Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Nonprofit Highlight: SAMBHAV in Nepal

Nepal
Poverty is a significant and growing concern in Nepal. The country’s Finance Ministry estimated that 21.6 percent of Nepal’s population, or 6 million Nepalis, are living under the poverty line. This makes Nepal one of the most impoverished countries in South Asia.

Poverty In Nepal

High poverty rates have numerous implications. Nepal has an extremely high infant mortality rate. Per 1,000 live births in Nepal, 34.5 children die before the age of 5. Poverty contributes to this significantly, as many of these lives likely could have been saved with greater hygiene standards and access to healthcare.

Over 50,000 children die every year in Nepal with malnutrition accounting for over 60 percent of the deaths. A total of half of the children in Nepal are underweight. Rates of disease and death in pregnant women are also high due to lack of access to healthcare and poor hygiene.

Considerable amounts of political unrest and conflict in Nepal have contributed to the poverty issue. Schools have been forced to close or teachers go on strike, which leads to a shortened school year for the Nepali children. Living in a conflict zone also makes it much more difficult for children to travel to and from school.

SAMBHAV

Thankfully, there are many non-profits out there that work to make a difference in the world of poverty. SAMBHAV in Nepal is one of them. This organization utilizes youth clubs and training programs to alleviate the burdens of poverty, specifically for teens and women. These initiatives lead to reforms in education and healthcare, to name a few.

Past projects have included a drinking water project in which SAMBHAV rebuilt the water systems in villages and schools after the earthquake in Nepal in 2015. This venture led to increased access to clean drinking water in impoverished communities leading to better hygiene and fewer diseases for those living in poverty.

SAMBHAV and Education

Providing quality education is also essential in alleviating poverty. SAMBHAV in Nepal has reconstructed schools and moved them to more convenient locations in order to increase attendance. For example, when Dharapani Secondary School first began, it only had 10 students. The school was destroyed by an earthquake in 1987 and was poorly rebuilt.

SAMBHAV brought attention to this project’s needs, and in 2010, it was rebuilt by The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Dharapani Secondary School was completely reconstructed with a new toilet facility installed. In addition, multiple teacher training programs were implemented to increase the quality of the school’s education system. Dharapani Secondary School now has around 400 students.

SAMBHAV has included the reconstruction of another school in its current projects in Nepal’s. The Bhairabi Primary School was also damaged after the earthquake and was in desperate need of reconstruction. Phase I of the project, which was finished in April of 2017, included three newly constructed classrooms in addition to three renovated old classrooms and three new toilets. Phase II is now underway and is set to consist of rebuilding a five-block classroom and adding three more toilets.  

Thanks to the efforts of SAMBHAV, children in Nepal have brighter futures in the face of poverty.

– Amelia Merchant
Photo: Flickr

How Credit Access in Zambia Can Boost Employment Rates


Credit access in Zambia is limited with only 38 percent of adults having some level of formal financial inclusion. While this number represents progress — as that percentage used to be a mere 23 percent — it also indicates that there is still room for development in the private and financial sector of Zambia.

The Financial Sector Deepening Zambia (FSDZ) is making a substantial effort to increase the availability of financial services and credit access to individuals in Zambia. By working with financial service providers, policymakers and civil society, FSDZ is creating an environment of greater financial inclusion in Zambia.

The Root of the Lack of Credit Access

One of the largest economic drivers in Zambia and several other developing countries are Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are pivotal to increasing the economy, as they often provide opportunities for low-income people and contribute to Zambia’s GDP by creating growth opportunities. In Zambia, the SME sector comprises approximately 97 percent of all businesses.

However, a majority of SMEs in Zambia face obstacles when attempting to gain support from Financial Service Providers like banks and microfinance institutions to grow their portfolios. According to a business survey conducted in Zambia, a majority of SMEs do not belong to a formal business association or network. Due to this, business owners and farm owners often can only rely on their limited network of friends and family for business, which is not a sustainable growth model.

Conversely, financial institutions emphasize that SME owners often do not have the capacity to prepare bankable business proposals, which was a large constraint to accessing finance. Better relationships between Financial Service Providers and owners of SMEs may create a path of greater understanding and thereby greater financial inclusion.

Long-Term Effects of Enhancing Zambia SMEs Access to Finance

Improving credit access in Zambia and addressing its financial inclusion strategy is key to not only increasing formal financial inclusion but also to growing and developing Zambia’s ever-changing economy. Increasing financial literacy among small and medium enterprise business owners will allow them advocate for themselves among financial institutions. Organizations like International Trade Centre (ITC) work to do just that, facilitating access to financial supply for SMEs with high growth potential.

So far, ITC has provided 105 growth-oriented small or medium enterprises with business development training and individual counseling that improves business management. All of the SMEs that underwent training developed growth strategies that helped them increase sales, invest in new technologies and hire more staff. Through the timeframe of the project, 50 percent of the SMEs that received support and training were able to access formal finance.

The Ripple Effect

Increasing financial inclusion in Zambia will have a ripple effect: if Financial Service Providers provide access to services to owners of SMEs, then SMEs will have more room for growth. If SMEs grow their businesses, then there will be more opportunities for employment, especially for the country’s poor, thereby decreasing poverty rates.

There is still much that needs to be done for Zambia to become more stable as an economy. However, if business owners receive more access to formal financial institutions, then credit access in Zambia will produce many opportunities for its citizens, lead to a more robust economy and alleviate poverty rates.

– Shefali Kumar
Photo: Flickr

10 Eye-Opening Facts about Human Rights in Haiti

Top 10 facts about human rights in Haiti
Located on the island of Hispaniola, Haiti is home to a population of around 11 million people and has been victim to environmental disasters and political corruption. These issues are still prevalent today and continue to affect Haitians around the country; here are 10 facts about humans rights in Haiti that everyone should know.

10 Facts About Human Rights in Haiti

  1. Throughout history, Haiti has suffered many natural disasters that have ruined entire regions and left families homeless and in dire need of government support. The last category-5 hurricane – Hurricane Matthew – killed around 336 people, and displaced more than 60,000 others. The Haitian government worked with UNICEF and other humanitarian programs since to assist families and children and provide clean drinking water.
  2. The prison system is one of the greatest human rights issues in Haiti. Haitian prisons have the highest overcrowding rate in the entire world, and around 80 percent of the inmates are still awaiting trial and have never been convicted of a crime.
  3. Haiti’s illiteracy rate is the highest in the western hemisphere. Despite efforts to reform the education system, the country still faces shortages in school supplies and qualified teachers. Enrollment rates, however, have been steadily increasing, allowing Haitian children the fundamental right to receive an education.
  4. The displacement of Haitian children after the 2010 Hurricane led to a striking increase in human trafficking. Today, around 30,000 children live in orphanages. Many of these so-called “orphanages” are actually trafficking businesses exploiting children and forcing them to work in dirty, inhumane environments. J.K. Rowling, the writer of the best-selling Harry Potter novels, has created a non-profit organization called Lumos that strives to end corrupt human traffickers from preying on vulnerable children.
  5. In 2015, allegations were made about fraudulent behavior related to the presidential election in the nation. After the allegations were confirmed in 2016, another election was held and declared Jovenel Moise as the new Haitian president in 2017. Recently, Moise has been in political turmoil over the new fuel price hike and Haitians are violently demanding that he step down from office.
  6. The LGBTQ community continues to suffer substantial discrimination from the Haitian government. In 2017, the Haitian Senate introduced a bill that grouped homosexuality as a reason to deny a citizen a certificate, and included child pornography and incest; the Senate has since approved the bill.
  7. The Haiti labor code does not set a minimum age for work in domestic services. Restaveks, also known as child domestic workers, are often impoverished girls sent to work for wealthy families in hopes of a better lifestyle. These children end up receiving no schooling, work long hours and are often victims of sexual abuse.
  8. Haiti has the highest rate of infant, toddler and maternal mortality in the western hemisphere. Haitians are deprived of basic human rights such as healthcare — 60 percent lack healthcare access.
  9. Refugee rights are the same thing as human rights. Haitians were given a temporary status (TPS) given to eligible nationals of certain countries who reside in the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a decision to terminate protection for around 60,000 people, making Haitians at risk of deportation in the U.S.A.
  10. Food insecurity has also been exacerbated by natural disasters. Thirty-eight percent of Haitians are food insecure and do not have basic access to food. Subsequently, food prices are on the rise and destruction of agricultural fields have only worsened the food deficit within the country.

Proactive and Concentrated Efforts

These 10 facts about human rights in Haiti raise many concerns. Nevertheless, nationwide and international programs are dedicated to finding solutions to provide a better lifestyle for people in Haiti.

– Lilly Hershey-Webb
Photo: Flickr

Girls’ Education in Panama: A Work in Progress

Girls’ Education in Panama
In recent years, Panama has made significant progress in advancing their public education system. As of 2013, rates of literacy and primary school net enrollment for youth ages 15-24 were over 97 percent. The country — like many others in the Central American region — has worked towards elevating basic human rights for its people; these efforts include taking seriously the task of accomplishing U.N. Millennium Development Goals of providing universal primary education and promoting gender equality.

The state of girls’ education in Panama has improved to the level that recently, non-indigenous Panamanian women have been able to achieve high levels of education. Recent statistics reveal that women outnumber men at the university level 60 percent to 40 percent, and now average 12.1 years of schooling compared to the 10.5 years of schooling for men.

Barriers to Accessing Education

Inspiring though the statistics may be, women still face many obstacles to their education and empowerment. The data displays that the significant enrollment numbers of women in higher education might not necessarily translate to educational gender equality. Enrollment statistics at Panama’s five public universities reveal a trend that centers of higher education may benefit male students more than they do females.

It’s true that women comprise the majority of students at three out of the five universities in the country; however, men outnumber women at the two universities that offer more prestigious careers with higher salaries. For example, there is a clear majority of males studying in the areas of computer science (62 percent) and engineering (75 percent), whereas the majority of females study in the areas of education (15.1 percent) and business and management (28.1 percent).

Another important factor to consider when probing the equality of public education in Panama is the elevated rate of teen pregnancy. The Latin American/Caribbean region has the second-highest teen pregnancy rate worldwide, with the highest numbers found in Central America, particularly in Panama. A 2018 report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNICEF and the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that in Panama, 15 percent of all pregnancies were undergone by girls below the age of 20.

Teen pregnancy, in its significantly high numbers, hinders the accessibility of girls’ education in Panama as many young women are forced to quit school in order to care for their children. The report also stated that girls with only a primary education or no education at all were four times more likely to get pregnant than girls with secondary schooling. This reality is disturbing, as 26.1 percent of females drop out of school between their primary (ages 6-11) and secondary (ages 12-17) school years according to a 2013 UNICEF statistic. By the time females enter secondary school age, only 71.3 percent are enrolled in school.

Impact of Location

Access to education proves to be an even greater difficulty for girls who live in rural and/or indigenous communities. Between the primarily non-indigenous, urban communities and the indigenous, rural communities there are noticeable disparities. Many rural areas lack access to pre-primary school (ages 4-5) and often must make do without potable water or electricity in their educational facilities.

In these lesser-developed communities, girls struggle to find time for an education while under the strain of poverty. In the more remote areas of the country, if girls manage to attend school they are likely to attend for only 4-6 years compared to males who on average attend 8-9 years. In 2005, UNICEF reported that 45 percent of indigenous children were not enrolled in school at all.

Few for Change’s Mission

Recognizing the unique educational barriers beset upon girls’ education in Panama, Few for Change, a volunteer-operated nonprofit organization, has made it a critical part of their mission to improve educational opportunities for girls living in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé region. In the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, 10-19 year-olds accounted for one-third of all pregnancies in the area, registering the region among the three Panamanian provinces with the highest rates of teen pregnancy.

The indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé people have endured a long history of displacement by Panamanian settlers, and this occurrence has lead to chronic poverty and cultural isolation. The Ngäbe live in a remote, mountainous region which makes communication to the government and mainstream Panamanian society difficult.

Often, students in the region must travel to a different state to receive a secondary education. Travel and boarding expenses create substantial financial burdens on students’ families. The Few for Change group attempts to combat these difficulties by awarding scholarships, educational resources and community support to high-achieving students. Through these methods, they hope to empower motivated youth and break the cycle of poverty.

Aligning Priorities

The main goal of this mission is also to give girls the power to decide when and how to start their families. Higher levels of education are shown time and again to reduce rates of teenage pregnancy. By providing female students with resources and support, Few for Change hopes to foster girls’ education in Panama and keep girls in school so that they have more autonomy and choice in their adult lives.

Panama has made remarkable strides towards achieving universal primary education and gender equality; but with institutional bias still favoring males, remarkably high teen pregnancy rates and indigenous communities that cry out for more educational resources, there remains much work to be done.

– Clarke Hallum
Photo: Flickr

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5 of Mother Teresa’s Most Inspiring Quotes Regarding Poverty

Mother Teresa's Most Inspiring Quotes
Mother Teresa is well-known throughout the world for her humanitarian work — she aided poor people no matter their illness, religion or culture. Born in 1910 in Yugoslavia, she lived most of her life in India, then passed on in 1997. Mother Teresa was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, and posthumously, Pope Francis officially declared her as a saint in 2016.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa helped people so poor and ill that most others avoided them. She created rehabilitation homes for lepers, and rescued homeless people dying in the streets and gave them hospice shelter and love during their deaths.

While Mother Teresa helped anyone in need regardless of their condition, religion or culture, and her strong devotion to Jesus Christ motivated her work. She once said, “The work is only a means to put our love for Christ into action… to work for the poorest of the poor. So, my vocation was a continuation of belonging to Christ and being only His.” The following are five of Mother Teresa’s most inspiring quotes surrounding the issue of poverty.

5 of Mother Teresa’s Most Inspiring Quotes Regarding Poverty:

  1. During her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1979, she said: “I never forget a little child who taught me a very beautiful lesson. They heard in Calcutta, the children, that Mother Teresa has no sugar for her children; and this little one, Hindu boy four years old, he went home and he told his parents: ‘I will not eat sugar for three days; I will give my sugar to Mother Teresa.’ How much a little child can give. After three days they brought into our house, and there was this little one who could scarcely pronounce my name. He loved with great love; he loved until it hurt. And this is what I bring before you – to love one another until it hurts. But don’t forget that there are many children, many children, many men and women who haven’t got what you have. And remember to love them until it hurts… I can enjoy this, but I give up; I could eat that sugar, but I give that sugar… you would be surprised of the beautiful things that people do to share the joy of giving.”
  2. “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
  3. “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”
  4. During a speech in 1994 at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., she said, “I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them – maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything – good food, comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: “Why do these people who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?” I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones’ smile. And Sister said: ‘This is the way it is nearly every day. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten.’ And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty… When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society – that spiritual poverty is much harder to overcome.”
  5. “There’s two kinds of poverty. We have the poverty of material; for example, in some places like in India, Ethiopia and other places, where the people are hungry for a loaf of bread – real hunger. But there is a much deeper, much greater hunger; and that is the hunger for love, and that terrible loneliness and being unwanted, unloved – being abandoned by everybody.”

A Light in the Dark

From providing makeshift recovery shelters and friendly hospices for sick homeless folk, to giving food to the hungry and friendship to the lonely or shunned, Mother Teresa was a kind light and safety-zone to thousands of poor people from all walks and creeds of life. Her body may have passed from this world, but Mother Teresa’s most inspiring quotes live on, influencing others to follow her example.

– Emme Leigh

Photo: Flickr

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The Continued Fight Against Poverty and the Food Crisis in Cuba

Food Crisis in Cuba

Many strides have been made in recent years to help poverty-stricken Cubans receive the basic necessities for life, but with a strenuous historical background and strict governmental policies, citizens are still in a fight for food. Missionaries and aid from other countries are currently offering assistance to help end the food crisis in Cuba.

The History of Poverty in Cuba

During the 1950s, Cuba was a small, third-world island country that was not big enough to produce its own goods and did not have enough farms to support the hungry population. Further complicating things was an enormous income gap between the rich and the poor.

In 1959, the country underwent a revolution during which Prime Minister and President Fidel Castro came to power, changing the state of the island’s economy for the worse. At this point, Cuba still relied mainly on imports from other countries for food and supplies. The Soviet Union was Cuba’s main supplier of food, but after the Cold War, the communist nation was no longer able to support Cuba’s hungry population, which made things even worse for hungry citizens.

Being one of the only communist countries in the world, the government in Cuba still has a tight hold on its citizens. Many of these same issues still exist today, making it difficult for people in poverty to obtain substantial food in Cuba.

The Food Crisis in Cuba Today

In 2018, Cuba still does not have enough land to grow agriculture to feed its population and does not produce enough of its own products. It relies on importing up to 80 percent of its food, according to the World Food Programme. The average diet of a Cuban household lacks an adequate amount of vegetables and protein-rich foods needed to promote a healthy lifestyle. Around 36 percent of infants suffer from anemia because of the lack of a proper diet.

In 1959, the Cuban government instituted a food rationing system that is still in use today, making households pay high prices for foods only sold in government-run supermarkets. The rationing system ensures enough food for families to just survive.

Each family receives a rations book that they take to the grocery store, allowing them to buy a certain amount of rice, sugar, coffee, cooking oil and chicken, according to The Guardian. Because of unemployment and low paying jobs, this system has made it even more challenging for citizens in poverty to pay for food in Cuba.

In the past few years, the U.S. has lifted some of its various bans on Cuba and has restored peace with the Caribbean nation, which means that more U.S. citizens are entering the country for leisure and vacation. The increase in tourism has had a negative impact on the food scarcity problem, according to The New York Times, as the food is now used for tourists instead of hungry citizens and has made the price of food in Cuba rise.

The Good News About the Cuban Food Crisis

During his presidency, President Obama loosened the U.S. ban on trading with Cuba, which has provided the growth of trade with Cuba and allowed the island nation’s farmers to obtain better farming equipment. American trade officials hope to create a food import market that could be worth billions if the Cuban economy boosts, which would help end the food crisis in Cuba.

Because of the recent peace between Cuba and the United States, missionaries have entered the country in the hopes of helping with the food shortage problem. A Georgia Southern University student, sophomore Olivia Folds, participated in a mission trip in 2017 to assist with the food crisis in Cuba. Folds’ group was stationed in the city of Camaguey and each missionary was assigned a family where he or she made supply bags for the family in need.

These bags included clothes, shoes, toiletries and food that Cuban citizens were not able to get for themselves. Children received bags filled with basic necessities along with crayons and candy, which were small luxuries they were not used to, Folds told The Borgen Project. She also commented that, if any of the missionaries offered the families money, they were “supposed to only give them like $50,” because “the government only allows them certain amounts of money each month.”

The Cuban government is still attempting to improve the food shortage problem for its citizens. With a new president that stepped into power this year, new policies being put into place and missionaries being able to come into the country more often, Cuban citizens are slowly but surely on a path to better nutrition.

– McKenzie Hamby
Photo: Flickr

Girls’ Education in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands
In the Solomon Islands schooling is not compulsory; as a result, there are low enrollment rates among all young people. Less than 60 percent of children enter primary schooling, of which, the ratio of girls to boys enrolled is roughly equal. However, there is a large disparity between the percentage of girls enrolled in primary school versus secondary school. The gross rate for girls enrolled in secondary school is only 27 percent.

As a result, the respective literacy rates for women remain low as the country attempts to better its education. In 1999, the recorded literacy rate for women aged 15 years and older was 69 percent while men in the same age range had a literacy rate of almost 84 percent.

Improving Girls’ Education in The Solomon Islands

To combat the illiteracy in the Solomon Islands, World Vision began its Early Childhood and Adult Literacy projects on the islands. The aid organization has three projects in the provinces of Honiara, Temotu and Makira. The projects’ aim is to provide functional literacy to woman and youth on the islands.

In addition to literacy programs, World Vision uses the projects to provide economic, social and educational activities to the communities that the projects serve. After learning the necessary foundational skills — like literacy — the women are then provided with the economic and personal skills they need to become leaders in their communities.

World Vision’s Early Childhood and Adult Literacy projects are beneficial strategies to decrease adult illiteracy and aid women who missed opportunities for education when they were young. To better girls’ education in the Solomon Islands, World Bank has proposed multiple strategies that would provide a more egalitarian approach to education.

World Bank’s Suggestions for Keeping Enrollment Up

I order to target the discrepancy between the percentage of girls enrolled in primary and secondary education, World Bank suggests that educational settings should ensure water and sanitation facilities, education for pregnant young women, safe accommodation for boarding students including safety from violence and sexual abuse and access to sexual and reproductive health services.

All aspects of the aforementioned suggestions are solutions to a range of issues that prevent young girls from continuing schooling past the primary level. World Bank also highlights the fact that sexual and reproductive health services are critical to improving the educational experiences of girls, as teen pregnancy is one of the main reasons young women end their schooling.

Another strategy that World Bank has proposed involves offering short-courses, non-formal training and mobile village skills to girls who cannot access formal schooling. The current standard of focusing girls’ education on domestic skills is preventing girls from gaining the necessary education to participate in the economy.

Additionally, these village courses would reduce the need for rural families to send their daughters to board at schools, which is a major safety concern. The informal and mobile courses would offer girls an opportunity to gain an education that they otherwise would not have access to.

While the islands have been making some progress towards bettering their education, more work can be done to continue making progress in girls’ education in the Solomon Islands. The work of World Vision and World Bank offers valid solutions to the problems facing girls in their schooling. When coupled with government action on the islands, education can soon become more equal for girls in this small oceanic country.

– Savannah Hawley

Photo: Flickr

New Gas Reserves Could Be a Solution to Egypt’s Energy Needs

Egypt's Energy Needs
Egypt, a nation once plagued by frequent power blackouts, may have found a remedy to its power needs. The discovery of the Noor natural gas field, the largest offshore field in the Mediterranean Sea, could prove a permanent solution to Egypt’s energy needs and put it on the road to self-sufficiency. This discovery could help Egypt become an exporter of natural gas as well as encourage more foreign investment.

To contextualize what kind of impact this discovery is, one need only compare the Zohr natural gas field, which had been Egypt’s largest natural gas field until 2015, and the Noor natural gas field. The Zohr field is approximately 60 square miles and contains around 30 trillion cubic feet of gas. Noor, on the other hand, is about three times the size of Zohr and could contain as much as 90 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Egypt’s Power Problem

The dual threat of ballooning demand and declining production have put a constant strain on the Egyptian energy sector. In 2014, when Egypt endured one of its most dire energy crises, parts of the country experienced six power cuts per day lasting about two hours at a time. Electricity demand was 20 percent greater than power stations could provide.

In large part, gas shortages were due to an uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Divisive political struggles deterred investors and tourists, which in turn caused foreign currency reserves to decline. In order to meet demand, Egypt was forced to sacrifice important gas exports.

Solution to Egypt’s Energy Needs

Noor is instrumental in reducing the gap between total gas consumption in Egypt (4.9 billion cubic feet per day in 2016) and total daily production in Egypt (4 billion cubic feet). In order to meet its energy needs and compensate for excessive consumption, Egypt has been forced to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) at high costs.

In 2015/2016, Egypt purchased 89 cargoes of liquefied natural gas at a staggering $2.2 billion. With the Zohr field, in addition to the newly discovered Noor field, Egypt could end these purchases by the end of next year, according to Egypt’s oil minister Tarek El-Molla. This will enable Egypt to become independent in their natural gas production and make them a net exporter.

How Does This Help

By satisfying local demand, Egypt can spend significantly less on energy. Using those savings, Egypt can invest in improved infrastructure, healthcare and education. By turning to grid-connected gas, Egypt can avoid the fuel subsidies associated with liquid petroleum gas (LPG) use. Fuel subsidies have accounted for anywhere from 18-20 percent of Egypt’s expenditure, an amount equal to 5-7 percent of GDP.

According to the World Bank’s Country Director for Egypt, Hartwig Schafer, “Conversion to piped natural gas will help give households a safer, more reliable and cheaper supply of gas.” As households make the transition from high-subsidized, imported LPG to locally-produced natural gas, the government will save $201 per household per year. 

The Noor gas field will not only facilitate Egypt’s transition from a net importer of natural gas to a net exporter, but it will provide the much-needed solution to Egypt’s energy needs by allowing Egyptians to have a reliable source of power at a much lower cost.

– McAfee Sheehan
Photo: Flickr

Top Facts about Poverty in Spain

Facts about Poverty in Spain
Spain is a simultaneous representative of both the success and the struggles of twenty-first century Europe. The Spanish economy was hit particularly hard by the 2008 recession that sent shockwaves throughout global markets. As a result, Spain, along with Greece and Italy, has often been cited as an example of the straining of Eurozone economics. Though Spain remains firmly a developed country, the country’s struggle with poverty should not be overlooked. Here are nine important facts about poverty in Spain.

Nine Facts About Poverty in Spain

  1. Over one-quarter (26.6 percent) of the Spanish population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion as of 2017. These results do also show, however, that this number has fallen from a peak of 29.4 percent in 2014.
  2. Spain has the highest youth poverty rate (.221) in Western Europe. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental economic organization, Spain sits ahead of both its neighbors, Portugal and Italy, and is even ahead of its Mediterranean counterpart Greece.
  3. Nearly 40 percent of Spain’s youth labor force were unemployed in 2017. This number is compared to a 9.2 percent in the Euro Area.
  4. Poverty in Spain is concentrated in rural areas. A chart published by a Spanish statistical website compares the different regions of Spain based on their per capita GRP (gross regional product) or PIB in Spanish. In general, the more rural provinces, such as Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha and Andalucía, have a lower GRP than the Basque country, Madrid and Catalonia. The poorest households in Spain are those of young, inexperienced foreigners who live in southern Spain.
  5. The migrant crisis has put a strain on Spanish support systems. The New York Times reports that over 20,000 migrants have reached Spain by sea in 2018. This has put added pressure on the migrant support systems and increased the population of those in need of assistance.
  6. About 34.4 percent of Spanish households were unable to afford a week-long vacation in 2017 according to data compiled by the National Statistics Institute, a Spanish government agency. This is down, however, from 45.8 percent when the study began in 2013.
  7. Unemployed Spaniards are gaining employment via temporary or part-time jobs. Now that Spain’s economy is rebounding, many new jobs have been created and, although temporary, they may help ease the poverty of previously unemployed Spaniards.
  8. Spanish youths are the beneficiaries of the European Commission’s Youth Guarantee program. This program has the mission of ensuring that all of Europe’s young people have “a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship and traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.” This program, among others like it, hopes to reduce youth unemployment and a more employed workforce may mean a reduction in poverty.
  9. Spain is now recovering well from the 2008 recession. According to a 2017 article by the New York Times, the economy of Spain is growing roughly at three percent, is producing goods for export and “is restoring a sense of normalcy” to the country. With this growth, the unemployment rate is expected to decline as per the European Commission’s forecast for 2018.

In Spain, the reduction of poverty and economic recovery in the wake of the 2008 recession represent great strides for a long-troubled economy. These facts about poverty in Spain show that more people in the country are working, and there are more and more jobs being created. These strides must not be undervalued. However, continued efforts in Spain are needed to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for all.

– William Menchaca

Photo: Flickr

Top 10 Facts About Poverty in Cameroon

Facts About Poverty in Cameroon
By definition, poverty is a state of being extremely poor, which includes the desperate search for food, water and shelter. Taking a look at poverty from a global perspective, the majority of the poorest countries in the world are in Africa. Facts about poverty in Cameroon is a topic that is overlooked in the media, but it remains extremely relevant to those experiencing it.

10 Facts About Poverty in Cameroon

  1. The Human Development Index (HDI) is the calculation of a country’s health, education and income. As of 2015, the most recent HDI reported Cameroon’s value at 0.518 percent. Out of 188 countries, Cameroon ranks at 153. The good news seems to be that this is progress for Cameroon. The infant mortality rate has decreased, raising the life expectancy of newborns by 2.4 years. The expected number of years enrolled in formal schooling has increased by 2.4 years, and the GNI per capita has risen by 5.5 percent since 1990.
  2. At an estimated population count of 24.68 million people, 30 percent of Cameroon’s society lives below the poverty line.
  3. In 1960 Cameroon obtained their independence while experiencing a prosperous economy that soon transitioned into a decade-long recession beginning in the mid-1980’s. Their economic prosperity was attributed to income from oil, gas, timber, aluminum, agriculture, and the mining of natural resources. While much of their profit has relied on these exports, the economy eventually fell short due to a major decline in global prices. This led to the current stagnant and inequitable per capita income.
  4. The current unemployment rate stands at 4.2 percent, which is a dramatic increase in employment since the country’s all-time high record in 1996 of 8 percent.
  5. Health care is a major struggle for impoverished citizens of Cameroon. People don’t possess the financial capacity to access decent healthcare, and the public resources available are insufficient. Although more money is spent on healthcare in Cameroon than any other sub-Saharan country, it’s only available to the wealthy regions. Organizations like The International Medical Corps are helping with preventive medicine as well as educating the citizens of Cameroon on maintaining good health. This is a major fact about poverty in Cameroon that needs to be addressed in order to prevent fatal diseases and deaths.
  6. Cameroon’s poverty level is considered a rural phenomenon, with 55 percent of the poor occupying that geography. The level of education, gender and matrimonial status reflects the poverty dynamic. Women and children make up about half of those living in rural poverty.
  7. Proper education isn’t accessible to children of Cameroon, especially in poor regions. The expected years of schooling, on average, is about 10 years. The adult literacy rate of around 70 percent is due to the lack the proper funding, infrastructure, and teachers in the educational system.
  8. Cameroonians face the challenge of obliterating malnutrition. Moderate to severe stunting affects 31.7 percent of children under the age of five. Health hazards, extreme illnesses, and death are known ramifications of malnutrition. Food scarcity has the strongest influence on the affliction of poverty. Limited income equates a limited amount of food. Organizations like The World Food Program are trying to help people in Cameroon eradicate malnutrition by 2030.
  9. The government of Cameroon provides subsidies for electricity, food, and fuel, that have dented the federal budget. This affects the potential funding for education, healthcare and infrastructure. This poses concern of the government’s priority for funding and assisting with impoverished societies.
  10. Migration appears to be the most popular resolution to individuals growing up in impoverished regions Cameroon. In response to the increasing poverty, many people move out of the country to seek better living conditions. A few key factors that lead to migration are; family reunification, relocation in search of education, and lack of autonomy.

Among the many facts about poverty in Cameroon that can be discussed, these issues are the most prevalent to those living in these conditions. With assistance from other countries with greater resources and organizations like The World Food Program, Cameroon’s state of poverty could improve drastically.

– Kayla Sellers
Photo: Flickr