasting impact on shark conservation.
Recent Efforts in Shark Conservation
A group of representatives from 12 West African countries held a workshop in Senegal in 2017 to discuss the implementation of international trade regulations to protect sharks and rays. The 2016 listing of endangered shark species from Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) inspired the workshop. An Appendix II listing dictates that shark products from the selected species undergo legal and sustainable trade, without damage to wild shark populations. The Senegalese government led the workshop alongside Humane Society International and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Environmental officials, experts and fisheries also partook in the conversation. Following the 17th CITES conference in September 2016, eight West African countries co-sponsored at least one of the proposals to protect sharks and rays.
Conservation To Save Lives
Sharks play a vital role in West Africa’s ecosystems, economies and societies. Unsustainable shark hunting can severely disrupt marine life and food supply chains, which humans and animals rely on to survive. Shark conservation can alleviate poverty by preserving aquatic ecosystems and the natural resources they have to offer.
– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Pxfuel