Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Eli Lilly and Company’s Push Toward Accessible Insulin

Accessible Insulin
In 2022, Eli Lilly and Company became a corporate partner of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) with the aim of treating and preventing non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, in young people globally. This four-year commitment aims to lower death rates and prevalence rates of ailments impacting children in low-and-middle-income countries. The pharmaceutical company has also acknowledged WHO’s Global Diabetes Compact, launched in 2021, and the WHO’s request for companies in the private sector to help further the goals of the compact. The compact’s key asks are to unite stakeholders, integrate better treatment and prevention worldwide (particularly in low-and-middle-income countries), innovate by “close[ing] priority research gaps,” track progress by setting targets, funding health care and educating about diabetes. With these goals in mind, Eli Lilly has made a push toward accessible insulin.

Eli Lilly and Company

Founded by Colonel Eli Lilly in 1876, Eli Lilly and Company has spent more than 145 years manufacturing medicines for the general public. The company has manufactured “commercial quantities of insulin” since the 1940s so that life-saving medicine for people with diabetes would become more widespread.

The company operates in close to 125 countries with 14 manufacturing sites worldwide. It offers products worldwide, with a presence in Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and various parts of Asia. While its headquarters are located in Indianapolis, it has subsidiaries in many countries, including Malaysia, Peru, Turkey, Austria and Israel.

Eli Lilly’s most notable product is its insulin. Humalog, also known as Insulin Lispro Injection, is a “fast-acting insulin” that the company sells. This insulin serves to control the high blood sugar levels of both children and adults. Eli Lilly also manufactures various cancer and immunology medicines, with more than 47 million people relying on its medication.

EVA Pharma Partnership

In December 2022, Eli Lilly partnered with EVA Pharma to manufacture and supply accessible insulin to low-and-middle-income countries. EVA Pharma products reach more than 40 countries and are made in facilities that are internationally known by organizations like the European Medicines Agency for “high-quality standards.”

Eli Lilly provided EVA Pharma with its API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) for insulin at a reduced price, alongside providing “pro-bono technical assistance.” The aim is for African-made insulin to be distributed within 18 months and for it to reach 1 million people by 2030, as part of the Lilly 30×30 initiative. The initiative pairs with external organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and aims to make quality health care more accessible for 30 million people in “limited-resource settings,” particularly in low-and-middle-income countries.

Price Cuts

In March 2023, Eli Lilly reduced the price of its insulin by 70%, dropping from $275 to a maximum of $35. Most notably, the company slashed the price of Humalog and its non-branded insulin. This occurred more than a year after China’s push for accessible insulin in 2021 when Eli Lilly reduced the price of insulin in China by 75%. During China’s push for more accessible insulin, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi cut their insulin prices by an average of 48%.

China’s VBP (volume-based procurement) goal in 2021 entailed providing consistent and lower pricing across the country for medication, particularly for medicine that had “outlived their exclusivity.” This centralized drug procurement program saved medical institutions ordering insulin an estimated 9 billion yuan. Another benefit of the program is the lowered price of insulin for patients with diabetes, thus making long-term use of this life-saving medication more affordable.

Impacts on Diabetic People in Developing Countries

A study by Anastasia A. Lam and others reports that, in 2019, 463 million people suffered from diabetes globally, and by 2045, this statistic could grow to 700 million. Furthermore, the study notes that 80% of those with diabetes live in low-and-middle-income countries. The International Diabetes Federation’s Diabetes Atlas projects a 129% increase in the prevalence of diabetes in Africa. This equates to 55 million people in one area of the world alone and showcases a dire need for accessible insulin.

The public has progressively become more invested in the insulin industry. While Eli Lilly has been involved in initiatives for accessible insulin for a couple of years, for instance, its partnership with UNICEF since February 2022, the public continues to become more scrutinous toward the pharmaceutical industry.

As a result of this, accessible insulin has become important for companies like Eli Lilly to stay afloat. The more accessible insulin that comes from a particular company, the higher the chance of other companies following suit. When a global environment is bred for high-quality and affordable health care, companies and countries face pressure to provide just that through actions as large as China’s national insulin procurement program or as small as the average person’s critique. Eli Lilly’s recent actions demonstrate a push toward more accessible health care for diabetics and paint an optimistic outlook for the future of health care.

– Lachlan Griffiths
Photo: Flickr

Treating HIV/AIDS in China

HIV/AIDS in China
For the better part of half a century, China’s population has been the largest of any country in the world. A country so populous – its 2020 census reported a population of more than 1.4 billion – typically requires a sophisticated, well-equipped and well-informed health care system that all within the borders can access. Regarding HIV/AIDS in China, while the country’s health care system has the medical equipment to treat Chinese residents and citizens, there is still a general problem of social acceptance.

Treatment Access and Affordability

As an initiative for China’s national estimates of 1.25 million living with HIV, the country has been producing its own HIV treatment medications since 2002. In 2022, domestic news outlet Xinhua reported its homegrown regimen Aikening and Kaletra was effective in preventing the spread, lifestyle-compromising symptoms and the development of AIDS.

Treatment regimens in China have also long included traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM). A departure from the trends of Western nations, TCM is far more affordable than Western medicine options in China, as “many TCM hospitals depend on government subsidies.” TCM also often has a price lower than its actual cost, making it a more approachable option for people at the intersection of living with HIV/AIDS and living in poverty in China.

Multiple studies posit TCM as being an efficacious treatment for symptoms in the long term. Chinese people living with HIV have access, therefore, to various streams of treatment options which should, on paper, provide a hopeful outlook for the present and future, especially for those below the poverty line.

Treatment, Legislation and Society

Not only is treatment readily available and proven to be efficacious, but it is also mandatory. China’s laws around HIV/AIDS from 2006 insist on people living with HIV informing their doctors from whom they seek any treatment. The laws also stipulate informing one’s intimate partner of their status, and punishments by law are commonplace for ignoring this legislation. The Sixth Tone reported a “legal first” whereby a citizen’s marriage was annulled due to their failure to disclose their HIV-positive status to their partner.

Having a positive status can, and likely will, affect all areas of one’s life that they have built. Perhaps the biggest obstacle, then, to effectively treating HIV/AIDS as a phenomenon in China’s communities is social stigma, subsequent unawareness of status and low treatment uptake.

Transmission of HIV is a crime in China. This is regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and could be a contributing factor to the low treatment uptake that the Chinese researchers observed: 71% before intervention and 83% afterward. In 2022, China implemented digital interventions using text and instant message reminders as further interventions in a bid to increase the low uptake figures.

Looking Ahead

China has made notable strides in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. The availability of domestic HIV medications and the integration of traditional Chinese herbal medicine provide affordable options for those living with the virus. While social acceptance and stigma remain challenges, China’s legislation and interventions aim to raise awareness, increase treatment uptake and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

– Linus Erbach
Photo: Flickr

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Rebuilding Refugee Identities One Art Project at a Time

Rebuilding Refugee Identities
Art for Refugees in Transition or A.R.T. is an organization that focuses on helping refugees maintain their culture and tradition within their camp community. Each program begins the process of rebuilding refugee identities. The goal of A.R.T. is to help refugee children connect with their elders and find a sense of belonging. In 2003, the first programs launched were in Myanmar and Thailand. The programs have reached camps across South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Why Do Refugees Need Art?

Outside organizations, like A.R.T., play an important role in giving refugees opportunities to improve their livelihood in a camp. Refugees focus on survival, often losing their sense of identity and belonging. Through art, refugees have an opportunity to remember or connect with their roots.

Violence, economic instability and gang crime plague Venezuela leading many individuals to flee to neighboring Colombia. As of 2022, Colombia was home to 1.8 million Venezuelan refugees. Colombia’s refugee camps or communities do not always have access to services like schools. A.R.T. works to help youth learn about their culture, background and each other.

Art Projects Rebuild Refugee Identities

Venezuelan refugees and displaced individuals live in communities throughout Colombia. Tintalito is a neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia where A.R.T. began its first program. Tintalito is the home of 180,000 refugees. With the help of the University of the Andes and New Retreat Educational Foundation, A.R.T. implemented a traditional arts program for academic credit. The interdisciplinary program includes anthropology, psychology, literature and fine arts.

A.R.T. works with the Serena del Mar Foundation to bring art to a coastal refugee community in Colombia: Manzanilla. Here, A.R.T. provides a space for the community’s elders to share with the younger generation. The program fosters a community project for many generations. “The elders of the community recorded their thoughts on the sea, its importance in their lives as well as stories, folklore and their history with the sea.” The youth listens to the stories, translating the message into a mural. This art project preserves cultural traditions despite the uncertainty the community experiences. The art projects are also rebuilding refugee identities for both elders and children.

The Impact

Based on data from 2022, around 90,000 Burmese refugees fled Myanmar or Burma to escape persecution. Many of these refugees, primarily of the Karenni ethnic minority, live in temporary shelters throughout the Mae Hong Son Province in Thailand. Like many of the communities A.R.T. took its programs to, Burmese refugees can connect to their homeland and culture through art. A.R.T.’s programs are rebuilding refugee identities by giving them a space to honor their history and fight for the present.

In the Mae Hong Son Province in Thailand, A.R.T. visited two Burmese refugee camps. The initial program that A.R.T. started with the International Rescue Committee was in 2003. Each program starts small, but the idea quickly grows. Burmese youth learned traditional music and dance with their elders. The refugees reconnected with what they lost in fleeing their homes. Currently, the refugees teach these programs on their own. A.R.T. empowered the refugees to keep their traditions alive, passing on strength from generation to generation.

Looking Ahead

Through its programs, A.R.T. has been instrumental in helping refugees maintain their cultural identity and rebuild their sense of belonging. By providing opportunities for artistic expression and intergenerational connections, A.R.T. supports refugees in preserving their traditions and passing them on to future generations. These initiatives have had a profound impact on refugee communities, fostering resilience and empowering individuals to honor their history while embracing their present circumstances.

– Ellie Bruce
Photo: Flickr

7 Ways Emirates Red Crescent is Making an Impact

Emirates Red Crescent
The Emirates Red Crescent is a volunteer humanitarian organization that “supports official authorities in times of peace and war,” the International Humanitarian City says. As the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) main relief and aid agency, its main objective is to provide emergency response and organize relief coordination. Founded in 1983 through the support of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the organization garnered international recognition as a member of the International Federation of Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies in 1986.

7 Ways Emirates Red Crescent is Making an Impact

  1. Supporting Syrians: Cooperating with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the two organizations conducted “Operation Gallant Knight 2.” This initiative is part of the UAE’s efforts to provide moral and psychological support for those affected by the Syria-Turkey earthquake. In April 2023, Red Crescent members celebrated Eid Al Fitr with 150 children and orphans with cancer in Orange Mall in the Latakia governorate of Syria.
  2. Fundraising Efforts: In a recent 2023 announcement, the Emirates Red Crescent highlighted that it has gathered more than AED 10 billion (about $2.9 billion) worth of humanitarian funding over the past 15-year period. More than 228 million people in 128 countries within and outside the UAE have benefited from the organization’s humanitarian efforts.
  3. Annual Winter Campaigns: As part of its annual winter campaign, the organization launched its 2023 “Be Their Warmth” operation to provide health care, food and shelter for 500,000 people in 31 countries around the world. The aid program will operate through the support of humanitarian partners in order to reach the goal of helping half a million people. The previous winter campaign benefited numerous countries, such as Jordan. In January 2022, the provision of aid to 120,000 people in Jordan, in the form of blankets, warm clothes, food and heating appliances, ensured a less harsh winter.
  4. Syria-Turkey Earthquake Response: Responding to the disaster, in March 2023, the Emirates Red Crescent constructed a shelter camp that provided accommodation for 300 people. The camp came equipped with blankets, beds, food packages and solar lighting. Around the same time, the organization also built 1,000 solar-powered homes in Syria at a cost of $17.7 million. The homes house up to 6,000 people, providing several rooms and living facilities for families in need.
  5. Free Health Care Services in Remote Yemen: The organization’s efforts further the UAE’s aim to alleviate the Yemeni people’s suffering after years of war. The use of mobile clinics served 543 beneficiaries in July 2022 in Yemen’s Hadhramaut Governorate. As part of the clinic work, the health team conducts health check-ups on people in isolated areas struggling with access to basic facilities and health care. Since 2015, Yemen has received more than $6.3 billion of aid from the Emirates Red Crescent and the organization’s clinic services benefited close to 16,000 Yemenis.
  6. Hospital for Mothers and Children: The inauguration of the Umm Al Emarat Hospital for mothers and children took place on the island of Mohéli in September 2022 in Comoros. This is part of several development initiatives implemented to assist people affected by Cyclone Kenneth, which hit the Republic of the United Comoro Islands in 2019. The hospital will benefit nearly 20,000 people in the area through improved and more accessible health care services. The hospital was developed in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Moroni.
  7. Responding to Pakistan’s 2022 Floods: The Emirates Red Crescent continues to send aircraft with relief and humanitarian aid to flood-stricken Pakistan in 2023. Additionally, the organization’s launch of the “We Stand Together” initiative brought together multiple humanitarian UAE organizations to deliver thousands of emergency relief kits to affected women and children. Initially, in September 2022, the initiative supplied Pakistan with 1,200 tonnes of food, health and hygiene kits and 30,000 relief kits for flood-affected households.

Looking Ahead

As a humanitarian organization that is dedicated to providing emergency relief and aid, the Emirates Red Crescent continues to dedicate its services to nations in dire need. From responding to natural disasters to addressing the health care needs of war-afflicted countries, the organization continues to provide aid where necessary.

– Grace Clay
Photo: Flickr

Treating Clubfoot Changes Lives 

Treating Clubfoot
Clubfoot is a congenital condition found in babies, where one or both feet turn inwards, making it difficult to walk if left untreated. In economically thriving countries, clubfoot is an easily treatable condition, but the same is not true in developing nations where it can impact and determine a child’s entire life. On the bright side, some organizations are treating clubfoot and making a difference.

About Clubfoot

Roughly 200,000 babies are born with clubfoot every year, with only 20% being in high-income countries where treatment commences quickly after birth. Article 26 in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that all people with physical conditions should be able to attend rehabilitation centers for treatment. However, many citizens in low-income nations do not get this opportunity. Sadly, numerous cases are neglected and turn into debilitating life-long conditions.

When treating clubfoot, surgery is often unnecessary. Doctors can straighten the foot using the Ponseti Method, a treatment that works in roughly 95% of instances. It incorporates massage of the affected foot and placement in a plaster cast, allowing the muscles to loosen so the bones can grow properly. Once the position is assumed, children will wear tailored boots for five years to keep their feet in place. It is the most favored method of clubfoot treatment, with proven success for more than 50 years. Though the procedure is uncomplicated, the lack of health care centers is often an obstacle for those seeking treatment in Africa. For this reason, many cases of clubfoot remain undiagnosed.

Clubfoot Affects Mental Health

People with untreated clubfoot bear weight unevenly as they begin walking, developing wounds on the weight-bearing side. Furthermore, uneven weight-bearing often means shoes wear down more quickly.

However, those with clubfoot in the developing world do not just suffer from physical challenges. Often due to archaic cultural mentalities, those bearing a disability may endure stigmatization. Many citizens in remote parts of Africa believe spirits cause disabilities as a punishment for alleged misconduct. When these children grow into disabled adults, society shuns and neglects them, making it almost impossible to find employment or form relationships. Those who have become immobile do not have much independence. They often rely on family members who may hold grudges for their lack of participation in housework. Mothers can often face blame for their child’s disability, sometimes leading to marriage breakdown and divorce. This can cause financial insecurity for many women who rely on their husband’s wages to feed their children.

It is due to the work of the following charities that children born with clubfoot or who have developed “neglected clubfoot” as a result of lack of treatment in impoverished countries can access the medical care available and begin to look forward to better living conditions in the future.

Hope Walks

Hope Walks is a Christian charity dealing with clubfoot treatment. It also educates parents and trains health care professionals to deliver the best care possible to patients. Its mission is to remove the burdens plaguing those affected by clubfoot and their families and give people hope as they look toward the future. Since commencing its clubfoot program in 2006, the charity has changed the lives of 150,000 children in 15 countries suffering from the condition.

The program encourages donors to commit to monthly amounts by joining the Clubfoot Crew. Each month, donors receive emails sharing inspirational stories of children now walking unaided following treatment, so they can see exactly where their donations go. Small donations to the nonprofit have life-changing impacts. Just $15 a month can provide a child with a brace that they will use until they are 5 years old. A monthly donation of $40 for one year provides a child with all hospital appointments and necessary treatment. As the charity’s president Scott Reichenbach explains, donations are “the difference between a life of begging on the streets and a life of hope.”

MiracleFeet

Founded in 2010, MiracleFeet brings the knowledge and quality of care present in high-income countries to developing nations. Now functioning in 36 countries and spanning four continents, MiracleFeet has provided more than 70,000 children with the help necessary to combat clubfoot. Last year, the charity helped 12,000 people, more people in one year than ever before. This was a remarkable achievement considering the COVID-19 pandemic erased four years of progress in alleviating global poverty.

MiracleFeet is part of the Global Clubfoot Initiative, a partnership dedicated to treating clubfoot and eradicating the condition through effective treatment plans by 2030. The scheme raises awareness of clubfoot, ensures communities understand it is a curable disability and provides health care workers with training to guarantee all children receive a diagnosis.

Looking Forward

Organizations like Hope Walks and MiracleFeet are making a significant impact in treating clubfoot and improving the lives of affected children. Through ongoing initiatives and partnerships, these organizations provide accessible and effective treatment, educate parents and health care professionals and combat the stigma associated with disabilities. These efforts offer hope to children and families, ensuring a brighter future and the opportunity for better living conditions.

– Yasmin Hailes
Photo: Flickr

How Financial and Cryptocurrency Services Can Fight Human Trafficking 

Cryptocurrency Services Can Fight Human Trafficking 
One of the world’s most lucrative and abhorrent criminal activities is human trafficking, an industry valued at $150 billion, making it the highest profit-making crime after drug trafficking. Human traffickers make their dirty money off of the targeting and exploitation of people (mainly women and girls) who suffer from socio-economic poverty. Human trafficking is a crime that is notoriously difficult to prosecute since it can operate across multiple jurisdictions on an international scale, hiding victims from public view. The mass majority of the crime takes place online and the exploiters of the industry can adapt to the latest forms of technology that enable their criminal activity. On the bright side, there are trends that suggest that financial and cryptocurrency services can fight human trafficking in several ways.

About Human Trafficking Online

Human traffickers adapt to new forms of technology at much faster rates than law enforcement due to having no ethical obligations toward regulations and policymakers. They also possess the capital to employ experts, and they do this by taking advantage of virtual currency transactions. Using virtual currencies like crypto is beneficial to criminals because it has anonymizing features that help them to obfuscate themselves from law enforcement. Cryptocurrencies also help them to purchase online advertisements to target vulnerable searching for opportunities. It is not all dark, though, as financial and cryptocurrency services can also facilitate the fight against human trafficking.

Follow Money Fight Slavery

Founded in 2019, the Anti-Human Trafficking Intelligence Initiative (ATII) operates globally to combat the human trafficking markets by promoting finance and cryptocurrency industries’ corporate social responsibility through increasing awareness and education toward “data-driven measures.” The aim of this is to detect and counter illicit transactions that traffickers make. It is in this way that financial and crypto-currency services can fight human trafficking.

According to ATII, 75% of financial institutions admit that it is challenging to identify instances of human trafficking through customer transactions.

To address these gaps in corporations’ ability to increase priority toward detecting human trafficking financial transactions, the ATII hosts an annual summit “Follow Money Fight Slavery.” The theme for 2023 centers on the fact that human trafficking is a financial crime.

Identifying Red Flags

Representatives from Verafin and Senzing, companies using artificial intelligence and multi-channel link analysis to fight human trafficking, discussed instances of identifying red flags in transactional data. This can vary from how to recognize a potential victim of human trafficking or the perpetrator and their front companies.

Niki Pryor from Verafin explained at the Financial Typologies conference that “we know what a person who’s free to walk through their life transactions look like” and that “a potential trafficking victim isn’t transacting in the same way.” They tend to not pay rent or bills and tend to make small payments in hotels, drug stores and fast-food establishments for instance. Pryor adds that a banking professional can continue to layer on the certainty of human trafficking risk by analyzing the person’s transactional data relating to whether they are linked to companies that post adult advertising online and contain contact information relevant to the customer base. Furthermore, GPS technology can help map out where all of these transactions are taking place, essentially building a visual story of the movement of such transactional activity.

Detecting Potential Perpetrators

Boris Kusovski from Senzing echoed Pryor’s statements as well. He explained there are two to three kinds of profiles that financial actors can detect for potential perpetrators of human trafficking. This can include the onboarding of a business customer whose company has no stated owner and the customer stays below a certain revenue level for tax purposes. The perpetrator may also have a front company like a chiropractor or physiotherapy ‘practice’ where the review sites and social media activity are rating the mostly female staff.

Robert Griffin from Siren, a leading investigative intelligence site for national security and sponsor of ATII emphasized the importance of using open-source intelligence to leverage cyber security efforts in tackling human trafficking. Open-source intelligence is data gathered from public information that is analyzed in an automatic format instead of manual handling. Such a tool can separate and categorize raw data to analyze and identify data points connecting suspicious parties that are potentially involved in criminal activities related to human trafficking.

Crypto-currency companies like Coinflip and CipherTrace explain that with technology like blockchain analysis, traffickers using crypto-currency to facilitate their criminal activity are not operating as anonymously as they may think. Blockchain forensic analysis allows investigators to trace crypto transactions (both online and in ATMs) with real-world bodies and organizations. When a person transacts on crypto platforms, they have to use a public register. This means that they can tie the transaction to a wallet address and later link it to a real bank account and possibly link it to a person’s identity.

Looking Ahead

The ATII successfully continues to raise awareness around how to employ corporate social responsibility in the fight against human trafficking, excluding any possibility that deplorable actors can criminally benefit from using financial and cryptocurrency services. By exposing the ‘anonymous’ financial transactions in the human trafficking enterprise, the efforts of ATII offer hope for a better and safer world for potential victims.

– Lucy Gebbie
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
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The Fight Against Human Trafficking in Mauritius

Human Trafficking in Mauritius
Mauritius, an archipelago on the southeastern coast of Africa, is a nation with a large migrant population. In recent years, it has become a hub of human trafficking. The U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Trafficking Persons Report (TPR) gave Mauritius a Tier 2 ranking. This means that the country’s government while having made some effort, has yet to meet the global standard for minimizing trafficking. Here are six ways to alleviate human trafficking in Mauritius.

Criminalizing and Tracking Foreign Trafficking Recruiters

Mauritius has begun reforming its judicial system with the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2009. This led to the imprisonment of a handful of national traffickers annually. In 2021, the government identified six potential victims. This act, however, does not criminalize recruiters who conduct trafficking abroad before reentering Mauritius.

It is currently legal to be a citizen of Mauritius, traffic in another country and return. The U.S. Department of State suggests broadening and making adjustments to the Mauritius trafficking laws to outlaw trafficking abroad. Human trafficking activities on foreign soil present a hurdle for solving trafficking issues in Mauritius. Mauritian police told Migration EU Expertise (MIEUX+) that it is quite difficult to prosecute transnational cases of human trafficking due to poor international cooperation and insufficient evidence for convictions.

Prosecution of Complicit Officials

The Mauritian government has yet to investigate or prosecute any government official complicit in trafficking. The 2022 Mauritius Human Rights Watch noted that “impunity was a significant problem for police and investigations involving officers often continued for years.” Officials known for human rights violations were disciplined but rarely fired, let alone prosecuted.

Inefficient Justice System

The lack of prosecution is in part due to the inefficiency of the justice system. According to the World Prison Brief, as of July 19, 2022, prisoners who waited for trial comprised “51.4 percent of the total prison population due to a backlogged court system.” The Mauritius prison system prevents fair punishment for traffickers. In addition, the Trafficking Persons Report notes that “though a Mauritian law prohibits the practice, employers routinely retain migrant workers’ passports to prevent them from changing jobs,” enhancing vulnerability to forced labor.

The State of Protection Services

The Ministry of Gender and Family Welfare in Mauritius systemically provides referral procedures for child victims. Currently, there are no programs in place for adult victims. The government spends nearly $1 million on shelters for children, yet only one shelter is designed to protect human trafficking victims in Mauritius. There are also no streamlined procedures for adult trafficking victims, which leads to uneven assistance and potential re-traumatization of victims. The TPR urges the opening of more shelters and streamlining the method of assistance. NGOs from the EU and the Mauritian government are beginning to work together to solve this issue. Governmental collaboration with MIEUX+ in the ongoing action plan Mauritius III aims to refine “the capacities of public officials to identify and refer” victims of human trafficking in Mauritius.

Better Monitor Migrants

According to the Trafficking Persons Report of 2022, instead of checking into migrants’ histories, Mauritian police regularly send back Malagasy women attempting to enter Mauritius alone with little money. Since July 2021, the Ministry of Labor’s Special Migrant Works Unit has worked to inform migrants of their rights. However, border workers were not informed on how to profile potential trafficking victims, did not refer any migrants for future investigation and they also did not report any violations of incomplete contracts.

Looking Ahead

There are ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking in Mauritius. Halley Movement, founded in 1989, is the lead organization of a coalition serving Mauritius and other African-Indian Ocean island states. It addresses child abuse by holding conventions, counseling parents and testifying in court. Via its program Helpline Mauritius, this organization provides vulnerable children with guidance and support.

Halley Movement empowers youth by connecting them to jobs within the private sector and funding educational programs such as Basic Education to Adolescents (BETA) which services elementary school dropouts. The Mauritian government has also held awareness campaigns on signs of trafficking that target frontline workers and local committees. These programs help combat trafficking by helping children escape abuse and rejoin society as normal people.

– Caroline Crider
Photo: Flickr

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The Impact of Water Quality in Nepal

Water Quality in Nepal
Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world with more than one-quarter of the population living below the poverty line. Poor water quality in Nepal has also prevailed for the past 30 years. For example, residents of the Kathmandu Valley encounter significant challenges concerning water quality as they rely on tube wells, dug wells and stone spouts for their drinking water. A recent survey conducted within the valley revealed that approximately 51% of all water sources had a pH level lower than 6.5. The supply of water remains inadequate, unreliable and of substandard quality, even within Nepal’s capital city. The compromised quality of drinking water presents numerous health risks, particularly in conjunction with the impact of climate change, which contributes to the prevalence of water- and vector-borne diseases, thus affecting human well-being.

How Water Quality in Nepal Impacted Poverty

Those who are poor in the rural areas of Nepal have little to no access to water. Some even have to depend on streams of water from nearby mountains, and they have to travel long distances to retrieve the water.

Despite this access to mountain water, it is not always a safe bet. For example, domestic waste and untreated sewage discharge from nearby neighborhoods and villages pollute the surface water from the Kathmandu Valley. Due to the increasing population of Kathmandu, it produces 150 tons of waste per day and dumps about 75 tons of this waste into rivers. This is a problem because households induce more than 80% of this wastewater.

The high levels of poverty in Nepal have heavily impacted the farmers in which many farmers are unable to invest in better farming techniques. Farmers also lack access to formal finance and food security.

How Water Quality in Nepal Impacted Nepalese Livelihood

The lack of access to clean and healthy water directly impacts the health and sanitation conditions of many Nepalese people. For example, Ranjana Adhikari, a Nepalese assistant in a community health post, discussed in 2016 how Nepal’s poor water quality specifically affects women. She reported that the women who have to go long distances to retrieve water for their families normally have poorer health than those who do not need to travel long distances.

Additionally, in 2016, doctors reported that there were water-borne diseases that stemmed from contaminated waters and poor hygiene. Unfortunately, the number of cases of Nepalese people suffering from diarrhea, typhoid and fever due to Kathmandu’s poor water quality increased between 25% and 30% that same year.

Ongoing Efforts

In November of 2022, the Global Center on Adaptation reported that the Community Development and Advocacy Forum Nepal implemented measures to recover lands, preserve waters and manage river systems. Some of these measures include “taking an ecosystem approach,” where it made improvements to prevent soil erosion, improve access to water and turn dry riverbanks into green areas with various fruits and vegetables.

Moreover, the Ministry of Water Supply instituted the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) WASH program. This program aims to help create better access to safe water, improve health care facilities and sanitation, raise hygiene awareness and much more.

Also, in July 2022, the government of Nepal and the World Bank collaborated with $80 million to promote water resources management and to implement the Water Sector Governance and Infrastructure Support Project.

According to Mr. Faris Hadad-Zervos, the World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Water Sector Governance and Infrastructure Support Project aims to improve the delivery of water and sanitation services while also discussing the significant gaps in Nepal’s water and sanitation infrastructure and economic progress.

Looking Ahead

Nepal is taking action to tackle its water quality challenges head-on. Collaborative projects between the government, organizations like the Global Center on Adaptation and UNICEF and the World Bank are already making a difference. Measures to recover lands, preserve waters and manage river systems are being implemented, while initiatives are underway to improve access to safe water, enhance sanitation facilities and raise hygiene awareness. These efforts are transforming the lives of Nepalese communities, safeguarding their health and contributing to sustainable development.

– Merlis Burgos-Ramos
Photo: Flickr

The Success of M Auto’s Electric Motorbikes

Electric Motorbikes
Described as a “bold and ambitious” start-up, West African company M Auto aims to offer “mobility as a service” with its innovative e-bikes. Since its launch in 2022, M Auto has taken the nations of Togo and Benin by storm with its electric motorbikes and mission for affordable and sustainable transport solutions.

How Did it Begin?

According to its website, M Auto began its mission in 2019, but first launched with music concerts in Benin and Togo in May 2022. That same month, an article reported that 500 e-bikes were already operational and an additional 3,000 were ready for purchase, according to RealWire. With support from the Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund (ATIF), M Auto was able to sell more than 2,000 bikes and register more than 2,500 pre-orders by September 2022.

The inspiration for, and success of, M Auto is largely in line with regional needs and systems. Co-founder Yasmeen Jawaharali told RealWire that “Benin and Togo have the biggest demand for commercial two-wheelers and progressive government policy for domestic manufacturing in the energy transition” and the March 2022 decision from the Togolese government to relieve import duties on electric vehicles has provided further incentive and opportunity for these developments. M Auto’s chief executive Shegun Bakari observed the high demand in Benin, with approximately “100,000 new bike registrations” annually.

Benefits of M Auto Vehicles

  • Environment: With zero carbon emissions, M Auto’s electric motorbikes provide a green alternative to regular fuel-powered motorbikes. Zems, traditional Beninese motorcycle taxis, contribute almost 4 million tons of CO2 emissions annually, according to Quartz. The nation’s transport industry is responsible for 65% of its emissions, The Guardian reports. Although the African continent is not a leading polluter globally, it is still subject to the effects of the climate crisis. The Clean Air Fund has predicted that “the economic cost of air pollution in African cities will increase 600% over the next 18 years,” as reported by The Guardian.
  • Health: Tied in with the environmental and economic challenges of pollution are its impacts on health. One of Benin’s “more than 250,000 moto-taxi drivers,” Domingo Soule, told The Guardian about his concerns for his health due to long days of inhaling exhaust fumes. Noting a cough and irritation in his eyes, he mentioned that he was “scared for [his] health” but “[didn’t] have a choice.” More than 1 million Africans died prematurely in 2019 from diseases such as stroke, lung cancer and heart disease, which air pollution could have caused or exacerbated. A switch to electric vehicles could play a vital role in alleviating such issues.
  • Affordability: Despite environmental and health benefits, Bakari acknowledges that “if it’s more expensive for [people], they won’t do it.” With a poverty rate of just under 40% in Benin as of 2019, and more than 50% in Togo, there is a need for innovations to be affordable. Due to high fuel prices, the cost of charging an e-bike battery for 70 km of travel could be cheaper than the cost of petrol, Quartz reports. Moreover, M Auto’s commitment to covering maintenance costs and providing competitive interest rates, makes it an attractive option for taxi owners otherwise dependent on easy finance.
  • Job Creation: M Auto equally provides advantages for citizens in terms of new job and training opportunities. Although the company is currently relying on exports and assembling locally, Bakari notes a desire to “manufacture everything locally” if possible, opening up room for new areas of training and education and providing employment. Indeed, the company is already building factories to fulfill one of its aims of manufacturing “exclusively […] for the African market […] allowing to create more jobs and ensuring that the process is by Africans for Africans,” according to RealWire. And according to Africa Energy Portal (AEP), M Auto’s additional plans to convert combustion engine motorbike to electric ones are also set to generate 2,000 eco-conscious jobs for young people in Togo.

Affordable and Sustainable Solution

M Auto promises not just material benefits of affordable and sustainable transportation, but also a shift toward a future of innovation. The company promises that its vehicles will allow Africans to “be their own bosses.” Even more, its success will “boost home-grown innovation and sustainable development in the long term.” Bakari highlights M Auto’s contribution to the continent’s “industrial transformation and ecological transition while creating jobs and lifting people out of poverty.”

Looking to the Future

So far, M Auto has seen remarkable success: as of August 2022, the company was Africa’s largest provider of electric motorbikes. It has already expanded to operate in Rwanda and Uganda as well as Togo and Benin. Although still most commonly found under the name M Auto, the company rebranded in 2022 to become Spiro and has ambitions to become the leading electric vehicle company on the continent.

– Helene Schlichter
Photo: Unsplash

Poverty in Rwanda: The Impact of COVID-19

Despite the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the end of the pandemic’s emergency phase, the economic and social consequences of COVID-19 continue to affect the world. According to the World Bank, the pandemic pushed an additional 97 million people into poverty in 2020, leaving governments struggling to recover from its widespread devastation. For example, the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Rwanda has been particularly severe.

The Disruptive Impact of COVID

When the pandemic hit, Rwanda experienced a sharp decline in GDP, with a 39.1% drop during a six-week lockdown. Simultaneously, the national poverty rate increased by 10.9%. As a result, around 1.3 million people out of a population of approximately 13.4 million temporarily fell into poverty due to the effects of COVID-19. The pandemic disrupted the U.N’s Vision 2020 objectives in poverty reduction strategies, which had shown promising results in the past.

Previously, Rwanda had experienced an economic boom, including a real economic growth of 9.4% in 2019. It had also benefited from large foreign investment in industries such as hospitality and travel.

Rwanda, similar to many other countries, faced significant economic challenges due to the pandemic. A study conducted by Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries revealed that 80% of businesses were closed from March to April 2020. By January 2021, the average business had laid off 25% of its workforce. 

The pandemic also affected education in Rwanda, with approximately 3.5 million students being unable to attend school as usual. The impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Rwanda has been especially harsh on women, who are often only able to secure employment in seasonal jobs.

The Government’s Response

The Rwandan government responded swiftly to the crisis, implementing various measures in March 2020, including a lockdown, border closure, curfew and social distancing requirements. In March 2021, an Economic Recovery Plan was introduced, featuring an Economic Recovery Fund worth $100 million to support severely affected businesses. The plan specifically targeted the once-thriving travel sector, providing financial assistance to 138 hotels. Additionally, the government allocated funds to educational institutions and factories, aiming to facilitate the return to school and work.

Recovery and Investment Abroad

Rwanda has attracted foreign investors and regained economic confidence. For instance, it received $200 million from the Asian Infrastructure Bank and raised $650 million through a Eurobond. These investments stimulated the Economic Recovery Fund, allowing the country to diversify its economy and foster innovation. The World Bank reported a 1.2% reduction in poverty by the end of 2020 as a result of these initiatives. And the government’s rapid response also ensured continued access to education, health care and nutrition.

NGO Findings

Innovations for Poverty Action surveyed Rwandan people as part of its Research for Effective COVID-19 Responses, which informed government policy in responding to the pandemic. Collecting information on health, food security, finance resilience, education and employment, it recommended policies in line with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing an opportunity to boost Rwanda’s economy with these in mind. In the case of addressing the impact of COVID-19 on poverty, local charitable organizations continue to make efforts. The Dufatanye Organisation, for example, has fundraised for food support for those living with type 1 diabetes during the pandemic due to poverty’s impact on access to medication. Other organizations like the Centre Marembo Organization have also tried to address the impact of COVID-19 on the homeless by fundraising and mobilizing communities.

Moving Forward

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped global perspectives on community, economics and society, once again highlighting the issue of poverty. Despite the disruptive impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Rwanda, the government’s swift response has set the country on a path to strong economic recovery in 2021. Industrial production, exports and agricultural output have shown significant increases, leading to more employment opportunities and helping people escape poverty caused by the pandemic.

In conclusion, while the pandemic’s effects on poverty have been substantial, Rwanda’s proactive measures and collaborative efforts have laid the foundation for recovery and progress.

– Rosie Lyons

Photo: Wikimedia