Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Addressing the Energy Crisis in Ukraine

Energy Crisis in Ukraine
Up until recently, Ukrainian citizens have had an unseasonably mild start to the winter, meaning energy and electricity usage has been at a minimum in comparison to previous winters. However, in mid-January, meteorologists predicted a sudden drop in temperatures to -11 C in Kyiv and even colder in Eastern Ukraine at -18 C. The lowest temperatures Kyiv experienced since those predictions were around -5 C, a sharp decrease from previous highs of 10 C. With this sudden cold, which many expect will only worsen over the next few weeks, it is only normal that energy and electricity use will increase as citizens try to keep warm, which could lead to an energy crisis in Ukraine.

Energy as a Russian Target

The Russo-Ukrainian War, which began with the Russian invasion roughly a year ago, has seen Russian forces targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Since October 2022, Russian air forces have been consistently attacking key Ukrainian energy infrastructure such as hydro plants, dams and nuclear power plants, causing the energy crisis in Ukraine. These strikes along with general shell and grenade damage to cities have caused massive damage to electricity and energy infrastructure, particularly in Kyiv. While Moscow has defended its actions by stating the targets are military-linked facilities, countries and international watchdogs are claiming Russia is committing war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure. Amnesty International, for example, claimed that “carrying out these attacks with the sole purpose of terrorizing civilians is a war crime.”

Blackouts

Ukraine’s energy grids are having to conduct emergency outages to conserve energy and electricity. Moreover, officials are urging civilians to conserve electricity as temperatures plummet. Kyiv’s mayor claimed this was necessary as the “deficit of electricity is significant.” There is no saying how much energy each individual would need to survive if blackouts become the norm.

Communication With Family

The war has been ripping many Ukrainian families apart, with some members staying in Ukraine and others seeking refuge elsewhere. This forced families to rely on the internet and electricity to maintain contact with their loved ones via platforms such as FaceTime and Zoom. Electricity is a precious resource in more ways than one, and without it, Ukrainian citizens will not have any way to stay in touch with their families.

NGO Working to Solve Ukraine’s Energy Crisis

Ecoclub, a Ukrainian NGO focusing on sustainable energy production, recently installed solar panels for a hospital in the Ukrainian city of Zviahel. The new solar panels provide enough energy to maintain the functioning of 11 ventilators that support patients in intensive care. Ecoclub plans to install solar power plants for six hospitals to alleviate the stress of the energy crisis in Ukraine. The initiative will allow patients to continue to receive the care they need, regardless of energy grid blackouts or Russian attacks.

– Genevieve Lewis
Photo: Flickr

Azerbaijan’s Renewable Energy Project

Azerbaijan’s Renewable Energy Project
Azerbaijan is now partnering with Masdar, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)- based company, to create substantial new renewable energy resources. Azerbaijan’s renewable energy project will annually produce four gigawatts (4GW) of wind and solar power. This should help preserve energy security. It should also create a more sustainable economic future for the country.

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), which is Azerbaijan’s national integrated oil and gas company, represented Azerbaijan in the January 2023 agreement. SOCAR strives to improve Azerbaijan’s energy security. Significantly, Azerbaijan’s renewable energy project should energize the country’s sustainability goal to have 30% of its energy from renewables by 2030.

Azerbaijan Basics

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a nation located in the south Caucasus region. Russia borders it to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, Iran to the south and Armenia and Georgia to the west. Its population of approximately 10.1 million live on 86,600 square kilometers.

Azerbaijan’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been steadily increasing since the country’s economic crisis between 2015 and 2016 left people in poverty. The current GDP per capita in Azerbaijan is $5,388. Moreover, a 2018 United Nations report found Azerbaijan to be the country with the highest rate of social equality in an index of 194 countries.

Energy in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s energy supply is still largely reliant on fossil fuels. In fact, 98% of the country’s energy supply comes from oil and gas. It is also a key oil and gas supplier to other nations. At the end of 2017, Azerbaijan’s oil reserves accounted for 0.4% of the total global energy reserves.

In 2015, falling oil prices devastated Azerbaijan’s economy. More diverse energy sources, such as those offered by Azerbaijan’s renewable energy project, could help Azerbaijan to achieve greater energy stability.

Also, while Azerbaijan’s energy security remains strong, the finite and polluting nature of fossil fuels means that their longevity cannot be assured. That is why SOCAR wishes to transition towards more renewable resources to greater Azerbaijan’s energy security and secure a more sustainable future.

Masdar’s Investment in Azerbaijan and Green Energy

Madsar chairman Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said of Azerbaijan’s renewable energy project: “Masdar sees Azerbaijan as a key strategic partner, one we are proud to support in its clean energy journey. This signing marks a milestone on the development and delivery of a significant collaboration that will advance Azerbaijan’s renewable energy goals and support its ongoing sustainable economic development.”

This is not Masdar’s first investment in Azerbaijan. First, Masdar is developing a solar power plant in Garadagh on the east coast of Azerbaijan. It will generate 500 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. In addition, in 2022, the firm had already signed agreements with the country’s Ministry of Energy for the development of a 10GW renewable energy program. That program’s first phase focuses on corraling onshore wind and solar power. The second phase will focus on offshore wind and green hydrogen energy production.

Madsar is a growing company in the green energy transition. They also recently signed a 1GW wind energy deal with Kazakhstan in January 2023. 

Azerbaijan’s Economic Future

Azerbaijan’s renewable energy project could be an effective means of stabilizing and diversifying its economy. Not only is Azerbaijan’s renewable energy project good for a more stable economy, but it is also good for the country’s environment and its citizens’ health.

– Florence Jones
Photo: Flickr

Camels to Help Ease Poverty in Niger    

Poverty in Niger
When something so essential to a country’s well-being is on an economic swing, it may be hard for it to maintain— especially if there is no warning of the ways that will lead to an abundance of woes. In a land where agriculture is dire to the prosperity of its people, many cannot afford the setbacks stemming from a poor water infrastructure. However, in Niger, where the water is either too little or too much to sustain anyone, it is the livestock that heavily influences the level of poverty in Niger and determines who the poverty affects.

Background

Harmattan’s dry, dust-filled winds are frequent in Africa’s west side, dissolving clouds, lowering humidity and replacing the once fertile landscapes with inarable terrain. Increased temperatures in these settings will lead to the pervasiveness of droughts and strain in the agricultural sector— one that employs almost 90% of the population and could be a way out of poverty in Niger.

Last year, Niger experienced a 78% rainfall deficit in which its economy struggled to stay afloat. The agriculture sector makes up 40% of Niger’s GDP, missing the percentage of those living in extreme poverty by just 1.8%.

As the probability of a good year’s harvest dwindles due to prolonged drought, irregular rainfall and the increase in unsuitable land to carry out agricultural activity, many find themselves working in the field of livestock production where the benefits seem to outweigh the risks.

Livestock has a heavy association with wealth; 69% of livestock herders did so to make money. In rural areas, this figure increased by 10% with 79% of the population reporting that they were involved in livestock work to generate wealth, according to the 2020 Helda report.

Camels as a Status Animal

Though livestock production is not an avenue all Nigeriens explore, it is responsible for 90% of the country’s exports. However, all livestock production is not for monetary gain. According to World Atlas, some Nigeriens opt for subsistence farming where they carry out tasks to sustain themselves and their family.

Niger is a country that mainly uses camels due to their ability to withstand extensive droughts, high tolerance to desiccation and the low-risk, high-reward nature of the even-toed ungulate. Camels could be the safest animal to possess in comparison to other livestock animals as they are capable of providing a stable source of food and finances. They traditionally helped to extract water from dwellings, transportation and pack saddling. Now with new technology, they can help to plow through deserted soil and expose the nutrient-rich ones that were hidden underneath, providing farmers with a new, cost-effective way to cultivate the land.

During the dry season, farmers who engage in transhumance pastoralism begin to move their livestock through Niger’s mainlands in order for their livestock to feed, according to the 2020 Helda report. On these expeditions, herders sell, trade with or buy from locals. One camel can cost and sell for more than $1,600.

Breeding camels contribute to economic expansion as various breeds are in high demand. The value of the camel and other livestock goes without saying. In rural parts of Niger, people use livestock as an alternative payment method, according to the 2020 Helda report. Having a multitude of animals is also seen as a status symbol.

Milk Production

Camels also produce milk. However, milk coming from camels only consisted of 10.1% of the annual milk-related products to have come from the country, according to the 2020 Helda report. However, one entrepreneur, Wouro Habsatou Aboubacar set out to change that when she started her own camel milking and herding business as a teen. Aboubacar owns more than 100 camels and provides local groceries with milk and its townspeople with a source of employment. Niger is one of the top milk producers in West Africa, making more than 1,700 liters of milk a year, according to the 2020 Helda report.

Poverty Reduction

Rural poverty in Niger was at a time, averaging 65.5% in 1999. Urban poverty stood at 35.3%. Since the use of livestock as a means of survival and poverty reduction has been implemented, poverty dropped from 2005-2011, when Niger was among one of the countries that surpassed other coastal countries in livestock production. During 2011-2012, Niger made more than $482 million a year off meat alone, according to the 2020 Helda report.

Nigerien farmers usually make $500 a year. This number could increase by 12% if small-scale irrigation becomes widespread. At present, Niger’s economy is recovering from blows taken during the pandemic where their economy dropped by 1.5%, according to the World Bank. The agricultural boom could not only help the nation’s overall economy but the people living there as well.

– Dorothy Quanteh
Photo: Flickr

Ilhan Omar’s US-Africa Policy Working Group

U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group
On January 31, 2023, representative Ilhan Omar from Minnesota announced the creation of the U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group. This group “will endeavor to be a clearinghouse for active, sincere and consistent engagement with experts and policymakers working with and in Africa,” a press release highlights, in order to further the growth and prosperity of the continent. Omar said in her press release that she plans on holding regular briefings with officials from the Biden-Harris administration, organizations and journalists and looks to understand the points of view of the very people that U.S. policy affects.

Goals of the Group

Omar stresses that the main focus of the group will be addressing the current conflicts and crises in Africa. Of particular concern is the ongoing crisis in Ethiopia, a culmination of multiple factors.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy says, “the combination of armed conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 have led to the deterioration in humanitarian conditions in the country.” As such, in 2023, 28.6 million people, equal to more than a fifth of the country’s people, require urgent humanitarian aid.

About 9.9 million Ethiopians are in need of food aid and 2.9 million children and pregnant/lactating women need critical nutrition interventions to prevent malnutrition. This crisis is also affecting children and their education. In September 2022, UNICEF estimated that 1.14 million students were susceptible to disenrolling from school.

Furthermore, at the start of the 2022/2023 school year, about 13 million Ethiopian children had not enrolled in school. With COVID-19 cases nearing 500,000 as of February 7, 2023, and diseases such as cholera becoming more common on top of widespread violence throughout the country, it is crucial for the U.S.-Africa working group to make the crisis in Ethiopia a priority.

Applauding Africa’s Triumphs

Besides focusing on the various issues that the African continent contends with, the U.S.-Africa working group also looks to focus on the triumphs of Africa, such as “Senegal’s extraordinary leadership in global health” and the human rights advocacy across Africa.

An important part of the plan is to include Africans so that the world can also hear perspectives on global issues from Africa. “It is my sincere hope that it will become a central player in creating lasting partnerships and building up a base of expertise so that Congress can be more actively involved in U.S. policy in Africa and help move the conversation forward for many years to come,” Omar said in a statement about the U.S.-Africa working group.

The Importance

Because there are many issues currently happening in the world, it is important to consider input from multiple outlooks. The U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group will increase engagement with Africa and allow the world to gain insight directly from the continent’s experts and leaders. Learning about African interests globally will allow the U.S. to develop policies that directly address the needs of the people, especially considering that the extreme poverty rate in sub-Saharan Africa stood at 38.9% by April 2022, equating to 420 million people.

The unique perspectives that come along with this can also give the United States a broader view of different global issues, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and ongoing crises elsewhere. Keeping a working relationship between the United States and countries in Africa is vital to understanding how policies in the United States affect different regions and countries.

– Olivia MacGregor
Photo: Flickr

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Insect Farming to Reduce Food Insecurity

Insect Farming to Reduce Food Insecurity
InsectiPro is a Kenyan company that engages in insect farming to reduce food insecurity in Africa. With growing populations in Africa comes an increasing demand for food sources, but the current food supply outweighs the demand. The 2022 Global Report on Food Crises 2022 Mid-Year Update highlights that, at minimum, one in five people in Africa ends the day without meeting their food needs and about 140 million individuals in Africa endure acute levels of food insecurity. InsectiPro is creating “sustainable, nutritious and profitable systems” with its unique solution to food poverty. The company focuses on achieving four of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an aim to end poverty and inequality: dissolving hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2), “industry and innovation” (SDG 9), “responsible consumption and production” (SDG 12) and engaging in partnerships (SDG 17).

The Work of InsectiPro

InsectiPro farms black soldier flies and crickets on a large, commercial scale, ensuring there is a bulk supply of a nutritious food source for people in Kenya. This is important work considering the World Bank’s report in 2020 that 26.1% of Kenya’s population suffers from severe levels of food insecurity. In Kenya, locally sourced meat and fish are expensive, especially for impoverished families. Instead of getting rid of insects that farmers often find on their lands, these insects could be used as an alternative food source. InsectiPro looks to “make insect consumption widely accepted,” The Index Project says.

How Does InsectiPro Operate?

The company grows crickets in “stackable crates,” which maximizes farming space as opposed to utilizing spans of farmland. An adult female cricket can lay as many as 100 eggs each day, and since they prefer to lay their eggs in damp, warm areas, the crates that InsectiPro uses provide an ideal breeding environment. Once 10 days pass, the InsectiPro team transfers crickets to feeding trays, where they remain for a further five weeks. Then, the crickets are “harvested, frozen, thawed and baked,” How we made it in Africa reports. The company currently offers three types of cricket products — porridge, a powder and a crunchy snack.

Insects as a Food Source

Crickets are a very valuable food source due to their protein-rich nature and essential amino acid content. Studies indicate that crickets may contain up to 73% of protein. The fact that crickets contain up to three more complete proteins compared to a piece of beef of the same weight and provide higher levels of iron, vitamins and fiber illustrates their nutritional value.

Black soldier flies are also high in protein and can stand as a sustainable food option. Farming insects to reduce food insecurity also has the potential to address protein deficiencies that could manifest in malnutrition and life-threatening conditions, such as kwashiorkor and marasmus. Therefore, in the aim to make nations in Africa more food secure and healthy, plentiful supplies of protein in the form of crickets have significant potential.

Plans for the Future

InsectiPro currently works in Kenya, but the company has already received requests to export its goods to other nations. The practice of growing insects in Africa is becoming more and more prominent because of its vast benefits. The company has received a certificate from the local bureau of standards and is also focusing its attention on regional markets. InsectiPro has plans to expand to Uganda in 2023 and Rwanda in 2024 but says it will stick to farming the insects commonly consumed in those areas, namely, grasshoppers.

Insect farming to reduce food insecurity is a revolutionary idea that could become more popular in the near future. Addressing food insecurity is a vital part of tackling poverty and the unique work of InsectiPro is a positive step in the right direction.

– Ruby Wallace
Photo: Flickr

Argentina’s Agricultural Innovations

 Agricultural Innovations
Argentina is notable for many things—be it for the most visited city in South America, Buenos Aires, for its exquisite native flora or for its sugar production. However, Argentina needs recognition for its agricultural innovations that are helping to eliminate food insecurity.

New Techniques to Combat Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is common in Argentina. In fact, 35.8% of the population suffered from food insecurity from 2018-2019. That number increased to 37% through 2020. However, farmers are tackling this issue through new farming practices to increase annual crop yields.

Argentina is a country of unique potential, a country with the capacity for strong eco-friendly and sustainable agricultural practices. While Argentina is susceptible to changing weather patterns and natural disasters, farmers are actively examining sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint and increase food production in the face of disaster.

Soil Sequestration

Soil, which consists of decomposing plant materials, holds or “sequesters” carbon from the atmosphere. That is how the soil becomes enriched and food production increases. Soil sequestration creates cleaner air and benefits human health.

In colder climates, the soil can store carbon for longer durations, making the next harvest cycle yield greater crops. Additionally, perennial crops that live beyond a single year can store a greater amount of carbon in the soil. This method allows for deep roots to form and spread the carbon deeper into the soil. Farmers can seed cover plants such as beans and peas after they harvest the perennial plants. That promotes year-round soil sequestration.

Soil Sequestration Initiatives in Argentina

Currently, Grupo Avinea, the largest organic wine producer based in Argentina, has implemented soil sequestration practices. The company made the switch in 2022 because of the health benefits to its crops, along with the benefits of lowering carbon in the atmosphere. It is only one of the many companies which agreed to make the switch based on conversations held at the  21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as COP21 that took place in Paris in 2015.  The COP21 initiative that Grupo Avinea adopted is “4 per 1000.” That refers to annually increasing soil carbon capture by 0.4%. The COP21 summit felt this “4 per 1000” is an amount that will substantively reduce the carbon in our atmosphere. Other companies that made the switch in Argentina include Bodega Argento and Otronia.  

No-Till Farming

A second of Argentina’s agricultural innovations is the adoption of no-till farming. Tillage is the act of using machines to turn soil before seeding. For a long time, farmers considered tillage as the best practice for attaining large crop yields; however, farmers now recognize evidence that suggests that tillage has several downsides. These include causing the release of unnecessary into the atmosphere from the soil during tillage, harm to the microbes and insects that affect the health of the crops and tilling machines wasting immense amounts of fuel. Not to mention that tilled soil is susceptible to natural wind and water erosion. It also makes irrigation difficult, keeping water from seeping into the soil below.

Instead, now farmers are opting to till less. Around 80% of all Argentinian farmers have adopted no-till farming practices. This makes Argentina a world leader in no-till farming. Argentinian farmers use organic plant matter as soil toppers to prevent weeds that would take moisture from the soil that is intended for the crops. They also strategically use herbicides and insecticides. The Argentina Association of Direct Seeding (no-till) Producers researches and guides farmers in best practices for no-till technologies.   

Precision Agriculture

A third of Argentina’s agricultural innovations is “precision agriculture.” With precision agriculture, farmers use technologies to monitor and collect data about their soil and crops. It helps farmers accurately target what their crops need in order to flourish. These technologies include geospatial data analysis, cloud computing and machine learning. Precision agriculture can help eliminate over-watering and over-fertilizing, which will save farmers money and lowers the negative impact on the environment.

Currently, the leader in precision agriculture in Argentina is the Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA), which continues to develop technology for farmers to increase their crop yields. ACA has worked with more than 50,000 farmers in Argentina. Farmers can share the data gathered from ACA’s data platform with each other. This strengthens the farming communities and advances healthy farming habits.

Irrigation Networks

Argentina continues to expand its farmland with row crops, but it lacks waterways and irrigation networks to support its farms. In fact, only 7% or 5.6 million acres have proper irrigation networks. A lack of irrigation networks can lead to underwatering, overwatering and flooding. Of course, all of these situations are detrimental to crop yields. Farmers are currently hoping to increase irrigation networks by 28% and that will greatly affect the amount of viable food farmers produce each year. When this expansion occurs, it should revolutionize the crop yield, waste less water and save money.

Looking Ahead

The combination of soil sequestration, no-till farming, precision agriculture and increased irrigation networks should greatly strengthen Argentina’s food production and crop yields. Argentina’s agricultural innovations will also allow an increase in the country’s ability to export goods around the globe. By using these agricultural innovations in this multi-faceted and deliberate manner, Argentina is on a good path to the sustainability of its people and its land.

– Thomas LaPorte
Photo: Flickr

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Partnerships Increasing Education and Technology Developments in Mauritania

Technology Developments in Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in North West Africa that sits in the Sahara desert. It has one of the smallest populations in West Africa but it is one of the largest countries. Mauritania’s economy is largely agricultural, with scattered settlements of people throughout the desert. According to the latest official estimates from 2014, 31% of the population lived under the poverty line. The World Bank says income and employment losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced 48,000 people in Mauritania into conditions of extreme poverty. Education and technology developments in Mauritania will help stimulate the economy and alleviate systemic poverty.

Education in Mauritania

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania has tried to increase its standards and practices of education in the country, and following COVID-19, technological advancements came inevitably. In terms of access to education, USAID notes the primary school net enrolment rate as 76.86% in 2019, but for upper secondary schools, this rate stood at just 38.87%. The average Mauritanian is expected to receive just seven years of education from birth to the age of 18. Fortunately, the youth literacy rate stood at 76.49% in 2021, a number that international organizations and the Mauritanian government would like to increase.

The World Bank explains that poor education in Mauritania has a direct adverse impact on the economy and that efforts to improve education are necessary. Education and technology developments in Mauritania could strengthen human capital.

The Support of Grants

In March 2020, UNICEF Mauritania received a grant from the Global Partnership of Education to the value of $70,000 to assist the Ministry of Education in developing a strategy to address the impacts of the pandemic on children’s education. Between 2020 and 2022, the Islamic Development Bank gave Mauritania $3.5 million in grants to strengthen the education sector amid the pandemic.

The grants went toward ensuring the continuation of education through distance learning, for example, through radio and TV broadcasts and digital learning platforms. Funding also went toward establishing “remedial and accelerated learning programs” to address learning losses arising from school closures.

The introduction of digital technology into education systems also formed an imperative part of reforms. The grants also funded awareness campaigns to “address the barriers that stop children from going to school” and give more attention to vulnerable impoverished children. Teachers also received training in psychosocial support, with an emphasis on supporting girls.

Developments in Technology

More than 40% of the people in Mauritania live in rural areas, which are often remote with little access to infrastructure. In 2017, only 21% of Mauritanians utilized the internet, rendering much of the population inactive on the internet. Increasing internet and digital education is a large part of the country’s national development plan going forward.

The High-Level Digital Council (HCN) and the Ministry of Digital Transition, Innovation and Public Sector Modernisation (MNTIMA) look toward “digital transformation” solutions to strengthen “regulation, infrastructure, e-government, digital business, sectoral transformation and human capital.”

The West Africa Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (WARCIP) has delivered new programs and launched initiatives as well. WARCIP has put down 1,700 km of fiber optic cable to provide internet connectivity and access in previously inaccessible areas of Mauritania since 2012 when the project began.

These broadband networks are working to lower the cost of communication in Mauritania. WARCIP recognizes Mauritania’s geographical potential to be a center of economic activity and hopes to expand the growth of information and communications technology to spur economic growth and job creation.

Education and technology developments in Mauritania play a large role in economic growth and communications advancement. These areas suffered during COVID-19 but have seen an uptick in funding that must continue in order for the country to thrive.

– Anna Richardson
Photo: Flickr

Improving Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa

Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Africa Minigrids Program is an effort that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) led to improve electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa. Using solar mini-grids, the program will work with 21 African countries up until 2027 to solve the energy crisis through renewable energy.

Energy Access and Poverty in sub-Saharan Africa

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), sub-Saharan African nations have some of the world’s lowest energy access rates. In fact, the agency notes that “Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without access to electricity rose to 77% from 74% before the pandemic.” The most recently available IEA data states that less than half of the region’s population, some 48.5%, have access to electricity as of 2019.

That being said, the lack of access to electricity intertwines with poverty in the region. According to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022, sub-Saharan Africa not only has the lowest electricity access rates but also holds the highest concentration of impoverished people.

Additionally, a 2018 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report says that policy solutions in 2018 did not “recognize the transformative potential of solar off-grid and mini-grid solutions to deliver clean energy access.” This is set to change with UNDP’s Africa Minigrids Program, which plans on using these methods to improve electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa.

How the Program Works

According to the Africa Minigrids Program’s website, the initiative will help improve electricity access across 21 sub-Saharan partner countries by “increasing the financial viability of, and promoting scaled-up investment in renewable energy minigrids in Africa, with a focus on cost-reduction levers and innovative business models.” By doing this, the program would also impact socio-economic development in the region since industries such as agriculture, health care and education require stable and consistent electricity access to see successful outcomes.

The UNDP is not alone in affecting change in electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) financially supports the project with funding that will help the UNDP and its program partners, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the African Development Bank (ADB), implement the program, starting with an initial phase of supporting 11 out of 21 partner countries.

According to the program brochure, the first phase began in 2022, with the subsequent two phases expected to begin in 2023. Combined, the 21 countries are home to “more than two-thirds of the total unelectrified population of Africa,” with a total combined population of 396 million individuals without electricity. The program estimates that more than 200,000 schools and clinics will gain access to electricity as a result of the program along with upward of 900,000 businesses.

Benefits of the Program

Without a doubt, the electricity that the Africa Minigrids Project provides will have a significant impact on the impoverished populations of the 21 AMP countries. According to the World Bank, improving access to electricity is “key to boosting economic activity and contributes to improving human capital, which, in turn, is an investment in a country’s potential.”

Electricity in the region would help power schools, medical facilities and businesses, allowing millions a chance to improve their lives and move one step closer to living a life free of poverty. The Africa Minigrids Program presents a transformative approach to improving electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa, one that will positively affect millions of people currently living in poverty.

– Mohammad Samhouri
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

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Advances in Women’s Health Care in Niger

Women’s Health Care in Niger
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), excessive blood loss is one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related injury and death, especially in developing regions. Researchers working with Niger’s Ministry of Health announced in January 2023 that cases of blood loss-related maternal death in Niger’s health care facilities have reduced by more than 50% due to the introduction of a three-step process. The findings from their work have offered stark improvements to women’s health care in Niger and will be influential throughout the developing world.

Access to Women’s Health Care Reduces Poverty

Niger has the world’s highest fertility rate, standing at approximately seven births per female, partly due to gender inequality. This number has the potential to drop as women’s access to adequate health care and education increases.

Advances in accessibility and quality of women’s health care in Niger are crucial to the nation’s development. When mortality rates among women and children are lower, women tend to have fewer children and contribute more to their local economies. Higher household incomes lead to increased educational and economic opportunities for children, which can help them break the cycle of poverty. Equity for women in health care also leads to other positive outcomes for women’s rights.

According to findings published in the National Library of Medicine, national economic performance and overall societal health benefits when women have better health care. Niger, with its economy that has struggled to expand for years despite its rapidly growing population, welcomes these positive advancements in maternal health care.

In 2021, the government of Niger sought to address the inadequacies of its health care system. With financial backing from the World Bank, it created a 15-year plan to improve health care systems. One of the goals of the plan is to improve women’s health care equity by expanding access and services to more women and girls.

Life-Saving Maternal Treatment is Accessible and Affordable

The methods determined through the research of the NGO Health and Development Initiative (HDI) together with the Ministry of Health include “a cheap and easy-to-store” drug called misoprostol, according to the BBC. The first step involves administering the drug to decrease the bleeding.

After a 20-minute observation period, if the bleeding continues, a health care worker will insert “a condom attached to a catheter” into the woman’s uterus to inflate. As a last resort, the mother will receive a “non-inflatable anti-shock garment” to allow the woman time to move to surgery for critical blood transfusions. The three-step process has proven effective in preventing the deaths of 1,417 Nigerien women over the six-year research period.

This three-step process has led to more than a 50% reduction in deaths related to postpartum hemorrhaging and has helped to safeguard tens of thousands of women from excessive blood loss.

Looking Ahead

Scientists encourage developing and middle-income countries to introduce this process due to its striking success in Niger and the low cost and accessibility of the required materials. The findings from this research show that health care facilities can address one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related mortality through an easily replicable method.

The work that the HDI and the Nigerien Ministry of Health performed gives hopeful signs for the future trajectory of women’s health care in Niger and other developing nations. It also highlights the important work of NGOs, international organizations and governments around the globe and their efficacy in addressing the critical needs of impoverished people.

– Eric Kersten
Photo: Flickr

The Dangerous Air Quality in Kyrgyzstan

Air Quality in Kyrgyzstan
Air quality in Kyrgyzstan is very poor. In fact, in 2022, reports ranked Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital as having the second worst air quality in the world. Poor Kyrgyz air quality links directly to 4,000 premature deaths in 2016.

As Novastan.org reports, “As winter arrives in Bishkek, the sun does not shine on Kyrgyzstan’s capital city and the inhabitants have to live in a constant cloud. This is no fog created by winter precipitations, but a grey haze, slowly intoxicating the residents. That smog has become one of Bishkek’s pressing problems over the past few years.”

Causes of the Poor Air Quality

The dangerous air quality in Bishkek is a multi-dimensional problem that has several distinct roots. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted a report studying the main reasons for the massive amounts of pollutants released into the air. The UNDP has stated that the three main reasons for the dangerous air quality in Bishkek are Bishkek’s large landfill, brown coal usage and vehicle emissions.

Current Landfill Problems

The intention of the landfill haunting the city of Bishkek was to contain trash for far fewer people than it does now. The Soviet Union-era government created the landfill to accommodate the trash of 400,000 people, but with the expansion of the city, Bishkek’s landfill is now responsible for keeping 1.2 million people’s trash.

Frequently the landfill catches fire and releases harmful pollutants into the air. Landfill organic material decomposition produces a highly flammable gas which leads to fires. According to the UNDP, landfill fires have “a significant effect on the air quality near the landfill and should be treated as a priority.”

Stalled Plans for a New Landfill

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and an international donor provided 22 million euros for the construction of a new and improved landfill. The plans received approval in 2013, but 10 years later, the Kyrgyz government has not yet completed the project. Chief reasons for inaction include political instability culminating with the government upheaval in 2020, government fraud and corruption and most recently, COVID-19. COVID-19 hindered progress because prices for construction materials have sky-rocketed as a result of the pandemic.

Brown Coal: Less Expensive but More Ash and Less Efficient

The massive amount of coal used in Kyrgystan greatly impairs air quality. Locally-mined “brown coal” is much cheaper than natural gas and is even cheaper than imported coal so Kyrgyzstan uses it the most. Unfortunately, brown coal has a higher ash content and pollutes more than other coal. It is also less efficient and users need to use more of it.

The Kyrgyz government attempts to help the citizens to afford to heat their homes by discounting brown coal. Due to the high demand for coal, thousands of people wait in line for multiple days in hopes of purchasing some of the coal. Also, to take advantage of this high demand, some opportunists sell government-provided coal at higher prices.

Vehicle Emissions

Vehicle emissions from cars, vans and buses are another high-polluting category. Vehicles are the highest producer of nitrogen oxide which is harmful to the human respiratory system. These emissions are also released at ground level and that produces a particularly large negative effect on the air quality. In addition, Bishkek has the capacity for about 40,000 cars but currently, people are driving about 500,000 cars on the city’s roads. Further, 60% of these vehicles date back to 1995 to 2000. As a result, they lack air purifiers and do even more damage to the air quality in Kyrgyzstan than newer cars. To make matters worse, Kyrgyzstan’s market for catalytic converters encourages many people to remove the catalytic converters from their cars and sell them. Catalytic converters are responsible for removing 90% of the potentially harmful gasses released from cars.

Health Effects From Poor Air Quality

The health effects of poor air quality range from annoying symptoms to fatal conditions. Annoying symptoms include itchy eyes and shortness of breath. More serious conditions include cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. People who are at the highest risk include those with pre-existing health conditions, senior citizens and newborns.

Efforts to Improve Kyrgyz Air Quality

One way the country is trying to make improvements is by introducing electric cars. A South Korean company announced its plan to build an electric car plant in Kyrgyzstan that initially will manufacture 65,000 electric cars annually. Once the company fully establishes the plant, it is planning on producing 300,000 electric cars annually.

The Kyrgyz government is also currently in a 2021-2023 plan for reducing air pollution in the country. Strategies listed in the plan include improving urban planning, developing and preserving green areas, taking action on the new landfill project and improving methods for supplying heating.

While the air quality in Kyrgyzstan is among some of the worst in the world, there is hope for the future. With Kyrgyzstan in the middle of its current plan, hopefully, positive change in the air quality will result in positive change.

– David Keenan
Photo: Flickr