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Everything to Know About Poverty in Australia

Poverty in Australia
As a signatory of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), Australia aims to completely eradicate poverty by 2030. Unfortunately, the country is yet to reach the goal of zero poverty and the problem persists for the nation coming out of COVID-19 restrictions. Presently, Australia has a comparatively higher-than-average poverty rate when considering the other 34 wealthiest countries in the OECD. With the general fall of average income across the nation and the cuts on income support for poorer families coming out of the pandemic, poverty in Australia is not going to disappear any time soon. Here are several facts to know about poverty in Australia.

The Poverty Line

In order to get to grips with everything you need to know about poverty in Australia, one must become familiar with the specified criteria the nation has for quantifying poverty. Due to its reputation as a developed nation, the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) and UNSW classify poverty through a measure of the number of people living below the country’s poverty line. This amounts to the number of people living below the 50% median household after-tax income, or $489 a week for a single adult and $1,027 a week for a couple with two children. Unfortunately, as of the most recent 2022 report, one in eight Australians are living below this minimum. In other words, poverty in Australia disproportionately impacts more than 3.3 million people.

How Income Support Lifted Australians Out of Poverty During the Pandemic

According to the latest 2022 report by ACOSS, the number of people living below the poverty line fell drastically after the introduction of temporary income support payments to mediate the aftereffects of COVID-19 restrictions. From the start of the pandemic, 13.4% of Australians lived below the poverty line, this soared in the March quarter of 2020 to 14.6%. However, the supplementary payments granted citizens the necessary support required to lift themselves out of poverty. A consequence of the increased income support saw an additional 646,000 people or 2.6% of Australians rise out of poverty, with overall poverty in Australia falling to just 12%.

The effects these payments had on the overall number of children living below the poverty line are even more dramatic. The child poverty rate fell from 19% in March 2020 to an impressive feat of 13.7% in June of the same year, effectively managing to lift 245,000 children out of poverty.

As of April 2021, however, the Australian government has retracted these income support payments, feeling they are no longer necessary after coming out of the pandemic. The “coronavirus supplement” has been entirely redacted and in its place, the JobSeeker payment has been increased by only $25 a week. The Senate has launched an inquiry into the rates and main drivers of poverty in the nation, however, welfare advocates argue that the state has all the evidence necessary to make a change. Instead, they believe that the subsequent inaction is a deliberate means of neglecting the most vulnerable. Some have taken it further and equated the reduction to a “political choice.”

An Influential Organization

The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) is an organization that facilitates the eradication of poverty and inequality throughout the continent. Working to ensure that Australia complies with the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they advocate for the nation’s most vulnerable, while mobilizing governments and communities to contribute to the discourse surrounding poverty.

ACOSS’ main areas of focus include access to employment services for the disadvantaged, an impartial social security system and ensuring governments are accountable for an equitable tax system. Its research papers have been pivotal to the understanding and further implementation of poverty-reducing measures. Key organizations now hold a deeper insight into everything you need to know about poverty in Australia as a result.

– Namra Tahir
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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COVID-19’s Impact on Bangladesh

COVID-19’s Impact on Bangladesh
Since 2020, the world has turned upside down while facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite every country living through the same traumatic experience, the consequences were not the same for everyone. Especially developing and underdeveloped countries took a harder hit from the pandemic than any developed nations. The pandemic did destroy not only global health but also disrupted the national economy, education system, social values and more. Even after national recovery, some failed to recover from the unforgettable past on a personal level which included losing loved ones, unemployment, hunger, health deficiency and so on. For example, in some cases, women were more likely to stop working after the pandemic, and low-skilled workers were more likely to lose their jobs than more educated workers. Notably, COVID-19’s impact on Bangladesh raised many domestic and global concerns. Here are four facts about COVID-19’s impact on Bangladesh.

4 Facts About COVID-19’s Impact on Bangladesh

  1. Social-emotional Health: In recent months, even developed nations have faced a declining social-emotional health rate across all age groups. Similarly, one of COVID-19’s impacts on Bangladesh was decreasing mental health due to stress, misinformation, economic instability and isolation. For example, federal and local lockdowns put many Bengali communities through an emotional and financial roller coaster. Fear of losing loved ones, jobs and food sources, and staying isolated has increased worry, anxiety, trauma, panic and more.
  2. Local Economic Status: Small to medium-sized businesses went bankrupt, which led to mass unemployment and sometimes ended in separations or family arguments. Many day laborers who were also the only householders in their families lost their jobs for months. Some of these families lost their only food source, rent, bills and the money for pilled up debts. Consequently, many young adults have chosen self-harm and sometimes even suicide as a chance to escape their harsh and helpless reality.
  3. A Lack of Federal Support: Bangladesh is one of the overpopulated and fastest-growing countries in the world. The population growth rate is not parallel enough to the government programs, which included social support during the pandemic. Most in-need families with young children and low-skilled workers were the greatest victims of this crisis.
  4. Declining Physical Health: One transparent impact that COVID-19 had on Bangladeshi residents was the development of health issues. Many outgoing people like students, workers and shopping mall visitors lost their only chance to be active during the day. Students and workers who once had a sleeping and working schedule lost their sense of routine and developed many bad habits. These bad habits included sleeping for long hours during the day, losing sleep after midnight, spending too much time on social media, not participating in any physical activities, losing social interaction, etc.

Solutions

Like many other countries, COVID-19’s impact on Bangladesh was unthinkable. The severity of COVID-19’s impact on Bangladesh gradually disintegrated due to much foreign support and social unity. One of the most significant foreign support was from the United States. The U.S. has provided Bangladesh with more than $96 million. These aids included 5.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, medical supplies, ventilators, oxygen equipment, pulse oximeters and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Moreover, since the start of the pandemic also the World Bank has provided about $3 billion to Bangladesh, which has been effective in improving the emergency health response, the private sector, creating jobs, boosting human capital development and more. Besides foreign aid, the Bangladesh government also took many precautions and strict domestic policies to reduce the spread as much as possible. Some remarkable actions from the government were closing the government buildings, offices, schools and universities, prohibiting social gatherings and canceling federal holiday celebrations.

In the end, COVID-19’s impact on Bangladesh was traumatizing. However, it also showed people how vulnerability can spread through a nation in a short time period. The government and its people learned to be patient, understanding and generous to each other. COVID-19’s impact on Bangladesh did not stop yet, but the world has seen a great deal of recovery from the country.

– Zahin Tasnin
Photo: Flickr
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The Necessity of Vaccine Diplomacy

Vaccine DiplomacyWhile the COVID-19 vaccine has helped to reduce destruction and devastation from the pandemic, the virus is still spreading across the globe. According to Dr. Peter Hotez “organized hostility against the scientific community,” may be public health’s biggest enemy. However, on a global scale, the most serious threat is the lack of vaccine diplomacy and effective health care in geopolitics. Solving this crisis requires the United States and other western countries to prioritize the distribution of pandemic response resources so that everyone can lead healthy, safe lives regardless of their location.

Inequities of Vaccine Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the global death rate by 20%, shut down economies and dismantled health care systems across the world. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 vaccine is now readily available in many developed countries, many low-income countries remain highly unvaccinated while the United States eases pandemic funding. With monkeypox cases on the rise, the fight against global health crises has hit a major roadblock, as low-income countries are scrambling for vaccine resources amid slowing economies.

Developed countries have a humanitarian responsibility to ensure that low-income countries have access to the healthcare resources that North American and European countries have. Additionally, novel variants of COVID-19 often arise from unvaccinated populations, which means that the pandemic will only worsen unless we make a concerted effort to fully vaccinate developing and low-income countries, according to Dr. Hotez.

Making a Commitment to Vaccine Diplomacy

Today, less than 20% of people in low-income countries have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The next step is for the United States and other world leaders to provide more resources to help get shots into people’s arms in developing countries. According to The Borgen Project’s action center, “This essential funding will go towards vaccines, tests, last-mile efforts and treatment so we can continue vaccinating the rest of the world, save lives and prevent new variants from emerging.” It’s an important investment that will not only save the lives of people in the most vulnerable places across the globe but will also help to protect the well-being of Americans.

Overall, vaccine diplomacy is also necessary to conquer vaccine skepticism, which is keeping millions of people from getting vaccinated. In order to effectively fight against the worsening global health crisis of COVID-19 and monkeypox, the United States and other economic powerhouses should prioritize geopolitical cooperation with developing countries to collaborate on equitably distributing vaccine resources.

– Ella DeVries
Photo: Flickr

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The Current State of Poverty In Scotland

Current State of Poverty In Scotland
After the steady decline of poverty in Scotland throughout much of the 1990s and through the 2000s, the current state of poverty in has been rapidly increasing within the last decade. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundations (JRF) report, even before the COVID-19 pandemic “around a million people in Scotland were in poverty, living precarious and insecure lives,” with 230,000 of those people being children.

Families Facing Poverty

Between 2016 and 2019, at least a quarter of the children living in Scotland endured poverty, according to the JRF report. Many factors, that are partially or wholly outside parents’ control and completely outside of children’s control, exacerbate poverty. Many attribute poverty to inadequate social security, minimal income from employment and high costs of living.

Without the finances to afford higher education, the attainment of which could open doors to higher-paying, skilled employment opportunities, the poverty cycle continues for many families living in Scotland. People living in poverty are also at risk of poor health and social outcomes, among other risks.

The Economy

These effects were greatly intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic with the nation facing the deepest and fastest economic contraction in the history of Scotland. The Scottish economy contracted by 19.4% between April to June 2020, marking Scotland’s steepest fall ever in a quarterly GDP.

In addition to the economic contraction, Scotland saw a jump in the number of households with insufficient funds to cover basic living costs. These financial difficulties have led to displacement. Between the months of April 2020 and March 2021, Shelter Scotland received 33,792 homeless applications and assessed 27,571 households as homeless. This is the equivalent of a household becoming homeless once every 19 minutes.

Shelter Scotland

Organizations such as Shelter Scotland have played a key role in Scotland’s recovery post-pandemic. Shelter Scotland is an organization that strives to ensure safe, secure and affordable homes for all.

Since its creation in 1968, the organization has been supporting and advising people who experience homelessness, fighting for house policy changes at all levels. It is also using research to better advocate for those affected by poverty in Scotland. In 2018/19, the organization assisted 41,192 needy households.

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)

Another organization that is a key contributor to reducing the imprint of poverty on Scotland is the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). CPAG in Scotland raises awareness of the impact poverty has on children in Scotland, working to maximize families’ incomes by ensuring eligibility for benefits and campaigning for positive policy changes to end poverty.

The organization secured £292.6 million in assistance for low-income families during the pandemic. It also helped as many as 100,000 families through legal action in court.

Government Action

Although organizations such as these are leaving their footprint in the fight against the current state of poverty in Scotland, the nation still has a long way to go. Both the Scottish and U.K. governments must take drastic action.

One of the main implementations the government has made is keeping the income lifeline offered to recipients of Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit beyond April 2021 and extending it to those receiving other legacy benefits. Estimates have stated that as many as 1.3 million people in Scotland will benefit from this, according to the JRF report.

While the current state of poverty in Scotland is dire, this does not have to define the future of the nation. With a proper approach from the government and a sufficient amount of assistance, the future of Scotland can appear much brighter.

– Austin Hughes
Photo: Flickr

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Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Ireland

Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Ireland
With more than 2 million deaths as of the most recent reports and a ravaged economy, COVID-19 has hit Europe as hard as any other territory in the world. Despite this, the nation of Ireland has consistently and effectively managed both the spread of the virus, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Ireland. Through practices of anticipation, periods of adjustment, transparency with its people and acts of initiative; Ireland has maintained one of the lowest COVID-19 excess death rates in the world and an economy steadily on the rebound.

Anticipation

In January 2020, in response to the rising threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland formed National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). Dr. Tony Holohan, the state’s Chief Medical Officer, was the head of this group of 30 the finest medical, health and science professionals.

To assist citizens in supplementing lost income and limit the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Ireland, the Irish government introduced a Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). Through the TWSS, workers could receive financial support through their specific employer, as well as apply and receive their Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The TWSS also offered employers and new firms a rate subsidy based per week, that varied depending on the company’s number of employees on the payroll.

Adjustments

On February 29, 2020, COVID-19 struck the Emerald Isle for the first time. A month later, on March 27, 2020, Ireland would enter its first nationwide lockdown– this would last through mid-May.

During the initial surge, in which more than 13,000 citizens were hospitalized, the Irish government reached an agreement with the hospital network. In this agreement, the government would access private hospitals to use their capacity for three months, essentially alleviating the pressure on the public system and opening up more space for patients.

On September 1, 2020, the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) replaced the TWSS. The replacement scheme was an economy-wide enterprise to support eligible businesses in finding eligible employees while focussing primarily on business eligibility. In addition to this, the EWSS also provided a flat rate subsidy to qualifying employers, similar to its predecessor the TWSS. While the TWSS and the EWSS are very similar, the EWSS was a more progressive and long-term solution to limit the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Ireland.

Without these forms of financial assistance, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimates that the number of employed Irish citizens at risk of poverty would have skyrocketed from 6.7% to as high as 15.1%.

Initiative

During countrywide lockdowns, the government, with assistance from the NPHET, implemented numerous restrictions. These restrictions included travel restrictions, in which people could not travel for non-essential purposes. The restrictions also included social gatherings, allowing them indoors, with only immediate household members.

To assist the nation’s economic recovery, the government unveiled the Economic Recovery Plan. The plan outlines the commitment of €3 billion to assist both citizens seeking employment and businesses suffering from the lasting impacts of the pandemic. However, the recovery plan’s desired intention is to create as many jobs as possible, with projections to exceed pre-pandemic employment levels by as early as 2024.

Transparency

Starting on March 23, 2020, the NPHET would use traditional and social media and give citizens daily announcements and briefings on information regarding COVID-19, according to a study published in Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection. During these announcements, the government would also emphasize which restrictions should be emphasized and which if any should be lax.

One of the primary things the Irish government was applauded for, was its transparency regarding the economic effects of COVID-19. While Social Justice Ireland acknowledges the fact that without the government’s assistance “almost four in every 10 of the Irish population would have been living in poverty.” Employees such as Susanne Rogers acknowledge the fact that the fight is not over, especially for the large number of children that are still living in poverty.

Susanne, along with many other experts, feels that this has a serious impact on the children’s education, and the future of Ireland’s economic potential in the long term. To help assist the nation of Ireland and its youth in their continued fight, you can donate to organizations such as the National Youth Council of Ireland, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Barnardos. Each organization has a charitable set up to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on Ireland.

– Austin Hughes
Photo: Unsplash

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Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in the UK

Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in the United Kingdom
Like other countries around the world, the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the U.K. was substantial. The country witnessed its largest drop in GDP ever recorded during the second quarter of 2020 at a decrease of 20.4%. Comparatively, it was not quite as severe as the 31.7% drop in U.S. GDP during the same quarter, yet still larger than the 7.3% decline in GDP that occurred in India.

COVID-19 Response

The implementation of lockdowns essentially brought the economy to a halt. This means both less production and less consumption as citizens’ livelihoods suddenly changed. As a countermeasure to the subsequent decrease in GDP, the U.K. government was very liberal in its financial aid toward its citizens, corporations and national health care. Financial aid programs that the government implemented aimed to protect businesses and workers in hopes of avoiding massive closures and unemployment. These programs were especially important to keep those in lower-income brackets afloat financially as citizens relied heavily on work to support themselves and their families. A core strategy of the U.K. government was to focus aid allocation toward businesses so they could continue to support their employees who were reliant on work in an effort to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the U.K. as much as possible.

Rising Inflation and Increased Interest Rates

These programs helped ease the economic burden on its population, yet now the government must come to terms with rising inflation as a result of increased borrowing and reduced interest rates. The Bank of England reduced interest rates to 0.1% at the beginning of the pandemic to increase borrowing ability. At the end of 2021, The Bank of England finally raised interest rates once again and has steadily increased the rates in the months since.

Tackling inflation is now the primary focus of the U.K. The British pound has followed the trend of other global reserve currencies with a steep increase in inflation. Like the U.S. dollar, the British pound has severely devalued after the decreasing of interest rates by the Bank of England as a response to the unprecedented economic constraints that the COVID-19 pandemic caused. Differently, though, the U.K. government was much more proactive in its raising of interest rates compared to the U.S. government which only in April 2022 implemented rate hikes for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic in April 2022.

Current State of Poverty in the UK

According to the Parliament’s Commons Library, as of 2021 approximately one in five people in the U.K. are in the relative low-income bracket after accounting for housing costs. This proportion has remained relatively steady pre-pandemic up until now, yet it could increase in the coming years.

During August 2021 which was the first month without comprehensive COVID-19 restrictions in the U.K., its economy saw an increase in GDP of 0.4%. This is substantial yet still not large enough to suggest a comeback/recovery. Perhaps the most noticeable impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the U.K. has been in the cost of living. Ninety-one percent of U.K. adults surveyed in April 2022 noted there has been a noticeable increase in the cost of living within the country. This increase has taken place predominantly across the food and energy sectors. In addition to inflation, this increase in the cost of living can also be due to supply constraints that have been a consequence of the war in Ukraine.

The business-friendly fiscal policies of the U.K. government initially worked but the financial toll of the pandemic has since led to many businesses failing, with the beginning of 2022 witnessing the most business closures in the U.K. since 2017. The retail sector has so far seen the largest number of failed businesses after said supply chain constraints hit them hard.

While many U.K. citizens have found themselves in a tougher financial situation, they should expect to see a short-term increase in the cost of living as the global economy continues its recovery from the pandemic while remaining optimistic about the government’s willingness to raise interest rates to counter rising inflation.

– Devin Welsh
Photo: Flickr

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COVID-19’s Impact on Tunisia

COVID-19’s Impact on Tunisia
In March 2020, Tunisia, a country located in the Maghreb region of Northern Africa, went into lockdown like the rest of the world because of the spread of the Coronavirus. The lockdown impacted Tunisia’s economy, jobs, households and agriculture. The government has implemented policies to mitigate COVID-19’s impact on the economy and society in Tunisia, but it did not soften the negative effects. 

Economy

COVID-19’s impact on Tunisia’s economy has negatively affected its important sources of income. This negative impact on the economy also affected the livelihood of Tunisians, who lost their jobs and fell into poverty. Although the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the whole of Tunisia’s economy, the following examines only the critical aspects of Tunisia’s economy that experienced a decline during the pandemic.

  • Gross Domestic Product (GDP): During the pandemic, Tunisia’s GDP declined by 8.6%. Tunisia’s budget deficit contributed to 10.2% of the GDP decline. Furthermore, the public debt that Tunisia owes made up 87.6% of the decline in GDP. COVID-19’s impact on Tunisia’s GDP led to a 21% increase in the poverty rate, especially within rural areas in the northwest and southwest of the country.
  • Tourism: By the time Tunisia completely locked down in April 2020, the tourism sector experienced a steep decline of 80%. This resulted in the prediction of the closing of 60% of hotels in the summer of 2020, which is vital to the tourism sector. As a result of the decline in the tourism sector, it lost an estimated 400,000 jobs.
  • Retail: COVID-19’s impact on Tunisia resulted in the closure of businesses because of the lockdowns. As a result, the retail sector experienced an approximately 62% loss in revenue, according to the IFPRI report. As for jobs, the retail sector has experienced a -2.4% decrease in employment.
  • Agriculture: Agriculture is vital to Tunisia’s economy and international trade. The agricultural sector has experienced a 16.2% decline in revenue, IFPRI reported. Specifically, Tunisia’s export of fresh produce to European countries has fallen by 80%. As a result of COVID-19’s impact on Tunisia’s agricultural sector, agriculture jobs declined by 145,000.

Impact of Unemployment on Poverty

Similar to what happened in many countries during the pandemic, COVID-19 has caused many Tunisian businesses to lay off their workers. This increased the overall unemployment rate to 15% during the first quarter of 2020, and then up to 17.8% during the first quarter of 2021, according to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rural regions, specifically the northwestern and southern parts of Tunisia experienced the highest increase in poverty and unemployment compared to the urban areas.

The northwest region has a 26% of unemployment and the southern region has a 21% of unemployment. College graduates make up 56% of the unemployed and in poverty. On the other hand, large cities and coastal areas in Tunisia have lower rates of poverty and unemployment. For example, Tunis has a 4.6% poverty rate and Ben Arous has a 5.6%, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reports.

Households

The rise in unemployment and poverty in Tunisia has contributed to a decline in the income of average Tunisians. The level of decline in income varies from rural to urban and from poor to non-poor. The following is a breakdown of the national, urban and rural income levels in Tunisia:
  • National Level: Due to a decline in output and production as a result of the lockdown, income on the national level fell by 8.6% within three months. That is an increase from the 5.7% decline within two months. Tunisians working in manufacturing and retail experienced the largest decline in income at 1.7%, according to the IFPRI report.
  •  Urban Level: On average, urban households will experience an 8.9% decline in income. The income of urban poor households, in particular, will drop by 176 Tunisian Dinar. However, the non-poor urban income had a larger decline by 439 Tunisian Dinar.
  • Rural Level: According to the IFPRI report, the rural household income declined by 7.8%. The rural poor income declined by 201 Tunisian Dinar. On the other hand, the non-poor rural income declined by 354 Tunisian Dinar.

Government Policies

In response to these national challenges, the Tunisian government has promised to implement several policies that aim to address these issues. In March 2021, the government announced that they will relax the bank loan-to-deposit ratios by providing 500 million Tunisian Dinars at a 2% interest rate to struggling hotels. By the end of June, the government has given grants to 460,000 workers who are most likely to lose their jobs. Also by the end of June, the government distributed 300,000 support packages to vulnerable groups.

However, COVID-19’s impact on Tunisia highlighted the bureaucratic issues of its government. In fact, some of the policies that the government proposed to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 did not undergo implementation because of administrative impediments. Therefore, COVID-19’s impact on Tunisia will likely continue for years as long as implementation issues persist.

– Abdullah Dowaihy
Photo: Flickr

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Cuban Doctors: From Heroes to Victims

Cuban Doctors
One of the most significant exports that Cuba continually delivers is doctors. Offering quality services at a price that the most vulnerable and impoverished patients can afford, these medical practitioners are changing the world. In 2020, patients worldwide called upon around 800 Cuban doctors and nurses at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, Human Rights Watch, an international NGO that advocates and researches human rights violations and other organizations claim a dark side to the philanthropic efforts that Cuba presents. Moreover, controversy surrounds Cuba’s medical internationalism with claims of Cuban doctors working under repressive regulations that violate their fundamental human rights.

Cuba’s History of Medical Internationalism

After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the socialist government addressed its main societal concerns: universal health care and free education. As a result, while revamping the health care system in the country through strategic methods, the government achieved its goals of providing free healthcare and quality education. Using these values, the Cuban government began a program to bring humanitarian medical aid worldwide. According to the BBC, Fidel Castro himself described the exported medics as Cuba’s “army of white coats.”

Its history of medical altruism began in 1963 when Cuba sent 56 doctors to replace the French doctors that left Algeria, according to TIME. After Algeria gained independence from France in 1962, one of the newly formed country’s main issues was the mass exodus of French doctors. According to Granma, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, more than 3,000 doctors left the nation. Cuba supported the country while it rebuilt its health care system.

Cuba would also help other nations in times of catastrophes, such as Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. With equipment and valuable knowledge, 380 Cuban health care providers were some of the first doctors to respond to the crisis. They operated four clinics in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, providing life-saving procedures such as amputations, sutures and antibiotics. In an interview with pharmacist Ildilisa Nunez, a member of the Cuban Miracle Mission, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that 605 people came to the clinic within 12 hours of the earthquake.

In that critical moment, Cuban doctors could provide the aid that the citizens needed, especially during the pandemic.

Cuban Medical Personnel During COVID-19

Forty countries worldwide received the aid of Cuban health care providers during the pandemic. While Cuba is often helping nations with weak health care systems, wealthier nations such as Italy and Andorra have received Cuban aid too. For example, in Lombardy, Italy, the region’s health minister Guilio Gallera asked for the help of Cuban medics in March 2020, according to The Economist. On March 22, 2020, 52 Cuban doctors arrived from Havana to help.

Some host countries, according to NBC, are learning from Cuba how to handle the pandemic effectively. These strategies include “isolating cases, tracing their contacts, screening for sufferers and swiftly applying therapeutic treatments like the antiviral agent interferon.” Even nations that have ended agreements, such as Brazil, have requested aid once more because of the pandemic’s damage. Brazil received 1,012 Cuban doctors that allowed them to practice in “basic primary medicine for two years without having to requalify to practice,” NBC reports.

The pandemic caused nations worldwide to turn to Cuba for aid. Still, there is a darker side to their humanitarian assistance.

A Violation of Human Rights

Human Rights Watch accused the Cuban government of imposing regulations that have violated Cuban medics’ fundamental rights. Some of these liberties included “the right to privacy, freedom of expression and association, liberty and movement, among others,” as Human Rights Watch reported.

Under the Resolution 168 of 2010 that the Ministry of External Commerce and Foreign Investment wrote, it is a disciplinary offense to have any relationships with others who are not consistent with the values that Cuban society holds. In addition, personnel deployed abroad, under the same order, must disclose all “romantic relationships” to their supervisors, Human Rights Watch reports. The government also limited the freedom of expression using regulations that the Human Rights Watch said were “unnecessary and disproportionate to any legitimate government aim.”

Not only do Cuban medics suffer from restrictive bans that limit their freedom, but they also endure threatening situations. Around 41% of Cubans that worked abroad say they experienced sexual assault while at their posts. If the deployed personnel wanted to leave the program, they would face an eight-year ban from Cuba, according to VOA News.

Though, the string of infractions does not stop. Multiple organizations, including Human Rights Watch, accused the Cuban government of exploiting the medical personnel wages. Prisoners Defenders reported that “doctors on average receive between 10% and 25% of the salary from the host countries,” with Cuba’s authorities keeping the rest, according to BBC. With lucrative missions that bring Havana $8.5 billion a year, a large sum of money is continually withheld from Cuban doctors, according to VOA News.

The Future of Cuba’s Medical Internationalism

While Cuban medical aid has helped countries worldwide, there has been a call to question how humanitarian the government has been to its employees. Only the future will tell if Cuba will end up before the International Criminal Court and the United Nations to face their crimes. However, in the end, the world needs the aid that Cuban doctors have provided for over half a century.

– Gaby Mendoza
Photo: Flickr

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A Look at Mental Health in Egypt

Mental Health in Egypt
Increased levels of stress and fear due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a spike in mental health issues globally. Egypt is no exception to these mental health concerns, prompting the Egyptian government to take steps to address the subject of mental health in Egypt. For the country and its citizens, studies of mental health and mind date as far back as the Pharaonic era. Today, COVID-19 has prompted a revitalization of mental health awareness and solutions to better strengthen Egypt’s mental health care.

Mental Health in Numbers

A country-wide survey by Egypt’s Ministry of Health in 2018 indicates that 25% of Egyptians suffer from mental health issues. The Ministry of Health derived the data from a “random sample of 22,000  families” in Egypt. The survey noted a high prevalence of depression and anxiety conditions with anxiety impacting almost 44% of the population experiencing mental health issues. About 31% of Egyptians enduring mental health conditions are “suffering from depression that is linked to substance abuse.”

A 2020 study that Safaa M. El-Zoghby led aimed to uncover the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Egypt. Researchers gathered data between May 2, 2020, and May 9, 2020, from a survey of 510 Egyptian adults. The survey results indicated that 41.4% of respondents endured severe mental health impacts due to the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A lack of mental health awareness and high treatment costs prevent progress in the mental health arena. The societal stigma surrounding mental illness tends to discourage Egyptians from seeking out help for mental health conditions. Schizophrenia, for example, is one mental illness in Egypt that continues to hold significant stigma. In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Egyptian-Canadian psychologist Rita Kallini has stated that society labels Egyptians suffering from schizophrenia as “crazy.” In addition, the Egyptian Journal of Psychiatry conducted a study in 2020 that indicates that almost 44% of 300 patients with diverse mental health conditions reported victimization in the past year.

History of Egyptian Mental Health

In Egypt’s ancient past, the country studied and documented mental health. Ancient Egyptians’ knowledge and awareness of “diseases of the mind” point to this, according to an article by Mervat Nasser, a senior lecturer in psychiatry at the University of Leicester. Her studies involve an analysis of ancient Egyptian papyri, which documents some of the first known concepts of psychology and mental health disorders.

In studying the papyri, Nasser concluded that the ancient Egyptians identified mental health conditions in their people similar to the conditions modern psychiatrists and doctors see in their patients today. For example, ancient Egyptians described a form of sadness with the ability to manifest physical illness. In Nasser’s explanation, she determined that this sadness “is this somatized form of depression that is still regarded to be the commonest presentation in Egypt today.” Nasser also concluded that carefully selected and trusted sorcerers held unofficial positions as ancient Egyptian psychiatrists as the papyri had no mention of an official physician of the mind.

Increasing Mental Health Awareness in Egypt

Despite the significant societal stigma surrounding mental health in Egypt, modern Egyptians are setting forth to break barriers to mental health progress through awareness movements and initiatives.

In August 2021, the Ministry of Health and Population in Egypt announced an intention to set in motion a cycling marathon to raise “awareness on mental health concepts among adolescents” in Egypt. With 100 participants and precautionary COVID-19 prevention measures in place, cyclists rode 12 kilometers in support of adolescent mental health in Egypt. The Ministry recognizes the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on all people, especially adolescents, and aims “to provide all means of psychological support to improve the level of mental health for adolescents.”

Young Egyptian minds like Ally Salama, the founder and CEO of EMPWR Magazine, “the Middle East’s first online mental health magazine,” have set forth to spread awareness of Egyptian mental health. Salama’s goals of societal mental health acceptance and awareness are some of many goals of young Egyptians striving to change the way Egypt views, manages and treats mental health issues that afflict the nation.

Hope for Improving Mental Health in Egypt

Ally Salama and the Ministry of Health and Population in Egypt aim to change the landscape of mental health in Egypt. Salama, who has made history with his efforts, is one of many Egyptians trying to break the stigma that clings to mental health in Egypt. Salama, other activists and Egyptian leaders serve as inspiration for others to help improve mental health in the nation.

– Michelanie Allcock
Photo: Flickr

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Food Vulnerability in West Africa During COVID-19

Food Vulnerability in West AfricaAt the beginning of 2022, the United Nations reported a near 3% increase in extreme poverty in West Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence shows that while worldwide regulations are beginning to loosen, the pandemic continues to impact food resources for West Africans. More than 25 million people in West Africa are currently struggling to meet their basic food needs. At the same time, financial strategies and partnerships aim to combat the exacerbated poverty and food vulnerability in West Africa.

West Africa and COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in January 2022 that 30 African countries detected the highly contagious Omicron variant and 42 African countries detected the Delta variant. West Africa has accumulated about 10.2 million COVID-19 cases and Africa, in general, notes a fully vaccinated population of only 10%. Starting in the early days of the pandemic, West African nations responded to COVID-19 through lockdowns, traveling restrictions and curfews.

Food Vulnerability in West Africa

Many food production systems in West Africa are already facing issues regarding their reliability and affordability. A 2020 report from Nature Food found that rural farming regions in West Africa have unreliable food storage means and many West Africans rely on their daily income to pay for food.

COVID-19 has likely increased food prices for West African regions as access to markets, implementations of lockdowns and trading restrictions reduce food access for West African families. Nature Food reports that prices in food imports for cereals and rice for West African regions have risen by 11% to 17%.

Schools in West Africa account for a significant amount of household food supplies by providing food for nearly 7 million West African school children through school feeding programs. Due to the pandemic, school closures strain the already minimal access to food for children in low-income families while increasing food vulnerability in West Africa.

West African Food Investments and Partnerships

Multiple international organizations are pledging significant funding to support West African efforts to address COVID-19. While efforts in aiding food vulnerability are short-term, the commitments open the doors for governments to increase agriculture investments with positive long-term effects.

In April 2020, the African Development Bank pledged $10 billion in support of African economies and to protect against issues such as food vulnerability in West Africa amid the pandemic. This creates a possibility for improvements in West Africa’s financial stability through the strengthening of public-private partnerships.

Financial Inclusion and Mobile Money

Other developments include financial inclusion through mobile money services (MM). MM is a progressive method toward handling finances that allow rural and urban regions in West Africa to have efficient access to financial services and the ability to receive payments via mobile phone.

A 2020 Wilson Center report indicates that MM services saw an increase from 34% to 43% from 2011 to 2017 throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, adults in the region using MM doubled from 12% to 21% from 2011 to 2017 in comparison to the steady number of adults using other financial institutions. However, the progression of financial inclusion through mobile money came to a halt when the pandemic hit.

In response, multiple reforms and policies are in place to continue financial inclusion progress. Central banks encourage digital payments to curb the spread of COVID-19 while keeping banks up and running. Countries ranging from Ghana to Liberia have increased access to MM accounts without extra fees or documentation for transactions reaching a set amount. Regarding low-income homes or families in poverty, West African governments have mobilized direct cash transfer programs to lessen the weakening economic effects of COVID-19 lockdowns.

With partnerships and financial strategies to address West Africa’s food and financial issues amid the pandemic, efforts will continue to improve the lives of low-income households.

– Michelanie Allcock
Photo: Flickr