Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Five Active Development Projects in India

Development Projects in IndiaIndia is the second-most populous nation, and the eighth largest nation by area in the world, and yet the nation is still lacking many of the necessities of a developed country. Thanks to the World Bank Group, and other investors, India is in the process of becoming a developed country by improving the full range of infrastructural and cultural problems that persist today. Here are five active development projects in India which you should know about.

  1. National Agricultural Higher Education Project. One of the major development projects in India began in August of 2017 and was made possible by $165 million of funding from the World Bank and other organizations. The goal of the project is to improve the current agricultural industry in India through the betterment of the country’s agricultural universities. The idea behind the project is that by improving the quality of agricultural education, farming practices will become more efficient, sustainable and will yield a greater volume of food to feed the nation’s high population.
  2. India Ecosystems Service Improvement Project. The goal of the Ecosystems Service Improvement Project, put broadly, is to try and ensure that interactions between humans and the ecosystem are not overtly harmful to the environment. More specifically, the project will hopefully improve land management and the overall health of the ecosystems of India through increasing and promoting biodiversity and sustainable resource use.
  3. Andhra Pradesh 24x seven Power for All Project. This development project in India focuses on delivering sustainable, reliable and more readily available electricity to citizens living in the Andhra Pradesh region of the country. This region encompasses both urban, and rural communities, with all sharing a common issue of having unreliable access to electricity. The Power for All Project will cost a whopping $570 million, $240 million of which has been pledged as a loan from the World Bank.
  4. Nagaland Health Project. The aim of this development project in India is to increase the availability and quality of healthcare services in the Nagaland region. The project began in 2016 and is expected to conclude in 2023, with a total cost of $60 million.
  5. Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project. This project aims to equip India with the necessary infrastructure to implement solar energy systems across the country. This is being accomplished via the construction of many large scale solar parks throughout the country. These parks will harness solar energy via solar panels and then distribute the collected energy to the larger public power grid. The project will make the nation more efficient in its consumption of power and will make electricity more available to the Indian population.

These are just five of the 121 active development projects in India which are being organized by the World Bank Group. Projects like these are bringing India closer to becoming a fully developed nation and improving the quality of life for all of the Indian people.

– Tyler Troped

Photo: Flickr

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Humanitarian Aid to Sierra Leone Helping Mothers and Children

Sierra LeoneSierra Leone has been trying to heal multiple wounds over the past few decades. The civil war from 1991-2002 left the nation with an especially deep cut. Many people fled their rural communities for growing urban areas; cities like Freetown quickly became overcrowded, leading to the appearance of slums almost overnight. According to the World Health Organization’s research, urban overpopulation, lack of sanitation and inadequate health services are key reasons as to why disease and death are so prominent in these locations. This holds especially true for mothers as well as for children under five. Humanitarian aid to Sierra Leone is vital in order to improve the lives of the country’s citizens.

Luckily, nongovernmental organizations like Concern Worldwide have implemented aid programs in Sierra Leone. From October 2011 to June 2017, Concern Worldwide implemented a USAID- and Irish Aid-funded Child Survival Project (CSP), also known as “Al Pikin fo Liv” (Life for Children). This program was designed to reduce maternal, infant and child deaths through the building of key foundations at 10 urban sites in the Freetown Western Urban Area District.

The main concern for completing the program was how to put into operation the national Community Health Worker Policy (CHWP). USAID and Concern Worldwide did this by working with individual health facilities to improve the quality of healthcare worker training, apply clinical protocols and providing on-the-job supervision and mentorship. Essentially, the CSP aimed to increase the number of healthcare workers per facility and improve the quality of care that is provided.

This might seem like it doesn’t have a solid correlation to solving maternal, infant, and child mortality. However, while it might be a simpler task to prevent death and offer treatment to an individual, it’s another matter to treat disease and prevent future deaths on a national level. The CSP and the implementation of the CHWP are strategies that are meant to carry on into the future.

It will take a number of years in order to determine the overall success of the humanitarian aid to Sierra Leone on maternal, infant and child health. But, in interviews completed after the program’s end date, many healthcare workers believed they were given the right training and resources in order to continue running efficient facilities and to improve care for patients. The community in general also felt more connected, because households were given increased knowledge about the importance of treatment and the health facilities were partnered with the Freetown City Council, Health Management Committees and Ward Development Committees at each project site.

This sense of unity and a more focused understanding of community-based health in urban settings is a powerful tool to have. It is important that humanitarian aid to Sierra Leone continues to be funded and implemented on the ground, in order to ensure an improved way of life and better futures for all citizens.

– Caysi Simpson

Photo: Flickr

Ten Facts About the Genocide of the Punic People

10 Facts About the Genocide of the Punic PeopleGenocide is a term that defines deliberate violence against national, ethnical, racial or religious groups with the intent to eradicate the entire population. This term did not come into use until after WWII; however, it is possible to trace the earliest recorded genocide to 149 B.C. in the Punic Wars. Three Punic Wars were fought over almost a century between Rome and Carthage that resulted in the complete destruction of Carthage and the genocide of its people, known now as the genocide of the Punic people.

Below are 10 little-known facts about the genocide of the Punic people:

  1. The Punic Wars are thought to be the first-ever recorded genocide.
  2. The Punic Wars first began because of a conflict of territory and the expansion of Rome into Carthage; however, after the First Punic War, the conflict was more deep-rooted for Rome in their hatred of the Punic people.
  3. Marcus Porcius Cato, member of the Roman Senate, believed that Rome was superior to Carthage and he concluded each of his speeches with three hateful words, “Delenda est Carthaago,” which means, “Carthage must be destroyed.”
  4. Carthage was the dominant power at the start of the First Punic War. Rome quickly rose above Carthage, destabilizing it, seizing its territory and its people.
  5. The Third Punic War was extremely controversial. As a result of the First and Second Punic Wars, Carthage was virtually powerless. Yet, because of the efforts of Cato and other Roman Senators to persuade Romans that Carthage “must be destroyed,” the Romans began to initiate the Third Punic War.
  6. Rome demanded Carthaginians as hostages, among other difficult conditions. Carthage fulfilled all of the demands. Still, Rome ordered even further unreasonable demands.
  7. When Carthage refused to destroy its own city and rebuild elsewhere, the Roman Republic set fire to all of Carthage, devastating the city and killing many remaining Carthaginians. The flames took 17 days to die out.
  8. The very few surviving Carthaginians were sold into slavery.
  9. The Romans also destroyed five allied African cities of Punic culture. This speaks to the very nature of the genocide. It is clear that the Punic people were deliberately targeted with the intent to eradicate them.
  10. The remains of ancient Carthage are few. Some Punic cemeteries, shrines and fortifications have been discovered, but a majority of the ruins that remain in the area were rebuilt in the Roman period after Carthage’s destruction.

There are several aspects of the genocide of the Punic people that differ greatly from modern genocide. There are also aspects of the tragedy that resemble the thinking in the Holocaust and other genocides such as in Cambodia and Rwanda. In all of these instances, leaders were preoccupied with militaristic expansionism, the idealization of cultivation, notions of social hierarchy and racial or cultural prejudices.

– Jamie Enright

Photo: Flickr

Solar Power in Malawi Aids Health Facilities

Solar Power in MalawiMalawi’s Ministry of Health has several ongoing efforts in developing its healthcare system and facilities. After experiencing continuous long-term power outages which interrupted the healthcare systems, the Ministry decided to start a solar power project to solve the issues in the healthcare facilities. Solar power in Malawi can change the future for the country’s hospitals and the overall healthcare system.

Not only have the power outages affected Malawi’s healthcare facilities throughout the years, but they have also affected many businesses and factories. For manufacturing companies, most of the production has stopped due to the lack of electricity. This interruption of work has threatened the growth of these businesses. Further, the generators that some businesses and buildings use are expensive to run, which has resulted in an increase in the retail price of goods and has hurt the economy in Malawi.

The power outages have been reported to last up to 8 hours at a time. As such, many of the machines required to save lives in hospitals, such as oxygen machines, are unable to run. These machines require constant power and with an unstable power source, it can have detrimental effects on many lives of the Malawi people.

The Ministry of Health, along with the Global Fund Project Implementation Unit, has decided to ensure solar power in Malawi. With a focus on the health facilities, the Ministry is installing solar power units at 85 health facilities throughout the nation. Its goal is to save lives with solar power by preventing disruptions, especially in important areas of hospitals such as the maternity wing, intensive care unit and the area for children under five. The solar panels being installed will provide 100kW of power for the hospitals.

Healthcare centers in remote areas have been affected by power outages the worst. While being affected less by power outages, the hospitals in the larger cities have still had to rely on generators to keep the hospital running, which tends to be expensive.

Malawi’s power outages have cost the country a lot of money as a result of relying on generators to keep many hospitals working. With the installation of solar panels, the country hopes to use the saved money to develop its healthcare system and facilities in other ways.

– Chloe Turner

Photo: Flickr

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Pneumonia Vaccine Saving Half a Million Lives

Pneumonia VaccineAccording to Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, within the last 10 years, the pneumonia vaccine has saved the lives of more than 500,000 children in developing countries. More than 109 million children have been given the PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) with Gavi’s support.

Although the numbers have now reached 41 percent from 2015’s 35 percent of receiver rates, millions of children are still not receiving the pneumonia vaccine. This is an issue because the disease is both treatable and preventable, but remains the leading cause of death in children throughout the world.

The pneumococcal vaccination protects the body against different types of the pneumococcal bacteria itself. The pneumonia disease is most common in children, and therefore the CDC recommends that all children be vaccinated. Although there are many different types of pneumococcal bacteria, there are only two types of the vaccination itself. The first vaccination to fight pneumonia is called Prevnar 13. This vaccination protects against 13 different types of the pneumococcal bacteria. The second type, Pneumovax 23, protects against 23 different types of the bacteria. Although this vaccine can save lives and prevent the disease, children in developing countries are nine times more likely to get the disease than people in developed countries.

Normally, children in developing countries receive vaccinations 10 years after children in wealthy countries do, but with the Advance Market Commitment, funded by Italy, Canada, Russia, Norway and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they were able to get the PCV vaccine as soon as a year after it was developed. The market legally binds commitment purchases of the vaccinations through preset terms. This concept has been around for a long time, but the Advanced Market Commitment’s tactics seem to be very effective. Gavi has reached 58 countries throughout Africa and Asia with their immunization programs. The continued push to immunize all children in developing countries will greatly affect these nations’ outcomes in the future.

– Chloe Turner

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts about Costa Rica Slums

facts about costa rica slums

With nearly 21 percent of Costa Rica’s population lived below the poverty line in 2016. In a July 2017 report, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency reported that Costa Rica’s population was at 4,930,258 and over one million Costa Ricans currently live in poverty. The following 10 facts about Costa Rica slums focus on two of its major slums: Triángulo de Solidaridad and La Carpio. These 10 facts about Costa Rica slums also touch on the appearance of residents’ homes and the government’s role in their maintenance.

 

10 Facts about Costa Rica Slums

  1. Triángulo de la Solidaridad, one of the capital’s best-known slums, is now a tourist attraction. Slum residents guide visitors and Costa Ricans through the slum in order to provide them with a new perspective on the country’s consistently high poverty rate.
  2. Roughly 2,000 people— more than 520 families— live in Triángulo de la Solidaridad.
  3. Triángulo de Solidaridad is located off Route 32, just north of downtown San José. Residents must cross the highway daily as they walk to and from work.
  4. Costa Rican slums appear colorful because their improvised homes are made of tin, wood and other scrap materials.
  5. Triángulo de la Solidaridad, because it is located along the highway, conflicts with Circunvalación Norte— a project that expands the belt route connecting eastern and western sectors of San José. The Housing Ministry must notify and relocate families who live in the community.
  6. La Carpio is one of Costa Rica’s least known slums, but it may very well be one of the worst. The slum is a remote section of San José located between two polluted rivers and the city’s landfill. Over 30,000 residents are packed into La Carpio.
  7. La Carpio and Triángulo de la Solidaridad were both founded by Nicaraguan refugees. The majority of their residents are undocumented immigrants who are often ignored by the Costa Rican government.
  8. Over the past 20 years, La Carpio has established schools and a medical clinic, water and sewage connections, cement floors and paved roads.
  9. A few students from La Carpio are set to graduate from high school and attend university— a milestone for the community.
  10. La Carpio residents can either walk across a bridge or take a bus to get to work. The bridge is a rickety suspension foot-bridge that stretches across the Rio Torres, but residents still opt for this dangerous route to save the 45 cents bus fare.

As evident in the preceding 10 facts about Costa Rica slums, slums may become tourist attractions that offer visitors a new perspective on living below the poverty threshold. Tourists that are exposed to poverty may seek further education on the subject in an attempt to eradicate it.

– Carolyn Gibson

Photo: Flickr

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The Success of Humanitarian Aid to Nigeria

The Success of Humanitarian Aid to NigeriaIn September 2017, U.N. Aid Chief Mark Lowcock said, “that the Government and humanitarians had made important progress in delivering life-saving relief to millions of people in north-east Nigeria.” He made this statement after visiting the country for two days. He did insist on continued efforts from the international community to support humanitarian aid to Nigeria.

This statement shows that humanitarian aid to Nigeria has been making a meaningful impact on the country. The large African country is home to 186 million people and is a large oil producer, but many people do not benefit from the inherent wealth.

The area that the U.K. and other international groups are concerned with is the North East region. According to the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, “Nigeria is a country riven with inequality. 85 percent of the population survive on less than two dollars a day, and certain regions, especially the North East, are far behind the rest of the country in terms of development.” It is extremely important to have funds to support this region.

Because of the poverty and poor living conditions of a large majority of Nigeria’s population, international aid organizations have been sending funds to the country. The U.K. pledged $250 million to Nigeria in August and has been a long-term supporter of its former colony’s development. This pledge was made to help stabilize Nigeria as the country is dealing with the terrorist group, Boko Haram. The U.K. had already given over $100 million in 2017 when they made this new pledge. Britain is concerned about the potential famine that could affect around a million people. According to News24, “The new aid is meant to restore key infrastructure and services, improve health care and education and help farmers.”

In addition to the U.K., USAID has also been helping to address food insecurity in the Northeast. The organization gave 2.2 million people emergency food assistance in September. This has been done through cash transfers so that people can buy locally. The success of this type of humanitarian aid to Nigeria occurs at a much more local level.

USAID has also been funding efforts to help improve road access to the North East so that food and supplies can reach those in need. This effort has positively affected over four million Nigerians.

Because of efforts like these, the international community and the people of Nigeria, specifically those in the North East, are seeing improvements. Providing food and resources in order to maintain stability is a continued effort in Nigeria. These efforts will continue to provide support for Nigerians in need of aid and hopefully, humanitarian aid to Nigeria will continue to thrive.

– Emilia Beuger

Photo: Flickr

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Women’s Empowerment in Colombia

Women's Empowerment in ColombiaWomen’s empowerment in Colombia has been steadily rising in the past few years. When measuring women’s empowerment, one looks at things such as political voice, completion of secondary schools, entrance into the workplace and capacity to shape law and policy on gender equality.

In 2012, 43 percent of women had joined the workforce, as opposed to 30 percent in 1990. In 2011, 94 percent of girls completed lower secondary school, a number that has been increasing and surpassing the percentage of boys, for years. Additionally, fertility rates have been reducing, with the average woman having two children in 2012. Thirty-two percent of the government’s cabinet was female, whereas in 1998 only 12 percent was.

As part of the Peace Accords of 2016, Colombia returned land to female victims of its 50-year conflict, indicating progress for women’s empowerment in Colombia. Additionally, the government provided start-up incomes to many women and families to kick-start their agricultural pursuits. Many of these women were forcefully displaced during the conflict. The return of their land shows an indirect step towards progress and an acknowledgment of women’s importance in the national economy.

The Peace Accords were also important because of a new commitment to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. This commitment was pushed, in part, and will be implemented by the Gender sub-Commission of the Havana Peace Talks Table. The agreement indicates an understanding of the importance of women in areas like rural development, political participation and the eradication of illegal drugs.

The United Nations Verification Mission works to effectively implement Resolution 1325 in Colombia. This resolution focuses on the participation of women in the negotiation and prevention of conflicts. The Colombian chapter of the Verification Mission has been one of the most successful in the world, with around 48 percent of the team made up of women. While this is an independent mission, it does collaborate with the Colombian government.

Ultimately, Colombia has made a lot of progress in terms of women’s empowerment and gender equality, but there is still a long road ahead. Women’s empowerment in Colombia has been improving, but it has benefited mostly upper-class urban women; women in poor, rural areas still face a lot of gender inequity. If the government continues to prioritize these issues and collaborate with the United Nations and other organizations, it has the potential to become a very progressive nation in terms of women’s rights.

– Liyanga de Silva

Photo: Flickr

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Plague in Madagascar Affects Thousands

Plague in Madagascar Affects ThousandsAn outbreak of the pneumonic plague is threatening citizens and affecting many areas of Madagascar, including the capital city, Antananarivo, which is heavily populated. The plague in Madagascar is serious and spreading quickly, and has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the Madagascar Ministry of Health, to initiate a public health response to the illness. Madagascar is also receiving help from other organizations throughout the world.

The WHO has reported 1,365 possible cases of the plague in Madagascar from the beginning of August to the end of October 2017. About eight percent of these cases have led to death.

Plague pneumonia is the most serious case of the plague disease, caused by a bacteria called Yersinia pestis, often found in rodents. The disease is easily spread: someone could become infected just by breathing in the bacteria after someone coughs, through touch, or by getting bitten by a plague-infected flea. Often times, swollen lymph nodes are the earliest symptom of the plague.

Forty of Madagascar’s 114 districts have reported cases of the pneumonic plague. The WHO reports that most of the deaths occurring from the plague are not in treatment centers. It is urging people to find a treatment center near them to prevent the spread of the plague. The WHO has provided medication and treatment to treat up to 5,000 people, protected 100,000 people who could have come in contact with the disease and have trained thousands of volunteers.

Not only does the plague pose a threat to individuals in terms of health, but it also affects socialization and education. The government has forbidden any public gatherings, as well as closed all of the schools at the risk of spreading the disease further. The airports in Madagascar are also taking measures to check temperatures and place medical teams to ensure those traveling are not taking it with them.

– Chloe Turner

Photo: Flickr

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The Success of Humanitarian Aid to Nepal

The Success of Humanitarian Aid to NepalWedged between China and India, the small country of Nepal consists of nearly 30 million individuals. In 2015, the country was devastated by an earthquake that took the lives of nearly 9,000 people, and left close to 4 million in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The earthquake also destroyed the nation’s infrastructure and homes, setting back economic development significantly. Despite the devastation that occurred, many organizations provided humanitarian aid to Nepal and many of their efforts have proven to be successful. While many organizations showed their support, the work of two key organizations has been transformative to the lives of the Nepalese.

CARE

CARE has been present in Nepal since 1978. Its work has been focused on food security, HIV/AIDS prevention, improving health, education and water sources. It also works to empower young girls and women. When the earthquake struck in 2015, CARE was one of the first organizations that was able to provide humanitarian aid to Nepal. It provided immediate assistance to 10,000 Nepalese with shelter and materials to thousands of others to repair their homes. CARE also distributed water purification tablets, built emergency latrines and provided the Nepalese with hygiene essentials.

Following natural disasters, it is common to see incidents of gender-based violence increase. As part of its humanitarian aid to Nepal, CARE created friendly spaces where women can seek protection, have access to information, education, support and various services. Its work with women has helped to empower many Nepalese women.

To date, CARE has provided humanitarian aid to over 130,000 Nepalese and it is estimated that by the early months of 2018 it will assist another 100,000 people.

Save the Children

Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The primary goal of its work is to partner with local communities and organizations to design sponsorship programs for kids. These sponsorship programs work to ensure that children have access to education and have the necessary tools to be successful in their education. Some of these tools include access to food, water and sanitation products.

While its work is geared towards assisting children, through providing access to education, Save the Children was also prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to Nepal following the earthquake. In 2016, the organization gave over 1 million children vital nourishment, helped nearly 25,000 families feed their children and supported more than 210,000 children in crisis.

While thousands of children and families have received services and support from Save the Children, its humanitarian aid to Nepal still continues. Many schools have been rebuilt following the earthquake, yet there seems to be a disparity in the number of children who are currently attending. Its current efforts are geared towards getting children back into school and giving them the necessary tools to live a healthy life.

Humanitarian aid to Nepal has been extremely successful. Thousands of Nepalese have been provided with the necessary items, tools and support to rebuild their lives following the earthquake. However, there are many regions of the country that have received little to no support and are still in need. Organizations should continue to provide humanitarian aid to Nepal and other organizations should join the efforts to reduce poverty in the country.

 – Sarah Jane Fraser

Photo: Flickr