Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Global Hunger: Tech Inventions Putting an End to It

Global Hunger In 2021, the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to 828 million, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Lack of access to food, nutrients and water is a challenge that many people face, especially in underdeveloped countries. On the bright side, the following tech innovations are helping to put an end to global hunger. 

ShareTheMeal App

ShareTheMeal is a global app that allows you to donate meals to children in need all over the world. One in seven children does not have enough food to lead a healthy and active life. This app only requires one press of a button and $0.8 to feed a hungry child for one full day. The United Nations World Food Program provides the meal and shows you the location of the children you are helping. Its purpose is to empower people to end global hunger, and it has already shared at least 3 million meals across more than 80 countries. 

Going Digital in Ethiopia

Around 83% of Ethiopians live in rural areas where many families are dependent on their own agricultural production. It is vital for them to have access to education on agronomic information. According to the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), ensuring farmers receive up-to-date knowledge and data pertaining to agronomic information in a timely manner remains a great challenge in Ethiopia. However, Ethiopia now has an Agricultural and Farmer Hotline created by the ATA. With the creation of this hotline, about 500,000 users receive updated agronomic information on their cell phones via text messages and automated calls to help plan their operations. Having immediate access to new information will help smallholders make more informed decisions about their farming practices. The hotline also launched a Helpdesk that allows smallholders to ask questions and report issues to experts in the field.  

The Sanku Dosifier

Nearly half of the deaths among children under 5 years old are linked to undernutrition according to WHO. Globally, 8,000 children die every day due to preventable illness because of the lack of basic minerals and vitamins in their diet. However, the award-winning Sanku’s Dosifier adds precise amounts of essential nutrients into flour during the milling process. Sanku’s solution focuses on communities living in poverty. Most of these communities cannot afford fresh, nutrient-dense food items, so instead they live on calorie-dense, nutrient-poor maize flour to ease their hunger. Sanku partners with millers whose customers have a high incidence of poverty. Around 95% of those that Sanku has reached live on less than $5 a day and struggle to intake all of the necessary nutrients. So far, 2 million lives have been impacted by the Sanku Dosifier. 

Hippo Roller 

The average distance for women and children to walk for water in Africa and Asia is 3.7 miles according to World Visions. These communities typically balance heavy loads of water on their head (about 5 gallons), making it hard to access clean water without exhaustion. However, Hippo Roller is a drum that rolls over most terrain and holds about 24 gallons of water per drum. This reduces the time and hard work put forth just to access clean water. So far, 65,000 rollers have impacted lives throughout 50+ countries. 

WFP Innovation Accelerator Producing Less Food Waste

Almost one-fourth of produce grown for export in Kenya is rejected purely for its looks. According to WFP, that is the equivalent of throwing away 600,000 tomatoes every day purely because they “look ugly.” WFP launched a pilot project to change the destination of these vegetables from landfills to lunch by sending them into the country’s school meals program. The initiative is reducing food waste while also providing more meals for children in Kenya. Throughout the first four months of the initial project, WFP rescued more than five tons of produce and transformed it into meals for 2,200 children for 75 days. 

– Paige Falk
Photo: Unsplash

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Addressing Food Insecurity in Urban Slums

Food Insecurity in Urban Slums
Within the bustling landscapes of urban centers, where towering skyscrapers stand as symbols of progress, lies a stark reality that often goes unnoticed: the prevalence of food insecurity within urban slums. While cities may represent economic growth and technological advancements, they also encapsulate the struggles of marginalized populations residing in the shadows of affluence. This article aims to shed light on the complex issue of food insecurity in urban slums, exploring the challenges faced by these communities and examining innovative strategies aimed at providing sustenance and hope.

Food Insecurity in Urban Slums

  1. Limited Resources: Urban slums are characterized by densely populated areas with inadequate infrastructure and services. Access to essential resources, including nutritious food, remains a constant challenge for slum dwellers. Many families end up having to allocate a significant portion of their meager income to securing basic sustenance.
  2. High Food Prices: The cost of food within urban areas often surpasses the financial capacity of slum residents. The disparity between income and food prices leaves families with difficult choices, often sacrificing nutritional quality in favor of affordability.
  3. Inadequate Nutritional Intake: Food insecurity extends beyond the lack of quantity; it encompasses the lack of nutritional quality. Many urban slum residents struggle to access a diverse range of fresh and nutritious foods, leading to malnutrition and health issues, particularly among children.
  4. Unstable Livelihoods: Informal and irregular employment is common in urban slums. These unstable livelihoods lead to uncertain income streams, making it difficult to consistently secure food for families, further exacerbating food insecurity.

Innovative Strategies for Addressing Food Insecurity

  1. Urban Agriculture: Initiatives promoting urban agriculture empower slum communities to cultivate their own food. Rooftop gardens, community plots and vertical farming offer solutions for growing fresh produce within limited urban spaces, increasing food access and dietary diversity.
  2. Mobile Markets and Food Vans: Mobile markets and food vans can act as lifelines, bringing affordable and nutritious food directly to urban slums. These mobile units eliminate the need for residents to travel long distances, bridging the gap between food sources and consumers.
  3. Community Kitchens: Establishing communal kitchens or community-based food cooperatives can enable cost-effective bulk purchasing of ingredients and shared cooking facilities. This approach ensures that even those without cooking facilities can access cooked meals.
  4. Food Banks and Surplus Redistribution: Collaborations with food banks and surplus food redistribution programs redirect excess food from businesses and markets to vulnerable urban slum populations. This not only reduces food waste but also addresses food insecurity.
  5. Nutrition Education: Providing nutrition education workshops equips slum residents with essential knowledge on making nutritious choices with limited resources. Education empowers individuals to maximize the impact of the available food on their health.
  6. Social Safety Nets: Government-funded social safety net programs, such as conditional cash transfers or food vouchers, offer financial assistance to slum dwellers. These programs bridge the economic gap, allowing families to afford essential food items.

Conclusion

The specter of food insecurity looms large within urban slums, casting a shadow over the aspirations and dreams of countless individuals and families. Yet, innovative strategies can dispel the darkness. Urban agriculture, mobile markets, community kitchens, surplus redistribution, nutrition education and social safety nets offer rays of hope to those living in the shadows.

Food security is not only a basic human right but a fundamental building block for healthy lives and thriving communities. Collaborative efforts between local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses and empowered communities are crucial in implementing and sustaining these strategies. By collectively working towards addressing food insecurity, we can illuminate the path to a future where urban slum residents can step out of the shadows and into a life filled with sustenance, dignity and opportunity.

– Mihir Naik
Photo: Flickr

Elderly Poverty in Venezuela

Elderly Poverty in VenezuelaCurrently, almost 90% of Venezuelans more than the age of 60 are living below the world poverty line. While economic hardship is a widespread issue amongst all of the nation’s demographics, elderly poverty in Venezuela is a disproportionate problem. 

Underlying Causes and Exacerbating Factors

Since 2014, Venezuela has faced massive economic decline due to political corruption and fossil fuel reliance, yielding devastating effects on the nation’s elderly population. Over the past decade, Venezuela’s currency, the bolivar, has experienced an estimated 1 million percent inflation rate, making it increasingly difficult for Venezuelans to afford the goods and services necessary for survival, such as food and health care. 

These levels of inflation led to a mass exodus of more than 7 million Venezuelans – approximately 20% of the nation’s population – out of the country in search of better economic conditions and employment opportunities. As the majority of people fleeing the country were of working age, this left many seniors who decided to stay without younger relatives to care for them as they age. 

Although Venezuelans who are 65 and older have been following their families out of the country at increasing rates within the past few years, there are still plenty of elderly adults who are too weak to make the journey beyond the nation’s borders. For the senior citizens who remain in Venezuela, life is challenging, as the government lacks adequate policies and funding to care for its aging citizens.

The Current Situation

Like many nations, Venezuela maintains a government-funded old-age pension program that provides elderly individuals with a source of income after they retire from the workforce. Yet, the monthly pension that the government offers to elderly Venezuelans is essentially impossible to survive on, with each check equating to around $2.40. This $2.40 per month has already been adjusted to factor in the nation’s current inflation rate, with seniors having received less than $1 per month before May 2021. This meager monthly pension has forced many elderly Venezuelans to continue working in spite of their increasing age, and in many cases for elderly individuals who are too weak or too sick to work, to sell their possessions or beg on the streets. 

As of 2020, three in five Venezuelan seniors report going to bed hungry, and a shocking 95% of Venezuelan seniors report not having enough food on a daily basis. The Venezuelan government does have subsidized funds for community-based food distribution systems throughout the country known as Local Committees for Supply and Production. However, the food provided by these committees is generally not nutritionally dense and arrives sporadically for elderly individuals who are unable to leave the house and require their food to be delivered. 

Aside from food insecurity, there are also many obstacles preventing adequate health care for elderly Venezuelans including inflated prices and shortages of vital medications. Approximately 84% of Venezuelan seniors suffer from a chronic illness that requires medication, yet 75% of these seniors say that they are unable to access the medications or medical care that they need.   

Ongoing Efforts to Help Venezuela’s Elderly?

The European Commission has played a significant role in providing humanitarian aid to Venezuelans and has particularly focused on reaching the country’s most vulnerable populations including young children, pregnant women and the elderly. Since 2016, the European Commission has provided Venezuela with approximately  €390 million of humanitarian aid,  €75 million of which has been allocated throughout 2023. Improving food security, access to medical care and access to clean water are the top priorities for the European Commission’s work in Venezuela, and the organization continues to use its funds to provide Venezuela’s most vulnerable with critical medications, water purification equipment and nutrient-dense foods. 

Working specifically for Venezuela’s elderly is Help Age International, a non-governmental organization whose goal is to “improve the lives of older [individuals] in low-and middle-income countries” through advocacy and research, as well as direct humanitarian aid initiatives. In 2016, Help Age International formed a partnership with the Venezuelan humanitarian organization Convite in order to raise international awareness about the hardships affecting the elderly in Venezuela and to “deploy a humanitarian action program for distributing medicines” necessary to the health of seniors.

Moving Forward

Since Venezuela’s drastic economic decline, humanitarian aid organizations have provided extensive support in keeping the country’s population afloat. Fortunately as of 2021, the Venezuelan economy has begun to rebound and is now on a long, but hopeful track toward full revitalization. However, elderly poverty in Venezuela still remains a somewhat silent, and demographically disproportionate problem that continues to call for attention.  

– Reagan McDaniel
Photo: Flickr

How Poverty and Antimicrobial Resistance are Interconnected

The development of antibiotics and antivirals are some of the most prolific medical inventions to date. The introduction of these magnificent tools marked one of humanity’s biggest successes, saving millions of patients, increasing the average life expectancy and catapulting the advancement of medical sciences. Envisioning a world without antibiotics and antivirals seems nearly impossible, yet the threat of antimicrobial resistance could turn this nightmare into a reality.

What Are Antimicrobials? 

Antimicrobials are substances used to prevent, slow down and treat various infections caused by a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Common antimicrobials are antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics.

What is Antimicrobial Resistance? 

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi have a diminished response to medications designed to fight and kill them. In severe cases of antimicrobial resistance, microorganisms have absolutely no response to therapeutics. Antimicrobial resistance results in infections that are increasingly difficult or even impossible to treat. Moreover, antimicrobial resistance increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and ultimately death. 

What Drives Antimicrobial Resistance? 

Microbes develop advantageous genetic mutations over time, which allow them to resist pre-existing therapeutics including antibiotics and antivirals. This process is accelerated by a multitude of factors largely revolving around the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials. Furthermore, antimicrobial resistance is driven by a lack of sanitation and hygiene in both animals and humans, poor access to quality health care services, lack of access to clean water, unregulated production and distribution of antimicrobials and several additional circumstances which are inextricably tied to poverty-driven conditions and actions. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the relationship between poverty and antimicrobial resistance, stating that “more than any other issue, poverty and inadequate access to drugs continue to be a major force in the development of resistance.”

Elaborating on Poverty and Antimicrobial Resistance

Unfortunately, factors driving antimicrobial resistance are more pronounced in socioeconomically disadvantaged countries. Impoverished countries are more likely to have inadequate environmental regulations, which results in the spread of infectious diseases through the water, air and soil. Moreover, improper sanitation and hygiene services exacerbate this problem. Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation can greatly decrease the risk of antimicrobial infections such as gastrointestinal diseases by up to 60%. Moreover, promoting and practicing proper hand hygiene in a clinical setting has the potential to alleviate the risk of infectious disease by 40%. 

Poor countries are also more likely to experience inaccessibility to health care services which results in higher rates of antimicrobial resistance. Without access to health care facilities, qualified health care professionals and effective antimicrobials, poverty-affected areas are more likely to propagate the spread of infectious diseases. Also, insufficient funding for drug research and development leaves those most vulnerable without a way to counteract the spread of disease and drug resistance. Even when antimicrobials are available, they are oftentimes expensive and unaffordable to poverty-affected people. Thus, impoverished people are more likely to stop taking the necessary dosages of medicine in order to “split” it with other people. Alongside this, individuals may be more inclined to purchase cheaper, unregulated medicines that are substandard. Ultimately, these factors all contribute to the increased risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Misconceptions regarding Antibiotics

The issues faced by impoverished countries are compounded by a lack of awareness and knowledge. For example, misconceptions about antibiotics in poorer countries drive cultural practices that lead to self-medication and alternative forms of treatment. 

Alongside this, impoverished individuals may be less likely to understand treatment procedures such as using medications targeting the wrong type of infection (bacterial vs. viral) or discontinuing antimicrobial use too early. Lastly, impoverished communities may have less awareness of the risk of antimicrobial resistance in general.

Combating Antimicrobial Resistance

The Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund (AMR MPTF) was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health in 2019, with the United Nations Environment Programme becoming a co-signer in 2021. The AMR MPTF was initially slated to operate through 2024, but it has extended its efforts to 2030 in order to align with the Sustainable Development Goals timeline.

The AMR MPTF’s immediate funding appeal comprised more than $75 million dedicated to supporting countries most affected by antimicrobial resistance including Cambodia and Indonesia. The fund is dedicated to developing national action plans and strengthening surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. What’s more, this fund aims to increase the optimal use of antimicrobials in order to reduce the impact of antimicrobial resistance on both human and animal health. Ultimately, the AMR MPTF wants to prevent the inevitable deaths that will occur if no action is taken against antimicrobial resistance.

Looking Ahead

While the AMR MPTF is taking the necessary steps to combat antimicrobial resistance, it was listed as one of the top ten threats to global health by the WHO in 2019. Projected outlooks if action isn’t taken against antimicrobial resistance are bleak; this problem could result in 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty. Considering the relationship between poverty and antimicrobial resistance, these problems would continue to magnify at an alarming rate. Ultimately, diminishing antimicrobial resistance is imperative to the well-being of millions, particularly those who are already most vulnerable. In addition, fighting poverty could save lives in the present and prevent devastating effects in the future. 

–Olivia Welling

Photo: Flickr 

Lost Children: Child Labor in Colombia

Child Labor in ColombiaUnder the rich culture and lush landscapes of Colombia lies a bitter reality, a complex and stretched array of working children throughout the country. Child labor in Colombia affects more than 10% of all children meaning millions of Colombia’s youth find themselves in the workforce. These children sacrifice their education, childhood experiences and chances of escaping the poverty trap, as 26.0% work 30 or more hours each week, with 30.0% not attending school at all. However, efforts are being made to amend this tragedy.

Demographics of Colombian Child Workers

Child labor in Colombia was at a disheartening 11.4% in 2017, but this figure is a significant drop compared to 21.6% at the beginning of the 21st century. ​​While this reduction is commendable, more than 1.5 million Colombian children are still in the workforce. The disparities when delving into the intricacies of these approximately 1 million people are observable. Labor in household services for more than 15 hours a day represents a staggering 46% of all child labor, while rural child labor is more prevalent than in urban areas. 19.8% of rural children were part of the labor market compared to 8.2% in urban areas. Gender dynamics do not significantly impact proportionality as the rates of child labor engagement are quite similar, 10.7% for boys and 12.2% for girls.

The distribution of child labor in Colombia permeates various industries and sectors. In the most prevalent rural market, agriculture is the outstanding employer as a staggering 73.4% of child workers are engaged in farming, with domestic services second with 16.5%. The urban market has a parallel pattern as the service industry is the dominant sector with 70.5% of child workers, while manufacturing’s 13.9% sits behind. While all child labor is a disheartening truth, approximately 66,000 Colombian children work in dangerous jobs such as mining and construction.

Motivations for Entering the Workforce

The reality of child labor in Colombia is evident; however, the motivations behind it reflect social dynamics. Pursuing financial autonomy is compelling, as 37.7% of urban and 26.0% of rural working children have it as their primary motivator. Playing a role in a family business is also a consequential instigator as it employs 30.1% of urban and 51.0% of rural child workers. Colombia has experienced a considerable decline in children personifying the role of economic provider has decreased by 15% from 2003 to 2017 to 9.2%

Worst Forms of Child Labor in Colombia

The extent of child labor is not limited to traditional forms of work. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of Colombian children find themselves in the worst forms of exploitation, including armed paramilitaries, criminal enterprises and sexual profiteering. Recruitment for militia groups such as FARC-EP and Segunda Marquetalia is still occurring. UNICEF reports that 1,556 children, with an average age of merely 13.4 for girls and 14.1 for boys, were forcibly recruited by paramilitary groups between September 2011 and June 2016. These children are forced into an array of tasks, including drug dealing, smuggling and trafficking. The extent of these horrors continues with UNICEF’s report that there are around 35,000 sexually exploited children with a continuously plummeting age of initiation.

Poverty and Child Labor Synergies 

Child labor is intricately woven into the fabric of poverty in Colombia. An array of indicators reveals that the economic state of a child’s family is a momentous factor in being forced into work. Approximately 83% of children in the labor force are impoverished and those in extreme poverty are even more likely to be in child labor as well as the most vulnerable roles. Moreover, the educational and occupational situation of the parents are pivotal indicators. As parental education, especially that of mothers and status of employment increases, the likelihood of child labor decreases immensely. Intuitively, children who need to help their families immediately will push education and childhood aside for communal sustainment. 

Government Action

Amid the challenges of child labor in Colombia, the government has made notable strides to combat this issue. A series of policies have been passed and proposed that aim to reduce the causes and punish the perpetrators. There have been increased penalties for human trafficking involving children, empowerment of labor inspectors to enforce forced labor crimes and a Zero Complicity policy for prevention and prosecution. The fruits of these policies have seen the number of children working in Colombia drop by approximately 300,000 between 2014 and 2017. This is some of the work the national government has done to remedy the harsh truths of child labor in Colombia. 

The realities of child poverty in Colombia are harsh and unfortunate. More than a million children are deprived of education, carefree childhood and essential building blocks for a brighter future, casting a profound shadow. However, visible progress emerges as the Colombian authorities prioritize rectifying this situation, enabling the nation’s children to pursue a better future.

– Agustín Pino
Photo: Unsplash

Mental Health in Zambia: 5 Facts

Mental Health in ZambiaPoverty is widespread in Zambia, a country in southern Africa. It is estimated that 54.4% of the nation’s population lives below the poverty line. For this reason, alongside a lack of access to treatment, mental health in Zambia is of great concern to many nonprofits and individuals around the globe. 

5 Facts About Mental Health in Zambia

  1. Lack of mental health professionals – According to the 2020 Mental Health Atlas composed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the country only had 760 mental health professionals in total, measuring just 4.26 professionals per 100,000 people in the population. This is compared to the fact that Zambia has a population of more than 20 million in 2022. The study also estimated that the country has just 10 psychiatrists, 15 psychologists and 425 mental health nurses for the entire country. Furthermore, the nation has just one psychiatric hospital, known as Chainama Hills Hospital. This facility is located in Zambia’s capital of Lusaka. These numbers are simply insufficient to treat mental health in Zambia.
  2. Stigma around mental health disorders –  High levels of stigmatization against mental health disorders may make it less likely for people to seek treatment. Most patients in Chainama Hills Hospital do not have any contact with family or friends. Furthermore, many residents in the hospital are abandoned by their families. It is believed that much of this stigma is due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of mental illness. It is also believed that education plans and new policies on mental health would be able to deal with the issue of stigmatization as well as overall mental health in Zambia.
  3. Lack of resources to train mental health professionals – Along with Zambia’s lack of mental health professionals, the country has limited resources to train new ones. Zambia does not have any graduate programs in mental health. The only way to become a psychiatrist is to study abroad, and most students who go abroad do not return to Zambia. There are also no graduate programs for other mental health professions such as psychologists and social workers. In addition, of the 40 students who graduate from the country’s only medical school each year, about half go to work abroad, and an even smaller amount stay to specifically study in areas related to mental health.
  4. Only a select few mental disorders are treated – Almost all admissions to Zambia’s sole psychiatric hospital are for psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and for psychotic breaks. These disorders are almost exclusively treated by medication rather than talk therapy. Disorders such as depression and anxiety are rarely treated unless the patient displays psychotic traits.
  5. Nonprofits help to bridge the gap – As of 2022, there are many groups working to improve mental health in Zambia. One such group is StrongMinds. StrongMinds is a nonprofit working to treat depression on a large scale in Africa. The NGO offers free group talk therapy to women and children living in poverty in Zambia. It has treated an estimated 260,000 people, with 80% of patients being depression-free after six months of treatment. Another organization is Zambia Therapeutic Art (ZTA). The charity offers a course on therapeutic art to help treat mental illness in Zambia. As of 2020, it has trained 250 individuals in therapeutic art, who can then apply this type of therapy to those battling mental illness in Zambia.

Governmental Efforts

The country’s government has been working to implement new mental health resources. In 2019, the Mental Health Act was enacted with the goal of improving and upholding the rights and livelihoods of people living with mental illness. The act also calls for the establishment of a Mental Health Council in the country and to provide mental health treatment to those residing in prisons. In addition, The act repealed the 1949 Mental Disorders Act, which used outdated language to categorize those with mental disorders. 

– Emma Glas
Photo: Flickr

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Disability and Poverty in Puerto Rico

Disability and Poverty in Puerto RicoAccording to the U.S. National Council on Disability (NCD), nearly one in six citizens in Puerto Rico have a disability. This equates to 22% of the population. People with disabilities (PWD) are twice as likely to live in poverty. With a national poverty rate of 44%, PWD in Puerto Rico face tremendous disadvantages, warranting a necessary examination into implementable solutions.

The Price of Poverty

There are six categorizations for disabilities: hearing, visual, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care and independent living.

According to the 2017 Disability Status Report on Puerto Rico, individuals with cognitive disabilities have the most prevalent poverty rate of 58.2%. However, despite having the lowest poverty rate for PWD, visual disabilities still result in a 52.2% rate. While the poverty rate has decreased slightly, dropping to just below 50% in 2022, there is still a concerning link between disability and poverty in Puerto Rico.

Explanations for the levels of poverty in Puerto Rico

First, there are minimal job opportunities available for PWD in Puerto Rico. In 2022, the National Council on Disability noted that only about 23.7% of Puerto Ricans with disabilities play an active role in the workforce. This is a significant contrast to the 36% of PWD in the U.S.

Second, disability accommodations are costly. The NCD found that “the cost of specialized [durable medical equipment] was 11% to 58% higher in Puerto Rico versus the [U.S.].” As of the 2021 U.S. Census Bureau, Puerto Rico’s annual income per capita is approximately $14,000, making it a massive financial burden to pay for expensive equipment like electric wheelchairs.

In the mainland U.S., citizens can qualify for supplemental income and financial assistance if they have a disability and/or fall below the annual income threshold. Despite being a U.S. territory, Puerto Ricans are not entitled to these same benefits.

For example, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly colloquially known as “food stamps,” is not available in Puerto Rico. Instead, the territory is allocated a block grant, which has not been adjusted for inflation or unforeseeable disasters.

In addition, an April 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision officially excluded Puerto Ricans from the federal Supplemental Security Income program (SSI). SSI provides direct financial assistance to low-income U.S. citizens with disabilities. This vote further entrenches the exclusion and marginalization of Puerto Ricans with disabilities.

Progress Toward Equality

In lieu of SSI, the government allocates funds to the Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD) program. AABD’s supplemental assistance aims to meet the basic, daily needs of PWD in Puerto Rico. To receive this aid, individuals have to endure a “physical or mental impairment that will likely not improve and which prevents them from performing their previous job or any other paid work” and own less than $2,000 in total assets.

The Division of Human Development and Disability (DHDD) also provides early diagnosis and intervention services to aid children with disabilities throughout their development. One example of DHDD projects is the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. EDHIs work to examine a child’s risk for hearing loss and ensure an appropriate diagnosis and accommodations are put in place.

While these services show a commitment to aiding PWDs in Puerto Rico, assistance programs such as the AABD are limited. The funding is meager and split between adult assistance, foster care and adoption assistance. Instead of the $750 for an SSI recipient, AABD participants only receive $75. Therefore, more comprehensive efforts are necessary to alleviate the impact of disability and poverty in Puerto Rico.

Despite challenges, there are gradual improvements in living conditions for Puerto Ricans with disabilities. Overall, the ongoing efforts of both the U.S. and Puerto Rico hold the potential to reduce poverty and enhance the quality of life for Puerto Ricans.

– Katrina Girod 
Photo: Pixabay

Kellogg’s Helps Smallholder Farms Reduce Poverty

Kellogg's Helps Smallholder Farms Poverty remains one of the toughest global challenges, particularly for smallholder farms situated in rural areas. These farms usually face a myriad of obstacles surrounding resources, finance and a growing, pressing issue — climate change. Understanding the volume of the issue, Kellogg’s, a massive cereal and granola company, has become a pillar of support to empower smallholder farms as a route for poverty reduction. Through strategic collaborations, Kellogg’s helps smallholder farms by fostering sustainable agriculture to promote long-term economic growth.

KELLOGG’S ORIGINS™ Pledge

Fundamentally, Kellogg’s helps smallholder farms by building partnerships to support their climatic, social and economic resiliency. Its goal by 2030 is to reach 1 million farmers, including smallholders and women. As of 2020, Kellogg’s had reached 440,000 farmers around the world. Kellogg’s has constructed more than 40 ORIGINS™ projects globally. For example, Kellogg’s is helping smallholder farms in Ecuador with projects in Cocoa Training and Development. This project’s aim is to diversify the crops grown with the supplier, Olam, and to educate more than 3,000 farmers about pesticides. This would enable diverse crop growth and new income streams for farmers whose initiatives align with the specific contexts and aspirations of the communities they serve. 

Building Farmer Resilience to Climate Change

The company also promotes the use of sustainable farming techniques, such as crop rotation and water conservation, to improve soil health and mitigate environmental impacts. By pushing farmers to adapt to climate change, Kellogg’s is aiding poverty reduction. In 2022, Kellogg’s helped smallholder farms through their partnership with Enveritas, a nonprofit that verifies supply chains for multinational food companies, focusing on hard-to-reach smallholder supply chains in cocoa and coffee. Enveritas addressed that approximately 40% of Kellogg’s Cocoa source originates from Cote d’Ivoire, which gives insight into procedure footprints and the ability to address salient issues such as deforestation and potential interventions to aid smallholders from the climate crisis. 

Continuing into 2023, Enveritas supports Kellogg’s in creating a work plan to further its responsible sourcing goals. 

Fair Trade

Kellogg’s is helping smallholder farmers additionally through its use of Fair Trade ethical operations. Within farming communities, Kellogg’s helps smallholder farms by ensuring that farmers receive fair compensation for their produce, leading to increased income and improved livelihoods. This empowerment enables farmers to invest in better agricultural practices, education and health, contributing to long-term poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Curbing Hunger

As well as aiding the farmers with training and fair pay, Kellogg’s also partners with food banks, these drives limit hunger to reduce the effects of poverty in South Africa. For instance, in South Africa, the Kellogg’s® Better Days project feeds people in desperate need. Among South African children, 11% (approximately 2.1 million) lived in households that reported experiencing hunger, while 30% of children in households without hunger were categorized as living below the poverty line. Kellogg’s partnership with the Kolisi Foundation means that they are able to provide 4,000 meals in the Eastern Cape. 

Kellogg’s steadfast commitment through its work in sustainable sourcing, partnerships with local organizations, climate resilience initiatives and fair trade practices prove that Kellogg’s has made significant strides in the fight against poverty. Its strong consideration of its farmers suggests that there is hope for reducing poverty for farmers globally.

– April Plenderleith
Photo: Flickr

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3 Ways Women’s Rights in Kazakhstan are Tackling Poverty

Women's Rights in Kazakhstan
Women’s rights in Kazakhstan have been an uphill climb within the country. Moreover, Kazakhstan’s poverty rates appear to be linked to gender inequality. In 2020, the unemployment rate of women was 5.4%, whereas it was only 4.4% for men. This contrast shows how focusing on women’s rights could ease the country’s overall poverty rate. 

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country, with immense economic potential due to the vast mineral resources in its landscape. The country has seen widespread economic growth since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, as it is a former Soviet republic.

Kazakhstan has also managed to maintain a low poverty rate of 5.2% in 2021. However, this is a slight increase, as the poverty rate was 4.3% in 2019.

This increased poverty rate is likely a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, strengthening women’s rights in Kazakhstan has proven to enrich the country’s economy through technology and the job market. 

Notably, Kazakhstan is a pacesetter for Central Asian female equality on some fronts. Kazakhstan ranked 65th in the Global Gender Gap Report 2022, with its neighboring countries, Mongolia and China, ranking 70th and 102nd. With this in mind, here are three ways women’s rights in Kazakhstan are developing, and how they are alleviating Kazakh poverty. 

Job Opportunities

As of 2022, a gender wage gap of 21.7% still favors men in Kazakhstan. However, this gap has been gradually reducing. A study in 2006 revealed a wage gap of about 40%.

While there has been improvement, the persisting gender wage gap can be attributed to a societal perception that men should primarily be the household breadwinners. A 2022 Central Asia survey highlighted that two-thirds of participants held the belief that women should prioritize domestic roles over work.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted the female workforce. Between 2019 and 2020, the Kazakh male labor force participation rate rose from 74.8% to 75.5%. However, the Kazakh female labor force participation rate dropped from 66% to 63.7%. Although female employment rates are increasing, a 10% disparity remains between men and women. 

To tackle this, NGOs such as the Wonder Foundation operate in Kazakhstan to provide women and girls with skills to seek employment. Since 2015, the Wonder Foundation has directly impacted 406 girls. 

The Foundation supports the Kumbel Training Centre, a program that focuses on girls from rural areas. Participants undergo a 10-month training to assist them in finding employment in hospitality, tourism and catering. 

Legislation

Gender equality has been a priority of the Kazakh government in recent decades. In 1998 the country established the National Commission on Women, Family and Demographic Policy. The commission pushes for equal economic opportunities for women, strengthening the family unit and combating violence against women.

More recently, the Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030 aims to increase the number of women in decision-making roles to 30% by 2030. In 2022, it was 25%. 

Legislation such as this combats poverty in Kazakhstan because it aims to balance domestic responsibilities within the household. Currently, women spend three times more than men undertaking unpaid domestic roles.

Technology

In June 2023, Kazakhstan was the chair of the Dialogue of Women of Central Asia. The platform focused on female roles in technology. Events like this promote the increasing integration of Central Asian women into the labor force.

Speaker of the lower house of the Kazakh government, Yerlan Koshanow, noted: “Women in Central Asia are actively involved in the development of information and communication technologies, leaving no stone unturned in the stereotypical perception that it is not a woman’s job.”

The Womentech Network is mobilizing female ambassadors all over the globe, including Kazakhstan. Ainur Abilbayeva, Dana Aubakirova and Laura Tlepina are among the Kazakh representatives. The program aims to connect more than 100,000 women globally in their annual global conference supporting female tech spaces. 

In an incredibly fast-paced and technological society, it is crucial women possess digital literacy skills. These skills provide opportunities for women within the job market, which reduces Kazakhstan’s poverty rate. Kazakhstan is making positive strides in this field, with the internet access rate for women being 84.9% in 2022. Yet, the country has an added challenge due to its varying landscapes. More rural areas have limited internet access which can hinder this progression. Women make up over half of the rural population.

The Accessible Internet National Project aims to give all Kazakhstan residents internet of at least 100 Mbit/s, covering 3,000 villages. In addition, a new 5G is going to be implemented in many cities and regional centers. In the next few years, this scheme will greatly increase Kazakh digital literacy, subsequently providing opportunities for all. This will particularly benefit the dense female populations in rural areas. 

Providing Kazakh women and girls with transferable skills, alongside the support of NGOs and the government, will reduce overall poverty in Kazakhstan. Women have a greater chance of facing poverty than men due to disparities in employment and opportunities. Thus, career prospects, legislation and digital literacy for women are three ways women’s rights in Kazakhstan are tackling poverty.

– Beth Brown
Photo: Flickr

Shifting Towards Renewable Energy in the Maldives

Renewable Energy in the Maldives 
In the past five years, the Maldives has produced positive economic and human development outcomes. The poverty rate decreased from 3.9% in 2019 to an estimated 2.1% in 2023. Tourism, which makes up 28% of the Maldivian GDP, can be credited for this decrease in poverty. However, only about half of the Maldivian islands are tourist islands, meaning many rural islands still face developmental struggles.

Due to the size and geography of the Maldives, the islands lack the resources needed to develop new industries. The Maldives relies on importation for resources, such as energy and electricity. In 2021, the Maldives imported $553 million worth of refined petroleum. Energy imports are successful in powering the main Maldivian industries, such as tourism, fishing and sea transportation, but they come at a high cost for the Maldivian government and remain less accessible and affordable for rural islands. To combat this obstacle, the Maldives is implementing renewable energy sources — predominantly solar-powered energy. Renewable energy in the Maldives is now providing more affordable electricity, protection for current industries and potential for economic development. 

Fossil Fuel Availability in the Maldives 

Out of the 199 inhabited Maldivian islands, 197 islands receive electricity. Despite the wide physical reach of electricity, the quality and affordability of electricity differs greatly between more urban areas, like Malé, and the rural outer islands. Unlike Malé, the outer islands do not receive direct access to imported petroleum. While Malé receives power from state-owned electricity, the outer islands must purchase diesel from private resellers who apply a markup to diesel prices. Due to this, only 82 islands have 24-hour access to electricity, while others may have as little as five hours of electricity a day. This discrepancy in accessibility offers outer islands limited methods of income growth and economic development. Instead, rural islands remain reliant on electricity-free industries like small-scale fishing.

Additionally, the predominance of fossil fuel energy depletes the few natural resources that Maldivian islands do have. A previously used form of renewable energy in the Maldives is biomass energy, such as wood and agricultural residue. However, rising sea levels, which are strongly correlated to the use of fossil fuels, are depleting these resources. Rising sea levels and changing weather patterns are also reducing access to fresh water due to longer dry seasons and are raising concerns for tourism and fishery as both industries take place within 100 meters of the coastline. Renewable energy in the Maldives offers the potential for more accessible and affordable energy to all Maldivian islands, without any environmental consequences. 

Implementing Renewable Energy in the Maldives  

In 2022, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed the Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED) Project, which has helped increase renewable energy in the Maldives. The project installed a photovoltaic hybrid energy system, which harnesses both solar and wind power, in more than 70 outer islands in the Maldives. These installations have been aided by private investment, encouraged by the World Bank’s ASPIRE project. The ASPIRE project has mobilized $9.3 million in investment and provided the Maldivian government with technical assistance to install 6.5 megawatts of solar power in the Maldives. 

The ADB plans to continue this approach by installing another 20 megawatts of solar power through private investment. Other private groups are going a step further to determine how renewable energy can best be implemented while taking rising sea levels into consideration. Since 2009, Swimsol has been creating floating solar-powered energy banks to overcome land limitations. Additionally, their solar-powered energy is less expensive than diesel-powered electricity, making it an affordable option for those living in rural islands. 

Looking Ahead

Through collaborative efforts involving the Maldivian government, NGOs and private investors, renewable energy is gaining traction in the Maldives. As these initiatives progress and receive additional support, the islands of Maldives are poised to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel imports and embrace locally generated electricity from solar and wind-powered sources. This transition to renewable energy will not only grant all Maldivian islands improved electricity access but also foster healthier lifestyles while unlocking possibilities for industrial advancement and economic growth. 

– Aliya French
Photo: Flickr