Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

, ,

The Fertility Awareness Method of Contraception

Few things in our lives are controlled, understood and maintained on our own. When we go to the grocery store, people may see the bread on the shelves but ignore how flour, sugar, water and yeast reacted to put it there in the first place. So too can be said of the cars we drive, buses we ride and bikes we steer, all of which may and typically are maintained by a specialized group that leaves the rest of us ignorant.

As individuals we rely on others to inform us how our lives should be shaped and run. We are told that this is fine, that these specialists exist to make our lives more convenient and that we do not need to understand how everything works. The time saved allows us to focus on our own pursuits.

For women, our bodies have been similarly fashioned. Menstrual cycles have turned into a veritable organic production line in which outside sources inform us when we are ovulating, when we are pregnant, which method of contraceptive is best, and for hormone-regulating options, when we should be taking it each month.

This disassociation from our bodies may change due to the resurgence of the fertility awareness method (FAM) of contraception.

In comparison to the calendar method in which women guess their ovulation schedule based on previous menstrual cycles, FAM users relies on bodily indicators to determine when they’re ovulating. By tracking spikes and falls in body temperatures while at rest, or basal body temperature, noting increases in cervical mucus and the position of the cervix, women may rely on their own bodies to either become pregnant, or avoid it.

Although WebMD reports that 25 out of 100 women have unintended pregnancies while using FAM, it still provides a viable alternative to hormone birth control, which provides its own disadvantages: possible bone loss, blood clots and increased risk to Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

According to Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights, 76 million women in developing countries experience unintended pregnancies annually while 19 million women resort to unsafe abortions.

As for those with access to contraception, there still remains the stigma and cost associated with purchasing them. With proper education, FAM could help women around the world control their lives more effectively, simply by understanding their bodies better.

– Emily Bajet

Sources: WebMD 1, WebMD 2, Mayo Clinic
Photo: Flickr

,

Walking for Aid

Some people contribute to the world through travel or volunteer work; some work from their homes, spreading awareness and advocating for people half a world away. Others prefer to write checks and still others…walk!

Women and children in developing countries walk an average of four miles per day to collect water, while the average weight a woman carries on her head is approximately 44 pounds. Additionally, the average African family uses five gallons of water per day while the average American family uses 300 gallons of water per day.

In commemoration of this, New York Pace students, faculty and staff carried buckets of water one mile across their Pleasantville campus on April 20, 2013. Funds went toward projects to supply clean water to communities like Isanjandugu in Tanzania.

In a dedicated attempt to spend a day in the childhood shoes of Ishmael Beah, students of the East Aurora High School arranged a 38-mile walk from the east side of Aurora to Soldier Field in Chicago on March 26, 2014. The 60-plus students had been taking a ‘Survivor Literature’ class in which they’d read Beah’s book, “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.” The class’s excursion raised $7,500 which they spent on having the adult Beah come talk to them.

Those who are interested in walking for aid but do not want to organize a walk themselves are encouraged to join a pre-existing one:

Walk to Africa had its sixth annual eight-mile walk on May 17, 2013. The organization raises money to send doctors, volunteers, medicine as well as supplies for hospitals and schools to various countries in Africa.

A partnership between Sure Foundation Ministry and Walk for Water Africa arrange walks whose funds are used to provide rural African villages with clean water. Their group works directly with locals, teaching them how to repair and maintain their existing wells to provide the most water for the cheapest cost.

Funds from Canada-based Run to End Poverty go directly to Engineers Without Borders. Participants work in teams that spread awareness, gather funds and race in a relay.

Race to End World Hunger was first started in 1977 by a group of runners who decided they could use their love of fitness to benefit the larger world. World Runners’ purpose is “to advance life-long fitness of its members while making a difference in the world.” Money raised from events goes to sponsor the education of women and girls in Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as micro-finance in the developing world.

However you choose to contribute to the world, whether it is by spreading a message or finding a way to share the things you love, there is always a way to benefit the world at large.

– Lydia Caswell

Sources: Walk to Africa, Walk for Water Africa, R2EP, World Runners, Daily Herald, Pace, Walk in a Bucket
Photo: Lighthouse Medical Missions

Senate Hearing on Power Africa

Last year, United States President Barack Obama announced the Power Africa initiative to increase access to power in sub-Saharan Africa. This was largely due to the fact that 600 million people in this region, 70 percent of the population, lives without electricity. His initiative aims to double the number of people with access to power by unlocking the substantial natural gas and renewable energy potential that Africa’s climate is suited to deliver.

By bringing together governments of African nations such as Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania to start, the Power Africa will add more than 10,000 megawatts (MW) of efficient cost effective and sustainable electricity generation capacity. By the year 2020, it hopes to connect 20 million new households to electricity and provide commercial industry with electrical power solutions.

On March 27, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs held a hearing titled Powering Africa’s Future: Examining the Power Africa Initiative. With testimony from organizations like U.S. Agency for International Development, Export Import Bank of the United States, Symbion Power, General Electric, The ONE Campaign and others, Congress got an update on the Power Africa initiative.

Working with private companies, USAID has already brokered deals between African governments and private industry that will secure 25 percent of the 10,000 MW goal. Private industry has so far stepped up to commit $2 for every $1 spent by the U.S. government, accounting for $14 billion. Power Africa uses its expansive network and technical expertise to bring together investors, governments, and businesses to facilitate learning and build transactional capacity.

A significant project born out of this collaboration is the Corbetti geothermal project in Ethiopia. The Power Africa base has worked with the Ethiopian government and Reykjavik Geothermal, the company developing the project. The project will generate up to 1,000 MW of renewable energy. This project created further interest in geothermal projects in a region capable of producing up to 15,000 MW of clean power.

In Tanzania, Power Africa teamed up with Kiwari to develop a 10 MW hydropower project. Through a project with Cummins, Kenya launched a 10 MW biomass project that uses mesquite wood as feedstock for its generator. Cummins hopes to expand its biomass projects throughout other nations in Africa.

The ONE Campaign used this opportunity to highlight the Electrify Africa Act, which they say will produce 20 gigawatts of new power using no additional appropriations from the U.S. government.

Power Africa is a great initiative that connects the U.S. with African nations. It spurs economic opportunity for U.S. and local African companies and gives millions of Africans reliable, sustainable power. The participating governments in Africa get to develop projects that they can be proud of and that will uplift their people.

– Sunny Bhatt

Sources: U.S. Senate, U.S. Senate, USAID
Photo: Huffington Post

,

Facebook Sends Drones to Africa

Facebook_Solar_Powered_Drones
When you think of robot drones, what is the first image or information that comes to mind? If you are like me, your brain probably imagined military drones patrolling the Middle East, gathering intelligence and firing missiles. This type of drone has become popular thanks to our recent military engagements and the push by drone manufacturers to utilize them for domestic law enforcement purposes.

Let us put these images of militarized drones aside and come back to a happy place where instruments are used for peace. This is precisely what U.S. technology companies are trying to do with their investments in drone manufacturers. Google made headlines when it announced its new adventure, Project Loon, which seeks to provide internet and network capabilities using balloons in the stratosphere.

Not to be outdone, Facebook, Inc. has plans to buy a drone manufacturer in hopes to use the high altitude crafts to send network signals to communities across the African continent. With two- thirds of the planet currently without internet, technology companies are now racing to conquer these untapped markets.

Facebook’s effort is a part of a larger project called Internet.org. Founded by Ericsson, Mediatek, Opera Software, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Facebook, the group believes in bringing internet to every person throughout the planet. The group, moreover, feels this is too much responsibility and too important a goal for one company or government to achieve alone.

Utilizing Facebook’s Connectivity Lab, groups of scientists and engineers are designing drone satellites that can fly over remote areas and send network signals to the people living there. Cruising at about 65,000 feet, Facebook estimates that a satellite-equipped drone can provide signal to a city-sized area of territory with a medium population density. Furthermore, solar panels will allow the drone to store energy during the day and use its batteries during the night.

Although this project is in its early stages, companies such as Facebook and Google are providing hope for the millions across the globe still stuck in poverty. A study by Deloitte illustrates the potential and value for internet connectivity. Out of the 4.7 billion people currently living without internet, a majority are in poor and many disadvantaged regions. The report estimates that economic activity as a result new internet connectivity could generate $2.2 trillion in additional GDP and 140 million new jobs.

The benefits of spreading internet technology around the globe are too great to pass up. While most governments are stuck in a state of austerity and can’t spend on research and development, private industry and non-governmental organizations are picking up the slack. With time and greater investment of resources, the world is poised to become more connected than ever.

– Sunny Bhatt

Sources: Internet.org, Deloitte, Business Insider
Photo: Liberty Beat 

Five Sites for North Korean News

Cut off from much of the world, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, is a mystery to most people. The DPRK constantly provokes its southern counterpart with missile tests and hosts odd guests like Dennis Rodman. If you only got your information from the mainstream media, you probably perceive the nation to be an uncontrollable enemy of the United States and the Western world.

Much of the reason why we know very little about this country is because the DPRK government purposely isolates itself and its people. Any political expression is prohibited, unless you are supporting the Kim family establishment. For those looking to get the inside scoop on the DPRK, here are five websites to help you become more informed:

NKnews.org: This trusted news site provides independent news and intelligence information focused on North Korea. From politics and military to social and culture, NKnews provides a wide array of news and prides itself on being impartial.

Dailynk.com: This company has taken a strong stance against the North Korean regime. Dailynk provides information of widespread human rights and other violations by the government. In hopes to free the people, the publication works to defend human rights, supports democratization and a peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula.

The Korea Herald: This publication is South Korea’s leader in English-language news and boasts over 1 million users. Its National section also includes news on North Korea. News topics include military activity and political tensions between the two neighbors.

The New York Times: The Times is a world-renowned news agency so it is not surprising that they have an extensive archive of news on North Korea. Their 4,612 articles about North Korea covers human rights, international relations, military activity and more. They also have a “Chronology of Coverage” that has updated several times a week since the start of the year.

Reddit, North Korea News: Although not a news site, Reddit’s North Korea News page is probably the largest aggregator of North Korean news articles on the web. People create threads with news articles from all across the internet. Article sources include Bloomberg, The Times, Dailynk, and other international publications. It is a great way to stay updated on anything related to North Korea.

We hope you will visit these websites and stay informed on North Korea. The best way to fight against any misconceptions about a people is to learn about them, and these websites should provide you with some great information!

– Sunny Bhatt

Sources: New York Times, Reddit, The Korea Herald, DailyNK, NK News
Photo: North Korea Herald

,

The Poop Guy

Some would say that Swapnil Chaturvedi was living the American dream. A graduate from Northwestern University, he held a software engineering job and lived comfortably in America with his wife and daughter.

Then in 2007, he returned to his native India where he realized his true purpose in life was to help the country’s poor. On his trip he witnessed and questioned the enormous income disparity and the lifestyle discrepancies between the poor and the rich. He was appalled by India’s lack of basic sanitation.

Almost 626 million of the 1.2 billion individuals in India do not have access to a working toilet. Defecating in the open can create extremely unsanitary conditions, leading to diseases and malnutrition. Even when there are working toilets, women and girls choose to not use them because those communal restrooms often leave them exposed to harassment and attacks by men.

“What does GDP mean for a woman who has to spend over an hour to find a place to defecate?” asked Chaturvedi. “Who is responsible for providing the most basic services to the urban poor?”

The locals of Pune, India, call Chaturvedi the Poop Guy. In 2011, he founded Samagra Sanitation, a company based in Pune that provides sanitation services to the urban poor. The company increases ventilation, availability and overall cleanliness of the existing communal toilets and encourages locals to improve their hygiene routines. It currently services three slums in Pune and provides cleaner toilets to more than 3,300 individuals on a daily basis.

With a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chaturvedi also developed a toilet that converts human waste into electricity and fertilizer. However, because of a lack in funding and incentives, the project will not  reach many people.

Wanting to reach more Indians, Chaturvedi turned to India’s cell phone usage for help by connecting two seemingly unrelated figures. While only 626 million out of 1.2 billion individuals in India have access to working toilets, 800 million Indians have cellphones. He created Poop Rewards, a startup that “creates an incentive program using cell phone talk minutes and other prizes to convince Indians that don’t have easy access to toilets to use designated public toilets in their area.” This system motivates individuals by adding rewards programs along with improved sanitation services.

Chaturvedi explains his motivation for creating better sanitary conditions in India; “There is only one reason: for a woman’s dignity. It goes back to me being a father of a girl child…when I look at my daughter and I think about her future, this is the kind of service I would like her to have.”

Chaturvedi’s efforts are changing sanitary habits among India’s poor. While there is still a long way to go, his ideas are facing the problems caused by extreme poverty and a lack of access to sanitation services head on. Although India’s economy is growing rapidly, millions of its citizens are stuck in poverty. Chaturvedi recognized that although he alone could not change that fact, he could contribute his services and his determination to alleviate the effects of poverty on India’s urban poor.

– Sarah Yan

Sources: Huffington Post, Gigom, The Kids Should See This, Mental Floss
Photo: Business Outlook India

,

Climate Change To Worsen Food Security and Impact Poverty

In a report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists say that there is cause for concern that global warming makes it more difficult to provide food for the world’s population. The scientists say the negative impacts of climate change on crop yields have been more common than the positive.

Further climate change is expected to slow down economic growth, hinder efforts at poverty reduction and generally diminish food security. Since climate change will negatively impact crop production, food prices will rise and therefore food insecurity will rise. This food insecurity will be especially prevalent in countries with high levels of income inequality and will most affect those that are already poor, thereby undermining efforts to get rid of the cycle of poverty. Indeed, the report mentions climate change as a “threat multiplier” to the lives of people living in poverty worldwide.

However, crop production is expected to increase given the constant improvement of agricultural techniques, which is set to expand production at a rate of 10 percent per decade. Since climate change is expected to decrease agricultural output at a rate of 1 percent per year, this means crop production will go up, but at a slower pace than it would normally, according to David Lobell of Stanford University.

Yet some rural areas in countries such as India do not rely on irrigation techniques to increase crop yield, but rely rather on rainfall. Such places would be affected greatly by the climate change.

The report also stated that climate change would increase food prices within the range of 3 to 84 percent by 2050. Staple agricultural products such as wheat and corn would be most affected, and the report mentions that the countries in Central and South America that grow coffee will be negatively impacted.

Climate change is a reality that we must face right now if we want to help prevent human suffering on a grand scale years from now. We have been warned, now it is up to all of us, including our governments and the private sector, to do something about it.

– Jeff Meyer

Sources: Denver Post, Huffington Post, IPCC: Climate Change, IPCC: Livelihoods and Poverty
Photo: InHabitat

Indictment for the Sake of Democracy

democracy_Pervez_Musharraf
He pleaded not guilty to all of it. To allegations of suspending the constitution and putting forth a state of emergency, making unlawful constitutional alterations and detaining superior court judges, General Pervez Musharraf claimed innocence.

In 1999 Musharraf overthrew Pakistan’s constitution and took the presidency in order to, from his perspective, “restore the country’s honor” at a time of near economic default. Yet some consider this same power grab to have been more along the lines of a military coup. Musharraf’s formal indictment for high treason on March 31, however, relates primarily to his actions after taking office.

In 2007, shortly after his reelection for the Pakistani presidency, Musharraf got scared. The country’s Supreme Court, whose opposition toward Musharraf had been steadily growing, was scheduled to rule on the election’s legality. Insinuating that any justices who failed to sign on to the “provisional constitutional order” would be dismissed from their positions, Musharraf enacted emergency rule in an effort to maintain his withering hold on power. By 2008 the downtrodden president resigned in the face of possible impeachment.

The court cases Musharraf faces at present may have come sooner had he not fled the county following his resignation. Intending to restart his political career, he returned to Pakistan in 2013 only to be met with a barrage of accusations against him. Since his arrival, the former president has prolonged and delayed his hearings with impeccable reliability. Citing health issues and security concerns, the March 31 indictment came on Musharraf’s second attendance at the court out of a total 37 scheduled hearings. And his fateful second trip to court only occurred due to the humiliating risk of arrest that came along with the Pakistani police officers’ visit to his hospital bed at the military hospital in Rawalpindi, where he has repeatedly shown face on account of chest pain prior to a hearing. He has so far complained of a rickety knee, a bad spine, hypertension and a clogged artery, among other creative ailments. In addition to apparently failing health, on two occasions Musharraf somehow managed to discover explosives laying oddly conspicuously in his farm yard outside of Islamabad. Whether or not there is truth to these claims, Musharraf’s future is in a seemingly precarious position.

If he is found to be guilty of the five charges placed against him, Musharraf could be sentenced either to life in prison or be given the death sentence for high treason.

According to some scholars, the trial itself is a sign of democratic progress in Pakistan. Musharraf’s indictment signified the first time any army chief or military dictator faced charges of going against the constitution. As such, the Pakistani court is taking a vital stand in support of constitutional sanctity and democratic values in a manner previously unseen.

– Jaclyn Stutz

Sources: New York Times, Al Jazeera, DAWN, New York Times
Photo: APMLPAK

,

Dust and Meningitis in the Sahel


Recent research carried out in Niger by Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) will hopefully allow scientists to be able to forecast meningitis outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, and thus prevent potential casualties of the disease.

The research was done by IRI in partnership with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. They found that environmental and climatic factors such as wind and dust conditions have an incredibly strong correlation with meningitis outbreaks in what is called the “meningitis belt,” stretching across the Sahel from Senegal to Ethiopia.

Bacterial meningitis occurs throughout the world but rates of meningitis in the Sahel and the rest of the belt are much higher. The African Meningococcal Carriage Consortium (MenAfriCar) reports that death rates of the disease are between five and 10 percent. However, long-term effects often ensue, including blindness, hearing loss and brain damage.

The outbreaks occur in the dry season and taper off with the first rains, and researchers have often believed that the mineral dust irritates the epithelial cells lining the nose and throat, allowing for easy passage of the bacteria into the bloodstream.

In the initial phases of the study, researchers collected a number of dust samples from Ghana, Niger and Senegal, examining the dust’s characteristics in order to see which properties might be influencing the spread of the disease.

Along with this information, the researchers also looked into environmental factors such as temperature and humidity and social factors such as reduced ventilation. A number of variables are being taken into account to understand how dust is affecting people’s vulnerability to meningitis.

The hopes of the study are that these climatic factors will help public health researchers to forecast meningitis outbreaks and develop vaccination strategies earlier in advance.

One of the lead researchers in the study, Carlos Perez Garcia-Pando, stated, “We’ve known that the disease is associated to climate and environmental issues for a long time, because it’s very seasonal. The idea was to try to use models and observations from satellites and all kinds of data on potential (climate-related) parameters that might be affecting the disease, and try to use that information to provide advance warning.”

Currently in the Sahel, a new vaccine has been distributed which has decreased the outbreak of meningitis. However, vaccination drives are still delivered in districts that are already suffering outbreaks, and they often come too late.

This study has shown that environmental factors can greatly impact the effectiveness of vaccination programs, and this has great implications for the future of meningitis control strategies across the globe.

– Mollie O’Brien

Sources: Irin News, The Guardian
Photo: National Geographic

, , ,

Cricket Program in Argentina Fights Poverty

According to the Associated Press (AP), children who live in Villa 21-24, a dangerous slum in Buenos Aires, Argentina, are playing cricket in order to avoid a life of crime and poverty.

The Caacupe community center introduced the sport to the slum in 2009 to “integrate children to a game that traditionally was reserved for Argentina’s upscale private schools”.

Moreover, the AP said that Pope Francis, who is also known as the “slum pope”, was one of the founders of Caacupe and remains connected with its programs.

The community center is praised because children are given the opportunity to do something positive instead of giving into a lifestyle of drugs, crime and frustration.

Although the community center’s aim to help children out of poverty is benevolent, a closer examination is needed regarding Pope Francis and his role in Argentina while serving as a Bishop during the reign of a brutal military regime.

Vincent Navarro, who teaches Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, is critical of Pope Francis despite some of his good intentions. This is primarily due to his silence during the Argentinean dictatorship in the 70’s and 80’s.

“The dictatorship, established in defense of the more privileged groups in Argentina, was especially brutal to any dissident and opponents of its reign,” Navarro said. “This silence reflected a lack of sensitivity to gross human rights violations carried out by dictatorships with close ties to the Catholic Church.”

Navarro said that the pope claimed that his silence should be excused since it was “a tactical and honest move”. Navarro also gives him credit for encouraging the Church to expand its involvement in fighting poverty and for indicating that poverty is the result of the exploitation under the capitalist system in return for profits.

However, a recent service that honored the fallen members of the Church who sided with the fascist military regime in Spain in the 30’s is another reason Navarro criticizes the Pope and the Catholic establishment.

“It is safe to assume that Pope Francis knows very well that the Catholic Church supported this military coup and dictatorship of General Franco, as evidence of this abounds,” Navarro asserted. “The Catholic Church was one of the major landowners in Spain and opposed the land reform initiated by the democratically elected Republican government.”

Although Pope Francis was one of the founders of the community center that is helping Argentinean children escape poverty today, the Counterpunch article written by Navarro uses historical examples to criticize his refusal to confront the repression of the military regime in the past.

– Juan Campos

Sources: Counterpunch
Photo: Yahoo