Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Umra Omar and Health care in Kenya

Health care in KenyaIn the coastal waters of Kenya, one leader serves as a role model in creating healthier, safer communities. Umra Omar grew up on Pate Island in Kenya where she returned after attending college in the United States. She envisioned a community where people have access to health care in Kenya and the ability to obtain available life-saving treatments.

Current Health Care in Kenya

Kenya is comprised of a series of coastal islands, which, in conjunction with remote villages spread throughout the country, make it difficult for many Kenyans to access quality health care services.

Kenya’s new constitution, created in 2010, includes an emphasis on improved health care for all Kenyan citizens. Since the implementation of this constitution, the government set new goals, including the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This resolution refers to the ability to retain health care services without economic barriers.

Recent objectives include eliminating fees for health institutions and the implementation of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Although cost remains the largest obstacle to the completion of the program, another suggested problem is the lack of health infrastructure and inadequate health systems.

Umra Omar and Safari Doctors

In order to help tackle some of the existing barriers to health care in Kenya, Omar decided to create Safari Doctors which began providing mobile health care services to communities near Lamu, Kenya in 2015.

The organization features unique forms of transportation, such as boats and created a related program called Safari Vets for the care of animals. Educational services provide training for citizens to become Community Health Workers (CHWs), learn about health and understand the politics of health care in their community.

Omar boasts a long list of awards for her revolutionary work in health care in Kenya, including the “Kenya Person of the Year Award” in 2017 and an “Amujae Leader” in 2021. Safari Doctors received the “SDGs in Action Solidarity Award” in 2020.

Omar’s Next Steps

As of 2022, Omar decided to make an even bigger difference in terms of improving the well-being of Lamu’s citizens. She is running for governor of Lamu. Lamu consists of a County Government, in which the governor leads, followed by two elected representatives to Parliament for the eastern and western sections of the county as well as 10 wards in the Assembly.

Omar aims to create a health care agenda to help the most vulnerable groups. At 39 years old, she is both young and female, representing a challenge for the governorship race.

If is successful, she would be Lamu’s first female governor. Omar is running as part of the Safina Party against the incumbent, Yasin Twaha. Twaha is a member of the Jubilee Party, according to Reuters. Omar already vows to enact a health audit and focus on the environmental health of Lamu.

As a leader in creating the revolutionary and visionary project, Safari Doctors, Omar now hopes to enact long-lasting change through the political institutions of Kenya. The field of health care in Kenya is changing thanks in part to Omar’s goals, inspiring a new generation of youth toward a healthier future.

– Kaylee Messic
Photo: Wikimedia

WAFCON Win Supports Income Equality

WAFCON Win Supports Income EqualitySouth Africa beat Morocco 2-1 in the Women’s African Cup of Nations final on July 23, 2022, in Rabat, taking home the country’s first-ever trophy from WAFCON and first continental title. The team’s accomplishment also highlighted the staggering difference between female and male earnings. The WAFCON win supports income equality efforts by sparking more concern for equal pay.

Income Inequality in South Africa

Income inequality is an unsavory reality for female athletes in South Africa. Nicknamed Banyana Banyana (Girls Girls), the women’s team players earn far less: R4,000 for a competitive match draw and R5,700 for a win, about $238 and $340, respectively, compared to the men’s R30,000 and R60,000, $1790 and $3580. Bafana Bafana, the men’s team, also receive regular salaries from their clubs. Female players, like Andile Dlamini and others on Banyana, receive only an R500 monthly stipend.

The gender pay gap extends beyond the sports arena. South Africa has a median gender pay gap between 23% and 35%, which exceeds the global average of 20%. Unequal earnings persist in households as well: 38% of homes are managed by women, and such households are 40% poorer than ones managed by men. In addition, 48% of women-led households support extended family members compared to 23% of their male counterparts. In this regard, unequal earnings plus proportionally higher economic demands on women call further attention to South Africa’s income inequality.

Since the 90s, the gender wage gap median decreased from 40% to 16%. UNU-WIDER, a United Nations research institute, emphasizes that the closing gap stalled at 16% in 2007 and has not changed. The lowest pay for female workers increased to match their male counterparts in middle-paying positions, but women earners still disproportionally earn less.

UNU-WIDER calls this the “sticky floor” effect, where socio-economic conditions constrain a specific demographic to the bottom of the job scale. Today, South African female workers still occupy the highest proportion of the lowest earners and rarely occupy the highest-paying jobs.

A Way Forward to Equal Pay in South Africa

A few days after South Africa’s WAFCON win, President Cyril Ramaphosa promised equal pay for the women’s national team through funding from the country’s ministers of finance and sports. Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association, echoed the need to follow in Sierra Leone’s footsteps and remedy the pay disparity between men and women in sports. Ultimately, Banyana received an extra R5.8 million from the sports ministry to supplement the R9.2 million bonus from SAFA, $345,320 and $547,788, respectively.

Ramaphosa also highlighted how the WAFCON win supports income equality by using it as an opportunity to tackle the gender pay gap in all of South Africa. The president stated that in addition to awarding Banyana the pay they deserved, the country must eliminate unequal pay in all other sectors of the economy.

The WAFCON win shows how female success helps combat gender inequality. While bringing pride to South Africa, the women’s national team also used the spotlight to highlight unequal treatment and generate support for bridging the pay gap. With leaders in politics and sports now backing efforts to eliminate pay discrimination, there is continuing hope for progress.

– Emily Xin
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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How Tony Robbins Fights Child Poverty in Cambodia

Robbins Supports Impoverished CambodiansIn Cambodia, 17.8% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2019. That is why famous author, philanthropist and life coach Tony Robbins supports the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF), a nonprofit organization addressing child poverty. Robbins raised $68,000 for CCF through the Tony Robbins Foundation while also personally matching the donation amount for a total of $136,000.

Poverty in Cambodia

Below are some key facts about poverty in Cambodia.

  • Crises and emergencies. The global financial crisis led to increased commodity prices in 2008-2009. Other examples include natural disasters such as floods that destroy crops. Floods are more likely to occur in Cambodia due to its unique hydrologic regime and low coverage of water management infrastructure.
  • Food insecurity. In Cambodia, approximately 1.7 million individuals are food insecure. Malnutrition is also an issue that hinders cognitive development, reducing life opportunities and impacting economic growth.
  • Seasonal employment. Food insecurity results in low demand for agricultural labor and unemployed farmers during the off-season.
  • Health shocks. Poor households can become trapped in a cycle of paying high health care costs, resulting in more poverty.

Creating the CCF

After visiting Cambodia in 2004, founder and executive director Scott Neeson left the film industry to set up the CCF. Neeson paid for the start-up costs entirely out of his own pocket, initially planning for the CCF to help only a handful of children. However, the organization now educates approximately 1,900 children living in impoverished areas of Cambodia and supports families through community-based projects. Overall, the CCF aims to promote long-lasting, generational change by working in direct contact with at-risk children and their families and communities to create responsive approaches to extreme poverty.

A New Addition to the Team

Tony Robbins, an American author, coach and speaker, is not unfamiliar with helping people out of poverty. In 1991, Robbins founded the Tony Robbins Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to empower individuals and organizations to create positive change in the lives of the marginalized, such as the hungry and the homeless.

With similar goals in mind, the Tony Robbins foundation and the CCF formed a partnership in 2008. As part of that partnership, Robbins supports impoverished Cambodians by inviting a group of about 10 CCF Leadership students to attend the Tony Robbins Global Youth Leadership Summit (GYLS) in San Francisco each year.

In 2019, the CCF hosted the Platinum Partners from the Tony Robbins Foundation, who were able to get to know the Leadership students they support by visiting and volunteering in communities and schools. “The visit by Tony Robbins Platinum Partners last week provided a day of mutual inspiration, with Tony’s group spreading their passion and encouragement and our CCF youth presenting the CCF model and how it has changed their life journey,” remarked Neeson. Robbins supports impoverished Cambodians through encouraging in-person visits that work to inspire Cambodian children.

During the visit to the CCF in 2019, the Tony Robbins Foundation presented a $68,000 check to help the CCF build up the future leaders of Cambodia. Later, after the trip to the CFF, Tony Robbins posted on his Facebook page, “I’m so proud of my Platinum Partners… they don’t know this, but I’m going to MATCH their donation of $68k. So, Scott, you’ll have $136,000 for the kids shortly!”

A Look Ahead

Ultimately, Robbins supports impoverished Cambodians through his kind spirit and generosity, which will go a long way toward ensuring that children in Cambodia will have equal opportunities irrespective of their financial status. More broadly, Robbins’ and the CCF’s work provide a glimmer of hope for the future of Cambodia.

– Sarah DiLuzio
Photo: Flickr

Horn of Africa Drought Displaces Millions In Ethiopia

https://borgenproject.org/food-insecurity-in-africa/After little to no rain since 2020, the Horn of Africa drought is plaguing several countries, causing displacement in Ethiopia. The UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations have been working with local disaster prevention centers to provide food, water and shelter to the thousands who find themselves within the affected areas.

Horn of Africa Drought: Zero Rainfall

Ethiopia is experiencing one of the worst droughts that have occurred in the last 40 years. “We have never seen a drought like this, it has affected everyone, we have named it ‘the unseen,” said Ardo who lives in the Eastern Somali region of Ethiopia.

The UNHCR has been working with local communities impacted by the drought by providing water, shelter and clothing. The U.N. agency and other regional disaster management organizations assisted more than 7,000 drought-affected households. However, despite the humanitarian assistance, the needs of the communities are steadily growing. “The most pressing issue here is a lack of water, as well as effective water management,” said Abdullahi Sheik Barrie, a field associate in the UNHCR office in the capital of the Somali region.

Following the deterioration of water sources, livestock is dying which removes people’s ability to provide for themselves. While the drought is predicted to continue during the next couple of months, Shabia Mantoo, the UNHCR spokesperson announced the estimated cost to adequately address the crisis. “To deliver life-saving assistance and protection to some 1.5 million refugees, internally displaced people, and local host communities…UNHCR is appealing for $42.6 million,” said Mantoo during a press briefing.

Problem Solving

USAID is also providing assistance to people in the Somali region. The agency has declared a $488 million budget for providing humanitarian aid to Ethiopia. USAID’s funding will cover, “food supplies, including sorghum, peas and vegetable oil.”

Although almost 1 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the hopes of finding food and water, humanitarian organizations claim that this number will continue to rise and there is an approaching risk of a fifth failed rainy season. As such, the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled the drought affecting the Horn of Africa a grade three health emergency which is its highest rating. “We don’t know where the bottom is yet for this crisis…the fact is that we are in a devastating situation already and the likelihood is that it’s going to continue,” said Michael Dunford, the head of the WHO in Eastern Africa in an interview with the Telegraph.

Lives At Stake

Abdul Risac, mayor of a small city in the Somali region called Buaro, told the Telegraph that his communities have no other form of income and lack proper methods to deal with this drought. Selma, a 20-year-old mother of two who recently arrived at a displacement camp once had 100 goats and sheep but now has none. “We realized we couldn’t survive so we came to this place, ” she said to the Telegraph.

Selma also added that her family, like many others, can only return to their homes if they acquire livestock. “It’s my dream to return, but now we’re goatless and have no way of breeding more animals. It’s hard to know what our options are. All I know is being a pastoralist,” she concluded.

While the Horn of Africa drought is expected to persist, the UNHCR and USAID are providing their support in the form of life-saving funding for internally displaced persons in Ethiopia.

– Henry Hyman
Photo: Flickr

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US Begins Uniting for Ukraine Program to Take in Refugees

Uniting for Ukraine programIn April 2022, the U.S. government began the Uniting for Ukraine program. This allows Ukrainians with financial sponsorship to temporarily live in the United States and take refuge from ongoing war conditions. This program covers those who lived in Ukraine when the war began and fled to other countries. Applicants must have a supporter in the United States who will “agree to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay in the [country].”

About the Program

In addition to financial sponsorship, the Uniting for Ukraine program guarantees the right to work and residence for up to two years according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. While U.S. President Biden promised protection for 100,000 Ukrainians through this program, the actual number of Ukrainians supported will depend on the number of willing financial sponsors in the United States.

Applicants must be Ukrainian citizens or immediate family members of a Ukrainian citizen who is applying to the program. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services states that children without a legal guardian cannot apply for this program, but may apply for a separate parole process if they have a parent or guardian already in the United States.

One limitation is that individuals seeking sanctuary must cover for their own travel costs to the United States. However, there is a 90-day grace period to travel after an application has been authorized.

War Struggles

The current economic situation in Ukraine is dire. In March 2022, the UNDP projected that “90% of the Ukrainian population could be facing poverty” over the course of a year if the Russian invasion continued. Although the United Nations is doing its best to help, the damage inflicted on Ukraine can be measured in hundreds of billions of dollars and will continue to rise as the war continues.

The number of Ukrainians forced to leave their home country is equally dramatic. In 2020, the population of Ukraine was 44.13 million. As of August 18, the UNHCR recorded 6,657,918 Ukrainian refugees. This means at least 13.6% of the country’s population was forced to flee elsewhere with the majority moving to the neighboring countries of Russia and Poland.

And of these refugees, 3.74 million of them are registered under the European Union’s Temporary Protection Directive, which provides benefits such as housing, the right to work and health care.

Support From Overseas

While the Uniting for Ukraine program is not as comprehensive as the EU directive, it still acts as a way for the United States to aid Ukrainians who would otherwise be suffering. This program hopefully signals that the U.S. will provide more direct support to refugees in the future. For now, U.S. residents willing and able to be a supporter can find the relevant form on the Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

– Henry Bauer
Photo: WikiCommons

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2 Diseases Impacting Afghanistan

Diseases Impacting AfghanistanSince the early 2000s, Afghanistan’s disease prevention and treatment services were far below sustainable, with only 11 physicians and 18 nurses per 100,000 civilians working in 2003. As foreign aid began to pour in, these numbers slowly improved. However, infant, child and maternal mortality rates remain the highest globally, alongside many other diseases impacting Afghanistan today. Currently, two diseases impacting Afghanistan include tuberculosis and polio, which the Western world is well equipped to diagnose with far less difficulty.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a highly infectious, airborne disease impacting many Afghan people. Tuberculosis symptoms include a dry cough (sometimes with blood), fatigue, loss of appetite, night sweats and others. Yet, early diagnosis and quality treatment are easily accessible in the United States, preventing mass outbreaks.

The World Health Organization states that tuberculosis kills around 13,000 Afghans yearly, making it a disease that impacts Afghanistan severely. In 2014, Afghanistan had approximately 58,000 new tuberculosis cases. Only 56% of these cases were diagnosed and provided with adequate treatment. Keeping the disease at bay only becomes more challenging with up to 25,000 Afghan people left undiagnosed and untreated.

However, with WHO’s help, BRAC Afghanistan and USAID started a community-based TB DOTS program to control tuberculosis outbreaks. Through the program, diagnostic facilities for tuberculosis expanded and existing facilities were further equipped with microscopy screening technology. After the initiation of these health programs, more Afghans saw doctors and received treatment for tuberculosis: Since the program’s launch in 2004, access to dots has expanded from 15 to 121 clinics two years later. By 2006, more than 6,000 community health workers had trained under the program, of which 53 percent of trainees were women. Through the continued funding and advancement of the TB DOTS program, tuberculosis may slowly begin to lose its footing and become a lower-risk illness.

Poliomyelitis (Polio)

Polio is a viral illness that can lead to severe nerve damage and injury, eventually leading to paralysis and sometimes death. Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan remain the only countries worldwide that have yet to eradicate polio. Due to inconsistent vaccination rates at birth, polio remains a disease impacting Afghanistan heavily today. In the 2015 report by the polio eradication initiative, researchers found that reported polio cases in Afghanistan had decreased since years prior. However, Afghanistan is still far from eradication.

In efforts to eradicate the polio virus worldwide, UNICEF worked with WHO to find innovative ways to give every child polio vaccines. The program implemented three National Immunization Days (NIDs) to increase access to polio vaccines and potential treatment if necessary. NIDs aim to reach nearly 10 million children through house-to-house and health facility-based approaches.

Furthermore, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Health is investing in a polio program to support vaccinators, community mobilizers, influencers, volunteers and campaign coordinators to reach children in need of vaccines. According to UNICEF, 392,000 polio branded items were distributed in 2020 to Afghan students to raise awareness about the disease’s severity, prevention and symptoms. As efforts continue, polio may become a disease impacting Afghanistan far less than before.

Why it Matters

Though efforts to improve health care access and treatments in Afghanistan have increased, much work still needs to be done. Today, tuberculosis is a disease that the U.S. quickly diagnoses and treats, while, in Afghanistan, the disease is often more threatening.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health and emergency operating system know how to help their people lead healthier lives yet lack the resources to do so. In funding programs that help international organizations and ministries provide the support needed for their people, both tuberculosis and polio can become low-priority diseases for all.

– Opal Vitharana
Photo: Flickr

Human Trafficking in Zimbabwe

Human Trafficking in ZimbabweHuman trafficking in Zimbabwe is prevalent as thousands of women fall victim to human trafficking under the guise of job opportunities while children are thrust into child labor. However, Zimbabwe is taking legislative action to combat this.

Human Trafficking in Zimbabwe Amid Economic Instability

Human trafficking in Zimbabwe takes several forms, for example, fraudulent job offers. Traffickers lure victims through international job offers promising as much as $800 per month for jobs as housemaids in countries like Oman and Kuwait. Once there, the women discover that they have fallen victim to a human trafficking syndicate.

Zimbabwe’s government-owned news channel broadcasts stories of women falling victim to these lures in an attempt to raise awareness. The poverty level in Zimbabwe makes desperate people more susceptible to promises of a better future outside of poverty. In 2019, 42% of Zimbabweans lived in extreme poverty below the international poverty line (PPP $1.90/person/day). Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, families facing financial difficulties are even more susceptible to human trafficking lures.

Traffickers Prey on the Poor

In a FairPlanet article by Cyril Zenda published in 2022, Barbra, a Zimbabwean single mother of three children expresses her willingness to risk traveling to the Middle East for a potential job in order to escape her circumstances of poverty. According to Zenda, “The monthly pay of $200-$300 that most of the victims end up getting upon landing in foreign countries is more than what an average peasant earns after a hard toil on the land for an entire year.”

To prevent more citizens from falling victim to human trafficking in Zimbabwe, the government ran education initiatives. In some cases, authorities had to physically block potential victims from boarding airplanes in the country’s airports. In March 2022, Home Affairs permanent secretary, Aaron Nhepera, highlighted the ongoing issue, telling reporters, “We have had also very unfortunate situations where we have repatriated people who have been trafficked to other countries.”

Nhepera, who is also the chair of an inter-ministerial committee on human trafficking, said, at the time, authorities worked on saving 18 Zimbabwean females from Oman where they lived and worked in deplorable, exploitative conditions.

In an interview with FairPlanet, Lloyd Kuveya, assistant director at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, says to decrease citizens’ susceptibility to human trafficking, a country must “foster conditions that would allow their people to stay and thrive at home. ” This includes establishing “conducive conditions for employment creation and for people to be able to sustain their livelihoods so that they do not take desperate measures for their survival.”

US Department of State Ranking

According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report on Zimbabwe, for the second year in a row, the nation ranks on the Tier 2 Watch List. This ranking means that “Zimbabwe does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”

The report outlines the reasons for this ranking: The Zimbabwean government “did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period.” Furthermore, Zimbabwean authorities “did not amend its anti-trafficking law to criminalize all forms of trafficking” and did not “identify any trafficking victims or provide care for victims in its designated shelter” nor did it convict any human traffickers.

However, Zimbabwean authorities did take some steps, “investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases and conducting training for law enforcement, immigration officials and other key anti-trafficking officials.”

Cabinet Vote for Anti-Trafficking Law

On April 28, 2022, the Zimbabwean Cabinet approved updates to the nation’s Trafficking in Persons Act in order to address increasing cases of human trafficking in Zimbabwe. The government will introduce the Trafficking in Persons Amendment Bill to strengthen the nation’s existing laws on the matter and detail assistance to victims of human trafficking as well as repatriation steps.

The Trafficking in Persons Amendment Bill will align with the guidelines of the Palermo Protocol, a United Nations protocol to address human trafficking, especially among children and women, “supplementing the U.N. Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols.” The definition of human trafficking will be expanded to include human trafficking in a variety of forms, such as forced labor and forced marriage.

With the Trafficking in Persons Amendment Bill, the Zimbabwean government takes significant steps to eradicate cases of human trafficking in Zimbabwe, ensuring the protection of human rights for all.

– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Flickr

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Remembering Eva Perón: Champion for Equality in Argentina

Equality in ArgentinaOn July 26, 2022, Argentina commemorated the 70th anniversary of the life of former actress and First Lady Eva Perón, a leading figure for her contributions to social justice in Argentina. She is especially revered for the passage of the women’s suffrage law which has furthered women’s rights and equality in Argentina.

The Life of Eva Perón

Maria Eva Duarte de Perón was born on May 7, 1919, in the province of Los Toldos, Argentina. Despite her father hailing from a prominent and successful conservative family, Perón, unlike her older siblings, did not enjoy her father’s era of economic prosperity. Instead, she experienced times of hardship and poverty. After her father died in 1926, Perón’s mother relocated the family to the neighboring province of Junin, the town where Perón would realize her calling. Nearly a decade later, she decided to move to Buenos Aires to pursue acting.

In the capital city, Perón was a lead actress for the Argentine Comedy Company and appeared for the first time on the big screen in 1937. The 1930s were a difficult period for Argentina as it was a time of diversification, anxiety, recession and famine. By the early 1940s, the nation fell into political turmoil amid the coming elections.

After the earthquake of 1944, Perón met her husband Juan Perón, a colonel, government official and future president, at a relief effort he coordinated to collect donations for citizens affected by the earthquake. They were married the following year and in 1946, Juan Perón became President of Argentina.

First Lady of Argentina

Upon becoming First Lady of Argentina in 1946, Eva Perón, or “Evita” as she became fondly known, jumped straight into the political arena; she primarily worked out of the Central Post and Telecommunications Office, where she met with workers to solve labor disputes and wage issues. As First Lady, Perón took on the role of being a strong liaison between the president and his people. She used her status and resources to help women’s suffrage, laborers, the marginalized and the poor.

Throughout her short but impactful career as First Lady, Perón worked tirelessly to bring about real change for Argentinians. In the Perón family’s first moments in office, the First Lady actively participated in campaigns to aid Argentina’s poor. She liaised and distributed government allowances to construct clinics and give needy families food and other essential items. Perón also championed a policy that gave impoverished citizens access to reliable housing, social welfare and health care services.

Fight for Women’s Rights and Equality in Argentina

In addition to being a leading advocate for the underprivileged, Perón was a prominent figure in Argentina’s women’s suffrage movement. The suffrage movement in Argentina began at the start of the 20th century but would not gain full traction until 1946 during the campaign and election of Juan Perón for president when Eva Perón’s support helped to shine a spotlight on the importance of gender equality.

As part of her efforts, Perón created a mobilizing campaign, transmitting a weekly speech urging women to fight twice as hard to secure women’s rights in Argentina. On September 23, 1947, the women of Argentina would triumph, gaining their equal right to vote. After the victory, the Perónista party would restructure to create the Partido Perónista Feminino (PPF), an exclusively female party that Perón would spearhead. The PPF would be a central hub of political activities and social work.

Legacy

The height of Evita’s influence and accomplishments in the years before her death in 1952 came through the formation of the Maria Eva Duarte de Perón Foundation in 1948. The foundation aimed to be a strong beacon of social justice that would match the country’s ongoing progress. Through the foundation, Perón would build homes for the elderly and implement a plan to construct educational institutions, agricultural schools, nurseries and housing spaces for students coming to Buenos Aires to study. The foundation would also provide juvenile medical examinations, temporary lodging for working women and donate essential medical equipment to hospitals.

The accomplishments of Eva Perón during her short career as a first lady and social warrior cemented her as an icon in the hearts and minds of the Argentine people. When she died on July 26, 1952, she received a funeral exclusive to heads of state and the title of “Spiritual Leader of the Nation.” Perón will continue to be honored for her selfless devotion to her people and social rights in Argentina.

– Ricardo Silva
Photo: Pixabay

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Latest Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Comes to an End

Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the CongoOn July 4, 2022, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Health announced the conclusion of the Ebola virus outbreak that impacted the Mbandaka and Wangata health zones. The Ministry of Health officially declared the outbreak on April 23, 2022, after establishing the presence of the Ebola virus in a 31-year-old male who died on April 21, 2022. The Ministry of Health partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations to control the outbreak and prevent further spread, measures that seem to have curbed the impact of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak.

Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Taking into account this most recent outbreak, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak count has reached 14 since 1976, with six of those outbreaks taking place from 2018 onward. While this number is staggering, it does not necessarily stand out among the numbers reported by fellow African nations. The United Nations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO have long been involved in fighting Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the rest of Africa. The recording of a large number of outbreaks means that these organizations and countries are able to deploy well-researched methods of treatment and containment.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola Outbreak in 2022

This latest Ebola outbreak in the Equateur Province of the country is the province’s third outbreak since 2018. Health authorities immediately sent a shipment of vaccines to the province from the city of Goma, which undoubtedly helped in the short nature of this outbreak, with it lasting just a few months. The experience of national emergency teams backed by the WHO resulted in a quick response and the deployment of counteractive measures including testing, vaccinations and contact tracing.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak claimed five lives out of five cases reported with a fatality rate of 100%. These statistics are much lower than the country’s previous outbreak, lasting from June 2020 to November 2020, which saw 130 cases and 55 deaths.

Next Steps

As the country recovers from yet another outbreak of the Ebola virus, the thought of an additional epidemic soon looms overhead. While the number of outbreaks is no cause for celebration, the experience gained from a large number of recent outbreaks better prepares the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the U.N. and the WHO for future epidemics. The development of vaccines, treatments, contact tracing and other preventive measures will lead to a decreased number of future cases and deaths. The country’s partnership with critical health organizations will ensure better disease response and more resilient health care systems.

All in all, as treatment options and medication develops, the state of the recurring Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo appears to be more manageable. The Democratic Republic of Congo controlled this latest outbreak quickly and efficiently, a standard that the country is primed to replicate. While another outbreak is not completely preventable, the country can mitigate the impacts.

– Thomas Schneider
Photo: Flickr

 

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Telecommunication Growth Reduces Poverty in Kenya

Telecommunication companies Reduce Poverty in KenyaAccording to World Bank records, Kenya’s poverty rate is expected to stand at 33.4% in 2022. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed an additional 2 million Kenyan people into poverty amid disruptions to Kenya’s economic activity. School closures further exacerbated inequalities between rural and urban areas, especially with inadequate access to education being more pronounced in rural parts of the country. Over the past few decades, there has been evidence that telecommunication growth reduces poverty in Kenya by increasing opportunities for economic development. Overall, the industry is experiencing growth, generating 291 billion Kenyan shillings (KES) in 2019, equivalent to $2.7 billion, a 7.5% increase from the previous year.

Impact on Employment

The telecommunication sector in Kenya added 1,673 new employees in June 2019, corresponding to a 23.8% increase in jobs compared to the same period ending June 2018, making it the fastest growing sector in the country. Monthly salaries for people employed in telecommunication average 129,000 KES, equivalent to $1,082.85, with the lowest salary in this sector standing at 65,600 KES or $547.12.

The African Development Bank defines the middle class in Kenya as those whose yearly earnings are at least $3,900. With telecommunication companies’ salaries exceeding the latter, these employees are essential for reducing poverty in Kenya by increasing the middle class, representing around 44.9% of the overall population as of 2016. The middle class is known to encourage economic growth via increasing consumer spending: 2013 places Kenya’s market as one of Africa’s most significant, translating to $44 billion in annual consumption, according to World Bank data.

Impact on Infrastructure and Mobile Broadband

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the telecommunication sector facilitated adoption of virtual learning, online financial transactions and remote working. To generate inclusive digital development, Kenya has initiated projects to increase the number of telecommunication towers in rural areas and install fiber infrastructure on a larger scale.

Since 2020, Kenya has issued licenses to initiate 5G trials to two telecommunication companies. In the first quarter of 2021, Kenya’s dominant telecommunication operator, Safaricom, activated 5G in four counties, including the capital, Nairobi, with additional plans to expand in other areas in 2022.

With improved mobile infrastructure, around 72% of Kenya’s population has access to the internet, making the country an ideal place to do business, according to the Kenya High Commission. In 2019, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows within the country rose by over $1.3 billion, and in 2020, FDI accounted for 0.4 as a percentage of GDP. This indicates economic growth within the country, evident through GDP growth rising from 5% in 2014 to 7.5% in 2021, the highest it has been since 2010, according to the World Bank.

Impact on E-Commerce

The market size of e-commerce in Kenya continues to grow, generating $1.7 billion in revenue for 2021 and placing the country as the 54th largest e-commerce market. In 2021, the e-commerce market in Kenya accounted for 15% of the global growth rate.

Telecommunication and technological improvements contribute to a fast-growing e-commerce market. Following Safaricom’s launch of M-Pesa for mobile money in 2007, the number of Kenyan mobile money users stood at 16 million by about 2011. Daily transactions exceeded two million, equating to a 17% contribution to GDP. With more telecommunication operators providing the service, such as Airtel and Orange, mobile money in Kenya facilitated 1.9 trillion transactions, valued at more than $55 billion, from January 2021 to November 2021.

In 2021, around 24% of Kenya’s population purchased at least one item through online platforms, indicating demand and potential market growth, according to an e-commerce database. Mydawa.com is a dominant player in the country’s e-commerce industry, generating around $9 million in revenue for 2021. According to a 2018 Business Today article, the e-commerce sector houses about 20,000 employees and will grow to 200,000 jobs by 2022 and reduce poverty in Kenya by encouraging employment and economic growth.

The telecommunication sector in Kenya has demonstrated pronounced benefits in improving the country’s economic structure. With a specific outlook on employment, mobile infrastructure and e-commerce expansion, it is evident how telecommunication growth reduces poverty in Kenya and provides long-term benefits necessary for standing as an economic player globally.

– Noor Al-Zubi
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