Archive for category: Developing Countries

Information and stories about developing countries.

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Food Waste Contributing to Poverty

We all know that wasting food is wrong, but do we ever stop to think how this careless act directly impacts those who are less fortunate? The U.N.’s Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) recently revealed that almost one-third of all the food produced in the world is either lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems—food that could have fed the hungry.

According to the U.N., 842 million people suffer from the effects of hunger globally, and using the UNEP and WRI’s estimates, the one-third of the world’s food wasted could equal up to 1,520 calories for each hungry person in developing countries where malnourishment is widespread.

There is also a moral imperative involved in resolving this issue as the President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim points out, “Millions of people around the world go to bed hungry every night, and yet millions of tons of food end up in trash cans or spoiled on the way to market. We have to tackle this problem in every country in order to improve food security and to end poverty.”

What people may not realize is that food waste unfortunately occurs in both industrialized and developing countries. In industrialized countries, food waste is typically caused by consumers buying too much food and being too concerned with the food’s appearance.

While the problem itself is the same in developing countries, food waste in these countries is caused by the lack of technology, harvesting techniques, post-harvest management and even marketing methods. Insect infestations and high temperatures also affect the quality of food products. For example, at least a quarter of the crops grown are wasted in Africa, where 65 percent of the labor force completes agricultural work.

The environment is also negatively affected by food waste as fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals are wasted while the rotting food creates more methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that is one of the greatest contributors to climate change.

Many are also fearful of the effect the growing population will have on the availability of food after the Pew Research Center revealed that 9.6 billion people are expected to populate the world in 2050, emphasizing the importance of future food security.

As a global issue, many campaigns such as Think.Eat.Save. are now focusing on ensuring food security and reducing the amount of food wasted. A campaign of the Save Food Initiative, Think.Eat.Save works to alleviate the negative humanitarian, environmental and financial effects food waste has on both developed and developing countries.

As the organization’s name suggests, we can all do our part in ensuring that we are not wasting food by following these three simple steps:

1. Think. Planning meals and creating a grocery list before shopping is a great way to ensure that you’re only buying what you will eat.

2. Eat. Be mindful of what you eat, and save time and money by eating food out of the fridge first.

3. Save. Freeze produce so it stays fresh longer and don’t forget to make the most of leftovers.

Food wasting is a serious global issue that affects millions, but through these simple steps we can all do our part in reducing our “foodprint.”

– Meghan Orner

Sources: World Bank, World Bank 2, U.N. Environment Programme, U.N. Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, United Nations, Pew Research Center, Global Issues, Society of St. Andrew, Think. Eat. Save
Photo: World Food Day USA

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Chinese Foreign Aid: Setting a Good Example

China is considered a developing country. Interestingly, it also has the second-largest economy in the world. This paradox may seem impossible. In reality, however, this paradox has taught the country’s economic leaders valuable lessons about how to most successfully engage in the global economy. By aiding other developing countries, China’s economic strategy has become one of the most effective in the world.

In 2000, China began a mission lending aid to countries with underdeveloped economies. Chinese government officials recognized their own economic stability and began to implement assistance initiatives in developing countries with which China had connections through trade.  The initiatives, which are still in existence today, improve education, sustainability, medical facilities and other aspects of daily life in these countries.

Many of these countries export more goods to China than to any other place in the world. Therefore, Chinese consumers are crucial to the growth of the economies of these African and Asian countries. In response, the Chinese government recently has lifted tariffs on some imports from these developing countries.

China’s decisions to help other developing countries are more than acts of goodwill; they are intelligent business initiatives. In providing assistance and allowing developing countries’ markets to flourish, China is building trusting relationships with valuable trade partners.

Establishing trade relationships is vital in the global economy. China and its partners know that they can count on each other for fair trade and support.

China and many other developing countries engage in relationships through the South-South Cooperation. The South-South Cooperation allows developing countries to collaborate to form strong trade relationships and share strategies that may help other countries escape the barriers of poverty. China has been an active member of the cooperation for many years.

By helping to lift developing countries out of poverty, China can expect a great return of help from them in the future. As previously stated, China is a developing country itself. While it provides assistance to many places outside of its borders, poverty still exists within the country.

China’s economic strategy sets a positive example for other global economic leaders. It has used foreign assistance as a successful way to ensure strong trade relationships, return investments and hope for future repayment. China’s economy is proof that foreign assistance offers more help than harm to a country’s own financial status.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: Global Post, RAND Corporation, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation
Photo: China Daily Mail

Digital Banking Changes the World

Cash-based systems for holding money are inefficient and hold a lot of risk, with especially high consequences for the world’s poor. With ‘digital cash’ and saving methods, more people are able to experience financial inclusion in modern banking, suffer less risky consequences and begin investing in their future.

Much of this banking is done through mobile phones, which have become increasingly available to developing countries. About 89 mobile phones exist per 100 people in these areas. Even non-financial institutions, such as small businesses, use mobile payments in order to perform faster business and expand their customer base.

Studies in Mexico have shown that in areas where more banking institutions were introduced, there was a rise in informal small businesses, as well as a seven percent rise in incomes. This demonstrates that greater access to banking systems can lead to economic stimulation.

Having financial transactions performed on mobile phones makes banking services cheaper and more feasible for the poor. Digital banking also comes with better financial records, making it easier for banks and other lending programs to develop credit scores, and lending methods that are tailored to their clients.

With digital banking, immediate transactions can be made from the comfort of one’s home, saving people time and money by avoiding a possibly long commute and day away from work in order to get to a bank. Digital banking also makes money less susceptible to common risks such as thievery, natural disasters, or manipulative friends and relatives.

Some people in these situations even pay others to keep their money safe, adding another unnecessary payment to their expenses.

Long distance transfers also become easier to accomplish. Many households in developing countries receive their income from a family member working in other parts of the country who sends money periodically.

A poll was conducted in 11 sub-Saharan African countries that discovered that 83 percent of those polled had made a payment to someone far away using cash. This involved giving money to bus drivers, asking friends to carry money, or taking time off work to deliver the money themselves.

These processes are not only unsafe, but they can be unreliable and slow.

After a bank was set up in a region in Malawi in 2002, farmers used it to hold their money after the harvest, so that they would be able to continue buying fertilizer throughout the year. Their crop yields grew, therefore increasing overall income, while allowing these farming families to send children to school for even more future investment.

Recently in Kenya, clients of M-Pesa, a mobile money program, were observed and compared to Kenyans without the program. When natural disasters or unexpected events came, M-Pesa clients were able to receive financial assistance from friends and relatives at a much faster rate, making any negative impact much smaller, and allowing their regular lives to be interrupted as little as possible.

The success of M-Pesa has sparked motivation for other countries to create similar programs. Tanzania has over 47 percent of their population using mobile banking, and Uganda has begun the process, and already has 26 percent of their population as a member of a mobile banking system.

Even governments benefit from mobile banking. Since Mexico’s adoption of digital banking in 1997, their government lowered their spending on wages, pensions and social welfare by $1.3 billion, or 3.3 percent annually.

A study was done in India that concluded the government could save $22 billion annually just by digitizing all payments and transfers.

Although digital banking is expanding throughout the developing world, there are still 2.5 billion people without any banking system. Governments, non profits and private groups are now working on making banking more digital, and therefore more accessible to these bank less people.

-Courtney Prentice

Sources: Skoll World Forum, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Forbes, Global Envision, TIME, Foreign Affairs
Photo: Gulf Business

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Dangerous Roads Create a Bumpy Ride to Development

Dangerous Roads
A recent study by the University of Michigan has found that Africa, Latin America and the Middle East host the world’s most dangerous roads, and that traffic accidents in developing nations claim more victims than in wealthier countries.

Similar conclusions have recently been drawn by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) which specifically examined this year’s mortality rates due to traffic accidents in Latin America. The FIA study reports that Brazil has the worst record, at 20 traffic-related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

FIA regional representative Leandro Perillo of Argentina observes that “the biggest problem we face [in Latin America] is the lack of enforcement of the rules.”

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) sees dangerous roads as a serious development issue in Latin America, reporting that “at 17 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, this region’s roadway fatality rate is nearly double that of higher income countries.”

Leading reasons for this discrepancy besides lax law enforcement include roadways clogged with bicycles, motorcycles and all around bad driving. Anyone who has traveled throughout Latin America understands that traffic lights, lane markers and warning signs are more like suggestions than rules. Poor infrastructure, including the infamous baches (potholes that many times resemble sinkholes) and lomadas (mountainous, unmarked speed bumps,) can also play a part in driving accidents.

Automobile wrecks take more lives in Latin America each day than does HIV/AIDS, and road incidents kill 100,000 people every year in Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, car crashes have become the leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 29.

Injuries due to poor roads and bad drivers also have a high social and economic cost. The Inter-American Development Bank estimates that Latin America loses two percent of its GDP to traffic accidents each year.

Speaking on the importance of road safety in Latin America, IDB Transport Division Chief Nestor Roa states that “when it comes to improving road safety, isolated efforts will only get us so far. Curbing our region’s high traffic death rates requires making this issue a priority for our national development agendas and committing everyone to achieve this goal.”

The IDB is becoming more involved in the region’s transportation situation, performing vehicle evaluations and overseeing the design of better roadways. The institution states that successful confrontation of this issue will require “the coordination and collaboration of virtually all sectors of society, from governments to schools, NGOs, motor vehicle manufacturers, drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.”

Although road safety is not typically seen as a central development concern, addressing this issue will help pave the way to a safer and healthier future for developing nations.

– Kayla Strickland

Sources: Global Post, University of Michigan, Inter-American Development Bank
Photo: GravityBolivia

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Poverty and Depression in the Developing World

In 2003, psychiatrists Vikram Patel and Arthur Kleinman suggested that there is a correlation between poverty and depression, as well as other common mental illness, in developing countries. They argued that the “experience of insecurity and hopelessness, rapid social change and the risks of violence and physical ill-health” explain why impoverished people are so vulnerable to mental illnesses such as depression.

In the United States, as of 2011, 30.9 percent of people in poverty are depressed. While this isn’t a global statistic, it does illuminate the relationship between the global depression phenomenon and global stressors, such as insecurity, violence, etc. These external factors are crucial to the development of depression, but so are internal or hereditary ones; a combination of the two is what neuroscientists now believe causes the neurological disorder.

Studies of the neurology of depression center around the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical messenger found in the brain associated with feelings of well-being, mood regulation, memory and cognition. Neurons release serotonin into the synaptic cleft, the space in-between neurons, and receptors on adjacent neurons receive it.

Different receptors have specialized effects. The two most important serotonin receptors in depression research are 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1A (5HT1A) and 2A (5HT2A.) The former is associated with increased activity, while the latter is associated with decreased activity.

One theory is that depression is caused by an uneven ratio of 5HT1A to 5HT2A receptors, with an excess of 5HT2A. This is an hereditary occurrence that leaves one more prone to depression, though not necessarily depressed. If there is insecurity, violence, etc. in this person’s environment, however, he or she is likely to develop symptoms of depression.

Another theory suggests that people suffering from depression naturally produce less serotonin than those who do not. This is, again, genetic and will only ever make one vulnerable to depression; it’s most likely a combination of genetic predisposition and external influences from one’s environment that cause this mental illness.

To counteract genetic predispositions to depression, neurologists, commonly use an antidepressant medication called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs. They block what is called re-uptake, a process during which neurotransmitter transporters limit the amount of a neurotransmitter – in this case serotonin – in the synaptic cleft by taking it from receptors and driving it to other areas of the brain. Blocking re-uptake increases one’s serotonin levels where it counts, in the synaptic cleft where neurons communicate.

The effects of this medication may seem counter intuitive.

“Regardless of the emotion being happy or sad it would seem SSRI drugs dampens the experienced intensity of the emotion,” said Albert Gjedde, a neuroscientist who studies antidepressant SSRI drugs. “People in treatment with SSRI dugs describe it as if the peak of their emotions are cut away.”

Drugs such as SSRIs can help people with innate biases toward depression, but until poverty and its consequences are reduced, there will always be those at risk. Neuroscientists and philanthropists must work in tandem to mitigate the effects of depression and, eventually, to annihilate it.

– Adam Kaminski

Sources: The Atlantic, ScienceNordic
Photo: Salon

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Fighting Terror with Education Investments

The Global Partnership on Education (GPE) held a “replenishment summit” on June 25, where it asked donor countries to provide funding for another four years. By disbursing billions of dollars in donations from 20 countries toward educational programs in 50 developing nations, GPE has become one of the most influential global education organizations.

As the chairwoman of GPE, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Guillard has been advancing the message that “it is enlightened self-interest to invest in education.” Her argument ahead of the summit has been that whoever is interested in promoting economic growth and reducing extremism should start by building classrooms and training teachers.

“Ms. Guillard says the abductions of schoolgirls in Nigeria by Boko Haram militants should act as an alarm bell for the threat of extremism and also a catalyst for protecting education.” It is “the subject of such dedicated assault by terrorists and extremists shows the potency and importance of education in such communities,” she says.

However, skepticism is still in the air as to how much impact educational programs are having on reducing extremism and terrorist threats. Moreover, the question remains as to why industrialized nations should dedicate part of their budgets toward educating children in developing nations.

Guillard argues that organizations like GPE can really make a long-term difference and that it cannot be expected that change will happen overnight. Additionally, she asserts that it cannot be expected that donor countries and organizations like GPE bear all the weight of educating children in developing countries. It is imperative for recipient nations to step up their game, she says. This is not only about just allocating funding for the public schooling system. Guilliard states that each country should be an active participant in the development and implementation of the various educational programs.

In this realm, it can be said that the summit was a success. The $22.85 billion raised from donor nations also comes with a commitment by recipient nations to increase their own investment in public education.

While there have been many missed promises when it comes to global public education, one of them being the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, the latest GPE summit promised and delivered a new round of funding for public educations. Now it is about the implementation of adequate measures and programs.

– Sahar Abi Hassan

Sources: BBC News 1, BBC News 2 Photo: VIP Properties

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Bahrain Expels Human Rights Official

bahrain
Bahrain’s government, which until now has maintained good relations with the United States despite being accused of widespread human rights violations over the past three years, has expelled U.S. Assistant Secretary of the State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski from the nation. Bahrain’s expulsion came after Malinowski’s recent meeting with the opposition group, Al Wefaq. The group is fighting for more representation for the Shiite majority in Bahrain’s politics.

The ministry claimed that Malinowski “met with a particular party to the detriment of other interlocutors,” and deemed the meeting as interference with the nation’s internal affairs. Over the past few years, the Bahrain government has used extreme forces to inhibit protests against the Sunni royal family, including beating and jailing dissidents and calling in help from the Saudi Arabian army. Nevertheless, Malinowski attributes his expulsion to the government’s attempt at “undermining dialogue,” and urges opposition groups to continue toward reconciliation.

Scheduled to last for three days, Malinowski’s stay in Bahrain has been cut short thanks to his removal. While he is still on their grounds, he will not be meeting with government officials. Though Malinowski’s stance may seem surprising to some, his previous experience may shed further light.

Malinowski, who served as the director for Human Rights Watch’s Washington, D.C. branch, wrote a dispatch in 2012 titled “Bahrain: Prison Island,” in which he highlighted many of the crackdowns on Arab Spring protests. “Police torture and abuse have simply moved from police stations to the alleyways and back lots of Shiite villages,” he wrote. “Though their convictions were based on nothing more than the content of their speeches and participation in meetings and rallies challenging the monarchy.”

The visit, which was coordinated in advance and was meant to strengthen ties between the two countries, has “deeply concerned” the United States government. Noting these recent actions are “inconsistent” with their previous relationship, the United States insists the Bahraini government was “well aware” that the U.S. met with all officially-recognized political societies, including Al Wefaq. Nevertheless, their decision to expel the Assistant Secretary remains adamant, causing many to question the future of the two countries’ relationship.

– Nick Magnanti

Sources: Think Progress, Yahoo News, ABC News
Photo: El Venezolano

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10 World Hunger Statistics


Hunger is a living, breathing thing that seems to be consuming the world one impoverished nation at a time. The numbers keep fluctuating and more of the world falls into malnutrition. Here are 10 world hunger statistics to raise awareness about people struggling with hunger.

1. On a regular basis, 842 million people in the world do not get enough to eat.

While the number of people struggling with hunger has fallen by 17% since 1990, the percentage of people who are hungry has grown by 7% since 2009.

2. The majority of hungry and impoverished peoples live in developing nations.

Nearly 15% of the people in developing nations can be malnourished, while 7% of the people in first world nations and developed countries go hungry.

3. Asia has the most hungry people.

More than 500,000 people in Asian countries are malnourished; half of these people are children under the age of five.

4. Africa had the highest prevalence of hungry people.

Nearly 30% of people in Africa suffer from extreme hunger, meaning more of their population is hungry in comparison to the rest of the world.

5. First world countries spend more on pet food than they do helping the hungry.

Today alone in America and the UK, people have spent 44 million dollars on pet food and only five million on aiding people who are starving.

6. Americans wasted 124,000 tons of food today alone.

Each day Americans can waste up to 150,000 tons of food by throwing it away. Every year Americans alone have the potential to waste well over 1.8 million tons of food.

7. Five million people died of hunger this year.

This year so far, well over five million people have died of starvation or malnutrition. More than half of these deaths were children.

8. One in every 15 children dies from hunger in developing countries.

Children often face the worst parts of starvation or malnutrition. More children will die of starvation than adults each year.

9. Due to hunger, 315,000 women die in childbirth each year.

Women who do not get enough nutrients, most specifically iron, in their diets during pregnancy are at a greater risk of dying in childbirth from hemorrhaging. It is not uncommon for women, even women with child, to be forced to give up nutrient-heavy foods in lieu of their male counterparts.

10. More than half of people suffering from hunger in the world are in Asia and the South Pacific.

Roughly 63% of all the people suffering from starvation and malnutrition can be found in Asia and the South Pacific. This means more people are suffering in these two areas than there is anywhere else in the world.

While starvation is preventable, millions of people will still die each year from not having enough food or enough nutrients to survive. Isn’t it time you did something?

– Cara Morgan

Sources: Do Something, Stop the Hunger, World Hunger, World Food Programme
Photo: Flanboyant Eats

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Defining a Third World Country

The term “third world country” was created during the Cold War and was used to categorize a country’s alignment during the war. There were three categories at this time: those countries whose views aligned with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and capitalism (i.e. the First World); those countries whose views aligned with the Soviet Union and communism, (i.e. the Second World); and all the other countries, aligned with neither view, the “Third World.”

Today, the term “third world” is an antiquated term most commonly used to describe the developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and is a term typically associated with poverty. What classifies a country as part of the “Third World”? Below are four of the indicators that are used to classify third world countries:

1. Low Gross National Income (GNI)

Third world countries experience low economic development, and high rates of poverty. For the 2015 fiscal year, low-income economies—such as those in Tanzania, Haiti and Cambodia—are defined as those with a GNI per capita of less than $1,045 in 2013. The GNI for high-income economies, such as the United States, is $12,746 per capita.

2. Economic Dependence on Other Countries

Developing third world countries, as a result of the state of their economies, rely heavily on more economically and technologically advanced countries. And, third world countries’ economies—which, for the most part, lack modernity and independence—are typically geared towards serving and are controlled by more developed countries. This imbalance of control and dependence widens the gap between the wealthy countries, such as the U.S., and low-income economies such as Cameroon’s.

3. Low Human Development Index (HDI)

The HDI, published annually by the United Nations, measures three basic dimensions of human life: knowledge, a long and healthy life and a decent standard of living. The U.S. is ranked fifth on the HDI scale, while a developing country such as the Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked 186th.

4. Lack of Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Most of the world’s poorest countries are also the countries for which there is a severe lack of political rights and civil liberties. Developing countries such as Sudan are war-torn and civil liberties and rights almost nonexistent in the wake of the violence and war crimes. Citizens of the U.S. experience a life that is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, with basic rights such as the right to an education strongly in place.

There are other indicators when it comes to categorizing a country as “third world,” and certainly not every developing country shares each of the above characteristics. But one thing is clear: millions of people around the world are citizens of countries in which daily life is excruciatingly difficult.

Poverty, limited access to education, low standards of living and lack of civil liberties and political rights are just a few of the realities for the many third world countries that exist alongside wealthy nations such as the U.S. If wealthier nations stepped in and did more to assist third world countries, surely the term would dissipate, following the alleviation of the effects of extreme poverty.

– Elizabeth Nutt

Sources: The World Bank, One World – Nations Online, United Nations Development Programme, Blurtit
Photo: Mental Floss

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5 Facts about Education in Kyrgyzstan

Education in kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan has been transitioning into its own government after the rule of the Soviet Union, which ended in 1991. Throughout the 1990s, Kyrgyzstan struggled economically due to a decline in production output after the termination of its reliance on the USSR’s industrial regulations.

Due to the country’s difficult economic history, there is a high poverty rate among its citizens; 22 percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day and 41 percent live below the poverty line. Due to the difficult economic situation in Kyrgyzstan, education in Kyrgyzstan has not been a priority. Here are five facts about education in Kyrgyzstan:

1. Low Employment Leads to Low Demand for Education

Due to the low employment rates, citizens of Kyrgyzstan saw less of a value for education after 1991. As a result, the government lowered the required education to nine years while changing other educational policies. Recently, the government has been re-investing itself in education, increasing educational spending and increasing access to education.

2. Decreasing Enrollment

The enrollment in Kyrgyzstan’s pre-primary schools is 10 percent; 87 percent for primary schools, 80 percent for secondary schools and 37 percent for tertiary schools. Throughout the past five years, these numbers have decreased. It is possible that this is due to the 2007 decree that a school uniform is mandatory for all students. Many families are unable to afford this uniform.

3. The Urban-Rural Gap

There is not a significant gender gap in education. There is, however, a gap in urban versus rural access to education. For secondary school, there are 6 percent fewer children attending in rural areas than in urban areas.

4. Struggling Academic Performance

In 2006, Kyrgyzstan scored 57 out of 57 countries for educational performance in reading, mathematics and science.

5. Low Teaching Wages

The student to teacher ration in Kyrgyzstan is one student to 24 teachers. In addition, teachers are paid less than 40 percent of the average national earnings.

Although Kyrgyzstan has been reforming its education — such as a $12.7 million grant to improve preschools — the country has many reforms left to be made in order to improve the quality of education offered to its citizens.

— Lily Tyson

Sources: 24 News Agency, UNICEF, Ministry for Education
Photo: Partnerships in Action