Archive for category: Developing Countries

Information and stories about developing countries.

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Six Lesser Known Organizations Addressing Poverty

Lesser Known Organizations Addressing PovertyMany 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

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The Boomerang Effect: How Foreign Aid Gives Back

Foreign aid gives backForeign aid is too often misidentified as charity, with the implication of a one-way relationship. Like other myths surrounding aid, such as its depletion of the federal budget, a reality much different than popular belief silently survives. In truth, only one percent of the U.S. federal budget goes toward foreign aid and shrouded in much the same circumstances lies the fact that foreign aid gives back just as much, and more.

Who Gives to Whom?

According to an article by Jason Hickel, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) and the Centre for Applied Research at the Norwegian School of Economics completed a study in which they found that a much larger amount of money travels from poor countries to rich countries, rather than the other way around. As of 2015, cumulative foreign investment in the U.S. totaled more than $3 trillion.

Beyond the quantitative, the proof of return on investment manifests in countries like South Korea, Japan and Germany. All having once depended on U.S. aid in their times of need, these nations now play major roles in the global economy.

How Foreign Aid Gives Back to Developed Nations

Consider the fact that half of U.S. exports now go to developing countries and that developing countries’ economies grow three times faster than our own. The economics speak for themselves—with more new consumers to trade and do business with, more growth opportunities arise both at home and abroad. In Tennessee alone, more than 22 percent of jobs are supported by trade—that’s 830,000 reasons to continue investing in developing nations.

Beyond the wallet, though, foreign aid gives back in ways that cannot be measured. Potential new markets keep the U.S. competitive on the world stage, allowing its reputation and influence to spread. As Bill Gates points out, foreign aid even helps to keep the U.S. safe. By its nature, aid fights poverty, promotes development and largely focuses on foundational areas like healthcare, nutrition and education, which provide for a strong infrastructure.

The ultimate goal of this infrastructure-building rests in the ability to form a middle class, and by extension, find some stability. Countries that achieve this are more capable of preventing global health epidemics and are less likely to go to war. Stabilizing these nations by promoting democracy and human rights and by helping to install strong governance has far-reaching effects.

What Drawbacks Exist for Foreign Aid?

While some would argue that corruption and misuse of aid render the process futile, the results drown out the argument. Programs are in place to fight against this kind of criminality and are finding success. Foreign aid gives back in ways never thought of before now, such as:

  • Stopping diseases before they gain global reach.
  • Promoting U.S. exports.
  • Countering violent extremism.
  • Combating climate change through education.
  • Supporting overseas embassies and new allies.

Foreign aid gives back despite the stigma that claims otherwise. Experts say that cutting the U.S. foreign aid budget would do very little to reduce the federal deficit anyway. If the strongest argument against the use of foreign aid remains money, then it is time to take out the wallet and make a change.

– Daniel Staesser

Photo: Flickr

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Important Investments in Infrastructure by the World Bank

Investments in Infrastructure by the World BankAiming to alleviate global poverty, the World Bank has provided the financial backing for the construction and reconstruction of vital infrastructures, such as roads, dams and electrical grids, to war-torn and developing countries since 1944. In the fiscal year 2017, the World Bank granted $59 billion for projects in developing countries.

There are currently over 2,600 active projects worldwide ranging from financial risk management to roads and railways. Investments in infrastructure by the World Bank toward developing countries start in the billions of U.S. dollars. Here are the top five most expensive pledges for active projects in developing countries.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor—II (India)

Active investments in infrastructure by the World Bank in India include the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. It is an expansion effort that increases the reach and efficiency of freight cargo transportation in India’s northern and eastern regions, from Ludhiana to Dankuni.

The Eastern Freight Corridor, a project originally approved in October 2011, is a series of three projects that aim to double Indian Railways’ carrying capacity. In April 2014, the World Bank approved a $1.1 billion pledge, with a total cost of $1.65 billion, for the second tier of the project. This phase is set to build a 393-km, double-track, electrified, freight-only railway with a 25-ton axle-load at 100km/h. This sector will span between Kanpur and Mughal Sarai.

Uttar Pradesh, the most populous Indian state, stands to benefit from increased access to employment, health and education for its citizens by the de-cluttering of roadways. Once completed in December 2019, the full stretch of railway will be 1,839 km and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 55 percent.

IN Swachh Bharat Mission Support Operation (India)

In 2015, the World Bank agreed to fund $1.5 billion of a $2.2 billion sanitation project, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation. The project focuses on the construction and promotion of using toilets in rural areas in India, in which 67 percent of Indians live.

The project is a part of a universal sanitation initiative that seeks to end the practice of open defecation by 2019. Ten percent of deaths in India are associated with poor sanitation. India also misses out on six percent of possible GDP due to insufficient sanitation. Further investments in infrastructure by the World Bank will provide $25 million to aid state training programs to encourage usage of toilets in rural areas.

PMGSY Rural Roads Project (India)

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project was established in 2010 when India’s National Rural Roads Development Agency and the World Bank agreed to a $1.5 billion deal. The project provides all-weather roads, servicing the states Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

The World Bank’s investment fully funds the PMGSY program for five years and covers civil works expenditures and furnishes a technical assistance program to assist agencies running it. PMGSY Rural completed work in April 2018 on a 7,000 km rural road, which is the longest road assembly in a year since PMGSY began in 2000.

This is the second of multiple investments in infrastructure by the World Bank as a part of the PMGSY project, the first being a $400 million loan in 2004. It connected 9,900 km of rural roads in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The greater PMGSY project aims for 375,000 km of roads, linking 178,000 habitations and refurbishing 372,000 km of existing rural roads.

South-West Roads: Western Europe-Western China International Transit Corridor (Carec 1b & 6b) (Kazakhstan)

Investments in infrastructure by the World Bank in Kazakhstan look to improve road management and traffic safety. The South-West Roads Project was approved in 2009 when the World Bank agreed to fund $2.125 billion of the $2.50 billion total cost. The project includes constructing a 1,500-km road connecting China and Western Europe from the Aktobe and Kyzylorda district border to South Kazakhstan.

Road construction provides a local economic boost. The World Bank’s end of the deal employs 30,000 to 35,000 people. The cost of workers, subcontractors and materials boasts $1.6 million in spending power. Four thousand South Kazakhstan workers receive $600 a month, compared to the latest estimates that show the average Kazakhstan citizen earns $525 a month.

Eskom Investment Support Project (South Africa)

The largest, active investment in infrastructure by the World Bank is $3.75 billion, funding the Eskom Investment Support Project. Approved in April 2010, the total $10.75 billion project provides support for Eskom to enhance its energy supply and security.

Much of the funding was allocated for completion of the Medupi Power Station, the fourth-largest coal-fueled power plant. Stirring controversy, the plant is expected to add an annual 25 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Eskom is already reported to contribute to a 40 percent share of South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Eskom is South Africa’s state-owned primary electricity producer and Africa’s largest facility in electricity production. There is concern about Eskom as a monopoly producer of electricity and, accordingly, a call for more contributors in South Africa’s energy market. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa is currently pursuing a legal interdict from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in an effort to prevent Eskom from signing 27 renewable energy contracts.

As the World Bank continues to strive for its main objectives–decreasing the percentage of people living on less than $1.90 a day and spurring income growth for the bottom 40 percent–these projects, with such immense lending, are promising for the future of some of the world’s most economically vulnerable populations.

– Thomas Benjamin

Photo: Flickr

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Practical Solutions in Averting Financial Crises in Developing Nations

Financial Crises in Developing Nations
Financial crises in developing nations have been an uncomfortably common occurrence. This presence has necessitated a guide for avoiding such debilitating economic events. Corruption and the impact of exchange rates are often the culprits of fiscal destabilization, and poor monetary choices, and often result in hyperinflation and tremendous harm. There are some practical antidotes, though, for addressing concerns to assist low-income nations in averting financial ruin.

The Cost of Corruption

There is an important relationship between corruption, foreign direct investment and domestic lending. The impact is pretty simple: corruption makes a nation’s potential FDI benefactors run for the hills, and leaves the riskier practice of bank lending as the primary mechanism for new capital. This occurs because foreign investors have few assurances that they could successfully operate in an opaque environment with weak property rights (as an example).

Corruption does more to dissuade FDI than exorbitant tax rates and other poor conditions, according to some analyses. State-owned banks accentuate the issues caused by relying on lending for capital investment because many engage in dubious lending practices like “connected lending” – a convenient euphemism for nepotistic banking. As a result, banks often disregard the imperative to issue economically sound loans.

To remedy these concerns, one suggestion is the foreign ownership of banks, as they mimic the effects of FDI by pairing capital with better technology and managerial experience, along with a better regulatory apparatus.

Rates of Exchange

Another pertinent issue regarding financial crises in developing nations is exchange rates. Fixed but adjustable exchange rates have historically exacerbated financial turmoil because they were seen as more stable than they actually were. Additionally, in the case of large foreign currency debts during a recession, lowering interests rates to stimulate the economy would force out FDI and further hurt the currency.

Instead, managed-floating currencies help stability because they afford greater awareness of the volatility of exchange rates, thereby promoting more prudent investments.

Printing Problems

Many financial crises in developing nations are triggered by hyperinflation, which is typically defined as sustained inflation rates of over 50 percent. When governments get into trouble with debtors, they often are forced to print money to afford their loans. This increases prices dramatically, making ordinary products unaffordable.

Many countries dependent on oil revenues have fallen victim to the affliction of hyperinflation. When oil prices surge, they increase their budgets accordingly; but, when the price of oil craters, they are often left with bloated budgets and cannot pay back their debts without resorting to a printing spree.

To insulate them from this, experts suggest establishing an independent central bank which would not print excess money to bail out imprudent spending. Although poor nations have historically been susceptible to financial crisis, there are practical solutions they can adopt to guard against them and usher in greater financial stability.

– Brendan Wade

Photo: Flickr

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The Emergence of Mobile Apps in Developing Countries

mobile apps in developing countries
In the last 10 years alone, the number of mobile phone users has grown to four billion, with 37 percent of that growth occurring in developing economies. With internet availability expected to reach even the least developed nations in the next couple of years, a rapidly growing market for mobile apps in developing countries will likely expand even more.

Why is This the Trend?

In areas of Asia and Africa, one can buy a smartphone for the equivalent of $30. Simply put, mobile technology is the most convenient and cheapest technology option available for developing countries.

This convenience is one reason why the biggest market growth is seen in three main regions:

  1. Latin America, where smartphone adoption has seen double-digit growth and mobile banking gives financial access to those who might not ordinarily have it.
  2. South Asia, where in places like Vietnam, the number of Internet users has grown from four million to 45 million in just the last 10 years.
  3. The Middle East and North Africa, where, in Egypt alone, downloads of tool and messaging apps rose 60 percent in a year.

What Are the Uses for Mobile Apps in Developing Countries?

Whether it is to increase food production, access health information, launch a startup or improve education, a new reliance on mobile apps in developing countries transforms the way nations grow. While access to education is not a given in developing countries, the concept and means of education are shifting.

Four of the five top countries for educational app downloads are India, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. A large reason for this is that 50 percent of South Asians and 33 percent of Africans who finish school still cannot read, and 60 percent of six- to 14-year-olds in India cannot read at a second-grade level.

Mobile Apps are Facilitating Needed Change

For farmers who seek to increase food production, change is especially welcome. For practical purposes, apps like iCow allow livestock farmers in Kenya to track gestational periods for their animals, find veterinarians and monitor best practices. An app called Esoko disseminates information to farmers about market prices, weather forecasts and advisory services. Yet another popular app, WeFarm, offers a peer-to-peer platform for farmers to share information among themselves, with or without Internet access.

Beyond the fields and the classroom, popular mobile apps in developing countries range from banking apps like M-PESA, which allows for the transfer of funds over text message, to Voto Mobile, voice-based services in local languages. These programs have been rolled out in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and India.

In India, as with much of the developing world, access to good healthcare is also a concern. With over 60 million people in the country with type two diabetes and 36 million living with Hepatitis B, its people look to take advantage of the over 100,000 healthcare apps that already exist.

Never has technology been so accessible, yet never has the need for technology been so dire. With the myriad issues that arise because of extreme poverty, mobile technology gives rise to a new hope for developing nations.

– Daniel Staesser

Photo: Flickr

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Methods in Addressing Mental Health Disorders in Asia

Addressing Mental Health Disorders in Asia
We all face stress and mental anguish; these emotions are experienced by both the rich and the poor. The only difference is the rich tend to possess the means for coping and addressing mental health disorders. People who experience mental illness often remain adrift in social stigma and thus excluded from revenue-generating incomes. This vicious cycle — Poverty -> Social Causation -> Mental Illness -> Social Drift — also excludes these people from access to healthcare.

How Does Stress Lead to Mental Disorders?

But biologically speaking, how exactly does stress lead to mental disorders? Constantly worrying over where to find food or a place to sleep results in a heightened production of stress hormones called cortisol.

High levels of cortisol for extended periods can affect the brain down to the genetic level. It can increase the level of neural connections of the amygdala, or the “fear center.” This increase will then inhibit neural connections of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is associated with learning and memory.

The majority of this mental disorder is experienced in developing nations. These are the same nations with the widest gap of healthcare inequity, and the ones most unequipped to properly address physiological needs, let alone mental health disorders.

The Stress of Poverty

Many of the issues underlying depression — such as violence, unemployment, crime, inadequate housing, lack of education and poor sanitation — all stem from the stress of poverty.

Too much cortisol can lead to the loss of synaptic connections between brain cells, and fewer brain cells created in the hippocampus. This deficit will cause the brain to actually shrink in size, specifically in the prefrontal cortex — the region of the brain that allows for control of behaviors such as judgment and social interaction.

The Destigmatization of Mental Disorders

In Asian cultures, if a person is suffering from a mental disorder, his or her community will pretend like it never happened, since the impact is not outwardly apparent. However, just because it’s not outwardly apparent, that doesn’t mean ignoring the disorder will make it go away. The reason Asian communities cover up a sufferer’s condition largely stems from shame or embarrassment. There is also widespread belief that mental disorders are a divine punishment in retribution for a person’s past sins or crimes.

The 10-member nations of ASEAN have outlined their 2025 Socio-Cultural Blueprint that aims to raise mental health as one of the health priorities under the ASEAN Post 2015 Health Development Agenda for 2016-2020. This prioritization would mean integrating mental health into each of the national health systems, and coordinating between facilities, local organizations and NGOs for spreading awareness and empowerment.

The power of possessing a positive or negative outlook is more powerful than one might think; people with positive emotions can live longer and more fulfilling lives. Before we can harness the powers of emotions for improved physical health, we must first invest in better understanding and addressing mental health disorders. Once this is accomplished, we will then have made remarkable strides and come a long way from stigma and dehumanization.

– Awad Bin-Jawed

Photo: Flickr

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Why Poverty In China is Still a Problem and Methods Towards Alleviation

poverty in china
By the year 2020, according to most financial and political analysts, China will surpass the U.S. as the largest economy on the planet. The World Bank even reported that China opening itself to free-market reforms in the last few decades managed to raise more than 800 million people out of poverty in China.

The Positives

In addition to this positive news, the financial institutions also added the reassuring fact that thanks to this unprecedented growth rate, the Chinese economy improved the living standards for a massive percentage of its population. A closer look at the data reveals how in 1981, 88.3 percent of China’s population lived on less than $1.90 a day (roughly 870 million people), and 99.1 percent lived on less than $3.10 a day (over 980 million people).

The last reported year for which the World Bank gathered official data is 2010, and the results are staggering — only 11.2 percent (almost 150 million people) lived in poverty in China in 2010. The overall prospect, then, seems quite promising; however, there are some further considerations of note in regard to this set of data.

The Divide

Taking into account China’s enormous social and economical strides since the Communist Party took power, one can see that there is a massive divide in income between rural and urban areas.

More specifically, in 1978 only 23 percent of the population was employed in urban areas; by 2014, over 770 million Chinese citizens were urban workers. Such figures acknowledge the significant improvement in the urbanization process, while also concealing the fact that the rest of population still lives and works in rural areas.

Those families are largely stuck in the same economic and social distress they were before the Communist revolution and unfortunately, haven’t made significant steps forward. Other statistics reveal how China’s per capita GDP, for example, is still very much below the standards of a developed country. It ranked, in fact, at $6,894.50 in 2016, which is 55 percent below the world’s average.

The Question

How can a country whose GDP grows at an annual rate of 6.9 percent still have children begging on the streets and families living on less than $2 a day? While it’s hard to provide a definite answer, a few considerations are worth bringing forth about the Chinese political system.

The country is still ruled by a one-party system which owns and controls the vast majority of enterprises and sectors of the economy. Private property is still very weakly protected and the judicial system is dominated by the Communist Party that arbitrarily appoints judges and influences court operations and verdicts.

Moreover, the regulatory framework is also arbitrary and very intricate — details that make it difficult for a private enterprise to blossom and grow. Corruption is also a massive issue which, when paired with the state-controlled financial system and state-owned enterprises, highly depresses foreign investments and contributes to enriching the economic elite and maintaining poverty in China.

China has made improvements in its poverty alleviation efforts, but there is clearly still room for improvement. Only time will tell how the nation keeps up with its progress.

– Luca Di Fabio

Photo: Flickr

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Five Countries with the Lowest Life Expectancy in the World

lowest life expectancy in the world
Out of the established 224 countries on the earth, these are the bottom five with the lowest life expectancy in the world. The countries listed below range from an average lifespan of 52.1 years to 50.6 years old.

Five Countries with the Lowest Life Expectancy in the World

  1. Swaziland
    Swaziland has the fifth-lowest life expectancy in the world at an average of 52.1 years. Swaziland is the only country on this list with men living, on average, longer than women. As of 2016, the top two reasons for deaths were HIV/AIDS and lower respiratory infections.However, Swaziland is one of the countries receiving help from USAID. One of the top priorities of USAID is fighting against HIV/AIDS by preventing sexual transmission, increasing the prevalence of male circumcision, improving institutions and training, lessening the impact of HIV/AIDS and decentralizing care and treatment. With USAID’s continued assistance and its partnerships within the African nation, there is a chance that the average lifespan in Swaziland can increase above 52.1 years.
  1. Gabon
    With an average lifespan of 52.1 years, Gabon is ranked number four for the lowest life expectancy in the world. Despite being rated so low, Gabon has a robust oil-dependent economy, making it a middle-income country.Due to this income status, it is ineligible for relief programs such as Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. This ineligibility may be why HIV/AIDS and heart disease are the top two reasons for death in the country, contributing to the low life expectancy.
  1. Afghanistan
    The only country not in Africa, Afghanistan is ranked at number three with an average lifespan of 51.7 years. This ranking may increase over time through help from USAID.In Afghanistan, USAID is working to promote health and education, both critical factors in raising life expectancies. USAID and its partners are making substantial strides to improve the healthcare for Afghans. For example, in 2016, the organization began a project to help reduce malnutrition and increase access to safe water and sanitation.USAID is also working toward making essential health services available and improving the quality and quantity of medicines. These resources, once available to Afghans, grant the nation a high potential to no longer be one of the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world.
  1. Guinea-Bissau
    The second-to-last country with the lowest life expectancy in the world is Guinea-Bissau, averaging about 51 years of life. Aid for Africa is working in Guinea-Bissau with programs that help improve health and education, create businesses and protect wildlife.Another program through Aid for Africa, called Tostan, works by using local languages and traditions to promote democracy, problem-solving, human rights, hygiene and health. Through this program, successful countries have become more prosperous as well as healthier. With the continued implementation of programs such as these, Guinea-Bissau could improve its quantity of life.
  1. Chad
    Chad has the lowest life expectancy in the world at an average lifespan of 50.6 years. The life expectancy in this nation is so low because it has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality and high infant mortality as well.USAID has several programs to help those living in Chad. USAID and the U.N. World Food Programme are working together to distribute food and make sure access to food is readily available all over the country.Starting in 2018, programs such as In-Kind Food Aid, Local and Regional Food Procurement, Cash Transfers for Food and Food Vouchers all will be funded to help citizens. With these various programs helping improve health and nutrition, sources are working with Chad to increase the average lifespan.

World life expectancy continues to increase on the whole, but these five countries are still lagging behind. In order to increase the longevity and potential of their citizens’ lives, they will require targeted aid and a focus on infrastructure and healthcare.

– Amber Duffus

Photo: Flickr

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Addressing the Top Five Causes of Maternal Mortality

Top Causes of Maternal Mortality
Maternal mortality often increases in countries where poverty levels are high. According to the World Health Organization, 99 percent of maternal deaths occur in developing countries. This is because women do not always have access to sanitary birthing conditions, proper doctors or procedures for remedying labor complications.

However, some causes of maternal mortality are much more prominent than others, taking the lives of mothers every day. These are the top five causes of maternal mortality:

  1. Hemorrhaging, typically postpartum, claims the largest number of lives out of all the causes of maternal death. According to UNICEF, 27 percent of all maternal mortalities are due to hemorrhaging.Postpartum hemorrhaging refers to extremely heavy bleeding after giving birth. This bleeding should stop relatively soon as the uterus contracts to push out the placenta but if the contractions are not strong enough, blood may flow freely, causing a hemorrhage. Medical solutions to postpartum hemorrhaging may include getting a blood transfusion, which is incredibly difficult in remote and low-income parts of developing countries. 
  2. The existence of pre-existing conditions that are aggravated by pregnancy is the second leading killer of mothers during labor. There are many medical conditions that, when coupled with pregnancy, can cause death. In many cases of maternal mortality, mothers are unaware of pre-existing conditions or they are unable to access safe abortions because they are illegal or too expensive in their country.
  3. Hypertension during pregnancy is when a woman has high blood pressure during pregnancy. If it continues beyond week 20 of the pregnancy, it can lead to preeclampsia, causing complications for both mother and child. Preeclampsia can cause maternal mortality if not recognized and treated quickly.
  4. Maternal sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is the body’s natural response to an infection, but it can quickly overwhelm the body’s functions and make it unable to cope. According to UNICEF, maternal sepsis claims eleven percent of maternal mortalities.Sepsis does have early warning signs, but these can be hard to notice and the situation can quickly become dangerous. In areas where access to antibiotics is limited, where it is difficult to reach a hospital quickly or where doctors are not properly trained, maternal sepsis may go unnoticed or untreated, resulting in maternal mortality. 
  5. Unsafe or unsanitary abortions are responsible for eight percent of maternal mortalities. In low-income or developing nations, abortions may be illegal, forcing pregnant women to turn to homemade abortions or local methods. Often times, abortions that are done without proper techniques, tools or sanitation lead to infection and eventually death.

These are the top causes of maternal mortality, all of which can be remedied through increased funding and accessibility to proper medical facilities in developing nations. More often than not, women are left without the money or access to solutions for their medical issues, perpetuating the cycle of maternal mortality.

– Liyanga de Silva

Photo: Flickr

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The 10 Most Innovative Countries in Africa

most innovative countries in Africa

Innovation seems impossible to quantify, but the business world has found a way to rank countries based on various forms of data considered to indicate innovation. Innovation indexes can vary, but the 2017 Cornell University Global Innovation Index takes a unique approach to calculating innovation, based on 81 indicators with a focus on human welfare, technological or creative outputs, infrastructure and business sophistication.

10 Most Innovative Countries in Africa

  1. Burkina Faso
    Burkina Faso has focused its innovation on agriculture, with farmers learning how to organize themselves and share new farming practices. The country’s farming innovation has been channeled into poverty reduction.
  2. Malawi
    Malawi has had some interesting innovators, such as William Kankwamba, who created a windmill for power out of locally collected supplies. Malawi’s government still accepts help from varying organizations, including UNICEF, to improve innovations in mobile phone technology and medical care.
  3. Mozambique
    Mozambique has struggled with giving all its citizens access to clean water, as well as with HIV infection and infant mortality rates. However, these struggles have caused the country to look to business opportunities for solutions, leading to innovations in sectors such as tourism, health, education, and natural resources.
  4. Rwanda
    A country known for its civil war and genocide in the past has become one of the most improved countries in innovation index rankings. Rwanda is becoming a central point for information technology and has launched a 4G LTE network, helping to facilitate job growth and economic improvement.
  5. Kenya
    It is no wonder Kenya made the list, as it is becoming well known for its information technology development, thus acquiring the nickname “Africa’s Silicon Valley”. Also prominent are some of its innovators’ more interesting inventions, such as putting a charger in your shoes to charge your phone on the run or connecting an alarm to a TV to deter burglars.
  6. Botswana
    With one of the continent’s most stable governments and economies, and its support of startups, research and even global corporations, it is no surprise that Botswana makes the list of the 10 most innovative countries in Africa. This support and encouragement of growth has created an atmosphere for technology innovation to grow.
  7. Senegal
    Senegal has been known for its business practices and innovation in agriculture, paper and research. However, its growth has not been as substantial as some would have liked, leading to Plan Sénégal Emergent, a plan put in place by the government to bring the country to the forefront of West African economies by 2035 and putting it in the world’s sights.
  8. Seychelles
    Seychelles is one of the newer countries on the list of the 10 most innovative countries in Africa, appearing for the first time in 2014. This is significant because it is the third sub-Saharan African country to rank in the upper half of the Global Innovation Index.
  9. South Africa
    Of these countries on this list, South Africa makes the news the most in regards to its innovative capacity. The main limiting factor for the country has been its inability to maintain and grow innovative thinkers, many of whom are lost to emigration to the U.S. and the U.K. If this trend can be reversed, the country would see a strong change in the tide as it moves up the innovation list.
  10. Mauritius
    Mauritius tops the list of the 10 most innovative countries in Africa and has been in the top half of the index since 2011. It has the advantages of being a tourist destination and maintaining stability. The government has also put a focus on innovation by investing in research into job and wealth creation.

These countries utilize their stability and market-oriented economy to foster innovation. Many find that democratic countries have a higher likelihood of increasing and maintaining their innovation. While Africa still has work to do in comparison to other regions, it is making headway and moving forward.

– Natasha Komen

Photo: Flickr