Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Fragility and Rule of Law in Belarus

Fragility and Rule of Law in BelarusWhen the Soviet Union collapsed, Belarus’ neighbors, such as Poland, seemed to continue on the path of modernization and prosper over the years, having managed to grow strong ties with organizations such as the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Belarus on the other hand saw rampant inflation, organized crime and corruption under its first and only president since gaining independence from Russia. This has drawn attention to addressing the fragility and rule of law in Belarus.

Often referred to as Europe’s last dictator, Alexander Lukashenko has served as Belarus’ president since 1994. During Lukashenko’s election and subsequent early years in power, many in Belarus believed he was the man to return the nation to normality and prosperity. However, many of his pledges did not come to fruition after nearly three decades in charge and several suspected human rights violations, rigged elections and suppression of free speech.

Human Rights

According to Amnesty International, regarding Belarus in 2021: “the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly remained severely restricted.” The justice system in Belarus seems to continually suppress dissent, with protests in the nation often resulting in the arrest and torture of key dissenters.

Major critics of the Belarussian regime often end up prosecuted and imprisoned. Major websites and national and international media outlets often face bans due to ‘extremist’ views. Trends like this suggest that there is little room for freedom of expression in Belarus.

Limited freedom of association appears to be another issue in Belarus. People’s Embassies of Belarus suggest that there has been an escalation of measures that serve to repress independent trade union activities. The measures often involve intimidation and outright violence. There has been an effective ban on Freedom of assembly in Belarus. Protest participants usually have to pay hefty fines and face detention of up to 15 days.

The Right of Peaceful Assembly indicates that whereas there has been a change in the law toward a process for assemblies, law enforcement in Belarus still systematically prevents peaceful protests concerning the fragility and rule of law in Belarus with excessive force.

Torture and ill-treatment remain widely used measures to limit dissent in Belarus. Those who commit such dissent-related crimes have been on the receiving end of total impunity by Lukashenko’s government. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Belarussian security forces have methodically imperiled hundreds to torture. HRW reported on the brutality of the Belarussian police force.

The state of refugees’ and migrants’ rights in Belarus has attracted condemnation from critics. The European Commission has accused Belarus of luring migrants to the nation with a false promise that they would have entry to the EU. As a result, thousands of migrants became stranded along the border between Poland and Belarus. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) suggested that some migrants received clearance from Belarusian soldiers to move into neighboring country Poland. These soldiers cut through border fencing at night to allow migrants to cross.

Rigged Elections

In Belarus’ last election, Alexander Lukashenko appeared to win 80% of the vote. However, due to a lack of observers present and a landslide victory for Lukashenko, many claim the elections were rigged.

Considering “the election was held amid growing frustration at Lukashenko’s leadership” and questions regarding the fragility and rule of law in Belarus with rallies for opposition parties attracting large audiences around Belarus, it may have surprised some to see an overwhelming majority vote for the current government.

Miss Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya), the main opposition to Lukashenko, actually entered the election in place of her husband who had been previously jailed. The election has been heavily criticized by much of the West, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent in congratulatory messages. Ties between Belarus and Russia have grown considerably due to the isolation of Belarus by Western Europe.

Looking Ahead

When the USSR collapsed, Belarus was one of the poorest countries in Europe. Around half of the population lived below the poverty line during this period. However, in 2013, less than 1% of people lived in poverty, representing a 60% drop from 2000.

Belarus went through a period of significant economic growth from 2005 to 2011, outpacing many in Europe. This time happened to be during the financial crisis when many other nations suffered hardship. This progress suggested that Belarus can be resilient during tough global economic times. Unemployment has also significantly dropped since the 90s.  Belarus’ unemployment sat at 4.7% in 2021 compared to 24.4% in 1996.

Poverty still exists in Belarus. However, the situation seems to have steadily improved in comparison to when Belarus first gained independence. While it appears there may not be a clear end in sight to the present regime in Belarus, NGO Explorer states that there are still up to 152 NGOs working in the nation.

– Josef Whitehead
Photo: Flickr

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USAID Efforts to Advance Gender Equality

Advance Gender EqualityGender equality is a fundamental human right that is crucial for sustainable development. USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, advances gender equality through its policies, programs, and partnerships. USAID has implemented a range of strategies to promote gender equality, including the following three:

The Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative

The Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative was launched in 2019 by the Trump administration to promote women’s economic empowerment globally. The initiative has reached over 12 million women in its first year and aims to reach 50 million women in developing countries before 2025 through various programs, partnerships, and initiatives. W-GDP focuses on three pillars:

  • Women Prospering in the Workforce: This pillar aims to support women’s entrepreneurship, increase their access to capital and improve their workforce development skills.
  • Women Succeeding as Entrepreneurs: This pillar focuses on supporting women-owned and women-led businesses, improving access to markets and promoting innovation and technology.
  • Women Enabled in the Economy: This pillar aims to increase women’s access to financial services and assets and remove legal, regulatory and cultural barriers that hinder women’s economic participation.

W-GDP has already made significant progress toward its goals to advance gender equality. The initiative has launched several innovative programs and initiatives that have helped thousands of women entrepreneurs and business owners in the developing world.

U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace and Security

The U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace and Security (2019) is a comprehensive plan that aims to advance gender equality by promoting women’s participation in peace processes and conflict prevention. The strategy recognizes the importance of women’s leadership and participation in decision-making processes. It seeks to address the unique needs and challenges faced by women and girls in conflict-affected areas. The strategy outlines four main objectives:

  • To increase women’s participation in peace negotiations, conflict prevention and resolution.
  • To promote women’s protection and access to relief and recovery services in conflict-affected areas.
  • To support women’s economic empowerment and access to education and training in conflict-affected areas.
  • To improve data collection and monitoring of women’s participation and protection in conflict-affected areas.

During the fiscal year 2021, USAID supported more than 77,000 women’s participation in leadership, legal, political, conflict mediation and peacebuilding processes. Additionally, over 5.3 million gender-based violence survivors received crucial health care, legal aid, economic services and psychosocial support. To support women and girls in countries affected by natural disasters, crisis, violent extremism and conflict, USAID invested more than $243 million in various programs.

Ending Child Marriage and Meeting the Needs of Married Children

This document outlines USAID’s strategy for addressing child marriage and supporting married children. The report recognizes child marriage as a harmful practice that can have devastating consequences for girls, including limited access to education, health care and economic opportunities as well as increased risk of gender-based violence. It is estimated that every year around 10 million girls are married before they turn 18. In developing nations, 1 in 7 girls is married before turning 15 and some child brides are as young as 8 or 9. Orphans and young girls without involved caregivers are especially at risk of early marriage. 1 in 9 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 were coerced into a marriage.

The report outlines several key strategies for ending child marriage and supporting married children:

  • Addressing the root causes of child marriage, such as poverty, focusing on approaches that advance gender equality and social norms that devalue girls.
  • Increasing access to education and economic opportunities for girls which can help delay marriage and provide alternatives to child marriage.
  • Promoting laws and policies that protect girls’ rights and prohibit child marriage.
  • Strengthening health systems to provide reproductive health services and support for married children.
  • Engaging with communities and religious leaders to shift social norms and attitudes towards child marriage.

Different stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations and religious leaders must cooperate to address child marriage and support married children. There is a need for data and evidence-based programming to address the issue effectively. The report presents a comprehensive vision for ending child marriage and meeting the needs of married children and provides a roadmap for USAID’s efforts in this area.

USAID’s strategies that advance gender equality demonstrate its commitment to promoting women’s empowerment, reducing gender disparities and improving the lives of women and girls globally. Through its policies, programs and partnerships, USAID strives to create a more just and equitable world where everyone can thrive.

– Nino Basaria
Photo: Flickr

The Power of Ubuntu: Transforming Poverty in South Africa

Power of Ubuntu Ubuntu is a Zulu term that translates into ‘I am because you are, I am because we are.’ This transcendent phrase spotlights the importance of interdependence, empathy, reciprocity, solidarity and kindness within a community. Ubuntu Pathways, in seeking to use education to improve the lives of young people, recognizes the power of Ubuntu. It adopts the Ubuntu philosophy to bring about impactful change in South Africa, particularly in Gqeberha, previously known as Port Elizabeth.

Ubuntu Pathways

Ubuntu Pathways is a nonprofit organization that provides social support and resources for health and education to orphaned children in Gqeberha. In doing this, it creates unique opportunities for disenfranchised individuals to thrive and have a better future.

In 1999, Jacob Lief and Malizole ‘Banks’ Gwaxula founded Ubuntu Pathways (previously known as Ubuntu Education Fund) to directly tackle the various issues that poor households endure. This includes the lack of job opportunities, poor access to health care, low income and inadequate school resources for children.

The organization is inspired by the guiding principles and power of Ubuntu, recognizing that every child is experiencing unique struggles. Since the organization’s establishment, it has flourished significantly, focusing primarily on long-term impacts.

‘Cradle to Career’ Model

Ubuntu Pathways launched its five-year program, ‘Cradle to Career’, to provide long-term personalized support to impoverished families. This integrated approach acknowledges that there is a need to do more to assist vulnerable South African people. It dedicates time and facilities to ensure children are supported from birth to pre-school and up to the university level, providing families with financial support throughout. The initiative also has mentors who focus on helping youths achieve their life-long ambitions. These mentors provide interview and resume tips to equip their mentees for future employment. Cradle to Career also offers holiday camps and job training courses.

Impact

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ubuntu Pathways’ Cradle to Career model provided 30,000 people with food monthly, administered 40,000 COVID vaccines, helped 400 youths gain employment, supported students academically, psychologically and socially while also ensuring that all mothers with HIV birthed HIV-free infants. In 2021, the organization also bought a piece of land for building the Ubuntu High School. This idea was inspired by its Cradle to Career model.

Monitoring Success Rates

Ubuntu Pathways considers the number of university graduates when measuring the impact and success rates of its efforts. It collaborated with McKinsey & Company to create an evaluative model which provides a deep insight into assessing the university graduate’s progress in terms of having job security a good financial standing.

Looking Ahead

Ubuntu Pathways is known for providing children with a safe and supportive educational environment while assisting the most vulnerable members. Despite facing challenges like COVID-19, the organization continued serving and supporting the less privileged. This aligns with its reputation as an organization that believes in the power of Ubuntu while maintaining its commitment to improving the lives of South African children through education.

– Dami Kalejaiye
Photo: Flickr

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The Ugandan Entrepreneur Turning Waste into Water

Ugandan Entrepreneur
Uganda has experienced 20 years of economic growth and population relocation. Many Ugandan people have chosen to move from remote regions to areas around big towns and cities. Significant population growth has resulted in Uganda’s water supply and sanitation services facing exceptionally high demand. Limited supply and high demand mean that Uganda’s urban population faces high costs for access to water. Moreover, Ugandans that still live in rural areas continue to embark on long walks to collect water for their households. In light of this, a Ugandan entrepreneur, Timothy Kayondo, is turning waste into water. The following is a brief look into water quality and sanitation in Uganda.

Four Facts About Water Quality and Sanitation in Uganda

  1. Uganda has a population of 45 million people and 83% of the population do not have access to a clean and reliable source of drinking water.
  2. About 7 million people in Uganda, or around 17% of the population, do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities. 
  3. Approximately 32% of Ugandans have to embark on a journey of more than 30 minutes to gain access to water that is not suitable for drinking.
  4. Roughly 19% of Uganda’s population only possess access to streams, ponds and hand-dug wells, all of which lack the necessary filtration to make the water safe to drink. 

The Cost of Access to Water

Water.org has estimated that 72% of Uganda’s population “lives on less than $3.20 a day.” People living in the urban areas of Uganda use up to 22% of their income on maintaining access to water. A significant allocation of wages toward water access means that Ugandan households have less disposable income for other life necessities. Subsequently, it becomes challenging for the disadvantaged groups in Uganda’s population to break the current cycle of poverty.

Eco Water Purifier

In 2019, Timothy Kayondo demonstrated the Eco Water Purifier at the Global-NAMRIP’s conference in Uganda. Kayondo’s product serves as a solution to Uganda’s current water crisis. The Eco Water Purifier filters waste products such as animal bones and cassava peels to produce clean drinking water. The process involves the waste being “cleaned, fired in a vacuum-sealed furnace, soaked in acidic solution, washed in distilled water and then crushed into activated carbon.” The filter runs entirely off solar panel energy and has the capacity to purify up to 300 liters of water within the space of an hour.

Timothy Kayondo’s invention is affordable, portable and will be made accessible to all income demographics in the local population. However, public facilities, remote schools and clinics will be the main beneficiaries of the Eco Water Filter. As recognition of his achievement, Timothy Kayondo received the Africa Prize 2021 Alumni Grant. The grant was worth $19,700 and acknowledges the need to help “ambitious African innovators develop scalable engineering solutions to local challenges.”

Looking Ahead

Uganda’s struggle with access to drinkable water remains rife. However, efforts from individuals like Ugandan entrepreneur Timothy Kayondocontinue to highlight the need for effective and sustainable action against Uganda’s water crisis. The Eco Water Purifier provides an inventive solution that is most importantly accessible to those living in poverty. With time, the Eco Water Purifier can potentially become a long-term solution for Uganda’s water problems.

– Jennifer Preece
Photo: Flickr

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Supporting Refugees During Ramadan

Supporting Refugees During RamadanRamadan is the holiest month of the year for Muslims globally. During this month, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day for 30 days as an act of worship, a way to practice self-discipline and a period to empathize with the needy and less privileged. Every evening in the holy month, Muslims break their fast with a meal known as ‘iftar’.

Apart from being a fast-breaking meal, iftar plays a vital role in balancing health and nutrition. Unfortunately, in a world where 11.7% of the entire global population experiences extreme food insecurity, millions of Muslims often have no food to break their fast with. Food insecurity is a major issue affecting refugees and displaced people who rely on donations and aid to access food. In a bid to alleviate the issue, charities like Restless Beings are supporting refugees during Ramadan by providing them with iftar meals.

Restless Beings is a U.K.-based human rights organization that is making efforts to address food insecurity during Ramadan. Through distributing food packages in nations with high numbers of refugees and displaced people, such as Syria and Bangladesh, it provides iftar meals for Muslims around the world.

The Borgen Project spoke with one of the directors of Restless Beings, Rahima Begum, to find out more about the organization’s food packages and other ongoing efforts aimed at supporting refugees during Ramadan.

Food Packages

In 2023, Restless Beings is distributing food packages in Gaza, Turkey, Syria and the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. The content of the food packages varies for each nation depending on dietary requirements and cultural sensitivities. According to Rahima Begum, “As Restless Beings is a highly consultative organization, we ensure that at all stages, we speak to the community about their needs and what they want in their food packs.”

For example, the packages for refugees in Bangladesh include food items such as rice, chickpeas, lentils, vitamin supplements, oil, onions and seasonings. These are all staple items in a typical Bangladeshi diet. In Gaza and Syria, the packages include tea, pasta, beans, feta cheese, dates and bulgar. The Turkish food packages include most of the aforementioned as well as olives, tahini and ingredients for making traditional Turkish bread. Each food package contains enough to feed a family for at least one month.

The food packages are distributed by the organization’s on-the-ground teams. As of April 2023, Restless Beings has provided food packages and other forms of assistance to over 50,000 refugees globally.

Feeding Refugees in the UK

For Restless Beings, supporting refugees during Ramadan in the U.K. is just as important as supporting refugees abroad. It partners with other organizations that specialize in assisting refugees and migrants arriving in the U.K. to provide occasional free, warm iftar meals throughout Ramadan. It also donates baked snacks, including bread and pastries, which refugees can take away. The service is not exclusive to only Muslims, as Restless Beings is committed to helping refugees from all religious and cultural backgrounds. The organization is affiliated with two food banks in East London, both of which provide free or discounted food to the homeless and those affected by extreme food insecurity.

Gifting Presents and Haircuts

Restless Beings is supporting refugees during Ramadan in ways other than providing food. It also aims to restore joy and hope in the lives of refugee children. Many of the children that Restless Beings works with have witnessed extreme violence and experienced severe political conflict and displacement. This has stripped them of their fundamental human right to safety and deprived them of their childhood.

The organization is making efforts to give children something to look forward to while encouraging them to believe that there is hope for a better future. It gifts children in the Rohingya refugee camps hampers, new clothes, shoes and fresh haircuts to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the day that follows the end of Ramadan. For Rahima Begum, the gifting service is of utmost importance because it bestows a sense of normalcy and dignity on the recipients that aids their emotional healing. She says “When a child is reminded of their dignity and given an opportunity to feel and look fresh… this child feels like they are seen, heard and most of all, valued.”

Concluding Thoughts

Through their work in supporting refugees during Ramadan, Restless Beings is addressing global food insecurity and bringing nourishment and familiarity to affected people. A Muslim herself, Rahima reflects that “feeding a fasting person is a blessed action” and doing so provides her with the opportunity to ensure Muslims less fortunate than herself can “observe the religious duties that [she is] personally adhering to, in the most comfortable way possible.”

– Mohsina Alam.
Photo: Flickr

Everything to Know About Hunger in Burkina Faso 

Hunger in Burkina FasoBurkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, struggles with conflict-induced household displacement. This poses significant challenges to crop production and harvests, resulting in issues of hunger in Burkina Faso. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that in 2022, more than 90% of the surveyed households were involved in crop production. According to the same report, many of the surveyed households experienced several conflict-related challenges.

Shocks

In 2022, the FAO conducted the DIEM (Data in Emergencies Monitoring) assessment, surveying more than 5,000 households throughout Burkina Faso. The survey asked households whether they had experienced any of several shocks as early as three months prior to August 2022. Among the surveyed households, 70% reported experiencing one or more shocks in that timeframe. Sickness or death of a household member accounted for 46% of the reported shocks, while higher food prices accounted for 31%. In the Sahel region, 55% of those surveyed reported an increase in food prices.

On top of the widespread increase in food prices, 50% of households throughout the country reported experiencing a decrease in primary income. Apart from increasing food prices, up to 81% of respondents in the Sahel region reported experiencing a decrease in primary income.

Inflation Crises

The FAO reports that Burkina Faso’s inflation rate reached as high as 18% between July and August 2022, further contributing to the hunger problem. Repeated instances of conflict in the Sahel and Centre-North regions have led to significant population displacement in those areas. Among the survey respondents, more than 70% reported crop production difficulties. Nearly 40% of crop producers reported insufficient access to irrigated water, and 59% reported insufficient access to fertilizers. Of the households that participated in the FAO survey, 96% reported a need for food production assistance in the following six months. Among them, more than 60% reported needing food assistance.

Reports from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) suggest that around 40% of Burkina Faso’s population lives below the poverty line, and up to 20% of the population is classified as food insecure.

Actions Toward Change

There are ongoing efforts aimed at decreasing hunger in Burkina Faso and alleviating its short-term and long-term effects. The Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), along with other humanitarian organizations such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), are working hard to combat these issues. At the annual meeting of the Network for the Prevention of Food Crisis in West Africa, the UNICEF, FAO and WFP issued a joint statement calling on other governments to increase their investments in support of Burkina Faso and other struggling neighboring countries by strengthening their food security and nutrition programs.

The FAO has reached more than 600,000 people in Burkina Faso, assisting them with food production. Additionally, the FAO provides cash-based transfers and complementary services to more than 400,000 people.

In 2021, USAID provided almost $12 million in funding to support agricultural production, food security and vulnerable communities in Burkina Faso. The organization also helps farmers by increasing their access to water for agricultural purposes and mitigating the effects of climate-related shocks on their livelihoods.

Looking Ahead

Several organizations are working tirelessly to combat the rising levels of hunger in Burkina Faso despite the challenges posed by rising inflation rates, intense conflict in the northern regions, decreasing primary income and insufficient livelihood protection. One of the main goals is to ensure that more citizens can get access to food.

– Christopher Dickinson
Photo: Flickr

Mental Health in Sudan

Mental Health in SudanSeveral studies highlight that decades of violence and conflict in Sudan have significantly impacted the mental health of its citizens. Yet, suitable mental health care in the country is lacking, prompting action from organizations to improve mental health in Sudan.

Mental Health in Numbers

In Sudan, most mental health service providers are centralized in the capital of Khartoum. A barrier to mental health care access is the location of psychiatric hospitals — out of 18 states of the country only 12 states have “fully-equipped psychiatric hospitals” managed by qualified psychiatric personnel. Of these hospitals, six are located in Khartoum and the other six states are “managed by non-specialist medical doctors or by clinical psychologists and medical assistants,” a study, published in 2020, by Abdelgadir H. M. Osman and others says.

According to the Mental Health Atlas 2020, Sudanese people struggling with mental conditions pay for mental health care services and related medicines “mostly or entirely out of pocket.” Sudan has 34 psychiatrists, 425 psychologists and 366 social workers. Very few psychiatrists operate in Sudan’s rural areas. In total, as of 2020, 878 professionals across public, private and NGO sectors manage mental health in Sudan.

Many young doctors opt to move abroad to further their knowledge, experience and salaries. This causes a shortage of health professionals, who are often stretched beyond their capacity. Illustrating this, data shows that Sudan has only 2.05 total mental health professionals per 100,000 people in a country with a population of nearly 45 million people.

Sudan’s GDP in 2021 stood at about $34 billion. In 2020, Sudan spent about 6.5% of its GDP, equal to 1.7 billion, on health care with no specific allocation for a mental health budget.

Mental Health Policies

Although Sudan drafted a Mental Health Act in 1998, the Sudanese parliament approved it 10 years later in June 2018. Sudan’s mental health policy, which was last published in 2008, centers around the following guidelines: “developing a mental health component in primary healthcare, scaling up human resources, involvement of patients and their families, strengthening advocacy, promotion of the human rights protection of patients, equity and access to mental healthcare services across different groups, quality improvement, financing and monitoring systems.”

In 2009, Sudan developed a policy to restructure the mental health care system in the nation. Leading psychiatrists in Sudan participated in developing these documents and Sudan received technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The cost of medication in a low-income country leaves a majority of civilians in need when having to choose between basic necessities and medicine for their mental health. Additionally, the stigma surrounding mental health makes people more reluctant to seek help. For instance, for women in Sudan, mental health issues “can lead to their family restricting their social presence” and mental health struggles can “[diminish] their opportunity to marry,” according to an article by WagingPeace.

The International Organization for Migration

In 2022, the International Organization for Migration’s EU-IOM Joint Initiative celebrated World Mental Health Day by carrying out community-based Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) activities in states within Gedaref and Khartoum. The IOM recognizes that foreign migrants, returnees and internally displaced persons face the most barriers to accessing mental health care in Sudan.

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative held a seminar to educate as many as 60 people on the importance of mental health care. The initiative also held a three-day mental health campaign via radio in three local languages.

Additionally, the initiative held a football match for 200 young people in Gedaref to raise awareness of mental health and encourage participation in sports and physical activities to maintain positive mental health.

Furthermore, the IOM held three focus group discussions that highlighted barriers to mental health access and how the IOM can play a role in addressing these challenges. The organization also provided mental health information to students at Gedaref University and supplied information on safe migration.

Looking Ahead

NGOs and other health organizations are working toward facilitating a better understanding of mental health for civilians of Sudan. By increasing the number of trained mental health care professionals and establishing additional mental health care facilities, especially in the more rural areas, mental health in Sudan can improve.

– Amin Isameldin Amin
Photo: Flickr

Improving Living Conditions in Nigeria 

Living Conditions in NigeriaNigeria is a sub-Saharan African country bordering Niger to the North and Cameroon to the South. Although living conditions in Nigeria have seen a positive change in recent years, a large amount of its population still lacks access to everyday living needs such as clean water, healthcare and education.

Construction of Waterpumps and Sanitary Spaces

Despite water accessibility having improved immensely in Nigeria in the past few years, a significant portion of the country’s population still lives without access to clean water and sanitary spaces.  WaterAid statistics report that 46 million Nigerians do not have access to clean water while 116 million people in the country are without access to decent toilets. To address this issue, WaterAid constructed clean toilets for approximately 300,000 Nigerians living in poverty. This effort resulted in toilet accessibility in Nigerian homes and schools.

WaterAid has also taken steps to support women and girls in Nigeria. By building a new hand pump in the village of Orwua Nyam, girls can now safely access clean water without having to go to neighboring communities. It also supported every house in receiving a toilet in their home and an additional toilet in the village for visitors. This has helped to reduce the spread of diseases in the village and allowed families to live in clean and healthy conditions.

Aiding Internally Displaced Children

Widespread poverty, political unrest and an unstable economy leave many Nigerians without shelter. The charitable work of SOS Children’s Villages supported more than 15,000 people in 2015. The organization’s support includes providing homeless children with a safe and supportive home alongside other needs such as counseling, medical support and access to education facilities. SOS Children’s Villages also helps to reunite internally displaced children with their siblings, enabling them to experience growing up among family. SOS Children’s Villages’ efforts in Nigeria not only provide safe and fulfilling childhoods for children but also aims to improve overall living conditions in the country.

Education

Nigeria experiences some of the highest school absence rates in the world. UNICEF reports that one in every five children who do not attend school is in Nigeria. Approximately 10.5 million children aged 5-14 years old do not attend school. According to UNICEF, gender marginalization is still a significant issue in the country, with more than half of the girls not receiving an education. In a bid to improve the educational system and achieve SDG 4 by 2030, UNICEF has developed a plan to eliminate societal barriers that hinder children’s access to education. Its goal is to provide humanitarian assistance to children who are least likely to receive an education, enabling them to access a safe school environment.

Fighting HIV/AIDS

As is the case with many impoverished African countries, Nigeria suffers from high rates of HIV. Nigeria accounts for 9% of the world’s total HIV cases and has the second-highest number of people living with the illness in the world. The U.S. government assists Nigeria through the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which provides life-saving HIV therapy to more than 600, 000 Nigerians living with the disease. The emergency plan also provides support programs for one million children who have been affected by HIV.

Fighting COVID-19

Since January 2020, Nigeria has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with World Health Organization (WHO) statistics showing more than 260,000 cases of the virus and 3,155 fatalities as of April 2023.

To combat the spread of the virus, WaterAid has prioritized education as a key defense. The organization has used radio jingles on Nigerian channels to spread information on COVID-19. These jingles had a minimum estimated reach of over 800,000 people per radio broadcast, making them an effective way to spread updates on how to limit the spread of the virus.

Looking Ahead

With aid from charitable projects, living conditions in Nigeria have seen dramatic improvements in the past few years. Through efforts in education and healthcare, these organizations aim to help in creating a future where Nigerians can enjoy better living conditions.

– Freddie Trevanion
Photo: Flickr

How AI in Indian Agriculture Is Revolutionizing Its Poorest Regions

AI in Indian agricultureIndia is a nation with immense economic potential. In 2021, the World Bank ranked the nation first among the world’s seven largest emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). India boasts an economy expected to grow by 7% in 2023. Despite this, its agricultural sector has struggled to keep up with the productivity levels in other comparable nations. A host of persistent structural issues inhibit irrigation, communication and a general understanding of crops.

AI, however, is increasingly helping innovate India’s agricultural economy. With the promise of abundant near-future investment, it could hold the key to a breakthrough in Indian agriculture. This, in turn, could yield a breakthrough in the battle against poverty.

The Importance of Agriculture to India’s Economy

For India, agriculture is key to its socioeconomic welfare. It is crucial to both its economy and food security, employing some 200 million people. The industry makes up 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 40% of the total rural net domestic product.

General poverty rates in India have halved between 2006 and 2016, but India’s agricultural system suffers from acute structural issues. It is markedly behind the worldwide average in key areas, such as yield productivity in essential crops, water availability and market access.

These issues depreciate farm incomes and significantly worsen livelihoods, ultimately increasing indigence. India, however, finds itself at an inflection point, at which new technologies are showing the potential to galvanize productivity and alleviate poverty.

How AI is Causing Positive Change

In recent years, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have allowed farmers to better understand their land, soil and crop health as well as neighboring environments. Two teams at Google are leveraging AI in Indian agriculture in order to develop a “unified ‘landscape understanding.” The AI works by employing satellite imagery and machine learning to draw boundaries between fields, crucial to forming meaningful calculations. Following this, the AI can determine the acreage of farm fields, as well as irrigation structures like farm wells which can help create tools for drought preparedness. This can also help calculate previous water availability over the past month, three months or year, all critical in establishing water security and drought management strategies.

Another promising advance for AI in Indian agriculture has come from the World Economic Forum’s Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Innovation (AI4AI). This is led by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) India. By promoting the use of artificial intelligence, the AI4AI aims to “bring… together government, academia and business representatives” to develop innovative solutions for the agricultural sector. As of January 2023, 7,000 farmers, primarily chili producers, have been using the technology to monitor their crops. They also use it to perform quality control and test soil, which helps them access new customers in different regions.

An Even Brighter Future

The positive effects of AI in Indian agriculture have two dimensions. For farmers today, the accurate understanding of field performance and environmental conditions it provides allows them to reduce land and water waste while increasing crop yield. Yet, even more promising is the potential benefits it could bring to future farmers. As more information is gathered on farm performance, agricultural loans will become more available. This will allow state governments to provide increasing support for farming districts at scale. AI in Indian agriculture, led by companies such as Google, will support its rapidly growing technology industry. New artificial machinery is also increasingly undergoing development to make farming practices more efficient and sustainable.

Domestic investment indicates a positive future. At present, there are more than 1,000 agri-tech startups in India. They offer a range of services, including digital finance, quality testing and market connect platforms. As agri-tech develops, these businesses should exponentially increase agriculture productivity and sustainability, improving food security for some of India’s poorest people.

Some Challenges AI May Face in Agriculture

Though AI presents a very exciting prospect for Indian agriculture, it is not free of potential challenges. Foremost among these is the fact that AI systems require a great deal of data to train machines and make accurate predictions. For large agricultural areas, learning models would take time to mature. Though solutions are emerging, there may be a significant delay until farmers can reap their full benefits.

Nonetheless, recent developments of AI in Indian agriculture herald a fundamental change in productivity that should continue revolutionizing the yield, communication and water access of farmers over the coming years, and perhaps even decades. This will provide vital economic assistance to India’s farmers, many of which live below the extreme poverty line, and crucially stabilize food security to help feed the country’s 1.4 billion people.

– Gabriel Gathercole
Photo: Flickr

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5 Facts About the Feminization of Poverty

Feminization of Poverty
The “feminization of poverty” is the concept of social and economic factors that keep women disproportionately poor globally. It touches on how women experience poverty in more severe forms than men. It also looks into how poverty is on the rise among women.

Gender inequality is the most common form of inequality in the world, and as a result, it is one of the biggest barriers to alleviating poverty. The following are some important facts to know about the feminization of poverty in the world.

5 Facts About the Feminization of Poverty

  1. Millions of Women Live Below the Poverty Line: Estimates from U.N. Women reported that 388 million women and girls around the world would be living in poverty in 2022. For comparison, the study reported the number of men and boys in the same category as 372 million. It also stated the potential for the number to reach 446 million in a “high-damage” scenario.
  2. Women of Color are the Most Affected: Of the number of women living in poverty, 345 million are from Asia and Africa. This means the feminization of poverty spans across the axes of intersectionality such as race and ethnicity. But this does not stop at the global south, as women of nearly all races and ethnicities are more likely to face poverty than their white counterparts. In the U.S., 91.9% of women living in poverty are black, Asian, Hispanic, Alaska native or other races, while only 9% are white.
  3. Violence Keeps Women and Girls Poor: Women who have abusive partners or family members may be less likely to find work due to potential control issues. If they are able to find work, they may miss days and opportunities as a result of injury. For instance, in the MENA region, 35% of women experience domestic violence, resulting in Gender-Based Violence (GBV) accounting for a loss of 3.7% in the GDP, as women are also prevented from participating in labor. Women that are unable to work and earn a living have a harder time escaping their situation. Consequently, they continue to live below the poverty line.
  4. Women are More Likely to Get Low-Income Jobs: In the U.K. alone, a fifth of women are working jobs that are below the real living wage. This means that 2.9 million women are living below the living wage. In comparison, only 1.9 million men work low-paying jobs that place them below the living wage. Most recent estimates show that globally, women earn 16% less on average than their male counterparts. In Australia and New Zealand, the gender pay gap stands at 19.3%, and in India, it is 14.4%.
  5. Childbirth Impacts Career Progress: Less than one in five women in the U.K. return to full-time work within the first three years after childbirth, and 17% of women leave work completely after having children, compared to only 4% of men. This disparity in gender responsibilities results from various factors, such as poor maternal leave policies and the disproportionate burden of caretaking duties on mothers. This situation highlights how gender inequality affects a woman’s earning potential and ability to lift herself out of poverty.

Ongoing Efforts and Potential Solutions

Fighting gender inequality plays a significant role in ending poverty. U.N. Women, which emerged in July 2010, has a project dedicated to supporting women worldwide, training them to become entrepreneurs and start small businesses. UN Women has four strategic priorities that include helping women to participate in and benefit from governance systems, secure income and exercise economic autonomy. Its aim is to free women and girls from all forms of violence and enable them to contribute to building a sustainable world.

Other organizations like ActionAid and Forgotten Women are committed to delivering safe aid to help women out of poverty and crisis situations through training and awareness initiatives. In 2021, ActionAid spent £31.9 million on humanitarian and development programs globally.

There is still much work to do in the fight against female poverty. Nonetheless, several organizations are already working to provide women with the support and opportunities that they need to succeed. Supporting the ongoing efforts of active organizations, through awareness and community work, can potentially play a vital role in putting an end to the feminization of poverty.

– Safa Ali
Photo: Flickr