For years, empty shelves, shortages and long lines outside grocery stores defined Venezuela’s food crisis. While scarcity was once a visible sign of the country’s economic collapse, the current reality is more complex. In many cities, supermarkets and local markets now have food available. However, availability does not always mean access. Hunger in Venezuela is now largely an affordability crisis: food may be present, but millions of families cannot consistently afford a nutritious diet.
The Affordability Crisis Behind Hunger in Venezuela
The central issue is the gap between wages, inflation and the cost of food. In 2026, Venezuela’s official minimum wage remained fixed at 130 bolivars per month, while the government announced that monthly minimum income would rise to $240 through a system that includes bonuses. However, this income structure remains uncertain for many workers because bonuses do not always function as a formal salary increase. At the same time, the cost of a basic family basket remains far higher than regular income for many households.
The Associated Press reported that Venezuela’s monthly minimum wage of 130 bolivars was worth less than $1 in dollar terms in 2025. Even with government stipends, many public sector workers survived on roughly $160 per month, while the average private sector employee earned about $237, according to the independent Venezuelan Observatory of Finances. At the same time, the cost of a basic food basket exceeded $500. This means that even families with some income may still struggle to buy enough food.
As a result, families buy less food, choose cheaper and less nutritious products, skip meals or depend on credit from small local stores. In some communities, corner stores have become a survival tool because families can buy food on credit and pay later when they receive wages, stipends or support from relatives. This shows how hunger in Venezuela is not only about food supply, but also about purchasing power.
Poverty and Nutrition
Food prices make access to protein especially difficult. When prices rise, families often reduce or eliminate foods such as chicken, beef, eggs, milk and cheese. Many households rely on cheaper and more filling foods, including rice, pasta, corn flour, bread and beans. These foods may help prevent immediate hunger, but they do not always provide the nutrients needed for long-term health. Eating something is not the same as being well nourished.
This distinction is key to understanding hunger in Venezuela. Many families may not be completely without food, but they live with incomplete, repetitive and nutrient-poor diets. Health experts cited by the Associated Press explained that families reduce or eliminate animal protein first when prices increase. Poor nutrition can contribute to stunting, headaches, fatigue and other health problems in children.
The 2025 National Survey of Living Conditions, known as ENCOVI, found that 68.5% of Venezuelan households remained in income poverty, underscoring the close relationship between poverty and food insecurity. The survey also found that one in three households did not have enough food. These figures show that hunger in Venezuela is rooted not only in food prices, but also in the persistent poverty that limits families’ ability to buy a balanced diet.
Children and School Meals
Children are among the most vulnerable. Limited access to protein and other essential nutrients can affect children’s growth, immune health and cognitive development. Hunger can also affect their ability to attend school, concentrate in class and perform academically. The Associated Press reported cases of students skipping school or struggling during the school day because they had not eaten enough.
ENCOVI 2025 found that only 29% of schools with a school feeding program served food every day. For some children, a meal at school may be one of the few reliable sources of food during the day. When school feeding programs are reduced, irregular or unavailable, the impact goes beyond nutrition. It can also affect attendance, academic performance and future opportunities.
In a country where many families cannot consistently afford breakfast or lunch, school meals help protect both health and education. They also show why food security is closely tied to poverty reduction: when children eat regularly, they are better positioned to learn, stay in school and build long-term opportunities.
Basic Services and Food Insecurity
The deterioration of basic services also exacerbates hunger in Venezuela. ENCOVI 2025 found that only 10% of Venezuelans had continuous electricity and only 19% of households had continuous running water. These conditions make it harder for families to store, prepare and cook food. Even when a household manages to buy groceries, it may still face obstacles to cooking beans, refrigerating perishable products or maintaining safe hygiene.
Low income, weak public services, limited school attendance and poor access to food reinforce one another. In many cases, students miss school because there is no water, no electricity, no transportation, no food at home or because teachers are absent. Hunger in Venezuela is therefore not only a nutrition issue; it is also connected to education, infrastructure and long-term development.
A Recent Emergency Raises New Food Needs
The earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, added new pressure to a country already facing severe food insecurity. Reuters reported that the twin earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, devastated parts of La Guaira state and that the government had confirmed at least 1,943 deaths by June 30. The full scale of the disaster remains uncertain, but aid workers have warned that displacement, damaged infrastructure and disrupted markets are deepening humanitarian needs, including access to food, clean water and health care.
The disaster does not change the underlying causes of hunger in Venezuela, but it makes them more urgent. Families who were already struggling with low wages, weak public services and limited access to nutritious food now face additional barriers when homes, markets, roads and local businesses are damaged. WFP USA reported that homes, markets and food supplies in La Guaira were devastated, leaving families with little or nothing to eat. The organization said it is expanding emergency food assistance to reach up to 500,000 people in the hardest-hit areas.
Humanitarian and Community Responses
Despite these challenges, humanitarian and community-based efforts continue to provide relief. The World Food Programme (WFP) supports school meal programs in vulnerable communities across Venezuela. According to WFP, its school meals program reaches more than 330,000 people across more than 1,100 schools, including students with disabilities. WFP also reports that the program helps boost school enrollment and attendance while providing essential nourishment for children.
The recent earthquake response also shows the importance of rapid food assistance. WFP USA reported that WFP already had more than 3,000 metric tons of food in Venezuela, enough to support more than 10,000 families for two months, and that it is bringing in additional supplies. Reuters also reported that WFP is seeking $50 million to feed 500,000 people affected by the earthquakes. These figures show how existing humanitarian networks can respond quickly when an emergency increases food needs.
However, funding shortages threaten these efforts. El País reported that WFP’s operation in Venezuela was reduced from 11 states to four: Delta Amacuro, Sucre, Zulia and Falcón. The same report stated that 7.9 million Venezuelans needed humanitarian assistance in 2025, while WFP had only 15% of the funds needed to assist its target population of 5.1 million. In the area of nutrition and food security, funding reached only 7% of what was required.
These numbers show both the value and the vulnerability of humanitarian programs. School meals, emergency food distributions and nutrition support can make a measurable difference for children and families, but funding gaps limit their reach. When organizations have adequate resources, they can help families meet immediate needs while supporting children’s health, education and stability.
Local initiatives also play an important role. Churches, community groups, volunteers and family networks help support vulnerable people through food donations, community kitchens and informal aid. After the earthquakes, Venezuelans inside and outside the country quickly organized donation drives and supply networks. The Associated Press reported that Venezuelan communities in the United States collected medicine, water and food, while Reuters reported that international aid included rescue teams, medical supplies, field hospitals, food distribution and emergency funding from several countries and humanitarian partners. Pope Leo XIV also sent emergency aid through the Vatican’s charity fund.
These efforts do not solve the structural causes of hunger, but they provide immediate relief for families who cannot meet their daily food needs. In many communities, this local and international support has become essential for children, older adults, displaced families and households without stable income.
Looking Ahead
The situation in Venezuela shows that food security depends on more than the physical availability of food. It also requires sufficient income, stable public services and consistent support for the most vulnerable households. When families can see food on the shelves but cannot afford to buy it, the crisis remains real.
The earthquakes of June 2026 make that reality even clearer. A sudden disaster can quickly turn an affordability crisis into an emergency food crisis, especially when families already lack savings, reliable services and stable income. Yet the response also shows that humanitarian systems, local volunteers and the Venezuelan diaspora can mobilize quickly when communities need help.
School feeding programs, emergency food distributions, nutrition support and humanitarian aid can help reduce the short-term impact of food insecurity. At the same time, improving household income, strengthening basic services and expanding access to nutritious food are essential for lasting progress.
Continued international cooperation and local action can help protect vulnerable communities and support a more food-secure future for Venezuelan children and families. Hunger in Venezuela remains a serious challenge, but targeted assistance, stronger school feeding programs, emergency relief and sustained support for basic services offer practical ways to reduce its impact and protect the next generation.
– Adriana Carolina Herrera
Adriana lives in Mentor, OH, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr
Everything You Need to Know About Hunger in Venezuela
The Affordability Crisis Behind Hunger in Venezuela
The central issue is the gap between wages, inflation and the cost of food. In 2026, Venezuela’s official minimum wage remained fixed at 130 bolivars per month, while the government announced that monthly minimum income would rise to $240 through a system that includes bonuses. However, this income structure remains uncertain for many workers because bonuses do not always function as a formal salary increase. At the same time, the cost of a basic family basket remains far higher than regular income for many households.
The Associated Press reported that Venezuela’s monthly minimum wage of 130 bolivars was worth less than $1 in dollar terms in 2025. Even with government stipends, many public sector workers survived on roughly $160 per month, while the average private sector employee earned about $237, according to the independent Venezuelan Observatory of Finances. At the same time, the cost of a basic food basket exceeded $500. This means that even families with some income may still struggle to buy enough food.
As a result, families buy less food, choose cheaper and less nutritious products, skip meals or depend on credit from small local stores. In some communities, corner stores have become a survival tool because families can buy food on credit and pay later when they receive wages, stipends or support from relatives. This shows how hunger in Venezuela is not only about food supply, but also about purchasing power.
Poverty and Nutrition
Food prices make access to protein especially difficult. When prices rise, families often reduce or eliminate foods such as chicken, beef, eggs, milk and cheese. Many households rely on cheaper and more filling foods, including rice, pasta, corn flour, bread and beans. These foods may help prevent immediate hunger, but they do not always provide the nutrients needed for long-term health. Eating something is not the same as being well nourished.
This distinction is key to understanding hunger in Venezuela. Many families may not be completely without food, but they live with incomplete, repetitive and nutrient-poor diets. Health experts cited by the Associated Press explained that families reduce or eliminate animal protein first when prices increase. Poor nutrition can contribute to stunting, headaches, fatigue and other health problems in children.
The 2025 National Survey of Living Conditions, known as ENCOVI, found that 68.5% of Venezuelan households remained in income poverty, underscoring the close relationship between poverty and food insecurity. The survey also found that one in three households did not have enough food. These figures show that hunger in Venezuela is rooted not only in food prices, but also in the persistent poverty that limits families’ ability to buy a balanced diet.
Children and School Meals
Children are among the most vulnerable. Limited access to protein and other essential nutrients can affect children’s growth, immune health and cognitive development. Hunger can also affect their ability to attend school, concentrate in class and perform academically. The Associated Press reported cases of students skipping school or struggling during the school day because they had not eaten enough.
ENCOVI 2025 found that only 29% of schools with a school feeding program served food every day. For some children, a meal at school may be one of the few reliable sources of food during the day. When school feeding programs are reduced, irregular or unavailable, the impact goes beyond nutrition. It can also affect attendance, academic performance and future opportunities.
In a country where many families cannot consistently afford breakfast or lunch, school meals help protect both health and education. They also show why food security is closely tied to poverty reduction: when children eat regularly, they are better positioned to learn, stay in school and build long-term opportunities.
Basic Services and Food Insecurity
The deterioration of basic services also exacerbates hunger in Venezuela. ENCOVI 2025 found that only 10% of Venezuelans had continuous electricity and only 19% of households had continuous running water. These conditions make it harder for families to store, prepare and cook food. Even when a household manages to buy groceries, it may still face obstacles to cooking beans, refrigerating perishable products or maintaining safe hygiene.
Low income, weak public services, limited school attendance and poor access to food reinforce one another. In many cases, students miss school because there is no water, no electricity, no transportation, no food at home or because teachers are absent. Hunger in Venezuela is therefore not only a nutrition issue; it is also connected to education, infrastructure and long-term development.
A Recent Emergency Raises New Food Needs
The earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, added new pressure to a country already facing severe food insecurity. Reuters reported that the twin earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, devastated parts of La Guaira state and that the government had confirmed at least 1,943 deaths by June 30. The full scale of the disaster remains uncertain, but aid workers have warned that displacement, damaged infrastructure and disrupted markets are deepening humanitarian needs, including access to food, clean water and health care.
The disaster does not change the underlying causes of hunger in Venezuela, but it makes them more urgent. Families who were already struggling with low wages, weak public services and limited access to nutritious food now face additional barriers when homes, markets, roads and local businesses are damaged. WFP USA reported that homes, markets and food supplies in La Guaira were devastated, leaving families with little or nothing to eat. The organization said it is expanding emergency food assistance to reach up to 500,000 people in the hardest-hit areas.
Humanitarian and Community Responses
Despite these challenges, humanitarian and community-based efforts continue to provide relief. The World Food Programme (WFP) supports school meal programs in vulnerable communities across Venezuela. According to WFP, its school meals program reaches more than 330,000 people across more than 1,100 schools, including students with disabilities. WFP also reports that the program helps boost school enrollment and attendance while providing essential nourishment for children.
The recent earthquake response also shows the importance of rapid food assistance. WFP USA reported that WFP already had more than 3,000 metric tons of food in Venezuela, enough to support more than 10,000 families for two months, and that it is bringing in additional supplies. Reuters also reported that WFP is seeking $50 million to feed 500,000 people affected by the earthquakes. These figures show how existing humanitarian networks can respond quickly when an emergency increases food needs.
However, funding shortages threaten these efforts. El País reported that WFP’s operation in Venezuela was reduced from 11 states to four: Delta Amacuro, Sucre, Zulia and Falcón. The same report stated that 7.9 million Venezuelans needed humanitarian assistance in 2025, while WFP had only 15% of the funds needed to assist its target population of 5.1 million. In the area of nutrition and food security, funding reached only 7% of what was required.
These numbers show both the value and the vulnerability of humanitarian programs. School meals, emergency food distributions and nutrition support can make a measurable difference for children and families, but funding gaps limit their reach. When organizations have adequate resources, they can help families meet immediate needs while supporting children’s health, education and stability.
Local initiatives also play an important role. Churches, community groups, volunteers and family networks help support vulnerable people through food donations, community kitchens and informal aid. After the earthquakes, Venezuelans inside and outside the country quickly organized donation drives and supply networks. The Associated Press reported that Venezuelan communities in the United States collected medicine, water and food, while Reuters reported that international aid included rescue teams, medical supplies, field hospitals, food distribution and emergency funding from several countries and humanitarian partners. Pope Leo XIV also sent emergency aid through the Vatican’s charity fund.
These efforts do not solve the structural causes of hunger, but they provide immediate relief for families who cannot meet their daily food needs. In many communities, this local and international support has become essential for children, older adults, displaced families and households without stable income.
Looking Ahead
The situation in Venezuela shows that food security depends on more than the physical availability of food. It also requires sufficient income, stable public services and consistent support for the most vulnerable households. When families can see food on the shelves but cannot afford to buy it, the crisis remains real.
The earthquakes of June 2026 make that reality even clearer. A sudden disaster can quickly turn an affordability crisis into an emergency food crisis, especially when families already lack savings, reliable services and stable income. Yet the response also shows that humanitarian systems, local volunteers and the Venezuelan diaspora can mobilize quickly when communities need help.
School feeding programs, emergency food distributions, nutrition support and humanitarian aid can help reduce the short-term impact of food insecurity. At the same time, improving household income, strengthening basic services and expanding access to nutritious food are essential for lasting progress.
Continued international cooperation and local action can help protect vulnerable communities and support a more food-secure future for Venezuelan children and families. Hunger in Venezuela remains a serious challenge, but targeted assistance, stronger school feeding programs, emergency relief and sustained support for basic services offer practical ways to reduce its impact and protect the next generation.
– Adriana Carolina Herrera
Photo: Flickr
Language Barriers and Indigenous Migrants in Mexico City
Indigenous Education Support Program
The Indigenous Education Support Program aims to address this issue. It provides lodging, food and educational support for Indigenous and Afro-Mexican children and young people, while also strengthening cultural identity. It is geared partly toward students who do not have the option of continuing school in their own communities. In a city where language can become another line of exclusion, support of this kind can keep younger people in school while preserving ties to community and identity that urban life can erode quickly.
Shelter Support
The same pressure appears in shelters. Reporting from the Latin America Working Group describes how CAFEMIN works with women, children and family groups arriving in Mexico City under increasingly difficult conditions. A shelter coordinator describes current arrivals as “forced migration” shaped by violence rather than only economic need. That phrase captures the pressure many families experience before they even reach the city. Many families are not only poor when they arrive, but they have also been uprooted, and the instability that follows them into the city can turn every form, question and office into another barrier. Under those conditions, legal guidance, daily care and help with paperwork are essential for people to find their footing.
SOS Children’s Villages
A measurable example can be found at SOS Children’s Villages Mexico City, which has worked in the city since 1971. According to the organization, 40 children and young people grow up in its care, 20 young people are supported on the way to independence and 30 people can take part in its various training programs. Its work extends beyond emergency response and includes education, training and family support intended to keep households together. For families already trying to navigate the city from a position of insecurity, help of this kind can narrow the distance between a family and the services it is trying to reach.
Looking Ahead
None of these efforts erase the barriers that Indigenous migrants face in Mexico City, and none solve poverty on their own. Still, they make the city easier to navigate. A place to stay, help remaining in school and support that treats families as more than a case file can soften the force of language barriers, even when those barriers remain. Mexico City is still difficult for many underrepresented families, but the programs in place suggest that services do not have to remain distant or impersonal. They can be made more reachable, more legible and more humane.
– Elliott J Carter
Photo: Unsplash
Poverty Reduction in Belize Shows Continued Progress
Poverty reduction in Belize is a central goal of #PlanBelize, the country’s Medium-Term Development Strategy for 2022-2026, which the government launched in January 2023. In line with this plan, the government has increasingly turned to data-informed policies and carefully targeted social programs to address poverty, improve living conditions and expand opportunities for vulnerable communities. Policymakers use instruments such as the Multidimensional Poverty Index, the BOOST cash transfer program and investments through the Basic Needs Trust Fund as key tools to support recent improvements.
Using Data To Guide Poverty Reduction
A central feature of poverty reduction in Belize is the use of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which looks beyond income to provide a more complete picture of well-being. The MPI tracks deprivations in areas such as education, employment, health and living standards. This approach reveals where and how people experience exclusion. The Statistical Institute of Belize highlights the MPI as an important tool for designing and monitoring targeted interventions.
Over the past several years, Belize has increasingly woven MPI evidence into policy decisions. According to the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network, the country has gathered MPI data annually since 2021 and uses the results to identify pockets of persistent poverty and guide where officials direct additional support most urgently. Between 2021 and 2024, the proportion of people experiencing multidimensional poverty fell from 36.5% to 22.1%. While multiple factors contributed to this progress, the regular use of MPI data has helped policymakers better target poverty-reduction efforts.
Programs Supporting Vulnerable Communities
At the household level, Belize’s flagship social protection initiative is the BOOST program, a cash transfer initiative for families in vulnerable communities. The program provides income support and encourages continued access to education and health services. In 2025, UNICEF partnered with the Government of Belize to help strengthen the broader social protection system, including updates to BOOST. Policymakers designed these changes to make the program more responsive during emergencies, economic slowdowns and other shocks that can quickly push families deeper into poverty.
In 2026, the government increased BOOST funding from $3 million to $5 million. Human Development Minister Thea Garcia-Ramirez said the larger budget will help the program reach more vulnerable Belizeans, including single-parent households, older adults and people with disabilities. She highlighted how one family can count as several program participants when multiple children receive support, underscoring how many people the expansion will help.
The Basic Needs Trust Fund Eleventh Programme, or BNTF11, also contributes to poverty reduction in Belize. In July 2025, the Caribbean Development Bank approved a $5.19 million grant in support of the initiative. BNTF11 channels resources into education and training, water and sanitation systems, community infrastructure and livelihood development. By focusing on low-income and vulnerable communities, the program aims to improve everyday living conditions and create more sustainable opportunities for economic advancement.
Challenges Remain
Despite overall improvements, poverty remains unevenly distributed across Belize. The 2025 MPI report shows that 27.8% of people living in rural areas experienced multidimensional poverty, compared with 6.5% in urban areas. The Toledo District recorded the highest incidence of multidimensional poverty at 59.5%. These findings give policymakers concrete information as they target poverty reduction efforts in the communities that need them most.
The MPI also highlights specific groups at greater risk. Larger households and those with lower levels of educational achievement face a higher likelihood of experiencing poverty. Households with seven or more members had a multidimensional poverty rate of 45.2%, while households headed by individuals with no completed education recorded a poverty rate of 47.9%. Although these families continue to face higher levels of deprivation, initiatives such as BOOST and BNTF11 aim to widen access to services, income opportunities and essential infrastructure.
Taken together, these trends indicate that poverty reduction in Belize has made real, measurable progress in reducing multidimensional poverty, even as important gaps persist. The use of tools like the Multidimensional Poverty Index gives policymakers a clearer view of who faces the greatest risks and what types of support people require. Programs including BOOST and BNTF11 then translate that information into concrete action in communities across the country.
Looking Ahead
Going forward, efforts to sustain and expand these gains will likely depend on keeping data at the center of decision-making while continuing to invest in people and places that current growth patterns leave behind—particularly rural areas, larger households and those with limited access to education. Continued commitment to targeted, evidence-based policies offers a path to ensure that the benefits of Belize’s development reach families who are still living with higher rates of poverty and deprivation.
– Lily Hoch
Photo: Flickr
Project AI Evidence: 3 Ways This Initiative Tackles Poverty
One initiative seeking to reap the benefits of AI is Project AI Evidence (PAIE), which the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT launched in February 2026. The initiative connects governments, NGOs and tech companies with experts in fields such as economics at MIT. This article outlines three ways Project AI Evidence is working to lift people out of poverty.
1. Closing Gaps in the Classroom
Kenya’s education system faces deep challenges that make personalized learning especially valuable. According to UNICEF, the pupil-to-teacher ratio reaches 77 to one in counties such as Turkana, and roughly nine in 10 children from poor households fail to complete eighth grade. The country also contends with a teacher deficit of more than 90,000, overcrowded classrooms and stark regional inequalities in learning outcomes. Against this backdrop, tools that help teachers tailor instruction to individual students could reshape how millions of children learn.
The education social enterprise EIDU has developed an AI tool in Kenya that caters classroom teaching to the individual needs of students. The tool identifies gaps in student learning and flags areas that require more attention. EIDU’s platform combines structured pedagogy with digital personalized learning content, and the organization has agreements with 46 out of 47 Kenyan counties to provide the platform to all pre-primary schools, with a goal of reaching two million learners by 2026. In India, the NGO Pratham has incorporated AI into its evidence-informed “Teaching at the Right Level” approach to expand personalized learning. J-PAL researchers Daron Acemoglu, Iqbal Dhaliwal and Francisco Gallego will lead studies evaluating both cases, measuring key outcomes such as teacher productivity and student learning.
2. Classroom Gender Bias Reduction
In Italy, researchers are collaborating with the Ministry of Education to test whether AI tools can address classroom gender bias. The research targets gaps in student performance and the subconscious bias educators may hold toward their students based on gender. Project AI Evidence is studying two tools. One helps teachers predict student performance, while the other provides real-time feedback on the diversity of teachers’ classroom decisions.
3. Use of AI in Finding Job Opportunities
Returning to Kenya, the stakes for youth employment are considerable. The Federation of Kenya Employers reports that young people aged 15 to 34 make up roughly 35% of the population but face an unemployment rate of nearly 67%, about five times the national average. More than 1 million young Kenyans enter the labor market each year, many without the skills employers seek. The World Bank places the narrower youth unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 at 15.25% in 2025.
Jasmin Baier and J-PAL researcher Christian Meyer, in collaboration with NGOs Swahilipot and Tabiya, are evaluating a career guidance AI tool called Compass. Tabiya has launched Compass as an open-source chatbot that helps job seekers explore and articulate their skills, including those gained through informal work. The tool is designed to recognize capabilities from both formal and informal work experiences and to match job seekers with opportunities suited to their actual skill sets. Pilot programs are running in Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia, and more than 600 youth on Kenya’s coast have already received training in soft skills and AI through Swahilipot’s programs to boost job prospects. The J-PAL evaluation will measure how the tool changes job search strategies and employment outcomes. The research aims to aid career counsellors rather than replace them.
Why Poverty Is at the Heart of the Initiative
The three projects share a common thread. Each targets a country where poverty, education and employment reinforce one another. In Italy, absolute poverty reached 5.7 million people in 2024, according to the national statistics agency ISTAT. The divide is sharply regional. Households in absolute poverty reached 10.5% in the South compared with 6.5% in the Center, and ISTAT’s data show that the incidence falls significantly as the educational qualification of the household reference person rises. Italian children and young people have borne much of the burden, with more than 1.28 million minors in absolute poverty.
In Kenya, the picture is even starker. According to UNICEF, approximately 1.13 million children of primary school age are not enrolled in school, and hidden costs such as uniforms push many families out of the system entirely. A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education found that the financial burden of school uniforms was among the largest contributors to dropout decisions in Kenya. Access to higher education remains deeply constrained: the World Bank puts Kenya’s tertiary enrollment ratio at around 10% of the relevant age group, and many graduates still find their skills misaligned with labor market needs. Education and employment form a tight loop. Without schooling, young people struggle to find dignified work, and without work, families cannot break cycles of poverty that keep the next generation out of school.
By targeting both ends of this loop, personalizing classroom instruction and connecting job seekers to overlooked opportunities, Project AI Evidence attempts to address poverty at the points where AI tools can realistically intervene.
Conclusion
As AI expands its reach into most facets of modern society, research such as that conducted at Project AI Evidence aims to highlight the positive effects the technology can have on issues such as poverty alleviation through better education, reducing gender-based bias and surfacing job opportunities. Funders, including Google.org, Community Jameel, Canada’s International Development Research Centre, U.K. International Development and Amazon Web Services, provide strong financial backing to expand the research and potentially implement further tools.
J-PAL plans to expand its reach and connect with governments across the globe. The organization aims to achieve its goals responsibly through data-driven scientific measures. With tools such as these, policymakers can draw on new evaluations to address the myriad issues that pertain to global poverty in the years ahead.
– Jamie Noone
Photo: Flickr
Projected GDP Growth Could Stabilize Poverty in Moldova
The Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War on Moldova
International relief efforts in Moldova have been increasing due to escalations in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Created in 1961, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the branch of the United Nations that deals with food assistance and is also the largest global nonprofit addressing poverty. It projects that the poverty rate in Moldova is now 33.6%, compared to 25% before the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War. This increase has negatively impacted Moldovans’ quality of life, access to food and shelter and the ability to provide for their families. Organizations from around the globe have stepped in to provide relief to those struggling in Moldova as a result of the conflict.
Relief for Moldovan Nationals and Ukrainian Refugees
In partnership with the Moldovan government and the U.N., the WFP has provided significant relief to both Ukrainian refugees at the Moldovan border and Moldovan families welcoming them. The WFP provides financial support to Ukrainian refugees and their host families across Moldova, as well as three hot meals a day in Ukrainian refugee accommodation centers. It describes its financial relief efforts: the WFP is working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on a government initiative — the Provision of Emergency Cash Assistance to Crisis-Affected Populations and Integration of Shock Response into the National Social Protection System in Moldova — which provides emergency multipurpose cash to the most vulnerable Moldovans to cover their essential needs and promote social cohesion between refugees and Moldovans.
Project Hope is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving access to health care in regions affected by disaster and conflict. Founded in 1958 in the United States, it is now an international organization. In partnership with The Moldova Project, Project Hope has helped establish nine child-friendly safe spaces to provide play spaces, education, mental health and integration services for Ukrainian children, parents and caregivers. These playrooms have supported more than 9,000 Ukrainian refugees and host community members. Project Hope has also supplied primary health care facilities in highly impacted areas such as the Ștefan Vodă, Florești and Telenești districts with supplies and equipment. In addition, Project Hope introduced mobile medical units across Moldova, which have treated approximately 4,000 patients who otherwise would have gone without medical attention. These units transport one doctor, nurse and driver to rural and underserved communities across Moldova.
Looking Ahead
As of June 3, 2026, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development projected that Moldova’s GDP will grow 2.8% in 2026 and another 3.5% in 2027. This growth results from increased performance in sectors such as agriculture and construction, as well as the economic stabilization recent relief efforts have brought. GDP growth is significantly linked to poverty reduction, as economic growth typically bolsters the incomes of every economic class. Although the poverty rate in Moldova is still approximately one-third, these new projections and parallel relief efforts for refugee assistance are beginning to alleviate its position as the most poverty-stricken country in Europe.
– Natalie Naylor
Photo: Unsplash
Higher Education in Kazakhstan and its Transitioning Economy
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has been a country in transition. This has not only affected its economy and central government but also its education system. As of 2024, more than half of children in primary education are unable to read and understand age-appropriate text. This created challenges in secondary education, which can reduce students’ motivation to pursue higher education.
Promoting Higher Education
After the fall of the Soviet Union, private schools expanded, but were later deemed to be of poor quality. During this time, the government controlled public schools and universities. Following the country’s independence, public universities introduced fees.
As Kazakhstan’s oil-driven economy grew, its need for higher education increased. This created a slight increase in enrollment in universities as employers demanded more skilled professionals. However, in recent years, employment rates among university graduates have remained low.
Driven by education reforms, the country’s 2050 Strategy pledged to diversify Kazakhstan’s economy. This strategy includes goals to improve the quality of teaching while providing access to higher education for poorer students. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has identified the need to “improve inclusion across regions and for vulnerable population groups.”
The Republic of Kazakhstan launched many bold internationalization goals within the implementation of the Academic Mobility Strategy in Kazakhstan 2012-2020. These goals focused on increasing the number of international students in Kazakhstan as well as the number of students studying abroad. To support these programs, Kazakhstan joined the Bologna Process. According to a WENR article, “The government has embraced educational reforms aimed at opening education provision to the free market.”
The European Union’s Help With Higher Education
Kazakhstan became part of the Bologna Process in 2010, which is making higher education in Kazakhstan more inclusive and accessible. The Bologna Process started with the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations, which addressed the difficulties in the recognition of degrees in Europe.
The Bologna Process consists of a three-cycle education system that includes bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Among the 28 counties involved, there is an agreed system that creates a standard for qualifications and principles.
The Republic of Kazakhstan also incorporated the Paris Communiqué to create more inclusive learning approaches to learning to create more participation in higher education. The main focus of this implementation was to make university degrees more accessible to all citizens, especially those with lower representation.
When it comes to accessibility in lower-income households, the government does provide support to help improve access to primary and secondary education, but it does not target financial support for higher education. Only about 50% of students enrolled in universities in Kazakhstan receive financial support. Kazakhstan is currently introducing measures to help increase participation, but it has only adopted two of four proposed measures.
Another major program introduced to Kazakhstan was the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). This allows a way to transfer loans from one institution to another, specifically if a student studied abroad. According to the Independent Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, “Currently, this system plays an additional role in the accumulation of loans, the development, description and implementation of programs.”
Current Institutions in Kazakhstan
According to the admission quota, “64,300 people study in higher education institutions.” Of those enrolled in higher education, 45.1% are in attendance in public institutions, 54.1% attend private institutions, while the last 0.7% are enrolled in foreign universities. Students are accepted based on general secondary education, technical and vocational education, and on the basis of higher education.
There are different types of organizations offered for higher education in Kazakhstan. These include research universities, academies, conservatories as well as national research universities for postgraduate degrees. Research universities offer five-year programs approved by the government, while institutions considered National Organizations of Higher Education are granted special status.
At the national level, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University holds the highest ratings for its educational programs. The institution has been ranked in the top 3% of the best universities in Asia. On a global level, the institution is ranked 166th due to its academic reputation, graduate employment and large share of foreign students and professors.
Working Towards the Future
Although Kazakhstan is still in a transitional period, changes are still occurring to education in order to align their education system with international standards. Still today the country’s government is working on improvements to inclusion within higher education. Scholarship programs have played a major role in establishing international partnerships providing more opportunities.
Poverty continues to be a problem in the country, as factors such as aftershocks of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have affected employment and inflation. There is a correlation between poverty levels and the percentage of those enrolled in higher education. As of 2023, only 25% of the bottom 40% have post-secondary education, whereas 75% of the top 60% have higher education.
Looking Ahead
Improving education systems within the country is not only beneficial to their education rates, but also to their economy. As dependence on petroleum for the economy increased, so did pledges of diversification, leading to the many reforms that have expanded higher education. As the economy continues to grow, so do the rates of education within Kazakhstan.
– Jacquelyn Orr
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
5 Charities Operating in Turkmenistan
1. The Anzal Begum Foundation
When considering all the things needed to provide direct poverty relief, the Anzal Begum Foundation helps provide the citizens of Turkmenistan support for almost all of these basic needs. Not only does it work to make sure every citizen has access to food support and clean water, but it also works to provide disaster relief, orphan care and eco-friendly power sources. The foundation originated in 2013 in memory of Anzal Begum, someone who by herself would work to help whoever she could whenever she could. Located in the United Kingdom, the Anzal Begum Foundation now serves 47 countries across Asia and Africa.
2. The Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for EMEA
The newest of these five charities operating in Turkmenistan, the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for Europe, the Middle East and Africa was founded in 2024. This foundation focuses specifically on education and environmental conservation. Currently, Turkmenistan has a very high education rate with 97% of their population completing upper secondary school. Despite this, a semi-large portion of students are unable to meet their foundational reading and numeracy skills, especially in the Balkan and Lebap velayats, and only 35% of youth have at least one ICT skill (Information and Communication Technology). This charity’s goal is to provide equal education to everyone, especially youth, while also providing education and technology for citizens to support their own eco-friendly environment. Some of its main projects right now involve protecting rainforests around Africa and Asia, creating and utilizing their ‘green schools’ to educate students on eco-friendliness and promoting sustainable water reuse.
3. Hesperian Health Guides
Hesperian Health Guides is one of the most widespread charities in the world right now, with it now having reached more than 220 countries and territories. Founded in 1973, Hesperian Health Guides’ goal is to provide everyone with the medical education needed to help themselves and their community. Digital resources like A Community Guide to Environmental Health are translated into Turkmen, and the charity works directly with AFEW International and its website Saglyk.org to translate and provide additional healthcare information. Saglyk.org now has more than 2,000 accessible resources and is one of the most read Turkmen websites.
4. Support Center of Disabled People of Turkmenistan
Located directly in the country, the Support Center of Disabled People of Turkmenistan focuses on supporting and rehabilitating disabled athletes of all ages. It protects the rights, interests and social support of these athletes while also providing them with opportunities such as powerlifting tournaments. Since its founding in 2004, the charity has provided education and agricultural training, including with the building of a new greenhouse in 2019, along with its creation of training camps, a gym with modern exercise machines and an esports club. Its center now has around 330 members with access to the facilities and training.
5. The Bearr Trust
The Bearr Trust is an advocacy charity supporting health and social welfare in 12 countries across eastern Europe and western Asia. Its main focuses are supporting rights for women, disabled peoples, elderly, mental health, and socially isolated groups. Founded in 1991, it has supported almost 200 projects and disbursed €500,000 in grants to organizations looking to help reform health and social sectors while also lobbying on the behalf of these organizations too. One of these recent supported projects is Turkmenistan’s goal to improve their healthcare system by providing modern equipment to 46 clinical laboratories, continue production of medicines for non-communicable disease and building three new medical centers.
Looking Ahead
Despite laws that have made it difficult for NGOs, especially foreign ones, to help, these five charities operating in Turkmenistan continue to accomplish as much as they can in this country, leading the way for further poverty reduction and improved quality of life for its citizens.
– Ally Jones
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Fighting the Gender Wage Gap in Belize
The Numbers Behind The Gap
In Belize, inequality is significantly concerning, especially the scale of wage. The Statistical Institute of Belize states that the average monthly income for people in Belize in 2021 was 1,498 Belize dollars, yet women earned an average of only $1,116, less than 24% of what men make.
While women make up 40% of Belize’s labor force, men make up nearly 60%. Women work largely in healthcare, tourism, education and nonprofit work, sectors of work that generally receive lower wages. Men work primarily in more high paying and physically demanding sectors, like agriculture, and construction.
Barriers Keeping Women Behind
Many interlinked barriers maintain the gender wage gap in Belize. A 2007 report from the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee that monitored CEDAW compliance found that women in Belize suffered from discriminatory hiring practices, sexual harassment, limited maternal protections and persistent pay inequality.
Household duties and family responsibilities present themselves as another difficult obstacle. Many Belizean women are unable to participate full time in the workforce, especially in lower-income communities and rural areas. This is due to caregiving labor that is largely unrecognized and unpaid, and yet falls disproportionately on them. Women in Belize seldom receive managerial positions, which is huge regarding earning gaps. The U.S. Belize Human Rights report confirms that men earn more per month than women because they hold a larger portion of senior management roles.
Legislative Steps
To address these inequalities, Belize has taken on many meaningful legislative steps over the years. Belize ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1990, an international treaty that obligated the country legally to eliminate discrimination for women and promote equal rights in all areas of life.
Belize amended its Labor Act in 2011 following concerns that CEDAW monitors brought up, penalizing unfair dismissals and establishing the Labor Complaints Tribunal. Women’s unemployment rates declined by nearly 5% between 2014 and 2015, and the portion of women obtaining university degrees has increased since those amendments took place.
In April 2024, Belize approved the Revised National Gender Policy from 2024-2030, supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The policy’s goal is to “achieve gender equity and equality and end discrimination against women and girls in Belize.” Addressing gender responsive education, healthcare, economic empowerment, women’s leadership and the end of gender based violence. It also aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.
Organizations Leading the Charge
The National Women’s Commission (NWC) of Belize serves as the government’s primary advisory body on gender equality and women’s empowerment. After its establishment, the NWS coordinates the implementation of the National Gender Policy and advocates for CEDAW compliance between private and public sectors. Its goal is to recommend policy and legal changes that end discrimination against women and ensure that they have access to equal rights in practice, and not just on paper. The NWC conducted the first situation analysis of gender issues in Belize, and those findings developed the country’s first National Gender Policy in 2002.
The Government’s BOOST Program; Building Opportunities for our Social Transformation, turrets multidimensional poverty and uplifts female headed households through vocational training and cash transfers. A Decent Work country Programme launched in 2024 focuses specifically on economic empowerment for women, through skills training, labor rights awareness and access to financial resources.
A Path Forward
Belize’s wage gap isn’t isolated, but is the product of many structural inequalities in domestic caregiving, education and political representation. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Index gave Belize a score of 0.07%, with political empowerment at a gap of 91%, showing that women are vastly underrepresented in decision making and leadership roles.
For Belizean women, the gap isn’t just a statistic, but it prevents them from building, achieving and earning. But Belize is finally no longer just acknowledging the issues but is creating systems to solve it.
– Saakshi Bhat
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
3 Things To Know About Fragility and Rule of Law in the Maldives
The Rule of Law and Poverty in the Maldives
Fragility and the rule of law in the Maldives are deeply interconnected: where legal institutions are weak or politically compromised, the state struggles to protect its citizens, enforce rights equally or hold the powerful to account. The Maldives presents a compelling case study in this dynamic. As a small island nation heavily dependent on tourism revenue, it faces unique vulnerabilities — including economic inequality, geographic dispersal across atolls and limited institutional capacity — that can compound fragility in its legal system.
These structural pressures have a direct bearing on poverty and access to justice. According to the World Bank, while the Maldives has achieved relatively low headline poverty rates, significant inequality persists between the capital Malé and the outer islands, where public services — including legal aid and court access — are far less available. For citizens living in poverty, particularly those outside the capital, navigating the justice system is a considerable challenge: legal representation is costly, travel to courts is expensive and awareness of legal rights remains uneven. This means that when fragility and the rule of law in the Maldives are under strain — whether through judicial interference, restricted press freedom, or concentrated executive power — it is those already marginalized by poverty who are most exposed to the consequences. Here are three key things to know about its recent state:
1. Reforms
The People’s Majlis (Maldivian Parliament) has driven recent legal reforms and amendments that promote human rights, more effective governance and environmental protection. For example, the legislature revised the Maldives Penal Code to move away from punitive measures and instead foster a rehabilitative approach by decriminalizing certain offences. A marked swell toward reforms that aim to enhance legal accountability has emerged, directly addressing fragility and the rule of law in the Maldives. These moves from the central government have had a tone-setting effect on the citizens of the Maldives, fostering an active rights-aware society that can continue to effectively pressure the government into reducing fragility and promoting democracy.
2. Threats to Judicial Independence
However, despite promising moves since 2008, this fledgling democracy certainly has some unavoidable cracks in the robustness of the rule of law, which have become particularly visible since President Muizzu took office. The tightening of media control and the restriction on protests and journalists reveals the fragility in the 2008 constitution. Most notably, threats have come from a subversion of judicial independence, where the executive allegedly suspended three Supreme Court justices in an alleged intimidation attempt to secure their support for the government during a constitutional review. This threat also drew attention in a joint submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review in April 2025, which highlighted elements of fragility and the rule of law in the Maldives as areas of serious concern.
3. Response to Fragility
Despite this threat, one cannot ignore that while the Maldivian people have experienced some threats to the rule of law — due to corruption and the concentration of power within the executive branch of government — significant moves exist to redress this overreach of power, ultimately aiming to retain power in the hands of public interest. This includes the drafting of an Asset Declaration Bill, as well as the Anti-Corruption Commission expanding its presence. Equally, the role of other power-limiting institutions like the Bar Council is being clearly exercised through their call for President Muizzu to return the bill — which had stripped the three Supreme Court judges of their positions — back to Parliament for revision.
Looking Ahead
It is clear that while threats have certainly tested fragility and the rule of law in the Maldives, overall the country demonstrates clear momentum in continually reducing fragility and ultimately improving and bolstering the protection of citizens in this evolving democracy.
– Amy Carpenter
Photo: Pexels
Higher Education in Iran: The Cost of Losing a Generation
In an increasingly precarious global position, young Iranians are choosing higher education as a path to economic opportunity, liberty and financial stability. However, for many Iranian students, this entails another shift: Recent reports suggest that up to 80% of Iranian students are considering emigration, while the number studying abroad reached a record 110,000 in 2024. Widespread concerns about the limited professional opportunities and restrictions on university life and academic growth have contributed to a growing separation between students and Iranian institutions. This emerging mass exodus highlights the hidden challenges facing higher education in Iran and the importance of supportive academic programs for young scholars.
A Growing Student Exodus
Over the past several decades, Iran has made significant progress in expanding access to higher education. Today, women make up nearly 60% of all university students, compared to just 3% of higher-education enrollment in 1978, reflecting one of the most dramatic increases in female educational attainment in the Middle East. Iranian universities have also increased their production of highly skilled graduates in STEM-oriented fields, like medicine, engineering and science. Despite these advancements, many scholars still choose to pursue their careers abroad; human rights organizations have documented restrictions on activism, disciplinary actions against scholars involved in political advocacy, and the limiting of academic expression and freedom at schools. Simultaneously, future career opportunities are becoming limited due to economic instability, leaving a hyper-competitive job market for highly-trained, highly-educated students.
According to the Financial Times, about 110,000 Iranian students chose to study abroad in places like Turkey, Canada and Germany in 2024, which is the highest number of students to date. While this represents only about 3.4% of Iran’s university student population, the figure has nearly doubled since 2020, reflecting a rapidly growing student exodus. This mass departure of highly educated scholars stunts not only the long-term development of educational institutions, but also entrepreneurship and innovation; graduates are the ones that drive the research required of economic growth and scientific progress.
The Impact on Education in Iran
This student migration can have effects beyond the labor market; universities have been shown to thrive when their students are given full academic freedom to exchange ideas and research. Ongoing concerns about academic freedom, professional opportunities and political restrictions have contributed to growing frustration among some students and scholars, limiting Iran’s ability to retain highly educated talent and fully capitalize on its educational achievements.
On one hand, though female freedoms and rights have increased within Iran, continued restriction through Iran’s religious persecution still affect women’s education, resulting in barriers in the workforce and limitations on academic or professional advancement.
However, many female graduates continue to face barriers in the workforce and limitations on professional advancement. Although women comprise a majority of university students in Iran, only about 14% of women participate in the labor force, highlighting the gap between educational achievement and economic opportunity. Researchers have found that these challenges contribute to the growing number of Iranian women pursuing educational and career opportunities abroad, adding to the country’s broader loss of highly educated talent. According to Iran’s Civil Code, a husband can legally prevent his wife from pursuing a career or opportunity if he believes it conflicts with “family interests” or his sense of dignity. Human Rights Watch argues that this restriction, when combined with barriers to certain occupations and limited protections against workplace discrimination, can render it difficult for highly educated women to participate fully in the workforce even after a performance of academic excellence.
In this case, many experts argue that educational systems do the best when all students are given the liberty to participate fully in the academic and professional sphere, and opportunities are given out based on merit. This means that the expansion of opportunities for both men and women, and their ability to participate equally, improves the educational system and contributes to national development.
Supporting Scholars and Academic Freedom
As of now, many organizations strive to ensure that students and scholars alike possess the ability to continue their education despite political barriers or restrictions on academic freedom. One such organization, Scholars at Risk, works to support threatened scholars and defend academic freedom around the world. Through resources such as advocacy initiatives, emergency assistance and temporary academic placements, the organization helps scholars continue learning, teaching and researching at host universities globally. Additionally, the organization documents attacks on higher education and provides support for students and teachers whose work has been disrupted by political instability, conflict or persecution.
Scholars at Risk has also reported on restrictions affecting academics in Iran and advocated on behalf of Iranian scholars facing threats to their academic freedom. Through these efforts, scholars are given a space to continue contributing to their fields regardless of political or social barriers. The mission of the organization is especially unique: by providing scholars with opportunities and resources to continue their academic journeys safely, it also helps preserve the valuable expertise and knowledge that higher education brings.
Looking Ahead
As shown, the future of higher education in Iran rests not only on the rates of university enrollment, but also on the functionality of education within a future career that provides economic and financial stability. Organizations like Scholars at Risk demonstrate the global cooperation necessary to expand educational opportunity and protect academic freedom. Ultimately, as more and more educated young Iranians choose to seek opportunities abroad, Iran risks losing not only a generation of researchers, innovators, and professionals, but also the people essential to the nation’s long-term development. With their support, students and scholars can continue their work despite political, economic or social barriers, resulting in the preservation of knowledge and advancement of a society.
– Kiana Raoufiniai
Photo: Wikimedia Commons