Ireland has long been a source of high net emigration, with an estimated 10 million emigrants leaving the western European island since 1800. However, the past two decades have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of foreign health care workers in Ireland. The Irish health care system has experienced notable growing pains in its attempts to retain domestically-trained doctors, who often follow a decades-long trend of looking abroad to Australia, Canada and the U.K. for hire.
As Irish doctors continue to move abroad, internationally trained medics bridge the gap. Here is a look at the path ahead as Ireland copes with shortages in professional health care and works toward a more accommodating workplace for Irish doctors.
Brain Drain: Doctors Leave Ireland Behind
A telltale shift in the Irish health care industry came in the late ’90s, when rapid economic growth and demand for nursing services outpaced Ireland’s supply of workers. Since 2000, Irish doctors, most of whom depart from Ireland during or after their training, have remained similarly scarce. This period of economic expansion marked an inflection point in Irish health care, where Ireland’s historical role as a major exporter of Irish nurses reversed.
Ireland’s trend in poor doctor retention seems to mirror a similar trend affecting northern and western Europe as a whole.
Unstable Working Conditions Disillusion Doctors
Most doctors born and trained in Ireland intend to work domestically. Yet, various factors keep these workers looking for work abroad. Notably, a 2018 survey of Irish training doctors found that only 45% intended to find work domestically, hinting at an underlying push factor in the Irish medical field. A 2021 study accredits Ireland’s exodus of domestically-trained doctors to short staffing and poor training, which catalyze stressful conditions in the workplace.
The fulfillment that Irish doctors don’t find in their work environment at home, they pursue abroad. About 72% of emigrant Irish doctors prefer employment in the U.K., Canada and Australia. Naturally, international recruitment programs call on foreign-trained health care workers to compensate for Irish staffing shortages.
Foreign health care workers in Ireland must bridge the gap that Irish emigrant doctors leave behind. Nevertheless, recent assessments of Ireland’s health care system indicate that this international recruitment practice is neither sustainable for foreign-trained workers nor the communities they serve.
Challenges for Foreign Health Care Workers in Ireland
A 2025 World Health Organization study assessing nine European countries (including Ireland) found that the number of foreign-trained nurses increased 67% in these regions from 2014 to 2023 alone. Higher wages and more benefits than are available in a foreign health care worker’s home country incentivize such high immigration trends. However, a significant disconnect exists between foreign workers’ expectations and the working conditions they receive upon arrival in Ireland, perpetuating brain waste in the Irish medical field.
This occurs as foreign doctors trained in a specific setting are assigned arbitrarily to any position lacking staff, thus depriving both their origin country and their receiving country of their talent. A study interviewed foreign health care workers in Ireland and found such instances of dissonance between the position to which individuals apply and the actual role to which they are called. Due to the costly financial and emotional investment of choosing to migrate, many cannot withdraw their commitment in pursuit of a better opportunity.
Thus, many foreign doctors bear the brunt of the poor working conditions that prompt Irish-trained doctors to go abroad.
Local Implications of Sending and Receiving Health Care Workers
Local communities, either on the sending or receiving end of foreign doctors, become more vulnerable as professional health care access is redistributed across international borders. Subsequently, Ireland’s understaffed health care force leaves marginalized and low-income communities, domestic and abroad, under strain. In attempts to compensate through international recruitment, the community in Ireland outsources for doctors and the spread is thin.
Foreign health care workers in Ireland become more vulnerable to poverty as they pay the exorbitant costs associated with migration. Consequently, individuals seeking health care may not have the financial means to compete for a spot in their health care provider’s overbooked schedule. Ireland has introduced noteworthy doctor retention programs, seeking to break this cycle, with varying results.
The Path Forward for Strong Doctor Retention in Ireland
To promote universal access to quality health care, Ireland has to sustain an equitable, stress-reduced working environment for its domestically trained doctors. A shift away from brain drain in Irish health care is an uphill battle. This is largely due to systematic flaws such as hostility from or poor connections with mentors and coworkers, which weakens a newly trained doctor’s support system.
Noteworthy doctor retention efforts began in 2015, when Ireland’s Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structures oversaw adjusted working conditions and training opportunities for doctors training domestically. However, a 2021 study revisiting the success of these doctor retention programs found them ineffective and out of proportion to the problem’s scale. Going forward, it will take increased investment in strong mentorship for Irish training doctors and more compatible training programs to see the Irish health care industry draw a greater appeal to its workers.
Fortunately, a successful doctor retention policy, such as Romania’s, provides a hopeful template as Ireland pursues an equitable health care system benefitting workers and patients alike.
– Isla Hansen
Isla is based in Spokane, WA, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
How Christmas Shopping is Relieving Poverty
This correlation provides opportunities for charitable organizations to partner with supermarkets and popular outlets of Christmas spending. Here are a few examples of how Christmas shopping is relieving poverty:
One for One Schemes
These schemes, whereby an organization also does charitable work for every Christmas shopping item purchased, are highly effective at relieving poverty. This incentive encourages people to buy from these companies, especially during gift-giving seasons. The IKEA Foundation has run a particularly successful initiative called Soft Toys for Education throughout the Christmas period since 2003. It partners with UNICEF and Save the Children, two of the largest global organizations supporting children in poverty.
In this scheme, for every soft toy or children’s book purchased from the participating IKEA stores, the company donates $1.34 to education programs run by the partnered organizations. This is an excellent example of how Christmas shopping relieves poverty. This collaboration makes use of the spike in sales IKEA sees over Christmas.
It provides an additional incentive to buy typical Christmas presents like books and toys. Since starting this program, the IKEA Foundation has donated more than $50 million, which has helped support more than 11 million children.
Second-Hand Shopping
Due to factors such as rising cost-of-living, sustainability and environmental care, second-hand shopping is on the rise. Charity shops, such as OXFAM’s, see increased sales around Christmas, rising more than 40% the week before Christmas in 2022. These organizations rely on money spent in their shops to finance overseas programs and humanitarian work. Their shops sell ideal gifts or household items for Christmas, such as clothes, books, toys, decorations and furniture, for a fraction of the price they’d be sold for as new.
This makes second-hand shops an ideal and accessible option for Christmas shopping. The money raised from these will be spent on providing lifesaving emergency aid, supporting long-term projects to improve the quality of life and campaigning to address inequality. This means there is a significant moral incentive to buy second-hand materials.
Lush’s Charitable Efforts
Lush, a company well known for its charitable efforts and advocacy for human rights and environmental care, is one of the most ethical businesses demonstrating how Christmas shopping relieves poverty. Its sales rose significantly during this period, reaching more $40 million in December 2022.
One of the many charitable schemes Lush runs is called Charity Pot, the name of a moisturizing product that raises money for charity with every sale. All proceeds from Charity Pot products go to the Charity Pot Fund, which is then distributed as grants to nonprofit organizations. The Charity Pot has been sold in 42 countries, raising more than $65 million, which has been allocated to a wide range of causes.
These include more than 150 peace-building and anti-war initiatives, more than 800 campaigns supporting migrants and refugees and more than 250 projects supporting Indigenous peoples. These grants prioritize causes that aim to create sustainable and long-term systemic change.
The participating organizations are spread across the globe and are predominantly run by volunteers, making these grants incredibly impactful for their causes.
Checkout Donations
One of the easiest ways millions of people can help combat poverty during Christmas is by using the charity donation option at tills. Many shops reinforce this option or allocate the proceeds to specific charities over the holidays. It’s a convenient choice for most consumers, as the donation amount is usually just a few cents to round the total to the nearest dollar, often preventing unwanted change.
This method has proven to be an incredibly effective way of raising money for charity. For example, customers of The Body Shop have raised more than $460,000 for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) through donations at both online and in-store checkouts. These donations have supported the organization’s mission to save lives and build better futures for millions forced to flee their homes.
Final Remarks
There are many ways in which partnerships between charities and retailers are helping people in need, most of which involve schemes for donations. These rise around Christmas time due to the massive number of people participating in shopping and the emotional elements of Christmas that make people likely to feel generous. There is a large market for charity at this time of year, one that helps people immensely globally.
– Abigail Gadsden
Photo: Unsplash
Digital Sovereignty in Africa
Essentially, if someone sends a message from Lagos to Kenya, the processing would take place in the European continent or in the United States before it returns to the African continent. This would cause high bandwidth costs and the possibility of outside access to personal or government information. The continent’s yearly expense on outside digital services topped $50 billion because of this. The Continental Internal Exchange offers data centers and local search engines for use across the 54 nations within Africa. This implementation could potentially halve the continent’s expense on digital devices, which could offer more finances to benefit people in poverty or in digital blackout areas.
Rural Challenges
More than 200 million people have switched to using CIX within the first three days of its launch. In addition, Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos are the current early data center locations with coverage across the continent expected by 2027, according to Eurweb. There are some challenges to be met with, however. Rural areas in Central Africa are facing gaps in coverage and high expenses to have access to data in general.
According to the United Nations, 23 of the 28 countries that live in extreme poverty are in the African continent. In addition, the rate of poverty in rural areas within the African continent is 17.2%. There are gaps in coverage within rural areas because of the lack of infrastructure available. In addition, people in poverty do not have the finances to pay monthly fees for data coverage and internet access. On the continent, people in urban areas are 36% more likely to have access to regular internet. Poverty also largely affects internet access. Only 28% of people who live in extreme poverty are able to access the internet.
Extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is meant to remain in the double digits by 2030. Poverty has an impact on digital accessibility and media literacy. New skills that have impacts in the digital age are not accessible to people in Africa due to the lack of mobile and internet access. A large factor in decreased internet access is education and age as well. According to Afrobarometer in 2021, 81% of people with little to no education in 34 countries in Africa did not use the internet frequently. This is lower for people with higher education, as 17% did not use the internet frequently.
Outreach International
One organization that aims to repair internet access in Africa is Partnership for Digital Access in Africa (PDAA). PDAA is an organization that aims to achieve 1 billion Africans having internet access by 2030. They work with nonprofits, policymakers, and global organizations to create plans and initiatives that introduce access to the internet in areas of limited connectivity and lower internet costs for users. Its overall aim through this organization is to improve digital skills and media literacy across the continent’s 54 countries. The organization’s leadership team consists of policymakers within Africa and business leaders dedicated to the cause. Its website also highlights positive stories in relation to internet access from other news organizations, such as Brookings and Business Insider Africa.
The Future of Digital Sovereignty in Africa
The CIX offers digital sovereignty in Africa. It provides data centers and local search engines within its borders to lower bandwidth costs and decrease dependence on foreign digital devices. With the potential for halving these expenses, there is an opportunity for African countries to reinvest in their digital infrastructure. There stands to be challenges to reach populations in rural areas, for example. What was once necessary to spend on foreign digital services can help establish data centers within these rural areas, widen internet access and provide technological devices to households.
– Nickaylia Anderson
Photo: Flickr
Cannabis Transforms Poverty in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Additionally, the country’s volcano (La Soufrière) erupted in 2021. Coupled with the then-recent COVID-19 pandemic, the country faced huge economic setbacks. Whereas before the pandemic, only 4% of children in Saint Vincent were below the poverty line, this has now risen to 18%. Therefore, due to the industry’s up-and-coming market, utilizing cannabis in Saint Vincent is key to recovering the economy and securing jobs for unemployed young people.
Boosting the Economy
Ironically, it is the volcanic soil that makes cannabis in Saint Vincent high-grade and fast-producing. As a result, cannabis became an instrumental trading tool during the country’s recovery from the volcanic eruption. More recently, Saint Vincent has reported more than EC$60 million (slightly above $22 million) in private investment in its cannabis industry.
Beyond just trading, the small country is also now gaining an international reputation for its high-quality marijuana. In October 2025, Saint Vincent will host the annual CannaBliss festival for the second time. This is a four-day event that attracts customers from around the globe and dually acts as a chance for networking among the medicinal cannabis industry.
Not only does this boost Saint Vincent’s tourism industry, but it is also a chance for the country to share its culture with the world. The festival will feature reggae singers with international fame. However, it will also be a chance for local Vincentian singers to display their talent!
Medicinal Benefits
Due to cannabis’s unique medicinal uses, the drug is experiencing increasing demand worldwide, with the medicinal cannabis market expected to reach $58 billion in sales by 2028.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) currently uses Epidiolex, which contains cannabidiol, to treat seizures. It also uses Marinol and Syndros, which contain Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), for therapeutic purposes such as treating nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and anorexia related to weight loss in AIDS patients. The USFDA continues to research additional medical applications of cannabinoids.
Meanwhile, the cannabis market is expanding globally. The U.K., Canada and several European countries have, for the first time, approved a plant-derived cannabinoid drug (Sativex) for medical use.
Supports Cultural Practices
Emerging in ’30s Jamaica, the religion Rastafari celebrates marijuana as a gift from God. Rastas believe in peace and living organically; they often adjust their language to avoid negative terms, oppose violence and oppressive systems such as capitalism and are typically vegetarian. Rastas use marijuana ritually to help enlighten their minds; before smoking the plant, they pray to Jah (God) or to Haile Selassie I.
Moreover, supporting Rastas means supporting local farmers. Since decriminalizing cannabis in Saint Vincent, farmers can now obtain a subsidized licence to grow marijuana and companies must buy 10% of their plants from traditional agriculturalists. Before this, it was difficult for Rastas to make a living.
Farmer Bobbis Matthews said to the Guardian, “It was hard! At least three times a year, U.S. helicopters would come and tear down the crop. In those days, it felt like you couldn’t even say the word marijuana because just to say marijuana, you could get arrested.” “We had a song called ‘Helicopter.’ It was about the panic and franticness whenever you hear the sound of the helicopter,” he continued.
Now, local farmers can live and celebrate their culture legally. The growing industry has created 2,500 more jobs for a country with low employment rates. Saint Vincent has also provided additional training in best cultivation practices to support the market and farmers further.
Final Comments
Overall, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines demonstrates how cannabis can be used ethically. The country is utilizing the plant for its medicinal benefits and its significance to the religious community. Marijuana’s rapidly growing market is also helping to reduce poverty in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines by increasing employment rates and expanding trading opportunities. This, in turn, is building a fast-growing industry that will play a pivotal role in the country’s future.
– Lysia Wright
Photo: Flickr
Evaluating the Success of UK Rail for Ukraine
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the progress of UZ came to an abrupt halt. Russian attacks destroyed border railway crossings, forced thousands of staff to mobilize for war and damaged train tracks caught in the crossfire. International eyes were on Ukraine, with the United Kingdom (U.K.) playing a role in the humanitarian effort to rescue Ukraine’s railways.
U.K. Rail for Ukraine
Rebuilding infrastructure in times of military crisis became an essential way for humanitarian aid to enter Ukraine. With Ukrainian airspace closed to non-combatant aircraft, moving aid, resources and people relied on train networks throughout Europe. Established in 2023, U.K. Network Rail and partners created U.K. Rail for Ukraine, a cohesive partnership that supplied repair parts for UZ networks.
U.K. Rail for Ukraine supplied the Ukrainian front line with eight railway bridges and 30 bridge support towers later that year. The response was quick, direct and efficient in the wake of the devastating violence that intensified in 2022.
Covering the Distance: European Partnerships
For U.K. Rail for Ukraine to transport large infrastructural supports into Eastern Europe, the wider network of European railway systems played a major role in covering the distance. Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German national rail operator, transported the goods to Poland. The train carried the livery #WeStandWithUkraine, highlighting a collective European sense of solidarity with the Ukrainians suffering.
Poland also made a significant contribution to supporting its neighboring Ukraine. Polish (PKP) cargo trains carried humanitarian aid from across Europe, making up a large share of the 1,600 aid vehicles reported by Ukrainian Railways. U.K. donors sent 7,500 food parcels, which were packaged and later distributed among Ukrainian rail workers. The main partners behind this donation were the U.K.-based companies Arriva Trains and First Rail. Both recognized the importance of Ukrainian railroads in transporting lifesaving packages to those most in need. In addition, U.K. rail businesses raised £65,000 to fund protective armor for frontline drivers.
Driving Away from Danger and Toward Safety
Beginning in Poland, many Ukrainian refugees took the long journey into mainland Europe by train. By March 2022, more than 1,000 Polish State Railway services operated to transport refugees. Having already undergone an arduous journey, displaced migrants arriving in the U.K. received special privileges for rail travel across the country. The Rail Delivery Group introduced a scheme in 2022 that granted Ukrainian refugees free travel on British transport services, including National Rail and the London Underground.
Outlook for 2025
Transportation during the Russo-Ukrainian War has remained vital. U.K. Rail for Ukraine continues to provide infrastructural support from a humanitarian standpoint, with railways serving as the primary channel for aid packages reaching soldiers and civilians on the front line. Looking forward, the extensive repair work needed on UZ railways in a post-conflict world will require the same level of foreign support and commitment to rebuild a once very successful rail system.
By 2025, 223,000 Ukrainian people had arrived in the U.K. The well-connected structure of European railroads allowed the safe transfer of refugees across borders. Those who completed their journey to the U.K. continue to benefit from measures that preserve their right to free travel.
Looking Ahead
The partnerships forged between the U.K., Europe and Ukraine show that railways can do more than move people and goods; they can carry hope and resilience through the hardest of times.
– Ash Fowkes-Gajan
Photo: Flickr
Labor Reforms and Poverty Reduction in Mexico
These changes were largely due to labor reforms in Mexico such as raising the minimum wage, ending exploitative outsourcing practices and strengthening labor protections. This shows that strong and sustainable structural labor reforms can reduce poverty and ensure significant improvement in the incomes and social rights of the Mexican people.
Labor Reforms and Poverty Reduction in Mexico
The most significant labor reform in Mexico was raising the minimum wage. According to a paper in the Journal of Development Studies, which explores the effect of minimum wage on poverty levels in Mexico, the first real increase was in 2019. That year, it rose by 16% across the country, except in municipalities near the U.S.–Mexico border, where it jumped by 100%.
Between 2019 and 2022, Mexico substantially increased the national minimum wage by 65% in real terms. According to a recent study by Mexico’s National Minimum Wage Commission, these wage policies directly and indirectly impacted poverty reduction. The researchers found that for every 10% increase in the minimum wage, multidimensional poverty fell by approximately 3.6%. Overall, the study estimates that 4.1 million people—out of a total 5.1 million who exited poverty—did so specifically because of the minimum wage increases, accounting for a 23.7% reduction in national poverty during this period.
Outsourcing Employment
Crucially, the wage hikes boosted labor income without causing significant job losses, reinforcing the policy’s role as a key driver of poverty reduction rather than economic disruption. The second major labor reform was the ban on exploitative outsourcing practices, significantly reducing poverty and strengthening labor rights in Mexico. Enacted in 2021, the ban led to a 73% drop in outsourcing and a surge in direct hiring. Average annual wages rose by 10% in the first year, while the wage gap relative to productivity narrowed by 27%.
Insourced workers saw salaries jump by 87%, social security and benefits rise by 30% and profit sharing grew by 62%, directly improving living standards. Importantly, these gains occurred without reducing employment or output, showing that the reform strengthened worker rights while protecting jobs. Workers who had faced the most exploitation benefited the most, demonstrating the reform’s effectiveness in improving wages and livelihoods across Mexico’s labor force.
Governance and Implementation
The Mexican government enforced the outsourcing ban through a comprehensive regulatory framework. Companies providing specialized services had to register in a public registry, proving compliance with tax and social security obligations, sharing profits with workers and renewing their registration every three years. Enforcement grew stricter: employers and staffing agencies became responsible for payroll taxes and social security for subcontracted workers, inspections were mandatory and firms faced larger penalties for violations.
To close loopholes, the reform aligned multiple existing laws and fostered coordination between government departments. Previously, outsourced workers had to be transferred to direct employment within a three-month, government-monitored period, ensuring compliance and protecting labor rights. These measures ensured compliance with the law and helped sustain the new labor protections. They also led to a significant drop in exploitation and improved working conditions nationwide.
Conclusion
Mexico’s experience shows that structural labor reforms, combined with strong governance and effective implementation, can transform poverty and inequality. The government created a labor market that supports social and economic inclusion by prioritizing worker rights and enforcing compliance. These achievements confirm that ambitious, well-enforced reforms can produce tangible, lasting improvements in the lives of millions, setting an example for other countries seeking to reduce poverty through labor policy.
– Akash Ramaswamy
Photo: Flickr
Maternal Mortality in the KP Region
Based on current evidence, CCTs are most effective in health care-related initiatives, often improving health outcomes and encouraging increased utilization of health care offerings. The studies that provide this evidence also note that despite the clear positive impact, the efficacy of these initiatives remains ill-defined. This is due to disparate health care systems and the quality of services offered between the countries and communities where CCTs have been implemented.
Maternal Mortality in the KP Region
In Pakistan and in South Asia generally, the maternal mortality rate is significantly high. Although there has been a significant drop in the maternal mortality rate of around 60% between 2000 and 2017, the region still accounts for around 20% of maternal deaths worldwide. The 2006-07 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey was the first effort to collect information on maternal mortality in the country.
The survey revealed that during those years, there were 276 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in Pakistan. In 2007-08, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region, the maternal mortality rate was 275 deaths for every 100,000 live births in the region. These numbers indicated severe deficiencies in the delivery of adequate health care to expectant mothers, which the local governments of Pakistan sought to address.
The Chief Minister’s Special Initiatives
In the KP region of Pakistan, the Chief Minister’s Special Initiatives are a set of poverty alleviation measures created by the local government. These initiatives aim to improve living standards by offering financial incentives to individuals who take advantage of local services focused on education, employment and health outcomes.
For example, grants were provided to female students above grade 5 to encourage them to continue their education. Stipends were also offered to young people enrolled in government-sponsored vocational training programs. These incentives were significant because they represented key examples of CCTs used as a poverty alleviation tool in Pakistan.
In 2014, recognizing the urgent need to address maternal mortality rates and in line with a national push to improve health care for mothers and children, the government of KP launched the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Mother and Child Health. This conditional cash transfer program provides fixed cash stipends to marginalized mothers for attending prenatal checkups, delivering safely and completing postnatal visits.
A 2024 study evaluating the program found a substantial increase in the total number of health-seeking hospital visits, indicating that the intervention successfully achieved its intended behavioral change. Additionally, the cash incentives improved household purchasing power and supported the incomes of vulnerable families. The findings provided strong evidence for expanding the use of other CCT programs in Pakistan.
Maternal Mortality Declines in KP
In the years that followed, the maternal mortality rate declined significantly. The 2019 Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey collected updated national and regional data, showing trends since the 2007 survey. Nationally, maternal deaths fell from 276 to 186 per 100,000 live births.
In the KP region, the figure dropped from 275 to 165, representing a slightly higher percentage reduction than the national average. This suggests that local initiatives and conditions, including the CCT programs, may have contributed to reducing maternal mortality rates.
Final Remarks
The conditional cash transfers program in the KP region has already shown promising results for improving maternal health outcomes and alleviating poverty. It could be a model for the rest of Pakistan to follow and bring down its alarming maternal mortality rates.
– Nikhil N Kumar
Photo: Flickr
Dependency on Foreign Health Care Workers in Ireland
As Irish doctors continue to move abroad, internationally trained medics bridge the gap. Here is a look at the path ahead as Ireland copes with shortages in professional health care and works toward a more accommodating workplace for Irish doctors.
Brain Drain: Doctors Leave Ireland Behind
A telltale shift in the Irish health care industry came in the late ’90s, when rapid economic growth and demand for nursing services outpaced Ireland’s supply of workers. Since 2000, Irish doctors, most of whom depart from Ireland during or after their training, have remained similarly scarce. This period of economic expansion marked an inflection point in Irish health care, where Ireland’s historical role as a major exporter of Irish nurses reversed.
Ireland’s trend in poor doctor retention seems to mirror a similar trend affecting northern and western Europe as a whole.
Unstable Working Conditions Disillusion Doctors
Most doctors born and trained in Ireland intend to work domestically. Yet, various factors keep these workers looking for work abroad. Notably, a 2018 survey of Irish training doctors found that only 45% intended to find work domestically, hinting at an underlying push factor in the Irish medical field. A 2021 study accredits Ireland’s exodus of domestically-trained doctors to short staffing and poor training, which catalyze stressful conditions in the workplace.
The fulfillment that Irish doctors don’t find in their work environment at home, they pursue abroad. About 72% of emigrant Irish doctors prefer employment in the U.K., Canada and Australia. Naturally, international recruitment programs call on foreign-trained health care workers to compensate for Irish staffing shortages.
Foreign health care workers in Ireland must bridge the gap that Irish emigrant doctors leave behind. Nevertheless, recent assessments of Ireland’s health care system indicate that this international recruitment practice is neither sustainable for foreign-trained workers nor the communities they serve.
Challenges for Foreign Health Care Workers in Ireland
A 2025 World Health Organization study assessing nine European countries (including Ireland) found that the number of foreign-trained nurses increased 67% in these regions from 2014 to 2023 alone. Higher wages and more benefits than are available in a foreign health care worker’s home country incentivize such high immigration trends. However, a significant disconnect exists between foreign workers’ expectations and the working conditions they receive upon arrival in Ireland, perpetuating brain waste in the Irish medical field.
This occurs as foreign doctors trained in a specific setting are assigned arbitrarily to any position lacking staff, thus depriving both their origin country and their receiving country of their talent. A study interviewed foreign health care workers in Ireland and found such instances of dissonance between the position to which individuals apply and the actual role to which they are called. Due to the costly financial and emotional investment of choosing to migrate, many cannot withdraw their commitment in pursuit of a better opportunity.
Thus, many foreign doctors bear the brunt of the poor working conditions that prompt Irish-trained doctors to go abroad.
Local Implications of Sending and Receiving Health Care Workers
Local communities, either on the sending or receiving end of foreign doctors, become more vulnerable as professional health care access is redistributed across international borders. Subsequently, Ireland’s understaffed health care force leaves marginalized and low-income communities, domestic and abroad, under strain. In attempts to compensate through international recruitment, the community in Ireland outsources for doctors and the spread is thin.
Foreign health care workers in Ireland become more vulnerable to poverty as they pay the exorbitant costs associated with migration. Consequently, individuals seeking health care may not have the financial means to compete for a spot in their health care provider’s overbooked schedule. Ireland has introduced noteworthy doctor retention programs, seeking to break this cycle, with varying results.
The Path Forward for Strong Doctor Retention in Ireland
To promote universal access to quality health care, Ireland has to sustain an equitable, stress-reduced working environment for its domestically trained doctors. A shift away from brain drain in Irish health care is an uphill battle. This is largely due to systematic flaws such as hostility from or poor connections with mentors and coworkers, which weakens a newly trained doctor’s support system.
Noteworthy doctor retention efforts began in 2015, when Ireland’s Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structures oversaw adjusted working conditions and training opportunities for doctors training domestically. However, a 2021 study revisiting the success of these doctor retention programs found them ineffective and out of proportion to the problem’s scale. Going forward, it will take increased investment in strong mentorship for Irish training doctors and more compatible training programs to see the Irish health care industry draw a greater appeal to its workers.
Fortunately, a successful doctor retention policy, such as Romania’s, provides a hopeful template as Ireland pursues an equitable health care system benefitting workers and patients alike.
– Isla Hansen
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Chichen Itza: Reducing Poverty in Mexico
Economic Benefits and Poverty Reduction
Millions of tourists visit Chichen Itza annually, generating substantial income for local communities and Mexico’s national economy. In 2023, with the reopening of previously restricted areas for archaeological research, the site saw a 12% increase in visitors, totaling more than a million tourists. This influx supports Mexico’s post-pandemic recovery and strengthens the tourism industry.
The constant flow of visitors creates steady employment in hospitality, transportation, food services and local craft markets. These jobs provide sustainable income opportunities for families, helping reduce poverty and improve living standards in nearby communities. In addition to visiting the archaeological site, many tour operators now offer full-day excursions that include nearby destinations such as Valladolid, a colonial city in the Yucatán Peninsula.
These tours also feature visits to cenotes and natural sinkholes where visitors can swim and enjoy lunch prepared by local families. These tours promote small businesses, local restaurants and artisan markets, ensuring that tourism revenue is distributed more evenly across the region. Local guides who lead these trips share cultural knowledge and Mayan traditions, creating meaningful exchanges between visitors and residents while strengthening community identity and heritage.
Through these combined tourism experiences, Chichen Itza attracts international visitors and stimulates a regional economic ecosystem that uplifts surrounding towns and rural populations.
Cultural Preservation and Local Empowerment
Despite its benefits, Chichen Itza’s global popularity also presents challenges. Much of the site’s revenue flows to the federal government rather than Mayan communities. Additionally, some Indigenous residents have faced displacement due to tourism development. However, many have adapted by creating independent income sources, selling handmade crafts, guiding tours and educating visitors about their heritage.
Mayan artisans and entrepreneurs preserve their cultural legacy and promote national pride through these efforts. Visitors, in turn, gain a deeper understanding of Mexico’s Indigenous history, fostering global respect and cultural appreciation. Integrating traditional Mayan cuisine, language and artistry into tourism experiences has also helped safeguard intangible heritage while creating new forms of economic empowerment.
Regional Development and Sustainability
The success of Chichen Itza has also inspired infrastructure projects like the Tren Maya, a new railway system designed to improve accessibility across the Yucatán Peninsula. This initiative aims to manage overcrowding, boost tourism and expand economic opportunities for nearby towns.
Importantly, the Tren Maya project emphasizes sustainability. Its eco-friendly design reduces carbon emissions and supports environmentally responsible tourism, aligning economic development with long-term environmental goals. It enhances regional mobility by connecting cities like Cancún, Tulum, Mérida and Valladolid. It increases visitor flow to the peninsula’s local businesses, artisans and cultural centers.
Conclusion
Chichen Itza’s continued global appeal demonstrates how cultural heritage and tourism can drive economic resilience. By generating jobs, supporting local entrepreneurship and inspiring sustainable development, this ancient site contributes directly to reducing poverty in Mexico. Through guided tours that extend to surrounding cities and cenotes, tourism revenue reaches even more communities, strengthening the Yucatán Peninsula’s economy and preserving its cultural heritage.
Chichen Itza stands as both a monument to the country’s past and a catalyst for its future prosperity.
– Miranda Yacynych
Photo: Pexels
Connecting the Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is in a position to connect 9.7 million more unique mobile Internet users by 2029 under the right policies. Home to roughly 110 million people, the DRC’s growing youth population makes reliable Internet access an essential resource.
Expanding connectivity is also key to boosting economic opportunities as the country faces persistent financial struggles. Despite the issues of affordability, limited rural access and the self-stifling of the mobile sector, there are many avenues that these policies are looking to open up.
Current Issues
As of 2022, only about 27% of the population had access to the Internet, just over one-quarter of the country’s total population. This figure is well below Africa’s continental average of 39%, making it harder for the DRC to stay connected globally.
The average income required to afford the Internet has decreased recently, dropping from 48.98% in 2018 to 16.36% in 2024. However, despite this significant drop, affordability remains a major barrier. In the case of a cybersecurity incident, the DRC scores just five out of 100 in its ability to minimize potential problems.
Economically, an Internet shutdown is estimated to cost the DRC $261,762, with two shutdowns recorded in the past year. Overall, connecting the Congo has not been an easy task, with its Internet Resilience Score standing at only 23 out of 100.
Looking Forward
Connecting the Congo has a path forward despite the issues faced. The addition of Internet exchange points over the past 10 years has made using the Internet easier. With the Internet Society’s help, the Internet price has dropped by 98%, saving money for Internet providers and customers, allowing even more people to utilize the Internet.
There is still progress to be made to ensure consistent connectivity, especially as the DRC is the fourth-largest country in Africa. However, these steps are essential to keep the country moving forward.
Policies are also in place to support growth, including modernizing frameworks to lower costs, strengthening infrastructure and equipping DRC citizens with essential digital skills. These policies also aim to extend Internet access to public services, making them more efficient. Through these initiatives, the DRC is positioning itself to make significant strides in connecting the country to the rest of the world.
Conclusion
The DRC still has many strides to make in truly getting all of its people connected to the Internet. Issues like availability, affordability and weaker-than-average connectivity remain at the forefront. However, progress is being made.
The rollout of IXPs and the planned policies for the future of the Internet are expected to make big waves in connecting the Congo, allowing everyone to contribute to a world that is more interconnected and inclusive.
– Amari Jennings
Photo: Unsplash
The Changing Climate and Poverty in Fiji
Cyclone Winston: A Devastating Wake-Up Call
In 2016, Cyclone Winston, the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, destroyed much of Fiji overnight. The storm claimed 44 lives, critically injured hundreds, and damaged 88 of the country’s 124 health facilities. With estimated economic losses of $1.3 billion, thousands were left homeless. As of 2025, many communities are still rebuilding homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that damage caused by rising sea levels could cost Fiji an average of 1.8% of its GDP annually between 2020 and 2050. For many already living in poverty in Fiji, the economic efforts required for recovery remain a persistent challenge as these events become increasingly frequent.
The Borgen Project spoke with Grace Chang, the Fiji Partnership Manager at ThinkPacific, a social enterprise that collaborates with local partners to develop community initiatives. Chang said, “Many affected communities are still rebuilding infrastructure, homes and livelihoods. Cyclone Winston highlights the need for stronger disaster preparedness and resilience in vulnerable areas, which continues to shape recovery and support programs.”
Humanitarian Initiatives
The Fijian government and international organizations are working to address poverty while strengthening communities’ resilience to the changing climate. Cash transfer systems, anticipatory frameworks and mental health services have been established to help the nation’s poorest citizens recover from and prepare for future challenges.
To help vulnerable populations weather economic shocks after natural disasters, the Fijian government, alongside the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has begun piloting the parametric insurance program. This program is designed to ensure that low-income households in Fiji can afford to cover the costs of any damage caused during extreme weather events. The aim is for registered households to receive a cash payout directly to their bank accounts immediately after the disaster strikes so they can rebuild and recover swiftly from any damages. This rapid payout system ensures funds are readily available post-destruction, allowing for timely recovery.
Anticipatory Action Framework
In November 2023, the Fijian government, in partnership with the United Nations, introduced the Anticipatory Action Framework for Tropical Cyclones, relying on meteorological forecasts to predict a cyclone’s impact on vulnerable communities. A “trigger” mechanism has been designed to release pre-arranged funding, which will be made available promptly to humanitarian actors to ensure those most affected can access the resources they need.
When activated, the framework’s pre-planned interventions include:
By acting before a storm strikes, the Anticipatory Action Framework ensures that vulnerable communities are not just responding to disaster but are protected and empowered to withstand it.
The Importance of Mental Health
Humanitarian aid organizations have also recognized that the physical rebuilding of Fiji must go hand in hand with emotional recovery, especially for those living in poverty who are least able to absorb the shocks of climate disasters. Cyclones devastate homes and livelihoods, leaving communities even more economically vulnerable than before.
Chang again stated, “The increasing frequency and severity of climate events have caused stress, anxiety and trauma, particularly for those who have lost homes, land or family members. Many community members face ongoing uncertainty about future disasters.”
For the poorest families, these stresses are compounded by financial insecurity. Lost crops, damaged fishing equipment and destroyed homes often mean they struggle to rebuild their lives. In response, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as Empower Pacific have been providing trauma counseling and psychological first aid to those who cannot afford private care. The Fiji Red Cross has also expanded its mental health and psychosocial support programs, emphasizing that true recovery must address both physical damage and emotional well-being.
A Beacon of Resilience and Hope
Despite all the devastation, there is hope for this island nation. Fiji shows that even in the face of incredible destruction, hope persists. The changing climate remains a growing threat, but with the support of humanitarian organizations and government efforts, it is never too late to help those living in poverty in Fiji.
– Niamh Trinder
Photo: Unsplash