Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

10 Facts About Poverty in Laos That Everyone Should Know

Facts About Poverty in Laos
Laos, officially known as the Lao People’s Democratic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International, Laos also suffers from major poverty. To get a better understanding of the daily struggle in Laos, below are 10 facts about poverty in Laos.

10 Facts About Poverty in Laos

  1. According to Vision Launch Discover, 90 percent of Lao people lived off of $1 a day in the 1990s; now, this number is about $1.25. The other 10 percent live in Vientiane, the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane draws in the most wealth as the economic center of Laos.
  2. Laos is the most bombed country in history because of World War II. From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than 2 million tons of ordnance over Laos during 580,000 bomb missions. Fifty people a year are killed from unexploded bombs left over from the war. These bombs scattered around the country are usually mistaken for toys and get tossed around before exploding; thus 40 percent of bomb deaths are children. Since 80 percent of people depend on their land to eat and live, people in Laos have no choice but to risk their lives working in fields covered in unexploded bombs.
  3. Forty-four percent, or 363,000, of Lao children under 5 years old are affected by stunting, a highly common condition in Laos. Stunting is usually caused by maternal undernutrition before and during pregnancy.
  4. More than 60 percent of children are malnourished and anemic. These conditions become potentially fatal due to the inadequate nutrition and lack of access to healthcare providers.
  5. Although improving, 23.2 percent or about 1.4 million Laos people are still living at or below the poverty line. Still, this is a major improvement from the 33.5 percent of the past.
  6. Agriculture is a key pillar in life in Laos, accounting for 80 percent of employment. The most important and produced crops are rice, vegetables, beans, sugarcane, starchy roots and tobacco.
  7. Education is scarce; therefore, people are forced to work in agriculture since there is little to no access to established schools and workplaces. According to United Nations Lao PDR, 70 percent of employed people work in agriculture and over a third of them don’t make enough to live sufficiently.
  8. Women receive less schooling but work longer hours than men; however, 70 percent of the illiterate population are women. According to UNESCO, more than 4,000 villages lack access to education.
  9. Two-thirds of people have a short supply of food and living essentials. During May and October of 2010, Laos faced what community leaders called the worst drought in living memory after Typhoon Ketsana in late 2009. This drought left 85,000 people affected with no seeds to harvest and no place to live. While poor climate is not unusual in Laos, this puts more burden onto the people that depend on their land to survive.
  10. For more than 20 years, the United States has donated more than $100 million to support UXO programs. This money is intended to clean up unexploded ordinances and give victims access to rehabilitation centers. Also, in February 2016, the United States and Laos signed to a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which will allow more opportunities and investments between the two nations.

Hardship and Progress

These top 10 facts about poverty in Laos illustrate the struggles and hardships that Laos people face daily. However, despite being one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia and the entire world, about half a million of Laos people have been lifted out of poverty thus far.

Fortunately, the United States and Laos continue to rebuild a relationship with each other with a goal of saving lives and rebuilding a better country for the Laos people.

– Kristen Uedoi
Photo: Flickr

Facts About Advancements in Agriculture in India

Agriculture in India
For decades, agriculture has played a key role in India’s socioeconomic growth. India is the second largest contributor of agriculture in the world with around 50 percent of people in India making their living from farming. But recently, farming has started to become less attractive, and more people are moving to big cities for different job opportunities. A decrease in water levels and poor crop yields have made it difficult to promote the growth of agriculture in India. Several organizations are stepping up to help turn things around and create new advancements in agriculture in India.

Advancements in Agriculture in India

  1. In 2017, India’s Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu signed seven agreements to enhance cooperation in space, agriculture and water management. The two countries hope that one outcome of this program will bring new technology that will help fight water shortages and bring agriculture back to India.
  2. The Prime Minister has also approved the Three-Year Action Plan through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) that is aimed at the educational aspects surrounding agriculture in India, with more support being provided to the faculty and students in higher agricultural education. The hope is to bring more confident people into the agricultural field, including women.
  3. DuPont India is one of the largest agricultural companies in the country. They work with the farmers in India to find solutions to the ever-changing environment. Along with providing agricultural products, the company also empowers farmers to make their ideas a reality. They work to find sustainable ways of farming and to protect the growth of crops for generations to come. This means finding solutions for insect and disease control, which are two of the problems that are preventing further growth in the agricultural community.
  4. As the largest supplier of hybrid seeds in the country, farmers are dependent on Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL) to provide high yielding seeds for their ever-growing population. The company is doing its part to contribute to the growth of agriculture in India by providing high-quality hybrid seeds. NSL provides seeds for more than 50,000 retailers. Over the years, NSL has become extremely focused on increasing crop yields, due to the water scarcity in India. The company has introduced a new concept that reduces the space between crops, which leads to an increase in overall production. This process has enabled farmers to use their time more effectively, and more than 35 percent of the farming community has started using this innovation.

Because of companies such as DuPont India and NSL, agriculture in India is able to continue to grow and be one of the largest farming contributors in the world. The entirety of India’s population is reliant on having a cohesive system of agriculture, whether it is their source of income or not. In fact, the whole world benefits from the advancements in agriculture in India; therefore, being educated in innovative, new technologies and changes in the field is incredibly important.

– Allisa Rumreich
Photo: Flickr

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How FGM/C and Poverty Are Clearly Connected

FGM/C and Poverty
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a practice that has occurred for generations — a female, often in childhood, is subjected to some form of cutting to her genitalia in the promotion of religious following and the detraction of desire for sexual interaction. Its purpose is to reduce sexual desire in women, thereby making them less likely to be interested in intercourse outside of marriage. It is also highly symbolic to many groups of people who practice it as a religious necessity; however, there is no known religion that demands this practice.

FGM/C and Poverty

FGM/C and poverty are connected in developing countries as the girls who undergo FGM/C are often from poor families who are then married as children, never continue their education and subsequently repeat the cycle of poverty. Recently, there has been a decline in FGM/C practitioners, which should lead to lower levels of extreme poverty on an individual basis.

Countries such as Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, Liberia and Togo have experienced a decline in FGM/C prevalence, with Egypt reducing prevalence from 69 percent to 55 percent between ages of 2005 and 2014. As the correlation with lower education becomes more well-known, it can be inferred that the decline in FGM/C victims has led to a higher attendance rate for girls at school, which can, in turn, affect the poverty in the region.

Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a program designed to create social equality throughout the world, works to end poverty in developing countries. A primary focus of the organization is to work to end FGM/C and poverty because the list of side effects and results of the practice leave women often unable to contribute in their society because they are traumatized, physically incapacitated, unable to maintain strength and nutrition, and in some cases, do not survive the procedure.

When injuries or death result, the cost of caring for these women or paying for their funeral causes strain on family members and communities. Such a responsibility can, in turn, increase the poverty issues already at play. Disability due to the trauma from FGM/C can also lead to a woman’s decreased productivity level, thereby bringing in less money for the family and continuing the cycle of poverty.

The Beginning of the End

The decline of the practice is increasing in developing countries, with more people wanting FGM/C to end. In 2010, a Burkina Faso survey determined that 90.6 percent of women wanted FGM/C to end, a staggering increase from 75.1 percent in 1999. With such a trend beginning, countries should encourage education, discourage FGM/C and lower the poverty levels by introducing a new way of thinking.

FGM/C and poverty are both declining, but it can be agreed that the decline is not occurring quickly enough. More must be done to protect young girls from the sexual alterations that are often completed without consent.

By not cutting into perfectly healthy and innocent girls, developing nations can promote a stronger and healthier workforce. FGM/C and poverty are connected, and one cannot be reduced in isolation — it is imperative that both be tackled to end the other.

– Kayleigh Mattoon
Photo: Flickr

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What is Poverty? Difficult and Complex

What Is Poverty
The task of defining poverty, multidimensional and complex, requires an evaluation of factors relating to a person’s access to basic human necessities. ‘Poverty’ is a widely interpreted term, and attempting to create a universal, encompassing definition remains a topic of debate for many leading experts in the field. 

Defining Poverty

What is poverty? Poverty is not knowing where your next meal will come from, or if there will be the next meal. Poverty is a lack of education, not knowing how to read or write. Poverty is being sick and not having access to medical care, or knowing that your child will likely die due to lack of medication and proper treatment. Poverty is being unemployed, fearing what comes next and fearing the future.

Poverty’s many faces rear their heads in every aspect of life. Poverty is something from which one yearns to escape, and the range of experiences with poverty vary by location and place in time.

For these reasons, The Borgen Project’s approach to advocating for the global poor delves into wide-ranging topics from many different angles. Pervasive and convoluted, poverty affects people on more than an economic level. Lack of income and infrastructure in a nation leads to insufficient medical care, education, nutrition and other quality of life deficits. 

The Cycle of Poverty

Poverty also functions as a cycle and continues generationally. Once an individual, family or community falls below a level of resource-access, events continue like dominoes to perpetuate their situation: “progressively lower levels of education and training leading to lack of employment opportunities, leading to criminal activity for survival, leading to addiction, shattered health, early death, and breakup of family, leading to even bleaker future for the next generation…. and so on.” 

Someone, or something, must intervene and structurally change the systems to interrupt the cyclical nature of poverty. The common phrase perpetuated by American Dream ideology of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is impossible when institutional structures ingrained in many societies prohibit those caught in this cycle from breaking out. 

Poverty and Foreign Aid

Many U.S. citizens criticize provision of foreign aid, arguing that there are impoverished citizens within the U.S. that deserve support more than those abroad. This argument is valid; however, many Americans believe that 20 percent of the U.S. budget goes to foreign aid, which is blatantly false. 

In fact, less than 1 percent goes to help the global poor, which is far less than many countries contribute. In addition, helping the world’s impoverished strengthens global stability and improves trade, which, in turn, benefits Americans. Poverty is relative; an American living in Appalachia who has classified as impoverished lives a much different lifestyle than one living in rural Romania in a hut without running water, electricity or access to nutritious food.

The fact that poverty exists and permeates groups so deeply is a call to action for every single person across the globe.  It is the reason that advocacy organizations like The Borgen Project exist: so that one day, hopefully in the near future, every citizen of this planet will have access to basic necessities like having enough to eat, a roof over their heads, a place to learn, healthcare, protection from violent conflict and a voice that is heard in their communities. 

Fighting Poverty

We can change the world for the better. A few small actions can cause waves of difference that will reshape the lives of many, and this influential process starts by calling on the U.S. government to change their foreign policy and provide more aid to countries with severe poverty. Calling and emailing your representatives may seem intimidating, but it is easier than you think. 

Asking governmental officials to support bills like the International Affairs Budget, the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act, the Build Act and the Food for Peace Modernization Act can have an enormous impact. Phone calls and emails from constituents are simple, small actions that do make a difference. Contact Congress and make a difference to fight poverty today. 

– Jilly Fox
Photo: Unsplash

The Growing Markets in Lagos, Nigeria

Growing Markets in Lagos
Nigeria is often associated with a stagnant economy riddled with corruption; however, Lagos, the country’s largest city, hosts business opportunities that are continually growing, making it one of Africa’s largest rising economies. Lagos is currently Africa’s seventh largest economy, and its rapid rise in GDP and population have the city projected to become the continent’s second largest market by 2035. The growing markets in Lagos have boosted Nigeria’s economy and have set an example in a continent full of market opportunities.

Economy and Population in Lagos

The GDP and population growth of Lagos, Nigeria are the most indicative factors of the rapidly growing market opportunities in the city. Economic growth first began in Lagos after the government moved the capital to Abuja in 1991, and then continued on after the government invested money in the growing oil industry in the area.

In addition to the oil industry, Lagos has also economically benefitted from Nigerian policy reforms that improve privatization of businesses. Many newly privatized companies are centralized in the Yaba district of Lagos, which has been financially supported by the state government, and infrastructure projects are constantly underway to reflect the rapid growth of the city.

This economic growth has led to a state output of $136 billion in 2017, comprising more than a third of Nigeria’s GDP. The strong economy of Lagos is projected to continue growing with a 4.5 percent GDP growth per year in 2035, a figure that rests significantly above the current global average of 2.9 percent.

Lagos’s growing economy and infrastructure largely work to support a rapidly increasing population. By 2035, the population is expected to reach 28.5 million people ­­– significantly higher than the 2012 census population of just over 8 million people. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode claims that the population is a significant factor of the growing markets in Lagos, adding that the city has “the population and rise of an emerging class” and is “a new market, a new frontier to consider.”

New Businesses in Lagos

New business opportunities have shown off the increasingly prosperous markets in Lagos, and many successful Nigerian startups now have their offices in the city. Finance/technology, consulting, retail companies and startups like PayLater and Yellow Brick Road have historically dominated the economic environment of Lagos, and continue to host numerous companies that have caught investors’ attention.

Investment opportunities in Lagos are also important to the city’s markets and are some of the largest in all of Africa. According to the World Bank, an estimated $93 billion in investments in Africa is required annually, and Lagos requires at least a quarter of these investments.

Continued Expansion

Market opportunities in Africa continue to expand with economic growth, and these opportunities are only emphasized in Lagos, Nigeria. The city has become a thriving music, fashion and film hub throughout Africa, and growing markets in Lagos develop along with GDP and population.

Africa has immense economic potential, and Lagos is only one of several cities on the continent that showcases these realized business opportunities. With continued attention and proper investment, both the city and the nation should see a bright fiscal future.

–Matthew Cline
Photo: Flickr

A New View: How the Media Misrepresents Papua New Guinea

Media Misrepresents Papua New Guinea
Western media often sensationalizes the unknown, and the country of Papua New Guinea – just over 90 miles north of Australia – has undoubtedly fallen victim of media sensationalism and stereotyping. The media misrepresents Papua New Guinea as a country with no development, little civilization and stereotypes the entire country as primitive and poor.

While a majority of the country is rural, Papua New Guinea is a developing economy with a steadily growing urban population, and the diverse population of the country is working to create a different image of Papua New Guinea in Western media.

Economic Growth

The economy of Papua New Guinea is heavily dependent on industry, mining and agriculture, notably timber, fish, coffee, cocoa and rubber. Agriculture currently accounts for 25 percent of GDP and supports more than 80 percent of the population. The media often disregards Papua New Guinea as a country with extremely little economic growth.

However, this is a misrepresentation of the country since the economy is continuing to develop and offer more people the opportunity to make more money. In addition, export opportunities from increased mineral and energy extraction have offered more trade and economic influx in the country.

The GDP of Papua New Guinea has experienced some of the highest growth in the world, largely due to energy extraction sector developments. In 2015, the GDP experienced 10.5 percent growth and has continued to steadily increase at a rate of two percent since then. The media misrepresents Papua New Guinea by stereotyping the country to have no real economic change; in reality, Papua New Guinea is beginning to develop more rapidly.

Urbanization

The media misrepresents Papua New Guinea as being stuck in the forest with little desire and opportunity to urbanize. While urbanization has been a challenge in Papua New Guinea due to the extremely dense forest and lack of infrastructure, this developing economy has led to more attention to urbanization.

The media, though, does not discuss such large strides towards infrastructure development. The World Bank’s Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Project has restored more than 800 kilometers of national roads and plans to continue with its reparations. In addition, rehabilitated and replaced bridges have benefitted an estimated 1.3 million people, or about 27 percent of the population.

While a majority of the population lives in rural areas of the country, globalization and the development of cities like Lae and the capital Port Moresby have led to an increase in urbanized population in Papua New Guinea. In 1960, only 3.75 percent of the population lived in urban areas of the country; contrastingly, approximately 13 percent of the population lived in urbanized areas in 2016.

Diversity

The media misrepresents Papua New Guinea as a nation lacking diversity and constantly at war between a handful of tribes. In reality, the country is extremely ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse. Although only 7 million people live in Papua New Guinea, the country’s 820 languages spoken give it the world’s highest level of language diversity.

In addition to language isolates, English and English-based languages like Hiri Motu and Tok Pisin are commonly spoken between people throughout the country. Tok Pisin, an English Creole, is understood by over 50 percent of the population, and English is a lingua franca.

While there are thousands of tribes in Papua New Guinea, the media misrepresents the ways in which tribes interact with one another. Most tribes actually work together and are peaceful with each other, and showcase this annually through gatherings that emphasize the nation’s diversity called Sing Sings.

During Sing Sings, like in Mount Hagen or Goroka, as many as 100 different tribal groups come together to practice their different cultures, and the custom has continued for more than 60 years as a way to promote peaceful interactions between tribes.

A New Perspective

Although Papua New Guinea is a poor and largely undeveloped country, the media misrepresents and misconstrues the country as a lawless, tribal jungle with little economic growth and even less diversity. Despite this common perception, the economy of Papua New Guinea continues to grow — they’ve experienced a remarkable improvement in GDP, urbanization and globalization have catalyzed development within even rural areas of the country, and tribes in the country are largely peaceful and extremely diverse.

As a country whose motto is “Unity and Diversity,” Papua New Guineans have utilized their diverse cultural and physical landscape to make positive changes in their country. Now, it’s up to the media and the world to truly understand all that Papa New Guinea is and can be.

– Matthew Cline
Photo: Flickr

Genocide Prevention Through Education, Awareness & Action

Genocide Prevention
One of the worst occurrences in humankind is genocide — the killing of an entire group of people. The website titled Genocide Watch has a goal of predicting, preventing, stopping and punishing genocide and other forms of mass murder if/when they occur. In fact, this website even went so far as to develop a code for people at risk of genocide:

Genocide Watch, Warning and Emergency

  1. A Genocide Watch: Early warning signs indicate the danger of a genocidal process underway.
  2. A Genocide Warning: A genocidal process is underway and is often indicated by genocidal massacres with the imminent danger of root and branch destruction.
  3. A Genocide Emergency: A genocidal process has taken on root and branch dimensions.

Currently, Burundi is coded Genocide Watch; Turkey is coded as a Genocide Warning. However, nine countries are signified with a Genocide Emergency: Yemen, Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria. This extensive list of countries in conflict demonstrates why genocide prevention efforts are crucial to stopping a genocide in its tracks.

Organizations Combatting Genocide

Numerous efforts are being made across the globe to make genocides an action of the past, and the following is a few of the groups making a profound change on the prevention and combat of genocides today.

  1. The Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. This center is connected to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., United States. The goal of this center is to mobilize global action for genocide prevention and to motivate the international community to respond in the face of genocide. The Simon-Skjodt Center combines action with awareness, as they work to influence policymakers and bring awareness to projects and risk factors that lead to genocide.
  2. Early Warning Project utilizes data to identify countries at risk of new mass atrocities. Their goal is to advance prevention through their early warning system for mass atrocities. By providing governments, advocacy groups and at-risk societies with earlier and more reliable warning, this organization then has more opportunity to take action before deaths occur. This website provides a world map that shows a country’s risk through a color scheme. It also explains their statistical risk assessment. The Early Warning Project utilizes an analytical approach to work for the prevention of genocide.
  3. United to End Genocide focuses on acts individuals can take to prevent future genocides. This organization encourages passionate individuals to lobby Congress to make human rights and genocide prevention core values in U.S. foreign policy. Also, United to End Genocide encourages individuals to mobilize others to demand action. Again, this organization provides a list of countries at risk for human rights violations. Lastly, they want to “stop the enablers;” by this, United to End Genocide puts public pressure on companies that welcome or reward perpetrators of mass atrocities. So, be a conscious consumer when it relates to preventing genocide.

Preventative Efforts

When considering genocide prevention, it is important to address the stages of genocide and the importance of early intervention. Knowing signs of classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization and preparation and educational efforts are crucial to preventing genocide prior to persecution, extermination and denial.

For an example of such preemptive behavior, Myanmar is under a Genocide Emergency. Three major stages of this status that occurred were discrimination, dehumanization and polarization of the Rohingya Muslims. By identifying these stages and how they occur in society, the international community can better prevent genocide.

Awareness and Activism

Such organizations focus their work on preventing genocide through bringing awareness to the public, educating and mobilizing policymakers, and taking action when needed. Projects that work toward preventing genocide not only reduce or stop massive conflict in its tracks, but also work to alleviate poverty worldwide.

These key tools of education, awareness and action are also important when alleviating communities of extreme poverty. These global issues are interwoven and by addressing poverty and addressing genocide simultaneously, the global community can live in a better world.

– Jenna Walmer
Photo: Flickr

Credit Access in the Marshall Islands

Credit access in the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands are not a dominant country in the international sphere. Home to only 70,000 people and largely separated as tiny islands that string across the Pacific, the Marshall Islands, and with them their people and businesses, are disconnected from much of the world. Although they lack economic significance in most regards, the Marshall Islands are valuable assets that should be protected and considered when discussing credit access and other business-related activities.

Credit Access Relating to Natural Disasters

Credit access in the Marshall Islands, while small when compared to more developed countries, is an important aspect when considering the looming threat of climate change and the impacts it may have on business development and activity. According to many reports regarding the financial aspects of the Marshall Islands, related relief related to natural disasters is a large component of the credit conversation in the country.

One of the main issues with credit access in the Marshall Islands, whether relating to natural disasters or not, is the limited amount of individuals who are able to oversee and initiate credit activity. As the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative reports, “authority lies with a few key individuals who are also responsible for many other portfolios of work.” Already constrained by their regular duties, these authority figures are further stretched when natural disasters take place and require immediate attention. The impact of climate change is growing in this area of the world with rising sea levels, acidification of crops and infrastructural damage, and credit access in the Marshall Islands seems to be entering a time of greater complexity, with few people able to navigate the system.

U.S. Foreign Aid

The Marshall Islands are currently receiving significant levels of aid from the United States. Since 1986, the U.S. has committed roughly $46 million per year to the Marshall Islands, focusing on boosting economic standing within the country. While international aid is a positive aspect as a whole, the fact that a significant portion of the economy and its associated activity rely on outside help is a point of concern, especially because the U.S.-Marshall Island aid agreement is ending in 2023. Foreign aid fluctuations or, in the extreme case, suspension of all aid, could result in disaster for the Marshall Islands and their people.

The Marshallese face not only the prospect of being unable to create and establish new business ventures with a lack of adequate credit, but the possibility that credit already in place could be severely undercut. Credit access in the Marshall Islands is already limited, and international aid is essentially the only aspect keeping the nation afloat.

Difficulties With Microcredit

Microcredit activity is another financial aspect being considered in the Marshall Islands; however, complexities with this activity are also concerning. As the Enterprise Research Institute (ERI) explains, microcredit activity requires “substantial expertise” and diligent follow up, which often prove costly. The ERI finds another issue with microcredit initiatives in the fact that, “usury laws impose a ceiling on lending charges at an effective nominal interest rate of 24 percent per year. This amount is below the minimum sustainable level of successful microcredit institutions in other countries.”

Individual Credit Access

When taking a closer look at individual access to credit, the situation is not much better. While legal rights are widely acknowledged throughout the country, the depth of credit information is severely lacking; the Marshall Islands scored a 0 out of 8 in the category for depth in credit information index. Not only is credit access misunderstood throughout the country, but basic information regarding this area of concern is either limited or held from view. Additionally, the Marshall Islands placed 90 out of 190 countries in the category of “getting credit.” While not at the bottom of the list, there is still substantial room for improvement.

While the Marshall Islands are home to a small population and an economy that predominantly relies on agricultural activity, access to credit remains an important aspect within their economy, especially when considering the looming impacts of climate change on economic activity. Not only is Marshallese credit access reliant on foreign aid from countries like the United States, but it is becoming increasingly tied to the topic of disaster relief. Credit information is limited nationwide, microcredit activity is seemingly non-applicable and authority figures who can properly handle the allotment of credit are already few and far between. As of now, credit access in the Marshall Islands resembles the physical layout of the country: underdeveloped, propped up by international aid and under the constant threat of natural disasters.

– Ryan Montbleau
Photo: Flickr

The Benefits of Dominican Baseball Recruitment

Dominican Baseball Recruitment
American baseball has become increasingly diverse and filled with players not originally from the United States. Major and minor league recruiters set up sophisticated training facilities, or ‘academias,’ throughout Latin America, including the Dominican Republic, aiming to streamline talented students to successful careers in U.S. baseball. The academias function as motivation and preparation for Hispanic youth to bring themselves and their families out of poverty. Since 4 out of 10 are impoverished in the Dominican Republic, baseball is seen as a ticket out. There are many benefits that come from baseball recruitment in the Dominican Republic.

Baseball in the Dominican Republic

More Major League Baseball players come from the Dominican Republic than any other country. In 2016, 134 players came from the country, about one in every 10 major leaguers. In the Dominican Republic, efforts to build the best players begin with children as young as 14 years old.

It is estimated that Dominican players earn roughly $400 million each year from playing baseball, some of which is sent back to the Dominican Republican and reinvested in their economy. This sum makes up a small part of the true financial impact of baseball in the Dominican Republic, as the training academias draw in thousands of aspiring youths — not just Dominicans, but also those from neighboring countries such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico and Cuba. These facilities must be staffed with trainers and equipment, and baseball is estimated to spur the Dominican economy by $1 billion a year.

Pros and Cons

Baseball also plays a socially positive role for Dominicans. Dominican baseball recruitment bonds families and friends towards a common goal, and keeps youth out of troubling activities that could derail futures. Major league players functions as heroes and inspiration—showing those who come from nothing that success is possible. Those who grow up impoverished can make it to the MLB, amass a fortune, and spread the wealth back to their home country.

A downside frequently exists when this type of cultural transplant occurs. On average, only 2 percent of those who enter academias ever make it to the major leagues. Another major issue is the use of performance enhancing drugs on youth to make them more competitive to recruiters — handlers, or agents, stand to benefit from their prodigies’ prowess and success. 

Since players’ signing bonuses range anywhere from $10,000 to over $3 million, with handlers receiving 10 percent – 50 percent of this amount, it’s logical that Dominican players make up 38 percent out of those who test positive for these drugs. In addition, few legal boundaries are in place for how players are handled prior to handling, and often result in vast amounts of corruption among agents.

Back to One’s Roots

Despite these problems, the success of baseball recruitment in the Dominican Republic remains strong. Nelson Cruz, the Seattle Mariners cleanup hitter, is an exemplary illustration of a Dominican player that gives back in meaningful ways. 

Living the good life as an impressive MLB player, he has not forgotten the reality of life for many back home in the Dominican Republic. His family ingrained in him a commitment to doing the right thing, and after his old neighbors and lifelong friends in Las Matas de Santa Cruz lost their home in a fire, he arranged to have a firetruck sent back to his hometown.

“In my community, we didn’t have a firetruck,” Cruz said. “We also needed an ambulance because we don’t have the biggest hospital. When somebody gets sick, or accidents or heart attacks, any emergency, we had to transport those people in trucks or SUVs, nothing that can give you the medical attention you need.”  In the U.S., we take things like emergency medical response for granted, but this is often not the case in many Latin American countries. Cruz’s donation has reportedly helped save many lives and changed the landscape of his home country.

Living the Dream

Cruz has also arranged a scholarship program to help combat some of the issues with baseball recruitment. Oftentimes, recruits leave school and sign a three-year contract but never make it to the big leagues, leaving them with nothing and no education. Cruz helped create a scholarship program to help these youth obtain an online diploma in an attempt to ease the transition for Hispanic youth whose baseball dreams fail to take them to full athletic success. 

This story of one of many Hispanic players giving back to their home countries facing extreme poverty demonstrates the positive cycle spurred by baseball recruitment in Latin America. This sport helps bring underdeveloped countries out of extreme poverty and can act as a beacon of hope for Hispanic youth.

– Jilly Fox

Photo: Flickr

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TEDx Kakuma Breaks Down Barriers for Refugees

TEDx Kakuma
While the world sits in social turmoil determining how best to help refugees from countries such as Syria, TEDx is attempting to bring light where there is darkness. TED is a non-profit organization that works to share ideas with the masses, inspiring the individual to speak out and be heard.

TED has been prevalent in developed countries in North America and Europe since 1984; however, they have since expanded to include other nations from other continents. TEDx started in 2009 and is run independently. It reaches out to smaller communities around the world. While this expansion was sorely needed and widely welcomed, TEDx surpassed all former barriers by choosing to host TEDx Kakuma, a convention in a Kenyan refugee camp.

TEDx Kakuma

On June 9, 250 TEDx speakers spoke to a group of refugees that have found a temporary home in Kakuma, Kenya. The speakers presenting at the TEDx Kakuma conference included former refugees and scholars who have spent their life’s work studying developing countries, poverty and poverty reduction techniques.

By having these speakers physically come to the refugee camps, it not only provides the speakers with some firsthand experience and knowledge of the people and places they study but also provides the refugees with an opportunity to speak their truth and be heard. Collaboration and such a meeting of the minds is a strong and beneficial way to connect the world, showing us that whether we be the refugee or the TEDx Kakuma speaker, we work for betterment together.

Holding a TEDx within the refugee camp is essential to reminding refugees of something sorely and too often overlooked – their humanity. Speakers, such as athletes from The Refugee Olympic Team and others who grew up in refugee camps, provided the opportunity for hope to grow and for the refugees to be inspired.

Providing A Platform For Refugees

Many of the speakers at the TEDx Kakuma convention represented a program called the LuQuLuQu campaign, showing the strength of refugees all over the world. The program focuses on the displaced due to poverty, violence, war or oppression. The U.N. Refugee Agency, the founders of the campaign, work to protect the rights of those often ignored providing a voice when there often is none.

Providing this platform to refugees in the Kakuma camp allows hope to grow and to foster growth away from poverty and towards a better future. By introducing this campaign in a refugee camp instead of at a regular TED convention where only a few privileged individuals have access to it, TEDx Kakuma is working to end poverty and discrimination at the source rather than focusing on it from a distant perspective.

Refugee status cannot be solely attached to poverty within a nation; however, it can be linked as a common factor. When nations don’t work to provide protection for their citizens, more refugees are created and more poverty spreads into refugee camps. By providing TEDx in a refugee camp such as Kakuma, Kenya, TEDx is working to bring more minds into the poverty discussion. More importantly, TEDx is providing those who are struggling with the opportunity to be a part of the conversation, a factor sorely needed to end poverty.

– Kayleigh Mattoon
Photo: Flickr