Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

How China’s 13th Five-Year Development Plan Affects Tibet

Five Year Development Plan
Though most of China is now urbanized, some parts of the third-largest country in the world still remain cut off from industrial society. Tibet is the western part of China, dominated by high planes and an agriculture-based economy. The region can almost be considered its own country, given that the isolated culture differs so much from that of other more populated places in China such as Beijing or Hong Kong. Not only does Tibet differ in population and culture but in poverty as well. China’s 13th Five-Year Development Plan hopes to change this.

The current President of China, Xi Jinping, has stated that getting rid of poverty in rural areas such as Tibet would be the hardest part of building a “prosperous society.” In addition to building better access to transportation, the government plans to expand access to water, the internet, education and health care.

While the poverty rate in China was measured at just about 6.5% in 2012, the rate in Tibet was a staggering 32.9% by the end of 2015. The Chinese government is now being forced to strategize and increase its efforts to support Tibet. Through many provisions in China’s 13th Five-Year Development Plan (2015-2020), Tibet will benefit greatly. Included in the Five-Year Development Plan is the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, which has recently begun construction.

The China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group states that the railway will go from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, all the way to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. This line will connect the most remote villages of Tibet with the most globally connected parts of China, making travel easier and faster. The $36 billion project will promote and increase economic prosperity, which is exactly what the Five-Year Development Plan set out to do.

Since the construction of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway increased the tourism economy of the region, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is sure to have the same effect. This construction project will be a huge job-creator, and, with more money from tourism, government jobs and increased access to industrialized markets, the people of Tibet will have many more opportunities to escape from poverty.

– Vicente Vera

Photo: Google

The Main Causes of Poverty in Ethiopia

Causes of Poverty in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the world’s poorest countries, with about 44% of its population living in poverty. However, Ethiopia also has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Causes of poverty in Ethiopia include a variety of actions stemming from natural disasters as well as man-made actions. However, the main causes of poverty in Ethiopia are brought on by the effects of its economy revolving around agriculture.

About 80% of Ethiopia’s people work in agriculture. Because agriculture is the primary source for Ethiopia’s economy, most of its population takes up much of its rural areas than its urban.

Smallholder farmers form the largest group of poor people in Ethiopia. These farmers lack basic infrastructure, socially and economically, such as health care and educational facilities. They depend on their agriculture for most of their living essentials. Because so many of these farmers live in poverty, they also lack the ability to update their tools to grow better crops.

Beyond the difficulties faced by farmers just to bring in enough money to live, they must also contend with many natural disasters. Ethiopia is a country in conflict with its frequent natural disasters, thus making it even more difficult to farm in the country. Droughts, overgrazing and deforestation have degraded Ethiopia’s land over the years. It has made it difficult for the country to feed itself. Natural disasters have become one of the main causes of poverty in Ethiopia because so many of the country’s inhabitants rely on the weather for their income.

As if difficulty making a living were not enough, Ethiopia’s poverty is further worsened by the recent war. The consequences of the war with Ethiopia’s neighboring country, Eritrea, have been compared to those of World War I, leaving a legacy of economic burden in the country, with millions of dollars spent by an already poor economy.

Furthermore, Ethiopia’s poverty is also caused by rising global market prices. Because of the increase in prices, the situation in the country has worsened. With restrictions to access food and other supplies, households have limited resources and cannot purchase the necessary amount of things such as food and fertilizer. Ethiopia’s unstable conditions have driven investors away from the struggling society.

An economy based on poor agricultural conditions, war and high-priced goods in world markets are some of the main causes of poverty in Ethiopia. The causes of poverty in Ethiopia are varied and deep, but aid is sure to help this country more in the future.

– Brandi Gomez

Photo: Flickr

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Six Facts on the Most Common Diseases in the United Kingdom

Common diseases in the United Kingdom
According to the CIA World Factbook, the United Kingdom is home to 64,430,428 people, many of whom fall victim to various illnesses. The list of common diseases in the United Kingdom includes the following:

  1. Coronary heart disease causes nearly 74,000 deaths each year, which amounts to approximately 200 individuals dying every day from the disease. A significant amount of people with coronary heart disease are younger than 75, and, as such, additional health checks are being emphasized in the country.
  2. Respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are categorized as some of the most common diseases in the United Kingdom. In fact, England has one of the highest rates of asthma prevalence in the world. While the primary cause of COPD is smoking, a small percentage of cases are triggered by exposure to fumes, chemicals and dust at work.
  3. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United Kingdom and the leading cause of disability, with more than 150,000 people suffering from strokes every year.
  4. Cancer has become incredibly common, partly due to the fact that the United Kingdom falls behind other European countries in terms of accessible treatment and cancer survival. It is estimated that, by 2030, three million people in England will have had some form of cancer.
  5. The number of deaths from chronic liver disease in people under 65 has risen about 20% in England, while other European countries have seen improvement and a decrease in diagnoses.
  6. Health inequalities continue to play a role in poor health outcomes for those in the lowest socio-economic groups. Tuberculosis (TB) is one major infectious disease concentrated in the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom. In 2015, the rate of TB was 20.5 per 100,000 people in the 10% of the population living in the most deprived areas, compared to only 3.6 per 100,000 in the 10% in the least deprived areas.

With the pervasiveness of such diseases, immunization and cost-effective healthcare are highly prioritized in the U.K. Nevertheless, most common diseases in the United Kingdom are preventable, and individuals should consider taking the necessary steps and precautions to follow healthier lifestyles. According to a country profile health report conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), a few adult risk factors responsible for contributing to the increase in common diseases in the United Kingdom include tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, raised blood pressure and obesity.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr

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Incentive Program Reduces Child Marriage in Bangladesh

Child Marriage in Bangladesh
According to the International Center for Research on Women, one-third of girls in the developing world are married before the age of 18, and one in nine are married before the age of 15. In a recent study conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), researchers tested the impact of incentive programs on reducing child marriage and childbearing during teenage years. Results demonstrated the incentive program reduces child marriage in Bangladesh.

A previous study conducted by IPA in Kenya showed that encouraging girls to stay in school can reduce child marriages. However, this tactic fails to impact girls who are not attending formal schooling. Child marriage remains a societal norm in many countries, especially throughout the developing world.

Conducted in rural, southern Bangladesh, the country with the second-highest child marriage rate in the world, researchers built an incentive program into a previously formed food security program run by the nonprofit organization Save the Children. From 2007 to 2015, through a large-scale, randomized study, cooking oil was delivered to families of underaged and unmarried girls throughout multiple communities.

Within specific communities, the Adolescent Girl’s Voice empowerment program was implemented, which included meetings five to six days a week where girls from the community could socialize and receive education and life coaching. In communities without the empowerment program, girls who remained unmarried could collect cooking oil from community volunteers using a ration card.

The value of the cooking oil was chosen to offset the amount of dowry and dowry increase of unmarried girls annually. For four years after the study ended, researchers followed up with participants, documenting their marital status, childbearing history and school enrolment.

The results showed that the implemented incentive program reduces child marriage in Bangladesh, as well as decreased the rate of childbearing during teenage years.

“Girls in communities with conditional incentives were 6.3 percentage points less likely to marry before the age of 18, a 23% reduction over girls in communities without any programming,” stated the report. “They were also 2.9 percentage points less likely to have children during their teenage years, a 13% reduction over girls in communities without any programming.”

The program’s implementation in an area of extremely high rates of child marriage and childbearing during the teenage years demonstrated the success of incentive programs on lowering such rates. The program ended up being highly cost-effective, with researchers estimating that every $1,000 spent on the program led to nearly seven years of delayed marriage. There is strong evidence that incentive programs have the power to reduce child marriage in Bangladesh.

– Riley Bunch

Photo: Flickr

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Water Quality in Kuwait One of the Best in the World

Water Quality in Kuwait
Despite sitting just off the coast of the Persian Gulf, most of Kuwait’s water resources come from groundwater. Although limited rainfall and hot summers in the desert country threaten water reserves in underground aquifers, by using a sophisticated desalinization process, water quality in Kuwait is one of the best.

With Kuwait’s main water supply coming from groundwater, it puts the country at an extremely high water risk: the country only experiences about 121mm of rainfall each year, and only a small percentage of that reaches aquifers. Because of this, the country relies heavily on its desalinated seawater and treated municipal wastewater.

Due to the high risk of contamination and harmful bacteria that harbors in wastewater, between 2005 and 2014, the Kuwaiti government invested approximately $5.2 billion in the water sector. Kuwait allocated around $3.4 billion to water treatments to guarantee adequate water quality in Kuwait.

To ensure that the distillation plants, constructed in 2013, would create enough clean water for the entire country, Khalid Al Barrak, the head of KISR’s Water Science Department, advised the country to monitor and cut down its level of water consumption. Barrak stated that “such a consumption level was irrational and that it was eroding the government’s efforts to prevent the ominous waste of the invaluable resource.”

Barrak’s claims could help protect not only the water quality in Kuwait, but also help preserve the limited natural freshwater resources available in a country, which was recently reported as the highest water consumer in the world. Additionally, cutting down consumption could save the country about $28 million annually.

By cutting down consumption and continuing the construction of desalination projects, the water quality in Kuwait will continue to see improvements and will provide more resources to people who live in the more arid desert areas of Kuwait.

– Amira Wynn

Photo: Flickr

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The Importance of Free and Compulsory Education in the Congo

education in the congo
Situated in central Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to people belonging to over 200 African ethnic groups, with the majority identifying amongst the Bantu peoples. Though only comprising 2.25% of its GDP, education in the Congo remains a significant priority. In fact, education maintains such significance that the country’s constitution provides for free and compulsory primary school education.

Since 2007, the Congo has experienced massive growth in the number of students completing their primary school education. Although only 52.9% of young children completed their primary school education ten years ago, through rapid improvement and additional funding, the nation secured 66.8% of the population’s completion in 2013. In fact, much of this change related to girls’ access to education: while only 42.8% of girls completed primary school in 2007, that rate climbed to 60% by 2013. Essentially, then, education in the Congo prioritizes the needs of all students, regardless of their gender.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has assisted the Congo in implementing the BEAR Project. The project’s overarching goals are to help young people receive technical vocational education and training in order to enter the job market and to improve equity and access to educational opportunities. Dividing $10 million amongst five African nations, the BEAR project, which lasted five years, ultimately had a tremendously positive impact on the Congo; it actually managed to reach over 200 young people there, ensuring that they had access to basic educational necessities.

The Congo provides students with a variety of opportunities in terms of their education. Though all students begin in primary school, students can ultimately decide whether to pursue a secondary education or a vocational education. This sort of choice allows them to decide whether they would prefer to explore trades or academia, giving them a tremendous amount of intellectual freedom.

The structure of education in the Congo is further conducive to higher education. Though the nation maintains many privately and publicly funded polytechnic colleges and specialized universities, there are four main state-run institutions: the Universities of Goma, Kinshasa, Kongo and Lubumbashi. The oldest—the University of Lubumbashi, founded in 1955—prides itself on offering courses in departments such as agronomy, economics, medicine, law, psychology, medicine and commerce.

Clearly, the Congo prides itself on maintaining quality education for students and for striving to provide its young people with equal opportunities. Though the system itself remains imperfect, continued funding and an emphasis on education will undeniably have significant economic and social benefits.

– Emily Chazen

Photo: Flickr

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GiveDirectly Sends Money Directly to People in Poverty

GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly, a U.S. nonprofit organization, is seeking to change the way aid is given to impoverished communities around the world. Where most nonprofit organizations seek to fight global poverty through advocacy programs, research studies, services and volunteers, GiveDirectly bypasses traditional nongovernmental organization structures to allow donors to see exactly where and who their money is going to. By doing so, GiveDirectly is able to send money directly to people in poverty.

Modern payment through technology has become a prominent cost-effective way to transfer sums of money over thousands of miles. GiveDirectly uses such technology to take and use money from donors and transfer it directly to people in impoverished communities. After opening to the public in 2011, the nonprofit exclusively makes payments to people in extreme poverty through online transferable cash grants.

The next step is to study the impact of direct aid to poverty-stricken communities. Over the next 12 years, every adult in 40 villages throughout Kenya will receive $0.75 per day through GiveDirectly donors. The wage, while below the poverty line, will ensure a source of income on top of day-to-day jobs.

Residents of another 80 villages will receive that amount over just two years and residents of yet another 80 villages will receive that amount in a lump sum. Since GiveDirectly sends money directly to people in poverty, all community members will receive the donations despite income levels, as a form of universal income. More than 26,000 people will receive a donation transfer, where 6,000 will receive a sustained universal income.

According to the GiveDirectly website, the group has received 81% of the funds required to pay for the study throughout all 12 years. The research team includes Abhijit Banerjee, co-founder of J-PAL and a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Alan Krueger, a former Chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers and a professor at Princeton and Tavneet Suri, Scientific Director for J-PAL Africa, also at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Stephene, a 27-year-old laborer in Kenya, enrolled as a recipient of cash-grants from GiveDirectly four months ago. Two months in, he received his first payment over the phone of $97. He spent his first sum of money plastering his house and on necessities for his wife who is expecting a child.

When asked what he would spend the donated money on, Stephene said he would use it to buy his own boat, to make his life as a fisherman easier. He recently received his second payment of $481. The funds went to buying iron sheets and finally, his own fishing boat. In an interview with GiveDirectly, Stephene said, “This has improved my source of income [and] thus improved my living standards.”

Recipients of donations receive an SMS text message when their payments are ready for collection. On average, it takes 32 minutes for individuals to walk to the closest agent and collect their cash transfers.

In addition to the efficiency of the aid program, recipients can spend their payments on necessities that are unique to their lives and families. By sending money directly to people in poverty, the organization breaks down some of the difficulties of traditional foreign aid.

– Riley Bunch

Photo: Flickr

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Nine Facts About Human Rights in Jordan

Human Rights in Jordan
Jordan may be experiencing a new era of political change. The nation is one where freedoms are very limited. However, the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has opened pathways to human rights reform in Jordan. Below are nine facts about human rights in Jordan.

 

Facts about Human Rights in Jordan

 

  1. Freedom of speech is limited in Jordan, especially when it comes to criticism of authority. Journalists, academics and artists can be imprisoned for “defamation” of the king, the government, Islam and foreign nations. A proposed reform issued to the Jordanian Parliament in 2015 would offer alternative punishments, such as community service if implemented.
  2. Jordan recently loosened restrictions on public assembly through the 2011 Public Gatherings Law. This law allows for public demonstrations to be held without prior approval from the government.
  3. Women possess an equal right to participate in government, and 20 of Jordan’s 130 government representatives are women. Despite this, women in Jordan lack many of the civil liberties available to men. Marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men are unrecognized by Jordan’s government. Jordan’s nationality laws restrict women from passing their nationality down to their children and non-Jordanian spouses.
  4. Additionally, Jordan has one of the largest gender gaps in the world, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Jordan ranks at 134 of the 144 countries studied by the WEF. Though both men and women are comparatively well-educated in the region, women face several economic barriers that men do not. Women are given paid maternity leave and child care when entering the workforce but lack anti-discrimination protections, which encourages private businesses to hire men instead of women to avoid the cost. Many women also lack the right to inherit the wealth of their parents.
  5. Jordan also has a poor record of crimes against women. The law allows for perpetrators of “honor crimes” to be given reduced sentences. There are also penal code loopholes that allow rapists to escape prosecution if they have been married to their victim for three years. Recently, King Abdullah II endorsed a motion that would abolish these loopholes and it is expected to be ratified by Parliament.
  6. Jordan has been a leader in the Middle East for implementing regulations that protect migrant workers from forced labor and human trafficking. However, Jordanian law is set up in a way that still allows these abuses to happen. Migrant workers have limited freedom of movement and must get permission from an employer before leaving their houses; 50,000 migrant workers in Jordan are confined to their houses day and night. Employers are rarely prosecuted for violating migrant labor laws and Jordan lacks shelters for workers escaping abuse.
  7. According to the Human Rights Watch, local governors detained over 19,000 people without trial in 2015. Many of these people were imprisoned for a year or longer.
  8. Jordan has taken in over 650,000 Syrian refugees. Approximately 20 percent of them are living in refugee camps. The refugee crisis has put significant strain on Jordan’s public infrastructure. By November of 2016, Jordan received just 57% of the funding the country required from the international community to cope with the influx of refugees.
  9. In March 2016, King Abdullah II released a 10-year plan to improve human rights in Jordan. The plan was developed with input from NGOs and aims to allow suspects a right to a lawyer, restrict the scope of the death penalty, hold public trials to keep police accountable for brutality and torture, strengthen freedoms of speech and assembly, pursue equal rights among workers, provide legal protections for the disabled and provide equal rights and opportunities for women. We have yet to see if the Jordanian government will fully commit to these reforms.

Though human rights in Jordan may appear to be improving, there is still a long way to go. Continued support of NGOs is essential to continue the development of human rights in Jordan.

– Carson Hughes

Photo: Flickr

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Water Quality in Romania

Water Quality in Romania
Upon traveling to Romania, one will find that there are no significant health risks. At least, no more than “any other European country,” according to the Lonely Planet’s current health guide. In fact, the only water which travelers need to be wary of is collected water found in the country’s many mountainous areas, which make up 31% of Romania’s landscape.

However, despite being surrounded by water, water quality in Romania is still fairly poor, and Romania ranks 13th in Europe in terms of water resources. Many native Romanians living in rural areas still struggle with wastewater management, owing in large part to pollution from sudden economic development between the 1960s and 1980s.

The majority of Romania is in the Danube basin, with over a third of the Danube river’s length flowing through the country. As such, Romania relies heavily on water from the Danube, water that has had some inconsistent quality over the years.

Prior to the 1950s, water quality in Romania was fairly steady, with the Danube river providing a good source of clean, easily-accessible water. Beginning in the 1960s, however, large-scale economic and industrial growth led to widespread water pollution. The main form of pollution was agrochemical fertilizers, which released copious amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus into the water. This continued until roughly 1989 when new regulations to correct this problem were introduced, and development began to slow. Since then, water quality in Romania has increased significantly. However, it remains inferior to the quality present before this development.

In many areas of the country, groundwater still contains many nitrates, leaving 35% of the population without consistent access to public clean water and 47% without access to wastewater collection and treatment. Instead, many people in Romania simply opt to drink bottled water, as it’s cheap and available nearly everywhere in the country.

In Romania, it seems that to live in an urban, wealthier area means that the threat of unsafe water is relatively nonexistent. Meanwhile,  in poorer, rural areas, it is still a major concern. However, Romania does seem to be making some strides toward making water safe for all its citizens.

On March 22, 2008, the date which the United Nations has dubbed “World Water Day,” the Romanian government came together to organize conferences and discussion sessions and launched a campaign of social responsibility aimed at making clean water, which the UN names as a “fundamental human right,” available for all Romanians.

– Audrey Palzkill

Photo: Flickr

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Rafiki Bracelets Are Changing Lives Around the World

Rafiki Bracelets
On a normal day in rural Kenya, women in this poverty-stricken nation seek to better their lives. The solution they’ve discovered is surprisingly simple; these women make “Rafiki Bracelets.” These bracelets are sold in developed nations, and the proceeds help rural villages in Kenya.

The word “Rafiki”—probably best known from the character Disney’s The Lion King—is Swahili for “friend.”

Rafiki bracelets are a part of the Me to We program, a social enterprise system that allows impoverished individuals to make certain goods (in this case bracelets). In turn, Me to We makes a donation to certain life-changing initiatives, like clean water or education.

The Me to We program makes donations to six different programs:  health, food, opportunity, education, freedom and water. Some initiatives are fairly straightforward, like providing access to primary education, clean water, and clean food. Others, however, are not. The “opportunity” initiative helps women in impoverished nations with financial planning. The “freedom” initiative allows American students to help combat poverty.

Cinemark movie theaters sell Rafiki bracelets in their lobbies and even advertise the bracelets with an infomercial before the screening of films. This is a great way for this social enterprise to reach a larger audience. By advertising before feature films, the Me to We program can reach those who otherwise may never hear of their programs.

Additionally, celebrities like Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell wear Rafiki bracelets as a way to raise awareness. Mitchell has been quoted as saying, “I’m almost never without a Rafiki around my wrist. It looks cool, reminds me to live my life with a sense of gratitude, and is a symbol of the power we all have in our wallets to change the world.”

Rafiki bracelets are a great way for social enterprises to educate the public on global poverty. Due to their efforts, the plight of the world’s extreme poor reaches the world’s developed nations.

– Raymond Terry

Photo: Flickr