Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Using the Internet to Combat Rural Poverty in China

Combat Rural Poverty in ChinaChina is the world’s largest developing economy. In 1978, 97.5% of the rural population lived in absolute poverty. Since then, the Chinese government has considered the issue of mass poverty, particularly in the rural regions of southern and western China, to be one of its central focuses. To combat rural poverty in China, the government has adopted the Targeted Poverty Alleviation Strategy (TPA) (i.e. industrialization, social security, education, housing and government compensation for the neediest families). From 2012-2019, rural poverty’s average annual reduction rate reached 51.06%. Finally, in 2020, the government announced the elimination of absolute poverty. Despite these successes, relative poverty remains extremely prevalent in China’s rural south and west, especially in ethnic minority areas. As things stand, the democratization of the Internet appears to be the next challenge to overcome in the fight against rural poverty in China.

Digital Finance in China

In 2021, China had 1.011 billion Internet users, comprising 71.6% of its total population. As smartphones and the Chinese Internet spread, so do digital finance services such as mobile payment, online banking, online insurance and online investment tools. All of these increase the accessibility of formal financial services for impoverished people who previously lacked access to them, according to PLOS ONE.

China leads the world in the ubiquitous use of digital financial services. According to PLOS ONE, for each point increase in China’s digital finance aggregation index (DFAI), the probability of rural absolute poverty decreases by 10.27% while the probability of rural relative poverty decreases by 18.31%. Specifically, digital finance alleviates rural poverty in China by spurring four developments: the decrease of credit constraints, the increase of access to information, the expansion of social networks and the promotion of entrepreneurship.

The rural poor often struggle with the high cost of agricultural loans from traditional banks. Digital finance solves this issue by compiling massive amounts of online user information to grant loans much more liberally than traditional banks ever could. Easier access to loans and capital has the effect of promoting rural entrepreneurship. Next, digital financial services offer the rural poor timely information about agricultural production, employment opportunities, etc. which help them remain economically stable. Finally, these services also provide social capital, allowing the rural poor to network with friends and family. One example is WeChat Pay, which applies the Chinese tradition of gifting red envelopes to the digital market. This increases the circulation of online money and raises income for the rural poor.

The Benefit of Internet Policies in Rural Areas

The ethnic minority areas of Aba, Ganzi and Liangshan in Sichuan Province are the most economically underdeveloped in Southwest China. It would be appropriate to use those areas as a case study of how government investments in the Internet have produced positive economic effects. Central and municipal governments have put money toward a Communication Infrastructure Investment (CII) with the intention of developing the Internet in underdeveloped regions, thus facilitating e-commerce and other economic activity.

Indeed, in recent years, villagers in ethnic minority areas have begun selling agricultural products on popular e-business sites like Taobao, Alibaba, Amazon and Jingdong, which have helped lift sellers out of poverty. The Internet also provides platforms and venues for industries like health and tourism. Data analysis from the years 2000-2018 indicates that pro-Internet investments and policies in Aba, Ganzi and Liangshan are positively correlated with local GDP for years one to four years and per capita income for the entire time.

Playing a Crucial Role

The Internet proved especially useful during the COVID-19 crisis. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, 98% of people in rural areas living in poverty had access to fiber-optic Internet in 2020, compared to only 70% in 2017. Users sold their agricultural products online to maintain a stable income amidst COVID-19 layoffs and the slowing of business. The Internet also allowed them to donate money, fostering a community-based financial support system in rural regions.

Overall, it appears that the Internet plays a vital role in combating rural poverty in China. It provides new platforms that allow people to receive financial capital while enabling entrepreneurs to market and sell their products.

– Eric Huang
Photo: Unsplash

4 Groups Making Innovation in Malawi a Reality

Innovation in Malawi
Malawi is a country that has long struggled with poverty and under-development — around 70% of the native population lives on $2.15 a day as of 2019. Many struggle without necessary resources such as clean water and food, even with an extensive agricultural sector in the country. In light of these issues, many groups work to improve the lives of the people and actively look to bring new, beneficial developments to the country. The following four groups are making innovation in Malawi a reality.

The Centre For Youth and Development’s Promotion of the SDGs

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the bedrock for many poverty-reduction movements in the world. Eliminating poverty, eliminating world hunger and providing clean water and sanitation are just some examples of these development goals. Malawi has struggled to fulfill these sustainable development goals for many years, with clean water proving the most difficult to address. The Centre for Youth and Development (CYD) seeks to make SDGs a major focus for Malawi while inspiring people to improve and empower their communities.

Based in Mzuzu, the CYD is a non-governmental organization that drives people, most prominently women and youth, to lead others in developing SDGs and innovation in Malawi. The CYD commits to this through a series of projects such as its Water is Life program. The Water is Life project seeks to overhaul the local irrigation of the Rumphi district for agricultural purposes and develop hydroelectric power for the area, which will affect 824 lives for the better. Its most recent successes in this project include building a water canal for water transport and farming.

How Converged Technology Networks is Connecting Malawi

Lack of internet access troubles Malawi. At most, 24% of individuals in Malawi had access to the Internet by 2021. This is an issue since many services, such as online banking, are available on the internet. The lack of internet also limits the availability of outside markets to reach the people, which hurts economic investment and limits the number of available jobs. Converged Technology Networks seeks to alleviate this issue by providing broadband internet to the country.

Beginning commercial operations in 2019, Converged is an internet service provider that is working to bring broadband internet to Malawi. The organization seeks to develop Malawi’s digital infrastructure and ensure that even people from more impoverished communities have access to the internet. In 2021, Converged joined forces with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to provide a grant for a feasibility study in Malawi to provide service to underserved groups in the country.

How mHub Helps Entrepreneurs

As many people live on $2.15 a day, struggles to become financially stable in Malawi are frequent. People need employment to pay for necessities, as well as develop skills in the business and technology sectors to make better, stronger systems for the economy. mHub, based in Lilongwe, works toward providing others with these skills, further facilitating innovation in Malawi.

mHub works as a hub for innovation, seeking to finance aspiring entrepreneurs working in the fields of business and technology. mHub’s work has assisted in creating more than 950 jobs for people within Malawi and has trained more than 40,000 youths in the skills necessary for these two major fields. Like the CYD, mHub uses numerous programs that help to develop communities such as the Jobs for Youth program. This project trains the youth in the tech and business fields to prepare them for future employment, which has helped in making 120 jobs for students after graduation.

The African Drone and Data Academy in Malawi

Keeping people relatively healthy is a difficult task in Malawi, especially due to the lack of sanitation and the need for proper health care facilities. Disease can run rampant if left unchecked in a community, which can put a strain on services to provide for the sick. A way to combat this problem is to collect data on the issues at hand to better prepare a response. The Malawi University of Science and Technology, in partnership with UNICEF, seeks to do this with the African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA).

The ADDA trains around 140 students in how to design and pilot drones, all to apply them to development, humanitarian efforts and innovation in Malawi. This will allow Malawi to employ drones to respond to sudden developments and for data analysis, as well as simpler things such as medical deliveries. Data can be mapped to identify key areas for disease outbreaks, which in turn can help health care standards for people across Malawi.

Bringing Innovation to the People

Institutions such as these can help to inspire others in improving their home and make life better for the country. In the years to come, Malawi can lead the way for its people to innovate in new, unique and creative ways.

– Kenneth Berends
Photo: Flickr

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Share The Meal – The App Eliminating Food Insecurity in Haiti

Eliminating Food Insecurity in Haiti
In an age where technology and electronic devices are at many people’s fingertips, global inequities can appear even starker — as William Gibson stated, “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” The world’s 2 billion smartphones outnumber its hungry children by 20 to one. But apps such as Share The Meal are pioneering new ways to use the power of our smartphones to help those living in poverty and food insecurity.

Food Insecurity in Haiti

As the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean, Haiti’s poverty rate reached almost 60% in 2020, and it is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world with regard to food insecurity. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), almost half of the Haitian population — 4.9 million people — are underfed, and 1.8 million are at dangerous levels of food insecurity. Because of this, children are malnourished and underweight, and 66% of children under the age of 5 are anemic, affecting their early-stage development.

One of the main reasons for food insecurity in Haiti is poor agricultural performance. Although roughly two in three people in the Haitian workforce have employment within the agricultural sector, agriculture only actually accounts for 25% of Haiti’s gross domestic product.

More than 40% of Haitian land is under cultivation although only 20% of its land is even suitable for agriculture. Poor soil quality and soil erosion are among the leading problems with the land, and environmental issues such as droughts and lack of irrigation make it difficult to grow crops on land which does not have soil issues.

Haiti, therefore, relies heavily on importing food, which exposes its food market to price rises and inflation from the international market. The food insecurity situation has been desperate in recent years, but this could all change due to the development of an app eliminating food insecurity in Haiti.

Share The Meal App

The United Nations World Food Programme is helping people connect with the fight to end world hunger via a smartphone application called Share The Meal. Users of the app can support relief campaigns in poverty-stricken places all over the world at the touch of a button, whether they give one meal or one year’s worth. One meal that the WFP supplies costs only $0.80 (USD) or £0.65 (GBP), and according to WFP data, more than 150 million meals have been shared since the launch of the app in 2015.

The WFP aims to reach and support 512 million people via Share The Meal in 2023. The app allows users to choose a campaign or “goal” to donate to, which gives recipients nutrition support, agricultural support, school meals and emergency assistance depending on their needs.

Eliminating Food Insecurity in Haiti

Many people are choosing to support eliminating food insecurity in Haiti through Share The Meal’s “Improve Food Security for Families in Haiti” campaign. Haitians taking part in this poverty-fighting initiative receive cash support from the WFP donations to build protective measures for their agricultural sector, such as restoring local ecosystems to act as barriers to the climate, soil and water conservation efforts and providing local farmers with essential training on how to boost agriculture.

The WFP, with Share The Meal, is building more long-term solutions in Limbé in the Nord Department of Haiti, so people have better access to food and water, and food production is more steady and sustained. Repairing irrigation canals and planting trees such as pineapple and elephant grass are helping to reduce flooding and protect existing crops, allowing for the successful cultivation of more crops. This has promoted more sustainable ecosystems and facilitated a better standard of nutrition and is gradually eliminating food insecurity in Haiti. Funds that Share The Meal raise have also allowed for a 6,000-gallon reservoir to be built, which is providing locals with access to clean drinking water, as well as a reliable source of water to tend their crops.

The Haitian government is also working with WFP to provide school meals from local agricultural produce. This system involves the procurement of rice, fruit and vegetables from smallholder farmers, which gives them not only a more stable market for their goods but allows them to contribute to the nourishment of local children and help with eliminating food insecurity.

Overall, Share the Meal is working not only to improve food security, but it is equipping Haitians with the tools they need to strengthen their agricultural knowledge and resources, which is eliminating food insecurity in Haiti due to the shortcomings of the agricultural sector. The success of this Share The Meal campaign is a reminder of how impactful our decisions as smartphone users can be, and how technology can help in the fight against global poverty.

– Molly Wallace
Photo: Flickr

How Doctors Without Borders is Helping People in Turkey

Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), is a global organization dedicated to providing essential medical care worldwide. The program collaborates with countries in need of emergency medical assistance. As reported by The Guardian, the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquakes of February 2023 resulted in the loss of 47,000 lives, with thousands of people missing and millions displaced from their homes. Doctors Without Borders has been actively involved in providing aid and support to the affected areas. Here is how Doctors Without Borders has been helping people in Turkey during the recent crisis.

6 Ways That Doctors Without Borders is Helping the People in Turkey

  1. Rapid Assessment: The medical teams from MSF in northern Syria immediately provided urgent medical care to patients following the disaster. In Idlib, the organization successfully treated more than 200 patients within the first hour of the crisis. Due to the extensive damage, numerous hospitals, including MSF’s two maternity centers in Northwestern Syria, became unusable.
  2. Medical Assistance: MSF provided medical assistance to 3,465 injured individuals in Syria, ensuring they received the necessary care. It also supplied medical kits to hospitals and clinics. In Idlib, MSF established mobile clinics to offer ambulance services, facilitating the transfer of critically ill patients for proper treatment. Although MSF was not initially present in Turkey during the earthquake, it swiftly intervened to provide aid.
  3. Mental Health Support: In the aftermath of the disasters, the destruction of numerous buildings and homes posed significant challenges for the survivors, making it exceedingly difficult for them to cope with the immense devastation and its repercussions. In response, MSF initiated efforts to offer psychological assistance to those who had lost their loved ones and residences. The fear of earthquakes left people feeling unsafe even indoors, leading to a range of mental health issues, including sleep disturbances, aftershock-related anxiety, nightmares and high levels of stress. To address these concerns, MSF volunteers collaborated with local non-governmental organizations to provide specialized psychological support, particularly for children, through the implementation of various therapeutic activities such as drawing, dancing and music.
  4. Water and Sanitation: In the affected areas, while the urgency for rapid assessment has diminished, crucial future needs still require attention. These include the provision of clean water, sanitation, hygiene and education, among others. As of April 2023, MSF has made significant progress in meeting these needs. The organization installed 61 water tanks, 312 toilets and 160 showers, and has provided over 2.5 million cubic meters of water to the crisis-affected population. Additionally, the NGO has donated substantial amounts of firewood, fruits, vegetables, hygiene kits, tents and other essential materials. MSF’s efforts have also resulted in the implementation of clean running water in the camps, effectively safeguarding the people from waterborne diseases.
  5. Collaborations: In collaboration with local partners, MSF in Turkey teams provided 38,154 hygiene kits, 2,624,721 liters of water, served 390,500 meals and distributed more than 50 tons of firewood by April 25, 2023. Generous donations from individuals around the world have greatly contributed to MSF’s efforts in assisting those who the disaster affected. All MSF operations partner with local organizations, such as Imece Inisiyatifi, Yardım Konvoyu, Maya Vakfı and others. These partnerships have been instrumental in providing aid to affected people in Turkey located in Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis and Malatya provinces.

Looking Ahead

The efforts of MSF teams were vital in providing essential aid and medical assistance to the earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria. They worked diligently to assess medical needs quickly and offer psychological and hygiene support, ensuring that the affected communities had access to basic facilities. Additionally, MSF teams provided training to local staff to ensure the sustainability of their efforts. Their primary focus was on enhancing the capacity of health care and relief services for those facing crises.

– Gurjot Kaur
Photo: Flickr

Fighting Generational Poverty with Trust Funds for Babies

Generational PovertyThe immensity of the wealth gap in both developing and developed nations is a daunting and cyclical contributor to global poverty. Without an influx of capital, those who have lived in generational poverty lack the fiscal autonomy and security to climb upwards.

Statistics reflect the truth that hard work and luck are not enough to escape generational poverty. In the United States (U.S.), for example, only 4% of poor Americans climb the rungs of the economic ladder toward wealth. The large majority of Americans born into the lowest income bracket remain there for life. Economist Darrick Hamilton confidently stated in The Journal that “Wealth is the paramount indicator of economic security and wellbeing.” Accepting this philosophy, the key question becomes: How does a society accumulate and distribute wealth to people born into the throes of poverty?

The answer just might be establishing trust funds for babies.

Looking to Babies to Address Generational Poverty

In 2002, the United Kingdom (U.K.) piloted a long-term savings account for minors called the Child Trust Fund (CTF). CTF was a tax-free savings account parents could open for their kids without facing any decrease in government benefits or tax credits. The parents of any child born in the U.K. between 2002 and 2011 received a £250 voucher to launch a CTF — they could then contribute an additional £9,000 per year. Once the child turned 18, they could access the funds in their account for any combination of reinvestment and spending they saw fit.

The government knew this was a small step in the direction of addressing generational poverty — a £250 stipend would not be enough to solve the nation’s fiscal inequity — but the hope was that a tax-free savings account for children would promote the possibility of home ownership, higher education and healthy investment practices for many who never thought such would be attainable.

Beyond the UK: Child Trust Funds in Canada

In Canada, every family is eligible to open a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP): a low-tax, long-term saving account to help guardians save for their child’s future education. RESP funds can go toward any post-secondary education including colleges, trade schools, universities and formal apprenticeship programs.

While Canadians from all income brackets are encouraged to open an RESP for their children, Canada provides direct capital to low-income families’ RESPs. Any Canadian child born into a low-income family after 2004 is eligible for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB). The Canadian government provides an initial payment of $500 in the child’s first year and continues to add $100 each year until the total governmental contribution hits $2,000.

The Canada Learning Bond, much like the U.K.’s CTF, aims to chip away at the generational wealth gaps that prevent low-income youth from actualizing their full intellectual and economic potential.

Extrapolating the Baby Bonds Model to the United States

In Connecticut, nearly 15,000 children are born into poverty each year. To help close the state’s wealth gaps and encourage innovation, investment and long-term economic growth, Connecticut recently implemented a Baby Bonds program modeled on the U.K. and Canada’s previous successes.

Any child who is born into a family on Connecticut’s public health insurance — on or after July 1, 2023 — will be automatically enrolled in CT Baby Bonds. The government will contribute up to $3,200 to each child’s trust, and at 18, after completing a financial literacy course, the child can claim their capital. The funds are to be used for home ownership, business investment, education or retirement planning. Despite the program name, CT Baby Bonds, Governor Ned Lamont backed off of the original idea to fund the program using money from investors in exchange for bonds. He worried about debt accumulation. Instead, the state will be funding the program through a deposit of $381 million of state budget surplus — meaning there will be no inflated state debt or increased tax.

The Potential Impacts of CT Baby Bonds

While a leg-up of a few thousand dollars is certainly not the end-all-be-all for leveling the playing field, it is a powerful tool in revolutionizing saving philosophies in low-income communities. “You’re more focused on possibly going to college if you see a pathway, if there’s a fund,” Former Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn Wooden shared. “You’re more focused on one day owning a home, which some people in poverty never aspire to because they don’t think it’s ever achievable.”

Shondell Vann, a mother living in Bridgeport, Connecticut with a two-year-old daughter, sees earnest hope in the Baby Bonds program. “I feel like the program would give her a little bit more of a leg up,” she said of her daughter, Maria, in an interview with The Journal. “If she wanted to have a business just like me, she would be able to fund it with no problem. Just anything she wanted to do with that money to be able to be a bit more successful than she was or just be a little bit better off than she was, is better than nothing.”

– Elena Unger
Photo: Flickr

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USAID Programs Pave Pathways in Jordan 

USAID Programs in JordanThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an influential government organization with a global presence, aims to transform the trajectory of development in developing nations. USAID, with the help of the private sector and local communities, identifies where assistance is needed the most and how to make the proper investments to solve problem areas. Since 1949, USAID has worked closely with Jordan to implement various programs that align with the goal of foreign aid and development. As of 2023, USAID continues to implement programs in Jordan, focusing on areas such as gender equality, environmental sustainability and education, to bring about positive changes.

USAID Makanati – Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership Activity

In November 2021, EnCompass Inc. a woman-owned business partnered with USAID to implement the Makanati Program, which focuses on addressing the gender gaps women face in the labor force. Unemployment has been a problem in Jordan for some time but has skyrocketed since the coronavirus pandemic at 20-25% over the last three years. Women are disproportionately impacted with a 30% unemployment rate and 14.2% labor force participation rate, according to the World Bank. Increasing female involvement in the workforce would drastically shift the unemployment rate and improve household incomes, boost economic growth and produce a more inclusive and stable workforce. This is exactly what the Makanati Program is for.

Makanati is a $30 million, five-year project with the primary goal of creating opportunities for women in the workforce. Through the right research, campaigns and interventions, it plans on improving workplace environments and employment policies so that they are inclusive of women. Makanati is taking the approach of solving root issues that prevent women from joining the workforce in the first place. Some of the restrictions women deal with include childcare and transportation or lack thereof. Given this concern, the program intends to explore alternatives to childcare and transportation modes that would give women the flexibility they need. Over the course of the next few years, as a USAID program in Jordan, Makanati hopes to create a domino effect for women as it overcomes these root issues so that it leads to overall economic empowerment for not just Jordan itself, but for the women of Jordan.

USAID Water Management Initiative – Water Efficiency and Conservation Activity

Jordan is the second most water-scarce country in the world. USAID has implemented several programs to address these issues in hopes that with the proper engineering and planning, water can be conserved and more abundant. To put it in perspective, Jordan’s annual water availability in 2012 was 145m3 and 10 years later it is less than 100m3. With significant population growth combined with water scarcity, only two-thirds of the population’s water demands are being met. While changing weather patterns play a role in the disappearing water levels, much of the cause comes from poor infrastructure including supply systems, broken piping and the lack of conservation strategies. USAID is determined to address the issues of water scarcity with the help of Tetra Tech, a consulting and engineering services firm through the Water Management Initiative (WMI).

The WMI is a $35 million five-year initiative that focuses on four key areas; water supply systems, water conservation and demand management, water sector governance and protection of water supply. Tetra Tech is taking a realistic approach in order to create long-term solutions that will provide the country with sustainable water sources. It is hoping to achieve this by partnering with the Jordanian government, Jordan’s water utility services (Yarmouk Water Company) and the private sector. By addressing the problems first and then creating solutions, these long-term goals can be achieved. As an engineering services firm, they are developing the proper framework to improve water conservation and quality management. Gradually, this program will help change the trajectory of Jordan’s resources and assist in meeting the basic need for water accessibility for the people of Jordan, including their large refugee population.

Final Thoughts

Manakati and The Water Management Initiative are simply two examples of the focus USAID programs in Jordan have on ensuring local concerns are met and root problems are identified and solved. Development is not simply applying a bandage to a deep wound; it involves thoroughly cleaning the wound, dressing it properly and providing the appropriate medication. Over the next few years, these programs intend to build a better future for Jordanians and the country as a whole.

– Sarina Qureshi
Photo: Flickr

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Addressing Child Trauma in the Caribbean

Child Trauma in the Caribbean
Grenada is a picturesque island nation at the tip of the Windward Islands region of the West Indies with a population of just under 125,000. Currently, the rate of poverty hovers around 38%, estimated by a Food for the Poor report. As a result of the high poverty rate and the legacy of colonial dehumanization, abuse is common in Grenada with 30% of women reporting mistreatment. In 2019, authorities charged a man with raping a 9-year-old girl, an instance in the 30% increase in sexual crimes against children that year.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found that poverty is a significant risk factor for neglect and physical abuse. Poverty can compromise parents’ emotional health, causing absences from home and a willingness to exploit to survive. Child abuse is a global problem, but one NGO is doing something about it. Here is how Reach Within is addressing child trauma in the Caribbean and Grenada.

Reach Within

Reach Within, a program by the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, combats child trauma in Grenada. It works within the Grenadine community ecosystem: teachers, politicians, health care workers and clergy enact its programs. Community members learn through Reach Within programs how to provide trauma-informed care. Trauma-informed practices bring hope to homes for children, foster homes and to kids on the street. Reach Within’s “philosophical underpinnings” are the cycle of rebirth following a loss. In the words of a volunteer, the organization holds that “every child, no matter their history, can learn to access their inner resources.” Reach Within has developed three, high-impact, low-cost programs that give abused children a future of safety and healing.

Self-Regulation Program

This program works beyond traditional “talk therapy.” Some children do not respond well to talking about trauma, as memories of pain can be retraumatizing. Instead, the Self-Regulation Program involves movement therapy such as tapping, drumming, yoga and breathing. According to the “Science Behind PTSD” published by the Boston Clinical Trials, trauma hits the brain stem first, which is underdeveloped in children, leading to intense anxiety that higher brain regions cannot rationalize. Reach Within uses rhythmic movement to heal this trauma. Rhythmic, repetitive music and movement help mature the brain stem and reach the child’s inner resilience.

Caregiver Certification Program

Caregivers provide the stable human attachment necessary to repattern traumatized brains. Trained in the best methods of treating child trauma, caregivers learn the brain regions affected by trauma and how to reframe traumatic events to help regulate emotional experiences. Healthy attachment can be the result of therapeutic play and eye gazing that form a sympathetic, caring human bond. This bond is imperative to successfully overcoming adversity. Self-care is also central to Reach Within’s caregiver program and caregivers are “provided with support groups and retreats” to foster growth and sustainability in all members of the community.

Transitional Living Program

This Reach Within program targets youth who are phased out of living in residential programs. It provides young adults with educational opportunities, housing and emotional support to prevent abandonment and the furthering of the cycle of abuse. These youths become mentors to the community’s children, “informing their behavior in school, work, and the world at large.”

Increasing Its Impact Addressing Child Trauma in the Caribbean

Reach Within’s practices break cycles of abuse by using science-backed soothing techniques and continuing care into adulthood. This program is built into the community’s strengths and values so that healing children’s psychological wounds can be sustainable. Despite the hurdles of poverty and a government with few policies to limit child abuse, Reach Within has dug deep roots over the past decade in Grenada’s communities with a lasting legacy. It is looking to spread its practices to address child trauma in other islands in the Caribbean. And the results so far suggest that other countries could emulate Reach Within’s philosophy and neurodevelopment-informed programs to free children from the cycle of abuse.

– Caroline Crider
Photo: Flickr

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How the Opioid Epidemic in Canada Links to Poverty

Opioid Epidemic in CanadaThe escalating issue of opioid abuse in Canada encompasses both illicit and medically prescribed opioids. From 2016 to 2022, Canada noted a total of 32,632 fatalities related to opioid use. The escalating number of opioid fatalities in Canada has prompted a focus on harm-reduction strategies and incentives designed to mitigate opioid-related deaths and safeguard the well-being of the Canadian population. According to a recent analysis of territorial and provincial surveillance reports, certain subpopulations in Canada are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing opioid crisis. These subpopulations include incarcerated individuals, First Nations people and those experiencing homelessness. Many individuals who suffer from opioid addiction are living in poverty. Many Canadians who experience addiction are living in poverty and the connection between addiction and poverty is intricate. Individuals with lower incomes have a slightly higher tendency to experience challenges with substance abuse, yet it is important to note that poverty alone does not necessarily lead to addiction. This article aims to present a comprehensive overview of the opioid epidemic in Canada.

About Canada’s Opioid Epidemic

Throughout history, Canada has seen a prevalence of illicit drug use among individuals residing in the nation. Fentanyl, an opioid substance, is a significant contributor to mortality rates in Canada. In 2022, the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario accounted for a significant proportion of opioid-related fatalities, comprising 87% of the total number of deaths. In 2016, fentanyl was responsible for 68% of the 985 deaths related to illicit drugs in British Columbia, which marks a significant increase from 4% in 2012. During the first half of 2017, the province experienced a significant increase of 83% in fatalities related to fentanyl.

According to data from 2016, individuals between the ages of 30 and 39 accounted for 28% of opioid-related fatalities in Canada. There appears to be variability in certain jurisdictions based on age and gender. The provinces of Alberta and Ontario have reported a higher incidence of opioid-related overdose deaths among women aged 44 years and older as compared to younger men. Disparities in mortality rates could potentially be attributed to variations in death investigation protocols across different jurisdictions, methods employed for death classification, toxicology examinations or reported statistical data, such as instances of suicide.

An Important Life Story

Jason, a homeless individual residing on the streets of Toronto, Ontario, who is grappling with drug abuse, has been referenced by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. Jason’s account highlights how his consumption of crack and heroin led to a fixation on attaining a state of intoxication. Jason has lived on the streets of Toronto for two decades. Following the car accident that claimed the life of Jason’s 3-year-old sibling, his parents’ grief hindered their ability to offer Jason the necessary emotional support and guidance. During the funeral of his sibling, he resorted to smoking cannabis as a means of coping with his grief.

On this particular day, Jason began the habit of drug use as a means of coping with his emotional distress and feelings of fragmentation. The video concludes with Jason stating, “If you wake up every day thinking about making money, that’s all you’re going to do. If you want to consume crack, that’s all you’re going to get. Well, you know what, I want life.” The story of Jason revolves around his experience of suffering from emotional distress and frustration during his childhood, which unfortunately remained unaddressed, leading him to resort to drugs as a coping mechanism. Poverty impacts social support, confidence and hope, making individuals who already experience poverty more likely to slip into addiction and vice versa.

Harm Reduction Efforts

Canada has made significant progress in implementing opioid harm reduction strategies. The government has implemented measures such as SCS (supervised consumption sites), overdose prevention sites, drug testing programs and naloxone kits have been implemented to address the issue.

The federal government also granted a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) for individuals aged 18 and above in British Columbia, allowing them to possess up to 2.5 grams of opiates. This is thought to reduce the number of individuals incarcerated for drug possession.

Since 2017, the Canadian government has allocated approximately $800 million to address the opioid epidemic in Canada. This includes the provision of funding for community organizations’ Substance Use and Addictions Program initiatives aimed at providing assistance to individuals who use drugs. The provision of temporary drug consumption spaces has been authorized by the government to enhance overdose prevention services, allowing provinces and territories to establish such facilities. The prioritization of mental health and addiction services is also a matter of federal concern.

The opioid epidemic in Canada presents a significant public health concern and is responsible for the loss of lives on a daily basis. The availability of treatment and community-based services is crucial for individuals grappling with addiction and mental health challenges. The timely provision of appropriate interventions to Canadians is crucial in preventing them from reaching a state of despair where drug remedies become the sole recourse for emotional distress. The allocation of funding by the federal government towards harm-reduction initiatives is a crucial step. Opioid overdoses are predominantly characterized by high rates of poverty, unemployment, lower education levels and median household income. Additional research has also identified poverty as a contributing factor to the risk of opioid overdoses. The opioid epidemic in Canada and poverty are intertwined and it is critical for the Canadian government to address this issue in ways that lower deaths and harm.

– Valentina Ornelas
Photo: Flickr

Period Poverty in Egypt

Period Poverty in Egypt Globally, approximately 500 million individuals encounter challenges in accessing necessary care and resources during menstruation. To put it into perspective, this figure is roughly five times the population of Egypt. Similar to many developing nations, Egypt experiences a disproportionate impact of period poverty on its impoverished population, resulting in detrimental effects on health, equality and sustainability.

The Complex Causes of Period Poverty in Egypt

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reports that 34% of Egyptian girls surveyed did not know what menstruation was before starting their period. Of these, 74% were “shocked, afraid or cried” during their first menstruation.

Stigmatization of periods leads to inadequate education and unreliable information: people who menstruate are often ashamed or afraid to ask questions, seek care or leave home on their period. Many young people default to unhygienic practices like not bathing during menstruation, and this can result in infection and serious illness.

Those in poverty often cannot afford sanitary resources, medication or care during their period. Many girls from impoverished families miss school while menstruating. Skipping up to a week of school every month frequently forces them to drop out, putting them at risk in a country where 35.6% of people with no formal education live in poverty.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the poor struggled to attain the appropriate resources, education and care during menstruation. Many suppliers stopped serving hard-to-reach, remote areas and period poverty-focused initiatives decreased, according to Frontiers in Global Health. Increasing economic strain led many households to deprioritize menstrual health.

Working to End Period Poverty

The 2019 World Cup winners, the Enactus Cairo University student collective, present one possible solution to period poverty in Egypt: Rosie. Rosie is a social enterprise providing environmentally friendly, hygienic, affordable sanitary pads to rural Egyptian communities.

In addition to distributing their product, Rosie’s founders taught women in impoverished communities how to make the pads themselves, boosting their income and making them active participants in eliminating period poverty. To date, Enactus estimates that Rosie has positively impacted 6,372 people across its initiatives.

Shark and Shrimp took a different route. In 2019, this Cairo-based digital marketing agency became the first company in Egypt to offer all female employees one paid day of leave per month for their period. The move was controversial, as talk of periods is rarely so public. Still, it has received praise inside and outside Egypt’s borders as an important step in removing the stigma around menstruation.

Moving Forward with Hope

Menstrual health contributes to population health, sustainable development, gender equality and human rights – and people are starting to notice. Increasing numbers of women and communities in Egypt are combatting period poverty in innovative and sustainable ways. At the same time, organizations like Shark and Shrimp are taking the lead in destigmatizing menstruation once and for all. Egypt may have much further to go, but there is cause for optimism yet.

– Faye Crawford
Photo: Flickr

War Pressures Fuel Investment in Renewable Energy in Ukraine

Renewable Energy in UkraineHistorically, renewable energy in Ukraine has represented only a marginal share of the country’s energy production. The country’s 15 nuclear reactors and fossil fuels together provide the vast majority of electricity produced in contemporary Ukraine, generating 51% and 37% of total electricity produced, respectively.

However, the war in Ukraine has interrupted both nuclear and fossil fuel energy production globally. These pressures have increased demand for and investment in energy sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric. Fortunately, many different actors have sprung to action to accelerate Ukraine’s transition to renewable energy. In 2018, there were already 347 Ukrainian renewable energy projects underway, and projections at the time suggested the number could grow in the following years.

Why Ukraine Needs Renewables

Conflict due to Russia’s invasion has damaged critical energy infrastructure, causing outages for an estimated 9 million Ukrainians as of the end of 2022. This has put many Ukrainians at risk of losing access to emergency medical treatment, safe food and other basic necessities like heat and light.

A five-fold explosion of poverty has further exacerbated the energy crisis. Since the outbreak of the war, the amount of Ukrainians living in poverty has grown to about a quarter of the population, subjecting more than 7 million Ukrainians to rising electrical costs, city-wide outages and lack of food and water.

Biomass

Ukraine’s agricultural industry is consistently ranking among the world’s largest exporters of crops such as wheat, corn and seed oils. It generated $27.8 billion in total value in 2021. Thus, biomass is one of the most promising potential sources of renewable energy in Ukraine. A 2022 study estimated the total economic potential of Ukrainian agricultural waste alone has the potential to supply “16.3% of the country’s energy needs.”

Solar

Despite only constituting around 5% of Ukraine’s energy production in 2022, solar energy production is expected to grow from 2023 onward. Public interest in renewable energy in Ukraine has increased in 2023, and The Solar Energy Association of Ukraine has responded to meet localized energy needs in impoverished or destroyed communities by cooperating with SolarPower Europe and the German Solar Association for the Solar Supports Ukraine campaign.

With the help of foundations such as the Energy Act for Ukraine and the Repower Ukraine Foundation, workers and volunteers installed hundreds of residential solar panels in Ukrainian communities in 2023, bringing energy to hospitals and homes.

Hydroelectric and Wind

Hydroelectric plants generate 6.8% of Ukraine’s electricity, but plants such as that at Kakhovka Dam have been damaged by conflict in 2022 and 2023, reducing Ukraine’s hydroelectric energy output. Luckily, Ukrainian company DTEK is filling this deficit with the 19-turbine Tyligulska Wind Power Plant, which opened in May 2023.

Built at twice the normal speed for a plant of this size, and the first of its kind in an active war zone, Tyligulska produces enough electricity for 200,000 homes, with plans to expand the plant already in development.

Looking Ahead

Renewable energy in Ukraine has already proved to be a popular and reliable solution to the hardship imposed on the country by Russia’s invasion. Fortunately, Ukrainian companies and the government are embracing the potential of these cleaner, independent energy sources.

– Finneas Sensiba
Photo: Flickr