Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Africa’s Economies Thrive During Global Recovery

Africa’s Economies Thrive During Global Recovery
The global community is slowly recovering from economic difficulties across the board. However, countries in Africa continue to grow at rates that surpass all but their Asian counterparts.

According to the International Monetary Fund, African economies will remain strong throughout this year and next. GDP for the region is expected to increase by 5.3 percent while certain countries will experience even larger growth rates. Mozambique’s economy is projected to increase by 8.4 percent while Nigeria will increase by 7.2 percent. Despite the drop in the value of gold, South Africa is expected to grow by 3.3 percent this year and 6.1 percent next year. In its entirety, the global recovery is occurring at a much slower pace.

These numbers do not seem that extreme unless they’re compared to the United States’ growth rate which is predicted to increase this year to three percent. This is up from last year’s increase of roughly 2.2 percent.

In tough economic conditions such as these, the United States is being left behind in the cultivation of African businesses and the economy. China has been extremely aggressive in creating these relationships and has been reaping the benefits of it. China’s total economic growth is set for 7.7 percent growth this year.

By having a lax or overcautious attitude regarding African investment (both philanthropic and purely business), it is very possible that the United States is missing out on being a part of future success.

– Pete Grapentien

Photo: A Never Ending Dream

Self-Maintained Delight Toilets in India

Self-Maintained Delight Toilets in India

Sanitation in developing countries is often a major issue, especially when it comes to public facilities. In a country such as India where the homeless crowd the streets and a general sense of cleanliness and street maintenance is disregarded, systems such as the Delight toilets are welcomed with open arms.

The toilets are more or less remotely maintained. Everything inside the toilet from the flushing to the lights and fans is automatic. Having individual stalls function automatically greatly reduces the costs of keeping the toilets clean and also streamline their upkeep to a central monitoring agency. Water is conserved by judging based on the amount of time a person spends in the stall. The shorter amount of time, the less amount of water used to flush. To keep the stall clean, water is flushed every two hours.

Eram Scientific Solutions is the company that is building these toilets in cities such as Delhi, Kozhikode, and Kerala and hopes to install 6,000 more. Backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the systems will pay for themselves. Users will have to deposit a small amount of money to use the public facility (a commonality in most countries other than the United States). There is also an advertising room which charges companies anywhere from 1 to 5 rupees.

Keeping large cities such as Delhi and Mumbai clean is important in alleviating the stereotypes that developing countries carry with them. Not only do the Delight toilets help alleviate the image of a dirty and unpleasant city, but their model of sustainability will also facilitate more efficient and logical management of public facilities which usually tend to be misused and closed. While the toilets may not change the lives of those living in rural villages, and although they do charge a small fee, “The ultimate beneficiaries [of the Delight] are the urban poor who have no alternative access to hygienic public sanitation facilities.”

– Deena Dulgerian

Source: Co.EXIST

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UNICEF Focuses on Stunted Children

UNICEF Focuses on Stunted Children
One of the many harmful consequences of malnutrition in children is permanent “stunting” of the mind or body. The United Nations Children’s Fund is addressing this issue that affects more than 25 percent of children less than five years old. The organization is particularly concerned because “stunted” kids are put in a severe disadvantage for the rest of their lives.

According to Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF, there are several ways to help prevent birth of stunted children. Some of these methods include advocating for breastfeeding, proper vitamin intake, and consuming clean water. Lake explains a child with access to these important elements is likely to have his or her brain and body develop normally. Children who do not receive the necessary nutrient are also put at risk for numerous other illnesses or even premature death.

The first two years of life are the most significant to a child’s health. Even in the womb, children are at risk if the mother is not dedicated to a balanced diet, drinking clean water, and consuming enough Vitamin A, iron, or folic acid. If a child does experience stunted growth or “stunting,” there is no way to reverse the damage after the age of two.

Anthony Lake describes “stunting” as “the least understood, least recognized and least acted upon crisis.” Unlike being underweight, stunted children can never be fully cured. Thus, the child must carry out his or her life with an underdeveloped brain and possible nerve and cell damage. Not only is this catastrophic for the child’s learning capacity and future career, but it is also detrimental to society as well.

Most stunted children live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In India, 48 percent of children under five years old suffer from “stunting.” All of these children will never have the chance to live up to their full potential. When new generations are unable to contribute intellectually and financially to society, the country’s entire economic system suffers. UNICEF is tackling the issue of one child at a time.

– Mary Penn

Source: News OK
Photo: CNN

Poorest Countries Showing Greatest Commitment to Combating Hunger

Poorest Countries Showing Greatest Commitment to Combating Hunger
Poverty is no match for combating hunger and undernutrition, something that some of the world’s poorest countries are proving to be true according to data collected by the Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index. Some of the poorest countries are staying true and strong to their political commitment to tackle the issue, which many economically strong countries are failing to do. These countries have the funds and means to address the issue, yet they fail to put forth the initiative to adequately address it.

Hunger and undernutrition affect people all across the world, in nations poor and rich. Thus, it is necessary for governments and people to be completely committed and put forth an effort to combat hunger, saving lives, improving quality of life, and allowing people to fully reach their capacities – both socially and economically.

The Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) “ranks governments on their political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition… to provide greater transparency and public accountability by measuring what governments achieve, and where they fail, in addressing hunger and undernutrition,” according to their website. Its data comes from 45 countries located across the globe and, according to the lead HANCI research, Dr. Dolf te Lintelo, the point is to “shine a spotlight on what governments are doing, or failing to do, towards addressing hunger and undernutrition.”

African countries, such as Malawi and Madagascar, were amongst the top countries showing “high commitment” to solving the problem of hunger. Yet, many African countries with robust economies, such as Nigeria and South Africa, showed very little commitment, bringing into question what seems to be the motive behind improving their economies as there has been little done to help those that are under-nourished and hungry.

The HANCI website goes into great detail as to which countries have high commitment and which countries fail in their commitment efforts, as well as interactive tools that allow people to explore the data. Visit it here: https://www.hancindex.org/.

– Angela Hooks

Sources: AllAfrica, HANCI
Photo: Hunger and Nutrition Blog

Stunting: Why Fighting Hunger is Important

Stunting: Why Fighting Hunger is Important
In a conference held in Ireland, Anthony Lake, the executive director of UNICEF, reminded us why fighting hunger is so important. A recently released UNICEF report stated that more than a quarter of children under the age of five are permanently stunted from malnutrition. Children who are permanently stunted lack the physical and intellectual capacity to achieve their full potential. If the 165 million children been exposed to better nutrition, breastfeeding, and clean water in their first two years of life, they could have reached normal brain and body development.

Lake has urged that fighting hunger is important because children who are permanently stunted will suffer increased vulnerability to illness and early death. In order to combat this, UNICEF believes children need increased access to Vitamin A, iron, and folic acid in the womb, as well as a balanced diet and clean drinking water in the first two years of life. UNICEF argues that the minimum requirements should without question be universally available to every child on the planet.

If a child is permanently stunted from hunger, their brain never properly develops. It is unfixable. While we can fix hunger later, once a child is permanently stunted there is no going back. These children will be at a disadvantage in school. They will not learn at as quick of a pace, nor as much as their peers. This is a clear violation of the child’s human rights. And worst of all, it is something that can be corrected.

Formats such as UNICEF conferences, while not always providing the brightest or happiest news, raise awareness. Learning statistics and facts behind global hunger and poverty have the power to motivate society to get more involved. Technology and international cooperation and funding can help put an end to this problem.  The permanent stunting of children serves as a reminder of why fighting hunger is important.

– Caitlin Zusy
Source: Medical Xpress
Photo: CNN

India Experiments With Cash Assistance Program

India Experiments With Cash Assistance Program

With social programs across the world, corruption and inefficiency are always an issue. In India, the Public Distribution System, or PDS, is the largest network that provides food and other necessities to the 350 million who live below the poverty line. Economists have recently begun to formulate an experiment to get aid directly to the hands of recipients in the form of checks that they can spend as they choose.

PDS currently uses ration cards which allow people to buy grains at a cheaper price. However, there are quite a few middlemen and illegal happenings which can end up leaving anywhere from five percent to 15 percent of the original amount to the ration cardholder. With this new proposition, however, the government must deal with many theories and statistics of failure and the possibility of biting off more than they can chew.

The cash system would require recipients to open bank accounts. Only 40 percent of Indians currently have a bank account due to the impracticality of it for rural dwellers who either do not have close access to a bank or are not able to pay the fees required to have one. The idea of banking correspondents has been suggested to counter this issue. These correspondents can be explained as human ATMs who physically go to villages and customers, allowing them to withdraw money.

Reetika Khera, an economist from the Indian Institute of Technology conducted a survey asking PDS users their preference for food vs. cash. Although two-thirds said they preferred food, Paul Niehaus of GiveDirectly (an NPO that works to transfer donations electronically to poor Kenyans) warns that surveys are not the best way to test the theories. Most people who are a part of PDS have been living in a paternalistic system, as Indian economists say, where they have become comfortable and accustomed to the ration cards and are told how to spend their benefits.

These cash systems have been implemented in Mexico and Brazil where families must meet certain benchmarks and goals in order to receive their benefits. Although India’s population is significantly larger, certain states which have already put this new system to use have noticed an improvement in the distribution of funds and a decrease in corruption.

– Deena Dulgerian

Source: Co.EXIST, NY Times

Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa to Hit 5%

Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa to Hit 5%
Sub-Saharan Africa is often the focus of talks concerning global poverty, but according to the World Bank, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is set to outpace the global average over the next three years.  The high growth is contributed to higher growth in commodities, increasing investment, and the pick-up of the global economy.   Predictions are that the Sub-Saharan economies will grow by over five percent in the next three years.  Global growth forecasts were only expected to be 2.4 percent this year.

Foreign direct investment into Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to hit $54bn a year by 2015.  The growth of the economies and the increase of foreign investment have led to a significant drop in poverty.  Estimates of those living on less than $1.25 a day have fallen from 58 percent to 48.5 percent and continue to trend downward.

The World Bank is hopeful these trends can be unleashed to reach their full potential and promote more growth and less poverty throughout the region.  One of the keys to continuing this growth is a focus on infrastructure development in the region as well as access to roads and consumer markets.

One challenge Sub-Saharan economies will face is the seemingly constant labor unrest and political instability that can plague the region.  When communities start to lift themselves out of poverty, it has been shown over and over to reduce some of the negative aspects of the community. Hopefully, this will be the case in Sub-Saharan Africa as well.

As the spotlight on global poverty continues to shine, Sub-Saharan Africa will be the region to watch as they are set to achieve high levels of growth and development throughout the coming years. The growth in foreign investment, the technology of the region, and reduction in poverty leads to bright prospects for a once hopeless region of the world.

– Amanda Kloeppel
Source: BBC News
Photo: Jigsaw

UNDP Recognizes Recent Kazakhstan Growth

UNDP Recognizes Recent Kazakhstan Growth
On Monday, a UNDP global report regional presentation was held in Astana at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. The UNDP is a global development network that advocates giving people a better life through knowledge, experience, and resources. Its main focuses center around poverty alleviation, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and more.

During the presentation of the report, Adam Oliver, the director of the Bratislava regional center of the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), stated that Kazakhstan is ahead in human development in comparison to other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and Europe. Oliver went on to add that Kazakhstan is a “transforming country” because it supports other neighboring countries’ economies as well as their own.

Amie Gaye, the chairperson of the UNDP Human Development Department suggested that Kazakhstan has shown “excellent results [in human development] during the last ten years and ranked 17th among 122 countries.” In addition, she also claims that the country is ahead of others in terms of the ratio between education and income levels. Hence, in 2012, it placed 69th out of 187 countries.

– Leen Abdallah 
Source: Azer News

3 Ways Food Trucks Encourage Sustainable Business Models

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Ask anyone who lives within a major metropolitan area to pick their favorite food truck cuisine and you’ll get answers that vary from Kobe beef sliders to Korean BBQ tacos. The recent surge in food truck popularity – thanks in part to Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race as well as a greater interest in reasonably priced culinary creations – has led to scores of artistically painted trucks patrolling city centers in search of hungry office workers and curious pedestrians. But what effect has the food truck phenomenon had on in promoting eco-friendly business models and renewable energy usage? Surprisingly quite a bit, as the following list describes 3 ways food trucks encourage sustainable business models.

1. Less energy consumption – When looking at the amount of energy required to run a traditional sit-down restaurant, the overall net energy expenditure is staggering. From the power used to light the business, the air conditioning and/or heating, hot lamps, stovetops, and dishwashers; the underlying business model of restaurants promotes wasteful energy usage. Unlike restaurants, food trucks encourage sustainable business models by their almost negligible use of fossil fuels required to move them from one location to another, which can be further reduced by their ability to convert to biodiesel, making them even more environmentally responsible.

2. Locally sourced produce – Another way that food trucks encourage sustainable business models is through their efforts in using locally grown fruits and vegetables in their recipes. The amount of energy needed for both the air and ground transport of fruits and vegetable grown out of season is huge, and serves as an enabler of continued energy dependence and fossil fuel waste. By using local growers, co-ops, and farmers, food trucks are able to promote the farm to fork business model of delicious seasonal produce.

3. Low start-up costs – The extremely high costs associated with operating, staffing, and running a restaurant is often prohibitive to local entrepreneurship and economic opportunity. Not surprisingly, food trucks encourage sustainable business models by enabling a wider cross section of the community the opportunity to own and operate their own food truck, which can serve as a form of poverty reduction for many families. And by opening up the market for increased local investment and small business owners, many communities can benefit greatly from the eco-friendly food truck business model.

Food truck business could become a sustainable model in developing countries whose local cuisines can be utilized to create income without incurring the high establishment costs required for restaurants.

– Brian Turner

Source: Mother Nature Network
Photo: Daily Northwestern

Mealmatch: Social Media Fighting World Hunger

Mealmatch: Social Media Fighting World HungerSocial media is a powerful tool and two young entrepreneurs have harnessed its power to fight world hunger. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, around 925 million go hungry each day. In light of that number, Dustin Tessendorf and Joseph Tuson from Arizona developed the social media app Mealmatch.

Mealmatch is using social media to fight world hunger in a very, easy way. The app is downloaded to users’ phones and when they eat or drink at participating restaurants, they can check-in and the restaurant donates $.30 per meal to a charity. While $.30 may not seem like a lot,  it is the average cost of a meal in Africa and it can make a big difference if enough users download the app. Currently, the money from donated meals goes to over a dozen charities in Africa and two in  Chandler, Arizona. All the information about the charities is easily found on the Mealmatch website.

The benefits to restaurants are few other than positive advertising which can go a very long way. Despite this, about 40 restaurants have signed up to participate in the program. When a restaurant participates in a charitable cause, it gains them continued support and recognition. As the founders put it, “Business can no longer get away with exploiting the world for money.”

While Mealmatch is currently limited to Arizona, there is potential for growth across the United States.  Social media is powerful and two young entrepreneurs are proving that with a little creativity, it can be used to fight global hunger with the ease of checking in at a restaurant you are already visiting.

– Amanda Kloeppel

Source: Phoenix New Times