In Cambodia, 15% of the population suffers from undernourishment and 32% of children younger than 5 experience stunting. Children are not consuming enough food and the food that they do consume does not have the nutrients necessary for healthy development. Considering these dire statistics, as early as 1999, the World Food Programme (WFP) committed to helping the Cambodian government provide school meals for children. Although combating undernourishment is a daunting task, Cambodia’s school feeding program has expanded over the years and is continuing to make a profound impact on Cambodian communities.
Food Production and Intense Weather: Food Security Challenges
One of the factors contributing to high undernourishment rates in Cambodia is limited production and efficiency in the agricultural sector. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), “nearly 80% of Cambodians live in rural areas and 65% rely on agriculture, fisheries and forestry for their livelihoods.” At the same time, a fifth of the Cambodian population suffers from food deprivation. Although Cambodia has a large agriculture industry, the nation is not able to meet the needs of its people.
Challenges within agricultural production affect crop yields, and therefore, also affect the capacity to increase people’s access to food. In Cambodia, crop plots are small, leading to limited agricultural output. Additionally, many areas with rainfall-dependant crops do not receive consistent rainfall and these same areas are unable to produce during the dry season. Also, a growing number of rural Cambodians do not have access to cropland. These factors pose challenges to Cambodian farmers and agricultural production expansion.
Compounding issues of food insecurity and poverty further, Cambodia regularly experiences natural disasters. Monsoons are common, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, some areas experience severe droughts. The loss of land and the reduction in shared resources as a result of natural disasters harshly impact food-insecure Cambodians already in vulnerable positions.
Investing in Children and Communities Through Food
In 1999, the WFP began to support government-backed school meal programs, helping to implement these programs across 908 Cambodian schools. Pre-primary and primary schools provide meals, which is particularly important because children younger than 5 are especially vulnerable to the impacts of malnutrition.
In 2014, the WFP and the Cambodian government reached one of their goals for school meal programming, a “home-grown school meals model.” The model calls for schools to locally purchase ingredients for meals, which increases demand for and develops the local agriculture industry while spurring job growth. At first, a couple of schools tested the home-grown school meals model, and now, more than 200 schools implement the model.
The Benefits of School Meals
Cambodia’s school feeding program is an important source of food for Cambodian children, providing them with the nutrients necessary for healthy development. Before Cambodia’s school feeding program, some children were unable to eat during the school day because they did not have enough money to buy food at school. The implementation and growth of the school meal program mark an important investment in Cambodian children, especially as the Cambodian government works with the WFP in the transition to run the home-grown school feeding program on its own.
In Cambodia, school meals benefit children’s health and improve their engagement in school. An added and possibly unforeseen benefit of Cambodia’s school feeding program is that parent engagement with schools and teachers has increased. Through the program, parents have become more knowledgeable about nutrition, to the benefit of themselves and their children. Furthermore, parents are eager to get involved in the program. Parents, even the most impoverished ones, donate ingredients and money and volunteer when the program requires extra help. Parents even helped to build a kitchen in one of the participating schools.
Turning the Tide
Although Cambodia has high levels of undernourishment and challenges to its agricultural sector, the government is working hard to turn the tide. The school feeding program’s promising results and growth thus far exemplify how far Cambodia has come in tackling undernourishment and hunger, illustrating the far-reaching impacts of school meal programs. With continued efforts, Cambodia will begin to see reductions in its undernourishment statistics, especially among the youth, as Cambodia’s school feeding program continues to develop and benefit Cambodian children and communities.
– Anna Ryu
Photo: Unsplash
Modernizing the Agricultural Sector in the Philippines
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the agricultural sector of the Philippines hard. Several families rely on their income from agriculture as more than 22% of the country’s population works in the agricultural industry. However, the pandemic particularly affected agricultural households because “agriculture-related occupations have always been associated with being income poor.” Many of those who solely rely on agricultural income do not have access to electricity, education, proper sanitation and more. COVID-19 serves to exacerbate these poor living conditions even further. However, the Philippines recognizes that the agricultural industry is a significant part of the country’s economy, thus, the nation has established initiatives aimed at modernizing the agricultural sector so that its citizens can thrive.
Disasters Affecting Farmers
Because of the impacts of both the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, 2020 was an unfavorable year for the agricultural sector. The supply chain took a heavy hit with several obstacles, including lack of transportation, a decrease in demand and a low volume of exports. These factors all contribute to the decline of the agricultural industry and the country’s economy.
Due to pandemic-related quarantine restrictions, local farmers had to schedule market visits, which led to a rise in transportation costs. To make matters worse, several typhoons hit the Philippines, negatively impacting the economy, which is already suffering the effects of COVID-19. According to the FAO, typhoons in 2020 destroyed “agricultural equipment and other livelihood resources, significantly affecting those who are dependent on farming” for an income.
However, despite the difficulties that the agricultural sector faces, the Philippine government aims to improve the lives of farmers and the country’s economy by modernizing the agricultural sector in the country.
Modernizing the Agricultural Sector
In June 2020, the World Bank released a report titled “Transforming Philippine Agriculture During COVID-19 and Beyond,” which highlights the need to modernize the Philippines’ agricultural sectors. The report points out that while reconstructing the agricultural industry is a difficult process, it is necessary for a country to grow positively.
The World Bank offers ideas such as direct cash payments to farmers, investing in agricultural startups and increasing the use of e-commerce to modernize the Philippines’ agricultural sector and “reduce poverty in the rural communities.” The report supports the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) initiatives to transform the agricultural industry. Agriculture Secretary William Dar is adamant that the sector will recover in 2021, which in turn, will help with the overall economy’s recovery.
The Philippines’ 2021 overall economic growth target is 6.5%-7.5% and the agricultural sector’s growth target is 2.5%. The nation aims to achieve these goals “through further integration of technology that will improve production, connectivity and delivery of service to its beneficiaries.” Both the World Bank and the Department of Agriculture realize the potential of modernizing the agricultural sector of the Philippines. By reforming the industry through several different initiatives, the economy will improve along with the lives of farmers within the country.
Solutions
Alongside the Philippines’ and the World Bank’s efforts to modernize the agricultural sectors, other organizations have focused themselves on the same initiative. One of these organizations is Agro-Eco Philippines, established in 2004 as a ”farmer-led national network organization.” Farmers created the organization for farmers, with farmers constituting 80% of the Board of Trustees. The organization has several ongoing initiatives, including modernization interventions, such as the “development and documentation of locally-adapted technologies.” Specifically, the organization runs a “community-based, farmer-led and participatory breeding program” for rice and corn crops, with “35 farmer-breeders with about 500 bred lines used by an estimated 30,000 farmers nationwide.”
The Future
Overall, it is apparent that agriculture plays a crucial role in both the Philippines’ economy and the lives of several families who rely on agriculture for an income. Families are struggling due to the pandemic’s impact on the sector, however, modernizing the agricultural sector with the help of institutions and organizations brings hope to improve not only the country’s economy but also the lives of the families reliant on the sector.
– Karuna Lakhiani
Photo: Flickr
Cambodia’s School Feeding Program Tackles Undernourishment
In Cambodia, 15% of the population suffers from undernourishment and 32% of children younger than 5 experience stunting. Children are not consuming enough food and the food that they do consume does not have the nutrients necessary for healthy development. Considering these dire statistics, as early as 1999, the World Food Programme (WFP) committed to helping the Cambodian government provide school meals for children. Although combating undernourishment is a daunting task, Cambodia’s school feeding program has expanded over the years and is continuing to make a profound impact on Cambodian communities.
Food Production and Intense Weather: Food Security Challenges
One of the factors contributing to high undernourishment rates in Cambodia is limited production and efficiency in the agricultural sector. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), “nearly 80% of Cambodians live in rural areas and 65% rely on agriculture, fisheries and forestry for their livelihoods.” At the same time, a fifth of the Cambodian population suffers from food deprivation. Although Cambodia has a large agriculture industry, the nation is not able to meet the needs of its people.
Challenges within agricultural production affect crop yields, and therefore, also affect the capacity to increase people’s access to food. In Cambodia, crop plots are small, leading to limited agricultural output. Additionally, many areas with rainfall-dependant crops do not receive consistent rainfall and these same areas are unable to produce during the dry season. Also, a growing number of rural Cambodians do not have access to cropland. These factors pose challenges to Cambodian farmers and agricultural production expansion.
Compounding issues of food insecurity and poverty further, Cambodia regularly experiences natural disasters. Monsoons are common, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, some areas experience severe droughts. The loss of land and the reduction in shared resources as a result of natural disasters harshly impact food-insecure Cambodians already in vulnerable positions.
Investing in Children and Communities Through Food
In 1999, the WFP began to support government-backed school meal programs, helping to implement these programs across 908 Cambodian schools. Pre-primary and primary schools provide meals, which is particularly important because children younger than 5 are especially vulnerable to the impacts of malnutrition.
In 2014, the WFP and the Cambodian government reached one of their goals for school meal programming, a “home-grown school meals model.” The model calls for schools to locally purchase ingredients for meals, which increases demand for and develops the local agriculture industry while spurring job growth. At first, a couple of schools tested the home-grown school meals model, and now, more than 200 schools implement the model.
The Benefits of School Meals
Cambodia’s school feeding program is an important source of food for Cambodian children, providing them with the nutrients necessary for healthy development. Before Cambodia’s school feeding program, some children were unable to eat during the school day because they did not have enough money to buy food at school. The implementation and growth of the school meal program mark an important investment in Cambodian children, especially as the Cambodian government works with the WFP in the transition to run the home-grown school feeding program on its own.
In Cambodia, school meals benefit children’s health and improve their engagement in school. An added and possibly unforeseen benefit of Cambodia’s school feeding program is that parent engagement with schools and teachers has increased. Through the program, parents have become more knowledgeable about nutrition, to the benefit of themselves and their children. Furthermore, parents are eager to get involved in the program. Parents, even the most impoverished ones, donate ingredients and money and volunteer when the program requires extra help. Parents even helped to build a kitchen in one of the participating schools.
Turning the Tide
Although Cambodia has high levels of undernourishment and challenges to its agricultural sector, the government is working hard to turn the tide. The school feeding program’s promising results and growth thus far exemplify how far Cambodia has come in tackling undernourishment and hunger, illustrating the far-reaching impacts of school meal programs. With continued efforts, Cambodia will begin to see reductions in its undernourishment statistics, especially among the youth, as Cambodia’s school feeding program continues to develop and benefit Cambodian children and communities.
– Anna Ryu
Photo: Unsplash
CAR Addresses Gender Inequality and HIV
Gender Inequality and HIV is a significant issue in the Central African Republic (CAR). In fact, it is still the primary cause of death in the nation, with nearly 5,000 people dying from HIV/AIDS in 2020. More than 50% of the nearly 110,000 people living with HIV in CAR are not receiving treatment for it. Furthermore, gender inequality within the CAR HIV/AIDS response is ever-present. However, CAR, with the support of organizations like Doctors Without Borders and UNAIDS, is working to make health services for HIV/AIDS more accessible and create a setting where women can get the help that they need, tackling both gender inequality and HIV.
Gender Inequality and HIV in the Central African Republic
Statistics from the year 2020 indicate that 88,000 adults and children are living with HIV in CAR. Of the total number of people living with HIV in CAR, women aged 15 and older account for approximately 51,000 cases. Meanwhile, 1,200 women aged 15 and older have died from HIV.
The aforementioned statistics align with the social and economic conditions present in CAR. MICS-6 survey data from 2021 indicates that 23.6% of females between 15 and 49 years of age entered into a marriage or union before reaching the age of 15. On top of this, CAR gender-based violence information management system records also reveal 72 instances of rape and 340 instances of gender-based violence during the month of January 2021.
Female genital mutilation is also a common practice in the region, with 21% of CAR women undergoing this traditional yet harmful procedure. Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the Central African Republic Denise Brown attributes this violence against women to a combination of “protracted insecurity, violence and humanitarian crises compounded with toxic masculinities and negative social norms.”
The CAR Government Takes Action
The CAR government has conducted an assessment of gender dimensions and HIV response. The results of the assessment reveal that the female members of the population do not receive the full benefit of HIV program advances. The assessment also shows that HIV was prevalent among 15% of female sex workers. Meanwhile, less than a quarter of pregnant mothers obtain “access to prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services.”
Acting on these figures, the Central African Republic government has put together an intervention plan for 2021-2023 to assist marginalized women. The plan includes “biomedical and behavioral interventions to promote gender-transformative education and sensitization” to alleviate “barriers to access to HIV services by women, girls and key populations.” In addition, various strategies of care will “promote access to health, social and psychosocial services for women,” with a focus on reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Furthermore, monitoring will allow for accountability regarding gender equality and HIV progress.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Assists
The CAR government is not alone in its efforts. Other organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, have also stepped up efforts to help improve access to HIV services in the CAR region. Beginning in 2019 in the capital city of Bangui, this help comes in the form of MSF teams “providing free medical care and psychological support for patients” infected with advanced HIV and tuberculosis complications. The treatment serves as specialized care in an area where HIV prevalence is double the national average. Furthermore, MSF has set up community anti-retroviral (ARV) groups in various areas where designated community representatives can supply ARV drug refills. This endeavor eliminates the burden of transport expenditure on already impoverished people and “time spent in medical consultations.”
Besides providing care, MSF also helps patients care for themselves through self-management. Peer support receives encouragement. This has led to advocacy among community members. The close of 2020 has seen the establishment of “276 community ARV groups in CAR, representing some 2,300 patients.” With the efforts of the government and organizations such as MSF, CAR can make progress in both the realms of gender inequality and HIV.
– Jared Faircloth
Photo: Flickr
Solar Wells Bring Clean Water to Tharparkar, Pakistan
Kyrie Irving has gained much attention in the media for his basketball career, but his greatest accomplishment so far is off the court. In July 2021, the NBA All-Star funded and built a solar water well in Pakistan. The philanthropic effort by Irving intends to bring clean water to a town called Tharparkar in a lower socioeconomic area of Pakistan. Clean water and healthcare stand at the forefront of some of the issues in many areas with poverty. Many of the issues that plague small villages within Tharparkar are preventable and addressable. The poverty rate in Tharparkar stands at a staggering 87%. Not only is Irving providing clean water to Tharparkar but he is also bringing much-needed attention to other issues that afflict impoverished communities.
Bringing Clean Water to Tharparkar
The Brooklyn Nets Point Guard’s KAI Family Foundation funds the solar water project in Pakistan in partnership with the Paani Project. Irving built the solar water plant in the small village of Rohal in Tharpakar within the Sindh Province. Though the Sindh Province in Pakistan is experiencing an economic upturn in most urban areas, people often overlook the rural outskirts.
Tharparkar is one of the most impoverished areas of Pakistan, and thus, the people endure several issues of poverty. A lack of safe drinking water, high unemployment rates, food insecurity, poor health facilities, low educational attainment rates and malnutrition are among the issues plaguing Tharparkar. There are existing manual wells in Tharparkar, “but a lack of rainfall and inadequate maintenance” means existing wells “have either dried up or their contents are unsafe for human consumption.” Where a clean water supply does exist, villagers, mostly women, walk for more than an hour in conditions of extreme heat to access this water.
The Benefits of a Solar Well
Irving’s solar well will bring clean water to more than 1,000 villagers. Solar wells negate the need for ropes and pulleys commonly used in manual wells. Additionally, these solar wells can last up to 25 years. Current wells in Tharparkar almost exclusively necessitate the use of manual labor to pull the water up and livestock and agriculture pollute them. With only the turn of a lever, countless families will enjoy the benefits of clean drinking and bathing water.
Irving is not only bringing clean water to one of Pakistan’s most impoverished areas but is also bringing widespread attention to the other issues the area endures. Bringing attention to some of the issues sometimes forgotten in rural areas is important in order to improve overall living conditions in Tharparkar. These marginalized communities need aid to escape the cyclic effects of poverty. This philanthropic act by Irving is one that is garnering worldwide attention off the court rather than on it. Irving’s humanitarianism assists the many Pakistani families in poverty.
Photo: Flickr
COVID-19 Vaccinations in Seychelles
Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands located at the eastern edge of the Somali sea and is home to Africa’s smallest nation with just 97,625 people. The tropical climate, white sand beaches and crystal-clear lagoons make it a popular vacation destination. However, like many tourist economies, Seychelles’ tourism sector struggled under COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on travel. But, thanks to an ambitious campaign, COVID-19 vaccinations in Seychelles is a success story, putting the island in the spotlight for holding one of the highest rates of vaccinations in the world. This is despite a May 2021 surge in infections that led to the reimposition of mandates (such as school closures and a ban on bars and nightclubs), causing global concern about the efficacy of vaccination programs.
Facts About COVID-19 Vaccinations in Seychelles
Paving the Path to Recovery
With a majority vaccinated population, Seychelles is open for business and welcomes foreign visitors. To protect Seychellois, the government requires a negative COVID-19 test for all arrivals to the islands, including fully vaccinated travelers. As Seychelles rebuilds its tourist industry, the government is making progress with strategies to diversify the economy and is calling on investors. In a July 2021 interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), President Ramkalawan reported that Seychelles’ new economic plan emphasizes fisheries and agriculture, construction of hotels and the launching of fish processing facilities. Ramkalawan’s administration is actively seeking ways for Seychelles to “build itself anew” in order to create a balanced and robust economy. A successful and robust vaccination campaign has paved the way for Seychelles to rebuild and recover.
– Jenny Rice
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Poverty Reduction in Costa Rica
The recent COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted the economic stability of Central America’s wealthiest country and caused a resurgence in poverty. As a result, poverty reduction in Costa Rica has become an important goal for the country. Many know Costa Rica for its lush rainforests and beaches, universal healthcare system and environmental activism. However, since the pandemic began, thousands of small businesses have shut down due to low demand. The decreased income levels led many families to live below the poverty line. According to UNICEF, one in three children under 18 years of age in Costa Rica now lives in poverty. Poverty reduction in Costa Rica is necessary to create a healthier population throughout the country.
Economic Reform
While Costa Rica displayed steady economic growth in the past three decades, the recent pandemic impacted that trajectory. The current goals of economic reform in the country are to address fiscal imbalances while decreasing income inequality and distribution. According to President Alvarado Quesada, Costa Rica plans to accomplish this by strengthening social assistance programs. These social assistance programs aim to promote greater formalization and support female labor force participation. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also aiding in economic recovery through a $1.7 billion arrangement. These assets will aid the country in improving public funding for subsidies to individuals the pandemic has heavily affected.
The government is seeking to continue decreasing income inequality through educating more children and adults, which could create long-term growth. Currently, the literacy rate in Costa Rica is high at 97.9%, but there is still a large gap in income inequality. In 2019, Costa Rica’s richest individuals held approximately 53.7% of the country’s income. The country will reduce poverty and income inequality by creating infrastructural reforms to streamline regulations and complete trade commitments, foreign direct investment and natural resources preservation. Increasing opportunities for females within the labor market is also vital to improving income inequality. In 2019, females made up 40.5% of the total labor workforce. This can improve through social assistance programs aimed at hiring females for jobs.
Tourism’s Effect on Poverty
In 2019, Costa Rica’s tourist industry represented 8.5% of gross domestic product and employed 9% of the population. However, in 2021, Costa Rica’s government estimates that the industry will only be worth approximately 3.5% of GDP and will decrease by approximately 100,000 jobs. In 2020, poverty in Costa Rica reached 26.2% of families, the highest level in 30 years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 45% of the working-age population is in a condition of informal employment. In other words, they perform jobs without being registered or contributing to taxes and social security. Many of these informal positions relied on tourism such as the restaurant, hotel and excursions industries. With a lack of job security, individuals with these informal jobs were the first people that layoffs impacted.
COVID-19 Vaccines
Moving past the COVID-19 pandemic is necessary to restore the livelihoods of many Costa Rican people in poverty. To do this, the country is focusing on vaccinating low-income individuals. Earlier in 2021, rather than creating stringent lockdowns, the Costa Rican government imposed restrictions on vehicle mobility and limited business hours and capacity. The country also requires COVID-19 vaccinations for people to enter most commercial centers and participate in many public activities. Fortunately, the latest vaccination rates show 82% of all Costa Ricans ages 12 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Travelers to Costa Rica must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the country. These requirements can lead to a rapid return to tourism levels which will aid the country in returning to economic stability.
Moving Forward
With continued adherence to precautionary COVID-19 safety measures, individuals in Costa Rica can greatly protect public health. Meanwhile, the new social assistant programs promise to greatly assist in bringing about poverty reduction in Costa Rica.
– Robert Moncayo
Photo: Flickr
The Effects of Cobalt Mining in the DRC
In recent years, the world has seen a growing demand for mined materials because of the growing popularity of crystals and semiprecious gems. Included in the demand for mined materials is cobalt, which is increasingly necessary due to its role in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. In fact, about “24% of the total cobalt demand” stems from EV production and the demand will continue to increase as more people continue to buy EVs. A prominent stakeholder in the crystal and mineral industry is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which produces “more than 70% of the world’s cobalt,” along with other semi-precious gems, crystals and gold. Of the cobalt mined, smaller mining operations, many without licenses, produce 15%-30%. The DRC government has failed to enforce proper accountability and ethics within cobalt mining in the DRC. This, combined with years of strict rule and war, has resulted in many people in the mining sector suffering human rights issues.
Human Rights Violations in DRC Mines
Cobalt mining in the DRC is rife with human rights abuses, such as the use of child labor. According to Amnesty International, an estimated 40,000 children are employed in artisanal mining in the DRC. A lack of proper safety precautions is also common practice and accidents frequently occur. Additionally, miners are usually subject to opportunist, abusive and exploitative mining firms, earning unlivable wages.
While it would be ideal for people within the mining industry to look toward alternative work, conditions in the DRC mean employment opportunities are scarce. Data from 2018 indicates that about 73% of the DRC lives in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.90 per day — an effect of previous wars and dictatorships. These factors have led to skyrocketing costs of living in the DRC and ravaged land, leaving people desperate to take up any opportunity they can find to survive. Since the nation sits on top of a large cobalt reserve that experts estimate holds more than 50% of the world’s cobalt supply, working in the mining industry in the DRC has more financial promise than other sectors, which imports dominate.
The lack of industry regulation allows exploitative practices to continue, but it also presents a public health crisis. Without the proper safety gear, miners of all ages experience continuing exposure to dust and particles that result in lung and skin diseases, like tuberculosis or dermatitis.
Solutions to Mining Injustices
In recent years, awareness around mining exploitation has been increasing, largely due to the fact that the industry is expanding along with technology. In 2020, several online activists brought attention to the human rights abuses within the artisanal mining industry by creating “the hashtag #NoCongoNoPhone to fight against the cobalt supply chain that fosters child labor and the exploitation of small-scale artisanal miners.”
Additionally, cobalt mining in the DRC is about to experience a regulation shift. Reuters reported in May 2021 that the DRC government is working with the Enterprise Generale du Cobalt (EGC) to establish control over the artisanal cobalt mining sector and obtain a monopoly over Congolese cobalt production. EGC is also partnering with PACT, an NGO in the global artisanal mining industry, to oversee and implement mining condition reforms in the DRC. Furthermore, EGC is working with a commodity and logistics giant, Trafigura, in order to provide “support on traceability down the supply chain.” The EGC will create “a price sharing formula” that splits mining profits between the private company, the miners and the government.
This model underwent testing at the Mutoshi copper mine and proved to be extremely helpful to local economies while also bringing about socio-economic benefits. In the trial, about 5,000 workers were part of a formal system, with PACT and Trafigura regulating the mining activities and pay. Miners reported reduced health expenditure due to better working conditions and “reduced workplace harassment for women,” among other positive impacts.
Looking Ahead
The mining industry in the DRC has suffered because of the lack of mechanisms put in place for accountability. While NGOs do important work on advocacy and mitigating the effects of broken systems, they have not been able to reach the roots of mining exploitation. However, the efforts of NGOs are now combining with those of the government and offer much hope in tackling human rights abuses within the mining industry.
– Hariana Sethi
Photo: Flickr
The School Meals Coalition Helps Hungry Students
During the Food Systems Summit in September 2021, the United Nations launched the School Meals Coalition. The coalition emerged as a response to the African Union’s March 2021 communiqué regarding the need for a global school meal program.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Food Insecurity
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing food insecurity among school children worldwide. Food insecurity severely affects children living in low to high-income countries. School closures amid COVID-19 and a lack of resources have resulted in schoolchildren being unable to access meals they previously received from schools. To make matters worse, the incentive to attend school and receive an education frequently diminishes as food insecurity grows. The School Meals Coalition aims to prevent growing food insecurity in schools. The coalition is seeking to ensure that every child receives access to healthy school meals by 2030 to address the effects of the pandemic and improve the quality of life for all children.
How Hunger Affects Education
More than 1 billion children attend school worldwide. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 338 million children relied on school meal programs. Unfortunately, there still remained 73 million children in 60 lower-income countries without access to these essential school meals. COVID-19 has only increased the number of hungry children globally. At the peak of the pandemic in April 2020, school closures meant that 370 million children lost access to their one guaranteed meal for the day.
Even as schools reopened in 2021, 150 million children continued to go without school nutrition. Access to food stabilizes communities. Conversely, poverty and hunger often cause students to leave school. Without food stability, students lose the incentive to attend school. Ultimately, lack of education and poverty increases child labor and leaves young girls vulnerable to early marriages and gender-based violence.
UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2019 report found that undernutrition produces various obstacles for children. Malnutrition leads to susceptibility to infection and poor cognition and development. In 2019, 149 million children younger than 5 years old suffered from stunting and close to 50 million children endured wasting. The report concluded that nutrition plays a vital role in child development and beyond, stating that hunger “threatens the survival, growth and development of children, young people, economies and nations.” If left unchecked, malnutrition can hinder the livelihoods of people across the world.
What is the School Meals Coalition?
Spearheaded by Iceland, Finland, France and the World Food Programme (WFP), the School Meals Coalition faces a challenging task. In its entirety, the coalition includes 40 member states, U.N. agencies, academic groups, multilateral organizations and more. The European and African Unions prioritize the coalition’s success. For the alliance to succeed, it needs to repair pandemic-induced losses by 2023, reach previously missed students from low-income countries and improve its strategy for school meal programs by 2030.
Although the task appears daunting, the program is seeking to make sustainable and manageable changes to existing systems. For instance, the School Meals Coalition will equip schools worldwide to rely on healthy, local and indigenous foods the communities prepare. By providing communities the tools for school meal programs, the coalition will utilize a “holistic approach to child well-being through the integration of education, health and social protection.”
Thus far, the coalition has established initiatives to set the program in motion. Such initiatives include a research consortium, a financing task force and an advocacy and outreach task force. Furthermore, the coalition intends to create a peer-to-peer network to share strategies and a monitoring process that the World Food Programme leads. The WFP’s annual “State of School Feeding Worldwide” publication will look at the coalition’s progress.
The Coalition’s Impact Beyond the Classroom
The School Meals Coalition will inevitably impact more than just nutrition for school children. Ultimately, the coalition will help to improve and stabilize communities and food systems. Programs like the WFP’s Home-Grown School Feeding Program will emerge across low to high-income countries. When schools utilize food that communities produce and prepare, women and local businesses receive equitable and equal opportunities. Not only will students receive a quality education with suitable learning conditions but their families will also encounter job opportunities and learn sustainable food and business practices.
– Dana Gil
Photo: Flickr
Technological Advances Helping Mexican Farmers
Warmer temperatures across the globe have drastically affected farmers’ ability to produce crops, especially in arid communities. Rising temperatures increase evaporation, reducing surface water and drying out the soil. Farmers in Mexico have experienced severe drought since 2012. As of April 15, 2021, nearly 85% of Mexico’s population faced one of the worst droughts in the nation in decades. However, a local engineer in Jalisco, Mexico, created a possible solution, called the “solid rain” technique, to help struggling Mexican farmers through times of drought.
The “Solid Rain” Technique
The “solid rain” technique involves a very absorbant powdery polymer substance that farmers can mix into a formula before adding to the soil. The mixture allows moisture to stay in the ground for up to 40 days, even during times of drought. In 2012, Sergio Rico Velasco, the person who came up with the formula for “solid rain,” told Aljazeera that he sold the idea to farmers in Peru and Ecuador and intended to receive funding from the Mexican government to expand the project to help more farmers in Mexico.
In 2013, the company said the government tested the “solid rain” technique and found that crop production increases by 300% when the technique is used correctly. More than 90% of Mexico’s crops are rainfed and farmers use 90% of the arable land for annual crops like forages and grain maize. Farmers cannot adequately produce the large supply of crops that rely on rain during Mexico’s ongoing droughts. As a result, technological advances like “solid rain” are even more crucial for farmers.
The United States directly benefits from agricultural production in Mexico. For example, in 1998, Mexico’s fruit and vegetables to the U.S. amounted to $2.9 billion and meat and fish exports generated $71 billion. Coffee and cocoa exports from Mexico to the U.S. equaled $682 million.
Water Access
Natural disasters and a changing environment negatively affect access to resources in Mexico. For example, clean water in Mexico is limited due to the hotter temperatures and drought, subsequently drying up Mexico’s water resources. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), increased levels of arsenic exist in about 60% of Mexico’s water resources, affecting 6.5 million children that drink hazardous water.
In Mexico’s valley, communities rely on water sources like rivers and lakes. However, these sources are dwindling due to an overharvest of river and lake resources.
Other organizations, like One Earth, are regularly visiting homes throughout Mexico City to supply communities with a technological system to harvest rainwater. Workers gather supplies like a “first flush diverter,” a water tank, piping and filters, and install the systems on the roof of houses in Mexico City. Ten years after it began, the organization has been installing around 50 systems per day. Thousands of homes that did not have a connection to the Mexican City’s water system now have access to rain harvesting systems and no longer need to rely on trucks to deliver water to their homes.
Though long-term drought is not likely to change soon in Mexico, initiatives to increase crop production through the use of “solid rain” and technology advances like rainwater harvesting systems are helping to mitigate the challenges individuals face in the nation. Hopefully, with new technological advancements, Mexican farmers will be able to produce crops more efficiently.
– Makena Roberts
Photo: Flickr
The Elderly Poverty Rate in Romania
The elderly poverty rate in Romania is a challenge to not only the elderly population but also the country itself. Romania’s poverty rates for retired individuals and elders over the age of 65 have increased drastically from an already high level.
The Issue
Romania’s elderly at-risk poverty rate reached a record high of 25.1% in the year 2020, whereas it was previously 14.4% in 2012. Additionally, 24.5% of elderly women in Romania are under the poverty line with a pension, comparable to the record high of 25.7% in 2016 and a record low of 22.1% in 2010. Comparably, males with pensions reached a record high of 18% in 2020 and a record low of 7.9% in 2012.
These statistics present an evident truth; as the years pass in Romania, the elderly poverty rate is quickly rising. This leads poor elders to search for work to make enough money to survive, which they often do not have the qualifications for. In the end, impoverished elders rely on pension payments, which some do not even qualify for, while others struggle to survive below the poverty line.
Romania’s Health Care System
Romania has a dual health care system. Similar to countries such as Australia, it has both a private and a public health care system. However, its system differs from others when it comes to the government’s involvement. Romania’s government spends an average of 4% of the country’s GDP on health care, which is one of the lowest rates in the EU. The government does not fund private healthcare, thus leading those in poverty towards government-funded health care, which has proven to be inadequate. Furthermore, those who do pay for private health care do not always get a better deal. Since the government is uninvolved financially, private hospitals can overcharge patients exorbitant amounts for as little as a consultation.
Also, since the year 2007, about 15,700 Romanian medical experts from both private and government-funded institutions left the country to pursue a better salary in other European countries. With a sub-par salary for Romania’s government-paid doctors (some specialists receive as little as $350 a month), Romanian doctors often resort to bribery, in which they charge patients additional fees for even the simplest consultations.
In terms of the elderly poverty rate in Romania, it is clear that either of the two options for health care in Romania can be costly, and their physical health frequently undergoes neglect. As of 2020, only 23.4% of Romanians over the age of 65 would rate their health conditions as “good” or “very good,” while the EU average is almost double this, at 41.1%. Additionally, 66.7% of these people reported issues with walking, and 51.9% with vision problems, which they cannot treatments for. In comparison, only about 40% of adults over the age of 65 in the United States have a disability.
The Pension Problem
Romania’s pension system is likely to face challenges due to the country’s aging population. Romania is facing a demographic challenge, with a population decline of approximately 25% from 21.4 million in 2008 to approximately 15 million in 2050. Though Romania will most likely face additional challenges as a result of the projected population drop, one major issue could be pensions.
Furthermore, the proportion of elderly people in Romania could reach 29.9% by 2050, subsequently leading to a strain on the pension system. With an aging population, more people will require pensions, putting the government in a dilemma about whether to pay the full amount necessary. As proven with the health care system that the Romanian government provided, the corrupt country will not be eager to allocate so much money to pensions.
Having said that, Romania does have a solid pension system in place, which is based on citizens’ contribution to the economy over a minimum contribution period of 15 years. However, a growing elderly population could cause the country’s pension system to crash according to projections, potentially impacting the elderly poverty rate in Romania.
Lastly, another issue with the Romanian pension system is the fraud that seems to consistently reappear throughout the years. One of the greatest scandals occurred in 2009, in which Romania reported $7.15 million in pension fraud. Resolving an issue like this would require stronger pension security and a potential re-evaluation of the pension granting system.
People Against Poverty
People Against Poverty is an NGO that works in six countries, including Romania, to reduce poverty levels. It has been working to reduce poverty in Romania since 2003 and has hosted a variety of projects, including an Agricultural Project which provides resources for people in Romania who live in rural communities. NGOs like People Against Poverty are extremely important when considering poverty reduction in entire countries, and the implementation of its programs can help in solving Romania’s elderly poverty issue.
Elderly poverty in Romania has been an increasing problem within the past decade, and will likely continue to be one into the future. It remains in the hands of the Romanian government to solve this problem before the elderly population reaches a peak. However, hope exists that the population will regulate itself, or that the economy will open more jobs for impoverished elders. With the help of NGOs like People Against Poverty and the growing economy in Romania, there is certainly hope that the elderly poverty rate will decline over the upcoming years.
– Andra Fofuca
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