Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

10 Facts About the Poverty Rate in North Macedonia

Poverty Rate in MacedoniaMacedonia – also known

Macedonia, also known as the Republic of North Macedonia, is located in the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Macedonia declared peaceful independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and has a population of 2.058 million people. The country has made progress in improving its economy and business environment; however, corruption and weak rule of law are still problems in Macedonia. Additionally, some businesses in Macedonia have complained about unequal enforcement of the law. Here are 10 facts about the poverty rate in Macedonia:

  1. Macedonia’s unemployment rate stood at 14.5% in 2022, a significant decrease from 26.4% in 2015. However, as of 2021, 34.1% of its youth were not employed.
  2. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the unemployment rate may be overstated due to the existence of an extensive gray market, estimated to be between 20% and 45% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Official statistics did not capture this part of the data.
  3. About 21.8% of North Macedonia’s population lived below the poverty line in 2021, which means more than 450,000 Macedonia citizens are suffering from poverty.
  4. About 2.8% of Macedonia’s citizens lived on less than $2 a day. Additionally, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), nearly 10% of the total population has emigrated from the country to other European countries in the past two decades.
  5. The wealthiest 10% of Macedonia’s population controls 25-30% of the total income, while the poorest 10% holds 2-3% of the total income.
  6. Macedonia’s low tax rates and free economic zones help to attract foreign investment; however, foreign investment is still low relative to the rest of Europe.
  7. Macedonia’s GDP was $13.56 billion as of 2022, which was ranked 133rd on the GDP list compared to other countries around the world. However, according to the CIA, Macedonia has a large informal sector that may not be reflected in the data.
  8. Macedonia’s economy has been affected by its internal political crisis. GDP growth was 2.4% in 2016, 3.8% in 2015 and 3.6% in 2014. In addition, both private and public investments have declined in the past year.
  9. North Macedonia’s inflation rate was 14.2% as of 2022, up from approximately 11% in 2021. The increasing rate can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis.
  10. Macedonia’s government has made efforts to reduce poverty in the country. Specifically, in 2010, it implemented the National Strategy for Poverty Reduction (2010-2020) with the aim of improving the living conditions of all its citizens.

North Macedonia has been making progress in creating a better business environment. However, due to internal conflicts such as corruption and political problems, Macedonia has consistently missed its fiscal targets in the past few years. As a result, the poverty rate in Macedonia is still high. Reducing the unemployment rate and increasing foreign investment are the two major things that North Macedonia needs to focus on in order to reduce the poverty rate in the coming years.

– Mike Liu

Photo: Flickr
Updated: June 3, 2024

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10 Important Facts to Know About Asian H7N9

Asian H7N9Mainland China is in the midst of yet another outbreak of the Asian Lineage Avian Influenza A Virus, or Asian H7N9, and both the Chinese national government and several international organizations are scrambling to take a hold of the situation.

This is the fifth epidemic outbreak of Asian H7N9 since the first case of the virus was reported in March 2013. The present epidemic cycle is its largest epidemic to date: the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that, as of July 19, 2017, 756 human infections from Asian H7N9 have been reported since the epidemic’s onset in March. The most recent report brings the total number of confirmed Asian H7N9 infections to 1,554, where at least 40 percent of afflicted persons died due to consequent health complications.

While both local and international health authorities refute the idea of an Asian H7N9 pandemic and cite that there is no strong evidence that would constitute a global outbreak, it is wise for citizens to be aware of the evolving situation regarding the virus. Here are ten things to know about the virus:

  1. Most human infections from avian influenza viruses (including Asian H7N9) have occurred after close contact with infected birds, whether alive or dead, and/or exposure to environments that have been contaminated by the virus (e.g. live poultry markets).
  2. A person can most commonly contract the virus from touching their eyes, nose or mouth after coming into contact with the feces or mucus of infected birds. Poultry infected with the H7N9 virus typically do not show nor experience any signs or symptoms that demonstrate illness.
  3. On the onset, symptoms of infection start with a high fever and cough. Within a matter of days, several health complications may start to surface. Most cases of death due to Asian H7N9 progressed to very serious illnesses such as severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock and multi-organ failure, leading to death.
  4. To date, there is no strong evidence for person-to-person spread of the virus. Cases that were reported where the virus appeared to have been transferred from person to person occurred in small clusters (around seven percent of cases). Such cases were also classified as likely limited, non-sustained person-to-person infection, meaning that the virus was only passed down from the animal host to a caretaker and a close contact of that person.
  5. Victims of Asian H7N9 stretch from all age groups and genders, but most cases confirmed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPC) involve middle-aged men from the ages of 45 to 50.
  6. Almost all infections occurred because of contact or exposure to the virus, with the exception of a 33-year-old female from Wenshan, Yunnan province in China, who local authorities said had no apparent exposure or had no close contact with infected poultry.
  7. Most cases were said to have transpired in Eastern China, but cases have also been reported in Northwestern China, as well as in other countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia and Canada. The majority of cases reported in countries outside of China occurred among people who had traveled to mainland China before becoming ill.
  8. At the moment, Asian H7N9 has not been detected in the United States. However, in March 2017, federal animal health officials confirmed that a highly pathogenic H7N9 avian flu outbreak struck two farms in Lincoln County, Tennessee. The outbreak occurred at two commercial breeder flocks within three kilometers away from each other, one of them containing around 55,000 birds. However, the H7N9 virus that afflicted this American livestock was not related to Asian H7N9, as all gene segments from genetic tests conducted related the former to North American wild bird lineages.
  9. The current risk to public health is low; however, the pandemic potential of the virus is alarming, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT) rated Asian H7N9 as having the greatest potential to cause a pandemic and potentially posing the greatest risk to severely impact public health.
  10. There is currently no publicly available vaccine to protect against the H7N9 virus. However, there are medicines available to treat illnesses associated with the virus. The CDC recommends oral oseltamivir (Tamiflu), inhaled zanamivir (Relenza) and intravenous peramivir (Rapivab) for treatment of H7N9 virus infection.

The WHO advises travelers to countries with known outbreaks of avian influenza to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live poultry markets and to refrain from entering areas where poultry is slaughtered whenever possible. It also reminds tourists in these areas to constantly wash their hands with soap and water and to follow good food and hygiene practices.

– Bella Suansing

Photo: Google

Save Millions of Lives: How to Help People in Congo

How to Help People in CongoWhen most people hear the word “Congo,” the country they are thinking of is The Democratic Republic of Congo. There are actually two Congos: The Democratic Republic of Congo and The Republic of Congo. This article will address The Republic of Congo, which is often simply referred to as “Congo.” Though there is a discrepancy there, there is very little difference between the effect that poverty has on these two African nations’ impoverished citizens and how to help people in the Congo.

HIV/AIDS
The poor in Congo experience extreme circumstances. The coastal African nation is affected by the HIV/AIDS virus, with 3.5 percent of the population having the disease. Other diseases plague the population as well, mostly due to poor sanitation and unclean drinking water.

Hunger
Though there are many more problems impacting Congo, none are as well known as the issue of hunger. Around 47 percent of the Congolese population lives below the national poverty line. This means most of the country struggles to provide proper nutrition to their families, especially if unassisted by food aid programs.

However, with food aid programs tackling the problem of hunger around the globe, more Congolese have access to nutritious foods.

Influential Organizations
One such organization is the World Food Programme (WFP). Each year, the WFP helps to reduce hunger in about 80 different countries around the world. As the organization explains, there are over 5,000 trucks, 70 planes and 20 ships delivering food rations “on any given day” to people affected by hunger worldwide.

As for Congo, WFP is there providing school meals, refugee food assistance and even giving specialized foods to people living with HIV/TB.For John and Jane Q. Every person asking how to help people in Congo, WFP is always open to donations, which can be found in the top right corner of their site. WFP also hosts volunteers and has career opportunities for anyone seeking to go a little further with their assistance to the people of Congo. Volunteering is open to anyone aged 18 and over and can be applied for on their website as well, under the “Get Involved” tab.

Another promising organization is amfAR. This organization focuses on research and is dedicated to discovering a cure for the HIV/AIDS virus, investing $480 million in research as well as providing some 3,300 grants to research teams.

As mentioned above, AIDS is a devastating factor in the lives of the Congolese people. Developing a cure to HIV/AIDS would improve the lives of those in Congo as well as millions around the world.

How to Help
One way how to help people in Congo is to support HIV and AIDS research. Like the previous organization, a donation button for amfAR can be found in the top right corner of their page. AmfAR also sells products, like t-shirts and hats, the proceeds of which contribute to AIDS research. These can also be found on their page

But one of the easiest ways how to help people in Congo is to pick up the phone. Calling members of congress is a great way to show them what the important issues are on the minds of their constituency. A simple phone call can also get them to consider foreign aid legislation more seriously.

Finding phone numbers for congressmen and senators is quite simple. On the Borgen Project link, enter your zip code in the “Find Your Leaders” step.

Then, once you have their numbers, you can get them to view a piece of legislation with an easy, 30-second call. This is all you have to say: “Hello, my name is… and I would like you to protect the International Affairs Budget,” or consider whatever piece of legislation you choose (there are several more listed on The Borgen Project page). At most, the intern will ask you for your zip code—and then the call is over.

Getting friends and family to do this can generate a lot of support for an issue, and even gain the support of the leader after as few as seven to ten calls. With funding for bills like the International Affairs Budget held in tact, or even increased, millions of lives can be saved in impoverished places all over the world, like Congo.

– Stephen Praytor

Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking Facts and Info

Human TraffickingHuman trafficking is a disturbing crisis that affects individuals of all ages, sexes and races at a global level. It is a crime that is often regarded as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. According to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, human trafficking in the United States rose 35.7 percent from 2015 to 2016.

Human trafficking is essentially a form of modern-day slavery, where traffickers will use force, fraud or coercion to control victims. The two most common forms of human trafficking are sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Sex trafficking has been found in a multitude of venues within the sex industry, including residential brothels, escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs and street prostitution. Labor trafficking is found in a variety of labor settings such as domestic work, small businesses, large farms and factories.

Trafficking exists due to two major factors: low risk and high profits. Human traffickers tend to see little risk in these criminal operations. Although there have been increasing investigations, penalties and prosecutions throughout the years, the high profit potential from committing these crimes makes them worth the risk for many. There is often a lack of government and law enforcement training with these situations, as well as many in a community not being aware of the threat, ineffective laws, scarce resources to help victims recover and even social blaming of victims. Many of these high profits include when individuals are willing to buy commercial sex, whether it be from children or adults, and many consumers are willing to buy services from industries that rely on forced labor.

 

Top Facts on Human Trafficking:

 

  1. Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90.
  2. While 19 percent of trafficking involves labor exploitation, 80 percent of trafficking involves sexual exploitation.
  3. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today.
  4. About 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, and 80 percent are female while half are children.
  5. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry—just behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking—and reportedly generates a profit of $32 billion every year. Of the $32 billion, $15.5 billion is made in industrialized nations.
  6. According to the International Labour Organization, it is estimated that women and girls represent the largest share of trafficking victims when it comes to forced labor with 11.4 million (55 percent), compared to men at 9.5 million (45 percent).
  7. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the greatest numbers of traffickers stem from Asia, Central Europe, Southeastern Europe and Western Europe.

The Department of Homeland Security has a page that can help one recognize the signs of human trafficking, as well as a page on further identifying a victim with hotlines to call to report suspicious criminal activity to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Being informed on human trafficking as well as the proper steps to take when potentially encountering a trafficking victim could save someone from an unfortunate and disturbing fate.

– Sara Venusti

Photo: Flickr

Sex Trafficking in Peru

Sex Trafficking in PeruAccording to the 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report, Peru is a source, destination and transit country for men, women and children exposed to forced labor and sex trafficking. Women, children and indigenous populations are particularly vulnerable.

According to the Walk Free Foundation – an organization that fights against human trafficking, otherwise known as modern slavery – Peru has the third-highest rate of cases of forced labor in Latin America, after Mexico and Colombia. It is estimated that 0.6 percent of Peru’s population, or 200,000 people, suffer from some form of forced labor in their lifetimes. 80 percent of these people are subjected to trafficking involving prostitution.

Forced labor in Peru occurs in many service areas such as gold mining, logging, unregistered factories, organized street begging and domestic service. Mafia and terrorist organizations such as Sendero Luminoso, or Shining Path, recruit children as young as age 11 through social media with the intent to sexually exploit them. Recruiting often manifests through fake employment offers.

Once in the custody of traffickers, victims often are unable to leave due to being held in remote places such as mining camps, the high cost of transportation, the demand for commercial sex and the need to make money. Attempting to escape often results in murder and public body mutilation to act as a warning to other victims.

Online and offline child “sex tourism” is another way victims are trafficked. Americans will pay thousands of dollars to engage in online sex acts with underage girls. In a 2015 arrest of an online child pornography perpetrator, authorities rescued 36 victims, 11 of which were underage and as young as 4. The American police and the Peruvian National Police worked together on this specific arrest. The Protect Act allows U.S. authorities to charge American perpetrators whether the acts occur in the U.S. or abroad.

Human trafficking for the point of sexual exploitation carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison in Peru, but corruption often undermines the judicial system. While the government is not doing nearly enough to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, they are making some efforts and many NGOs are picking up the slack.

The Peruvian government has worked to establish specialized, anti-trafficking regional prosecutor offices in Callao, Cusco, Lima, Loreto, Puno, Tacna and Tumbes. It has also increased anti-trafficking operations and arrests, increased efforts to identify and assist victims and has been investigating and convicting sex tourists. Anti-trafficking commercials and posters in airports are another way the government is working to raise awareness.

NGOs have been the true heros thus far in the fight against sex trafficking in Peru. Along with safe homes for women, organizations such as PROMSEX are making great efforts to aid survivors of sex trafficking. PROMSEX is a sexual and reproductive rights nonprofit that has launched an awareness and mobilizing campaign against trafficking. They work to provide legal, psychological and material services for survivors; this includes treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and mental health counselling. As part of PROMSEX’s campaign, they are also working on improving the legal rights of victims, such as not treating victims of prostitution as criminals. They also educate the public on ways to avoid sex trafficking.

While there is still much progress to be made, NGOs like PROMSEX are pillars of hope for the sex trafficking victims of Peru.

– Phoebe Cohen

Photo: Pixabay

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Understanding the Causes of Poverty in Cameroon

Causes of Poverty in CameroonAs poverty rates across the globe continue to fall, urban centers continue to grow and people increasingly have access to education, Cameroon seems to be slipping in the wrong direction. Rural poverty, inadequate infrastructure and a struggling school system continue to hinder the lives of people across Cameroon, contributing to a rising poverty rate in the last 10 years.

Cameroon is a country of more than 23 million people. Out of the entire population, 24 percent of people live in poverty, and 55 percent of those in poverty live in rural communities.

Two causes of poverty in Cameroon and reasons for the gap between rural and urban poverty are a lack of infrastructure and an education system that fails to develop alongside shifting labor needs.

As the IMF noted in a 2014 survey, “the country’s infrastructure indicators trail those of regional peers. In spite of a slight improvement in the overall quality of infrastructure in 2013, indicators are low by sub-Saharan African standards, especially for roads, air transportation and electricity.”

This lack of infrastructure, which limits transportation, cuts off  those who live in rural areas. Rural citizens do not have access to fundamental resources and are marooned from diversified labor opportunities.

Furthermore, the education system has failed to develop alongside market demands. As the World Bank found, “the country’s tertiary education continues to focus on traditional academic disciplines and is not positioned to respond to economic transformation.”

In Cameroon, 43 percent of the population has little or no formal and primary education. What’s more, 67 percent of the population that is of working-age has received no further training in developing job sectors, leading to a significantly higher level of unemployment among youth–especially those living in rural areas.

This double-edged sword hits residents in the countryside. They have higher odds of living in poverty because of struggling infrastructure and inadequate educational opportunities. The country must address these issues to combat the causes of poverty and increasing poverty rates.

Indeed, steps are being taken. People are across the country are calling for performance-based financing for educational institutions to drive up competitiveness and quality of studies. Also, many organizations, including Heifer International, an organization that works to end global hunger and poverty, are working to increase jobs in rural areas. Regarding infrastructure, Cameroon recently launched a 10-year development plan focused on massive public investment in infrastructure, including roads.

By understanding the roles of infrastructure and education in the causes of poverty in Cameroon, the country may be able to improve living conditions for its impoverished people.

– Joseph Dover

Photo: Flickr

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BISP’s Education Program Graduates Pakistanis From Poverty

Program Graduates Pakistanis From PovertyBenzair Income Support Program’s (BISP) University Poverty Graduation Buddy Program graduates Pakistanis from poverty, improving their livelihoods and investing in their futures.

BISP has reached more than 5.4 million women beneficiaries across Pakistan and contributes to human capital development through primary education conditional cash transfers. Its goal is to increase households’ incomes, skills and capital, reducing poverty across Pakistani communities.

The issue BISP hopes to remedy is that beneficiaries often lack adequate information and opportunities to overcome poverty. Under BISP’s University Poverty Graduation Buddy Program, university students help poor Pakistani women find sustainable solutions to overcome poverty.

In a meeting at BISP headquarters in July, BISP chairperson Marvi Memon stated that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) enlisted universities to nominate 20 students each for the graduation program. Students are linked with a corresponding BISP beneficiary in the area near their participating university. BISP’s education program graduates Pakistanis from poverty by enhancing their skills and providing financial services.

BISP’s skills development and coaching enrich beneficiaries’ lives with training that transforms their present state and invests in their futures. Through the University Poverty Graduation Buddy Program, students help create opportunities for beneficiaries by preparing them with the tools to become entrepreneurs. Students market products made by beneficiaries through E-commerce and showcase the success to a panel of judges who choose the best graduation model. Graduation models are as follows: Training for Rural Economic Empowerment, Microfinance and Interest Free Loans, Employee Guarantees, Comprehensive Coaching for the Extreme Poor, Inclusive Business Cooperation and Households Overcoming Extreme Poverty.

BISP explores the best global practices, graduation models and sustainable solutions to develop poverty-reduction methods in a local context. University students are an asset to BISP’s graduation model development and poverty reduction by helping beneficiaries find inclusive information and access opportunities to overcome their poverty.

With university students’ partnership, BISP continues finding solutions to reduce poverty and improve local Pakistani communities.

– Sarah Dunlap

Photo: Flickr

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Three Ways the World is Changing its Mindset Toward Poverty

The World Is Changing Its Mindset Toward PovertyThe world is changing its mindset toward poverty and realizing that poverty is not a permanent problem. Generating solutions to make poverty preventable, including providing technological tools for success, growing a population’s knowledge with education and creating innovative methods for environmental sustainability create and maintain productive and growing countries.

The technological revolution, education for sustainable development and green growth are three methods the world uses to reduce poverty and build global development and ensure efficiency.

  1. The Technological Revolution
    The goal to end extreme poverty by 2030 is possible with improved technology that speeds progress and collects improved data. The World Bank currently uses technology to increase data collectors’ abilities to track poverty reduction progress and citizens’ well-being. The Pulse of South Sudan initiative uses tablet-based data collection to survey households and record personalized testimonials, and the Listening to Africa (L2A) initiative uses mobile phones to collect up-to-date information on living conditions with face-to-face surveys and followup mobile phone interviews. Technology such as cellphones and tablets streamline the process and is cost-efficient when reaching out to a broad sample or responding to crises.
  2. Education for Sustainable Development
    Education is crucial for global growth and progress, and it has spurred a knowledge-based movement for poverty reduction. As part of the Sustainable Development Goals, education must “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all,” including the world’s poor. According to UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report released this past June, 264.3 million children are out of school. About 62 million are adolescents of lower secondary school age (12 to 14). About 141 million are of upper secondary school age (15 to 17). The out-of-school rate has not decreased since 2008 at the primary level, since 2012 at the lower secondary level or since 2013 at the upper secondary level. While out-of-school rates have frozen, the world is changing its mindset toward poverty by acknowledging that education is a tool to end extreme poverty. By creating knowledge-based societies and using education as a tool, countries improve not only individual livelihoods and futures but their own economic mobility.
  3. Green Growth
    Creating sustainable, green growth not only creates economic development but addresses poverty and creates shared prosperity.Since the poor live in areas with few resources, such challenges can undermine a country’s ability to sustain economic growth and eradicate poverty. Policies that not only prioritize natural resources and environmental sustainability but also address poverty are crucial to economic development. According to Inhee Chung, senior sustainability and safeguards specialist at the Global Growth Institute, “Green growth can only lead to transformative and sustainable change if it is pro-poor and delivers benefits to the most marginalized and vulnerable social groups.”

The world is changing its mindset toward poverty by working to enhance policies that support the poor and create sustainable growth, as well as empower poor men and women and make green options accessible.

– Sarah Dunlap

Photo: Pixabay

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The Drastic Impacts of Climate Change and Water Scarcity

Climate Change and Water Scarcity
It seems nearly impossible to understate the global importance of water. In the age of climate change, water scarcity is rising at levels predicted to impede sustainable development and slow progress against poverty for years ahead. However, better preparing for climate change and water scarcity can redirect water to a source of development.

As a result of interconnected issues pertaining to climate change, the world is expected to experience a 66 percent decrease in water availability by 2050. Ultimately, climate change negatively impacts every facet of the water cycle as it creates drought, uncertain weather patterns, increased natural disasters and other phenomena. Climate change is predicted to send new areas into drought and exacerbate already vulnerable areas. The greatest losses in water availability are likely for the Middle East, East Asia and much of Africa.

Climate change’s impact on water availability impedes food production, as seventy percent of global water use is devoted to agriculture. Without enough water to meet the rising demand for food, expected to be 60 percent higher than today by 2030, this spikes food prices and worsens food scarcity. For Sub Saharan Africa, food prices are expected to rise by 77 percent by 2080 as a result of climate change, compared to a worldwide average increase of 17 percent.

Water scarcity caused by climate change also wreaks havoc on economies, especially ones that are still developing. This is largely due to the fact that water is vital to sustaining development for health, incomes, properties and agriculture. These factors have the potential to generate economic downturn. Many regions that were already water-insecure face a six percent decline in GDP by 2050 as a result of climate change and water scarcity.

Ultimately, these interconnected issues can bring about conflict between nations over resources and water allocation. Water scarcity also spurs increased waves of migration to water-abundant locations. Most conflicts are expected in places with large social inequities, especially in the developing world.

Despite the fact that all people require water security, climate change and water scarcity especially impact low-income populations. Not only are developing nations most at risk of climate change, but insufficient resources make it difficult to cope with climate stressors. Poor water availability also exacerbates improper sanitation and safety in drinking water. This disproportionately threatens health and equality for marginalized populations.

But what can be done to impede the impact of climate change on water availability? The World Bank explains that ensuring water is used most efficiently is crucial to fighting water shortages, especially in dominant sectors such as agriculture. Meaningful changes are possible by drastically investing in climate-smart equipment and infrastructure around the world. These changes work to sustainably end pollution cycles while conserving resources.

Maybe most impactfully, changes in governmental policies are crucial; these can act as insurance plans against worsening climate stressors. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim explains that “countries can enact policies now that will help them manage water sustainably for the years ahead.”

Ultimately, making use of the world of available tools redirects water back to a potential for prosperity.  Richard Damania, an economist for the World Bank, explains that “by allocating even 25 percent of water to more highly-valued uses, losses decline dramatically and for some regions may even vanish.” Instead of seeing negative growth from lessened water, some economies can predict a six percent increase in GDP if they sustainably develop water usage.

Water is a tool for lifting people out poverty and lessening the global impacts of climate change if the world makes sufficient use of proper tools. And although the drastic progress against water scarcity still needed today may be costly, the World Bank epitomizes that when it comes to water, “the costs of inaction are far higher.”

– Cleo Krejci

Photo: Flickr

Treating the Roots of Hunger in Spain

Hunger in Spain
2008 may seem like a distant memory to many, but to those still suffering the repercussions of Spain’s recession of the same year, the time has crawled by. Despite economic growth, poverty and hunger in Spain continue to affect millions.

Spain’s recession saw devastation throughout the city streets. Mothers with their children and young adults who had just begun to learn the feeling of job security, rummaged through discarded bins of leftover produce: their next meal. At local wholesale fruit and vegetable markets, produce that had rolled off trucks was spotted and hastily collected by hungry onlookers. Those not willing to scavenge in the streets turned to food pantries.

Food pantries and soup kitchens saw a 33 percent increase in visitors, all of whom had never required previous nutritional aid. Families met with the new and unexpected inability to provide for themselves felt deeply ashamed for seeking such help. Some families would even visit pantries in neighboring towns to avoid meeting anyone they knew. That was in 2012, already four years deep into the recession. Economic recovery was slow, and there was little progress toward ending hunger in Spain.

The city of Girona retaliated with a disheartening response. Instead of solving the issue of hunger, the city decided only to solve the issue of public scavenging. The city padlocked all of its supermarket trash bins. The locks were deemed a “public health precaution.” However, no such precautions were taken to aid those who had been forced to scavenge in the first place.

Miraculously, between 2015 and 2016, certain individuals set out to tackle hunger in Spain by way of repurposing food waste.

In the Basque town of Galdakao, Alvaro Saiz created Solidarity Fridge. It’s exactly what it sounds like: based on cooperation and mutual support, this fridge sits on a sidewalk in a small fenced in area. Individuals, restaurants and stores can bring their perfectly good leftovers to the fridge. Then, those in the area who are unemployed or tight on cash can take what they need.

Saiz said the idea for Solidarity Fridge started with the 2008 economic crisis. The pictures of people searching dumpsters for food got him thinking about how much food is wasted daily.

Mireia Barba went right to the source with another method to combat hunger in Spain. Barba is the founder of Espigoladors, meaning “gleaners,” an organization that takes to the fields of Catalan post-harvest. It may come as a surprise to most regular grocery shoppers, but farmers discard massive amounts of unwanted crops considered unmarketable. Espigoladors coordinates with farmers to harvest their unwanted crops and deliver them to food banks.

Like Solidarity Fridge, Espigoladors emerged out of necessity in the aftermath of the recession. Europe wastes an appalling 88 million tons of food each year, which translates to about $168 billion. In addition to feeding the hungry and improving diets, gleaning can also reduce pressure on land use and provide work for the socially excluded. The Espigoladors initiative seemed a logical solution in a country suffering from economic strain and hunger.

It is amazing what simple neighborly compassion can do in a time of need. It will take hard work and continuing innovation to improve hunger in Spain. Solidarity Fridge helped local businesses recognize the corners they were cutting by throwing out leftovers, and Espigoladors returned to the source of the hunger crisis. The bottom line is this: Spain won’t get to the root of the problem without getting a little soil on its hands.

– Sophie Nunnally

Photo: Flickr