Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

PIVOT Data in Madagascar Is Improving Healthcare

PIVOT Data in Madagascar Is Improving HealthcareBABSON PARK, FL — Madagascar has one of the poorest healthcare systems in the world, spending $14 USD on healthcare per capita. This is well below the average of $94 USD per capita spending on healthcare in the Sub-Saharan region. The PIVOT organization has taken a data focussed approach to help improve the healthcare systems in Madagascar.

After working in Rwanda with Partners In Health, PIVOT founder Matt Bond saw the importance of statistical analysis when it comes to long term change within a healthcare system. Bond aspires to have a lasting impact on Madagascar’s health system. In addition, he develops interventions that can be implemented across the world to help improve health conditions. With the support of the Harvard Medical School, PIVOT focusses its efforts towards interventions that have significant statistical results within Madagascar’s medical system.

Madagascar’s Healthcare Challenges

PIVOT has established its goal to improve accessibility to healthcare facilities. Around 60% of the population lives more than three miles away from a medical facility. Additionally, many communities are unable to access medical treatments due to the uneven distribution of medical professionals and supplies. This issue is highlighted with the current COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 19, 2020 Madagascar has confirmed 322 cases of COVID-19. Madagascar has a Healthcare Access and Quality index rating of 29.6 out of 100. This is well below the sub-Saharan average rating of 40 out of 100. A healthcare system with such a low rating may struggle with the increased demand for medical attention. Madagascar’s government has set a strict curfew in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, however, the healthcare system will still be challenged by the pandemic.

The Data

The initial studies conducted by PIVOT began in 2014, with 8000 subjects to be followed up with every 2 years. The study collected data on over 840 variables, from basic demographics to access to healthcare. The long term studies aim to identify changes in mortality rates and access to medical resources. In addition, this extensive study required collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics of Madagascar. The results indicated maternal mortality rates to be one in 14, twice the estimated previous national Madagascar health predictions.

Astrophysicist Jim Herrnstein, helped Bond found PIVOT and their data focussed approach to healthcare in Madagascar. Herrnstein believes that the scientific method used to back PIVOT’s interventions highlights which projects are beneficial to the overall health of Madagascar’s population. The data suggest that single-layered interventions such as providing mosquito nets are important. However, it does not offer widespread and long term solutions. Initiatives such as hiring and training healthcare workers have decreased maternal mortality rates and increased delivery care accessibility by 20%.

The data collected is not just based on Madagascar’s population; PIVOT also researches and tracks environmental factors that can affect health and well-being. These studies focus on the environmental factors that contribute to malaria rates, childhood diarrhea and access to healthcare. The environmental terrain is an obstacle itself when it comes to healthcare access. Between 60-70% of Madagascar’s people will travel between three to six miles by foot to reach medical facilities. Additionally, only 34% of the population has access to clean water, which contributes to the rates of communicable diseases.

The Results

Within the first two years of operation, PIVOT has made a substantial impact on Madagascar’s healthcare system. The data suggests that access to healthcare for fever-related symptoms has increased by over 25 percent in areas where PIVOT has established interventions. The use of maternal health services has increased by 63 percent, and the overall use of healthcare facilities by Madagascar’s population has tripled.

PIVOT has proven the importance of using data to support healthcare interventions in Madagascar. The organization’s scientific approach has allowed them to target specific elements within Madagascar’s healthcare system to most effectively improve the medical environment. PIVOT continues to track the population’s well-being and use of medical facilities to ensure their programs continue to benefit the health of Madagascar’s population. 

– Laura Embry

Photo: Flickr

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6 Facts About Healthcare in Pakistan

Healthcare in Pakistan
In a study that The Lancet conducted, healthcare in Pakistan currently ranks 154th out of 195 countries in terms of overall system performance. As a developing country with a mere 2% of its GDP allocated for total health expenditures, Pakistan struggles to maintain a proper healthcare system with regard to quality and accessibility.

Pakistan’s numerous cases of communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases highlight its struggling healthcare system. Viral hepatitis, dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid, HIV and cholera have long been leading causes of death. They are the result of overpopulated cities, poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water and inadequate socioeconomic conditions.

Pakistan has one of the lowest amounts of immunized children, with overall vaccination coverage of just 60%. The result is a high newborn mortality rate: 69.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. Moreover, while the rest of the world is free from polio, experts still consider the disease as an endemic in Pakistan. Documentations determined that there were nearly 150 polio cases in 2019. With these alarming statistics in mind, here are six facts about healthcare in Pakistan.

6 Facts About Healthcare in Pakistan

  1. Healthcare in Pakistan includes both private and public sectors. The private sector serves approximately 70% of the population. Private hospitals and healthcare institutions consistently outperform their public counterparts, as measured by the overall quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction.
  2. A common misconception is that healthcare services in the public sector are free of charge to Pakistani citizens. This is not the case, as 78% of the population continues to pay for healthcare out of their own pockets.
  3. Healthcare in Pakistan has been a focal point after the country signed the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Pakistan began to initiate healthcare programs, establishing both Basic Health Units as well as Rural Health Units. Basic Health Units are assigned to NGOs, who manage the day-to-day operations, administer medicine and overlook the facilities.
  4. Reports estimate that there are roughly 175,000 doctors registered to serve the population. However, many Pakistani doctors choose to practice abroad due to poor service structure, increased workload, lack of funding and a rise in hostility by some. Moreover, many female doctors have stopped practicing due to family and social compulsions. Taking into account all these factors,  the doctor to population ratio stands at one doctor for every 1,764 persons. For adequate population coverage, Pakistan needs at least two doctors for every 1,000 persons.
  5. Healthcare in Pakistan has gradually improved over time. Currently, 92% of the rural population and 100% of the urban population have access to health services. Such improvement has been a direct result of Pakistan meeting the MDGs. Despite measures to increase the quality of healthcare facilities, most of the population prefers to consult private doctors and practitioners.
  6. Pakistan continues to commit to the MDGs in order to eradicate a multitude of preventable diseases. The introduction of immunization programs, such as the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), has increased vaccination coverage in Pakistan from 5% to 84%. EPI partnered with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), a global health organization dedicated to increasing immunization in low- and middle-income countries. With this partnership, countless people are working to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, polio and neonatal tetanus.

With the arrival of COVID-19, Pakistan’s healthcare system is under immense pressure and is struggling to deal with the thousands of cases arriving each day. Frontline workers are taking the brunt of the virus. An estimated 3% of the total cases in the country consist of healthcare workers. Medical professionals are resorting to strikes and protests over the lack of protective gear necessary to safely treat patients.

In light of the unrest, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced new healthcare reforms to fix the faults of the health sector. The reforms allocate $300 million to pay for additional ventilators and other medical equipment. Additionally, major cities are setting up isolation centers to increase hospital capacity for infected patients.

These six facts about healthcare in Pakistan determine that the country will need to radically transform its health system performance in the following years in order to confront outbreaks that continue to threaten the population. The World Health Organization has recommended that Pakistan’s Ministry of Health increase healthcare expenditures to 5% of its GDP. Doing so would not only put an end to controllable diseases, but it will also ensure that the healthcare system will be able to deal with dangerous outbreaks in the future.

–  Abbas Raza
Photo: Flickr

 

Girls’ Education in Malawi: An Overlooked Solution to Poverty

Girls' Education in Malawi
Malawi, a small country in Southern Africa, is known for its rich culture. Unfortunately, their economy is still very poor. There are many factors that lead to poverty, but education, specifically girls’ education in Malawi, is a major source of financial turmoil that is often overlooked.

Girls’ Education and Poverty

World Bank has found that girls around the world are consistently enrolled in school at lower rates than boys. Malawi is no exception. While around 67% of boys in the country complete primary school, that number is 8% lower for girls. This gap stays consistent throughout different stages of schooling. Low-income households have a larger divide between male and female education. When analyzing upper-class families in Malawi, researchers found little difference in the percentage of girls and boys attending school.

The Malala Fund discovered that improving girls’ education has the potential to unlock trillions of dollars in revenue, while also increasing human rights. Therefore, the barriers to female literacy must not be overlooked. Data analysis proves that nations that discourage education for girls also have higher rates of financial struggle and a larger wage gap. As proven by the aforementioned connections between class and school enrollment, economic barriers are a factor to illiteracy. However, attempting to combat poverty without working toward equal access to education for girls will not yield results.

Barriers to Girls’ Education in Malawi

Daniel Moyo spoke to The Borgen Project on the relationship between education inequality and economic strain in Malawi. As the program director for Ministry of Hope Malawi, he witnesses these issues firsthand. The entrenched cultural norms that Moyo says “look at girls as sexual objects and not as equal human beings” are much more difficult to overcome than the financial burdens. Moyo explains that sexism in schooling directly impacts the economy by “creating a situation where most women are not only housewives, but also left to suffer in acute poverty.”

When charities provide economic funding for girls’ education in Malawi without understanding cultural barriers as well, their efforts are futile. Moyo cites an example of aid that went wrong due to this oversight. An NGO sponsored a secondary school in Phalombe and provided every girl with economic support. However, this backfired because it neglected to tackle the surrounding issues. Moyo discusses how the money gave the students freedom without guidance, resulting in their newfound status being used to “compete for boyfriends and men and not necessarily for financial or material gain.” Thus, “at the end of one year, almost half of the girls at this one high school became pregnant.”

Holistic Approach to Improving the Economy

The efforts by organizations such as Ministry of Hope are helping to improve poverty by recognizing its connection to girls’ education in Malawi. This nonprofit, dedicated to helping vulnerable communities, takes a holistic approach to aiding Malawians that has assisted in making tangible change. Between 2000 and 2018, almost 9% more girls were enrolled in secondary school.

Ministry of Hope encourages organizations to not blindly give money to improve the economy. Rather, “it calls for a lot of factors including policy shifts, cultural beliefs, behavior changes, and a lot of investment in girls’ education.” This is why supporting bills such as the Keeping Girls in School Act (S.1071) is so crucial for tackling poverty in the Global South.

There tends to be a narrative that poverty causes illiteracy. However, if that approach is flipped, there comes a new solution with additional potential for forging change. By advancing education, poverty can also be lowered. Those fighting for change must help organizations on the ground who are providing guidance along with their scholarships. By addressing the cultural and economic barriers of educational inequality, poverty can begin to decrease in Malawi.

– Annie Bennett
Photo: Flickr

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The State of Poverty in Morocco

Poverty in Morocco
Morocco is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in Northern Africa. Using its geographical proximity to Europe, the country is positioning itself to become the trade center of Africa. Combining this with low-cost labor, Morocco is moving toward an open market economy. Mohammed VI, the current sovereign of Morocco, has reigned over a steadily growing economy. However, poverty in Morocco is still a major issue that demands the government’s attention.

An Improving Economy

Morocco’s economy has enjoyed steady growth since 1960. Agriculture, tourism, aerospace, phosphates, textiles and sub-components are some of the major sectors that support the country’s economic expansion. In order to further support their increased industrial development and trade, Morocco built a new port and free trade zone near the city of Tangier. Due to these efforts, Morocco’s GDP rose from 2.03 billion in 1960 to 117.92 billion in 2018. However, even with this massive rise in the country’s GDP, income disparity is still an issue.

Income Inequality in Morocco

Income inequality is one of the main issues that reflect the state of poverty in Morocco. In 2018, the OECD published a report which observed the country’s alarming income inequality. The report found that Morocco’s Gini Coefficient, an index of a country’s income inequality, was the highest of all countries in Northern Africa, at 40.3%. This inequality has far-reaching implications in Morocco. In his interview with Reuters in 2019, Ahmed Lahlimi, the head of Morocco’s official statistics agency, stated that social “disparities often trigger protests because they are viewed as a result of an illegitimate accumulation of wealth.”

A report by Oxfam also found that Morocco’s income inequality has considerable consequences. In the report, Oxfam showed that it would take 154 years for a normal employee to earn what Moroccan billionaires can make in a year. This is especially concerning because an estimated 1.6 million Moroccan citizens live in poverty. Inequality is also made evident by the difference in literacy rates between urban areas and rural areas: as of 2011, urban children were 2.7 times more likely to learn reading skills than those living in rural areas. While the literacy rate in Morocco rose from 69% in 2012 to 73% in 2018, it is clear that more needs to be done to improve the differences between urban and rural access to quality education.

Alleviating Income Inequality

In 2005, King Mohammed VI launched the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), which aims to reduce poverty in Morocco by improving living conditions, assisting vulnerable social groups and supporting Moroccan families. The third phase of INDH, which will last from 2019 to 2023, will use its $1.9 billion budget to improve basic social services and infrastructure around Morocco. As of 2019, the initiative has created 44,000 projects, 17,000 actions and 9,400 income-generating activities in an effort to bridge the inequality gap in Morocco. The country also took on a loan from The World Bank to reduce unemployment in Morocco. The government plans to use the loan to improve private sector employment and human resources and accelerate digitalization and quality of education.

While Morocco’s economy is improving, it is clear that poverty is an issue that still affects many people. Although the developing economy of Morocco improved the lives of many, it also resulted in extreme income disparities. This inequality impacts many citizens, as made apparent by the difference in literacy rates between children in urban and rural areas. Luckily, King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan government have taken measures to alleviate income disparity and poverty in Morocco. With the beginning of INDH’s third phase, many people in Morocco hope for a better future.

– YongJin Yi 
Photo: Flickr

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4 Facts About Homelessness in Belgium

Homelessness In Belgium
As a member of the European Union, Belgium has the privilege of having an advanced economy as well as relatively low unemployment and poverty rates. However, being a developed nation does not make a country immune to the hardships of homelessness. Here are four facts about homelessness in Belgium.

4 Facts About Homelessness in Belgium

  1. The biggest homeless population is in Brussels. Geographically, Belgium is made up of primarily rural areas, but the vast majority of the country’s population lives in an urban setting. The country’s capital, Brussels, is the largest city in Belgium and is the host to the majority of the homeless population. The most evident instances of homelessness are people living directly on the street, but many of those affected live in shelters or temporary housing, such as a hotel, and tend to be more invisible to the public.
  2. Homelessness is on the rise. The Homeless World Cup Organization provided a concerning update regarding homelessness in Belgium: “From one count in November 2016, there were 3,386 people experiencing homelessness in Brussels. This number is a 96% increase since 2008.” Just two years later in 2018, a homeless relief organization in Belgium called La Strada counted a total of 4,187 people living without secure or traditional housing.
  3. Many of those on the streets are migrants. Another contributing factor to the density of homeless in Brussels is migration. Europe as a whole has seen an increase in the migration of undocumented people. Due to their citizenship status, they often do not qualify for government assistance or other benefits, leaving them to fend for themselves. Many migrants living in a place called Maximilian Park have been pushed out by a police initiative and have relocated to the larger cities.
  4. There are not enough resources to address current conditions. Due to the harsh European winters, many homeless individuals living completely without protection from the elements need to seek shelter in the colder months to survive. However, many cities’ homeless initiatives and charity organizations are overwhelmed by the sudden increase in need and struggle to produce enough resources and space to accommodate all of the homeless.

 

The facts about homelessness in Belgium are daunting, but there are solutions to the issue. Of note, organizations such as the Citizens’ Refugee Support and The Platform, who work in homeless outreach and placement are helping to provide beds to the most vulnerable homeless group: migrants. While they have not yet been able to provide shelter for everyone in need, they continue to push the Belgian government for additional funding, as well as help their residents find long term solutions.

– Samantha Decker
Photo: Flickr

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Music Programs In Developing Countries Unify Communities

Music Programs in Developing CountriesPlaying For Change is an organization that works to connect people through music by bringing together musicians from around the world to promote peace and unity. In 2007 its founders Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke created the Playing for Change Foundation to increase music programs in developing countries and unite communities through music. Playing For Change empowers children around the world by giving them the opportunity to learn the universal language of music.

The Foundation offers classes for children at 15 schools located in 11 countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, Mali, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Morocco, Mexico, Argentina and Thailand. More than 2,000 children attend these classes each week. Through the Foundation’s outlet for creativity, they learn how to express themselves and build confidence and resilience.

Supporting Local Communities

When constructing a new school, the Foundation emphasizes using local materials and employing local labor. This empowers the community’s economy. It focuses on opening schools in developing areas, so this support can make a big difference for the local economy. Playing For Change unifies communities by providing aid to these developing areas including food, water, medicine, clothing, and computers. This community development has improved the lives of thousands of people while providing vital economic stimulus and spreading the Foundation’s message of unity.

 

The Foundation’s educational programs are led by community members, with teachers and administrative staff being hired locally. This ensures that each program has strong ties to its community and can more effectively teach and impact the students. These local ties are an important way that Playing For Change establishes music programs in developing countries. Working together towards the common goal of building a school and teaching children is something that a community can take pride in.

Stand By Me

In order to guarantee that music and dance classes are available to all children, the Playing For Change Foundation created the Stand By Me Scholarship Program in 2013. These scholarships are funded by donations and provide children with the opportunity to attend classes free of charge for a year. The classes enhance the self-esteem and collaborative abilities of their students, while also giving them strong connections to their local community. Also, enrolled students can connect with other youth and staff in schools around the world. The scholarship is essential because it ensures that children who come from underprivileged backgrounds have access to the classes’ benefits and the community that music creates.

Community Unification and Strengthening

Thousands of children around the world have gained valuable skills while learning to express themselves through the Foundation’s programs. Notably, many of these children are vulnerable to poverty and violence. Thus, these classes teach them how to address these issues while giving them creative skills they would otherwise not have the opportunity to develop. At its core, Playing For Change uses music programs in developing countries to uplift people with the power of music.

 

– Gabriel Guerin
Photo: Flickr

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Mushroom Farming Combats Global Poverty

mushroom farming combats povertyIn the United States, mushrooms pop up on pizzas, in salads and as a side to any number of popular dishes. Most people do not give much thought to where the fungus on their fork came from. However, mushrooms are not an afterthought to many around the globe. Indeed, mushroom farming combats poverty globally, providing both a source of nutrition and income.

How Mushrooms are Farmed

Unlike most crops, mushrooms are not grown in a field. Instead, these edible fungi thrive in dark, warm places. Thus, many people farming mushrooms on a small scale do so in their homes or in an outbuilding.

Mushrooms thrive off decaying vegetation and other agricultural waste, and they can be raised in stacked beds, making them fairly low maintenance, especially compared to fruits or vegetables. They can also grow three times as quickly as some other crops, so they provide a steadier source of food or income.

Successfully cultivating mushrooms can yield a return of up to four times the initial investment. Additionally, mushrooms are a source of “potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron” as well as fiber and protein. This makes them an adaptable and potent tool in fighting malnutrition.

Successes in East Asia

Mushrooms provide an alternative income source for many women in Bangladesh. One such woman is Kajal. At a young age, both her legs were paralyzed. After she married, Kajal discovered Access Bangladesh, an initiative designed to teach disabled people practical skills they could use to earn money.

One such skill was mushroom cultivation, which provides Kajal and her family around 3,000 taka ($35) monthly. For a country with a GDP per capita of around $1,200, this additional income can be a deciding factor in a family’s subsistence. With funding from Canada, the Bangladesh Skills for Employment and Productivity Project and Access Bangladesh have helped nearly 600 people learn mushroom cultivation, around 300 of whom are women.

In Nepal, mushrooms possess the power to play a critical role in alleviating poverty. However, many communities lack the key resources needed to successfully cultivate mushrooms. These resources include sufficient upfront investment, current technologies and high-quality mushroom spawn.

To address these barriers, PHASE Worldwide, an NGO operating in Nepal, provides high-quality mushroom spawn and teaches cultivation methods to impoverished communities. In addition to their work with mushrooms, PHASE has trained more than 1,000 farmers in vegetable cultivation.

A Growing Market in Africa

As in East Asia, mushrooms are helping farmers in Africa combat poverty and create sustainable agriculture. In Rwanda, Laurent Demuynck, a former New York brewery operator, started Kigali Farms in 2010. His goal was to create a commercial mushroom enterprise in Rwanda. African mushroom farmers commonly ran into trouble with low yield and high costs, something Demuynck wanted to solve. Kigali Farms started growing oyster mushrooms, and in 2016, USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative partnered with Kigali to establish button mushroom production as well. Today, Kigali Farms is exporting mushrooms to Kenya and Uganda, as well as selling them locally.

One input needed for mushroom cultivation is straw, which Demuynck purchased from local wheat farmers, mainly women. This proved a boon for the wheat farmers since the straw left over after the harvest had previously held little value. USAID assisted in the effort and established three collection centers for farmers to store their straw before selling it to Kigali.

How Mushrooms Made One Girl Famous

In Tibet, matsutake mushrooms—one of the most valuable mushrooms in the world—grow at elevations of 13,000 feet or more. Faced with increasing bills, Geru Drolma went searching for matsutakes and live-streamed the search. That video received a large number of views in a short period of time and requests for matsutakes and cordyceps, another type of fungus, poured in.

This led Drolma and other villagers in her remote Tibetan community to set up a cooperative. They made more than $500,000 harvesting fungi in their first year. Drolma’s initial mushroom video also led her to concentrate on filming and posting snippets of Tibetan life. She has garnered 1.9 million followers since then.

Mushrooming Success

People like Laurent Demuynck and Geru Drolma all started with an idea that grew into something that impacted those around them. Additionally, initiatives in Bangladesh and Nepal also helped kickstart similar ideas. Thanks to ideas with backing, East Asian and African mushroom farming combats poverty at an extremely successful rate.

– Jonathan Helton
Photo: Pixabay

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6 Ways Technology is Helping Reduce the Burden of COVID-19

Burden of COVIDThe most recent pandemic has wreaked havoc on countries all over the world and has stagnated, or even reversed progress in many developing communities. While officials have been trying to reduce the number of cases worldwide, there have also been many tech developments that help alleviate the burden of COVID-19. Various apps and websites allow us to spread information, contact-trace and even enforce quarantine.

6 Ways Technology Helps Alleviate the Burden of COVID-19

  1. Afghanistan- Without proper guidance, misinformation can spread like wildfire and can be deadly. For this reason, the Ministry of Public Health joined forces with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology to create software that provides health information to Afghani citizens. Corona.asan.gov.af translates virus updates and information into three different languages, making it easily accessible for all people.
  2. Bulgaria- Local IT developers created a free app that connects citizens to health authorities to help ease the burden of COVID-19. Users verify their identity and can input various symptoms they are experiencing. A doctor will then review their symptoms and decide whether or not to send the patient to the closest medical facility for treatment. In addition to this, the app also can predict the future growth and spread of the virus. The developers are also willing to sell the software to other countries for a symbolic one euro.
  3. Germany- A Berlin-based tech startup created an initiative that would work on Android devices in developing countries throughout South America and North Africa. The project, called #AppsFightCovid would display health information on popup ads that already exist on different apps. The ads take info from the WHO website and advocate for frequent hand washing and wearing a mask in public. Because of these efforts, underdeveloped communities now have access to important COVID-19 information.
  4. Mexico- The Mexico City government created a screening service that determines how likely a user is to contract the coronavirus. The website also features a map that displays the closest hospitals and how much space is available in each of them. People can also filter the map based on whether they need a general care bed or a ventilator bed. In addition, users can input their symptoms and determine whether or not they require hospitalization. This helps alleviate the burden of COVID by reducing the number of unnecessary hospital patients during a global pandemic.
  5. United Nations- It is extremely difficult to get access to personal protective equipment and accurate information, especially for developing countries. Because of this, the U.N. partnered with the WHO and launched the Tech Access Partnership or TAP. This initiative helps reduce the burden of COVID by connecting expert manufacturers with developing manufacturers in poorer countries all over the world to share resources, knowledge and technical expertise. TAP will also aid countries in creating affordable and safe technology.
  6. Argentina- In hopes of reducing the number of coronavirus cases, a company is looking into enforcing quarantining and social distancing through a tracking app, though it is not yet operational. This would be a way to prevent the spread of COVID since the app would send an alert each time a person leaves their home. In addition, the Argentinian Ministry of Health created an application that allows people to evaluate their symptoms and see whether or not they require hospitalization.

 

Though the novel coronavirus has thrown us all for a whirlwind, many countries are doing their part to alleviate the burden of COVID by using technology. Whether it is through self-assessing symptoms, tracking hospitals or enforcing quarantine, government officials everywhere are trying to flatten the curve through the use of technology.

– Karin Filipova
Photo: Unsplash

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5 Facts About Hunger in Cambodia

Facts About Hunger in Cambodia
Hunger is an issue that plagues much of Southeast Asia — 9.8% of the population experiences undernourishment, which equates to 27.8 million people. Cambodia, a developing country between Thailand and Vietnam, remains one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia. Although Cambodia has made considerable strides in diminishing poverty rates and growing the economy over the years, food insecurity is still an ongoing and serious issue. Here are five facts about hunger in Cambodia and what some, like the World Food Programme (WFP) and Action Against Hunger in Cambodia, are doing to eradicate it.

5 Facts About Hunger in Cambodia

  1. Political Instability: Political instability has been a major contributing factor to chronic hunger in Cambodia. The country has suffered many years of war, particularly the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979, which depleted natural resources.
  2. Undernourishment: Around 15% of the country’s 16 million people suffer from undernourishment, according to the World Food Programme. This percentage amounts to more than 2 million people throughout the country. 
  3. Agriculture and Natural Disasters: Around 79% of the Cambodian population lives in rural areas, and 65% rely on agriculture, fisheries and forestry to survive. Natural disasters, like floods and droughts, often threaten the country and therefore are extremely damaging to the food system.
  4. Rice and Seasonal Shortages: Of the country’s 1.6 million households, two-thirds face seasonal shortages each year. Many Cambodians are rice farmers. In fact, rice alone accounts for as much as 30% of household spending. 
  5. Chronic Malnutrition and Stunting: About 40% of Cambodian children suffer from chronic malnutrition, which stunts the growth and cognitive development of 32% of Cambodian children under 5-years-old. This high statistic is mainly due to nutrient deficiency. According to World Vision, this stunting contributes to “increased child mortality as children are more vulnerable to infection and disease.” Additionally, 10% suffers from wasting, low weight to height ratio.

The World Food Programme

Since 1979, the year the Khmer Rouge ended, the World Food Programme has helped vulnerable Cambodians “meet their emergency needs and have access to nutritious, safe and diverse foods.” WFP also works toward enhancing long-term food and nutrition security for Cambodian families.

In order to meet its goal of terminating hunger in Cambodia by 2030, the WFP is working with the Royal Government of Cambodia to create programs that promote access to nutritious diets within the country and to strengthen systems to be nationally-owned. One example of this is the WFP-supported home-grown school feeding program. The WFP is working to transition the program to a “nationally-owned home-grown school meals model” that “sources ingredients from local farmers, incorporates food quality and safety, encourages community ownership, and supports local economies.” 

Action Against Hunger

Similar to the World Food Programme, Action Against Hunger is also working to end hunger in Cambodia. The organization has been serving the nation since 2013. In 2018, Action Against Hunger reached 11,291 children with lifesaving nutrition and health programs, provided 2,378 people with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions and supplied 27,568 people with food security and livelihoods programs. 

These five facts about hunger Cambodia show that though hunger is still an issue that plagues the nation, organizations like the World Food Programme and Action Against Hunger are helping to reduce it. Hopefully, with continued effort, hunger will continue to subside in the country.

– Emma Benson
Photo: Flickr

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Top 3 Athletic Companies Aiding COVID-19 Efforts


Sports often bring people together and provide a sense of normalcy and relief during times of crisis. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes have stepped up and contributed to COVID-19 relief efforts. Marcus Rashford successfully lobbied the United Kingdom government to provide meals for impoverished school children and Lionel Messi donated €1 million to COVID-19 research and treatment. Major athletic companies have also supported global responses to COVID-19 around the world. Here are three major athletic brands contributing to the global fight against COVID-19.

Top 3 Athletic Companies Aiding COVID-19 Efforts

  1. Nike: Nike is arguably the most responsive athletic company in the world in regards to supporting worldwide COVID-19 responses. Nike, along with the Nike Foundation, has committed to donating about $25 million to help with the COVID-19 response. This donation will go toward the World Health Organization as well as funding for communities where Nike has headquarters. This includes $1 million to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and $1.1 million to the King Baudouin Foundation. The Solidarity Response Fund helps vulnerable low-resourced communities, protects displaced people and refugees and provides essential supplies such as food to impoverished and at-risk people. The funds for the King Baudouin Foundation will go towards funding for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in Europe, the Middle East and Africa who have been heavily affected by COVID-19.
  2. Adidas: Adidas is supporting frontline workers, as well as donating to the global COVID-19 response. The company has produced over 100,000 medical masks for worldwide distribution to frontline workers. Adidas’ donations to fight COVID-19 have reached almost $5 million. To date, Adidas’ donations add up to $3.25 million towards the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and $1.35 million to the China Youth Development Foundation. The funds to the Solidarity Response Fund will go towards similar causes as the donation from Nike, helping impoverished individuals and communities around the world. Donations to the China Youth Development Foundation will be used to help treat and respond to COVID-19 in disadvantaged regions in the country and help impoverished children who have been affected by COVID-19.
  3. Reebok: Through its Reebok Love campaign, the company has supported funding for global COVID-19 relief efforts. With every pack of face masks sold until June 30, Reebok will donate $2 to COVID-19 relief efforts, up to a total of $1.5 million. The donations are going to Save the Children’s Global Coronavirus Response Fund. The Save the Children fund will help support vulnerable regions like refugee camps and conflict zones by providing these areas with preparedness training and medical supplies. Funding will also go towards meals and educational supplies for impoverished regions where remote learning is not an option.

The actions these major athletic brands took in response to the global pandemic shows what is possible when the world and companies unite for the betterment of global health. By donating equipment and funds, these athletic brands are helping healthcare and frontline workers in the battle against COVID-19 while also supporting impoverished communities impacted by the virus.

–Zachary Laird
Photo: Flickr