Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

WHO Raises Awareness on Indoor Air Pollution

WHO Raises Awareness on Indoor Air PollutionFor many families, the simple act of heating their apartment or preparing a cooked meal can result in long-term health consequences ranging from respiratory infections to lung cancer. In an effort to combat the effects of indoor air pollution, the World Health Organization (WHO) is promoting a policy of greater awareness and education on the dangers of certain biomass fuels.

The luxury of an oven fan or electric stove is out of reach for many poverty-stricken countries in the Global South, necessitating the use of charcoal as a primary source of fuel for cooking. Unfortunately, charcoal-fueled cooking releases pollutant-laden smoke that, without proper ventilation, can lead to chronic air pollution-related health problems later in life.

The number of hazardous pollutants released in the smoke in staggering; containing carcinogens such as benzene, pyrene, and toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and nitrous oxides. Sadly, the diseases that result from frequent exposure to indoor air pollution are just as severe, ranging from acute lower respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and asthma. Additionally, because the societies that use such materials for fuel have most of their meals prepared by females, air pollution disproportionately affects the women and children of the household.

The WHO, in cooperation with UNICEF and USAID, is actively working to educate target publics about the dangers of indoor air pollution. Additionally, by raising awareness of the health problems caused by indoor air pollution with various NGOs and development agencies, a realistic policy in finding practical fuel alternatives to charcoal and other hazardous materials can be identified and implemented.

– Brian Turner

Source: WHO
Photo: Howstuffworks

Faces Of Africa: Making Africa Laugh

Faces Of Africa: Making Africa LaughAll over Africa, social activity rising in popularity is comedy. “Faces of Africa” is a CCTV show documenting people living in Africa who have a story to tell. In an episode titled “Making Africa Laugh,” the lives of four comedians from Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria with the mission of doing just that are documented.

Nigerian comedian Bowoto Jephta, more commonly known by his stage name Akpororo, attributes his success in comedy to poverty stating that it forced him to recognize his own talents. Besides comedy, Akpororo is well known as a singer planning to release his music album next year. Akpororo who used to be a choir member receives inspiration from the Bible and the church. Most of his jokes, he says, are “about pastors and madmen because in my church they cure madmen.” He currently resides in the Niger Delta region where he lived before his break into comedy saying that he wants to give hope to the youth. Everybody in Niger Delta, he says, is a comedian.

Kenyan Erick Omondi and Ugandan Patrick Salvador are two comedians who both starred in an event called the Battle of Migingo, a competition that pitted Kenyan comedians against Ugandan comedians. Members of the audience were in agreement that regardless of who wins, the expectation was to laugh and have fun. Salvador comments that the importance of comedy in Africa is to show that there is much more to Africa than war and poverty.

Nigerian Oke Bakasi McAntony comments that there is much growth and development occurring in Africa and lives with the philosophy that “Life is just about happiness.” He says that “It is an irony that they say we are the happiest people. Maybe because our shock absorbers are too tough.”

– Rafael Panlilio

Source: Huffington Post, Tribune

UN Pushes Arms Trade Treaty

UN Pushes Arms Trade TreatyThe United Nations is attempting to establish tighter rules for regulating the international gun trade. UNDP Administrator Helen Clark explained that these weapons “fuel conflict, violence and high levels of crime in dozens of countries,” as she argued in favor of a treaty that covers all forms of international gun transfers. After a failed round of talks in 2012, this week has seen a fresh attempt in New York City to crack down on the spread of violence worldwide.

Historically, arms control treaties have been far more successful in restricting weapons of mass destruction than small arms. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty has been largely successful since its inception, and the UN wants desperately to reduce the number of deaths from armed violence worldwide, which totaled over 500,000 in 2011—largely due to easy access to firearms.

The biggest obstacle to such a treaty would likely be opposition from the United States. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment explicitly protects an American’s right to own a handgun, in the case District of Columbia v. Heller. The proposed Arms Trade Treaty would require all countries to adhere to a universal standard on regulating the sale of firearms, and while such a change is not guaranteed to force significant modifications upon US policy, the cessation of autonomy on such a divisive issue has already created a fire in the belly of American gun advocates.

– Jake Simon

Source: UNDP
Photo: The Commentator

World Poverty Still Urgent

World Poverty Still UrgentThe World Bank leaked strategy documents revealed what critics have called an “unambitious” and “business-as-usual” approach to development, prioritizing economic growth over pressing social issues such as rising inequality. That could fail all the optimism about the significant change in world poverty and world poverty is still urgent and needs more attention.

The documents, outlining “A common vision for the World Bank Group,” introduced two new goals to guide the bank’s development work: reducing the percentage of people living in extreme poverty to 3% globally by 2030 and promoting “shared prosperity” by monitoring the income growth of the bottom 40% in every country.

Critics say the “shared prosperity” target merely expands the bank’s focus on the world’s poorest people rather than shifting it to tackle inequalities and growing gaps between rich and poor.

David Woodward, the fellow at the New Economics Foundation and previously an adviser at the IMF and World Bank, said the documents reveal a “business-as-usual scenario, with little or no change in the basic thrust of its development approach”. He said the documents showed the bank is still subordinating development goals to an overall economic growth agenda. “What we’ve still got is a global version of trickle-down economics,” he said. “We should not be designing policies promoting growth on the assumption that this will deliver everything else.”

Nuria Molina, policy director at Save the Children UK, said the targets were “very unambitious”. “The narrative is right, the terminology is right, but the devil is always in the details,” she said. To address inequality you must also rein in growth at the top, she argued. “You need to have a meaningful measure, and just looking at the bottom is not sufficient. It’s very important to look at the gaps.”

“Increasing the income growth of the bottom 40% in every country will necessarily require accelerating the pace of overall economic growth,” Woodward said the goal to reduce to 3% the share of the world’s population living on less than $1.25 a day would still leave 200 million people in extreme poverty.

Alex Cobham, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development in Europe, said the document was “disappointing.” “What this document says is we’re not going to look at ratios. It feels very much against the flow of where the global conversation has gone,” he said.

World poverty is still urgent. It is a very big issue that needs to be fixed whether the world economy is good or bad. And that is also the whole world’s task, for which we cannot just depend on the World Bank. It may not reach our expected level but maybe this is a signal to tell us we need to find more ways to solve or change the situation about world poverty.

– Caiqing Jin (Kelly)

Source: Guardian
Photo:Flickr

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Thankyou Water

Thankyou WaterAbout 900 million people around the world do not have access to clean water. Yet, here in the United States, safe and clean water costs between $2 to $3. Dan Flynn embarked on a journey where he put together two radicals and created Thankyou Water in 2008. Profits from Thankyou Water water bottle sales are directed to fund various safe water projects; a purchase equates to “one month’s worth of safe water to someone in need.”

Flynn discovered that many people around the world not only lack access to water but also that water is usually unsafe and unsanitary to drink to the point that it may cause serious illness. Flynn also found that Australians are a part of a 600 million dollar bottled water industry. Flynn’s project to tackle the global Water Crisis gives all its profit to fund safe water projects all around the world.

For over three years, Flynn and four other college students, volunteered and managed part-time jobs to cover their costs of living. This year marks the enterprise’s fourth year and the project is showing expansive growth. In December of 2012, Thankyou Water sold its five millionth bottle. Australians are increasingly supporting this project and have switched to Thankyou Water making it their new bottled water brand of purchase. Australians can “track [their] impact” through a newly developed web app where they can see which specific project is being funded by their purchase.

For more information, check out Thankyou Water.

– Leen Abdallah

Source: The Global Poverty Walk
Photo: Google

Kenya is Going Green and Improving Its Economy

Kenya is Going Green and Improving Its EconomyKenya is pushing a number of initiatives that could improve its green footprint, as well as its economy. In efforts to fight climate change and enhance development, Kenya, in the last ten years, has begun to implement a number of green initiatives that could have major benefits in the future. Kenya, in support of going green, has even added constitutional requirements to protect the environment.

One of these initiatives, entitled the Lake Turkana Wind Power project, is a very large proponent of wind-power.  In fact, this wind-power project is the biggest in the entirety of Africa. It is set to begin operating this year and is predicted to bring about 2,500 new jobs, as well as protect the environment. This alone is a great success for Kenya. And the Lake Turkana Wind Power project keeps on giving. The creation of an alternative energy source means lower energy costs, making it easier to produce goods and making services cheaper.

Another one of these initiatives, which offers similar benefits to Kenya, is the Olkaria IV Geothermal Power Project. Upon its completion in 2014, the Olkaria IV Geothermal Power Project will add 288 megawatts of power.

Green energy and power sources are desperately needed in Kenya, where polluting fuels, such as coal, are the current energy sources. Currently, 80% of Kenyans utilize wood-based fuels for their daily needs. This leads to a lot of waste going into the environment, as well as waste as tons and tons of trees are cut down and only a portion are used in the creation of charcoal.

Finding alternative fuel sources and coming up with the funding necessary to build farms like the Lake Turkana Wind Power project – which is 100% privately funded – is helping Kenya in their move towards being green and creating social equity. A lot of the benefits of such projects require long-term maintenance and support; yet they are important in making Kenya stronger economy.

– Angela Hooks

Source: allAfrica
Photo: EcoMENA

Violence in Myanmar Continues to Spread

Violence in Myanmar Continues to SpreadViolence in central Myanmar has broken out in recent days between Buddhists and Muslims. Estimates of the death toll from a recent rampage through a Muslim area are anywhere from 20 to 40; some of the victims include children. Buddhist attackers have burned mosques and entire Muslim neighborhoods to the ground in bitter offensives against one of the few minority groups in an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation.

Regions of Myanmar have experienced protracted violence, with a majority of the victims being Muslim. Over 150 people have died in the past year as attacks spread inland from coastal areas. Often, police and military units fail or outright refuse to intervene. The national government has ceded some of its authoritarian power in recent years, which had previously helped to quash inter-ethnic violence swiftly. While human rights advocates have been cautiously optimistic about these reforms, the lack of protection for victims of vicious attacks demonstrates how far Myanmar has yet to go.

President Obama has made Myanmar a focus of his travels in Southeast Asia; in November 2012 he was the first American president to ever visit the country. He met with the opposition leader, longtime political dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, who cautioned him against being too optimistic when victory appears close. Mr. Obama’s efforts to foster democracy in Myanmar are reflective of his overarching strategy of diplomacy and engagement with those leaders who he seeks to persuade on human rights issues. Now, as inter-ethnic clashes are on the rise, it is time for Myanmar to demonstrate its commitment to a society that protects the livelihoods of all its citizens.

– Jake Simon

Sources: New York Times, Reuters

Dennis Rodman Travels to North Korea and Meets Kim Jong Un

dennis and kim

Last month, ex-NBA basketball player, Dennis Rodman, did what many political leaders will never have the opportunity to do. He made the long trip over to North Korea and met with its mysterious and very powerful leader, Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is known for its isolation, yet, recently, has begun to make huge headlines in the United States. North Korea and the United States have never been allies and tension between the two countries have existed for years. North Korea’s nuclear test last month has only increased this tension, making new threats against American military bases in Japan and in Guam even more pressing and serious. The threat came earlier this month from a spokesperson for the Supreme Command of the North Korean People’s Army, who said “the U.S. should not forget that the Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, where B-52s take off, and naval bases in Japan proper and Okinawa, where nuclear-powered submarines are launched, are within the striking range of the D.P.R.K.’s precision strike means.” Videos depicting the White House and Congress buildings being blown up have recently come out of North Korea.

Yet, even with all of this, communication between President Obama and Kim Jong Un has been very little. In fact, any communication on the matter, is made through the media. The spokesperson for the Supreme Command of the North Korean People’s Army made his statement to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The Pentagon retaliated by making a rare announcement about the missions nucelar-capable B-52 bombers have and will continue to take over South Korea.

Chances of any U.S. political official making his or her way to a police state, such as North Korea is very rare. And, yet, Dennis Rodman recently acted as an ambassador for the Harlem Globetrotters, flying to North Korea to meet and spend two days with Kim Jong Un.

Dennis Rodman has come back with a lot of insight into Kim Jong Un, making it seem as if the North Korean dictator is willing to speak directly with President Obama to meet some sort of peace agreement. He even offered advice to Kim Jong Un in talking to President Obama, saying, “[Kim] loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said, ‘Obama loves basketball.’ Let’s start there.” While President Obama has not made any efforts to talk to Kim Jong Un, Dennis Rodman has been making his rounds to talk about his trip to North Korea, appearing on many talk and news shows. Recently he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and referred to Kim Jong Un as his friend and a nice guy. In an interview on “This Week,” Dennis Rodman on talking about Kim Jong Un said, “I love him. He’s awesome.”

Whether or not Dennis Rodman’s knowledge of North Korea and Kim Jong Un will be helpful to the United States in its dispute with North Korea is unknown as U.S. State Department officials have no plans to debrief the former basketball star. Former deputy assistant secretary of state, Col. Steve Ganyard, finds this ridiculous as  “There is nobody at the CIA who can tell you more personally about Kim Jong Un than Dennis Rodman.”

-Angela Hooks

Sources: CNN, NY Times, ABC News
Photo: CBS News

What Is The Poverty Line?

What Is The Poverty Line?Determining what the poverty line is and who lives below it is a task often left to international organizations. It requires much analysis and research as well as a substantial amount of estimation. That’s exactly what propelled husband and wife pair Stefen Chow and Hui-yi Lin to travel the world, combining their passions and professions, to document how much food someone living on the poverty line can actually buy.

Stefen is a photographer while his wife Hui-yi is an economist. From their frequent traveling, both had become affected by the vast differences between not only the rich and poor but the differences between the poor in each country. The question and this mission became to document what it really meant to be poor.

Although calories are the same around the world, how much can $4.91 buy-in America compared to 64 cents in Madagascar? Through their investigation, the couple spoke with the poor, trying to gain real insight into how they shop for their food. They took into account the basic essentials such as grains, fish, and vegetables but also included food such as candy and more extravagant meats to see how much could be bought in each country.

Going through the markets, Stefen Chow would photograph each amount of food against a newspaper. When asked why he chose this specific setting, he responded that as a photojournalist, the newspaper was merely a product of the artistic process. His focus was on poverty and before visiting each country, they only had in mind the set currency amount they had to work with and nothing else.

Recently, their website received a makeover. It is absolutely amazing how interactive it is with all prices listed in USD. Site visitors can easily see how much meat could be bought in Switzerland, a country whose food allowance for those at the poverty line is $10.25, compared to Nepal, where the poor are expected to survive on 45 cents per day. Images are separated based on developed countries, developing countries, food groups, and even processed or unprocessed foods.

Simple awareness through such well-assembled visual representation will no doubt bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the site. It may shock some while confirming the assumptions of others. It can also exemplify a need for policy changes in certain countries where controversy exists whether the set caloric intake as well as money allocated to food is enough for someone to survive on.

– Deena Dulgerian
Source: BBC
Photo: The Poverty Line

Abu Dhabi at the Forefront of Solar Energy Development

Abu Dhabi at the Forefront of Solar Energy DevelopmentAbu Dhabi has used its oil profits to open the largest solar power plant in the world. The United Arab Emirates is among many Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, to focus on solar energy development. The plant cost about $750 million and will provide 20,000 residences with electricity.

The energy produced by the plant, called Shams 1, will increase Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy source consumption to 7% of its total energy consumption. The plant is part of what the head of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., Ahmed al Jaber, called a “strategic plan to diversify energy sources in Abu Dhabi.” It is the first of several plants scheduled for development in the coming years.

Shams 1 has a similar design to California’s Solar Energy Generating System (SEGS). Even though Shams 1 is the largest single plant, the nine SEGS plants combined generate three times as much energy.

The irony of Abu Dhabi’s use of its oil money cannot be overlooked: by investing in solar energy development for its own electricity needs, Abu Dhabi will be able to export even more of its bountiful oil resources. Shams 1 will eliminate 175,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent carbon dioxide production of 15,000 cars.

But how many more cars across the globe will the city’s oil reserves enable to run, even as Abu Dhabi cleans up its own energy usage?

– Kat Henrichs
Source: NPR
Photo:Giz Mag