Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Developing World Connections: Poverty-Alleviating Projects

Developing World Connections Creates Poverty-Alleviating Projects for Underdeveloped Communities
Of the 31 million people living in Peru, roughly 26 percent of them live in poverty. With the idea of a globally engaged, poverty-free and socially just world, Developing World Connections and its many volunteers work alongside locals to counter poverty in Lima, Peru and surrounding communities among many other countries on different continents.

Developing World Connections’ mission is to connect people and resources through international community development. The organization has impacted nine countries on three different continents so far.

Developing World Connections has worked in Peru, Guatemala, Nepal, India and Kenya among others. Some of the projects include working with children and youth, education and training, food and water security and homes and community building. As a whole, the organization is focused on having a global impact.

In Nepal, Developing World Connections works with Creating Possibilities, an organization dedicated to increasing the rights for women and children. The goal of this partnership is to help women make substantive income to provide their children. In India, Developing World Connections works with Comfort the Children International to create sustainable change.

Developing World Connections bases its projects on a number of guiding principles as follows:

  1. The main approach is to achieve its goals through sustainable community development. The organization will work with and support community-led projects created based on community needs and priorities. The organization determines these needs and priorities through in-country Host Partners, whom they work with to alleviate poverty, promote human rights and empower communities.
  2. The second approach is being of service. With its belief that serving others has a greater impact on one’s well-being, Developing World Connections dedicates its time to helping communities through bottom-up, egalitarian and grassroots initiatives.
  3. Developing World Connections aims to develop meaningful connections with the people and communities it serves, with the purpose being to connect everyone — development partners, community members, volunteers and donors — on a larger scale. These strong connections open up the possibility of enriching each other’s lives, gaining hands-on development experience and learning more about the global community.
  4. Developing World Connections uses its fourth principle, integrity, accountability and transparency, to form meaningful connections. It contributes honesty and openness to its image while making sure all responsibilities to stakeholders are met.
  5. The fifth principle puts the fourth one on fellow people, encouraging them to have integrity, accountability and transparency with the world around them to gather a true understanding of the global community.
  6. Lastly, Developing World Communities puts in an effort to implement projects to help everyone, regardless of race, sex, religion or political affiliations.

– Julia Hettiger

Sources: Developing World Connections, Verge Mahazine, Haganaisworth
Photo: Flickr

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Making a Difference: School Gardens in Developing Countries

School Gardens in Developing Countries

Right now, world leaders are faced with a daunting challenge. At the current rate the population is growing, it is predicted that there will not be enough food to feed the world, especially in developing countries. Fortunately, the introduction of school gardens to education gives hope to the end of global poverty.

For many children in developing countries, students must walk to school at an utmost of 4 miles. Some children even walk to school knowing they will not have a lunch because their family could not afford the cost.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 795 million people are undernourished, meaning one in nine people will not receive enough food to lead a normal, healthy and active life.

Students cannot focus or comprehend new information in the classroom without a proper meal. If students do not learn and go to school, the cycle of poverty will most likely continue.

A solution to this problem exists with school gardens that can help overcome the nutritional crisis. Not only will children be guaranteed a meal during lunch, but they can also learn how to eat a healthy and nutritious meal.

For 14-year-old Marita Wyson, a student from Malawi, her school garden is making a lasting impact on her life and helping her gain the proper nutrients for healthy adolescent development.

“I am able to understand what my teachers are telling me,” she said. “My grandmother doesn’t have to worry so much about how she will provide food for me and my sister.”

With governments partnering with organizations around the world, school gardens are becoming increasingly popular and have shown to give students a better understanding about the environment. If children are introduced to agriculture and the environment at an early age, they are more likely to have a better attitude about the subject.

While the deadline for the U.N.’s 2015 Millennium Development Goals has passed this September, two of the most important goals — cutting poverty in half and making primary education universal — have come a long way since the turn of the century.

While poverty has been cut in half since 1980, primary education lags behind in developing countries including sub-Saharan Africa.

The introduction of these school gardens in developing countries may become the turning point in eradicating global poverty. With the world united, school gardens can make not only an immediate difference but ensure the future of children living in developing countries.

– Alexandra Korman

Sources: FAO, KCET, The Christian Science Monitor, Vox World, WFP
Photo: Flickr

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Mission of Hope Haiti Builds 500 Homes

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In 2010, an earthquake killed over 200,000 Haitians and left crumbling housing infrastructure. Since then, homelessness in Haiti has steadily declined but more than 85,000 people still remain without a home. Rebuilding from the damage is the toughest task for the poorest country in the Americas.

Before the earthquake, Haitians lived in relatively poor housing built from inadequate materials. Haiti ranks near the bottom in the world in providing shelter for their citizens. Shelter includes availability of affordable housing, access to electricity, quality of electricity supply, and household air pollution attributable deaths.

The international community has been very supportive of Haiti. The EU provided $996 million to Haiti from 2008 to 2013. Money that was used for roads, education, food security, human rights, agricultural, electricity, and trade.

On a smaller level, charities and volunteers have been a strong driving force for recovery in Haiti.

Mission of Hope Haiti, a Christian missionary organization, provides education for people in the island nation. The organization has a partnership with Hope for Haiti, and the government in Haiti to build homes. Recently, Mission of Hope celebrated its 500th home built for the affected families since 2010, an average of 100 homes each year.

Every house has three rooms, land for farming, detached bathroom, access to education, water, two fruit trees, and agricultural training. The cost of each home is relatively low at $6,000.

Mission of Hope has educated 6,000 children, provided 91,000 nutritious meals each day, and housing for hearing-impaired families. Their work has helped make Leveque one of the best settlements in Haiti.

“Our vision from the first home built has been to provide those who lost their homes with a quality, cost efficient Haitian home that will not only provide a place to live but a place to thrive,” said Mission of Hope President Brad Johnson.

Homelessness in Haiti is still a serious threat to human security, but organizations like Mission of Hope provide solutions and help that will benefit thousands of people’s lives.

– Donald Gering

Sources: EurActiv, Good News Network, Huffington Post, Social Progress Imperative
Photo: Google Images

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Sanitary Improvements for Millions in Ethiopia

Ethiopians embrace sanitary improvements
Going to the bathroom: a subject that, as humans, we like to pretend doesn’t even happen most of the time. However, for rural Ethiopians living without the most basic sanitary structures, an initiative to improve latrine use was one which needed to happen.

In the village of Kurt Bahir, local carpenter Kefale Demelash used his skills to build a two-room latrine for public use within the village after becoming inspired to initiate sanitary improvements after a diarrhea outbreak plagued the area.

For this particular latrine, one side was designated for women and the other side for men. Smaller pits were also dug for children which would be safer than customary ones, encouraging the young to start the habit of using them early.

With just the establishment of this one latrine, others were motivated to create their own. Soon, with the help of Demelash, 126 latrines were created within Kurt Bahir, all meeting the international standards for improved sanitation. These new latrines would help reduce the risk of communicable diseases, which are commonly spread by unsafe sanitation practices.

Demelash was able to receive training as a village coordinator through the government’s Health Extension Program (HEP), which trains and deploys members into rural areas of the country to educate and promote sanitary practices.

Further progress in sanitation is also being made through the Water and Sanitation program (WSP), a five-year multi-donor partnership between the World Bank and the government.

The World Bank describes the program goals as “scaling up its capacity, improving sanitation and hygiene services and increasing access by the poor in 104 selected districts in Amhara, Oromia SNNP and Tigray regional states.”

Ethiopia has suffered through many different kinds of communicable diseases attributed to poor hygiene and sanitation. However, with the execution of the government’s Universal Access Plan (UAP), it is hoped that sanitation can be improved by 100 percent.

Currently, more than 7 million people have been educated on healthy sanitation practices by 1,782 trainers and implementers under the program. Prior to the program, open defecation was a recurring problem, but with the organization in full-swing, 52 percent of the kebeles (an administrative unit within Ethiopia) in the woreda (districts) are defecation free.

Taking a creative approach in the program’s expansion strategies, prizes were offered within villages. This was initiated by a local “savings mechanism” through the woreda, where the prize money was given to the best innovator, performer or implementer of an improved sanitation project.

With this strategy in mind, neighbors found inspiration in one another, which ultimately led to improvements across woredas.

The World Bank found “in Mecha and Medebayzana woredas, more than 55,000 households now have improved latrines, and communities have also started applying the sanitation lessons they learned in their daily lives, such as keeping their homes, compounds and communities clean, making themselves safer and healthier.”

– Nikki Schaffer

Sources: World Bank, We Are Water
Photo: Flickr

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Bangladesh Nonprofit Wins World Food Prize

Bangladesh_Nonprofit
In early November of 1970 a category-3 tropical cyclone made landfall over what was then called Eastern Pakistan. It was the single deadliest tropical storm in human history with a death toll reaching over 500,000. The next year, in 1971, the region would fight a war to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.

Due to so much devastation in so little time, Bangladesh would go on to become the second poorest country on the planet. That’s where one man, Fazle Hasan Abed, felt something had to be done.

Abed formed BRAC, or the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, in the early 1970s as a temporary organization dedicated to providing aid to individuals and their families who were affected by the catastrophes. But after providing immediate relief Abed realized the need for round the clock, global aid.

Since its creation, the Bangladesh nonprofit has evolved into one of the largest organizations fighting to end global poverty and hunger. As a result, Abed was announced as the recipient of the 2015 World Food Prize on September 2 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Estimates on the scope of BRAC’s now 40-year impact show that the organization has helped nearly 150 million people across Africa and Asia. The organization has plans to expand its reach into 10 additional countries.

The World Food Prize was created in 1986 to recognize individuals who contribute to the production, innovation and availability of global food supplies. The prize is a donation of $250,000. The award ceremony will take place in October.

Initially, Abed and BRAC worked to combat the incredibly high childhood mortality rates in Bangladesh before seeing the need to combat poverty on an even grander scale. In 2010, Abed was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts to empower women through STEAM and agricultural education.

Most recently, BRAC has begun a self-sufficiency and financial training program in 9 different countries. The program gives participants a weekly stipend to discourage begging and menial labor.

A bank account is set up in their name so as to teach financial and practical skills. Participants may also receive a grant to buy a computer, a cow, or a chicken coop to begin their own business.

On the program Abed said, “In many countries, poor people are not seen as a solution to the problem but the problem. Poor people can be organized and become the solution to the poverty themselves…All we need to do is provide them opportunities and conditions and give them the tools.”

Sir Abed, who recently celebrated his 79th birthday, now has yet another trophy to add to his collection that shows his undying desire to end global poverty, suffering and hunger.

– Joe Kitaj

Sources: Fortune, Huffington Post, BRAC, Word Food Prize
Photo: Globalhand

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UNRWA Funding Gap Prevents Palestinians from Visiting School

UNRWA Funding Gap May Prevent Palestinian Students from Going to School
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency was set to run out of money in September due to a $100 million funding gap. As of Aug. 19, $70 million in last-minute donations were reported from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, the U.S., Britain and Sweden. As a result, the funding gap is now $22 million but luckily, services will continue.

The last minute donations came right before the school year is about to start, averting the closure of 700 schools that educate half a million children. The schools have already been forced to increase their class size from 38 to 43. UNRWA already had cut 85 percent of its short-term contracts with international consultants.

As of July, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees was facing its biggest funding crisis since it started in 1948, which would have led to a hold in the school year and not being able to help the displaced people in Yarmouk camp near Damascus.

UNRWA receives most of its funding from a small number of donors, primarily the U.S., Saudi Arabia, E.U. and the U.K. Just Syria needs $415 million and UNRWA only has 27 percent of that. Why is the funding gap so wide, one may ask?

According to UNRWA’s commissioner general, Pierre Krahenbruhl, “Palestinian refugees are facing their most severe situation since 1948. They have had 50 years of occupation, nine years of a blockade in Gaza and now five years of conflict in Syria. When you look at all of that, how much more can they absorb?”

He spoke with The Guardian about how the four year war in Syria, siege of Yarmouk, and continuous blockade of Gaza has all led to the depletion of UNRWA’s finances and Palestinians facing the greatest crisis since the Arab-Israeli war in 1948.

In the past four years, about 60,000 Palestinians have left Syria and joined long-term refugees who have lived in camps in Jordan and Lebanon for decades.

Krahenbuhl has gone to the E.U. and U.K. government to secure funding. He believes young people without school will leave them susceptible to radicalization, given the instability in the region. He also believes many refugees may try to migrate to Europe.

UNRWA works with 600,000 Palestinians still in Syria, 2 million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, 1.2 million in Gaza, 700,000 in West Bank, and 300,000 in Lebanon. UNRWA is doing great work for people that are in dire circumstances, so one would think it could receive more donations from more donors.

– Paula Acevedo

Sources: Seattle Pi, The Guardian
Photo: Flickr

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Global Goals & UNICEF Launch “World’s Largest Lesson”

world_largest_lesson
The Global Goals for Sustainable Development will launch on September 25, 2015, when 193 world leaders unite in New York City to pledge their commitment to the 17 initiatives that seek to achieve three major goals by 2030: end extreme global poverty, fight inequality and injustice and fix climate change.

The more awareness of the Global Goals, the better. If more people understand the mission of the goals, more change is likely to occur in the next 30 years.

That’s why the Global Goals have partnered with UNICEF to launch “World’s Largest Lesson,” a program designed to teach children the reality of poverty, the importance of the goals and the impact that they can have on the future.

The kids of today are the future of tomorrow; they have the potential to become the generation that changes the world and ends extreme poverty. However, it is imperative that they first understand the Global Goals. “World’s Largest Lesson” is an opportunity to promote global citizenship in schools around the world.

Together, UNICEF and the Global Goals have created a program to teach children about the three major components of the goals.

The “World’s Largest Lesson” includes several videos and lesson plans accessible to teachers around the world. It also encourages teachers to spend the week following Sept. 25 teaching their students about the Global Goals through a wide variety of subjects.

Positive change can be enforced by anyone, anywhere, regardless of age. “World’s Largest Lesson” believes that children are capable of making a difference and seeks to inspire young people to take action. Through lessons in geography, sustainability, technology and citizenship, teachers can break down the Global Goals and foster citizenship in their students.

The Global Goals will change the world and provide new life for the impoverished. “The World’s Largest Lesson” will ensure that children around the world are aware of current and future events, and inspire them to build a just and sustainable world.

– Sarah Sheppard

Sources: TES 1, TES 2
Photo: British Council

GHW: Improving Health Care in Ghana

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The Global Health Watch Report (GHW), a report focused on monitoring and evaluating global health, launched in Accra, Ghana late last month.

This year’s report, the fourth edition, was launched with the theme: “Watchdogging an Essential Element to Ensuring the Right to Health.”

The purpose of GHW is to create a voice in favor of alternative dialogue when it comes to global health. The report combines analysis, alternative proposals and stories of those struggling to obtain sufficient levels of health care.

The launch of the report comes at a time when health care in Ghana remains underfunded and health officials are fighting for justice and equality for health care.

The government of Ghana is still dealing with issues such as poor sanitation and open defecation, which it spends $290 million and $79 million on, respectively, each year. Additionally, the delivery of health care sees an annual cost of $54 million.

By improving sanitation and hygiene, Ghana can help decrease the burden it sees from the spread of disease. Health officials are also calling for funds to assist with promoting and sustaining behavior changes in regards to sanitation and hygiene practices in local areas.

When it comes to the delivery of health care, health officials are calling for joint efforts to make sure citizens have universal access to sexual and reproductive health. They also want to see improved and equal distribution of resources for such care.

Eighty experts from around the world made contributions to the report, which also addresses issues seen in health systems and looks at how social, political, economic and environmental factors play a role in health care.

– Matt Wotus

Sources: AllAfrica, Global Health Watch
Photo: Flickr

Solar-Powered Phone Chargers: Mobile Access to Those Off-Grid

Solar-Powered_Phone_Chargers
The Little Sun Charge, a solar­-powered phone charger, is finding success on Kickstarter. The project was launched as a part of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4All), originated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, which aims to ensure global access to modern energy services by 2030.

The Little Sun Charge is powered entirely by solar power and charges phones in less than five hours. Other conventional solar-powered phone chargers require between eight and twenty hours to charge a phone. The device is barely larger than a smartphone and uses a USB port, so it can power other electronic devices as well.

While marketed on Kickstarter for travelers, hikers, campers and freelancers, Little Sun Charge has particular relevance for those who live off-grid. With this device, phone ownership is a greater possibility, as those individuals could have a means to power their phone. Currently, 1.1 billion people live without access to electricity.

The project was initiated by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and Danish entrepreneur and engineer Frederic Ottesen.

The Kickstarter project has a fundraising goal of 50,000 Euros by the end of September; it is currently at 40,000 Euros and is expected to meet its goal. Proceeds from the project go towards support solar power initiatives in Africa and the SE4All Initiative.

Little Sun Charge is the second Little Sun project; the first was an LED lamp. 200,000 of these Little Sun LED lamps have been distributed in Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and the United states in addition to 10 African countries, including Zimbabwe, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Both devices aim to support sustainable energy initiatives in Africa, especially solar entrepreneurship.

The charger is expected to be released in March 2016 at a retail price of 120 Euros. ­

– Priscilla McCelvey

Sources: Climate Action Programme, Wired,
Photo: api.ning

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Solidarity Symi: A Safe Haven for Syrian Refugees

syrian_refugees
The Syria Refugee crisis is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. With the picture of the young refugee boy whose body washed up on shore grabbing the attention of the world, more people than ever are paying attention to this humanitarian crisis.

With increased awareness of the Syrian Refugees, comes an increase in advocacy (as people in many countries are stepping up to tell their governments how they feel about accepting refugees into their countries) and an increase in activism.

Individuals like hotel owner Andrew Davies and lettings agent Wendy Wilcox on the Greek island of Symi, are stepping up to help these those who are fleeing violence and pain in hopes of finding a better life.

Together, the pair has launched a reception service on the tiny Greek island called Solidarity Symi, using an abandoned post office as their resource headquarters.

This organization is a not-for-profit that works to provide food, clothing, shelter, and medical treatment to destitute Syrians who have crossed over the Mediterranean into Europe.

These heroic individuals work at this project eight hours a day in addition to the jobs they work at to make a living.

There are 30 core volunteers that work to get the refugees taken care of while they are in Symi and to direct them to resources about how to continue their journey safely.

Though some Symi residents worry about the influx of refugees hurting their tourism-based economy, Davies’ thoughts on the matter are simple. “How could we lie on the beach reading books when people were suffering?” he asks.

Many cross the Mediterranean in dangerously overloaded boats, with smugglers who overcharge them or delay the trip. But, in a country torn apart by war, many Syrians are left with no other choice.

As Francine Uenuma of Save the Children emphasizes based on the refugees she has spoken to near Serbia, “They’re fleeing violence. They’re fleeing persecution. And the risks they’re taking, I think, underscore that point.”

Right now, independent operations like Solidarity Symi are especially important in light of the strain on humanitarian aid agencies such as the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) and the U.N.’s World Food Program.

Solidarity Symi has raised over £26,000 through a Facebook site and donations from visitors. There are donation boxes set up around the island, and community members are working to raise awareness of the organization through on-site and online mediums so that it can continue to develop.

The Facebook page is also continually updated with items that the organization is in need of, so that those present on the island can make material donations such as soap, travel bags, specific foods, sleeping mats, and even toys for children.

The Solidarity Symi Facebook page is a very positive resource that updates supporters with pictures and posts about how their donations are helping and about refugees as individual people, not simply victims and members of a mass migration.

The people working tirelessly at organizations such as Solidarity Symi are a perfect testament to how each individual has the power to make a positive difference.

For more information about Solidarity Symi, or to donate to the organization, visit their website.

– Emily Dieckman

Sources: Blogspot, Daily Mail, Facebook, NPR 1, NPR 2, Reuters
Photo: cooksailing