For over 150 years, Indigenous children across Canada were forced out of their homes and into Indian Residential Schools. These schools stripped them of their culture, language, and community to assimilate them to Canadian culture. These schools aimed to “kill the Indian, save the man,” as Richard H. Pratt put it.
Despite the terrible conditions and the rampant abuse in these schools, the government and churches could not erase the culture. They were unable to break the spirit of the Indigenous people they sought to “civilize.” While Indigenous People can still feel the effect of residential schools, their strength leaves room for hope.
History
The first Indian Residential School in Canada opened in 1831. Christian Missionaries ran early schools to convert Indigenous people to Catholicism. However, in the 1870s, the government stepped in and began to include treaties regarding these schools. In 1894, attendance became compulsory. Children as young as three years old forcibly removed from their homes and sent to the schools.
Over the next 100 years, more than 130 Indian Residential Schools existed in Canada under state sponsorship. Churches ran the vast majority of these schools; Catholic churches operated three-fifths, the Anglican Church operated one-quarter, and the United and Presbyterian Churches operated the rest.
Over 150,000 children attended these schools. At one point, 75% of children between 7 and 15 years old were attending or had attended Indian Residential Schools. These children faced terrible conditions due to underfunding and physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
Lasting Effect of Residential Schools
The effects of the abuse and mistreatment in the schools have a lasting impact on the Indigenous population. Studies have shown that survivors of the schools have poorer mental and physical health. There are higher rates of suicide attempts as well as chronic illnesses such as diabetes among these individuals.
There is also evidence to suggest that historical trauma has led to negative health impacts for subsequent generations. Historical trauma is when historical events are endured by whole communities and negatively affect the individuals who experience them and the whole group in ways that result in problems for future generations. There are three main characteristics of a historical trauma event including that it was widespread among a specific group, an outgroup perpetrated it with an intentionally destructive purpose and it generates a high level of collective distress.
This historical trauma has led to “enduring links between familial Indian Residential School attendance and a range of health and social outcomes among the descendants of those who attended.” These negative outcomes include higher rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, drug and alcohol abuse and food insecurity as well as lower educational outcomes and income levels. All of these outcomes show that the effect of residential schools is still with us today.
Moving Forward
As more people become aware of the lasting effect of residential schools, now is the time to face these issues and take action to deal with them. One of the first and most basic steps toward healing is for full acknowledgment of the trauma and effect these schools had from the government and the churches. While the Canadian government has issued apologies, the Catholic Church, which operated most of the schools, has not yet come out with a formal apology. They have also refused to release records from the residential schools, which could provide more accurate information on the effect of residential schools.
Steps have been taken to right this wrong. In 2007, a settlement from The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action suit in Canadian history, implemented the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Between 2007 and its conclusion in 2015, over 6,500 witnesses gave their stories to engage and educate the public. The commission also put out a full report on the Indian Residential Schools, which included 94 calls to action.
Beyond acknowledgment, apology and education, other movements are growing in response to the effect of residential schools. One significant movement, the Land Back Movement, pushes the government to return the land that initially belonged to Indigenous people. This transfer of land back to Indigenous people is already happening in some places. The land returned to the Squamish Nation is now being developed into housing in Vancouver on the Senakw project.
Despite the historical trauma and the lasting effect of residential schools, Indigenous people have used their strength to prevent the complete erasure of their culture. While we are still dealing with the negative effects, there is hope for a better future.
– Taryn Steckler-Houle
Photo: Flickr
World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm in South Korea
Offshore Wind Farm Funding and Benefits
The offshore wind facility project has already garnered significant funding. Several companies have contributed $42.4 billion to the project and the government will cover $802 million of the cost. In addition to generating renewable energy, the offshore wind project will create 5,600 jobs in the area. It will also extend South Korea’s “existing 1.67GW wind power capacity to 16.5GW by 2030.”
South Korean officials state that the wind energy facility “will produce energy equivalent to the output of six nuclear reactors.” The project has garnered significant support around the country due to its many benefits. A signing ceremony recently occurred for the new wind project in Sinan, a coastal town in the southwest region of the country. The offshore wind farm project is predicted to make an impressive impact on the country’s economy due to citizen, government and fiscal support.
Economic Impact of COVID-19 on South Korea
South Korea’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic was successful as early testing and containment of the virus limited spread. However, the virus caused an economic recession due to halted business operations, closed borders and restricted mobility. For the first time since 2003, South Korea fell into a “technical recession.” In the first quarter of 2020, South Korea’s GDP declined by 1.3% followed by a second quarter decline of 3.3%.
The recession was caused greatly by a lack of demand for South Korean exports. Exports make up about 40% of the country’s GDP, so without the typically high supply and demand for products, South Korea’s economy was hard-hit. The economic decline also led to job losses across multiple sectors such as services, travel, hospitality, retail and manufacturing. As a consequence, South Koreans experienced harsh economic impacts, especially those already in poverty.
How Wind Power Improves Poverty
Despite South Korea’s status as a large world economy with high rankings in terms of education and healthcare, it still has a high poverty rate. The OECD ranked South Korea fifth among 33 countries for relative income poverty, with a rate of 16.7%. Relative income poverty is defined as “the ratio of the number of people whose income falls below half of the national median household income.”
Renewable energy sources such as wind power can help reduce poverty by decreasing a country’s reliance on fossil fuels. Fossil fuel prices can fluctuate drastically, causing instability in the economy. Wind turbines can replace the use of fossil fuels. The renewable energy sector also creates jobs and allows for energy security. With the power to use clean energy and bring economic prosperity to South Korean citizens, offshore wind farms provide a solution to poverty reduction.
The Future of Wind Farms
Overall, South Korean offshore wind farms could help South Korea bounce back economically after the COVID-19 pandemic. Wind energy is a sustainable resource as it is readily available. In comparison to fossil fuels, wind energy is more consistent and less expensive to harness. The boost in wind power could also place South Korea on the leaderboard for renewable energy.
Future prosperity and poverty reduction in South Korea will come from inclusive economic growth. With the use of renewable energy sources, sustainability and economic success are possible. Increasing accessibility to energy will thus help South Korea win the fight against poverty.
– Courtney Roe
Photo: Flickr
The Effect of Residential Schools
For over 150 years, Indigenous children across Canada were forced out of their homes and into Indian Residential Schools. These schools stripped them of their culture, language, and community to assimilate them to Canadian culture. These schools aimed to “kill the Indian, save the man,” as Richard H. Pratt put it.
Despite the terrible conditions and the rampant abuse in these schools, the government and churches could not erase the culture. They were unable to break the spirit of the Indigenous people they sought to “civilize.” While Indigenous People can still feel the effect of residential schools, their strength leaves room for hope.
History
The first Indian Residential School in Canada opened in 1831. Christian Missionaries ran early schools to convert Indigenous people to Catholicism. However, in the 1870s, the government stepped in and began to include treaties regarding these schools. In 1894, attendance became compulsory. Children as young as three years old forcibly removed from their homes and sent to the schools.
Over the next 100 years, more than 130 Indian Residential Schools existed in Canada under state sponsorship. Churches ran the vast majority of these schools; Catholic churches operated three-fifths, the Anglican Church operated one-quarter, and the United and Presbyterian Churches operated the rest.
Over 150,000 children attended these schools. At one point, 75% of children between 7 and 15 years old were attending or had attended Indian Residential Schools. These children faced terrible conditions due to underfunding and physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
Lasting Effect of Residential Schools
The effects of the abuse and mistreatment in the schools have a lasting impact on the Indigenous population. Studies have shown that survivors of the schools have poorer mental and physical health. There are higher rates of suicide attempts as well as chronic illnesses such as diabetes among these individuals.
There is also evidence to suggest that historical trauma has led to negative health impacts for subsequent generations. Historical trauma is when historical events are endured by whole communities and negatively affect the individuals who experience them and the whole group in ways that result in problems for future generations. There are three main characteristics of a historical trauma event including that it was widespread among a specific group, an outgroup perpetrated it with an intentionally destructive purpose and it generates a high level of collective distress.
This historical trauma has led to “enduring links between familial Indian Residential School attendance and a range of health and social outcomes among the descendants of those who attended.” These negative outcomes include higher rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, drug and alcohol abuse and food insecurity as well as lower educational outcomes and income levels. All of these outcomes show that the effect of residential schools is still with us today.
Moving Forward
As more people become aware of the lasting effect of residential schools, now is the time to face these issues and take action to deal with them. One of the first and most basic steps toward healing is for full acknowledgment of the trauma and effect these schools had from the government and the churches. While the Canadian government has issued apologies, the Catholic Church, which operated most of the schools, has not yet come out with a formal apology. They have also refused to release records from the residential schools, which could provide more accurate information on the effect of residential schools.
Steps have been taken to right this wrong. In 2007, a settlement from The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the largest class-action suit in Canadian history, implemented the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Between 2007 and its conclusion in 2015, over 6,500 witnesses gave their stories to engage and educate the public. The commission also put out a full report on the Indian Residential Schools, which included 94 calls to action.
Beyond acknowledgment, apology and education, other movements are growing in response to the effect of residential schools. One significant movement, the Land Back Movement, pushes the government to return the land that initially belonged to Indigenous people. This transfer of land back to Indigenous people is already happening in some places. The land returned to the Squamish Nation is now being developed into housing in Vancouver on the Senakw project.
Despite the historical trauma and the lasting effect of residential schools, Indigenous people have used their strength to prevent the complete erasure of their culture. While we are still dealing with the negative effects, there is hope for a better future.
– Taryn Steckler-Houle
Photo: Flickr
Her Drive: Using TikTok to Fight Period Poverty
The term “period poverty” describes the inability of girls and women to afford menstrual products such as pads and tampons. Though these items are essential to women, many areas of the world still tax menstrual products and the products are not eligible for coverage under food stamps. Her Drive is an organization with the aim of addressing period poverty in order to empower and uplift girls and women across the world.
The Impacts of Period Poverty
Low-income women often cannot afford the costs of menstrual products and turn to less sanitary alternatives such as rags or paper towels. These alternatives pose health risks and increase the chance of infections and irritation. The inability to afford menstrual products also takes a mental toll on women, leading to depression and anxiety. Furthermore, period poverty can impede women’s professional lives, keeping them trapped in poverty. Improperly managed periods can stop girls and women from attending school or going to work, which keeps them in cycles of poverty. Period poverty is a pressing issue that hurts women’s physical and mental health and perpetuates the poverty cycle.
Menstrual Stigma
People often avoid addressing the problem of period poverty because of the stigma around periods. Many people think of periods as a shameful process that they should not speak of rather than a normal biological process. Menstrual stigma means women suffer in silence. Fortunately, with the rise of social media, organizations and movements aim to end menstrual stigma and educate people on menstruation in order to address period poverty. Through these advocacy efforts, campaigns and relief initiatives garner support to provide menstrual products to girls and women who cannot afford them.
Her Drive Addresses Period Poverty
Best friends Alexa Mohsenzadeh and Jenica Baron founded Her Drive in 2020. Her Drive got its start from a viral video posted on TikTok, a popular social media platform that allows users to post short videos. The pair’s first TikTok video simply intended to promote a tampon and bra drive, but after it went viral, the girls decided to transform their project into a Chicago-based organization.
Her Drive collects menstrual products to donate to “women’s shelters, indigenous reservations, Black-owned businesses and refugee support programs” as well as other vulnerable groups. The organization has held menstrual drives in more than 40 U.S. states and extended its reach to Canada as well. Her Drive has also provided guidance to organizations looking to create similar drives in countries such as the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico. In support of vulnerable indigenous groups, Her Drive donated menstrual products to the Navajo Nation COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund and the poverty-stricken Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Her Drive’s goal is also to “empower and educate the next generation of youth leaders to work to eliminate period poverty in their local communities.” Her Drive has collected more than 165,000 period products in addition to thousands of bras and general hygiene items. What began as a simple TikTok video grew into an international organization that is combating period poverty and helping vulnerable girls and women.
Impact of Social Media
Period poverty is still a prevalent issue, but social media is helping to create awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation. By leveraging social media, organizations are amassing volunteers and donors to help combat period poverty across the world.
– Alison Ding
Photo: Unsplash
The Impacts of Palm Plantations in Guatemala
About Palm Plantations in Guatemalan Forests
Palm oil is the most widely consumed type of oil in the world and is found in 50% of all packaged products, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Palm trees grow in many tropical environments. In specific, palm plantations in Guatemala have exploded in presence and production over the past few decades. Since 2001, the amount of land covered by palm oil plantations in Guatemala has multiplied by five.
Around half of those plantations are located in the municipality of Sayaxché, which has a majority indigenous population. The plantations are taking over Guatemala’s forest area, leaving little room for the crops of subsistence farmers. Despite the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil deeming palm plantations sustainable, the activities of palm oil producers have polluted water sources used by indigenous populations. Furthermore, palm plantations are impacting people’s livelihoods as palm oil is now a dominant industry.
Impacts on Indigenous Guatemalans
Historically, indigenous people in rural Guatemala have made a living through subsistence farming and sustained themselves by consuming community-grown food. With palm oil as the dominant industry and little remaining land for farming, many subsistence farmers have to transition to working in palm plantations. Palm plantation work is arduous, requiring extremely long hours. Despite long working hours, the pay is not adequate for households to make ends meet.
Dorrian Caal, a palm oil industry worker, told Reuters that he earned 60 quetzales (about $7.80) per day working for the palm oil company Industria Chiquibul. This is below Guatemala’s minimum daily wage of 90 quetzales for the agricultural industry. Repeated complaints by both local workers and the National Council for Displaced People of Guatemala caused the company to increase wages to 91 quetzales, local farmer Jose Maria Ical told Reuters.
Given that people can no longer rely on the food and income security of their own crops, they no longer have subsistence farming to fall back on. Others in Raxruha remain unemployed due to the limited number of available job opportunities. Many people have attempted to migrate to the U.S. out of economic necessity.
Evictions and Police Violence
Some indigenous families have made claims to ancestral land and have attempted subsistence farming on land acquired by plantation companies. In October 2016, a banana plantation company evicted 80 families with the court’s support. The families resisted and the police reacted violently, shooting at indigenous farmers, burning down farmers’ homes and destroying crops. Ultimately, the families held on to their land using machetes and pesticide sprayers to defend themselves.
Indigenous Land Rights
At the end of the Guatemalan Civil War in 1996, a set of peace accords aimed to “respect indigenous community lands, resettle displaced indigenous communities, resolve land conflicts” and provide the impoverished access to land, according to analyst Doug Hertzler. However, if one considers the actions of palm plantation companies in Guatemala, it is fair to conclude that many are not fully observing these accords today. Hertzler argues that the international community provided insufficient support to uphold the promises of the accords when they underwent signing. Hertzler proposes several recommendations.
affected indigenous peoples, as required by international law, should stop.”
Evidence from both locals and researchers suggests that palm plantations in Guatemala are harmful to the country’s indigenous communities. Altogether, the communities receive little aid. With better support and respect for indigenous rights, indigenous Guatemalans can rise out of poverty.
– Sawyer Lachance
Photo: Flickr
Ethiopia’s Access to Clean Water
Water Crisis in Ethiopia
Millions of Ethiopians, like many in the region, suffer from a lack of access to clean water. A global database of water, sanitation and hygiene data, the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) published a report on the matter. According to the report, 31% of the Ethiopian population consumes unprotected water for daily use. Furthermore, another 28% of the population has limited access to clean water. Together, these figures account for 62 million people. The situation is particularly severe in rural parts of the country, where water shortages create serious health problems for villagers and their livestock.
Health Consequences of Inaccessible Clean Water
The lack of access to clean water has significant consequences on people’s health. During times of drought, when springs, ponds and other surface waters dry up, people are forced to look for alternative water sources. As a result, they often end up consuming water that is heavily contaminated with human and animal excrement and other environmental waste.
The consequence of consuming the contaminated water is widespread water-borne illnesses, particularly cholera and diarrhea. According to UNICEF, between 60-80% of communicable diseases in Ethiopia are caused by lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation. Moreover, approximately 50% of undernutrition cases are related to environmental factors, including inadequate hygiene. Open defecation and other sanitation-related issues cause fecal-oral diseases like diarrhea, which kills more than 70,000 children under the age of five every year.
Progress on Clean Water and Sanitation
Limited access to clean water and the consequences of inaccessibility have claimed countless Ethiopian lives. Due to the urgency of the crisis, the Ethiopian government and international organizations have been working tirelessly to improve the situation. As a result of their work, significant progress has been made. For example, in 2000, 75% of Ethiopians consumed unsafe drinking water. By 2015, that percentage had been reduced by 50% and continues to fall.
There has been notable progress in the sanitation facilities as well. In 2000, approximately 80% of the population was using the restroom outside and in the open. By 2017, the number was reduced to 22.35%. This was mainly achieved by developing constructions called “pit latrines.” “Pit latrines” are toilets usually built outside a house. They have four walls, a roof and a door to keep insects and flies out and reduce the spread of diseases.
Charity: Water and Gasi Spring Project
One organization’s work has had a massive impact on Ethiopia’s access to clean water — charity: water. The organization started working in Ethiopia in 2017. Since then, it has invested $99,120,769 and funded 10,425 projects that have served more than three million people.
One of the projects implemented by charity: water dealt with installing a protection system for Gasi spring. Gasi spring was a mud pit contaminated by excrement and was used by locals to gather water. Now, an installed concrete box protects Gasi’s pure water and sends it to water points where villagers can collect it. After installing the protection system, Gasi spring produced so much water that it was possible to establish a community shower, a washing station for clothes and a cattle trough for animals.
Founder and CEO of charity: water Scott Harrison recalled one instance of the organization’s impact. At the opening ceremony of Gasi’s new spring protection tank, a local health extension worker named Gedey told him that for the first time, villagers started building dish racks because they had a reason to keep dishes off the floor.
– Aleksandre Jgarkava
Photo: Flickr
COVID-19 Vaccination In Israel
As of early June 2021, estimates have determined that over 80% of the Israeli adult population has received vaccinations with reports of 15 COVID-19 cases in one week. This is the all-time low for Israel in more than a year. However, the successful campaign for COVID-19 vaccination in Israel has encouraged the government to be more lenient regarding COVID-19 restrictions.
Making Progress
Recently, the Israel Health Ministry let the public know that it will remove the Green Pass and Purple Badge restriction. A Green Pass represents those who have entirely recovered from COVID-19 and those fully vaccinated. A Green Pass is downloadable to a person’s phone or can be a physical document. Israel’s Ministry of Health authorized it. This became necessary to do activities associated with the general public. The Purple Badge represents a self-regulated standard that businesses use to help control the virus. That standard includes maintaining a two-meter distance between people and checking body temperature upon entering the facility. The lifting of the Green Pass and the Purple Badge will allow all businesses to resume normal activities without any limitations on the number of people in one area. Soon, this will extend to places of business, workplaces and public transportation.
Normality Returning
There are no further restrictions on the number of people gathered in a specific area, whether that be indoors or outdoors. Concerts and festivals can now restart and continue as pre-pandemic times. The indoor mask mandate will not change as of now. In December 2020, 10 million doses became available in Israel. The country has now moved onto vaccinating non-vulnerable groups. Israel is still cautious of foreign travelers. People who travel to Israel have to quarantine for a mandatory two weeks. Then, on day nine, they must receive a COVID-19 test. If an Israeli citizen would like to travel to a country with a high COVID-19 infection rate, they would need to provide special paperwork. The countries are Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, Ethiopia, South Africa, India, Mexico and Ukraine.
Will the Change Work?
Undoubtedly, COVID-19 vaccination in Israel has changed the dynamic in the country. Many are excited for the normalcy to return, while others are cautious. While the cases of COVID-19 are low, the Health Ministry is concerned that new strains will enter from abroad. The Ministry’s attention focuses on the international airport located in Ben-Gurion. However, regulations and restrictions become at risk. More than two-thirds of foreigners entering the country, do not spend the mandatory two weeks in quarantine. The solution to the problem is a monitoring electronic bracelet that already exists and is ready for use. The system needs the approval of the Constitutional Affairs Committee. However, this committee remains inactive at the moment.
– Candice Lewis
Photo: Flickr
UN Drones Protect Botswana’s Mothers
Botswana’s Maternal Mortality Rate
Prior to Botswana’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1966, the country had one of the highest poverty rates in the world. Since then, abundant resources and an adept government significantly reduced poverty. Botswana is now considered an upper-middle-income country. However, childbirth risks remain high. Botswana’s 2019 maternal mortality rate was 166 deaths per 100,000 births.
While the worldwide maternal mortality rate dropped by nearly half from 1990 to 2010, progress has been slower in many sub-Saharan African countries. Through projects like Drones For Health, Botswana works toward a 2025 goal of reducing its maternal mortality rate to 71 deaths per 100,000 births.
How Maternal Mortality Impacts Poverty
Maternal mortality harshly impacts poverty as a mother is often a central figure in a household and in society, taking on multiple functions and responsibilities. Surviving children often drop out of school in order to fulfill household obligations or take on employment to compensate for lost household income due to a mother’s death. Children without mothers often have deficient health outcomes because they are less likely to be immunized and often do not receive adequate healthcare when sick. Furthermore, due to the severe economic challenges of losing a mother, some young girls are forced to marry early.
The Drones For Health Initiative
Botswanan academics and government officials worked with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to put the Drones For Health initiative in motion. The medical drones have launch pads in four locations across the country, all situated next to healthcare facilities. The drones protect Botswana’s mothers by completing quick deliveries of blood. As long as the cargo is less than two kilograms, the drones can also carry medications and other medical supplies. Medical drones are also able to bypass infrastructure limitations such as uneven roads or missing bridges. These barriers prevent land-based vehicles from delivering blood to remote areas. In addition to providing a life-saving service, the battery-powered drones cause much less pollution than a land vehicle making the same trip.
Poverty is the main predictor of women’s endangerment during deliveries. Without traveling to medical facilities or hiring a midwife, childbirth becomes exponentially more difficult and risky. Botswana’s medical drone project exemplifies the benefits of creative and tech-savvy strategies to reduce maternal mortality.
– Lucy Gentry
Photo: Unsplash
Global Startup Awards Recognize Top Technology Innovators
GSA Africa is rapidly growing its community by bringing local tech innovators together from all regions within the continent. This includes Southern, Northern, Eastern, Central and Western Africa. The expansion is possible due to the accelerating progress of Africa’s tech ecosystem. According to Partech’s Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, activity grew by approximately half in 2020 despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
Contributing to the Tech Startup Ecosystem
Africa is experiencing monumental changes in the tech industry. More startup companies are being recognized for innovative methods. Startups have been finding solutions in food security, food production and farming methods that will strengthen industries throughout Africa. Caitlin Nash is the co-founder of the Global Innovation Initiation Group which hosts the GSA. She aims to showcase Africa’s innovative community on a global stage. Additionally, she shares the benefits of global exposure. Startups have an opportunity to gain access to a global network and collaborate across borders.
The GSA will reward participants in all aspects of the startup. This includes the startup itself, the people behind the startups and the organizations that support the creators. The GSA’s mission is to feed, industrialize and integrate Africa. This ties into the goal of improving the lives of people living in Africa. With rapid technological developments happening across the world, many countries are more capable of taking those opportunities to keep up. However, this leaves most developing countries behind in these innovations. Thus, these awards shed light on the importance of technological development in those nations.
According to the U.N.’s Technology and Innovation Report 2021, frontier technologies represent a $350 billion market that can potentially grow to $3.2 trillion in 2025. However, developing areas like sub-Saharan Africa are unprepared to adopt and adapt to these technological changes. The GSA will bring forward the innovations needed to help developing countries in Africa and around the world stabilize resources and improve the lives of citizens.
The Contest Categories
The Global Startup Awards will present 12 categories for the 2021 contest. Women in Tech represents tech startups owned and founded by women. AgriTech will award solutions in food security, production, farming methods and nutrition. In addition, HealthTech recognizes startups initiating medical innovations in BioTech, HealthTech, wellness and telemedicine (virtual care for patients) to improve the quality of life. CommerceTech will award the startup that works on using technology to enable commerce in Africa. This will range from mobile commerce to blockchain and cryptocurrency.
Another category is IndustrialTech. This category provides Africa’s industrialization with solutions for safety, mining, manufacturing, production, logistics, mobility and supply chain management. ESG Tech, or environment, social and governance tech, will award startups aiming to improve environmental, social impact and social government solutions. These solutions include areas like renewable energy, sustainability, recycling, water and sanitation. Startup of the Year will award the startup that is making the biggest impact on the economy and the world.
The Best Newcomer category will recognize a startup less than two years old that is already making a big impact within the tech industry. Moreover, Founder of the Year will award a startup founder or co-founder making progress with their leadership skills. It will highlight a role model for the next generation of founders. VC of the Year will recognize those achieving financial success while investing in innovative companies that can positively impact the economy and the world.
Finally, Best Accelerator and Incubator Program will recognize programs that help empower entrepreneurs to grow their craft by providing tools and resources to thrive. The Best Co-Working Space category will award a co-working space that provides services, support and resources to create an environment that fosters innovation.
Moving Forward
The Global Startup Awards will find, recognize and connect new innovators around the world. These startups have the potential to better the lives of people living in developing countries, and the GSA will help bring these companies to life.
– Nia Owens
Photo: Flickr
Preventing Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia
Reasons Women Choose FGM for Their Daughters
Regardless of the reason, mothers typically view female genital mutilation as a way to protect their daughters. Proper awareness about the myriad of consequences to young girls’ long-term health is necessary to show that FGM causes more harm than any possible social benefits.
Person-Centered Communication in the Fight Against FGM
The fight against female genital mutilation in Somalia requires comprehensive cultural shifts and collaborative efforts from community leaders, governments and the health sector. While global efforts have made progress to slowly decrease rates of female genital mutilation and most experts agree that healthcare professionals are essential to the fight, it is still somewhat unclear how best to incorporate the medical field into the efforts. A new approach called Person-Centered Communication (PCC) is showing a lot of promise in the present.
Researchers are conducting a six-month study in Guinea, Kenya and Somalia across more than 180 prenatal care centers that are incorporating this method of anti-FGM action into employee training. Person-Centered Communication aims to pioneer a way to strengthen healthcare workers’ relationships and conversations with patients as a way to prevent female genital mutilation in the first place. It primarily focuses on training nurses and midwives to utilize their “double perspectives.” This includes medical professionals who treat the severe health impacts of FGM and community members who put a lot of cultural significance on the practice, in order to communicate the inarguable harms of FGM to patients without judgment.
PCC functions on the notion of mutual respect in which healthcare workers use medical, cultural and psychosocial training to treat patients as their equals while having productive conversations to discourage female genital mutilation in Somalia. Preliminary findings show that this gentle, judgment-free approach is successfully shifting the mentality around female genital mutilation. While the COVID-19 pandemic presents an increased risk to girls enduring genital cutting due to access to healthcare becoming more difficult, PCC initiatives have doubled down to continue making progress in Somalia.
Promising Results
As the study progresses, experts are seeing very promising results, primarily attributable to the double perspective of healthcare professionals. Because the health professionals come from the same or similar communities as the young mothers and understand the cultural significance of FGM, the professionals have an easier time convincing pregnant women to not cut their daughters. Approaching the conversations with mutual respect, kindness and an understanding of the culture and the good intentions surrounding female genital mutilation makes young mothers more receptive to conversations about why women should abandon practices of genital mutilation.
This is incredibly monumental as one of the most difficult aspects of addressing FGM is deep cultural roots and the ineffectiveness of outside judgment and pressure. Person-Centered Communication training in the medical field holds significant potential for decreasing female genital mutilation in Somalia by changing cultural and societal views through discussion and understanding.
– Jaya Patten
Photo: Flickr
How Kids in Need of Defense Helps Migrant Children
The Immigration Crisis
Conversations about immigration in the United States often focus on statistics and stereotypes rather than the actual people making the journey or the organizations working to help them. Organizations like KIND fight to make the discussions surrounding immigration about aid, safety and policy-oriented solutions rather than focusing on stopping immigration altogether.
Today, immigration is front and center in political debates. The Biden administration is working to right the wrongs of the previous presidential administrations. As detailed in a recent New York Times article, emergency facilities set up by the Biden administration have led to modest improvements in conditions for migrant children.
As Maria M. Odom, the senior vice president for legal programs at Kids in Need of Defense, clarifies, “These facilities were designed and ramped up with the goal of achieving prompt reunification with parents, sponsors and legal guardians.” But, a shortage of case managers for placing migrant children with family members and other sponsors leads to some children spending weeks, even months, in emergency facilities.
Reasons for Migration
While people migrate for a variety of reasons, migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border are primarily fleeing political and social instability, violence, crime, injustice and poverty. According to KIND, in countries like Honduras and Guatemala, more than half the population lives below the poverty line. In the western part of Guatemala, about a third of the population experiences extreme poverty. “Civil war, internal conflicts and natural disasters” have also weakened institutional structures in these nations. These dire circumstances prompt citizens to leave in search of better living conditions.
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
Founded in 2008, Kids in Need of Defense is a U.S.-based NGO that provides legal aid and counsel to unaccompanied and separated migrant children once they are in the U.S. Through its offices in Mexico and its programs in Central America, KIND works with legal partners to address the root causes of migration. Overall, KIND works to “protect children during migration and connect repatriated children with essential services.”
Kids in Need of Defense also works with “partners in Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland and the United Kingdom.” Its European initiatives provide unaccompanied children in Europe with free legal support. In fact, in 2020, KIND launched KIND Mexico and opened its first offices outside of the U.S. This was prompted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration.
KIND’s 2020 Impact
KIND works directly with policymakers to protect the rights of migrant children by advocating for durable policy solutions to child migration. Every decision it makes is grounded in the best interests of the child in order to ensure that no child is ever forced to migrate due to poverty or violence.
– Thomas McCall
Photo: Flickr