Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Foreign Aid, Where Does It Go? A Look at USAID

American Foreign Aid USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a successful program engineered to combat poverty. USAID has focused on diminishing poverty in several aspects. Improving nutrition, assisting in food aid, and advancing water supplies are all important USAID goals. These three issues are connected on a deeper scale, as improving nutrition levels is conjoined with clean water supply and food aid assistance.

Proper nutrition is a basic necessity for every human. Malnutrition leads to approximately 2.6 million deaths per year, deaths that could be prevented if steps were taken to counteract malnutrition. USAID has partnered with Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) to help achieve basic nutritional improvement in impoverished areas throughout the world.

USAID and SUN have laid out a strategic approach to achieve their goal. They plan to prevent malnutrition through a package of maternal, infant, and young children programs. USAID and SUN will also combat malnutrition by targeting supplementation to vulnerable groups, managing malnutrition through community based projects, providing nutritional care for those living with HIV/AIDS, and improving the quality of food in the food assistance programs.

USAID is not only well prepared to handle global malnutrition levels; they are also prepared on the food assistance front. USAID works with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to effectively deliver lifesaving aid to food-barren areas. USAID and WFP have developed a working protocol that efficiently delivers food supplies to shortages worldwide.

USAID and WFP are constantly upgrading their food science programs, allowing them to deliver greater amounts of healthy food to needy areas. USAID is using a supply-chain management system that allows food to be sent out more efficiently. The programs have also combined to implement an emergency food service, which allows USAID and WFP to purchase emergency food in disaster-stricken areas. In addition, USAID also funded the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS), which is highly regarded as one of the best early-warning systems in the world.

Food and nutrition are two basic necessities in life. These epidemics are two of the most common problems known worldwide, yet a third is often overlooked. Lack of clean water supplies is just as important, and it receives a similar amount of attention from USAID. USAID has a specifically laid out plan to implement clean water supplies in needy areas. USAID focuses on increasing access to a sustainable water supply for all communities, finding a way to sanitize the water supplies, and teaching the community key hygiene behaviors to keep the water sanitized.

Through the actions of USAID, positive results can be seen in all of the targeted areas. In 2011, 3.8 million people had better access to clean water. USAID and affiliated programs provided over 1.5 metric tons of food to communities in 2012. The nutrition programs have been equally effective, with predictions that malnutrition will decrease by 20 percent in the next two years in targeted countries. The progress can be easily seen; all of which were made possible by the foreign aid budget that often falls under much criticism.

– Zachary Wright

Sources: USAID, USAID: Food Aid, USAID: Nutrition
Photo: Flickr

The Labor Injustices Behind Qatar’s World Cup

Migrant Workers Doha Qatar 2022 Labor Conditions
Conventionally, the bestowal of pride that follows a host nomination for a future World Cup invigorates a country; in Qatar, it has nearly broken it. The working conditions of those preparing for the 2022 event, most of whom are migrant workers, have exceeded the already poor conditions of such labor in the Gulf States, causing shock throughout the world.

In the past few weeks alone, dozens of Nepalese laborers have died, while countless others face terrible abuses on a daily basis. Over the broader span of this past summer, the Nepalese workforce in Qatar averaged one death a day, many of which were due to heart attacks, rare occurrences in young men. Tellingly, the condition of the Nepalese—the largest labor group in Qatar—tells a greater story of all workers: that of modern-day slavery.

In an interview with The Guardian, one worker described the precariousness of his situation: “I’m angry about how this company is treating us, but we’re helpless. I regret coming here, but what to do? We were compelled to come just to make a living, but we’ve had no luck.”

Tellingly, in addition to the continual threat of death, other injustices have characterized their stay in Qatar. For example, many laborers allege that their wages have been withheld for months in order to stop them from running away. Some employers even steal passports and ID cards, making it impossible for workers to obtain the legal or political aid they deserve.

Despite the slyness of many Qatar labor schemes, some are just basic infringements of human rights. Many laborers have recalled being refused water, despite working in some of the world’s most brutal heat. Such cruelty directed at largely Nepalese laborers underscores the broader context of the 2022 World Cup: one in which an extremely wealthy country exploits a vulnerable labor force from an extremely indigent one for material aims.

However, after the recent media attention scrutinizing the World Cup labor scheme, Qatar has responded by promising swift action. Hassan Al Thawadi, the head organizer of Qatar’s World Cup, said his organization was dutifully addressing international concerns.

In a recent interview, he stated with avidity: “It’s not a World Cup being built on the blood of innocents. That is unacceptable to anybody.”

The intended efficacy of labor reform remains, until now, unseen. The world urges Qatar to quickly and adequately address the gross human rights injustices being done in the name of sport and materialism, setting an example by valuing human life, regardless of one’s background or occupation. If these issues are not addressed, the 2022 World Cup will reflect the horrors of Qatar rather than its immense beauty.

– Anna Purcell

Sources: The Guardian, The Huffington Post, BBC
Photo: The Guardian

ASIRVAD Serves Indian Communities

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Few organizations have a vision as ambitious as “to empower at least one million families by 2013 by providing financial assistance,” but ASIRVAD is determined to do just that. ASIRVAD operates in India and provides economic support to families and communities in rural and urban regions of the vast country.

Founded in 2007, ASIRVAD Microfinance Private LTD has been addressing Indian’s agricultural economic needs. The organization focuses on economic growth and micro-finance to alleviate poverty. With assistance from ASIRVAD, poor clients are able to purchase land, seeds, technology and other business necessities. This assistance empowers the clients to lift themselves out of poverty once their farms begin producing an income.

The company offers two types of products: income generating products and business loans.

The income generating products consist of “micro loans provided to borrowers as per the RBI stipulated norms for income generating purposes.” The business loans range from “Rs. 50,000  (US 800.750) to Rs.1,00,000 (US 1601.50) [and are] provided for persons doing business for improving their existing business.” In addition to ensuring economic aid, ASIRVAD vows to provide excellent customer service.

ASIRVAD boasts the results of a recent study of the company. The study reported superb levels of transparency, governance, services altered to clients’ unique needs, client protection, low costs and high efficiency and a supportive environment for staff members. Through these programs and high standards of operation, ASIRVAD has been offering vital economic assistance to poor Indians for the past six years. This company is playing a crucial role in the fight against poverty in India.

– Mary Penn

Sources: ASIRVAD, Mix Market
Photo: Top Travel Lists

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John Kerry Announces Initiative to Fight Gender-Based Violence

Sunglasses John Kerry
This past Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new U.S. initiative aimed at preventing and responding to gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies worldwide. Known as “Safe from Start,” the $10 million will be funded to allow the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other humanitarian organizations to hire specialized staff, start new programs, and “develop innovative methods” to protect women and girls at the onset of emergencies around the world.

“In the face of conflict and disaster, we should strive to protect women and girls from sexual assault and other violence,” Kerry emphasized in a press release. The statement also mentions that the U.S. will coordinate with other donors and stakeholders to develop a framework for action and accountability to ensure that efforts to address gender-based violence are routinely prioritized as a life-saving interference, along with other vital humanitarian help.

The initiative builds on the framework established by the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, and the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally. The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will be responsible for the initiative.

Most conflict-ridden countries such as Syria, Egypt, or the Democratic Republic of Congo are reporting high rates of rape. Seen as a tool to terrorize villages and break the will of the opposition, rape has been routinely incorporated as a weapon of war during conflicts. According to Save the Children, up to 80 percent of war rape victims are under 18, while an Oxfam report states that rape is the “most extensive form of violence” women and girls are currently facing in Syria.

Although the press release mentions women and girls as the primary victims of gender-based violence, the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally states that this type of aggression can also be directed towards men and boys, as well as sexual and gender minorities.

According to this document, gender-based violence is “violence directed at an individual based on his or her biological sex, gender identity, or perceived adherence to socially defined norms of masculinity and femininity.” It includes physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as threats, coercion, arbitrary loss of liberty, and economic hardship.

– Nayomi Chibana
Feature Writer

Sources: U.S. Department of State, CNS News, Huffington Post
Photo: Cloture Club

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“Womenomics:” Japan Integrates Women to Boost GDP

On September 26, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the United Nations General Assembly, discussing his initiatives to create Japanese “womenomics,” an economic theory that posits the advancement and success of women in a society as directly correlated to the country’s larger growth rate.

The idea of utilizing Japan’s greatest resource—its women—is not entirely new. In 1999, Kathy Matsui, along with a variety of other employees at Goldman Sachs addressed a similar topic, suggesting that Japan could significantly increase its gross domestic product (GDP) by about 15 percent by better integrating its women.

In order to implement “womenomics,” the Japanese government will contribute over $3 billion by 2016 to increase female participation in society, aid in female healthcare costs, mitigate violence against women, and further empower women in a variety of other realms.

In a country with a rapidly shrinking population and a remarkably low birthrate, a successful implementation of “womenomics” is crucial. By introducing large numbers of women to the workforce, Japan will vastly benefit both economically and demographically. Clearly, women are the key to Japan’s future.

Of course, “womenomics” also exists as a crucial necessity in the rest of the world, particularly in developing regions like Africa. Fortunately, the Japanese government has recognized this and is now providing enormous support to Africa’s women.

Instead of working within the donor culture of international development, Japan is striving to help transform agriculture in Africa, a domain primarily characterized by female laborers. Japanese efforts have already proven successful, as many farmers’ incomes have doubled in regions of Kenya.

Tellingly, African and Japanese women—as well as their female counterparts everywhere—are the key to a thriving economy. Yet, without egalitarian access to governmental resources and support, they cannot be empowered economically. Thus, it is the responsibility of governments everywhere to support their female citizens, and thereby, support themselves.

– Anna Purcell

Sources: United Nations, Wall Street Journal
Sources: Japan Today

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Posner Center for International Development

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The Posner Center for International Development, located in Denver, Colorado, is an organization that displays the convergence of over 30 companies working together to help create better living conditions for the world’s poor while also addressing environmental issues. These companies work together to come up with creative and innovative solutions that can help those in poverty while also staying environmentally friendly. While these individual companies already create positive impact, their collaboration can only significantly boost the results.

Bridges to Prosperity is one of the organizations that has joined the Posner Center for International Development. Bridges to Prosperity plans and builds bridges over rivers all over the world. While building a bridge over a river may seem like a small development, it can be life altering. In villages with little transportation, most of the world’s poor depend on walking to reach their destinations. Bridges give them a safe means of transport, whether it is to school, a hospital, to work, etc. So far, Bridges to Prosperity has had projects in South America, Asia, Africa, and Central America.

Another such organization is Nokero, short for “no kerosene.” Nokero’s attempt to eliminate kerosene lights that are harmful to the environment is ambitious but possible. They hope to replace these kerosene lamps with solar lights, which are energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Engineers at Nokero have also developed a solar powered cell phone charger. Such valuable technology is affordably priced and cost effective.

Nokero and Bridges to Prosperity are just two of the 35 organizations working at the Posner Center for International Development. Whether it’s with seemingly simple solutions like building bridges to make transportation easier, or with life changing technologies that bring power to a neighborhood, these organizations’ attempts to change the world are indeed powerful and inspiring. Their collaborative efforts will only result in bigger and better ideas and innovations for the future.

– Aalekhya Malladi

Sources: The Denver Post, Posner Center for International Development, Bridges to Prosperity, Nokero
Photo: Hosted

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The Water Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Water is a necessary means for survival. Water covers two-thirds of planet Earth. The human body consists of 75 percent water. Water is involved in all bodily functions including digestion, respiration, maintaining body temperature, and adequate performance of all bodily functions. Early civilizations developed around easily accessible clean drinking water sources. Water is vital to life; that is a given. But what if accessing clean drinking water was not as easy as turning on the faucet, or opening a bottle of Dasani? The continuing water crisis in sub-Saharan Africa proves that this kind of access is not always so easy.

Water scarcity is a tragic reality for many regions of the world. Astoundingly, 85 percent of the world’s people live in the driest regions of the world. According to UN Water, 783 million world citizens do not have access to clean water. Among that demographic, 6 to 8 million die every year from water related disasters and diseases. Incredibly, in the year 2000, 2.4 billion people lacked access to water sanitation, and 1.1 billion lacked access to fresh water sources. The populations suffering the most are in rural, poor areas of the world.

The most common water related diseases occur due to lack of sanitation. According to Dr. Lee Jong-wook, Director General at World Health Organization (WHO), “Water and Sanitation is one of the primary drivers of public health,” and refers to water and sanitation as “Health 101.” Jong-Wook further explains that if communities secure access to water and sanitation, “a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won.” Two of the deadliest water and sanitation related diseases are diarrhea and malaria.

According to data by World Health Organization, the four driving factors in the water and sanitation crisis are: access to water supply and sanitation, sanitation gap, emergencies and disasters, and water resources.

The sanitation gap refers to an increase in population growth combined with low sanitation development growth. The number of people with access to hygienic sanitation facilities, such as toilets and hand washing tools, has declined slightly since the 1990s because construction cannot keep up with population growth.

Floods and drought are the most dangerous water-related disasters. Flooding causes contamination of drinking water, and destructed systems of hygiene and wastewater. Droughts cause the most death because they can initiate malnutrition and deny the community a water supply. 66 percent of people dwelling in sub-Saharan Africa live in areas of little to no rainfall which often results in failed vegetation and agricultural efforts. More than 300 to 800 sub-Saharan Africans live in a water-scarce location.

Water resource development is the key to helping world citizens fulfill the basic human right of accessing clean water. As former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan stated, “Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and therefore a basic human right.”

– Laura Reinacher

Sources: Rights to Water and Sanitation, UNICEF, UN Water
Photo: Because water

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What is the OECD?

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What is the OECD?

In short: OECD stands for Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. It is an international economic organization whose mission is to “promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.”

A little more detail: In the beginning, the OECD was actually named the OEEC – the Organization for European Economic Co-operation. It was founded in April of 1948, with 18 original European participants. The first and original principles of the OEEC were as follows: “Promote cooperation between participating countries and their national production programs for the reconstruction of Europe; Develop intra-European trade by reducing tariffs and other barriers to the expansion of trade; Study the feasibility of creating a customs union or free trade area; Study multi-lateralization of payments; and Achieve conditions for better utilization of labor.”

In 1961, the OEEC became the OECD, and membership was extended to non-European countries. Most OECD members are regarded as “developed countries” with a high human development index. To this day, according to Pierre Tristam at about.com, the OECD remains one of the most cited sources for “economic data and information” because the organization keeps vast databases and “conducts some of the world’s most authoritative analyses and studies on the world economy.”

The OECD said that it provides a forum in which countries can work together to “seek solutions to common problems.” The organization aims to identify good practices and to coordinate “domestic and international policies.” It is committed to democracy and a sustainable market economy. Some of these good practices include taxes and social security, leisure time, school systems and “pension systems” that look after country’s elderly citizens, since the OECD tries to look at issues “that directly affect the lives of ordinary people.”

Its reach extends to the environment, the economy and social issues. The OECD is committed to helping the lives of ordinary people, thus making life harder for those “whose actions undermine a fair and open society,” such as terrorists, unethical businessmen and tax evaders.

The OECD promotes policies designed:

“To achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as nonmember countries in the process of economic development; and to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, nondiscriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations.”

As of 2013, the OECD has 34 active member countries, including the United States, and “is in accession talks with the Russian Federation.”

– Alycia Rock

Sources: OECD: About, OECD: Report 2013, Middle East About, OECD
Photo: CIB

Support for Agriculture Rises

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According to the annual Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, government support for agriculture rose during 2012, ending a long-term downward drift and reversing the record lows that were recorded in 2011.

This support was documented in the 47 leading farming nations, which provide nearly 80 percent of the global farm output. This includes seven “emerging economies” that will soon be major players in the food and agriculture markets.

The OECD defines “support” as the transfer of money to agricultural projects from government policies that are designed to support them. This money comes from consumers and taxpayers. This year, the Producer Support Estimate has risen to 17 percent of gross farm receipts in 2012, up from 15 percent in 2011.

Ken Ash, the OECD Trade and Agriculture Director, said that wasteful policies of the past need to be abandoned to make sure that “much needed innovation” is fully funded. This will also allow farmers to “respond to market signals” and for governments to support wide-range farm reform.

Though the report noted a general rise in government support, the levels of support per country vary widely. The highest support countries recorded further increases, but countries with relatively low support continued to fall.

According to the OECD, some of the countries that saw sharp increases in this support have begun turning their policy toward a focus on self-sufficiency. The OECD also said that food systems would be more efficiently improved by developing “safety nets” and reducing poverty.

The OECD notes that several multi-dimensional efforts are necessary to raise domestic production and improve access to imports and export markets. These efforts would also allow for the construction of emergency food reserves.

The report released by the OECD said that “public investments for the sector overall should receive more attention.” They suggest investments that have “high social returns in the long run,” such as education, research and development, technology and advisory services. The OECD also said that food safety and food quality assurance systems contribute to long-term profitability.

– Alycia Rock

Sources: The OECD Newsroom, OECD Report, Huffington Post
Photo: The Land Group

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Kenya’s Climate Innovation Center

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Climate change affects everyone, but remedies to its effects are best utilized when they are locally relevant, rather than one-size-fits-all.

Launched in September 2012, Kenya’s Climate Innovation Center (CIC) is working to provide entrepreneurs with a forum to design and develop locally minded climate and clean-energy technology. The Climate Innovation Center provides incubation services, financing, market research and capacity building services to local innovators, focusing on projects in the sectors of renewable energy, agri-business and water management.

The first of its kind in the world, the Climate Innovation Center is expected to support up to 70 ventures in the first five years. However, their good work does not come for free. The CIC is funded by the government of Denmark and UK Aid, and is hosted by the Strathmore Business School, in collaboration with the World Bank, Global Village Energy Partnership International, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute.

Some of the measurable outcomes of the CIC’s operations include the creation of jobs and companies, a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, greater climate resiliency, access to clean energy and water, better sanitation and strengthened innovative capacity.

One outstanding member of the CIC is working to increase access to energy sources for people in Kenya. PolyBiogas is an organization that creates digesters, which use a variety of biodegradable materials, such as food waste, livestock dung, waste from agricultural processing, crop materials to generate biogas. This biogas can then be used for cooking, heating, lighting and running engines. Using this alternative source of energy then helps reduce household waste, conserves trees that are being used for firewood and reduces costs to resource-limited people.

A revolutionary in its field, Kenya’s Climate Innovation Center is nurturing the creativity and ingenuity of its own people to solve the world’s challenging environmental problems. The freedom to innovate should not be reserved for the world’s elite, and the CIC is working to develop the vast potential within its own borders.

– Tara Young

Sources: Climate Innovation Center, Think Africa Press, InfoDev
Photo: Green Africa Directory