Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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The Importance of Food-Based Programs for the World’s Poor

Food-Based ProgramsOn September 28, 2017, the World Bank published its report on what they named the “1.5 billion people question.” 1.5 billion people around the world receive help via food and voucher programs. The study examines how important food-based programs are for the world’s poor and offers insight into the effectiveness of food-based programs versus cash-based programs.

The 1.5 billion people question asks “how voucher programs, despite theory and evidence generally favoring cash, remain relevant, have evolved and, in most circumstances, have improved over time”.

Food-based programs are a method used to subsidize poverty by funding, in part, certain nutritional expenses. Each country that implements food-based programs in their policies does so by using one or many methods, such as supplementary feeding programs, food for work programs and food stamp programs. These programs fall under two broad categories that either enhance the food supply or influence the demand.

Programs that enhance the food supply are primarily applied to the agriculture and farming industry by either influencing supply chain costs or incentivizing production. Programs that influence demand are known as “food-oriented social assistance” (FOSA). In the United States, these programs take the form of food vouchers, the Women, Infants and Children Program and the school lunch program.

The World Bank report analyzes how countries around the world have historically implemented FOSA as empirical evidence of the importance of food-based programs. It specifically looks at case studies of the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, India, Egypt and Sri Lanka. These countries represent key FOSA programs that have made significant efforts to enhance the quality of life for the participating households and have benefited nearly one billion people collectively.

While these countries are primarily high or middle-income, their studies can be applied to low-income countries as well. Food is about 61 percent of costs for the poor and represents a large stressor for households who are struggling to afford these expenses. FOSA programs such as food distribution programs and food subsidies influence more of the population than unconditional cash transfers (UCF). “Based on administrative data from programs in 108 countries, food and vouchers programs cover 20.4 percent of low and middle-income populations, 13 percent more than UCFs.” Although cash-based programs may be preferred, when food-based programs are enacted using the right specifications and safeguarding, many can benefit. When contemplating humanitarian assistance, large-scale international movements should consider food-based programs as a serious contender.

UCFs generally offer more freedom of choice compared to food or voucher programs that may only apply to certain foods or brands. On the other hand, governments lean towards food and voucher programs because they can reflect the interests of the country as a whole and protect purchasing power at vulnerable economic moments. Most large-scale food programs intertwine multiple sectors of the government, representing multiple industries such as agriculture and food retail. The implementation of food-based programs, therefore, relies on the cooperation of multiple political parties and an argumentative benefit to multiple economic sectors.

The link between poverty and food security has encouraged many countries to focus on developing social protection programs aimed at poverty reduction. By stabilizing the prices of food, governments have found ways to maintain a low cost of living and encourage international developments. Advancements in technology also promote new methods of poverty reduction and social assistance programs. In Indonesia, for example, the “social protection card allows access not only to the food subsidy but also to their cash-based and education-related programs.”

Food is a necessary commodity in daily life. Its relevance to health, economic and social indicators elevates the political significance of food-assistance programs. The six countries in this report have commonly overcome leaking or ineffective FOSA programs by maintaining a flexible dialogue. Technological advancements have reduced the costs of redeeming vouchers and transferring cash, and they have also allowed governments to implement and manage new programs with ease. In analyzing the successes and failures of specific programs, this report exemplifies the benefit of policy adjustability in determining the best solution to augment food security.

– Eliza Gresh

Photo: Flickr

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Challenge Initiative Takes on Poverty

Family Planning

Women are the key to smart family planning. By increasing access to sexual education and contraceptives, women gain the power to make decisions about their own health and the chances of economic success.

Kamla is a 22-year-old female from Gaya, India. She is a domestic helper and lives in a single room shanty with her husband and young daughter. She does not want another child anytime soon because she feels financially unable to care for one. However, she does not have access to information about contraceptives. Increasing access to information about sexual health should be a priority for four main reasons.

  1. Uncontrolled population growth is an economic barrier
    Nearly all population growth occurs in the developing world, and high fertility is an expensive burden on economies of these countries. High population growth limits opportunities for economic growth and increases health risks for both women and children. Quality of life suffers due to limited access to education, nutrition, employment and scarce resources such as clean water.
  2. Women want control over their fertility
    Surveys in developing countries suggest that 10 to 40 percent of women want to spread out or limit childbirth but do not have access to contraception. This demonstrates an unmet need for birth control. The biggest barriers for women are lack of knowledge and concerns about undesirable health effects.
  3. Quality of life is enhanced
    Family planning improves the lives of both women and children. Reducing the fertility rate would save many women from dying during childbirth. In developing countries, maternal mortality rates are 20 times higher than in developed countries. Increased access to contraceptives also benefits children. Children born fewer than two years apart are twice as likely to die in the first year of life as children born further apart. Being unable to spread out pregnancies also interferes with breastfeeding, which has a crucial role in child nutrition.
  4. Gender equality is advanced
    Improvements in gender equality result from the power that contraceptives give women. Teen pregnancies interfere with education and unwanted pregnancies at any life stage interfere with a woman’s economic power. Giving women control over their bodies and family size allows them to make smarter economic decisions for themselves and their families.

The Challenge Initiative is a $42 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote reproductive health in developing countries. A previous initiative funded by this foundation showed promise in increasing contraceptive access in certain cities in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and India.

Based on rigorous data collected from the earlier initiative, The Challenge Initiative will use demand-based methods and partnerships with cities in order to implement successful programs in a variety of locations. If philanthropic organizations continue to invest in this solution, people – especially women – around the world will soon reap the benefits of family planning.

– Kristen Nixon

Photo: Flickr

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Education in the UAE

Education in the UAE

Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has undergone significant changes since the small Arab nation was founded in 1971. At that time, options for students were few and far between, but this has changed significantly in recent years.

The UAE currently offers every citizen education completely free, from kindergarten to even university. The government even funds the educational endeavors of students if they seek to further their studies abroad. Moreover, the literacy rate in the UAE is 93.1 percent for males and 95.8 percent for females, according to recent estimates. This is a significant increase from the rate of adult literacy in 1975, which was only 54 percent for men and 31 percent for women.

University enrollment rates similarly paint a more optimistic picture of the educational landscape in the UAE. About 95 percent of all girls in their final year of high school apply to university, while 80 percent of males in their final year of high school apply to university. However, education in the UAE still requires improvements in order to produce competitive students in today’s world. This is evidenced by the goals of the UAE Vision 2021, the government’s five-year plan to push the country to innovate and develop, where education is given immense importance in order to secure the future prosperity of the nation on the world stage. The UAE hopes to diversify its economy, especially by investing in the very citizens who are likely to play a major role in its future growth.

Furthermore, the benefits of improving education in the UAE are by no means vague or illusory. Indeed, Dubai Cares, the philanthropic organization based in the UAE, attempts to address poverty across the globe by means of education. This program is devoted to combating poverty and hunger through education via a variety of means – one, in particular, is to establish school programs that ensure the children are being fed in countries ranging from Ghana to Palestine. Dubai Cares firmly believes that in education lies the key to effectively fighting poverty. Another prominent example is investing in girls’ education, believing that doing so enlightens others and results in health benefits that will affect future generations.

The intersection of education and philanthropy is hardly a surprise. Educating others gives them the tools to make proper decisions that are in their long-term interest. It helps them pull themselves out of poverty and also avoid it in the future. The future returns of such an endeavor cannot be lightly dismissed since educated parents are likely to instill the same values in the younger generation.

– Mohammad Hasan Javed

Photo: Flickr

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Yemen’s Human Trafficking Crisis

Human Trafficking Crisis in Yemen
Amid the continued civil unrest and armed conflicts, the Republic of Yemen’s human trafficking crisis is continuously getting worse. The weakening of Yemeni government control over a significant portion of territory, following the 2011 uprising, has allowed human trafficking to thrive. Now, NGOs are reporting that vulnerable populations are at an increased risk of falling victim to the human trafficking network.

Yemen’s human trafficking crisis has not been properly addressed since 2006. According to the U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons report, released in 2014, Yemen was demoted from a Tier 2 to a Tier 3 rating. Tier 2 recognizes that a nation does not comply with the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act’s (TVPA) standards but is making efforts to achieve compliance.

Yemen’s current Tier 3 rating (since 2011) means that Yemen is not complying with the TVPA and that it has ceased making significant efforts to improve. That same year, the United Nations Refugee Agency reported over 103,000 new arrivals in Yemen, having been smuggled or trafficked to the country.

As of 2017, Yemen’s human trafficking crisis has not changed for the better. Due to the tenuous political circumstances, the government faces serious obstacles in combatting trafficking. Yemen is dealing with substantial internal security threats, weak institutions, widespread corruption, economic dilapidation, limited territorial control and poor law enforcement capacities.

However, the greatest threat is the inherently increased risk for human trafficking due to the nation’s failure to implement and enforce any anti-trafficking laws. The lack of government control has also resulted in little oversight or activity in the courts. Without the government to prosecute, convictions and punishments are not being sought.

Allegedly, some officials willfully ignore the trafficking crimes in their regions. The most vulnerable to Yemen’s human trafficking crisis are migrant workers who attempt to flee poverty by finding work in the Gulf states and are unaware of the situation. As they travel to their destination, they are caught in large crowds, pushed overboard, and taken hostage by the smugglers.

Locals are also at risk. A common practice known as “sex tourism” (described as brief marriages between visitors and young Yemeni girls) has largely resulted due to raising poverty levels in rural areas.

The criminal networks do not stop at Yemen’s borders, but rather extend to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia. As the smugglers continue to move victims internationally and Yemen further develops into a place of origin and transit, the chances that victims are recovered and returned to their families decreases.

By combatting poverty in Yemen, many of the workers who desperately search for opportunities and fall prey on fraudulent job offers would decline. However, until people can provide food and basic necessities for themselves, they may have no choice but to accept any work they can. Unfortunately, smugglers will exploit this. Thus, by combatting poverty, Yemen’s human trafficking crisis can be addressed, too.

– Taylor Elkins

Photo: Flickr

Education in Mongolia

Education in MongoliaSince its transition from a member of the Soviet Union to an independent state, Mongolia has struggled to maintain its pre-independence levels of educational attainment and literacy. In the absence of a centrally-planned system, education in Mongolia has had to find its own way.

Previously, Mongolia had a 5-4-2 education structure, meaning students attended five grades of primary school, four grades of lower secondary school and two grades of upper secondary school. In 2016, a new 6-3-3 plan was fully implemented. Under both systems, all public education is free – though costs associated with education still deter some students – and the primary and lower secondary levels are compulsory.

Current Issues

Education in Mongolia faces the following issues: poor quality of curriculum, materials and teacher training, inconsistent standards, low-quality learning environments and conditions and irrelevant vocational programs. Specific parts of the population also face more specific barriers to educational attainment. For example, children with disabilities (especially if they are non-ambulatory) have very few accessible options and the schools which are open to them receive far less funding than “mainstream” schools.

Children from poor, rural communities, such as those in the Khangai and Western areas, are significantly less likely to attend school at all. Ethnic minorities, including Indigenous children, face discrimination and stigma as well as inadequate curriculum and language materials. Despite the 1995 Basic Principles of Education Law – which guarantees all citizens education in their native language – many students such as Kazakh students (who are the largest minority group) do not have access to textbooks written in their native language.

Successes and Positive Measures

There are many initiatives from within Mongolia and from external nongovernmental organizations looking to improve education in Mongolia. The READ (Rural Education and Development) Project created 3,560 libraries in 383 rural primary schools. This increased classroom reading time by 100 percent.

The Basic Education Program, part of UNICEF, assists the government in the development and implementation of its own education policies. UNICEF also funded upgrades to the Non-Formal and Life-Long Education Center of Nalaikh District, a school that is accessible to children with disabilities (including those in wheelchairs) and provides education to children who would otherwise have to stay home.

An initiative called the Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework has the mandate to recommend changes to the Mongolian Education Quality Reform Project in order to make it more useful to Indigenous children. In its initial form, this reform project would likely not hurt Indigenous children, but it contained no specific measures to help them.

Today, the system of education in Mongolia faces several issues of accessibility and suitability, particularly toward disadvantaged population groups. However, it is on the right path to improving access and quality of education for all.

– Olivia Bradley

Photo: Flickr

10 Facts About the Holocaust Genocide

Holocaust Genocide

The Holocaust genocide, which occurred between 1933 and 1945, is the deadliest genocide in history. As part of Adolf Hitler’s Final Solution, the Holocaust genocide saw the slaughter of approximately six million Jewish people and five million Slavic, Roma and disabled people in concentration camps scattered throughout areas in Europe such as Germany and Poland. The Holocaust genocide can be further understood through history and facts.

Top 10 Facts about the Holocaust

  1. According to a broad definition, the Holocaust is considered to have started in 1933, when the Nazi party came to power in Germany and the exclusion of Jewish people and other groups considered “undesirable” from German society began. Mass killings began in 1941, during the height of World War II.
  2. The Nazi party systematically planned the mass slaughter of millions of people in order to construct solid cultural and societal norms through the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws, a set of rules that systematically removed Jewish people from society. For instance, Jewish Germans were prohibited from marrying non-Jewish Germans.
  3. The Nazi party forced Jewish people to wear a yellow Star of David badge in order to distinguish between Jewish people and other European people, which served as a systematic approach to isolate Jewish people from society. This practice was a part of Hitler’s use of media and propaganda in order to degrade the Jewish people.
  4. Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” was a period of two days in November 1938 during which Nazi paramilitaries burned approximately 250 synagogues and destroyed thousands of Jewish-owned businesses, schools and homes.
  5. Jewish, Slavic, Roma and disabled people were forced to congregate in “ghettos” throughout Germany and Poland.
  6. Before the creation of extermination camps and gas chambers, Nazi Germans murdered the prisoners of concentration camps by shooting them. After experimentation, it was determined that gassing could murder more people at once and would be less costly. The most famous gas used in the gas chambers was called Zyklon B.
  7. In concentration camps, the prisoners were forced to complete excruciatingly difficult physical labor in the absence of adequate food, water or shelter. Nazi doctors also performed numerous experiments on the prisoners without their consent.
  8. Extermination camps served solely to murder large amounts of Jewish, Slavic, Roma and disabled peoples. The largest extermination camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was located in Poland and responsible for killing approximately one million Jewish people.
  9. During the Holocaust genocide, millions of Jewish people sought refuge in the United States; however, strict immigration quotas in the United States had been enacted in 1924, and most Jewish people were barred from entering the United States.
  10. Many Jewish women created art while confined in the ghettos and concentration camps, and a great deal of the art depicts the hopelessness felt by the Jewish people throughout the period. For example, according to the Jewish Women’s Archive, Emmy Falck-Ettlinger, who lived through and survived the Holocaust genocide in the Gurs concentration camp in France, drew depictions of “emptiness and loneliness.”

These 10 facts about the Holocaust genocide do not even begin to cover the disturbing and horrific details of the historical tragedy. It is incredibly important to study the circumstances in which the Holocaust genocide was developed and executed in order to prevent any group of people from being treated in such an inhumane manner in the future.

– Emily Santora

Photo: Flickr

10 Facts About the Burundian Unrest

Burundian UnrestSince 2015, the Republic of Burundi in East Africa has been faced with unrest, due to the current president, Pierre Nkurunziza being elected for a third term. The opposition claimed it was an unconstitutional election – and that Nkurunziza was authoritarian – and began to protest, thus starting the worst civil distress since the civil war that ended in 2005. The Burundian Unrest is brutal, yet virtually unknown to most Americans. Here are 10 facts about the Burundian Unrest:

  1. There has been ethnic tension in Burundi since 1962. In 1890, Ruanda (Rwanda) and Urundi (Burundi) were joined in German East Africa as Ruanda-Urundi. Since then there has been tension between the majority Hutu population with the minority Tutsi population, with Tutsi typically being the dominant ethnic group. Since 1994 (the start of the civil war between Tutsis and Hutus), Burundi has been considered one of Africa’s most difficult conflicts to deal with.
  2. Pierre Nkurunziza was the first president to be chosen in a democratic election since the start of the civil war in 1994.
    Nkurunziza is a former Hutu rebel leader and was elected in 2005 – one of the final steps in a peace process meant to end years of fighting between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-controlled army. He has since been slowly seeing accusations of authoritarianism, with people boycotting the polls in 2010 and in 2015 when he ran for president again, despite the Burundian constitution limiting presidents to two terms.
  3. Burundian authorities have been abducting and killing its citizens. This is happening at an alarming rate; however, their methods have shifted. In 2015, authorities would openly murder civilians and leave their bodies in the streets of Bujumbura (the capital of Burundi), but recently they have been more discreet about it by kidnapping citizens and not telling their families where they went.
  4. In 2016, an average of more than 100 people a day crossed the Tanzanian border seeking refuge from the chaotic situation.
    These new refugees joined the 250,000 refugees from the year before and are spread out throughout Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The refugees find themselves in shelters that are underfunded and overcrowded. Refugees risk a lot running away from Burundi because if they get caught by the militia, they are labeled “traitors” and are either sent back with a warning or, in extreme cases, assaulted and murdered.
  5. The ruling party in Burundi is the National Council of The Defence of Democracy- Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) The CNDD was created in 1994, as a direct result of the assassination of the democratically elected president that was the start of the civil war. The FDD was later created as an armed wing to establish popular resistance.
  6. Imbonerakure is the youth branch of the CNDD-FDD and is causing a lot of destruction. Imbonerakure is accused of beatings and killings and there is a suspected collaboration with the Burundi government. They have also been raping women related to men who are rebelling against the government. In addition, they have been known to go door to door, extorting money from residents, and have been arresting citizens despite having no technical arresting power.
  7. Mass arrests of opposition parties have been conducted. At least 16 members of the opposition party – National Liberation Forces (FNL) – were arrested in March 2016, with many more arrested in the following months.
  8. Despite being accused of human rights violations, Burundi is on the U.N.’s 47 member Human Rights Council. There was a panel of investigators set up by the human rights council last year, and in early September 2017, they said that they would be delivering the council a list of potential human rights violators in Burundi.
  9. Burundian refugees that have made it out of Burundi still face conflict in their new homes In September of this year, 36 refugees were shot and killed in the Congo, after an altercation with Congolese security forces.
  10. The U.N. has been working in Burundi since 2015. On Jan. 1, 2015 the U.N. Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) began working in the conflicted country. Jamal Benomar, Ban Ki-Moon’s Special Advisor, has been working with the Burundi government on creating a “credible and inclusive political dialogue.” It is a continuation of the U.N. office in Burundi (BNUB) that ended in 2014.

The crisis in Burundi is still rampant, but there are ways that everyday American citizens can help. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been assisting Burundi since 1996 to help victims recover from the war. The IRC is now focusing its efforts on Burundi’s border with Tanzania and around Bujumbura, the capital. They are providing emergency relief, deinstitutionalizing children in orphanages, teaching young people job skills, helping to manage refugee camps, safeguarding the human rights for refugees and more. Donations to them and organizations like them will go a long way for the people in Burundi and will hopefully allow the Burundian Unrest to begin settling.

– Téa Franco

Photo: Google

Aid Organizations Look to Switzerland to Fight Global Hunger

Hunger has been defined in many different ways. Richard D. Mattes and Mark I. Friedman define hunger as “a physiological or metabolic state that results from a lack of energy or nutrients.” The two researchers detail the physical responses that occur within our bodies when proper nutrition isn’t provided in their 1993 paper, “Hunger.”

According to the Economic Development Association, nearly one billion people currently suffer from hunger worldwide. Although this number is appalling, efforts are being made around the world to decrease global hunger. The World Food Program (WFP) is a leading humanitarian organization that has aided in providing food to roughly 100 million people in more than 70 countries annually. It abides by two key missions: providing humanitarian relief and achieving developmental goals.

Its highest financial contribution comes from Switzerland’s humanitarian assistance program. Switzerland has committed to ending global hunger under the Food Aid Convention, its objective being to “improve the ability of the international community to respond to emergency food situations and other food needs of developing countries.” In its involvement with the WFP operations, Switzerland considers the following conditions:

  • Care requirements and financial urgency
  • Potential collaborations with other Swiss programs
  • Presence of a Swiss cooperation office on-site

Switzerland finances experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit to plan programs to alleviate hunger in affected countries. Trained specialists manage everything from emergency care to cash and voucher programs.  The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation states that there is a condition for providing this assistance: “it is essential to ensure that international humanitarian law and international humanitarian standards and principles are respected.”

Switzerland is devoted to the sustainable use of natural resources in its war against global hunger. This includes better access to loans, drought-resistant seeds and local food markets in the most deprived countries. Switzerland has supported a variety of causes, from the construction of wastewater purification systems and drinking water plants in Macedonia to the Small Enterprises Assistance Fund, a venture capital fund for small and medium-sized enterprises. During its 27 years of support, the fund’s mission has been to improve the lives of those who greatly require it.

– Nicole Suárez

Photo: CIA World Factbook

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Fighting Hunger in Gabon

Hunger in Gabon

On a continent where a number of countries struggle with the issue of hunger, the western African nation of Gabon has proven to be a relatively optimistic case. Hunger in Gabon has gone down in absolute terms over the past decade.

In general, western Sub-Saharan Africa has improved its hunger situation in recent years. The prevalence of undernourishment in the region has been reduced from 24.2 percent in 1992 to 9.6 percent in 2016. In Gabon alone, the proportion of undernourished people went from 9.5 percent to 2.7 percent between 1992 and 2016. For Gabon, one of the most notable gains has been the wellbeing of children. Prevalence of growth stunting in children has dropped from 26.7 to 17.5 percent and the under five mortality rate has decreased from 9.1 to 5.1 percent in the span of 1992 to 2016. A big part of this improvement in western Africa has been the developments in infrastructure in the region. This has led to increased agricultural productivity.

Another reason for the decrease in hunger, including hunger in Gabon, is the increased cooperation between western African states. Several organizations have sprung up, including the Economic Community of West African States, the West African Monetary and Economic Union, and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel. Additionally, the region has adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, which, among other things, aims to right gender imbalances, promote nutrition and encourage investment in agriculture.

There are still some factors that may be perpetuating hunger in Gabon. According to the Hunger Reduction Commitment Index Africa, Gabon lacks access to agricultural research, functioning social protection systems and equal access for women to agricultural land. Gabon also lacks a constitutional right to food. However, access to land was rated as “moderate,” which is an improvement.

Overall, hunger in Gabon still persists. However, the country is making strides in the right direction. If it continues to cooperate with its neighboring states and expand the access of its people – especially in the rural zones – to the resources they need, it will continue down the path to ending hunger.

– Andrew Revord

Photo: Pixabay

Eye Care in Kenya

Eye Care in KenyaOn a global scale, 87 percent of the world’s visually impaired live in developing nations and a full 18 percent live in Africa. For the East African nation of Kenya, this means that almost seven percent of its rural population is blind in at least one eye and another two to five percent will fight with some sort of severe visual impairment. In a nation whose rural constituents account for 73.5 percent of the overall population, such a number is incredibly concerning. Further, the majority of these visual impairments are both preventable and treatable, meaning that these losses of sight are not only widespread but unnecessary.

In fact, in Kenya, 39 percent of all visual impairments are caused by cataracts alone – a medical condition that has been both preventable and treatable for years. Noting the prevalence of cataracts leads to a crucial understanding: so much of these visual impairments are a direct result of inadequate, inaccessible or non-existent options for eye care in Kenya.

For UHEAL eye care in Kenya, such has been an understanding that has driven their business practices. UHEAL’s primary goal is to work against the preventable loss of sight. It does so by focusing specifically on diabetic retinopathy, which is a complication that induces visual impairments and arises about 20 percent of the time in diabetic individuals – a prevalence rate that is so high that on a global scale it is the fifth leading cause of visual impairments.

Diabetic retinopathy is also treatable if it is noted early enough, so UHEAL focuses on screening and then treating rural Kenyans. Though its facilities are based in Nairobi, UHEAL has traveling units that traverse the nation, offering eye examinations, laser treatments and follow-up care. It also works to raise awareness about the specific condition of diabetic retinopathy by educating and training local health workers and diabetic support groups. To date, the organization has provided more than 16,000 individuals with eye-care services.

Considering the current predictions that the number of visual impairments will triple globally by the year 2050 as the world’s population ages, improving eye care will not only be important, but necessary. Seeing as a large portion of visual impairments arises from treatable issues – like cataracts and diabetic retinopathy – it becomes even more essential to improve eye care. In a world as technologically advanced as this current one, addressing treatable visual impairments should be a given. Nobody should suffer from sight loss if it ultimately could have been not only prevented but treated.

– Kailee Nardi

Photo: Flickr