Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

The Overall Low Cost of Living in Colombia

Cost of Living in ColombiaJust like many countries, the cost of living in Colombia varies depending on the location, but, overall, the small South American country delivers a low cost of living to its citizens, while offering all the amenities of a more expensive country.

The low prices can be seen across the country in everyday expenses. Real estate ranges from as high as $1,250 a month in a major city to $350 in a small town. The same goes for buying property in Colombia. Land can sell anywhere from $1 million to about $250,000. Additionally, residents spend an average of $75 on utilities such as water, electricity and gas.

Although on average, expenses are generally higher in Bogota, boasting a price index of 88 out of 100, most places in Colombia boast cheap everyday prices for residents. Additionally, compared to major cities in the U.S., the cost of living in Colombia is generally 50 percent cheaper.

Low costs on everyday items are essential for native Colombians, as 27.8 percent of the population lived below the poverty line in 2015. Colombia also faces a 9.2 percent unemployment rate, both of which are caused by the social imbalances and unequal distribution of government programs.

However, with poverty steadily declining, Colombian citizens are able to enjoy more services, such as health care. Health care in Colombia is substantially cheaper than in developed countries like the United States. In fact, Colombian health care is reported to having procedure costs between 50 and 90 percent less than in the United States.

In addition, Colombia is a leading coal exporter, ranking as the world’s fourth largest coal exporter. The country also leads as the second largest coffee and cut flower exporter and is Latin America’s fourth largest oil producer.

The country’s GDP growth averaged 4.7 percent each year in the last decade. While Colombia has seen a recent rise in food and energy prices and an inflation spike, the country is still experiencing a 1.9 percent industrial production growth rate while boasting a $688 billion GDP in 2016.

Additionally, as the peso continues to drop due to the overproduction of oil, in 2016, one U.S. dollar could give residents up to 3,288 pesos, a 25 percent increase from the year prior.

With an increase in certain industries, such as coal and oil, and with the coupling of cheap healthcare and a low cost of living in Colombia, along with improved infrastructure, Colombia is quickly transforming from a country burdened with a high rate of poverty to a rising low cost country with all the amenities of a much more expensive country.

– Amira Wynn

Photo: Pixabay

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Common Diseases in Grenada

Common Diseases in GrenadaA tiny island in the Caribbean, Grenada is roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C. and has a population of only 111,219 individuals. Today, the country’s economy heavily relies on tourism along with agriculture. After Hurricane Ivan, the nation struggled to rebuild and now faces enormous public debt, inhibiting further public spending. This, of course, has a negative effect on the quality of healthcare, and slows the progress of reducing the prevalence of certain diseases. Here are the most common diseases in Grenada:

Ischemic Heart Disease
A condition characterized by constricted heart arteries, causing reduced blood flow to the heart, ischemic heart disease can ultimately result in untimely heart attack. Also known as coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease was assessed to be the most fatal of the common diseases in Grenada in 2005. By 2015, it was still the most fatal, but the prevalence of deaths by the disease had actually decreased by 5.9 percent.

Cerebrovascular Disease
Cerebrovascular disease refers to any disorder affecting blood flow to the brain. Such disorders often result in aneurysms, carotid stenosis, intracranial stenosis, vertebral stenosis, stroke and vascular malformations. In 2015, cerebrovascular disease was the second most fatal common disease in Grenada, and had been for the past decade. However, the disease had fortunately decreased in prevalence by 4.4 percent within those 10 years.

Diabetes
A disease that occurs when blood glucose is too high, diabetes can cause a myriad of other health problems, and can even lead to death. In Grenada, diabetes was the third most common cause of death, consistently from 2005 to 2015. Unfortunately, in contrast to the reduction  in prevalence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes became 4.5 percent more common within the decade.

In October of 2015, the government of Grenada stated that the “Grenada Diabetes Association and the Ministry of Health continue to strengthen their relationship as both entities collaborate to promote good health and wellness among the population.” In regards to heart disease, the Grenada Heart Project studies “the clinical, biological, and psychosocial determinants of the cardiovascular health in Grenada in order to develop and implement a nationwide cardiovascular health promotion program.” Clearly, the nation is dedicated to domestically addressing the most common diseases in Grenada, and hopefully this dedication will lead to more progress.

– Shannon Golden

Photo: Flickr

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Water Quality in Comoros

Water Quality in ComorosComoros is a tropical archipelago nation located in the Indian Ocean towards the northern end of the Mozambique Channel. The island has numerous natural resources including fresh water, many species of edible plants and a wide variety of wildlife. Nevertheless, due to having some of the world’s most active volcanoes on the island, water quality in Comoros has become a concern for many living in the country.

Karthala is one of the most active volcanoes on the island and has contributed significantly to the water pollution. Volcanic eruptions have allowed for the introduction of pollutants into the water supply, which has caused the water quality in Comoros to decline in years past. Karthala’s most recent eruptions – two in the past year and a half – have left the island covered in volcanic ash, which has polluted the water supply many in the country rely on.

Despite the extent of the pollution, the water quality in Comoros appears to be improving recently due to numerous programs introduced by the government. As a short-term solution, UNICEF has shipped millions of liters of drinking water into the nation until a more long term solution can be enacted. This action has brought fresh water to more than 150,000 people.

The government of Comoros has continued to work alongside UNICEF to create more long-term solutions to this issue. Together with UNICEF, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office has given $1.3 million to go toward cleaning more than 1,500 reservoirs. This is hugely beneficial, as many citizens use these reservoirs as their primary source of their drinking water.

Overall, the water quality in Comoros has suffered from the volcanic activity in the country; however, the continued efforts by both UNICEF and the government has had a significant effect on improving this issue. This work and its continuation should allow the citizens of Comoros to continue to have a fresh source of water.

– Nick Beauchamp

Photo: Flickr

The Top Three Answers to the Question: Why is Brazil Poor?

Why is Brazil Poor
Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country by both population (roughly 210 million) and geographical area (3,287,597 square miles). It is also the world’s eighth largest economy and previously hosted the 2016 Olympics. Despite these feats, Brazil struggles to recover from the worst recession in its country’s history. While Brazil is not poor, the level of people in poverty there is well above the norm for a middle-income country. Here are three answers to the question, “Why is Brazil poor?”

1. Inequality of Land Distribution

According to USAID, inequality of land distribution is a major factor contributing to poverty levels in Brazil. Brazil’s poor have inadequate access to desirable land, and NPR reported in 2015 that one percent of the population controls 50 percent of all the land in Brazil.

This means that 2 million people (out of a total population of 210 million) control half of the country’s entire square footage. The other 99 percent have little access to land ownership, making it difficult to improve their economic status. Brazil is one of the most unequal places in the world when it comes to land distribution.

2. Education

Claudia Gostin, the education secretary for the city of Rio de Janeiro, told the Global Post that Brazil has educational apartheid taking place in its country. Apartheid is a system that separates people on the basis of color, ethnicity or class. Brazilian schools are separated by class and one could also argue race.

According to the Global Post, class divisions in Brazil are ingrained around the age of five. Depending on their economic class, Brazilian children are either sent to rundown public schools that prepare them for mediocrity or they are sent to high quality private institutions that prepare them for upper echelon roles in society. Lower class Brazilians are taught by second rate teachers in under resourced buildings with shorter school days than their peers. These factors lead to several drop outs and graduates who are unprepared to compete for high tech jobs in the white-collar work force.

In addition, Brazilians who identify as black or brown and compose more than 50 percent of the population have income levels that are half of whites. This keeps Brazil’s black and brown population in poverty and at the end of Brazil’s social totem pole.

3. Corruption

According to the World Factbook, Brazil’s economy has been affected by several corruption scandals involving private companies and government officials. Penalties against the companies involved — some of the largest in Brazil — limited their business opportunities, producing a ripple effect on associated businesses and contractors.

In addition, investment in these companies also declined due to scandals. This is in turn has had a negative effect on the country’s poor population because companies involved in the scandals cut jobs. For example, Corporate Compliance Insights states that oil company Pertrobras was the country’s largest company and investor making up 10 percent of Brazil’s economy, but after a corruption scandal within the company, Brazil lost 27 billion (at least 1 percent) in GDP in 2015. The company also reduced its workforce by 34 percent, and fewer jobs equals less opportunities for Brazil’s poor to improve their circumstances.

So, why is Brazil poor? A history of inequality that runs deep in the country propels the cycle of poverty for Brazil’s poor. Race, class, education, land and government are all sources of power that dictate where wealth remains in Brazil.

Hope remains for Brazil’s poor despite its past. Poverty has been nearly wiped out for the elderly due to well-funded pensions. What is more, state funded programs such as Bolsa Familia have lifted tens of millions out of poverty and now, more than half of Brazil’s population is considered middle class.

Expanding opportunities for education, access to land and less corruption in government will pave the way for a more equitable Brazilian society.

– Jeanine Thomas

Photo: Flickr

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The Current State of Human Rights in Denmark

Human Rights in DenmarkCenturies ago, Denmark was home to Viking raiders, but today, the nation is successful and technologically advanced. The 5.5 million people who live in Demark are governed by a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The Scandinavian nation is very impressive on many fronts, including economics. In 2016, for instance, Denmark’s unemployment rate was just 4.2 percent. Human rights in Denmark are largely protected, but room for improvement remains.

Denmark is one of the 192 Member States of the United Nations and uses that position to advance its protection of human rights. For example, Denmark has pushed for treaties that support the abolition of torture as well as augmenting the rights of people with disabilities.

Within its own borders, steps are taken to protect human rights as well. Free speech and a free press are two of the many human rights in Denmark protected by the nation’s constitution. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 report, Denmark’s government did not limit either of these practices.

The report also demonstrated that Denmark does not violate the integrity of its people. Prison and detention centers keep with international standards, fair trials are granted and each individual’s privacy is respected.

One area in which Denmark’s reputation regarding human rights is less widely praised is when it comes to the nation’s treatment of refugees. According to The Washington Post, many European nations have experienced an influx of immigrants over the past decade. Some of the actions taken by Denmark’s government include slashing benefits to refugees, allowing police to confiscate refugees’ valuables and taking steps to make it increasingly difficult for refugees to reunite with their families.

As the laws in Denmark have changed, so too have the have peoples’ sentiments. Ideas regarding refugees that in the past would have been considered outlandish have infiltrated more mainstream ideology. Denmark has received much criticism for this. In fact, Human Rights First, “an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals” stated that this is a violation of refugees’ human rights.

The evidence suggests that Denmark is more successful at protecting the human rights of its own people than of others.

– Adam Braunstein

Photo: Flickr

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Poverty Rate in Eritrea Forces Migrant Crisis

Eritrea Poverty RateAn Eritrean man named Binyan left behind his family and hiked 19 hours to the Ethiopian border. He would have to brave a dangerous journey that involved crossing the Mediterranean on overfilled boats and avoiding human traffickers. He did all of this just to get out of Eritrea. The poverty rate in Eritrea and harsh military conscriptions are forcing young people to leave the country.

Currently, Eritreans are the third-largest group of people that are coming across the Mediterranean to Europe. The U.N. estimates that nine percent of the country has evacuated in recent years. Eritreans, however, also account for the majority of the 3,000 people who have drowned in the Mediterranean on the journey. However, the situation looks even more worrying. Policy toward Eritrean refugees is shifting. The U.K. has cut the number Eritrean refugees’ applications being accepted from 77 percent to 29 percent.

There are not many figures on the poverty rate in Eritrea. The government has repeatedly denied the U.N. and independent human rights groups access to the country. However, by GDP per capita, Eritrea is the ninth-poorest country in the world. Joblessness and lack of opportunities are prevalent. Many Eritrean youths are fleeing the country precisely because they are unable to obtain work. The government halts most imports, has stopped the World Food Programme’s free distributions to roughly a million people and has refused a $100 million development loan from the World Bank.

Many factors contribute to the current rates of poverty in Eritrea. For example, the government’s harsh military conscription pays only two dollars per day, keeps young men out of work and can be extended indefinitely. Teenagers are inducted at the Sawa military base where they get four months of training and then take an exam that determines whether they are put into active service or allowed to go back to their education. The men are forced into awful conditions; they are not even given blankets and eat low-quality food. One former conscript spoke of being forced to lie in a 131-degree sun for hours.

However, there is some hope for the country. President Isaias Afwerki has been conducting a self-reliance program, with some good results. Education and healthcare are free, the HIV rate is down to less than one percent, measles and polio have been virtually eradicated and child mortality rates have decreased by two-thirds since 1995. According to the U.N., Eritrea scores higher on health than its neighbors Ethiopia and Kenya.

However, this is not enough. The country desperately needs U.N. examination and aid. If the country would open its borders to imports and aid, especially economic aid, the poverty rate in Eritrea would drop dramatically and the country would no longer see a large portion of the population fleeing its borders.

– Bruce Edwin Ayres Truax

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Get Involved: How to Help People in Libya Without Using Cash

How to Help People in LibyaLibya was war-torn for centuries before it experienced a brief respite in the spring of 2017; but this North African country has again entered into turmoil. Between rival militias, Egyptian bombing and Arab revolts, Libya has once again become vulnerable and at odds with not only itself but also neighboring countries. Citizens of the U.S. and world now ask how to help people in Libya affected by these conflicts, and thankfully, quite a few options exist.

As Charles R. Swindoll said, “The difference between something good and something great is the attention to detail.” There’s a plethora of possible ways to aid other countries around the globe, and just giving money can be a controversial and often ineffective method of reaching individuals, or the “details.”

Often times, impoverished individuals fail to receive money because donated monetary funds get lost in translation and/or siphoned to the elite; thus, essential money never makes it to the people who need it most. Also in many cases, only a fraction of the money donated to charities actually goes towards the cause because of the charity system’s filtration system.

Although effective and impactful ways to donate to causes such as those in Libya do exist — for example, “effective giving” as endorsed by Forbes, or NPR’s bypassing charities and giving directly to poor people method– here are three of the most impactful ways on how to help people in Libya without utilizing money.

1. Restoring Family Links

Conflicts in Libya separate families and friends on a regular basis. But, thankfully, organizations such as the Libyan Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) work to connect family and friends separated, disconnected or lost due to migration, conflict and/or political and dissident activities.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent operate predominately on a volunteer basis, so the opportunities to become involved in the Libyan Red Crescent are (almost) endless.

2. Signing Petitions

The government and legislation in Libya dictate and incite many of the issues occurring in the country today. From prisoners of war to civilian protection rights, prosecutions and the environment, there exist numerous movements and debates that could really utilize global support.

Helping aid systemic issues can influence a larger portion of the population and create more rapid change in any country, and Libya is no exception to such universal effects.

3. Donating Supplies

Programs that donate supplies directly to impoverished or war-torn areas are commendable options for those that want to help Libya with “on-the-ground” measures. Organizations such as The Red Crescent and ICRC, and Medecins Sans Frontiers provide much-needed supplies, medicines and food directly to Libyan refugees or displaced persons.

Unlike money, this method ensures that the right resources actually get to those in Libya that need it most .

The ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and the subsequent breakdown of his government afterwards created different kinds of political, social and fiscal turmoil within the country. With such unrest and displacement at work in this globally influential country, the ways on how to help people in Libya are almost infinite.

Focusing on the individual is critical, but the act of giving is always preferable to no action at all.

– Allegra Upton

Photo: Flickr

Answering an Important Question: Why Is Uzbekistan Poor?

In Central Asia lies the Republic of Uzbekistan, a country just north of Turkmenistan and south of Kazakhstan. With a physical size only slightly larger than the state of California, Uzbekistan’s population is just under 29.5 million. Although a sovereign nation today, Uzbekistan only just gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Today, the country’s economy remains largely state-run with little diversification. As of 2015, around 12.8 percent of individuals living in the country were below the poverty line. As it has now been decades since the nation gained independence from the Soviet Union, this begs the question: why is Uzbekistan poor? Below are a few reasons:

“White Gold”
Cotton, also referred to as “white gold,” currently accounts for a whopping 60 percent of Uzbekistan’s export earnings. This fact is in large part because of the actions of the Soviets in the 1940s. Because cotton is a highly water-intensive crop, the Soviet Union built various canals which would serve to divert water from the Aral Sea to the Uzbek cotton fields. Now, the Aral Sea has shrunk to 15 percent of its original volume and former ports around the Aral Sea rest as ghost towns.

The effect of this is that Uzbekistan’s economy remains undiversified. As the current government of Uzbekistan retains tight controls on most facets of the economy, farmers are highly pressured to meet cotton quotas. Therefore, as other farmers can grow so little else, “white gold” has indirectly compromised food supply.

Corruption
Worse yet, governmental corruption drains farmers’ deserved income from cotton. A U.K.-based charity called The Environmental Justice Foundation has stated that the official price that farmers receive in return for their cotton represents just one-third of its real value. However, the real outlook is far bleaker. Farmers have reported that they do not even receive the official procurement price. To understand the answer to the question “why is Uzbekistan poor,” one must know that corruption has persisted in Uzbekistan long after the fall of the Soviet Union. This persistence is not merely because of social and cultural norms, but because such practices have continued to actively benefit the elites of Uzbek society, both economically and politically, for decades.

Therefore, to answer the question “why is Uzbekistan poor?” one takes into account the primary reason Uzbekistan’s economy remains stifled and undiversified–cotton–but also the reason no changes have been made–corruption. If one hopes to end poverty in the region, both issues must be addressed.

– Shannon Golden

Photo: Google

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Future Solutions for the Problem of Hunger in Central America

Hunger in Central AmericaSince mid-2014, the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica have been victims of a severe drought. The El Niño conditions that began in March of 2015 have caused staple crops to wither and thousands of cattle to die. These El Niño conditions worsened, and, by the end of June 2016, there were 3.5 million people affected by the drought and 1.6 million at the mercy of hunger in Central America.

This crisis, while dire, has been a rare outlier in the largely successful efforts to ease the pangs of hunger in Central America. Among the major problems contributing to the food shortages of Central America has been widespread poverty. Extreme poverty in Central America was reduced by 50 percent between 1995 and 2011.

The same can be said for hunger itself. Between 1992 and 2014, the number of people affected by hunger in Central America was reduced from 68.5 million to 37 million. While success this resounding is encouraging, it does not by any means imply that the fight to end hunger in Central America is over.

The El Niño drought was one of the worst in recent memory. Though its severity was extreme, it remains indicative of a problem which Central American farmers must face constantly. Droughts devastate Central America with shocking regularity, whether caused by El Niño or other malignant weather patterns.

In order to address the droughts, which, alongside endemic poverty, have been the biggest contributors to the problem of hunger in Central America, the U.N. has begun working with the governments of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in order to better construct strategies that will allow the countries to remain independent in cases of severe drought. The U.N. has instructed farmers to plant crops that are both less water-dependent and more flood-resistant.

The problem of hunger in Central America is not one which will solve itself, but continuing to allow the countries hit hardest by droughts and poverty to rely on foreign aid and intervention a strategy that will not work in the future. The pattern the U.N. and forward-thinking governments like those of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have established is one that must be followed. Countries such as these can utilize the ingenuity of their people alongside the expertise of foreign aid to alleviate both poverty and hunger, creating a prosperous cycle that will benefit themselves both now and in the future.

– Connor S. Keowen

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Call for Congress to Reduce Child Poverty

New approaches to reducing child poverty are being tried all over the world as the fight against global poverty has become a call for Congress to reduce child poverty. In Puerto Rico, San Juan’s Archbishop Roberto González and Reverend Heriberto Martínez make a push for Congress to address this issue by granting equal access to U.S. Health Care and child tax benefits.

Strides were made last week as Congress moved forward in making this happen by acting on restructuring the debt. Now, there is a call to act on proposals made by the Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico to support sustainable development.

Reducing child poverty is about providing stability for the future. It is about action now for growth later. Recent congressional assessment of foreign aid continues to mobilize efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030.

This agenda aims to break the vicious cycle of poverty that has stagnated development for decades. The key is solidarity across all generations. The new approach and energy of the youth must combine with the wisdom and experience of the aged to support the sustainability of the world’s growing population.

These new methods continue to point our world in the right direction of sustainability. On August 7, Wang Qishan, China’s top graft-buster, supported President Xi Jinping’s poverty alleviation program that highlights corruption prevention and inspection as part of the campaign.

Efforts similar to this that focus on specific contributors to global poverty rather than tackle this major issue as a whole are the driving force for the Sustainable Development Agenda.

The call to address this problem has become a call to Congress to reduce child poverty by promoting development across all aspects of culture and life. Providing aid supports this movement when pointed in the right direction and Congress has the power to do so.

– Tucker Hallowell

Photo: Google