Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Innovations in Agriculture Seek to Improve Tanzania’s Food Security

Innovations in Agriculture
As Tanzania’s farming sector begins to shift to producing various other goods, the innovations in agriculture that enhance the productivity of the farming process are quick to follow.

Recently, the country has witnessed a transformation in its agriculture sector, especially among its smallholder farmers, after realizing the extraordinary benefits of sesame seeds.

Being both drought-resistant and considerably more resilient to climate change effects than other products, sesame has become Tanzania’s new popular food output. However, with these benefits also comes a drawback.

Though farming is essential and necessary for the well-being of the country’s citizens, the activity can sometimes be tedious and tiresome.

Sesame farming in Tanzania is labor-intensive and prolonged work, traditionally done completely by hand. Bending down, creating centimeter deep holes, dropping seeds and walking a great distance can lead to, among other things, back pain and fatigue.

That is where the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention” rang true.

In response to complaints from fellow farmers, Constantine Martin from the Babati District created an innovation in agriculture that has since been welcomed and implemented by all.

Named the “Coasta Planter,” it is simply a hand-pushed machine designed to plant sesame seeds by digging a small hole and dropping seeds in, without the need of a person constantly bending down to do so.

Additionally, the Coasta Planter is also more efficient than humans, planting the seeds at a higher rate of speed. This significant upscale in food production and potential output could lead to the strengthening of Tanzania’s food security.

Agriculture is an essential part of Tanzania’s economy, especially in terms of food production and employment generation. As of 2015, agriculture accounts for 30.5 percent of the country’s GDP and employs 75 percent of the total labor force.

To further improve and promote the importance and longevity of the agriculture sector in Tanzania, initiatives such as Feed the Future have invested in the people and the country, specifically focusing on products including rice and maize.

With this new invention in hand, farmers all across the country should expect an easier workload in the future as further clever innovations in agriculture continue to be thought of and created, enhancing Tanzania’s food security one seed at a time.

– Jordan J. Phelan

Poverty in Malta: A Consequence of Recent Economic Expansions

Poverty in Malta
The state of poverty in Malta is categorized as relative, but 2014 estimates show that 15.9 percent of citizens live below the poverty line. However, poverty in Malta is a consequence of recent economic expansions at the expense of employment stability, access to child care and has marginalized family incomes, especially for single mothers.

Economic stability in Malta is driven by tourism, trade and manufacturing. The country also boasted the European Union’s (EU) lowest unemployment rate of 3.9 percent in July 2016.

Malta is located between Sicily and North Africa, situating the country within several of the world’s highest trafficking shipping routes. The government of Malta recognizes the potential for growth due to the influence of global investment and trade.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the forms of health technology, communication and information technology, aerospace and defense and finance services to expand the rate of economic development is especially important, according to the U.S. Department of State.

According to the 2010 European Social Watch Report, economic infrastructures in Malta established increased flexibility due to labor market deregulation and liberalization of the market.

Economic developments have resulted in more jobs and profit, but at the cost of the deterioration of labor standards, unstable work status, unemployment and decreased incomes for families.

According to the University of Malta, groups that report the lowest yearly average are single parents, parents of big families and the elderly. These individuals are at a higher risk of poverty than others, while all aforementioned groups report housing inefficiencies to be a notable hindrance. Due to low familial incomes, children often lack access to food, adequate housing, health care and clothing.

The European Commission noted that Malta is relatively far from achieving its poverty reduction target as outlined in the Europe 2020 Strategy in a 2016 Maltese country report. Individuals with low skills and children have been affected most, while the absence of material goods in households further contributes to the facilitation of poverty and social exclusion.

As a recent addition to the collection of member states within the EU, the country is in the process of implementing 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

However, the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has yet to operationalize educational initiatives but stated that, “Malta is fully committed to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and in this regard is participating and following discussions at both regional and international level.”

– Amber Bailey

Photo: Flickr

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Ten Facts About Refugees in Egypt

Refugees in Egypt
Here are 10 quick facts about refugees in Egypt:

  1. In 2015, over 180,000 individuals were registered as refugees in Egypt with the United Nations Refugee Agency, over 117,000 of which were from Syria.
  2. In 2015, the United Nations Refugee Agency had a total budget of over $80 million dedicated to helping refugees meet their basic needs, receive health care and gain access to education.
  3. The large majority of refugees in Egypt reside in urban areas. About 60 percent live in the greater Cairo area.
  4. Only 18.1 percent of refugees have access to basic hygienic and domestic household items. Only 27 percent of refugee women have sanitary supplies.
  5. About 20 percent of refugees don’t receive primary health care services and 40 percent don’t receive secondary and tertiary health care services.
  6. Approximately 40 percent of refugee children have access to national child protection services and in 2015 there were 149 cases of child abuse.
  7. Between 75 and 80 percent of children are enrolled in either primary or secondary school.
  8. Only 31 percent of working age refugees receive at least minimum wage for more than six months out of the year.
  9. Around 85 percent of refugees are either severely or highly vulnerable socioeconomically.
  10. In 2015, over 3,000 refugees were arrested attempting to illegally cross into Europe by sea.

Egypt is not a final destination for many of these refugees, instead it’s a transit stop to other places such as Europe.

The challenging economic conditions in the country and increasingly anti-refugee policies of the government are pushing more and more refugees toward potentially dangerous and illegal smuggling trips into Europe. Improving the conditions of these refugees in Egypt is of paramount importance.

– James Long

Photo: Flickr

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Child Refugee Labor in Turkey: How Education Can Help

Refugee Labor in Turkey
In a recent investigation conducted by BBC Panorama and Reuters, thousands of Syrian children have been found working illegally in clothing factories such as ASOS and Mark & Spencer throughout Turkey.

As Turkey has served as the main entry point for refugees fleeing from the ongoing conflict in Syria, there has been an influx of approximately 3 million refugees to Turkey, 665,000 of whom are children.

Yet, a majority of the child refugees in Turkey have not been attending school. In many cases, children are not attending school due to the family’s immediate need for extra income.

According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, fewer than 15 percent of children between the age of six and 11 are currently in school.

Moreover, according to a study by the Migration and Politics Research Center at Hacettepe University in Ankara, a Syrian refugee working in Turkey is more likely to be a child than an adult.

Although adult Syrian refugees claim they earn between half or even a third of the hourly rate for the same work completed by Turks, Syrian children, in particular, have always been a cheaper labor source for employers.

Yet, it is difficult to estimate how many children are currently working illegally. According to a survey conducted in Istanbul by the Turkish charity, Support to Life, one in four households with children said at least one child was not in school because the family needed their earnings.

While the ongoing crisis of child refugee labor in Turkey has hindered providing a more stable education for displaced children, education is also the way to eliminate cases of child labor in the first place.

According to the International Labor Organization, it is a combination of economic growth, respect for labor standards, universal education and social protection that can significantly reduce cases of child refugee labor in Turkey.

The U.S. Department of Labor has also suggested that refugees with no access to education leave significant numbers at risk of exploitation of child labor.

Unfortunately, education has remained underfunded. In 2015, only 23% of the education category of the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan was funded. In addition, the U.N. Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Refugee Response Plan for Syrian refugees was funded at 46%.

A representative of the Migration and Politics Research Center said, “Most Syrian children have been out of school for four to five years, since the beginning of the conflict. This is a very long time for a child’s life. Its effects are irreversible. A lost generation is a risk society cannot afford.”

Especially in times of displacement, not only does education reduce child labor statistics but it serves as a crucial safe haven for children in their most vulnerable years.

Education fosters a sense of normalcy, social cohesion and addresses psychosocial needs of the children that the economy depends upon to thrive in the near future.

– Priscilla Son
Photo: Flickr

Poverty in Cabo Verde

Poverty in Cabo VerdeCabo Verde, also known as Cape Verde, is an archipelago located off the west coast of Africa comprised of ten islands, nine of which are inhabited. Cabo Verde has a population of nearly 520,500 people.

Only seven percent of this population lives below the dollar-a-day poverty line, meaning that most citizens have enough income to purchase the bare minimum of food, clothing and shelter.

Those living in poverty mainly rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Only ten percent of Cabo Verde has arable land, which means that farms often have poor soil or receive inadequate rainfall.

Poverty in Cabo Verde is primarily a structural problem resulting from the lack of natural resources and the country’s narrow economic base.

According to the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP), Cabo Verde ranks third out of the 43 sub-Saharan African countries. This places it firmly in the medium development bracket. However, the country is still working to come back from the post-global crisis recovery.

Tourism Decline and Poverty in Cabo Verde

The country’s current leading industry is tourism. Tourism slowed from its 2014 rate of 3 percent to about 1.5 percent in 2015, cutting the industry profits in half. Pressures on the country’s public finances in 2016 foretell increases in debt.

However, while the macroeconomic climate is doing poorly and many continue to live within the poverty bracket, Cabo Verde is seeing progress. Since its independence, Cabo Verde has made huge strides in its economic development, health care and education initiatives. Life expectancy has increased from 69 years in 2001 to 73 years in 2016.

The government of Cabo Verde is currently making an effort to turn the islands into a center for trade and transport. Meanwhile, the tourism industry is projected to increase to around a 4 percent rate for 2016. These initiatives are expected to have a positive impact on the economy and poverty in Cabo Verde.

– Kayla Provencher

Photo: Flickr

Child Marriage in Afghanistan

Child Marriage in Afghanistan
Child marriage in Afghanistan is so common that over 30% of all girls are married before the age of 18. This disturbing figure bears more than a cursory glance. Aside from causing immense emotional and physical duress for child brides, the practice also massively hinders the girls’ ability to access education.

The phenomenon of child marriage in Afghanistan is not unique to the country, nor even to South Asia. In fact, the country with the highest prevalence of child brides is Niger, with 76% of girls married by the age of 18. In South Asia, the largest absolute number of child brides is in India — where 12 million children were married before the age of 10.

These figures speak to the fact that child marriage is not a phenomenon of any one race or religion. It has developed independently around the world, often for financial benefit or social mobility. However, in all cases, the effects on young girls have been devastating.

In Afghanistan, the relationship between the occurrence of child marriage and lack of education for females is chilling. Only 14% of girls are literate and only 36 percent are receiving an education. Naturally, these figures cannot be a result of child marriage in Afghanistan alone.

Factors Leading to Child Marriage in Afghanistan

Other factors created by a highly patriarchal society must be taken into consideration. Nevertheless, marrying off girls at a young age has an undeniable influence on their education.

The clearest way that child marriage affects female education is by causing girls to drop out of school in preparation for marriage or pregnancy.

This choice reflects a larger mentality where education for females is considered less valuable than marriage — a far more lucrative venture for families that consider their daughters to be liabilities. Once the girl is married, it can be hard for her to return to school, since she now has a family that takes up most of her time.

Girls Not Brides, an organization focused on ending child marriage states that girls with no education are three times as likely to marry by 18 as those with secondary or higher education.

In addition, over 60 percent of women ages 20-24 with no education were married before 18. Clearly, education is both a catalyst for and a consequence of lowered rates of child marriage.

Educating girls at the secondary school level equips them with the ability to recognize when and whom they want to marry. It also ensures that they have skills that make them self-reliant financially and emotionally.

The mere practice of being in school also furthers the perception that girls are still too young to be married and must invest their time in learning instead of child rearing.

Child marriage in Afghanistan is a direct result of poverty, strong patriarchal values, lack of access to education and cultural practices. All of these factors could be prevented by increasing female participation in schooling, as not only would girls be immediately affected; their qualifications would also allow them to later have a voice in decision making.

– Mallika Khanna

Photo: Flickr

Reducing Food Loss One Piece of Paper at a Time

Reducing Food Loss
A simple invention aims to revolutionize the preservation of perishable goods, thereby reducing food loss.

The invention in question is known as FreshPaper, a small sheet of biodegradable material infused with a special mixture of botanical extracts that claims to preserve food freshness. Its inventor? Then 16-year-old Kavita Shukla, who was inspired to tackle the problem of food waste in a unique way.

It began with Shukla trying her grandmother’s home remedy for an upset stomach: a mixture of plant extracts, botanicals and spices. Upon the remedy’s success, Shukla was inspired to test it further, thus discovering its antimicrobial properties.

Several years of research later, she was able to receive a patent for the mixture, now known as Fenugreen. At 27, Shukla joined forces with a friend to launch the product in Cambridge.

Food waste is a big problem. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the U.N., one-third of food produced for human consumption worldwide is wasted annually. This waste typically happens at the consumer end of the production process. “Food loss” occurs earlier on during production, post-harvest and processing.

Developing countries in particular struggle with food loss, since they often lack the industrialization necessary to preserve food long enough to reach consumers. The National Geographic states that India loses up to 40 percent of its fruits and vegetables in this manner.

There is no one solution to food waste or loss. Instead, it is important to take action at multiple steps in the food making process. In developing countries, aid organizations are providing for better storage facilities for farmers, preventing them from losing excessive amounts of crops during transit.

Since 1997, the FAO has donated metal silos to more than 15 countries by training local craftsmen in their construction, use and delivery to farmers. In one study, 96 percent of the beneficiary farmers in Bolivia responded that the silos in question improved food security by reducing the amount of food lost post-harvest and maintaining grain quality.

Shukla is currently working to make FreshPaper available to food-banks and to farmers in developing countries. She hopes that her invention can have a big impact in reducing food loss.

– Sabrina Santos
Photo: Flickr

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Unmasking the Top Diseases in Kiribati

Top Diseases in KiribatiKiribati is stricken with a hefty mix of diseases that are communicable and non-communicable. The top diseases in Kiribati resulting in death are circulatory, parasitic, nutritional and metabolic disorders. The leading causes of health complications are fungal, respiratory and diarrheal infections.

Life expectancy in Kiribati is the second lowest in the Pacific, with females at 69 years and males at 64 years. Factors contributing to Kiribati’s increased burden of disease are overcrowding, poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation, insufficient immunization coverage, as well as a lack of care and supplies for maternal/neonatal health.

Water-borne illnesses are among the top diseases in Kiribati. The primary infections being diarrhea, dysentery, conjunctivitis, rotavirus, giardia and fungal. These diseases are most threatening to children, causing 60 deaths per 1,000 live births in children under five.

The prevalence of water-borne illness plagues Kiribati mostly due to sanitation issues. Unfortunately, unsafe water is only part of the problem, improper food handling and the continued sale and consumption of expired foods only adds to the cycle of parasitic diseases.

Once a contagious disease has planted itself on the island, it becomes hard to contain because of the high density living arrangements of most communities. For example, Kiribati is one of only four countries in the world that still has leprosy, the number of contractions reaching 180 last year in 2015.

Tuberculosis (TB) is another top disease in Kiribati. TB remains rampant in Kiribati because it is easily spread and can remain dormant for long periods of time. However, disease begets disease. A burdened immune system makes it harder to prevent and treat other diseases. Not surprisingly, the magnitude of diabetes in Kiribati contributes largely to the continued occurrence of TB.

Lifestyle choices, or ignorance of health, feeds the expansion of diabetes, making it one of the top diseases in Kiribati. The majority of I-Kiribati fit into a profile at high risk for diabetes: high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise, poor nutrition and smoking. Already, 25% of the adult population is receiving treatment for diabetes or pre-diabetes, with numbers growing each year.

Smoking and diabetes are a deadly combination progressing towards a failing circulatory system, resulting in limb amputation and other disabilities. The rate of amputation in Kiribati is increasing at an alarming rate. In 2014, there were 136 amputations, nearly doubling that of the previous year.

Tobacco consumption is a risk factor for diabetes, but smoking also carries its own army of diseases such as respiratory infections, stroke, cancers and circulatory problems. Kiribati’s tobacco consumption is the highest in the South Pacific as 61.5% of its population smoke.

Like with combating most diseases, the key to success in ending the cycle of disease in Kiribati is awareness and prevention. The government of Kiribati, along with support from the World Health Organization have implemented plans to heighten the awareness of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

The goals for these programs are to reinforce good hygiene, improve water sanitation services, increase standard immunizations, educate citizens on the harmful effects of smoking, as well as informing them on the benefits of exercise and good nutrition. As awareness spreads and prevention occurs, there will be a decline in top diseases in Kiribati.

– Amy Whitman

Photo: Flickr

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The Interdependent Relationship Between Poverty and Human Rights

Poverty and Human Rights
Some individuals assume that issues, such as poverty and human rights violations, can be solved separately from one another. However, what many fail to realize is that poverty and the denial of human rights are problems that are interdependent issues. In other words, where there is poverty, there are human rights violations and vice-versa.

Poverty is more than just individuals lacking in quality employment and material goods; it also incorporates social and physical goods. Social and physical goods are characterized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a right to cultural identity, right to equality, freedom to live with respect and dignity, freedom from violence and degrading treatment, freedom of political opinion, education, personal security and many other basic human rights.

According to Amnesty USA, “Gross economic and social inequality is an enduring reality in countries of all political ideologies, and all levels of development. In the midst of plenty, many are still unable to access even minimum levels of food, water, education, healthcare and housing. This is not only the result of a lack of resources, but also unwillingness, negligence and discrimination by governments and others. Many groups are specifically targeted because of who they are; those on the margins of society are often overlooked altogether.”

It is estimated that one-third of all human deaths occur because of poverty associated reasons. These poverty-related reasons are considered easily preventable such as access to clean water, nutrition and access to quality health care because they fall under basic human rights.

This relationship is further validated by statistics. The Human Rights Watch reports that those who live in dire poverty within low income or lower-middle income countries, also live in homes where the head of household is part of an ethnic minority group.

In recent years, the Office of the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in collaboration with other U.N. partners, has recognized this relationship between poverty and human rights violations. A few of the approaches that these organizations are utilizing are empowering the poor, providing international assistance and cooperation and strengthening human rights protection systems.

Currently, these organizations are collaborating with multiple governments in order to employ poverty reduction strategies as a way to ensure that vulnerable groups have access to their basic human rights.

– Shannon Warren

Photo: Flickr

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Citizens Fleeing Eritrea because of Poverty and Forced Labor

Fleeing EritreaSince 2012, one in every 50 Eritreans (nearly twice the ratio of Syrians fleeing from civil war) has sought asylum in Europe. According to the U.N., 5,000 Eritrean men and boys are leaving their families and fleeing Eritrea each month.

High Rates of Fleeing

The U.N. estimates that 400 thousand Eritreans, or nine percent of the population, have fled in recent years. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly one-quarter of the 132 thousand migrants arriving in Italy between January and September of 2015 were Eritreans.

Poverty in Eritrea is extreme. The CIA World Factbook reports the nation’s GDP purchasing power as $8.7 billion, ranking Eritrea 162nd in the world. Unemployment in the country is estimated at just 8.6%, but the poverty rate is estimated at 50%. More specific numbers are nearly impossible to acquire due to Eritrea’s secretive nature.

Reasons for Leaving

Why are people fleeing Eritrea? In June 2015, the UNHCR released a 500-page report detailing the systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations going on in Eritrea, violations that have created a climate of fear in which dissent is stifled. The report found that a large proportion of the population was being subjected to forced labor and imprisonment.

According to the report, the people of Eritrea are not ruled by law, but by fear. The Eritrean government denied repeated requests by the commission for information and access to the country. To gain insight into the situation, the commission conducted 550 confidential interviews with Eritrean witnesses in eight countries and received an additional 160 written submissions.

Conscription for 18 months is required of each Eritrean adult but is often extended indefinitely and carried out for years in harsh and inhumane conditions. Thousands of conscripts are subjected to forced labor that effectively abuses, exploits and enslaves them.

According to the UNHCR’s report, women conscripts are at extreme risk for sexual violence during national service. All sectors of the economy rely on forced service, and all Eritreans are likely to be subject to it at some point during their lives. The commission concluded that, “forced labor in this context is a practice similar to slavery in its effects and, as such, is prohibited under international human rights law.”

Mandatory conscription has not remedied poverty in Eretria. Instead, it has exacerbated it. Commission chair Sheila B. Keethrauth urged commitment from the international community to end the climate of fear in Eritrea.

“Rule by fear — fear of indefinite conscription, of arbitrary and incommunicado detention, of torture and other human rights violations — must end,” said Keethrauth.

– Aaron Parr

Photo: Flickr