Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Zambia

10 Facts about Life Expectancy in Zambia

Zambia is home to 16.45 million people. It had one of the world’s fastest-growing economies up until 2014. Despite this, rural poverty and high unemployment levels remain rampant across the country. As a result, the nation’s average life expectancy is lower than the global average. However, significant steps have been taken in an attempt to improve the situation. Here are 10 facts about life expectancy in Zambia.

10 Facts about Life Expectancy in Zambia

  1. The CIA reports the average life expectancy for in Zambia to be 51.4 years for males and 54.7 years for females. This is a slight increase from life expectancy in 1980 when Zambian males had an average life expectancy of 50.4 years while Zambia females had an average life expectancy of 52.5 years. Zambia currently ranks 222 in life expectancy out of 223 countries.

  2. Over the last 10 years, there has been a 30 percent reduction in child mortality in Zambia. UNICEF reported that Zambia’s under-five mortality rate was 60 deaths per 1000 births in 2017. This is an extremely large decrease in comparison to the 1990 under-five mortality rate, which was 185 deaths per 1000 births.

  3. Zambia’s high rate of child stunting is due in part to lack of poor water sanitation and hygiene. Currently, 14 percent of the Zambian population and 46 percent of Zambian schools do not have access to basic hygiene services, such as handwashing facilities with soap and water.

  4. UNICEF has set up the WASH program in response to the lack of hygienic access in Zambia. In partnership with the Government’s Seven National Development Plan, UNICEF is helping Zambia achieve the Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals. WASH has been providing sustained access to clean water and encouraging the adoption of hygiene practices in schools throughout Zambia.

  5. Since 2010, Zambia has been part of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN) in order to further battle childhood stunting, which affects 40 percent of children under the age of five. Since joining SUN, the District Nutrition Coordinating Committees (DNCC) has expanded its efforts throughout several districts in Zambia. From 2010 up to 2017,  SUN in Zambia had reached 44 percent of its goal to create coherent policy and legal framework, 62 percent of its goal of financial tracking and resource mobilization and 81 percent of its goal to align programs around a Common Results Framework.

  6. The top cause of early death in Zambia is HIV/AIDS. However, new HIV infections have dropped since 2010 by 27 and AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 11 percent. In order to maintain this downward trend, comprehensive sex education have been implemented in schools. As of 2016, 65 percent of Zambians living with HIV had access to antiretroviral treatment to prevent further transmission.

  7. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has expanded its efforts to spread treatment for HIV/AIDS throughout Zambia. In 2018 alone, AHF provided treatment for 71,000 Zambian HIV/AIDS patients.
  8. HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, and lower respiratory infections are the top three causes of death in Zambia since 2007. However, the number of deaths caused by these diseases have dropped since 2007 by 63.1 percent, 8 percent, and 14.5 percent respectively.

  9. As of 2018, a total of $64 per person was being spent on health in Zambia. This money comes from development assistance for health ($28) and government health spending ($24) while $12 comes from out-of-pocket and prepaid private spending, respectively. This total is expected to increase to $135 by 2050.

  10. Though the Zambian uses 14.5 percent of its total expenditures on health expenditure, there is still much work to be done. Currently, Zambia benefits from USAID’s assistance in order to scale up prevention, care and treatment programs. However, the country does not have enough advanced hospitals to offer specialized treatment. Nationally, there is an average of 19 hospital beds per 10,000 people. Additionally, WHO reports that Zambia has a physician density of 0.1 doctors per 1,000 people, which is far below the comparable country average of 3.5 physicians per 1,000 patients.

The 10 facts about life expectancy in Zambia listed above can be corrected through proper planning, targeted efforts to decrease poverty, the establishment of water/hygiene practices and development of education throughout the country. With the help of other nations and organizations, life expectancy in Zambia can be improved.

– Shreya Gaddipati
Photo: Flickr

How Does China’s Economy Benefit Asia?

China's EconomyAs China’s economy and political influence grows so does its impact on neighbouring South-East Asian countries. These countries are central to China’s foreign policy due to both cultural ties and possible economic benefits. China’s influence began to grow exponentially after it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2011.

The ASEAN-China Agreement

China’s development benefits the rest of South-East Asia in many ways. Its remarkable economic growth benefitted businesses in nearby countries. China’s market today is the second largest in the world, which has caught the attention of both the US and nearby nations. Noticing its growth, South-East Asian countries strengthened their trade relations with China via the ASEAN-China agreement, in 1991. As a method of improving and strengthening relations, both parties established the ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund. Such economic agreements brought along peace maintenance assurances.

Trade Relationships

The growth of China’s own economy also indirectly benefits neighbouring economies. The more the manufacturing sector in China grows the more it depends on imports to supply its factories. Therefore, important economies such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and India are all running trade surpluses with China. Countries like Taiwan, Korea and Japan are now relying on China to bolster their production lines as they moved their labor-intensive industries to China which allows them easier access to international competition. It is in the neighbouring countries’ interests to allow China’s economy to grow further as it is now their main exporting location.

A Political Partner

Additionally, China’s development offers political stability and security to the rest of South-East Asia. Similar to their economic relations, China and the ASEAN countries also established the ASEAN-China Senior Officials Political Consultation to focus on politics and security. As a way of ensuring peace and political stability, China ensures that it supports its neighboring countries to reach their fullest potential. China provides assistance for developing countries such as Laos, Burma and Cambodia through funding construction of power plants and regional grid interconnection.

The International Railway

On top of that, China’s economy benefits the rest of South-East Asia due to its dedication to building a railway that connects the whole of South-East Asia. This has been long planned, however, without Japan’s support it seemed impossible. Now that China is able to fund those plans without Japan’s support, construction has begun in the north of Thailand. China’s influence not only in Thailand but in the whole of the region is foreseen through its plans of building a 3000km railway that goes from the north of Thailand, to Malaysia, and all the way to Singapore This railway would mean development for the whole region and for China itself. It may allow it to seize more control of the South China Sea in exchange for the economic development the railway will bring. The railway’s endpoint is extremely strategic due to the fact that the Strait of Malacca is located in Singapore, the pathway for oil from the Middle East to East Asia.

– Njoud Mashouka
Photo: Flickr

Search Engine Ecosia Uses Revenue to Reforest

Ecosia
As of 2015, less than one-third of our planet’s surface contains forests, and that percentage continues to decrease. According to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately 18.7 million acres of forest are destroyed annually. But a search engine called Ecosia is on a mission to help.

The Problem With Deforestation

Deforestation rates have slowed down somewhat since peak levels in the 1990s. Nevertheless, the Earth continues to lose this ecosystem at an alarming rate. Forests are home to an estimated 80 percent of the world’s non-aquatic species. The Amazon rainforest alone shelters an estimated 2,000 animal species and 40,000 plant species. As the world’s forests are gradually destroyed, millions of plants and animals lose their habitats. It is possible that, due to deforestation, countless species have gone extinct before they were ever discovered by humans.

In addition, forests play a number of roles in maintaining a safe and habitable environment. Forests are carbon sinks, meaning that they absorb large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, thereby helping to maintain a balanced and habitable climate. The loss of forests is responsible for at least 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to rising temperatures, extreme weather conditions and an increasing number of dangerous storms. These changes have the potential to make human life more difficult and dangerous, and people in impoverished countries often face the greatest risks.

What is Ecosia?

Ecosia is a web search engine founded in 2009 and based in Berlin, Germany. The brainchild of Christian Kroll, Ecosia was created as a “social business” with the primary objective of helping the world. For most businesses, profit comes first and service projects second. Ecosia has turned this order on its head.

Like other search engines, Ecosia makes money off of ads in internet searches. But unlike other engines, 80 percent of Ecosia’s revenue is used to plant trees in countries suffering from heavy deforestation and to fund reforestation projects. The search page also comes with a tree counter, allowing users to see how many trees their searches have planted so far.

As of 2018, Ecosia is contributing to reforestation efforts in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, and South America. Its projects target biodiversity hotspots containing a high number of plants and animals without alternative habitats. Many of these areas are at risk of disappearing. By reforesting these areas, Ecosia’s efforts are preventing countless species from going extinct.

Agricultural Benefits of Reforestation

Forests are vital to the health and safety of agriculture. Apart from maintaining a healthy climate and biodiversity, trees prevent erosion by holding soil. Without this protection from erosion, good soil is lost, and agriculture becomes significantly more difficult.

Trees also shield smaller crops from violent storms and channel nutrients to surrounding plants. They provide habitats for bees and other pollinators, facilitating natural fertilization of crops and plants. Perhaps most importantly, trees aid in precipitation. By drawing groundwater through their roots and evaporating it through their leaves, the water can return as rain. Not long after the reforestation project in Burkina Faso commenced, rainfall became more frequent in the semi-desertic area.

By setting the groundwork to create better and more sustainable conditions for agriculture, Ecosia is helping rural communities around the world improve their livelihoods.

Community Benefits of Reforestation

While reforestation efforts are inherently beneficial to the environment, Ecosia also ensures that local communities benefit from their projects. Many of the company’s efforts focus on planting trees that are useful to local farmers. One example is Ecosia’s project in Ghana, where more than 900,000 trees were planted along the Daka River. Most of these trees were fruit or nut trees. These trees not only helped restore and maintain the water level of the river but provided local people with food. Through the harvesting and selling of shea nuts, the plants also created new economic opportunities.

Finally, Ecosia projects bring communities out of poverty by employing locals to plant trees. The company provides a stable source of income for people in areas where jobs and money are scarce.

How to Help

Ecosia can be downloaded for free as an extension for browsers including Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome. It is also offered as an app on iOS or Android. So far, nearly 6 million people have begun using Ecosia, leading to the planting of more than 40 million trees. By 2020, the company hopes to have planted at least 1 billion, reviving broken habitats and contributing to a sustainable future.

–Keira Charles
Photo: Flickr

5 Beer Companies That Give Back

Beer Companies That Give BackOne of the most popular beverages throughout the world is undoubtedly an ice cold beer. In fact, the global beer industry generates more than $600 billion per year in sales. But, there are other factors to consider.

In order for the industry to be successful beer companies rely heavily on natural resources from other countries such as water, wheat, barley, etc. With such a high dependence on the support of other nations, many beer companies want to continue to support those communities by focusing on sustainability and reducing poverty. Here are five beer companies that give back.

5 Beer Companies That Give Back

  1. Heineken
    This popular Dutch beer company has been on the market for nearly a century and has recently created a campaign to support its global partners. Brewing a Better Future campaign launched in 2010 as an initiative to better utilize resources and modify industrial processes in the companies most vital region: Africa. As one of the top three users of malt barley in the world, Heineken is aware of its responsibility to maintain and support the farming communities it has access to. Slight changes in industrial practices can have an extensive impact on the surrounding economy.

    This campaign seeks to increase profit in African communities by developing sustainable agriculture methods. Some goals are to reduce water consumption at breweries by 25 percent, reduce carbon dioxide emissions during production by 40 percent and utilize 60 percent of locally sourced raw materials in Africa. These goals are set to be achieved by 2020.

    Another initiative, Growing Together in Africa, is a partnership between African farming communities and Heineken to improve farming conditions. By utilizing cassava crops, one of the most popular sources in Africa, in Heineken production, African farmers would have increased profit. Heineken’s effort to improve water quality, provide safe health care, increase crop cultivation and develop a proactive agricultural economy has prompted other companies to do the same.

  2. Michelob Ultra by Anheuser-Busch
    Anheuser-Busch, owner of Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and more, has also used its profits to help reduce global poverty. One recent Michelob Ultra campaign to benefit other developing countries came to public attention in December 2018. Michelob Ultra advertised its partnership with world-famous cyclist Lance Armstrong to raise funds for the World Bicycle Relief.

    This organization is dedicated to providing bikes to individuals living in poor communities without adequate access to transportation. In many developing countries it is common to have to walk for miles just to get access to clean water. Providing more bicycles as a mode of transportation will reduce travel time and create more opportunities for the millions of people who need it.

    Michelob Ultra raised $25,000 in the month of December 2018 by donating a percentage of the sales of a six-pack of beer. The company plans to continue this partnership and increase donations in the future to reduce issues contributing to global poverty such as the lack of transportation.

  3. Guinness
    This Irish classic also has a knack for philanthropy. This 260-year-old company has donated more than $8 million dollars to developing communities around the world to reduce the number of people living in poverty.

    Guinness launched its Water of Life campaign in 2007 to provide communities all across Africa access to clean drinking water. By developing eco-efficient water tanks in African communities, more than ten million people now have purified water. This program has also established healthcare facilities in Nigeria and hygiene stations in Uganda, as well as 200 other projects to support developing communities in Africa.

    Guinness has also partnered with Ikhayalami, a South African organization dedicated to creating sustainable infrastructure throughout the country. Projects started by Ikhayalami focus on research and development techniques to build energy efficient structures that withstand natural disasters. By utilizing solar energy, remodeling infrastructural practices, developing emergency preparedness tactics and connecting energy grids, these once underdeveloped communities will have the opportunity to thrive in technologically advanced homes, greatly reducing the risk of suffering from hunger and natural disasters.

  4. Stella Artois
    Some debate whether or not Stella counts as a beer company, but its contributions to eliminating global poverty are definitely worth noting. Like many other beer companies worldwide, Stella Artois recognizes how beer production negatively impacts water resources surrounding its factories. Approximately 844 million people have extremely limited access to clean drinking water, all of them living in underdeveloped and poverty-stricken regions.

    To counteract the consequences brought on by industrialization, Stella Artois uses its resources to provide clean water to those most affected by the global water crisis. The company is partnering with Water.org and the #PourItForward campaign to provide financial solutions to offset the growing crisis. Matt Damon and Gary White founded this campaign and have provided water access to 17 million people around the world. Stella Artois joins this campaign by promising to donate a percentage of sales directly to the organization. The company has produced limited edition chalices as an online fundraiser accessible to the general public. For every chalice sold Stella Artois will donate 3.13 dollars.

  5. Thirsty Planet Beer Co.
    Even small establishments can have a big impact. Thirsty Planet Brewing Co., a small beer company located in Texas, believes in brewing with a purpose. This company partners with Well Aware to fund projects provide clean water all across Africa. Well Aware strives to allow universal access to clean water by building 100 percent sustainable wells and water systems in small communities throughout the continent.

    A child dies from a water-borne illness every 90 seconds, most often in countries in extreme poverty and contaminated water. Thirsty Planet and Well Aware host fundraisers and mobilize efforts to increase sustainable water systems and clean water that is easy to access.

Beer companies do more than just provide refreshing beverages throughout the world. By partnering with humanitarian organizations these companies have displayed social consciousness, helping millions gain access to food, health care, education and clean water.

– Becca Cetta
Photo: Pixabay

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How Improving Girls’ Education in Thailand Can Boost the Economy

Girls' Education in ThailandThe education system, and especially girls’ education in Thailand, has continued to improve over the past few decades. Like many poverty-stricken countries, however, Thailand still struggles to provide education for all and tackle the gender equality gap among young boys and girls in school.

  1. Thailand is among the few countries in the world that have never been colonized by European powers, therefore their education system developed mainly on its own. The country focused its efforts on education reform. However, the process was a difficult one. Thailand has had no less than 20 different education ministers in the past 17 years. After the military coup in 2014, the country’s government attempted to regain the education reforms that were interrupted and increased funding for education.
  2. Thailand’s education system gives children and families many opportunities to choose how they want to receive their education. The first nine years of a child’s education are compulsory, with six years of elementary and three years of lower-secondary school. Students can be enrolled when they first turn six and admission is generally open to all children. The government also provides free three years of both pre-school and upper-secondary education that can be completed after students finished their studies, both of which are optional. In 2013, 75 percent of eligible youth were enrolled in upper-secondary school programs. Secondary education starts at the age of 12.
  3. Girls’ access to education is virtually equal to boys’, as the Thai government provides all children with a twelve-year education. In 2006, the ministry of education found that primary school net attendance for boys was 85.1 percent and 85.7 for girls. Currently, enrollment rates are mostly equal for both genders.
  4. Though girls education in Thailand is accessible, girls still face discrimination and other hardships at school. Educational opportunities in Thailand are more of an issue of class and affordability than gender and culture, though both are factors. Some such hardships are the cost of supplies and uniforms. A report by the poverty line found that in higher education, the student’s family could not afford the school fees, uniform expenses, textbooks, meals and especially transportation costs to the school.
  5. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., found that girls face discrimination in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields from as early as primary school. A 2015 report published by the UNESCO found that the discrimination in these cases stemmed from gender stereotypes and a lack of female role models in STEM.

UNESCO is now working with Thai educators to improve STEM education and motivate young girls to pursue their dreams in the science fields. This initiative is a part of a 20-year strategy that aims to transform the country to increase innovation, creativity, research, development and green and high-technologies driving the economy.

– Madeline Oden
Photo: Creative Commons

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Women and Water: Cornerstones of Developing Communities

Women and WaterOver 600 million people struggle to access clean water for drinking and sanitation worldwide. While for many this is a communal problem, the burden of finding and collecting water often falls onto women. In developing nations, gender inequality becomes apparent when observing water management within communities. Women are responsible for this vital resource, yet often excluded from larger water management decisions. Engaging women in community water management solutions empowers them and establishes greater equity in developing communities.

The Burden of Water

Women and children bear the majority of the burden when it comes to water collection. Every day, they collectively spend almost 200 million hours locating and obtaining water for their communities. Over 50 million more hours are spent searching for sanitary places to relieve themselves. Hours devoted to collecting water take away time from education, employment and family. Additionally, in some areas, water scarcity is so severe that women have to settle for dirty and contaminated water for drinking, cooking and cleaning, exposing them to water-borne diseases and parasites.

Providing sources of clean water and sanitation to women in developing nations has the potential to do much more than reducing health risks. The hours women and children reclaim when they get access to clean water in their homes or villages can instead be used to pursue higher education, start small businesses or even grow food for their families. One study conducted by UNICEF in Tanzania found that cutting down the time needed for collecting water from 30 minutes to 15 increased rates of girls attending school by over 10 percent. However, since women are rarely actively included in the process of supplying and financing water management solutions, their perspectives are not addressed in the long run.

Access to Clean Water’s Impact on Women

When women get the opportunity to elevate their responsibility for water beyond collection and into management, their potential can blossom. Water.org features stories of the impact access to clean water can make on the lives of women. In India, they found that women are often forced to collect water from outside their communities due to a lack of funds for installing water taps near their homes.

This inspired the creation of WaterCredit, a service providing affordable, short-term loans going towards constructing taps that offer long-term access to clean water in developing communities. Women like Manjula make up nearly 90 percent of borrowers, reducing the need to travel so far outside their communities to obtain water. This gives them the time and energy needed to manage personal businesses, which earn enough income to easily repay the loan from WaterCredit. Water.org reports that WaterCredit provided around 4.6 million loans, amassing a total value of 1.7 billion dollars, demonstrating what a feasible and impactful solution this service offers.

–Emmitt Kussrow
Photo: Flickr

The International Impact of Donated Clothing

The International Impact of Donated Clothing: What to Do Before You Donate
When Marie Kondo’s Netflix series, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” came out on New Year’s day in 2019, it sparked a donation craze in the United States. Within several weeks of the premiere, clothing, shoes and more overwhelmed donation centers. While charities resell or reuse some of these items, not all donations remain in the immediate community. So what happens to donated clothing that charities cannot resell or reuse? In fact, the international impact of donated clothing is greater than it may seem.

Where Do Donations Go?

According to estimates from ABC News, thrift shops and charitable organizations keep or sell less than 10 percent of donated clothing. Charitable organizations redirect the other 90 percent of unusable or unwanted clothing to textile recycling companies. These companies turn the clothes into cleaning rags, furniture filler, insulation and other products.

However, recycling companies cannot use all the material they purchase. Accordingly, they redirect a fourth of purchased material to other markets. These clothing donations become exports to developing countries around the world.

According to M.I.T’s Observatory of Economic Complexity, the U.S. is the largest exporter of used clothing (also known as textile waste, clothing or scrap) in the world. The sale of used clothing brings nearly $683 million to the U.S. economy each year. On the other side, Pakistan and Ukraine are the two largest importers, purchasing over six percent and four percent of exported clothes, respectively. While exporting used clothing helps repurpose material from the U.S., it can seriously undermine the textile industries of developing countries.

The International Impact of Donated Clothing

Donated clothing from the U.S. floods the markets in developing countries, providing cheap alternatives to domestically manufactured textiles. Often, donated clothes are more affordable and available than domestic options. Thus, as donated clothes find their way into foreign markets, they undercut domestic producers.

For example, several decades ago, half a million Kenyans had jobs in the garment industry. As of 2017, only 20,000 of those jobs remained. Now the garment industry in Kenya focuses on redistributing and shipping secondhand clothes domestically. Similarly, Zambia lost the majority of its clothing industry over the past 30 years. With increasing imports, Zambians could not afford to buy locally produced garments anymore.

With a constant stream of cheap clothing from developed nations, like the U.S., industries abroad struggle to compete. The constant competition stifles the development of alternatives to imported textiles. However, by keeping clothing donations local, individuals can help lessen the international impact of donated clothing. Try the tips below to keep donations local!

Five Ways to Donate More Responsibly

  1. Find the Right Charity: Do some research before donating. Find a local organization with excellent values and give back to the community. Use this opportunity to find out what kind of items local charities find most useful.
  1. Drop off Donations Personally: Take items directly to the charity of choice, as opposed to leaving them in a donation bin (often found in parking lots or alongside roads). Delivering personal items ensures the supported charity will benefit from the donation. Bonus: dropping off items helps charities minimize transportation costs.
  1. Donate Only What Charities Need: If items are worn out or old, organizations will have a hard time repurposing them. Try to donate only items that are usable. If unsure of what charities are looking for, contact the charity and find out!
  1. Recycle and Repurpose: If clothing is unsuitable for donation, try to find ways to reuse and repurpose them in daily life. For example, old t-shirts can easily become dish rags, cleaning cloths and more.
  1. Consider Consignment or Other Alternatives: Sell personal items and donate the proceeds to an organization of choice. The organization will save valuable time and resources to process and resell the donated items.

– Morgan Harden
Photo: Flickr

Top 10 Facts About Girls’ Education in India

Girls Education in IndiaIn 2017, India was ranked 130 in human development out of the world’s countries, putting the country on the medium level in regards to human development. This placement is due to imminent barriers that prevent girls from equal access to India’s academic opportunities. By contributing more to girls’ education, India’s ranking would improve as it would help to alleviate some poverty. This article presents the top 10 facts about girls’ education in India.

Top 10 Facts About Girls Education in India

  1. The caste system, dating back to 1200 BCE, is a form of discrimination that had been officially outlawed in 1955; however, its influence thrives in India’s modern-day education system. On the top of the system is a group called the Brahmins, and at the very bottom are Dalits (“untouchables”). This method has kept many Dalit girls secluded from promising scholastic endeavors. These children are often from their peers segregated during lunchtime and ridiculed by them in class. This rhetoric causes 51 percent of Dalit children to drop out of elementary school. Another law passed in 1989 was supposed to protect the Dalit caste, but it is not being sufficiently enforced.
  2. Gender inequality has deterred education for girls in India for a long time. In 2017, 32 percent of girls were not enrolled in school in comparison to 28 percent of boys. A male’s education in India is more valued, therefore; it is often seen as unnecessary to financially support a girl’s education due to these binding gender roles.
  3. In impoverished villages where schools are inaccessible and not encouraged, gender roles lead to a third of girls in India marrying off their educational futures. As high as 47 percent of the girls in India are subject to marriage by 18 years of age. This leads to early pregnancies, which makes it impossible to attend school as they must shoulder the stigma and the additional workload. Some regions also don’t permit pregnant girls to attend school, which puts education even further from their grasp.
  4. In 2009, the Right to Education Act (RTE), mandated that it is the right of every child to obtain a minimum amount of education. The program was supposed to make it compulsory for children ages 6 to 14 to access educational opportunities as more provisions were enacted. This was a step in the right direction, but more must be done to actively close the gender gap and retrain society to value girls’ education.
  5. The Right to Education Act in India seems to have improved the country’s ranking when looking at the growth in literacy rates. In 2001, literacy rates were 64.8 percent; however, this had increased to 74.04 percent by 2011. As of 2001, around 54 percent of girls were literate; however, after the RTE, the percentage had increased to more than 65 by 2011.
  6. Every year, 23 million girls in India drop out of school after they begin menstruating due to lack of sanitary napkin dispensers and overall hygiene awareness in schools. Lack of reproductive education leaves 71 percent of girls unaware of what takes place in their bodies during menstruation. Many girls even believe that was is happening is “unclean” and shameful. Even with awareness, lack of sanitary pads in rural areas force girls to use cloths that sometimes cause infections; only two to three women use sanitary pads.
  7. At least 47 percent of schools lack toilets, forcing girls to rid their bodily waste onto the streets, which is morally degrading to them. This is another reason they drop out of school, to avoid this shame. RTE included adding toilets to schools to solve this problem, but it wasn’t enough. Therefore, the Department of School Education and Literacy under Ministry of HRD implemented a program named, Swachh Vidyalaya, which would add $4,582.91 worth of toilets to schools.
  8. In Bihar, where the literacy rate for girls is 20 points lower than for their male counterparts, the trek to school is far. For someone in the Rampur Singhara village, the trek is 4 miles, and the bus fare is too expensive to send the child to school. However, the state government has given free bikes to families to encourage a higher literacy rate in poorer regions like Bihar. The bicycle program instantly showed success as the number of girls registering for schools went from 175,000 to 600,000 in the span of four years.
  9. India is expanding its horizons with technology to combat illiteracy, and it seems that women are benefiting the most. Computer-Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) teaches the basics of reading. This program targets individuals ages 20 to 50, which branches out India’s education system in terms of age for both sexes. Women comprised 81 percent of those who signed up for this efficient program. Girls who are at home due to poverty, gender roles or a host of other reasons are able to engage in education, thereby increasing the literacy rate.
  10. The poverty rate in India has declined from roughly 54 percent in 1983 to 21.2 percent in 2011 ever since educational improvements began taking place. Knowing this, it can be found that if India provided more resources for girls’ education, its GDP would increase. By simply increasing girls’ enrollment in secondary school by 1 percent, the  GDP in India would increase by $5.5 billion.

India aims to grow from a medium developed country to one of higher rank. Considering its recent strides in education, it is possible for India to attain this goal. However, this can only be done by realizing there is still more work to be done in closing the gap between boys and girls as these top 10 facts about girls’ education in India show.

– Gowri Abhinanda

Photo: Flickr

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Latin American Drug Cartels Target Impoverished Children

Latin American Drug Cartels Target Impoverished Children

Drug cartels are a rising problem everywhere, especially for those that are in poverty. Children, specifically children in poverty, are generally the most vulnerable population anywhere in the world. Latin American drug cartels target impoverished children specifically due to their innocence and willingness to obey. Although this situation seems unfixable, people are uniting together against Latin American drug cartels, providing much needed hope.

The Situation

In Latin America, 43 percent of children live in poverty. These children’s come from families with no money for food, clothing or shelter. Cartels know the struggles of these children, so they offer them work. Because many feel they have no choice but to accept work from Latin American drug cartels, 80 percent of children under 25 agree to work for them.

Young children in Mexico and other Latin American countries draw less suspicion than older individuals and are willing to work for little money. As a result, the cartels use them in every way possible. Cartels often send children unaccompanied to push drugs across borders. Subsequently, border security will help unaccompanied children, thus enabling drug traffickers to smuggle drugs across borders.

How Countries Combat Drug Cartels

Luckily for these children, countries are taking steps to eliminate cartels. Recently, Mexico initiated a joint investigative team with the U.S. to fight against drug cartels. The U.S. and Mexico have worked together to combat cartels since the 1970s. For instance, one program, the Merida Initiative, worked to stop the flow of illegal weapons from the U.S. into Mexico and, subsequently, Latin American cartels. Similarly, the U.S. and Mexico offer amnesty to drug dealers in exchange for information.

This new joint investigative team is based in Chicago and directly targets cartel finances. Cartels survive by distributing goods to suppliers and laundering money. Therefore, disrupting their finances and cracking down on money laundering will drastically slow their production. In doing so, the team intends to weaken and ultimately stop Latin American drug cartels.

How Nonprofit Organizations and KIND Help

Nonprofit organizations band together to help the children that drug smugglers employed previously. One organization in particular, KIND, is dedicated to offering such help. KIND protects children’s rights when unaccompanied children are detained by the U.S. and when they are on the move. KIND ensures detained children receive necessary legal aid, especially as these children are burdened with an immigration system they do not understand.

With the U.S. and Mexico targeting drug cartels’ financial assets and nonprofit organizations providing the necessary help, there is hope to eliminate drug cartels and keep vulnerable children safe. The U.S. and Mexico, along with nonprofit organizations, are executing solutions to keep drug cartels away from children and shut them down altogether.

– Emme Chadwick
Photo: Pixabay

Cyclone Idai Survivors Helped by Humanitarians

Cyclone Idai SurvivorsCyclone Idai has wreaked havoc upon Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, leaving destruction in its wake. Survivors suffer from disease, hunger and mental health problems. Humanitarian organizations and governments are joining together to try and help people affected by the disaster.

Background

Cyclone Idai and the resulting floodwaters destroyed infrastructure, homes and crops. As the crisis comes into focus, it is clear that it could take some time for the region to recover.

The death toll between the three countries is over 750 people and rising as government and aid workers assess the damage. An estimated 1.85 million people have been affected and 36,000 homes destroyed in Mozambique alone. Rescue workers have been scrambling to save people stranded by floodwater.

Cyclone Idai is one of the top three deadliest tropical cyclones ever to affect the Southern Hemisphere. Many climbed trees to escape the rising floodwater, with rescue workers lifting 634 survivors out of trees. Others fell into the crocodile-infested waters as they became too exhausted to hold on.

Displaced people are migrating toward the port city of Beira, Mozambique and to makeshift camps to escape areas engulfed by water. The close grouping of people in the camps has created new concerns for aid workers. Disease, hunger and mental health problems threaten these survivors.

Disease Among Survivors

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has reported cases of malaria infections and cholera among Cyclone Idai survivors. Jana Sweeny, a spokesperson for the IFRC, told Earther: “In disasters like this one–one where there is a lack of clean water and sanitation, and potential overcrowding–outbreaks of waterborne diseases are common.”

The standing floodwater is a breeding ground for mosquitoes that may carry malaria. Cholera, a waterborne bacteria, could also infect the floodwaters.

Humanitarian Efforts

At least 16 different humanitarian organizations, several governments and the United Nations are contributing to help Cyclone Idai survivors. The United States government pledged the assistance of its military. IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy said at press conference in Geneva: “We are seeing tremendous collaboration and partnership from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from all over the world, and from our international and United Nations partners.”

The United Nations has unloaded 22 metric tons of food supplies, and 40 more are on the way. U.N. organizations have been active in the region, initially in rescue operations, then as aid distributors. The U.N. Central Emergency Fund has allocated $20 million to provide aid to more than 400,000 people.

The IFRC is appealing for over $30 million for disaster relief. They have been delivering Emergency Response Units, which include equipment and teams that can provide sanitation and water purification for 20,000 people per unit. The IFRC is also deploying a field hospital that will be able to administer medical care for at least 150,000 people.

The IFRC has set up an online portal for connecting displaced children with their distraught parents. Cyclone Idai has left many children unaccompanied as they were either separated from their parents or orphaned.  Save the Children is also working to help these child Cyclone Idai survivors.

There is difficulty distributing aid as some of the affected areas are remote. Helicopters are the only safe mode of distribution since the cyclone destroyed roads and communications infrastructure.

The damage done by Cyclone Idai on Southeastern Africa will not be fully realized until some time has passed. But for now, the global humanitarian community is helping the region recover from this disaster.

– Peter S. Mayer
Photo: Flickr