Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Helping Others Helps You to Live Longer

Volunteering_health
A study from December 2016 indicated that the secret to humanity’s desire to live longer may not exist in pills, surgical treatments, lotions, fad diets or exhausting workouts. The research, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, indicates that simply helping others increases the probability of living longer. Although the study focuses on grandparents who give occasional care to children or grandchildren, it also discusses the health benefits gained by childless couples who provide support to other people.

The researchers state that the neural and hormonal system that is triggered during caregiving can positively impact health and reduce the mortality of the helper. They indicate that these benefits occur when applied to both relatives and non-relatives.

Good Vibes from Volunteering

This study’s findings are not unique. A 2013 review of 40 similar studies indicated that volunteering can reduce early mortality rates by a surprising 22 percent. Published in BMC Public Health, the review also indicated that when people volunteer, they feel good. This can reduce depression and increase contentment.

In a statement, lead author Dr. Suzanne Richards states, “Our systematic review shows that volunteering is associated with improvements in health.”

We Can Do Better

However, the review indicates that our global community has room for improvement. Only 27 percent of Americans and 22 percent of Europeans volunteer their time. Australia is slightly more altruistic, with 36 percent of Australians performing community service.

Having a busy schedule doesn’t necessarily exclude someone from the benefits of community service, since it doesn’t take a major time commitment to reap the rewards. According to the review, just an hour of volunteer work per month is enough for participants to absorb those positive emotions and potentially live longer.

It’s likely that many people are capable of finding a way to spare an hour a month to support the causes important to them. Health and longevity may just depend on it.

– Gisele Dunn

Photo: Flickr

Insurance Payouts for Victims of Drought in Kenya


The drought in Kenya has reached “epic” proportions, according to government officials. The lack of rainfall caused Kenyan officials to declare the situation a national disaster, and approximately 2.7 million people have been affected.

Fortunately, on Feb. 20, relief reached many via insurance payouts under a livestock insurance subsidy through the Kenya Livestock Insurance Program (KLIP). This is no ordinary insurance company, though. Thanks to development by Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and technical assistance from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), KLIP is using satellite technology to assist the affected farmers.

Automatically-Triggered Technology

Using both visible and infrared frequencies, the sensitive satellites used by KLIP record the color of ground vegetation in the affected areas. With comparative analysis, KLIP then reviews the recorded data to determine if there is enough “green” plant matter available for livestock to consume. If the index of data indicates a health risk for the livestock based on lack of resources, the insurance payouts are automatically triggered. The technology is tailored so that the subsidies are automatically deposited into farmers’ accounts. The state of the current drought in Kenya triggered KLIP’s criteria, and more than $2 million was paid to approximately 12,000 affected households.

Sustenance via Satellite

On average, each household will receive $170. Based on figures used by KLIP, the subsidy will be enough to support approximately 70,000 head of livestock. An estimated 100,000 people stand to benefit from the payout.

In addition to the monetary benefits, livestock feed, veterinary medicine and water trucks are deployed when the system is triggered. The Kenyan government also plans to increase food rations to those hardest hit.

Cabinet secretary for Kenya’s agriculture ministry, Willy Bett, acknowledged the importance of the recent disbursement to mitigate the drought in Kenya, “…without their livestock, pastoralist communities would be devastated.”

– Gisele Dunn

Photo: Flickr

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How Big Thinkers Use Technology to Fight Poverty


Technology has long been considered one of the most useful tools in combating global poverty. New developments continue to show even more promise in this regard. Two prominent thinkers have made recent strides toward finding dramatic new breakthroughs in using technology to fight poverty.

Rob Nail is the CEO and co-founder of Singularity University, a global community created to take on the greatest challenges facing the world today with the use of exponential technologies. Having already worked directly with the government of Uruguay to provide 100 percent of young students with interconnected laptops and tablets, Nail is now looking to the future of education by applying those technologies.

“Imagine five and six-year-old kids learning coding and robotics. What will Uruguay look like 15 years from now?” Nail told Forbes in a January interview. “That can translate into us creating a world of abundance, as we like to call it.” Nail has also worked with existing industrial giants such as Lowe’s and GE in creating technological programs to fight poverty.

Nail is not alone in his quest for using technology to fight poverty. In December, Stanford University launched a dedicated Poverty and Technology Lab. The lab seeks innovative technological solutions to the problem of ongoing global inequality.

The Poverty and Technology lab was announced during December’s Summit on Poverty and Opportunity, a two-day event held on Stanford University’s campus. Attendees included tech juggernauts, such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

The lab’s founding director Elisabeth Mason told Buzzfeed news that the lab will develop an entirely new field of academic study “that applies the premises and tools of technology to the policies and processes of fighting poverty.” Mason holds extensive experience in fighting poverty as the Senior Advisor at the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. She was awarded the New Yorker of the Year honor by NY1 in 2015.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, more commonly referred to online as 4IR, is the name for the radical globalization of cyber networks poised to revolutionize the way businesses operate today. It is comprised of three main components: the Industrial Internet of Things, which are machines that collect and act on information, Big Data, which is the mass capturing of data itself, and Digital Infrastructure, which securely connects all the devices.

With their passion for social justice and vision of a future where poverty is nothing more than a historical memory, both Nail and Mason are primed to be major figures in 4IR by using technology to fight poverty.

– Dan Krajewski

Photo: Flickr

Poverty in Tobago: The Poor in a Wealthy Nation

Poverty in Tobago
Tobago is a luscious rainforest-covered island off the coast of Venezuela. It is part of the complete nation of Trinidad and Tobago, with Tobago being the smaller of the two islands. Trinidad and Tobago are considered wealthy nations, but about 20 percent of people living there are below the poverty line. Many do not even realize that there is poverty in Tobago.

The poverty in Tobago is a serious issue. Most of the poverty in the nation is situated in the urban communities of the island, according to the World Bank report on Trinidad and Tobago.

Despite the income made by the nation off of oil exports, people are living below the poverty line in Tobago at TT$1,230 per month, according to the national publication, the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

Those that were interviewed by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian said that the TT$1,230 (USD$183) was what they spent on food each month. Therefore many citizens below the poverty line aren’t able to afford anything except for the basic necessities.

The good news about the nation is that the unemployment rate is only at four percent, according to the CIA World Factbook. But for many of those who are unemployed, drugs and criminal activity have been issues for the nation in past years.

The crime and drug violence throughout the years has put a damper on the tourism industry in the nation. The crime rates and the violence on tourists all loop back into one common issue: poverty in Tobago.

But there is work being done for the island nation to decrease poverty. Some of the strategies being used include promoting growth in non-oil sectors, improving labor conditions by reducing discrimination, improving education, supporting health reforms and helping programs meet the needs of the poor.

– Hailey McLaughlin

Photo: Flickr

Poverty in Latin America

Poverty in Latin America
Hunger and poverty in Latin America, including Mexico, Central and South America, have decreased since the 1990s and early 2000s. However, hunger and malnourishment continue to be ongoing issues as a result of poverty.

In 2015, 28 percent of Latin Americans suffered from impoverished conditions, as compared to 44 percent in 2002. Although the numbers had improved since 2002, there was a stall in improvements in 2013.

As of 2017, studies show that 130 million people in South America are currently living in a state of poverty across various countries. These countries include Honduras, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

Contributing Factors of Poverty

One major cause of the poverty and instability suffered among individuals living in these countries is the disparity between socioeconomic classes. According to the Huffington Post, some things that can be done to decrease the rate of poverty and increase the well-being of persons living in Latin America include “comprehensive poverty reduction programs” specifically directed at increasing labor incomes, improving social programs and configuring ways to “integrate early childhood development into the social development.”

Additionally, while Latin America was once a large producer of commodities, this changed after the recession in 2008. Countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela have faced greater economic losses over the past year. For example, Brazil faced severe economic hardship in 2016 due to failed policy-making strategies and an overall inadequate political environment, which led to higher inflation and a lower income for businesses and families.

The economy in Venezuela has also left much to be desired. Last year, the country faced a free fall in oil production, which led to heightened inflation and negative economic effects on the overall quality of life for Venezuelans.

Argentinian economist Raul Benitez-Manaut told Inter Press News Agency that the real problem surrounding hunger and poverty in Latin America is a “problem of access, not production.” Likewise, he has vocalized the importance of wealthier countries taking the initiative to reach out and help countries whose citizens are suffering from hunger and malnourishment.

Ideas for Improvements Moving Forward

In 2013, Harvard University conducted a study and offered some useful solutions that can help reduce poverty in Latin America. One solution offered by the university addressed the issue of low productivity in Latin countries and the need for the public and private sectors to work together to resolve this issue. For example, a project known as “Mundo Vex Tenda” was created in Brazil in 2010 and funded by the United States Inter-American Development Bank. The project focuses on providing individuals running small businesses in Brazil with the opportunity to learn effective business-related skills in areas such as financial literacy, marketing and food safety practices.

Additionally, Harvard researchers stated that “governments must root out violence and invest in specialized infrastructure; create transparent, accountable mechanisms that decentralize decision-making; and direct resources to reinvigorating the private sector, short of protecting it from competition.”

– Lael Pierce

Photo: Flickr

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Hunger in Ecuador — Assistance is Still Needed

Hunger in EcuadorEcuador, a country in Latin America with a population of 18.4 million, is classified as an upper-middle-income country. However, one in three children in Ecuador is malnourished, the second-highest rate in the region.

Ecuador’s Hunger Crisis

  • Poverty– According to the latest statistics, Ecuador has made progress in reducing the poverty rate, which has decreased to 26% in recent years. However, it is still high in rural areas, with 40% of people living below the poverty line. The high levels of poverty in the country have led to a surge in crime and violence, as many young adults see crime as their only way out of poverty. 
  • Effects on Children– The alarming prevalence (14%) of malnourishment in the population has resulted in a concerning 23% of children under the age of 5 experiencing stunted growth. This condition has a detrimental impact on the learning and cognitive development of nearly one in five of these children, posing a significant threat to their overall well-being and future prospects. 
  • Worsening Food Insecurity– Food insecurity has increased in recent years, rising from around 20% before the pandemic to 33% in 2020. This is due to the global economic crisis, the influx of refugees from Venezuela and Colombia, natural disasters, food waste and the worsening security situation in the country. Around 900,000 tons of food is wasted or lost annually. The government passed a law recently to ensure safe-to-eat food is donated at designated places and incentives in the form of tax deductions, etc, are provided to the donors.  

Efforts Underway

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides food assistance to around 300,000 people. The organization is also working in collaboration with the government to end malnutrition by focusing on pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 2 to help reduce malnutrition and stunting in the population. The WFP is actively engaged in strengthening the capabilities of governmental institutions, equipping them with advanced tools and expertise to combat the ongoing crisis effectively.

In addition to the WFP’s efforts, Tetra Pak and the Ministry of Education have launched a collaborative pilot program to provide schoolchildren in targeted regions with 200 ml of nutritious milk daily, five days a week. The program’s goal was to combat malnutrition and reduce school dropouts. Following its success, the program has been formalized into legislation and implemented nationwide.  

Looking Ahead

Despite all efforts, Ecuador still faces immense challenges in reducing hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. The international focus and assistance on Ecuador have decreased recently because it is an upper-middle-income country, further exacerbating the problems. The need of the hour is to assist Ecuador in dealing with these issues by providing aid and assistance and helping it achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 of zero hunger. 

– Dustin Jayroe
Photo: Flickr
Updated: October 1, 2024

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Top Five Diseases Infecting Pregnant Women in Poverty

Women in Poverty
While the disease Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus affects newborns, there are other diseases that can be harsher to pregnant women in poverty, since their bodies work harder to provide health to two individuals. Because of a lack of healthcare and nutrition, these women can be more susceptible to diseases that could be easily managed in countries with accessible healthcare. Here are the top five diseases affecting pregnant women in poverty:

Hepatitis E

Pregnant women in the second or third trimester are more likely to experience liver failure when they contract Hepatitis E. When contracted in the third trimester, the fatality rate is as high as 25 percent. An epidemic in India resulted in high mortality rates of pregnant women. To decrease the risk of spreading Hepatitis E, it is important to maintain hygienic practices and proper handling of public water supplies, since the infection can spread through contaminated drinking water.

Measles

Due to vaccinations, measles is fairly rare in developed countries. However, this is not the case in developing countries. While measles is severe to a baby, it can be even worse for women during pregnancy. A study from Saudi Arabia found that 80 percent of pregnant women in poverty with measles were hospitalized. Measles can infect the fetus and increase the risk of prematurity and miscarriage.

Malaria

Though preventable through vaccination, malaria remains prevalent in Africa. There are about 200,000 newborn deaths each year as a result of malaria in pregnancy, and 30 million women in areas infected by malaria become pregnant each year. When pregnant, the woman’s immunity to diseases decreases, so exposure to malaria increases the risk of illness, severe anemia and death. However, there have been interventions to decrease the risk of contracting malaria. In 2000, the first African Summit on Malaria was held in Abuja, Nigeria. Here, heads of state committed to providing effective malaria interventions to at least 60 percent of pregnant women. Also, there have been efforts to bring malaria interventions through antenatal clinics in Africa.

HIV/AIDS

Globally, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 15-24, the age women are most likely to become pregnant. Women are twice as likely as men to contract the virus. Antiretroviral therapy has been used to treat pregnant women.

Tuberculosis

This airborne disease is 10 times more likely to infect pregnant women who test positive for HIV. According to the WHO, every year about 700,000 women die from tuberculosis, and more than 3 million women contract the disease. Tuberculosis is the third leading cause of death among women between the ages of 15 to 44. When pregnant, the disease is harder to diagnose since the symptoms (fatigue, tiredness, and shortness of breath) are similar to typical symptoms of pregnancy.

If the U.S. Congress passed the Reach Every Mother and Child Act, pregnant women in poverty who are diagnosed with treatable diseases could receive the necessary treatment. If passed, the U.S. government will provide agencies to expand interventions for maternal health, to provide treatments and assistance to afflicted women and children.

– Emma Majewski

Photo: Flickr

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Hunger in Sudan


Famine has been officially declared as people are dying from hunger in Sudan. The United Nations has said the situation is “desperate” in the Southern state.

Nearly 100,000 people are facing famine so serious that they are at risk of dying in the Southern Unity State of the country. One million people are currently on the border of famine and almost five million are in need of some type of humanitarian aid.

On February 22, 2017, the United Nations spoke out about the rising crisis of hunger in Sudan is leading to rising deaths. Five million South Sudanese do not have an adequate amount of food and that number is expected to rise. Over one million of those are severely malnourished children who are at immediate risk of dying.

South Sudan is a country of around 12 million people in Northern Africa. Around 80 percent of the country’s population lives in rural areas, with more than 30 percent of the children under the age of five being undernourished. The average life expectancy is 55.7 years.

South Sudan became an independent nation from the Republic of Sudan in 2011 but has faced a civil war since 2013 that continues to this day. Many aid workers in the country have faced violence because of the ongoing war, with some even having been forced to leave the country.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partner organizations want to assist nearly six million people in 2017 in South Sudan, as well as other countries struggling with the same crises. The situation is expected to get worse in the coming months, due to the height of the lean season, if something is not done immediately. Emphasis has been placed on the fact that these types of issues are stemming from disputes, therefore they are preventable.

Some organizations working to provide aid for hunger in Sudan are UNICEF (The United Nations International Children’s Fund), FAO (The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), Action Against Hunger, and WFP (The World Food Programme). These organizations work to provide a variety of types of support to those who are affected. UNICEF, focusing specifically on children, is working to provide treatment for children facing extreme malnutrition. FAO is working to make food more secure and to increase incomes. Action Against Hunger is working to provide emergency care and treatment. WFP is working to provide nutritious school meals, general nutritional support and provides money transfers for displaced people in need of food.

– Shannon Elder

Photo: Flickr

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“Small Smurfs, Big Goals” and US Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals
“Smurfs: The Lost Village” and the U.N. are working together on the Small Smurfs, Big Goals campaign. The campaign aims to promote the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. The International Day of Happiness, which the U.N. has celebrated since 2013 on March 20, was central to this campaign.

Demi Lovato, Joe Manganeilio and Mandy Patinkin, three of the main voice actors from the “Smurfs: The Lost Village” movie, came to the International Model U.N. Conference to honor a few students for their projects to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Karan Jerath, a 20-year-old, created a device to protect marine life from oil spills. Sarina Davin, a 17-year-old, helped with a U.N. girl empowerment program. Noor Samee, also 17, blogs for UNICEF about social justice issues.

Patinkin, who plays Papa Smurf in the film, congratulated the students at the conference.

“On behalf of all Smurfdom,” he said, “thank you for your work in awakening everything, in your community, through your social media, all over the world, in the ways that you have chosen to encourage people everywhere to make this world a better place for those who are so vulnerable in every way imaginable.”

Each of the students received a symbolic key to Smurf Village.

The visit to the International Model U.N. Conference was one way the Small Smurfs, Big Goals campaign honored the International Day of Happiness and the SDGs. On March 20, the Smurf cast and the U.N. lit the Empire State building blue.

On the Small Smurfs, Big Goals website, visitors can take a quiz to find which Smurf they are most like based on the issues they care about. Then, they can share their smurfs and support or learn more about what they can do to support these issues.

The campaign also has a lesson plan for elementary school teachers to use “Smurfs: Lost Village” to teach children about SDGs.

World leaders in September 2015 adopted the SDGs for 2030 and implemented them in January 2016. The SDGs build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.) The goals focus on education, equality, access to jobs and other key issues.

– Jennifer Taggart

Photo: Flickr

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Hunger In Laos

Hunger In Laos
Laos is a small country populated with mountains and more than 10,000 rural villages, situated on the Asian continent. It is not hard to understand why the people of Laos have a hard time with nourishment, as many of the rural villages lie in remote areas of the country that have trouble getting access to healthy food and clean water.

Hunger in Laos is a problem for the varied communities living in the country because of the threats it poses to health. While the country has worked on improving the state of malnourishment, the Global Hunger Index reports that the country has a high percentage of hungry people.

Facets of Hunger in Laos

The high level of hunger in Laos is attributed to factors like the lack of access to food sources and properly sanitized water. In fact, around one-fifth of the population of Laos consumes less than the minimum dietary requirements set by the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The U.N. reports that malnutrition in Laos illustrates the inequality in the country, especially when one takes into account the regions and groups who demonstrate the most need.

Rural communities are common in the mountainous regions, but the areas that lack road access are typically those hit hardest with hunger in Laos. Furthermore, many of these areas report children with stunted growth and insufficient weight gain, both common results from undernourished communities.

In conjunction with the U.N.’s MDGs, Laos has halved the proportion of hungry people living in the country. However, more than 11 percent of rural households still report a lack of food sources, resulting in poor consumption habits.

There is still hope. With help from the U.N., the government is steadily moving towards the goal of decreasing the percentage of people who experience hunger in Laos. In recent years, rapid economic growth and agricultural prosperity have had great effects on the population, contributing to the notable decrease in the proportion of undernourished people.

Success has been slow but is expected to increase. With help from the U.N. and programs like the National Zero Hunger Challenge, which works to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, Laos can decrease the number of hungry people in the country and ensure the population is living a healthy lifestyle.

– Jacqueline Nicole Artz

Photo: Flickr