Rescuing Migrants Crossing the Mediterranean Sea

For thousands of years, the Mediterranean Sea has been a giver of life to those who settle near its shores. Today, the body of water is seen as a gateway to a better life for many migrants fleeing violence and poverty. But their journey does not end at the first sight of Mediterranean. It is estimated by The Mediterranean Situation, an organization which monitors migrant activity in the Mediterranean, that over 16,000 migrants have died or gone missing crossing the Mediterranean Sea between 2018 and 2014.

Migrants Crossing the Mediterranean Sea

Small overcrowded boats are often used by thugs and smugglers who charge over a thousand dollars per person for abusive transportation from Africa to Europe. These boats, piloted by unskilled captains, are not built for open water travel or to withstand the ever-changing weather of the Mediterranean Sea. This is why countries most affected by the smuggling activities are prioritizing the rescue of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Rescuing migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea is no easy task — especially if your nation is split by a power vacuum caused by a civil war. Libya is a popular starting point for many migrants who plan to cross over the sea to Italy. Aside from being geographically close to Italy, the Libyan government and its navy are underfunded and trained. This status makes it difficult to thoroughly patrol the north African nation’s coastline.

Italy has taken the brunt of migrants crossing the Mediterranean with nearly 120,000 migrants arriving to its borders in 2017, and almost 190,000 in 2016. The migrant crisis was one of the most important issues during the recent Italian election, which helped to bring a coalition government of two eurosceptic parties to power.

Governments and Charities

Rescuing migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea is still important to Italy; in fact, $52 million has been pledged to increase Libya’s capacity to combat human smuggling through 2020.

State governments are not the only actors attempting to rescue migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Charities, such as the Spanish Proactiva Open Arms, patrol the Mediterranean Sea searching for migrants in need of rescue. Indeed, Proactiva Open Arms’ mission in the  Mediterranean has saved over 26,000 lives. Due to the organization’s claims that migrants undergo human-rights abuses when returned to Libya, Proactiva Open Arms often brings rescued migrants to shore in Europe.

According to international maritime law, all vessels, private or otherwise, must rescue those in need. The vessel’s origin does not mean that the rescued people are now the responsibility of its national origin; but where the rescued people are put ashore does. This has put Proactiva Open Arms in conflict with the Italian government.

Rescue Efforts and Proactiva Open Arms

When Proactiva Open Arms volunteers and their boat brought migrants to Italy in April 2017, the volunteers were arrested and their boat impounded. The Italian government sought to press charges against the volunteers for bringing the migrants to Italy and not back to Libya, but a Sicilian judge disagreed. The judge agreed with the Proactiva Open Arms volunteers who claimed that Lyiba does not have the proper resources to help the migrants and that they would face abuse as a consequence.

Rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean is a messy business. Countries such as Italy do not want to see people die at sea at the hands of neglectful smugglers, but they also have trouble dealing with the influx of migrants at home. Charities want to help people who are taken advantage of and help them to a better life; but oftentimes these organizations are not always supported. This difficult task does not seem to let up any time soon, and could possibly get worse.

A combined effort is needed to protect people. More should be done to lessen the need for people to flee from their homes, and governments need to step up to protect the human rights of those in need — especially to save helpless children at sea.

– Nick DeMarco
Photo: Flickr

A Brief Look at Tree Aid

Tree Aid is a little-known international charity based in the United States and the United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 1978 by a group of concerned foresters in reaction to widespread famine in Africa. The original goal of Tree Aid was to provide a sustainable small-scale support that would be sustainable to their local areas of work.

Tree Aid has not looked back. It estimates that it plants one tree every thirty seconds and has planted more than 15 million trees. Tree Aid currently operates in five countries: Ethiopia, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana. These are a few countries which Tree Aid considers in the “Drylands” of Africa. These areas are under constant bombardment of the desert sands of the Sahara. Around the world, this issue affects 3.2 billion people. In Africa, the desert slowly whittles away at the grasslands. As this happens, the soil loses its nutrients and becomes desert. The process is called desertification.

That is why Tree Aid focuses on planting trees. As a tree’s root system grows, it holds more and more topsoil in place. Trees also help to replace nutrients that soil can lose due to desertification, poor farming methods or natural disasters.

Trees also provide food, which feeds the local populace and acts as a source of income. In a pinch, trees can also be used to make tools, shelter, fire and some medicinal products. Between 2016 and 2017, the charity planted more than one million trees, which helped to lift 400,000 people out of poverty and regenerate 55,000 hectares of land.

Tree Aid does not plan to stop. Its five-year plan (2017-2022) states that the organization wants to plant eight million trees, help to lift 2.5 million people out of poverty, restore 250,000 hectares of land and promote people’s rights to trees. The organization is not going at this alone. RPS, a multinational energy, and resource management company has been working alongside Tree Aid for more than a decade.

In 2016, Tree Aid and RPS were awarded a joint business charity award for their work together. RPS provides more than just money to Tree Aid; it also provides professional and technical expertise such as GIS modeling so that the trees planted by Tree Aid can be their most effective.

RPS has pledged more than $500,000 to a Tree Aid project in Ethiopia between 2017 and 2020. The project aims are to educate people and protect ecosystems along the Meki River. RPS also provides funding for other projects.

In 2016-2017 Tree Aid claimed raised $1.6 million through corporate donations, government organizations and private sponsors. However, its total expenditure was $3.6 million. Unfortunately, Tree Aid saw a 41 percent decrease in donations across the board and an increase in the cost of its efforts. This trend is likely to continue but Tree Aid does not seem deterred. Hopefully, despite a rising cost of business, this organization will stay rooted and continue to fight the good fight.

– Nick DeMarco
Photo: Flickr

Four Major Benefits of Volunteering in Other Countries

When discussing and researching poverty and poverty-related issues in other countries, a common aid route that comes up is volunteering. Oftentimes, though, the notion of actually traveling to another country, working with the people and also living within a totally new culture can be a very intimidating adventure.

However, the benefits of volunteering outweighs the fear and intimidation associated with travelling and living in a new culture. Benefits vary from personal growth, to help with job searches and the creation of improvement in those countries. Here are just some of the benefits of volunteering in other countries.

1. Personal Growth and Diversity

With so many different cultures around the world, simple things such as hand gestures and other ways we communicate with each other can have a vastly different meaning in another part of the world.

Being thrust head-first into a brand new culture is an excellent way to learn first-hand about different cultures and the way they communicate. While there may be some trial and error involved, learning about and experiencing these differences can lead to better development for communication skills elsewhere.

2. Cultural Exchange

While volunteers will learn a lot about the culture they are staying at, the same can be said in reverse.

Depending on the program, people from the host country may be used to volunteers from other countries coming to live with them, but sometimes that volunteer may be the first one. In both situations, the volunteer brings new information about their own country, culture and life story.

Through volunteering in other countries, there’s a benefit of not only learning about another culture, but of also teaching about and sharing personal experiences.

3. Long-Lasting Relationships

One of the many elements mentioned when talking about volunteering is the connections and relationships made while living and working in another country. This benefit of volunteering is arguably one of the biggest highlights.

While the work being done abroad is very important and will lead to tangible results, there are also other elements of foreign volunteerism that can be just as important. For example, teaching English to a classroom full of children is incredible and important in academic and professional regards, but it’s really the connections made with those kids that will stick years later. Making meaningful connections will also help kids better remember and learn, as well.

4. Make a Difference

From building homes to teaching children, volunteering allows the individual to actually create a difference and leave a mark on this world for the better.

Volunteers are able to work side-by-side with people from another culture in order to create something to better their lives. Lending a hand in building homes for people who need them, helping educate children so the other teachers have more time and helping doctors with all of their patients are just a few of many ways volunteers can greatly aid another culture.

These are only some of the benefits of volunteering in other countries. While volunteering and moving to another country can be a scary and intimidating option, it’s a wonderful and unique experience that not only hones personal skills but applies them to people in need. The major benefits of volunteering in other countries is the experience’s ability to foster teamwork, create personal connections and inspire memorable moments.

– Marissa Wandzel

Photo: Google

Six Lesser Known Organizations Addressing Poverty

Many U.S.-based organizations work hard to reduce poverty internationally. Not all of them have the same name recognition or notoriety, but they are all engaging in equally important and effective work. From nonprofits to research organizations, these are just some of the lesser known organizations addressing poverty in developing nations.

Lesser Known Organizations Addressing Poverty

1. Africare
   Africare, one of the largest African-American led organizations with an almost entirely African-American staff, focuses on community-driven development in Africa. Working with the tools of community engagement, local public-private partnerships, locally driven behavior change and capacity building, Africare seeks to improve economic development, nutrition, water and sanitation and women’s and youth empowerment. Since Africare’s founding, it has provided more than $1 billion in assistance to people across Africa.
2. The Hunger Project
   Operating for 40 years, The Hunger Project develops women-centered, grassroots strategies to help individuals out of poverty and hunger. Working in more than 16,000 communities internationally, The Hunger Project promotes self-reliant, community-led development, and partnerships with local governments to create sustainable change in communities facing poverty. Working in 12 countries and reaching 17 million people, The Hunger Project is creating community-led development for many, representing one of many lesser known organizations addressing poverty.
3. Trickle Up
   Trickle Up, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization seeks to help people rise out of poverty internationally, focusing on those who are disproportionately affected – refugees, individuals with disabilities, women, indigenous populations and people in rural areas. The organization uses a program called Graduation, which involves a step by step process to lift individuals out of poverty. Recipients are given a small grant to start a business and paired with other local people to create a savings group. From there, individuals are coached and taught skills to build their business, confidence and livelihoods. With 250,000 participants and more than 1 million lives impacted, this nonprofit is generating great change.
4. The Earth Institute
   Based out of Columbia University in New York City, The Earth Institute is a group of researchers, policy experts, scientists, economists and students all seeking to guide policy towards sustainability worldwide. It works domestically and internationally on a wide variety of topics, including climate, urbanization, water and energy, but also helping individuals out of poverty. By working on sustainable and efficient policy, such as preventing flooding in developing nations, The Earth Institute creates policy that improves the quality of life of individuals worldwide.
5. Innovations for Poverty Action
   Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is one of the lesser known organizations addressing poverty through dedicated evaluations of current programs designed to help impoverished populations and providing evidence showing which approaches work and which do not. IPA identified a gap in the data available and created a mission to fill it. It works closely with governments, for-profit companies, nonprofits and civil society to create evidence-based programs to help poor individuals out of poverty. The work is evaluation focused but provides a body of evidence that can be drawn upon for program design and development.
6. Bread For The World
   Bread For The World is a Christian nonprofit that works in a bipartisan way to urge policymakers to pass policies focused on food security that improve the lives of those living in poverty both domestically and abroad. Working at the policy level, Bread For The World provides individuals with advocacy tools to help them write letters, email or call members of Congress to promote poverty reducing policy. Since its inception in 1974, Bread For The World has successfully funded foreign aid and domestic policy to reduce poverty worldwide.

The field of international development is vast, and with many different organizations trying to address poverty internationally, it can be hard to know where to look to see what is being done. In addition to the many large organizations working internationally, we cannot forget about lesser-known organizations addressing poverty in developing nations.

– Katherine Kirker

Photo: Flickr

5 Fashion Companies that Address Extreme Poverty

Some would say that fashion is their life. Others say they don’t care about what they wear. For fashion companies that address extreme poverty, finding a middle ground can make all the difference. Companies like the ones below would argue that fashion can both impassion the apathetic and give cause to the already passionate.

Raven and Lily – Empowering Women. Alleviating Poverty.

Live thoughtfully. With this as one of her life axioms, Kirsten Dickerson created her unique and ethical brand of fashion, Raven and Lily, in 2008. In 2013, Dickerson met a group of female Afghan artisans living for decades as refugees on the Pakistan border. The experience moved her to expand her business.

Since then, Raven and Lily formed 17 partnerships throughout 10 countries while employing more than 1,500 women. Dickerson provides jobs and educational opportunities as well as an ethical and sustainable product. “We are genuinely trying to think through all levels of our production practices and how people on the planet are affected,” Dickerson said.

By providing steady employment, including fair wages and education, Raven and Lily has established itself among the fashion companies that address extreme poverty on the most foundational of levels.

Accompany – Where Every Purchase has a Purpose.

If asked about its mission, Accompany will say its first priority is to help human beings. Ranked among the fashion companies that address extreme poverty head-on, the organization has an uncomplicated approach to the way it does business. Its three-tier system ensures the products have a purpose by:

• Being handmade.
• Abiding fair trade practices.
• Having philanthropy at the center.

The results of this system are exponential: cultural heritage is preserved for generations to come, self-sufficiency is rooted in a new-found education and services are provided to the community at large. In short, change happens.

Socially-conscious industries help create that change. When Jason Keehn founded the organization, his vision was to leverage a thriving industry for global communities in need. As they boldly proclaim on their website: Welcome to a New Style Culture. It’s a culture that seems to be shared by all fashion companies that address extreme poverty.

Apolis – Advocacy through Industry.

With Apolis, the name says it all—a name that means “global citizen.” When they created their company in 2004, brothers Raan and Shea Parton believed business could be the impetus for social change. They have taken that belief, along with their investment in people, and have created a model for other fashion companies that address extreme poverty.

A certified B Corporation, Apolis meets high standards with regard to social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. When asked about their brand of activism, Shea Parton stated, “[it’s] really about how you can go into an impoverished country and find a resource or product or raw material that allows you to bring it into the marketplace and to give an opportunity rather than charity.”

This mindset likely formed from a young age, according to Parton, who says “our parents knew that if we stayed in Santa Barbara, we would never know how good we had it.” With constant travel to countries like Uganda and India, the Parton brothers learned perspective early on, and they have put their perspective into action.

Bloom + Grace – Beautifully Made. Ethically Sourced. Globally Minded.

Bloom and Grace was founded in 2013, a jewelry company resulting from an inspired founder. When Dani Lachowicz found herself working in sub-Saharan Africa, she seized an opportunity she knew would change the lives of children in developing countries. Partnering with the U.N. Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign and with local artisans, proceeds from Bloom and Grace go toward life-saving vaccinations.

Just how life-saving are vaccinations in developing countries? Here are some facts:

• A child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that can be prevented by a vaccine.
• The World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Global Alliance for Vaccinations have already seen a 99 percent reduction in polio and a 78 percent reduction in measles-related deaths.
• Increasing access to vaccines can prevent 1.5 million deaths each year.

It is Bloom and Grace’s hope to empower communities and to promote entrepreneurship, while also living up to their namesake by allowing children the opportunity to bloom by the grace of socially-conscious patrons.

Krochet Kids, Intl. – Creating Jobs. Changing Lives.

Kohl Crecelius, Stewart Ramsey and Travis Hartanov founded Krochet Kids, Intl. from a shared high school hobby of crochet. Krochet Kids Intl. looks for ways to empower people to rise above poverty and provides life-changing job opportunities for women in need in Uganda and Peru.

With each purchase, consumers are invited to meet the maker of their product and are encouraged to write a note of thanks and encouragement. With this very personal approach to business and a partnership with We Are Capable, an organization with 10 years of experience fighting extreme poverty, the organization is able to stay committed to its desired areas of impact:

• Women in poverty-stricken regions
• Job opportunities
• Education

Fashion companies that address extreme poverty understand that behind every fabric is a face, and behind every accessory is an opportunity for access to those who wouldn’t otherwise have it.

– Daniel Staesser

Photo: Flickr