Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

NGOs and How to Help People in Malta

How to Help People in Malta

Although it is one of the smallest European states, Malta has been affected by the refugee crisis on the continent over the last few years. Many displaced families and individuals are seeking asylum in Malta, and organizations throughout the country have established means of meeting the asylum seekers’ most basic needs. NGOs offer several ways of how to help people in Malta, and specifically refugees.

Donations of necessary materials such as clothing, household goods, food and books are highly encouraged. Monetary donations are also accepted by all of the non-governmental foundations working to support refugees in the country. Here are two successful nonprofits that could use your help.

Jesuits in Malta is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to “serve, accompany and advocate.” Their mission specifically involves serving and welcoming new migrants and refugees. JRS Malta specializes in legal assistance and social work services, including psychological support and healthcare. The group offers outreach through its members, made up of social workers, lawyers, nurses and religious figures.

“Project Integrated” is on of Jesuits in Malta’s current projects, supported by UNHCR Malta. The overall goal of the project is to integrate “beneficiaries of international protection” into Maltese society so that they may practice their rights and live an independent life. The group suggests helping through monetary donations or the donations of useful items. They also offer information on organizing fundraising activities.

Kopin is a voluntary nonprofit based in Malta working in international development and refugee support. The group stands for international development cooperation and works to raise awareness about the “role of each individual as a global citizen.” The aim to empower developing communities in this way. For refugees in Malta specifically, Kopin provides educational and social services to women and children seeking asylum.

One of the group’s current projects is known as “TOO M&E up!” geared towards raising the quality of designs and implementation of learning activities for young people. You can donate to the organization online or even via text message. They also offer training and volunteering opportunities on human rights issues and hands-on skills.

If volunteer time or physical donations are not possible, it is always helpful to follow these NGOs on Facebook and Twitter if you are still wondering how to help people in Malta.

– Melanie Snyder

Photo: Google

EU and UN Initiative End Violence Against Women

End Violence Against WomenThe United Nations has partnered with the European Union to create a program called Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women. Spotlight Initiative has received €500 million from the EU, an amount that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres referred to as “unprecedented in scale.” The program is part of the U.N.’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pursues 17 facets of global development, including the elimination of global poverty and hunger.

The Spotlight Initiative’s main focus is on ending domestic violence, sexual violence, femicide, female circumcision, child and forced marriage, human trafficking and the exploitation of women. These problems are widespread throughout the world. 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced domestic and/or sexual abuse. 700 million women have undergone child marriage and 200 million have experienced genital mutilation. These acts come at a tremendous cost to the physical and mental well-being of women.

Violence against women also comes at a great cost to society at large. When societies suppress women with acts of violence and both institutional and de jure inequalities, they are deprived of the many contributions women bring to the world. Women’s contributions are so valuable that McKinsey Global Institute found that the world economy would be $12 trillion richer if every nation moved towards gender equality at a rate equal to its fastest-improving neighbor. Ending violence against women is not just in the best interest of humanity, it is also crucial for advancing global development.

Ending violence against women is a highly ambitious goal, but this is not the first time that the EU and the U.N. have made efforts to end forms of gender violence. The U.N. manages the Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, which has granted $116 million to 426 initiatives across the globe. The EU has been working with UNICEF and UNFPA to end female circumcision and child marriage in 16 African countries. Their efforts have put Senegal on track to become the first nation to completely abandon female genital mutilation, and Egypt and Sudan are seeing significant improvements as well.

The U.N. has touched on a few core areas of action for the Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women. In order to create long-term, sustainable developments in equality for women, social and political mobilization is essential, according to the U.N. When women are more politically active, nations are more likely to pass laws protecting the rights of women. Educational programs, community-organized events and awareness campaigns are also needed to shift cultural norms surrounding violence against women. Policies directed at empowering the financial independence of women will be significant in enabling women to leave physically and sexually abusive relationships as well.

Though the issue of ending violence against women is a daunting one, the amount of funding the Spotlight Initiative has drawn in and the wide scope of the initiative brings hope that the world will see major advancements in the global rights of women by 2030.

– Carson Hughes

Photo: Flickr

Poverty in Brunei – Development and Forward Thinking

Poverty in Brunei

Brunei, a high development country that benefits from a wealth of natural resources, has one of the highest gross domestic products in the world. While there is no reported poverty line, all signs point to a very successful population and a government structure that could act as a model to the world. In other words, poverty in Brunei is not nonexistent, but it is minimized. Unfortunately, even though Brunei is highly developed and their infrastructure is smoothly run and effective, the nation is a special case, and thus their model cannot be applied to the rest of the world that does struggle with high levels of poverty and strife.

The government of Brunei has not only set up an excellent infrastructure, but the population is also highly educated and benefits from not having to pay income taxes or for medical care. Yet, the government can only afford this social system because of the breadth of natural resources they have at their disposal. Brunei refines crude oil, which is then exported to economic powerhouses around the world such as Japan, which is the primary export market. Since the natural resources are so abundant for the time being, Brunei does not have to worry about them running out, leading to a recession or worse.

Yet, despite the strength of industry, the nation does struggle to make modern adjustments, raising the possibility of a future where poverty in Brunei could become an issue. The recent decline in oil prices has made this concern more plausible, and officials have made it a priority to diversify industry and bring in more foreign investment. The wealth of the country allows them to fix problems before they begin, and the threat of a “resource curse” is one such issue.

Another concern lies in the very small level of poverty in Brunei. While the country has no official measurement of a poverty line, the UN Millennium Development Goals report in 2011 indicated that 5.04 percent of the population is impoverished. The government is already taking steps to deal with the issue, creating a Poverty Issue Special Committee and drafting an action plan for eradicating poverty. While this committee has not led to an official poverty line, it does show that the government of Brunei is proactive and willing to fight for their citizens’ interests.

While Brunei does not struggle with a high percentage of poverty, they still remain an example on how to combat poverty through government action. Creating a committee to deal with this issue before it becomes too problematic and planning to diversify industry and modernize makes the government of Brunei an idealistic, forward-thinking country to observe and emulate.

– Rachael Blandau

Photo: Flickr

Causes of Poverty in Montserrat

Causes of Poverty in Montserrat

The small Caribbean island of Montserrat is primarily known for one of its most striking features, the Soufrière Hills volcano. In 1995, the island was devastated by a series of eruptions from this volcano, destroying nearly two-thirds of the island and almost completely covering the capital city in ash and boulders. Even though the eruption occurred more than two decades ago, the BBC still describes the island as “striving to rebuild” after the eruptions. As a British territory, Montserrat is still receiving aid from the British government in the aftermath. Even today, many of the causes of poverty in Montserrat can be traced back to the eruptions.

The destruction on the island left large portions of the southern region uninhabitable. Large amounts of physical assets and sources of income were also destroyed. Many families and communities were fragmented by the destruction. Nearly two-thirds of the population left the island. Those who chose to stay on the island but had to relocate struggled more than others with economic recovery. The economy itself has struggled to return to its pre-eruption levels.

There are other causes of poverty in Montserrat not directly associated with the eruptions. A major study of poverty in Montserrat released in 2012 found numerous causes of poverty. Adults who had only a primary level education were more likely to fall into poverty than others. Children under the age of 15 had the highest poverty level of any demographic. Larger households were more likely to fall into poverty than smaller ones. Additional causes related to different human rights issues on the island, including family breakdowns, domestic violence, unplanned pregnancies and drug and alcohol use.

Fortunately, the effects of poverty seem to be decreasing in Montserrat. While the 2012 report recorded poverty levels at 36 percent of the population, this number was defined by a poverty line much higher than the “severe” poverty line. Only 3 percent of the population, or around 160 people, fell into extreme poverty, earning less than $5 US per day. Since the study, poverty levels have fallen to the point where resources such as the CIA World Factbook report the poverty rate as negligible. British aid has been used to rebuild and expand infrastructure on the island. The population on the island has continued to recover over the last two decades. The government has also shown dedication to solving human rights issues. All of these steps show a continuing focus to address the causes of poverty in Montserrat.

– Erik Beck

Photo: Flickr

How to Help People in Palau

How to Help People in Palau

Palau has a rich cultural heritage that relies on the relationship between its people and the sea. Some inhabitants still practice traditional ceremonies, and it is still considered a matrilineal society. It was once considered customary for men to learn about water currents and the behaviors of fish to be caught. In honor of the connection of the Palau people with the ocean, the government of Palau designated 193,000 square miles of coast as a fully protected marine reserve. Despite the efforts to preserve the wildlife and traditions of Palau, overfishing, poaching, weather and tourism threaten the longevity of its livelihood. There are a few different ways of how to help people in Palau maintain their ecosystems and lifestyle.

Support conservation efforts
In addition to the marine reserve, Palau has agreed to the Micronesia Challenge, a region-wide initiative to balance the use of natural resources and conservation. Even with these efforts, the island still suffers from damage to coral reefs from tourist interaction as well as decreased fish populations resulting from tourist seafood consumption. The Nature Conservancy is one organization that has already donated $1 million to the Micronesia Challenge endowment benefitting the island. Decreasing commercial fishing and promoting local traditions are among the ways to conserve the heritage and environment of Palau.

Volunteer and support USAID and disaster relief organizations.
As an island nation in the South Pacific, Palau’s ecosystem is threatened by typhoons, drought, pollution and rising sea levels. A power plant fire in 2011 resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency with electricity rationing that affected schools, hospitals and sanitation. In March 2016, Palau became the most recent nation to declare an El Niño-related state of emergency. Because of record-setting low total rainfall and declining level of freshwater access, citizens were placed on a water rationing schedule. USAID has recently worked to increase disaster readiness and risk reduction programs for communities in Palau.

Conservation of culture and environment combined with disaster readiness and prevention are simple answers to the question of how to help people in Palau.

– Rebekah Korn

Photo: Flickr

How to Help People in Cabo Verde: To Persevere

How to Help People in Cabo VerdeWhen analyzing progress created from global trade, employment opportunities and local equality, the world witnesses how to help people in Cabo Verde.

Tourism and Trade
With only 10 percent of land in Cabo Verde suitable for agriculture, it is essential for Cabo Verdeans to get support from outside sources. Thus, the fight to help people in Cabo Verde relies heavily on foreign support, trade and tourism.

As of May 2017, the Cabo Verde government has made efforts to create a trade, business and transport hub. Without witnessing the benefits that tourism created, the effort to increase trade would not exist. The poverty rate dropped from 37 percent in 2003 to 27 percent in 2008, largely because of Cabo Verde’s tourism sector.

To support Cabo Verde in its rise above poverty, the World Bank Group (WBG) committed funds for analytical work that enables accountable and strategic goals for reducing poverty. These activities would provide Cabo Verdeans with easier access to food and help ensure economic growth through trade and tourism.

Employment
The increase in tourism and trade helps develop more jobs for the locals. With low agricultural opportunities, Cabo Verdeans struggle to find employment: however, trade brings in consumer goods, allowing Cabo Verdeans to seek employment.

The new Cabo Verde government leaders, put in place after the 2016 election, are addressing the country’s macroeconomic challenges, with hopes of securing 45,000 jobs by 2021. To do so, the government teamed up with the United Nations and agreed to sign an annual work plan, aiming to reduce poverty and promote the new democratic government in Cabo Verde.

Equality
Reducing poverty and addressing how to help people in Cabo Verde means providing all Cabo Verdean adults the chance to be employed. Simply creating more job opportunities is not enough if the female population is not permitted to support their families and their country’s economy.

In 2015, Cabo Verde joined Step It Up for Gender Equality, meant to empower women and fight gender-based violence. The Government of Cabo Verde fights to implement the Gender-Based Violence Law and to provide women with equal roles within the country.

Cabo Verdeans have seen improvements in regards to female health because there was a decrease in the maternal mortality rate from 0.036 percent in 2006 to 0.026 percent in 2011. Hopefully with the new outlook on gender equality, those numbers will drop even further.

Cabo Verdeans are benefiting gradually from the World Bank Group granting Cabo Verde $78 million in 2017, the aid of the United Nation’s work plan and from the empowerment gained from Step It Up for Gender Equality. The progress in global trade, employment opportunities, and gender equality all contribute to the efforts of helping people in Cabo Verde alleviate poverty.

– Brianna White

Photo: Flickr

Holy See Poverty Rate Virtually Non-Existent

Holy See Poverty RateHoly See, also known as Vatican City, is a small nation located in southern Europe and is an enclave of Rome in Italy that is the seat of the Catholic Church. It is not exactly known how much personal wealth the citizens of Vatican City have, but it is known that the Holy See poverty rate is virtually non-existent.

The Holy See is supported by a multitude of sources, including investments, real estate income and donations from Catholic individuals, as well as dioceses and institutions. Even though it is the smallest nation in the world in both size and population, the Holy See’s GDP per capita is an estimated $21,198, which makes Vatican City the 18th wealthiest nation in the world per capita.

The population of this small independent state is very small, which contributes to the Holy See poverty rate being non-existent. In July 2001, the estimated population in Vatican City was 890, and it generally sees a growth rate of about 1.15 percent. Most of the residents of the state are related to the Church in some way, supplemented by elderly officers and servants for the Church. Most of the jobs within the Vatican itself include secretarial, domestic, trade and service jobs. The working week is fairly reasonable, although some keep longer hours, such as the Secretariat of State.

Workers that reside within Vatican City also enjoy numerous religious holidays, and Italians that work in Vatican City are exempt from having to join the military. Defense is provided by Italy, known as the Swiss Guard, who performs ceremonial and limited security duties. The members of the Swiss Guard tend to make a relatively low salary, but they are usually younger men with private incomes.

Fortunately, it would appear that the Holy See poverty rate is unlikely to increase in the near future.

– Sara Venusti

Photo: Flickr

Why Are Palestinian Territories Poor?

Why Are Palestinian Territories PoorIn recent years, the struggle of the Palestinian Territories has become increasingly publicized. The territories, located in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, are the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The increase in attention given to this conflict and related issues often raises the question “why are Palestinian territories poor?”

The Palestinian territory poverty rate is said to be 25 percent of the total population, with an unemployment rate of 27 percent. After the recession in 2014, the World Bank reported in 2015 that the region was becoming poorer for the third consecutive year. Currently, there are three main causes of poverty in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories has created political instability and has been a cause of economic turmoil in the region. One example of this is the Gaza Blockade that Israel instated in the 1990s and intensified in 2007. This blockade severely reduced the mobility of Palestinians in the area and their ability to find work. The trickle-down effect of the blockade (as well as other results of the conflict) is that aid is less accessible for the impoverished in the community.

A secondary, but major, cause of poverty is an increasing unemployment rate, which also stems from the political and economic instability. The May 2017 issue of This Week in Palestine reports that over 400,000 people are unemployed in the two regions of the territory. Most of the unemployed are youths, many of whom are recent graduates. The Palestinian Ministry of Labor is unable to effectively create jobs to solve this unemployment crisis affecting the population.

Issues with infrastructure can be crippling. BBC reported in 2014 that issues with electricity and other infrastructure perpetuate the struggles those in the territories face and can lead to further hardships. A survey from the ADBI Institute, “The Impacts of Infrastructure on Development: A Selective Survey,” stated that “development economists have considered physical infrastructure to be a precondition for industrialization and economic development…” Therefore, with inconsistent electricity comes unreliable healthcare and water supply. The BBC report outlines this by stating “[electricity power cuts] will disturb electricity for the whole population of Gaza; almost two million people will suffer.”

The solution to the question at hand, “why are Palestinian territories poor?”, is not a simple one, nor is it one without political complications. However, the chief of the United Nations, António Guterres, believes that the solution to these causes of poverty in the Palestinian territories lies with the United Nations resolution 1860, which refers to the Security Council resolution from 2009 which called for an immediate end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas and lifting of blockades for food, fuel and medicines. He also believes that immediate and increased humanitarian aid can help uplift and stabilize the region, which in turn gives the people opportunities to create and fill jobs, especially reconstruction-based jobs. The solutions posed by the United Nations could eradicate these causes and alleviate poverty in the Palestinean territories.

– Gabriella Paez

Photo: Flickr

FarmDrive Helps Unbanked Farmers in Kenya

Farmers in KenyaSmallholder farmers in Kenya are overwhelmingly denied access to traditional financial services, stunting the growth of the country’s agricultural industry. FarmDrive is an innovative startup that connects this unbanked population to new capital flows. So far, FarmDrive has facilitated 400 loans that amount to over $125,000.

There are 50 million smallholder farmers in Kenya, but less than 10 percent of this population has their economic needs fulfilled by traditional lenders. The agricultural sector makes up 32 percent of Africa’s GDP and employs 65 percent of its population, but less than 1 percent of bank lending goes to agriculture. Worldwide, there is an estimated $450 billion agricultural lending gap.

African smallholder farmers face barriers to traditional lending because they are labeled high-risk borrowers by financial institutions. Traditional banks use credit scores and bank statements to determine a loan applicant’s riskiness. However, the average farmer in Africa cultivates fewer than five acres of land and owns no collateral or financial records.

Limited credit availability leaves this population unable to improve their farming practices. Without access to capital, these farmers must forgo yield-increasing technology like fertilizer or irrigation systems.

FarmDrive combats this lack of financial visibility by calculating alternative credit scores for Kenyan smallholder farmers. The startup requires users to input their expenses, revenue and yield via SMS and creates a platform for farmers to record business activity. FarmDrive then uses a complex algorithm to combine individual financial information with additional factors like the climate in the farmer’s region. These outside inputs both verify farmer’s self-reported information and provide context for these records. For example, farmers living within arid zones will likely have smaller crop yields.

By accruing farmer data, FarmDrive eliminates some of the risk for banks. FarmDrive has partnered with African financial firms who accept their alternative credit scores and determine appropriate loans for smallholder farmers. Lending institutions thus consider both the self-reported financial history of farmers as well as exogenous variables that will affect their crop yields.

To gain access to remote farmers, FarmDrive depends on aid organizations, like USAID, and private firms that operate in the agricultural industry. FarmDrive is expanding its data collection through new partnerships with Planet, a satellite company, and The Impact Lab, a data analytics group, to potentially incorporate climate information gathered via satellite imagery into its algorithm.

Though the startup operates solely in Kenya, the founders would ultimately like to serve all 450 million smallholder farmers and 500 financial institutions in Africa. By linking unbanked farmers to needed capital, FarmDrive has the potential to revitalize Africa’s agricultural industry.

– Katherine Parks

Photo: Flickr

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Common Diseases in Kiribati

Common Diseases in KiribatiKiribati is a small island country in the central Pacific. The people of Kiribati have a positive outlook on life, despite the fact that many factors such as a lack of sanitation, overcrowding, high unemployment and environmental threats have led to 22 percent of the population living without basic needs.

The Ministry of Health in Kiribati provides free hospital services and public health and nursing services on the island and tries to focus on disease prevention and education. Yet, the persistence of urban poverty, climate change and poor water quality have led to a nearly constant influx of disease on the island.

Diarrheal Disease
Diarrheal outbreaks are common diseases in Kiribati for a few reasons. One of the most prevalent sources of diarrhea is dirty water. One in 20 infants dies before their first birthday in Kiribati from drinking unclean water. Some other causes of diarrheal disease are poor food handling and public defecation due to overcrowding.

Malnutrition
There are three different types of malnutrition: wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age) and underweight (low weight for age). The most common type of malnutrition in Kiribati is stunting. Malnutrition not only reduces quality of life but also contributes greatly to infant mortality, weak immune systems and mortality in general.

Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Virus
Two other common diseases in Kiribati are dengue fever and chikungunya, both of which are viruses transmitted through the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. In 2015, it was reported that more than 12,000 people have been infected with mosquito-borne illnesses.

Ciguatera Poisoning
Ciguatera poisoning comes from consuming reef fish that have been contaminated by ciguatoxins, or marine biotoxins that cause food intoxication. The toxins can cause a wide range of neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms. According to research, the toxins mainly develop in shallow waters that contain seaweed, sediments and dead coral. Thus, it is possible that low sea levels and surface water temperatures are contributing to the poisoning.

Lifestyle Disease
Some of the most common diseases in Kiribati are those that stem from certain lifestyle habits or behaviors. Diseases of this kind include HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and diabetes. The prevalence of HIV and STIs are due to a lack of sexual education. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are most often associated with physical inactivity and poor eating habits. Tobacco use also contributes to respiratory disease and cancers.

Kiribati is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) on a national development plan for the 2016-2019 period that includes operational plans for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. Immediate goals include reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, improving maternal and child health, preventing the spread of communicable diseases and strengthening health service delivery.

Awareness and prevention of communicable disease will be key to implementing this plan. With the intervention of WHO, Kiribati has made strides in providing cost-effective, quality health services and preventing disease.

– Madeline Boeding

Photo: Flickr