Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Rise of Photojournalism in Afghanistan

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American directors Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach are working on a new documentary about photojournalism in Afghanistan called Frame by Frame. The directors joined Afghan war photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner, Massoud Hossaini, in his home country to document the rise of journalism in a place where taking a photo was once a crime.

A new culture of Afghan reporters and photojournalists has been growing ever since the ban on photography was overturned just over a decade ago. The documentary features the stories of four photographers, including Farzana Wahidy, whose work is uncommon for her gender in Afghanistan.

These four photojournalists and more have made great strides in the documentation of life in Afghanistan, the war, and the issues that are important to them. The necessity of journalism from the source is “to build democracy and independence, to check and limit those in power, to drive social and political change,” according to filmmaker Mo Scarpelli.

Local reporters have access to places and people which rarely welcome international reporters. Freedom of the press has improved since the people have gained the right to take photos and share the realities of day-to-day life with the world, but some are concerned about the future of such freedoms. With international forces leaving the country over the next year, international press will also be exiting. Defense, governance, and journalism will all be exclusively in the hands of the Afghan people, who face the threat of the Taliban reverting the country back to the time when snapping a photo was a crime.

The project was started in 2012, which was funded completely by the filmmakers themselves, one of whom drained her bank account entirely and even sold her car to make it all the way to Afghanistan. Frame by Frame is unfinished as of now, and the directors are relying on donations through Kickstarter to raise the funds needed to send them back to Afghanistan to fill-out footage for the film. Backers who want to see the film to completion have until August 28th to make a a pledge.

– Jennifer Bills

Sources: Humanosphere, Kickstarter, Frame by Frame
Photo: Boston

TechnoServe – What is it?

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On a trip to Adidome, Ghana in 1963, Ed Bullard, businessman by trade, was struck by the poverty in the area and decided to help. Five years later, Ed founded a non-profit to facilitate the spread of business knowledge and the strengthening of market systems. He named it TechnoServe, an abbreviation of the phrase “technology in the service of mankind.”

Bullard envisioned the organization as an innovative non-profit that would empower the poor by connecting them to the resources they need to thrive while also emphasizing a commitment to integrity. Although Bullard passed away in 1996, TechnoServe has stayed true to his mission, enabling millions of people worldwide and earning a perfect score in transparency from Charity Navigator.

TechnoServe works to improve market systems as a whole, particularly focusing on markets that have a clear unmet demand for a product or service, potential for growth that would benefit poor communities, and the opportunity to impact large groups of people. The organization sees market systems as comprised of three primary facets: direct market players (e.g. consumers, producers, middlemen), suppliers (e.g. producers of intermediary products such as chicken feed), and influential entities (e.g. governments, infrastructure providers).

Based on this understanding, TechnoServe works in three main ways. First, they develop capacity by enabling individuals and communities to improve their skills, share knowledge, and gain access to necessary technologies. They also strengthen market connections by fostering collaboration between market players, and integrating new farms and businesses into the market system. Finally, they improve the business environment and facilitate independent economies by addressing policy issues.

TechnoServe operates in over 40 countries and has affected an estimated 10 million people. Their innovative and adaptable programs have proven that businesses have the potential to empower people and raise them out of poverty. For example, cacao farmers in Peru have doubled their yields thanks to TechnoServe’s training on how to properly prune and fertilize their trees, improve their handling and processing after harvest, and earn higher market prices by selling their cacao together.

TechnoServe has an impressive history of partnerships with for-profit companies. A recently announced partnership with Nespresso is creating a more sustainable coffee supply. Work is taking place in Ethiopia and Kenya to provide support for smallholder farmers and improve supply chain efficiency, and in South Sudan to rebuild the coffee industry after decades of instability. Project Nurture, a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates, helps foster a sustainable and profitable mango and passion fruit industry in Uganda and Kenya.

Over the past 55 years, TechnoServe has positively affected the lives of millions of people by connecting them to the tools they need to create successful businesses. Their commitment to integrity has earned them the trust of individuals, communities, corporations, governments, and fellow nonprofits. Meanwhile, their work has proven that improving markets systems reduces poverty and empowers the poor. Their success is an excellent model that should be praised, supported, and followed.

– Katie Fullerton

Sources: The New York Times, Charity Navigator, TechnoServe
Photo: Humanosphere

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Make Poverty History

Make Poverty History Aims
Make Poverty History (MPH) is staging a worldwide campaign. Its mission statement matches its name as it aims to raise awareness about global poverty and make concrete policy changes in various nations’ governments and in intergovernmental organizations.

The various national Make Poverty History campaigns are part of a larger international campaign called Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a worldwide alliance committed to making world leaders live up to their promises and ending global poverty.

 

The Admirable Aims of Make Poverty History

 

In comparison to other aid organizations that may struggle trying to apply single, cure-all strategies on a universal scale, MPH has experienced such widespread success because each participating country can focus its national campaign on different issues within the broader topic of alleviating global poverty.

Despite these slight variations, however, all countries generally focus on issues such as aid, trade, and justice that are relevant to the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals. Besides alleviating global poverty, MPH also aims to reduce the corruption that plagues many developing countries’ governments and prevents foreign aid from reaching the poorest members of society.

For example, the British MPH campaign is a coalition of charities, religious organizations, trade unions, and celebrities whose campaign slogans include “trade justice,” “drop the debt,” and “more and better aid.”

The call for “trade justice” demands a global trade system that does not allow half of the world’s population to live on less than $2 USD per day. This aspect of the campaign seeks to prevent the wealthiest countries and individuals from reaping all of the trade benefits at the expense of the impoverished.

Meanwhile, the “drop the debt” aspect of the campaign suggests canceling unpayable debt of the world’s poorest countries without cutting these countries off to the prospect of future aid. This includes creating a fair and transparent international process to ensure that human needs take priority over debt repayments .

Finally, the “more and better aid” component notes that increasing the proportion of national budgets allocated to foreign development aid will not make much of a difference unless nations can also change the way in which they deliver their aid. MPH believes that targeting aid specifically to basic health care and education, rather than giving money to governments for further allocation, is the best way to avoid corruption and address the underserved people’s true needs.

Meanwhile, Australia’s MPH campaign focuses on increasing Australia’s effective foreign development aid to 0.7% of its gross national income, tackling global climate change issues, and addressing chronic hunger problems across the globe.

While both the MPG and its parent campaign were originally created as a one-time-only campaign in 2005, the dual campaigns’ continued success have spurred leaders to extend the campaigning alliance until at least 2015. MPH is now considered the biggest, most widespread anti-poverty movement in history.

The leaders of MPH acknowledge that, despite its many successes, the fight against poverty continues on. Through campaigning, fundraising, and fighting to make their voices heard by politicians and policy makers around the globe,  MPH can ensure that the fire it has ignited in the hearts of its followers never dies.

– Alexandra Bruschi

Sources: Make Poverty History, The Guardian, Oxfam Australia, Millennium Development Goals,
Photo: The Guardian

Jim Yong Kim on Reducing Poverty

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At the USGLC (US Global Leader Coalition) 2013 Conference, June 26-28, Jim Yong Kim president of the World Bank spoke of the importance of poverty reduction. Kim believes that “for the first time in human history, we have an opportunity [to eradicate poverty]”.

The first of Kim’s goals is to end poverty by 2030. By reducing poverty rates to below 3 percent, we can “bend the arc of history”, Kim told the USGLC. With consistent growth rates, the 2030 projected poverty rate is between six and nine percent. But lowering the poverty rate down below three percent will virtually remove all poverty and leave only frictional poverty, according to Kim.

Kim defined frictional poverty as the poverty resulting from circumstances difficult to control. Situations that have to be responded to on a case by case basis, like famine or other natural disasters, will be the only poverty left after levels are reduced to below three percent worldwide.

Kim’s second goal is to boost the incomes of the bottom 40 percent. Kim emphasized that without an all-inclusive economy, societies will become increasingly unstable.

The World Bank president also placed critical importance on foreign assistance. Today, total development assistance is about $125 billion. Although influential, the amount of assistance needs to increase, Kim said. Funding for Africa infrastructure is $95 billion alone. Kim also emphasized the importance of private sector investment in eliminating poverty.

“Change will not happen,” Kim concluded, unless everyone “decides that the ultimate goal is more important than raising the flag for our single organizations.”

– Danielle Doedens

Sources: USGLC, YouTube
Photo: Merco Press

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Venezuela’s Crime Rates Rise Due to Poverty

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Venezuela is a beautiful country known for its striking natural beauty and urbanized culture. Venezuela is also home to some of the world’s largest oil deposits, and houses large quantities of coal, iron, ore, bauxite, and gold. The country has experienced great wealth and prosperity as a result of its natural resources.

However, economic growth in Venezuela had disproportionately benefited some people more than others. A majority of Venezuela’s citizens live in impoverished areas and have not benefited from the oil wealth. Over 60% of the households in Venezuela are poor families, and the unemployment rate has only been increasing over the last few years. Sewage flows into the once beautiful Guaire River, which has led to its declining safety and toxicity. Streets are covered in trash, and citizens to not have enough clean water to bathe in regularly.

Venezuela has also been experiencing an increasing crime rates. Families such as the Olivero family, live in fear of the violence, for gangs and increasing violent crimes are growing in their home town of Caracas. Every night around six, the family gathers together in their home and locks the main entrance to their house. Their homes are not the most secure protection from the violence outside, for Mr. Olivero has stated to the Huffington Post that their neighbor’s roof was penetrated by a stray bullet recently.

For the Olivero family and many others, the violence does not seem to end. Venezuela’s homicide rate is the fifth highest homicide rate in the world and is 20 times higher than that of the United States. Unfortunately, RFI explains, crime within Venezuela continues as a result of the high poverty and lack of impunity, and will not come to an end until the country’s economy improves.

Venezuelan cities are also undergoing current food shortages, for store owners are unable to fill their shelves with basic goods. Anglys Bericote, a local, explains how private businesses hold on to the supplies and goods. Bericote also stated to the Huffington Post that her town has been so low on supplies, that she was unable to buy toothpaste or toilet paper for herself and her family.

Another local, Yaneth Solano, said she does not believe that the government will help the citizens of Venezuela with these current issues of violence or poverty. She believes that nothing can or will change Venezuela, for only God could help them now. As crime, food shortages, and littering continue within Venezuela, its citizens will not see improvement until the government places more focus on helping the impoverished improve their standard of living.

– Grace Elizabeth Beal

Sources: The Huffington Post, BBC, RFI

HIV/AIDS and Poverty in South Africa

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For South Africa, HIV/AIDS is a disease specific to poverty. In 2009, over half the country’s population lived in poverty. As of 2011, almost 6 million South Africans were living with HIV/AIDS, the highest number of affected in a single country in the world. Despite these daunting figures, this year?s scientific breakthrough in antiretroviral drugs brings hope.

Samantha Oliver, 23 and a Michigan State University graduate, spent August through December in 2011 interning in Cape Town, South Africa. While working with an organization to promote HIV/AIDS research and best practices, she saw the effects of the disease. “HIV/AIDS spreads poverty and poverty spreads HIV/AIDS,” she said. Though which came first is harder to determine. Oliver went on to explain that the disease “attacks what should be the most productive sector of an economy.” People between the ages of 15-49 are most likely to contract HIV/AIDS and they are also the people making most of the contributions to the economy. When a family member becomes sick from the disease, they are unable to work and another family member must stay home to help care for them. As of 2011, about one fifth of South African women in their reproductive ages had HIV, thus continuing the problem of mother-infant transmission of HIV/AIDS.

The United Nations reported that in a national South African survey, 66 percent of people asked reported a drop in the amount of income per household due to “HIV-related illness, including the direct loss of earners.”

Despite the cyclical nature of the relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty in South Africa, progress has clearly been made throughout the past decade. While in Cape Town, Oliver saw something a lot of people watching the news or reading online reports do not see. She was able to see the work being done by South Africans for South Africans. “A lot of people think that over in Africa in particular, people are sitting around waiting for foreign aid to happen… All I saw was local doctors, nurses and pharmacists going way above and beyond their jobs to try to come up with solutions,” Oliver said. “It was creative problem solving… I think that people would be a lot more supportive of different types of aid programs if they could see that local people on the ground are already starting the kinds of projects that the funding would be needed for.” Oliver’s stay in Cape Town in 2011 was her sixth visit to South Africa.

In March of this year, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that the transition from United States-led policy to South African-led policy that began in October of 2010 was going well. The U.S. is no longer “a lead role in the provision of lifesaving services” and has moved “to an approach focused increasingly on technical support.” The good news continues this July as the UN noted that South Africa has the second largest antiretroviral program in the world and their continued battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS is showing progress. The UN also estimated that in South Africa, the rate of infection is between 17 and 32 percent lower than if the treatment were not being provided.

While attending Michigan State University, Samantha Oliver double majored in International Relations and Comparative Politics with a specialization in International Development. Of her experiences while in Cape Town, Oliver said, “If people could see what community-based organizations are doing [in South Africa], I think they would be really moved.” She also recommended that if someone were interested in learning more that they look into South Africa-based aid organizations as well as international organizations.

– Jordan Bradley

Sources: The Center for Strategic and International Studies SouthAfrica.info United Nations Development Programme Times Live UNAIDS UN Chronicle
Photo: The Telegraph

Poverty in Mexico

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This July, Coneval, the Mexican government social development agency, reported that while the national poverty rate declined a measly .6 percent, an increase in the population meant a half million increase in the number of people living at or below the poverty line. The report revealed that 45.5 percent of Mexico’s citizens live in poverty. Coneval defines poverty as living on 2,329 pesos, the equivalent of $183, per month in the city and 1,490 pesos, or $117, in rural areas. It defines extreme poverty in the city at $88 per month and $62 per month in rural settings. As of 2012, almost 10 percent of the population of Mexico lives in extreme poverty, totaling 11.5 million people.

After the Coneval data was published, Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said, “The only feasible, permanent answer to reducing poverty in Mexico is through economic growth.”

President Enrique Peña Nieto echoed a similar sentiment, promising plans for modernizing existing assistance programs and creating new programs. While Mexico’s current government assistance program Oportunidades has been internationally recognized for its success, the program mainly offers monetary support and lacks focus in policies concerning income growth.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found suggestive evidence of a connection between globalization and poverty in Mexico. Because the country was so aggressive when they opened their economy completely in 1985, Mexico’s GDP has almost tripled. In 1980, five years before tariffs were cut and other trade restrictions removed, eleven percent of the GDP was from international trade. In 2002, it reached 32 percent.

A majority of Mexico’s poorest states are in the southern region of the country. The four poorest in the nation are Chiapas with 74 percent of its population living in poverty, Guerrero at 69 percent, Puebla at 64 percent and Oaxaca at 61 percent. All four states sit well above the national poverty percentage of 45.5 percent. In Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero, 50 percent of the population lives on $62 or less a month.

Rural areas in Mexico are the areas that see the least amount of economic growth and development. This is also where 61 percent of the indigenous population lives in extreme poverty. Oportunidades focuses 99 percent of its services on rural or semi-urban areas. They are currently assisting 6.5 million families in a number of ways. Most benefits come in the form of cash deposits for the people who qualify for the program. A section of the program called Youth with Oportunidades gives economic incentives to students who graduate high school before they turn 22 years old. Because women head eight of every ten single-parent household in Mexico, Oportunidades also gives cash transfers to help pay for high-quality food for children.

The assistance that Oportunidades is offering those living in poverty benefits lives in the short run, but the global community hopes it will be a launching pad for greater economic growth in Mexico.

– Jordan Bradley

Sources: The Latin Times, World Bank, The National Bureau of Economic Research, Rural Poverty Portal, Mexidata Reuters
Photo: Allison Orthner

Biogas Program has Major Benefits for Ugandans

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Heifer International’s Uganda Domestic Biogas Program has drastically changed the lives of many Ugandans. The instillation of the biogas units (12,000 over five years) is not only bringing jobs, revenue, and efficiency to the people of Uganda, it also cutting down on pollution.

The biogas program works with readily available resources to provide Ugandans with essentials to improve quality of life. The units convert animal manure into clean and cheaper energy. This energy can be used as electricity for lighting and cooking. Not only is this a cleaner option than using kerosene lamps and burning charcoal and wood, it is also much cheaper. Households are now able to save the money they would have spent on firewood and charcoal, as well as healthcare expenses they may have been forced to pay from contracting illnesses related to breathing in unclean air.

This program teaches masonry skills and provides jobs to men and women. These masonry skills are transferrable to future jobs and have even attracted many young people. The energy has also afforded new business options for Ugandans small business owners.

The biogas program also benefits environment as it stops deforestation by reducing the need for wood and charcoal. It also cuts down on harmful burning fumes. Bio-slurry, which is a byproduct of the process, can also be uses as a fertilizer as it is much cheaper and more effective than other options on the market. Bio-slurry is organic and has resulted in higher crop yields and better-enriched soil than can continue producing crops in future years. Some households have even been able to sell excess bio-slurry to neighbors and colleagues to gain extra income.

Uganda is one of six African countries in the Africa Biogas Partnership Program (ABPP). Including Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Senegal, the ABPP’s goal is to fund 70,000 biogas units across these countries by the end of 2013 to bring much-needed revenue to people.

– Sarah C. Morris 

Sources: Tanzanian Domestic Biogas Programme, Electrify Africa Act
Photo: The Global Journal

Microfinance and the World’s Poor

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Poor populations in developing countries worldwide are often ignored by most lending institutions. Traditional banks typically do not loan to those with little income or other forms of collateral. As a result, it is extremely difficult for those in poverty to advance economically without access to forms of credit, insurance, or savings mechanisms.

Microfinance services provide these low-income individuals with a broad range of financial tools involving small amounts of money in the hopes that services like capital, banking, and insurance will assist them in rising out of poverty. The World Bank estimates that there are around 160 million people in developing countries that are currently benefiting from microfinance. Many of the institutions that provide microfinance services are nonprofit organizations like Kiva and government agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Many case studies have demonstrated that microfinance is responsible for helping low-income households meet basic needs, improve their economic welfare, and grow their livelihoods. Microfinance also helps to empower women by providing microcredit, thereby promoting equality and economic opportunities.

Microcredit provides poor entrepreneurs the ability to start or expand their businesses. Having this reliable source of credit makes it easier for them to manage cash flow and business activities. Even though the size of the capital lent seem comparatively small, sometimes less than a couple hundred dollars, it is a significant sum for half of the world’s population, who lives on less than $2 a day.

After using credit to start a business or buy land, poor individuals in developing countries can benefit from savings services that microfinance institutions provide. Since the poor are more likely to lose control of their money due to mismanagement, fraud, and corruption, secure financial services allow safer and more responsible transactions. Additionally, low-income families in developing countries are more likely to be adversely affected economically due to many uncontrollable factors such as death, illness, and natural disaster. Access to credit, insurance, and savings can make these precarious conditions easier to manage and maintain financial security.

Empirical evidence from the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) shows the benefit that microfinance services can provide to the world’s poor. For example, members of the Grameen Bank, a nonprofit microfinance organization for women, who use microfinance services have over 40% higher incomes than those who do not. Development in countries like India, the Philippines, and Morocco has also been advanced due to microcredit. Businesses have expanded and industries have diversified.

Individuals in developing countries are in dire need of a broad range of financial services. Microfinance services provides these people with the opportunity to develop their own businesses, build assets, and manage their incomes and risks. Those who are given access to microfinance services live in significantly better economic conditions than those who do not. And in time, many of these people are able to pull themselves out of poverty.

– Rahul Shah 

Sources: KIVA, CGAP, Lend with Care
Photo: The Guardian

Red Nose Day – What is it?

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For celebrities and average Joes alike, Red Nose Day is a great chance to make a complete fool of yourself. The idea, originating in the U.K. and supported by the BBC, is to take one day every other year to donate some of your time, humor, and your nose to help change lives across the U.K. and Africa. Wearing red noses, thousands of people across the United Kingdom take to “comic relief” (also the name of the organization behind Red Nose Day) as a way to raise money for households in need.

The U.K. audience is no stranger to those laying it all on the line for a laugh. So, it’s no surprise when even the more serious celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham, take to donning red “badges” of courage and let themselves be the butt of a little sporting humor. The famous couple was interviewed by Ali G, or Sacha Baron Cohen, to raise a few bucks for the cause and hilarity ensued.

But the day is not reserved for the wealthy or famous. Young and old people across the U.K. get together to raise money by hamming it up on and off the stage. From schools and grocery stores, to a live comedic set on the BBC Red Nose night, few public spaces and TVs are safe from the do-gooders and their jokes. This year, the day saw contributions accumulating to well over 100 million pounds.

Although Comic Relief and Red Nose Day donations go to fund projects worldwide, the vast majority of money is centered on projects in the U.K. and Africa. Generally, the issues addressed by these projects concern poverty and social justice, but also include mental health and asylum causes, among others. Every four years, the funding structure and program investments are reevaluated to accommodate change in the world and the local communities in which these projects take place.

On a rolling basis starting September of this year, Comic Relief accepts grant applications to receive funding for potential projects. The 2009-2012 funding cycle just ending, so now is the time for organizations to apply for these grants. So, if you have an idea that you would like to pursue, check out the application process here.

– Herman Watson

Sources: BBC, Red Nose Day, Comic Relief
Photo: Chronicle Live