Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

,

Heavy Charity: Incubus’ Make Yourself Foundation

Heavy Charity: Incubus Make Yourself Foundation
Interested in rocking out for a good cause?  American rock and metal band Incubus is.  Perhaps best known for their string of hits in the early 2000s, including “Drive” and “I Wish You Were Here,” Incubus has been an American rock staple for over twenty years.  The band has a massive following, and recognizing their fame as an effective platform to promote global and social change, Incubus founded the Make Yourself Foundation in 2003.

Since the Foundation’s beginning in 2003, it has raised over $1.6 million for various charitable organizations and causes.  Proceeds from the bands record sales, show tickets, and merchandise sales go directly to the Foundation.  In this way, Incubus connects its fans with the organization’s good deeds.  Going in further in connecting fans with charity, Incubus encourages fans to create their own profile on the Make Yourself Foundation’s website.  This profile acts as both a social networking tool for music lovers, as well as a fundraising campaign profile.

The Foundation has supported numerous charities over the years, including the American Red Cross, UNICEF, Music for Relief, and Carbon Neutral.  Its work with the Red Cross began in 2004, when in its early stages, fans involved with the Foundation raised over $100,000 for the Tsunami relief fund in Asia.

Incubus is an incredibly green and environmentally conscious band.  In 2007, the band partnered with Carbon Neutral to offset the carbon emissions let off by the tour.  This included planting trees and donating money for the research of alternative energy sources.  Current environmental causes supported by the Make Yourself Foundation include Carbon War Room’s “Ten Island Renewable Challenge” and the Ocean Conservancy.

Brandon Boyd, Incubus’s lead singer, states on the Foundation’s page that “It has always been my observation that to live by example is the most admirable way to walk the earth!”  The Make Yourself Foundation indeed sets an example of charity and advocacy for all to follow.

– Taylor Diamond

Sources: Make Yourself Foundation, Paste Magazine
Photo: Giphy.com

, ,

Eradicating Violence Against Women in Schools

Eradicating Violence Against Women in Schools
It’s simple: violence against women exists in various personal and professional settings.  One in three women throughout the world will experience some sort of sexual violence in their lifetime.  It is an epidemic.  Such violence not only creates physical and emotional scars, but it impedes all forms of progress.  It keeps women from being equal participants in the workforce, and as a result, nations that do little to curtail violence against women are losing about $5 billion per year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.

This gendered violence is seen even greater in school settings, where gender discrimination leads young women to perform poorly or even drop out of school.  This leaves many young girls illiterate and impoverished.  Known to the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative as “School-related gender-based violence” (SRBGV,) this form of violence against women affects millions of female students worldwide.  Such violence goes far beyond just physical violence, but includes all forms of gender bullying, and verbal harassment as well.

The U.N. recognizes the importance of eradicating violence against women in schools.  Partnering with Education International and the Global Education First Initiative, the U.N. Girls’ Education Initiative announced a Joint Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25.  The Statement sees SRGBV as a “serious obstacle” to the U.N.’s Education for All and Millennium Development Goals.

“Too often, SRGBV remains undetected, unreported, and even overlooked in school, the very social institution where children are expected to be safe, protected, and empowered,” reads the U.N.’s joint statement. “Yet teachers, schools, and education systems are also fundamental in transforming practices, attitudes, and values.  Quality education for all can only be realized in safe and supportive learning environments.”

Addressing violence against women in school settings must be a priority for any global education initiative.  The U.N.’s joint statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is hopefully an effective step in stopping this epidemic.

– Taylor Diamond

Sources: United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, Think Progress, Thomas Reuters Initiative
Photo: Vintage 3D

Film Tells Story of Exiled Musicians in Mali

Film Tells Story of Exiled Musicians in Mali
In every culture, music is a special way to tell a story.  It says something unique and important about a culture, and is an essential way to connect people.  Music’s importance is seen most visibly in Malian culture, where music is not a profession or a pastime, but a people.  Griots are musicians who tell stories about Malian history, and hold the keys to the past.  In Mali, therefore, music is culture.

In 2012, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa banned all music in Northern Mali.  This movement took over Northern Mali after a violent take over instigated by Islamic extremism.  This music ban forced Malian musicians to either flee the nation or move underground.  As a result, an incredible counter-cultural movement is sweeping over Malian music.

“They Will Have to Kill Us First: Malian Musicians in Exile” is a documentary currently being commissioned by British director Johanna Schwartz and producer Kat Amara Korba.  The documentary will explore how Malian musicians are seeking to restore music and peace to the ailing nation.  Musicians featured in the documentary will include Khaira Arby (the “Nightingale of the North”,) Manny Ansar (a music festival director), and Toumani Diabate (a 72nd generation Griot.)

The project began shooting in February 2013, near the beginnings of the conflict, and will continue to shoot through April.  The documentary is being independently funded through a Kickstarter Campaign.  The fundraiser officially achieved its goal of 30,000 British pounds on December 7, 2013, but is still accepting pledges to meet production costs.

As stated by Malian musician Fadimata Disco Walet Oumar, “They want to ban music?  They will have to kill us first.”  Mali’s musical rebellion is a testament to the power of expression.

– Taylor Diamond

Sources: Kickstarter, They Will Have to Kill Us First

,

RadioHead, Gabriel Add Names to Free Tibet Petition

tibetan_jailed_musicians
On December 16, musicians Peter Gabriel, Thom Yorke, Ed O’Brien (Radiohead), Serj Tankian (System of a Down), and Tjinder Singh (Cornershop) became the first five signatures on a petition to help eight fellow musicians.

Free Tibet, a non-profit organization, launched a petition calling on China to release eight Tibetan singers who are being held for singing songs about their hopes and concerns for Tibet and Tibetan culture.

Free Tibet focuses on campaigns for Tibetan self-determination, human rights in Tibet, and an end to Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Since 1950, China has occupied Tibet, attempting to crush the state. Images of the Tibetan national flag and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, are prohibited. According to the UN, more than 120 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese occupation. Tibetans celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday were shot by security forces, and anyone who objects to showing loyalty to China risks imprisonment and torture.

Among those imprisoned are the eight musicians named on the Free Tibet petition.

Lolo, Chakdor, Pema Trinley, Kalsang Yerphel, Shawo Tashi, Ugyen Tashi, Achok Phulsung, Choksal were arrested and sentenced since 2012. Lolo has the longest sentence, currently serving six years in jail. His crime? Calling for Tibet’s independence, unity of the Tibetan people, and a return of the Dalai Lama.

Shawo Tashi was sentenced to five years in jail after participating in anti-China protests, distributing photos and notes of Tibetan self-immolators, and singing national pride songs.

Pema Tinley received a two-year sentence after singing songs that praised the Dalai Lama and Tibetans who have self-immolated in protest against China’s occupation.

The petition calls on China to respect the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“China claims to protect Tibetan culture but by imprisoning these musicians it is suppressing that culture, as well as violating the human rights of these individuals.”

You can check out the petition for yourself here: https://www.freetibet.org/petitions/1742

– Claire Karban

Sources: Free Tibet, Look to the Stars, Huffington Post
Photo: Arts Freedom

2004 Thailand Tsunami: 10 Years Later

2004 Thailand Tsunami
December 26, 2004. Billions of people were waking up, making coffee, or in other parts of the globe preparing for a good night’s sleep. On the coast of Thailand, billions of tons of water crashed onto the shores. An extremely powerful earthquake, classified as a ‘megathrust’, caused an enormous Tsunami. Major damage was suffered up and down the coastline, including the eco-resort of KhaoLak.  A classic warning sign of an impending tsunami is a trough, when the ocean is pulled back from the shore before the waves come down. Sunbathers and swimmers alike did not have time to register this warning as they were distracted by the thousands of fish left on the sand. Nearly six thousand people were killed, and many of them were vacationing tourists. Hundreds more were injured or displaced from their destroyed homes. The main city with excellent hospitals, Phuket, became the main area of medical care during the aftermath and was covered intensively by media and news crews.

Under a ‘memorandum of understanding’, the U.S. donated with other nations Part One of the DartII buoy system to Thailand. The system uses ‘tsunameters’ and seismic information to predict potential tsunamis. The goal is to give everyone on the Indian Ocean from Thailand to Sri Lanka a sixty minute warning before another tsunami strikes. The systems have been implemented gradually since 2005, and are known collectively as the Indian Ocean Project. Thailand today is almost reminiscent of what it was before the tsunami ever struck. Beach days and nightlife are in full swing, hotel rates are down, shopping is up, and Thailand is welcoming visitors and tourists for the New Year. Economically, tourists visiting will help boost the market and get Thailand back to a stable place from which they will continue to grow.

The Impossible  is a feature length film that was released in 2012, eight years after the tsunami struck Thailand. It is based on the true story of Maria and Henry Bennet as well as their three sons, Thomas, Lucas, and Simon. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor play the parents of the three boys that were staying at a resort on vacation when the Tsunami struck.  Maria and Lucas were separated and stranded on the coastline, both severely injured. Henry, Simon, and Lucas had survived and ended up searching the resort for the rest of their family before traveling to Phuket to search the hospitals. Maria and Lucas ended up being aided by locals and also taken to the hospital in Phuket. The movie follows their harrowing and desperately hopeful story of surviving the tsunami and finding their way back together which, in the end, they do. The real family has returned to the beach every Christmas Day since, as a reminder to themselves and their children not to live in fear but to conquer the impossible.

– Kaitlin Sutherby

Sources: Phuket Thailand, Jakarta Post, IMDB
Photo: Giphy.com

, , ,

With, Without: How Greed Perpetuates Hunger

meat_greed
There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but due to a variety of factors, global hunger persists. In fact, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO,) the world produces enough food for everyone to intake 2,700 calories a day, much more than the recommended 2,000.

Nevertheless, nearly a billion people go to bed hungry. The reason behind this is multifaceted. Astounding amounts of food are wasted due to poor transportation and storage infrastructure. Even more goes in the trash uneaten. A great deal of grain crops are used for bio-fuels and animal feedlots rather than starving people. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact hunger is caused by inequality.

How are people to combat this inequality? Countries such as Brazil and Ghana have shown success through raising their minimum wage, giving cash to poor people, and investing in small-scale farms. World hunger comes down to the fact that many people simply cannot afford food, with over a billion people living on $1 a day.

The history of poverty begins with globalization and colonialism. When land is privatized and controlled by the few, the majority of people are forced into selling their work for food. Land ownership in the hands of the few is the main cause that spurred income gaps throughout the world.

Colonies exploited the resources and land of their colonies and kept them saddled in debt by claiming ownership in order to maintain this advantage for the long run. Today, less than 25 percent of people use more than 80 percent of the world’s resources. This is a direct result of the economic repression that so many populations are under and have been under for hundreds of years.

Greed led to colonial powers gaining monopolies and establishing claims on resources that were not theirs. Greed led them to effectively enslaving their colonies under shackles of labor and heavy debt for land and resources that originally belonged to the colonies. Although there are many great NGOs and advocacy agencies that have brilliant ideas for solutions to global hunger, few acknowledge colonialism as the original foe, and lack of land ownership as the original problem.

Perhaps people can examine this complex issue more clearly if they perceive it as a parable. In a sun-drenched country, men live peaceful lives on their own farms. One day, a greedy man takes over, burning all their farms and forcing them to work for him. This man builds one massive farm, and exploits their labor and pushes growth, seeking to eat up the rest of the smaller farms in the land. In the end, he is the one who gets all the profits, while the rest barely survive.

This is not a story anyone wants to hear, but it is one that has been in action for centuries. Let us acknowledge this past and seek ways to start a new story.

– Jordan Schunk

Sources: Alternet, The Economist, The Guardian, Huffington Post

, , , , , , ,

Catalysts for Change

catalysts_for_change_game
A first of its kind, Catalysts for Change, an innovative and interactive online game, was run by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Institute for the Future last year in the beginning of April. The game prompted participants worldwide to discuss and come up with ways to battle the plentiful issues of poverty. The game itself was designed around four catalysts: new evidence, new capacities, new rules and new stories, all of which contributed to the card-based gaming platform.

Players could share ideas through Positive/Critical imagination cards – these had the potential to be built on by others through Momentum, Antagonism, Investigation and Adaptation cards. Leaderboards were also created, displaying points players had earned through using and gaining said cards. These could furthermore be categorized as Scenario Fail, Common Knowledge or Super Interesting based on the players’ personal perception of presented ideas. Achievements spanning across seven levels, going from Inspired to Legend, were available for unlocking before being recorded in player profiles.  Each card played was then cataloged by category, available for public viewing on a special dashboard.

A game blog recorded all progress and presented new missions and challenges in real time. Two weeks before the actual game start, several preparations were made including social media advertising and buzz-building, recruitment, email exchange between coordinators across the world and various sponsor partnerships which led to further awareness among people. Most follow-up cards played were either Investigation or Momentum; of the top-tier, Critical versus Positive imagination were played, the latter being more than twice as frequent. Around 53% of all cards had follow-up cards attached, spanning overall very optimistic and fruitful discussions. As expected from discussions concerning poverty, themes such as education, work and community were amongst the most common. A few top innovative ideas that were brought up include:

–  Alternative economic systems or a universal currency
–  Empathy, i.e. teaching children from an early age to perceive worldly problems
–  Entrepreneurial education and new business funding as a common endorsement for all
–  Socially engineered ways around corruption
–  Sharing to eliminate waste

Although the aim of the game was not to implement any policy for actual poverty reduction, it managed to fulfill its purpose: to motivate and bring together people in their desire to make a change. Several of the players, engaged among one another, even discussed ways they could contribute beyond playing the game, such as starting a non-profit together centered chiefly around their ideas. The attention on social media (Facebook and Twitter) that Catalysts for Change received helped further spread the cause. Thoughts shared by players are still accessible on the website today, providing ‘food for thought’ for anyone hungry for making a difference. Although the game spanned for only 48 hours, it attracted 1,616 players from 79 different countries who used a total of 18,207 cards.

– Natalia Isaeva

Sources: The Rockefeller Foundation: Catalysts for Change, Institute for the Future
Photo: Vimeo

, ,

WHO Reports Spike in Cancer Cases

Cancer Cases
The World Health Organization (WHO,) guardian of international health statistics, released new numbers last week indicating a major upturn in the number of cancer cases worldwide.

In 2012, 14.1 million people received cancer diagnoses in 184 countries across the globe, a nearly 10 percent increase from 2008. Unfortunately, this rise translates across the board to mortality rates as well, which saw a similar 9.3 percent increase over the same period.

Lung cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer round out the three most common forms of the disease, comprising 13 percent, 11.9 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, of the aggregate number of diagnoses.

Breast cancer has seen the most rapid acceleration of any other manifestation of cancer and continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. In 2012, over 6.3 million women were living with cancer diagnoses from the previous five years alone. Incidence increased 20 percent from the beginning to the end of that five-year period (2008-2012); 1.7 million women received initial diagnoses in 2012.

Unfortunately, the mortality rate for this common cancer has not slowed down, increasing by 14 percent in the study period.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) forecasts the upward trend of aggregate cancer incidence will likely continue through and beyond the year 2025. By that time, over 19.3 million new cancer cases will lob on to the current cancer burden each year.

The increase is not inherently problematic for global health: these statistics reflect an aging global population and the planet’s sustained population growth. As more adults celebrate birthdays in their 70’s and 80’s, it follows that more are alive to receive diagnoses of cancer, a disease largely believed to arise from the effects of aging on the error-prone process of cellular reproduction.

Similarly, advances in technology have increased the accuracy and applicability of diagnostic techniques. Early detection of cancer raises incidence rates but ultimately benefits cancer patients by improving outcomes.

Unfortunately, inequalities in global death distribution fall unfavorably on developed nations. The WHO estimates over 55 percent of all cancers and nearly 65 percent of all cancer deaths in 2012 occurred in lesser-developed regions of the world. The IARC expects that this trend will continue (and likely deteriorate) as 2025 approaches.

Dr. David Foreman, Head of the IARC Section of Cancer Information, urges the global community to “develop effective and affordable approaches to the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment” of cancers in the developing world. Funds allocated toward research and development in these areas will likely generate significant returns on investment; each year, cancer-related deaths and disability cost the global economy $1 trillion in economic losses.

If properly managed, the recent rise in cancer cases will inspire focused improvements in cancer control strategies that will bridge the gap between morbidity and mortality, improve outcomes for the developed world and turn the trend on its head.

– Casey Ernstes

Sources: The American Cancer Society, Voice of America, International Agency for Research on Cancer
Photo: News at Jama

,

Who Are the Bottom Billion?

The_Starving_Billions
One billion of the poorest people on the planet embody an enormous obstacle for nations today. Countries suffering from extreme poverty, overlooked and undervalued, are examined thoroughly in Paul Collier’s book, The Bottom Billion. As a professor of economics at Oxford University, Mr. Collier is well versed in the financial implications of poverty on the world as whole. Everyone who has read a history book or seen the television show Game of Thrones knows that when societies lack a leader and structured laws, chaos ensues as the fight for ultimate power begins. This situation is mirrored in the corruption consuming countries all over the world, and they are highlighted in Collier’s book.

According to Paul Collier, the 8 industrialized nations, known as the G8, will have to make a priority out of developing laws to help these ‘bottom billion’ populations. This group consists of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada, France, and Russia. Protecting endangered states against corruption, greed, power struggles, trade resources, and more will have to become a main focus for stabilized nations in order to help eradicate global poverty.

Claiming that there are four traps countries fall into that lead to a spot in the ‘bottom billion,’ Collier lists the culprits as natural resources, corrupt neighboring nations, negative governing, and violent conflicts. No country has the ability to generate more natural resources than it already has, so creating laws that govern trade policies is one of the only ways to help states in that situation.

One suggestion offered by the author to reverse the destitute situations of poor countries is military interference. He claims that foreign financial aid is not enough to help on its own. Military force and strict legislation on corrupt leaders and factions are required to pull countries out of expensive civil wars and violent day to day lives.

Main goals of the book include debunking popular myths about global poverty and explaining why the U.S. and other stable countries need to make aggressive changes to prevent unstable nations from ‘backsliding’, or getting deeper into a state of distress than they presently are. China and other societies are doing so well on reducing global poverty that more aid is offered because they seem like a more appealing investment that is likely to succeed. Less stable countries do not look like a good fit for aid and are shortchanged by potential donors.

Simultaneously educational and inspiring, Paul Collier’s book was first published in 2007. Collier has spoken at local and national forums about the importance of forming a solution to these ‘bottom billion’ people that is as complex as the problem. Spreading awareness and correcting misconceptions the general public may have about poverty is the first step in attempting to fix it. Outlining how these countries become part of the ‘bottom’ in the first place helps clarify the intricate situation that has been created and how the way to save these people must be equally intricate. The Bottom Billion can be purchased from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or wherever books are sold.

– Kaitlin Sutherby

Sources: TED, Amazon, The Guardian, Oxford University Press, AusAID
Photo: Bahai Forums

, , , ,

The Case Against Gift Aid

The Case Against Gift Aid
Initiated less than forty years ago, the UK Gift Aid incentive aggrandizes donations received through select charities by providing tax deductions to the donor.

By means of Gift Aid, charities are able to reclaim the basic tax rate (20%) of the donation at no cost to the donor. For example, if an individual donates £10 using Gift Aid, the charity itself receives £12.50. With non-monetary contributions, the original tax is added back in to the overall value of the item. Thus, if a table valued at £100 is supplied, the charity is able to retain the item at £125.

However, before one is eligible to provide a Gift Aid donation, a form documenting basic personal information such as name, home address and information about the designated charity is required. Furthermore, this form is rather versatile in that it can be applied to future donations as well. On the surface, Gift Aid appears ingenious and innovative, and in many ways, it is. Yet, like many other programs wrought by good intentions, this incentive should be wary of also being susceptible to corruption.

For one, Gift Aid is plagued by complexity and ambiguity in its guidelines and operations.

Revenue and Customs declare that the donated items are in fact the possessions of the donor and the charity in question acts as a mere representative. Therefore, it is the donor — not the organization — who has the authority to not only give all or a portion of the sale’s proceeds but also to retain all or a portion of the profits. Meaning, an individual may decide to utilize Gift Aid out of greed and a personal, profit agenda rather than benevolence and an honest desire to give back to others.

The mandatory Gift Aid forms are composed in such a manner that donors are not held accountable for whether proceeds are bequeathed to the charity or not. Thus, an individual could legally sell his or her belongings using the Gift Aid incentive and keep all of the proceeds — leaving the charity, which handles the actual selling of the item, bereft of any profit.

According to the Institute of Fundraising, “the goods are the property of the owner until they are sold, and after they are sold, [the owner] has the right to keep some or all of the proceeds.” Although individuals who are initially willing to sell their personal belongings under Gift Aid may not initially expect to monetarily gain from the transaction.  Because this gaping loophole still exists, the incentive may be vulnerable, or opens an opportunity with the advantage, to misuse.

– Phoebe Pradhan

Sources: HM Revenue and Customs, The Guardian
Photo: Vintage 3D