Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Common Diseases in Bahrain

Diseases in Bahrain
Bahrain is a nation in the Arabian Gulf consisting of a small archipelago. With a population of just over 1.3 million, Bahrain may seem small, but it has some large health issues. Cardiovascular diseases, cancers and diabetes pose the largest threat to health in Bahrain. These non-communicable diseases share many common risk factors that can be controlled in order to prevent disease.

Cardiovascular diseases are common in Bahrain. Twenty-six percent of all deaths in Bahrain can be linked to cardiovascular diseases. Cancer and diabetes are also prevalent diseases in Bahrain and each account for 13% of all deaths. Lung and bronchial cancers as the most common cancers in Bahrain.

Poor dietary behaviors are the largest contributing risk factor for all health issues in Bahrain. Eating a diet high in sodium and trans fats and low in whole grains, fruits and vegetables puts Bahranians at risk for cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes. These diseases are also risk factors for one another, but all have links to poor diet.

Another key risk factor contributing to both cancers and cardiovascular diseases in Bahrain is tobacco use. More than 5,000 children and 185,000 adults use tobacco every day in the country. Four men and one woman are killed by tobacco-related diseases every week.

The Bahrain Cancer Society recognizes the importance of education about risk factors and taking preventative health measures. The government also has active plans and programs that are helping reduce tobacco use and promote healthy diets.

Landmark Group’s Beat Diabetes initiative, for example, is a program launched to help people recognize and prevent diabetes, which is also linked to cardiovascular diseases and shares many of the same risk factors. The initiative was started in 2009, and by 2015 it had reached over six million people throughout the Gulf states.

With preventative measures in place to combat non-communicable diseases and reduce risk factors for disease, Bahrain can reduce the prevalence of some of its most common diseases. Government programs and nongovernmental organizations’ initiatives aimed at preventing and recognizing early signs of disease already point to a hopeful future for Bahrain.

– Rilee Pickle

Photo: Flickr

Top Three Causes of Poverty in Niger

Causes of Poverty in Niger
Ranked 167 out of 169 countries for the United Nations Humanitarian Development Index in 2010, Niger is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Although the Nigerien government has made efforts to strengthen the economy by extracting gold, uranium and oil, Niger is still mostly dependent on agriculture. Causes of poverty in Niger include limited arable land, widespread illiteracy and agricultural vulnerability to climate shock.

An integral part of Niger’s culture is the hereditary system of distributing land. This system is not sustainable because the land becomes further divided with each generation. With less land and more mouths to feed, the hereditary system worsens the causes of poverty in Niger and further supports the need for educational reform in the country.

Less than one-third of Nigerien adults are literate. This can be attributed to the cycle of poverty formed in Nigerien homes. If the head of the household lacks a basic education, then the children in a family will most likely lack the same educational opportunities as their parents.

Poor access to schools as well as the responsibility to work the land instead of spending that invaluable time in school reinforces this cycle. Highly paradoxical in nature, this phenomenon lowers the chances of posterity for Nigeriens. They cannot attend school because they are forced to work to avoid starvation despite the fact that education would help to improve living conditions.

Given that most of Niger’s poverty is concentrated in rural areas, natural disasters and unpredictable climate patterns are especially threatening in areas such as Maradi and Dosso. Most of Niger’s crops are rain-fed and therefore are highly susceptible to severe droughts that are frequent in the area. This was evident during the 2010 drought that left 17% of Niger’s children acutely malnourished. Widespread malnutrition and starvation are the most striking signs and causes of poverty in Niger, especially considering children are often the most vulnerable during such food crises.

Plans for easing the toll poverty takes on Niger’s people are currently in place. By working with the U.N.’s Scaling up Nutrition program, the government is working to reduce malnutrition and starvation. However, accessibility to schools and lowering the rate of illiteracy must be at the forefront of the Nigerien government’s concerns if it is to ever reverse the causes of poverty in Niger.

– Kaitlin Hocker

Photo: Flickr

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The Impact of the Radio Education Program for Lake Chad

Radio Education Program for Lake Chad
Within the Lake Chad basin of Africa, there is a crisis occurring. This crisis includes the increasing rates of famine, floods and militia groups such as Boko Haram which threaten the lives of individuals across Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria. This situation has displaced 1.3 million children and has made it difficult for students to access schools. However, a new program initiated by UNICEF and Education in Emergencies is providing a radio education program for Lake Chad that will give over 200,000 children potential access to education.

Conflict in Lake Chad has been occurring since 2009, with Boko Haram leading attacks against civilians and using violence to ban schooling. In the past eight years, Boko Haram has closed over 1,200 schools and has murdered over 600 teachers, as well as forcing 19,000 educators to flee. With many schools destroyed and more facing threats, children have no way to safely access education.

The occupancy of Boko Haram, although the primary threat to students, is not the only challenge when it comes to accessing schools. Children also encounter difficulty in mobility due to the rainy season, which causes flooding. This threat is all in combination with overarching threats of famine and water-borne diseases. These factors work together to make achieving an education almost impossible.

The UNICEF-designed radio education program for Lake Chad is an essential service that will educate children in the most rural areas of the country. This innovative program will feature 144 lessons on literacy, numeracy and other critical information. These lessons will be broadcast in French as well as in the local languages of Kanouri, Fulfulde and Hausa. This tool will reach children that have no other way to access schooling.

A significant aspect of this program is that it will be accredited by the governments of Cameroon and Niger. This point means the children using this program will not fall behind in their schooling and may have the potential to receive a certificate validating their success.

The radio education program for Lake Chad will also be bringing communities together, as UNICEF will be encouraging radio listening groups to help children get the most out of each broadcast. This measure will also ensure that adults will allow children to use existing radios and help with guided listening.

Despite the circumstances that currently prevent children from attending school, humanitarian organizations continue to find a way to keep these students learning. This radio education program will provide quality lessons to children that may have otherwise been denied an education entirely, ensuring that education will remain a priority for even the most vulnerable populations.

– Kelly Hayes

Photo: Google

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Water Quality in Uzbekistan Is Improving Gradually

Water Quality in Uzbekistan
As one of the largest countries in Central Asia with a population of 32 million, Uzbekistan is a regional economic and political leader. Recently, Uzbekistan has turned its attention to the pressing issues of environmental protection and water quality. In the last decade, water quality in Uzbekistan has been a main focus thanks to government and service providers’ efforts to expand and modernize the water sector across the country. Although access to an improved water source has declined by less than one percent, increased investment in water supply and sanitation has provided the foundation for reform in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan has amassed the largest borrowing portfolio for water projects of any Central Asian nation, including the Alat and Karakul Water Supply Project. Started in 2013 with financing from the World Bank, the project has improved quality and efficiency of water supply for more than 220,000 Uzbeks from the districts of Alat and Karakul in the Bukhara region. The World Bank has partnered with Uzbekistan since 1992, and its total commitments to the country exceed $1 billion.

The government has taken on these initiatives in response to the recent problems facing water quality in Uzbekistan, including water availability and pollution. More than half of Uzbekistani households do not connect to a piped water system; sewerage systems serve only 40% of the population. Much of the government’s efforts concentrate in the rural region of Karakalpakstan; it has some of the worst water quality in the country and has dealt with setbacks due to a uranium scare in 2008.

While the government-established State Committee for Environmental Protection has made limited efforts to curb water contamination in the last 15 years, nongovernmental organizations have spearheaded the effort to establish regulation to reduce harmful runoff and protect water resources.

Much of Uzbekistan’s economy relies on its environment, from its booming cotton industry to its oil and natural gas supplies. Environmental issues pose a threat to the country as a whole, with water availability as a top concern. Studies have shown that global warming may hit Central Asia the hardest in terms of temperature risings and potential drought. Uzbekistan must confront existing issues such as chemicals from cotton production contaminating freshwater, as well as future threats from climate change.

Though the government has acknowledged the extent of the country’s environmental problems, and the State Committee for Nature Protection has looked to contain environmental issues, grassroots organizations have called for the government to lay down further regulation and take more urgent action. Water quality in Uzbekistan has improved, but environmental issues threaten the country’s welfare if further action is not taken.

– Nicholas Dugan

Photo: Flickr

The Role of Government Aid in Reducing Canada’s Poverty Rate

Canada's Poverty Rate
Although Canada stands as one of the world’s wealthiest nations, with above-average health care and education systems and a strong government, there is one deficit – its unbelievably high poverty rate. In fact, it was estimated in 2009 that 1 in 10 Canadians lived below the poverty line and half of Canadians were subsisting on less than $25,400. This is substantially less than a typical comfortable wage, which is $50,000. For a nation with a GDP of $1.674 trillion, the 17th best in the world, this number is startling. Considering Canada’s wealth, how can they use their financial situation in order to improve the lives of the nation’s poor?

There is no simple solution that can launch the impoverished into a better financial situation. Positive programs must be introduced in order to build a community that is focused on upward mobility and even then the process can be difficult. However, there are some proven methods to help decrease the homeless population and feed citizens who are hungry. The most important avenue towards lowering Canada’s poverty rate is through government assistance programs. As of 2014, Canada spent 15 % of its federal budget on welfare programs that include disability, housing, education, family and pension benefits.

Government aid in Canada is split into two categories: social security programs and social and welfare services. The first, social security, is used as a generic term referring to many different programs from health and education to family assistance, unemployment and old-age benefits. Old age social security benefits are especially helpful in Canada. The country’s Public Pensions System has three efficient components that ensure elderly citizens do not suffer in poverty. The first, Canada Pension Plan (CPP), is a compulsory and earnings-related program that provides income for retired and disabled workers and survivors. This is a very similar system to the United States’ Social Security program. However, the other two components of the Public Pensions system go a step further. Old Age Security (OAS) is nearly universal and is financed from general revenues and paid to almost every Canadian over the age of 65. This provides an extra step to make retirement more comfortable than the income supplied through the CPP.

Finally, the last component of the Public Pensions System tackles poverty head-on. The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) is a benefit program that pays non-taxable income to low and moderate-income citizens over the age of 65. This guaranteed annual income is vital to keeping the elderly population above the poverty line, and Canada’s poverty rate relatively manageable. However, it could also be useful for the rest of Canada’s working population in the low to moderate-income bracket. Since this program is not financed by tax revenue, it would not hurt the rest of the population, and it would be a way for state and local government to use their revenue to truly help the citizens who are in need. This program only finances workers and retired former workers, so there would also be an incentive for Canadian citizens to work, rather than live off of government welfare.

While these social security programs provide benefits for all and are helpful at helping Canadians rise above the poverty line, the government’s social welfare or “personal” services are also available. These services operate under the assumption that, in order to ensure that Canada’s poverty rate continues to stay low, communities need to invest in their fellow citizens. Community-based services include daycare, home-delivered meals and even counseling. Through these programs, the government has developed the tools necessary to lower the poverty rate and keep its citizens happy and healthy. From healthcare to unemployment benefits, there are resources in place for Canadians at any time of their lives.

While Canada’s poverty rate is still relatively high, there is room for positive growth. If the government continues to invest in its citizens and Canadians invest in each other, there is a great chance that the poverty rate will continue to drop, and Canada will become an example for the rest of the world.

– Rachael Blandau

Photo: Google

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The Riecken Foundation: Building Libraries and Stability

Riecken Foundation
The need for educational opportunities in Central America has not gone unnoticed. The Riecken Foundation was established to address this need.  Since building its first library (the first of 65), the organization has paved the way for literacy and access to knowledge in Honduras and Guatemala.

For nearly 20 years, the Riecken Foundation has been building a network of community libraries across Honduras and Guatemala in often underserved, rural areas. Following a unique organizational model, the foundation has found long-term success by establishing libraries under strong community governance.

The foundation was born in 2000 out of the efforts of Susan Riecken and Allen Anderson. In the 1960s, Anderson worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, and his experiences in Honduras stayed with him over the years. Upon his retirement from venture capitalism, Anderson partnered with Riecken to address the educational needs of Honduran and Guatemalan villages and to promote literacy in developing parts of the world.

Educational opportunity is limited in Honduras and Guatemala and contributes to poverty in both countries. Nearly one in five Hondurans live in extreme poverty, and, for many Honduran students, the chance of dropping out of school or repeating a grade is high. In Guatemala, 23% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Educational quality is poor, and, as a result, fewer than half of students meet national standards by sixth grade.

The Riecken Foundation exists to address these issues and much more. A Riecken community library provides a village with access to books and other free resources, such as technology, youth programs and technical workshops that would otherwise be unavailable.

While other rural libraries might suffer as a result of mismanagement or neglect, a Riecken community library is strengthened by leadership from engaged volunteer citizens who are supported by their municipal government and the Riecken Foundation. It is this collaboration that often ensures the success of a Riecken community library.

For those in rural areas, the library becomes a place to explore diverse ideas and develop community projects. The community is directly involved in the success of their library, and their active engagement in its success creates a sense of prideful ownership over it.

The Riecken Foundation has found that the libraries promote literacy and a better understanding of local government institutions and transparency. It is with this understanding, along with greater access to knowledge and resources, that rural villages in Honduras and Guatemala can begin to move away from poverty and toward a stable environment that fosters growth and prosperity.

– Jennifer Faulkner

Photo: Flickr

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US Donates $60 Million to Syria Recovery Trust Fund

Syria Recovery Trust Fund
As the death toll and damage continues to rise in Syria, nations rush to take action, whether military or monetary. In this effort, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has approved $20 million of further funding towards the Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF) at a recent SRTF board meeting in Washington, DC. This brings the U.S. total contribution up to $60 million, whereby the U.S. donated $15 million initially, $15 million more in 2015, and $10 million in 2016. The organization is heavily reliant on its international donors and has up to date received $215 million in funds. Germany, Japan, Kuwait and France are some of the next biggest contributors after the U.S.

The Syria Recovery Trust Fund works with the current interim government and local groups to create transparent projects in Syria. This includes recovery initiatives and working with resident service providers to restore essential services such as electricity, water and sanitation, food security and waste removal in opposition-controlled territories. Hence, the SRTF focuses in these divisions alongside health and education and under particular circumstances agriculture, transportation and housing. Already looking to the future, they hope to shift their attention to rebuilding Syria’s infrastructure once fighting ceases.

Created by the Group of Friends of the Syrian People and its Working Group on Economic Recovery and Development and signed into practice in 2013, the Syria Recovery Trust Fund has already played a valuable role in the region. The group has successfully contracted engineers and equipment to expand electrical grids and water pipelines, restored medical clinics, supplied medical tools, and provided materials to improve production and storage of wheat harvests. Subsequently, they have helped more than two million Syrians progress and recover.

The newest contribution from the USAID will go to Syria Recovery Trust Fund interventions in newly liberated areas. The aid has paved a way for Syria and its people to rise from the rubble shortly again.

– Zar-Tashiya Khan

Photo: Flickr

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Technology Developed in Asia

Technology Developed in Asia
Asia is the largest and most populous continent in the world. The continent has vastly different economies from Japan, Korea and China to Indonesia and India, and habitually brightens the world with its latest innovations, which are about to cultivate promising changes in global poverty fight. It’s widely thought that the most interesting digital market in Asia is actually not the likes of Korea and Japan, but is more China, Indonesia, and India. These are the markets that are really pushing the boundary and innovating the most.

Here are a few examples of new technology developed in Asia that will assist the world of poor:

  1. Life Saving Dot
    According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency anemia is one of the most widespread nutritional disorders in the world. Millions of women across rural India suffer from breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease and complications during pregnancy and most of these cases are linked to iodine deficiency.In order to fight one of the most common causes of breast cancer, Talwar Bandi in association with Grey Singapore developed Life Saving Dot. A little iodine patch, meant to replace a bindi — a traditional red dot worn on the center of the forehead, commonly by Hindu and Jain women as a celebration of femininity and beauty — and consists of 150-220 micrograms of iodine. This amount is a daily norm for women that dramatically increases chances to prevent breast cancer.

     

  2. Eco Cooler
    Eco Cooler is another revolutionary technology developed in Asia, namely in Bangladesh. It is a cheap and environmentally-friendly zero electricity air cooler developed by Grey Dhaka. The technology uses re-purposed plastic bottles cut in half and put into a grid, in accordance with available window sizes. Depending on wind direction and airflow pressure, the Eco Cooler is decreasing the temperature inside the house. The invention is critical for the country, where the temperature often rises up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer period. 
  3. Vodafone
    About 47% of the labor force in India is involved in agriculture. In April 2016, the Indian government revealed that about 330 million people across the country were affected by drought.Vodafone is rolling out rainwater-harvesting billboards, invented in India and meant to help drought-affected farmers by harvesting rainwater. The billboards store up to 2,000 liters of water in U-curved aluminum sheets that can be distributed to farmers. Water sensor technology alerts collection teams who transport the rainwater to rural farms when tanks are full.
  4. 30-minute Ebola Tests
    Researchers from Nagasaki University in Japan are collaborating with colleagues from Eiken Chemical to develop a 30-minute Ebola virus detection kit. The technology developed in Asia uses short DNA sequences called primers to amplify DNA unique to Ebola. Samples become cloudy if the patient has the Ebola virus. The team is currently working out ways to make its technology available in countries stricken by Ebola. 
  5. RainSprout
    Grey Group Malaysia has developed innovative protection against Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne tropical disease. The RainSprout locates on a top of an umbrella and uses rainfall to distribute larvicide into the very puddles where mosquitoes can breed. The technology developed in Asia was distributed for free in central Malaysia.The RainSprout works via a replicable patch at the base which is impregnated with a non-toxic larvicide. When rain hits the patch, it mixes with the larvicide and runs off the umbrella into the puddles. Harmless to all other living organisms, the larvicide starves the mosquito larvae before they develop.
  6. Flo
    Mariko Higaki Iwai has designed an affordable solution to improve the lives of adolescent girls living in poverty. She designed a kit that allows girls to wash, dry and carry reusable sanitary pads.Flo will allow girls from Asia and Africa to go to school during their periods, where females often drop out of school due to the absence of sanitary pads and tampons. The innovation promises to improve the situation by helping girls to avoid embarrassment, attend school during the period and prevent reproductive infections and illnesses in the countries where young women were.

Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and governments. There is much significant progress coming out of this continent to help the world’s poor with new technology developed in Asia.

– Yana Emets

Photo: Flickr

Why Is Belgium’s Cost of Living So High?

Belgium's Cost of Living
Belgium is a small and beautiful country that is well known for being the center of European politics. Brussels, Belgium’s capital, hosts the official seats of the European Council, Council of the European Union, European Commission and even the headquarters of NATO. Other than the nation’s international notoriety, Belgium has a reputation for being an excellent place to live, with a booming economy and access to numerous social programs.

However, Belgium does have one downside. This is an incredibly high cost of living. In fact, Belgium’s cost of living is 9.7% greater than in the United States, where the median income is $53,046.

While Belgium’s cost of living may be higher overall, it is lower in all of the right areas. For example, the cost of groceries in Belgium is 4.82% lower on average when compared to other nations, and renting an apartment is 21.25% less expensive. This fact means that people who have a lower income in Belgium have a better opportunity to keep food on the table and more options for long-term housing.

Another point to consider while examining Belgium’s cost of living is the benefits Belgians receive through their government. The average income tax rate in Belgium is 42%, which is the highest tax rate in the world.

Although this high of a tax rate might appear to be an inconvenience, the Belgian government uses the money to fund their extraordinary social programs. Due to these social programs, while the unemployment rate may be 8.4%, only 3.4% of the country falls into the lowest 10% of income. This statistic is a sign of significant social progress.

These income tax payments fund Belgium’s social security system, which is extensive and open to all citizens. Additionally, some allowances are even available to foreigners. The social security system includes unemployment benefits and allowances in the event of sickness or accidents at work. Other benefits include family allowances which could take the form of maternity leave or pensions.

In addition to social security services, medical services are also publicly funded without much additional cost. If a Belgian requires medical care for something as simple as the flu, they will not have to pay much out of their pocket. Without these unexpected costs, Belgians have more of their income to spend on food or other necessary expenses.

Even though Belgium’s cost of living is high, and the income taxes take almost half of each worker’s accrued income, the government provides safety nets that give benefits that far outweigh the costs. Ultimately, the low cost of healthy groceries, more available housing, and government assistance programs make Belgium a great place to live, even if the cost of living in the nation is high.

– Rachael Blandau

Photo: Flickr

The Cost of Living in Ireland: Northern vs. The Republic


Ireland is an island that is split into two sections: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland, while Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. These two sections have differences in not only currency (the pound in Northern Ireland, the euro in The Republic of Ireland), but in the cost of living in Ireland as well.

As of July 2017, the difference in currency comes out to 1.14 euros for every one British pound, which is considered a small difference. There are quite a few differences in the cost of buying everyday items in each part of the country as well. The cost of grocery items in Dublin is higher than in Belfast. The cost of alcohol, which includes wine and domestic and imported beer, is on average 42% higher in Dublin.

Although these two cities are about two hours apart, the Republic of Ireland is considered a more expensive city to live in.

The cost of living in Ireland is highly affected by tourism, commerce and currency exchange between the euro and the British pound. Since Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, those countries also affect it as well, whereas the Republic of Ireland is independent.

Belfast’s economy was originally built on commerce, with Belfast Harbor flourishing by furthering trade in 1845. By the time the Titanic was built in 1912, it had become the largest shipyard in the world. Tourism also shapes Belfast’s economy; it is the second-most-visited city on the island.

Dublin thrives just as well as Belfast, if not more so, in tourism. In 2013, Dublin attracted 3.9 million overseas visitors, which generated 1.4 billion euros for the industry. Over 57% of the total number of international students studying in the country are located in Dublin, which also helps the economy.

According to Expatistan, as of July 2017, the cost of living in Belfast in 23 percent cheaper than Dublin. Consumer prices are listed at 29.65% higher in Dublin, with rent prices 151.10% higher in the city as well.

The cost of living in Ireland is even higher than the United States in consumer products, rent and restaurant prices, except groceries, which are 12.05% lower in the U.S. The U.S. does not have to import many grocery items, while Ireland does so quite often. Beer imports have also been greater in the United States, while Dublin is home to the Guinness Storehouse, and by beer production and tourism alone is there is a greater influx of money compared to breweries in the U.S.

Many factors influence these two capitals cities on the island of Ireland, such as commerce and tourism, and, for Belfast, the economy of the U.K.

– Stefanie Podosek

Photo: Flickr