Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Peecycling Process to Help Fertilizer Shortage

Peecycling ProcessThe war in Ukraine has steeply increased the price of natural gas, a major component of fertilizers and also a primary source of energy. This, combined with the sanctions imposed on Russia, one of the world’s top exporters of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers (contributing about 15%, 19% and 14% of the global supply respectively), is causing a severe fertilizer shortage. Amid this food catastrophe, a branch of sustainable food developers, going by the name “peecyclers,” have found a promising solution: using human urine as a suitable alternative to fertilizers by implementing the peecycling process.

Prices of fertilizers are skyrocketing worldwide, forcing farmers to produce less, and thus, unintentionally harming their livelihoods. This ripple is also extending into the food market, with the FAO Food Price Index reaching an all-time high of 159.7 points in March 2022.

Benefits of Using Human Urine as Fertilizer

  • Urine is rich in nutrients. About 80% of the nitrogen and 66% of the phosphorus that human beings release as waste comes in the form of urine. Both these elements are vital in the making of fertilizers.
  • In research conducted as early as 2010 in Finland, researchers planted four plots of beets and treated them with different fertilizers. Researchers fertilized one of the plots solely with urine and fertilized another with urine and wood ash. After 84 days, the researchers harvested 280 beets. The research concluded that the two samples  fertilized with urine and a combination of urine/ash were “10% and 27% larger by mass, respectively, than those grown in mineral fertilizer.” Moreover, researchers noted no reduction in the number of nutrients contained in all samples, proving that urine is not a lesser substitute and can stand as an effective fertilizer.
  • About 125 gallons of urine can help produce 320 pounds of wheat as urine is both organic and rich in nutrients. Using urine could reduce the pollution that arises from using nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers.
  • Urine diversion is the process of collecting urine separately and using it for productive purposes. It also helps conserve freshwater and reduces the number of water bodies polluted by sewage waste.
  • Urine is readily available, and hence, is much cheaper than synthetic fertilizers. Although the initial infrastructural costs of peecyling may be expensive, the cost of production for farmers could come to be much less in the future, spurring profits.
  • Flushed urine has nutrients that are difficult to remove. By diverting urine for other purposes, wastewater treatment becomes much less costly as nitrogen and phosphorus are easy to remove.

How the Peecycling Process Works

A variety of systems, including cups, jugs and special toilets with attached plumbed tanks, were designed to aid the process of urine diversion. These instruments are easy to use and once the urine is collected, it is transported to the site of treatment.

The process of sterilizing urine is simpler than doing the same for feces. All one has to do to destroy the remaining pathogens is keep the collected urine between temperatures of 71-75 degrees Fahrenheit for about three months.

Urine is 95% water, and therefore, requires significant storage capacity. This is expensive, but there are ways to concentrate urine through various processes such as evaporation, distillation and reverse osmosis. One particularly effective process is “alkaline urine dehydration.” This involves raising the pH value of urine to reduce its volume and convert it into fertilizer.

Peecycling Projects Underway

  1. The NGO Rich Earth Institute implemented the Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program. It is a urine donation program in Vermont that is educating people on the benefits of using urine as a fertilizer and mobilizing them to donate the “liquid gold.” In 2021, the organization collected more than 12,000 gallons of urine and had “four farm partners who [applied] the urine to their hay fields.” One of them, Noah Hoskins, commented that he saw “very strong results from the urine” after applying it at the Bunker Farm in Dummerston.
  2. In Niger, female farmers have implemented the usage of sanitized urine (referred to as “Oga” by the natives) to fertilize crops in areas where the soil is infertile. The peecycling process for them has proven to produce a higher yield of pearl millet, their staple crop, by about 30%. This means more profit for the farmers because urine is a low-cost, risk-free input.
  3. A team of researchers associated with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden, is trying to expand the peecycling process into a large-scale process that every region in the world can emulate. The Gotland project started in 2021 and is carrying out its experiments with urine on barley fields. The researchers developed a process that converts urine into a powder, which is then easily compressed into fertilizer pellets. Such equipment is easy for farmers to use on a daily basis.
  4. Certain regions in Uganda, where there are limited “soil nutrient management” options, use urine to increase crop production. The research began on a small scale in 2014. Published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, the experiment concluded that human urine is indeed advantageous for smallholder farmers as it increased their food security and income.

A lot of potential is yet to be unpacked from human urine and scientists are on top of it. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: the peecycling process provides a feasible solution to global fertilizer shortages, ensuring food security worldwide.

– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Flickr

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Water ATMs Provide Clean Drinking Water in India

Clean Drinking Water in India
In India, despite the country being the second most populated in the world, less than half of the population has access to clean drinking water. This barrier brings a heavy toll. Aside from the humanitarian cost, UNICEF estimates that diseases from unsanitary drinking water cost India $600 million each year. Contamination of drinking water, as well as the depletion of natural groundwater, has plagued the Indian government’s attempts to expand water access to its citizens. The two main chemical contaminants of water in India are fluoride and arsenic. According to UNICEF, 1.96 million homes in India have chemically contaminated water. Although the United States has disbursed approximately $110 million to India in foreign aid, foreign assistance is not the only way India is hoping to combat water insecurity. JanaJal, a New Delhi-based water purification company, has made strides toward providing clean drinking water in India.

What is JanaJal?

A flagship initiative from Supremus Developers, brothers Parag and Anurag Agarwal launched JanaJal in 2013 with the mission to provide clean, safe drinking water in India. In its nine years of existence, according to its website, JanaJal has:

  • Provided more than 108 million liters of clean drinking water.
  • Eliminated more than 33 million single-use plastic through its Water ATMs.
  • Reduced water waste by conserving more than 60 million liters of water.

JanaJal prides itself on being “technology agnostic,” which means they are not bound to one specific technology to attain its goals. This allows the company to be flexible and cater to the needs of specific areas across India.

Clean Drinking Water in India

According to water.org, 91 million people lack access to safe water in India. Part of the issue is fecal contamination. Approximately 15% of the population in India openly defecates, which leads to fecal matter ending up in water sources. Additionally, 62% of Indian households do not treat their water, with treatment less common in rural areas. Waterborne illnesses infect roughly 37 million Indians each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In rural communities without access to water supplies at home, the burden of water collection often falls on the women of the families. In 2018, 40% of girls aged 15-18 were not in school, many of them burdened with housework and supporting their families, including the task of gathering water. Women empowerment is one of JanaJal’s four success metrics. In 2020, 40% of JanaJal businesses were women-owned, a statistic the company hopes to increase to 50% by 2024. JanaJal’s business model has helped empower women by allowing them to become entrepreneurs running local Water ATMs.

Water ATMs

Water ATMs are exactly what they sound like: an easy access point to vend safe water. In 2020, JanaJal had 755 water ATMs and safe water access points across the country. Each water ATM can dispense up to 15,000 liters of water a day. Additionally, the water ATMs can dispense water in a variety of amounts depending on the need. JanaJal’s newest initiative may be their most impactful yet as the company expands.

Water on Wheels (WOW)

Delhi, where JanaJal is headquartered, recently approved the implementation of seven Water on Wheels (WOW) within the Badarpur area. Water on Wheels is a custom-built electric vehicle with GPS technology to deliver water to the doorsteps of houses. WOWs have been quickly proving their worth, as they were one of five technologies that the Indian government recommended for its states and union territories to implement.

JanaJal’s impact on India’s water crisis is widespread. By providing access to clean drinking water, JanaJal has helped reduce waterborne illnesses, water contamination and plastic waste in the South Asian country. Though tackling India’s water crisis is a daunting task, JanaJal seems up for the challenge.

– Emma Rushworth
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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US Approval of COVID-19 Vaccines For Young Children

COVID-19 vaccines for young childrenIn late June 2022, the CDC and FDA approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines for young children such as Pfizer and Moderna for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. While countries worldwide have received vaccinations from Pfizer and Moderna, the U.S. is the first country to approve vaccines for children under five. Though children in this age group are less likely to experience severe infection than other age groups, the vaccines for young children were worth recommending as it works to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As countries across the globe continue to vaccinate their people, what does the U.S. approval of vaccines for children under five mean for people worldwide?

COVID-19’s Effect on Children Worldwide

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 543 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. As of December 2021, 17,200 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in adolescents under the age of 20, making up 0.4% of deaths worldwide. The effect on children is harder to understand. Data on child excess mortality and case numbers are inconsistent. Numbers disproportionately represent high-income countries and while the pandemic hits the poorest children the hardest, the effects on middle and low-income countries are underreported.

Along with the direct health effects of contracting COVID-19, children are experiencing indirect effects from prolonging the pandemic. Specifically in low-income countries, children have been affected by the strain on the healthcare system, such as disruptions from routine care and lost family income.

For example, according to UNICEF, 80 million children under the age of one may miss out on other essential vaccines because of the disruptions of the pandemic in May 2020. With increased vaccination rates worldwide, the hope is the pandemic can be mitigated and such effects on children will decrease.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for young children approved in the U.S. have a smaller dosage than their adult counterparts. For Moderna, two doses given four weeks apart are 25 micrograms each. With Pfizer, three shots contain three micrograms each. Each vaccine contains just a fraction of the dosage given to adults.

Worldwide Childhood Vaccine Distribution

Since the beginning of the pandemic, health care responses have not been equitable across the globe. While 66% of the world has been vaccinated against COVID-19, only 16% of people in low-income countries have received one dose as of May 2022. Initiatives similar to the WHO’s COVAX program has helped distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries. As of May 2022, Pfizer has distributed 3.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines to over 175 countries.

As the U.S. was the first country to approve Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children under 5 years old, other efforts are underway across the world. Pfizer and Moderna are not the only COVID-19 vaccines, as a Cuban vaccine has been given to over 1.7 million children under the age of 18. This vaccine is now being produced for Iran, Vietnam and Venezuela.

Vaccine Regulations and Authorizations

Pfizer and Moderna are some of the most prominent vaccines as they are making up around 33.6% of the total vaccines distributed in Africa. The companies are working to get vaccines for young children approved in other countries. Pfizer says they are committed to protecting all age groups from COVID-19 and are working to ensure other countries will follow the actions of the U.S. authorization. The company plans to submit authorizations for vaccinations under five to regulators around the world. For example, the company will request authorization from the European Medical Agency beginning in July 2022.

Ultimately, the vaccine regulations and processes differ for each country. Countries will license various vaccines for different age groups depending on their own analysis of the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. As WHO’s Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan states, countries should follow their guidelines to determine their own calculated risks. Vaccine companies like Pfizer and Moderna will work with health care providers, governments and communities as they continue to expand access to healthcare throughout the world.

Conclusion

While it is unclear when each country will approve vaccines for young children and start distributing the shots, companies similar to Pfizer are working around the world to make sure children will have access to the vaccine.

– Abigail Turner
Photo: Flickr

Eliminating Gender Inequality in Egypt

Gender Inequality in Egypt
Egypt is a country famous for its robust capital city and majestic monuments, reminiscent of the sophisticated ancient civilizations that it once cultivated. However, the country has struggled to alleviate gender disparities, and gender inequality in Egypt has placed its ranking 134th out of 153 countries according to the Global Gender Gap Index. Despite these numbers, Egypt has shown determination to eliminate gender discrimination domestically and worldwide by aiming to provide more representation globally.

Egypt’s Advancements

Egypt recently made substantial steps forward in representing women not only domestically, but worldwide. Dr. Maya Morsy, the President of Egypt’s National Council for Women, was elected to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for 2023-2026. The Committee’s goal is to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination against women and uplift them by recognizing women’s rights through new laws and providing more opportunities. The Committee contains 23 members who are qualified experts in women’s issues.

Dr. Morsy’s significant accomplishment follows the Committee’s previous ruling in 2021 that Egypt would no longer be considered in a state of emergency and that the progress of eliminating gender inequality since 2010 showed great improvement in equality within Egyptian civil society.

Dr. Morsy presented the combined eighth to tenth periodic reports of Egypt to the Committee in 2021 and claimed the creation of a new era for eliminating gender discrimination began with the June 2014 election of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. With this election, women became a major focus of Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy.

In the conclusion report that lifted Egypt from its state of emergency, the Committee praised new key national strategies for its contribution to alleviating gender inequality in Egypt, including acclaim for its 2014 Constitution. It created more opportunities for women in civil, social, political and economic sectors.

Gender Inequality in Egypt’s Workforce

The labor force of Egypt is predominantly male. In 2020, only 18% of women able to work participated in the labor force while 65% of working-age men participated, according to USAID.

According to the World Bank, Egypt-specific studies have predicted that the GDP would rise by 34% if the labor force participation of women was as high as men. GDP is a rough estimate of a country’s standard of living. Because of this, an increase of women in the workforce has a high potential to boost the Egyptian economy and reduce poverty.

The Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics reported that the poverty rates between 2015 and 2018 rose dramatically from 27.8% to 32.5%. This hike in poverty led to the less general consumption of goods and services such as education and health care. Increasing the labor force participation rate of women could ultimately positively affect the economy of Egypt while also destigmatizing their presence in the workplace and civil society.

Stepping Forward

Egypt has made tremendous advances toward eliminating gender inequality within its country. The appointment of Dr. Maya Morsy to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women demonstrates Egypt’s dedication to the pivotal issue. Domestically, the creation of more freedoms, such as financial equality, broader property rights and universal access to reproductive health care is reflected in initiatives such as the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women for 2016-2030. In addition, the government saw an increase in the proportion of women in senior management positions to 24.1%.

In Egypt, the future of opportunity expansion for women, according to the current progress in eliminating gender discrimination, appears hopeful and experts such as Dr. Maya Morsy intend to enact change globally.

– Caroline Zientek
Photo: Flickr

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Professional Lacrosse Players Giving Back

Professional Lacrosse Players
Playing a sport is one of the most developmental experiences a child can take part in. Sports offer great health benefits, foster social interaction and give children a sense of fun, happiness and motivation. Most impoverished children who play sports end up quitting or have to quit because of how expensive sportswear and equipment are. Even then, less investment goes into sports programs in underdeveloped countries, and as a result, players struggle to reach their full potential. Some interpret this as developing countries do not perform as well as more powerful countries in global sporting events. This is why two professional lacrosse players are giving back with the Give & Go Foundation: an organization dedicated to supporting underserved lacrosse communities around the world through a variety of services, helping some of the 365 million children living in extreme poverty.

The Professional Lacrosse Players Behind the Give & Go Foundation

Adam Ghitelman and Scott Ratliff are professional lacrosse players with major accomplishments in lacrosse, but they are also the inventors of a global nonprofit organization. Ratliff, a long stick midfielder and captain for the Archers Lacrosse Club, is a three-time Major League Lacrosse All-Star and a 2017 recipient of the fundraising award “Real Man of the MLL.”

Ghitelman, a goalie for the Archers Lacrosse Club, is a two-time Major League Lacrosse All-Star and was chosen as the World Lacrosse Foundation Ambassador of the Year. These two came together to organize the Give & Go Foundation with the simple mission of growing the game of lacrosse around the world, focusing on underdeveloped communities. The game has “brought so much” to their lives, so they decided to give others the chance to experience it. “Lacrosse promotes teamwork, physical exercise, discipline and communication. By sharing this sport with underserved programs we will be able to add massive value to the lives of the players whom we connect with,” said the co-founders on the organization’s website.

How the Give & Go Foundation Makes a Difference

Since 2015, Ghitelman and Ratliff have been giving back with the Give & Go Foundation to empower, grow, link and inspire lacrosse communities globally. This organization focuses on financing, consulting, educating and donating resources to lacrosse programs in need.

Program development is a focus point of the organization, providing resources to numerous programs: coaching, funding, equipment and even “kickstart[ing] international youth programs.” Children’s personal development is an area of focus that Give & Go prioritizes through leadership, education and shared love for the game.

There are scholarship programs that allow the next generation to attend college/prep school, ensuring they reach their fullest possible potential. Give & Go aims for programs to reach Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Status to support players with “the dream of playing in the world games.”

The Give & Go Foundation serves as a worldwide network for the lacrosse community, connecting lacrosse players all around the globe. Travel experiences are another focal point, so the organization gives stipends to travel and coach in various places and establishes travel plans for individuals, groups and teams.

The Foundation makes sure to provide all the necessary equipment for the game along with money for the field space as there is no way to play the game if there is nowhere to play. Professional ambassadors, both men and women, work to inspire, consult and teach programs internationally.

Helping Countries in Poverty

A few of the many countries Give & Go has impacted include Jamaica, Argentina, Costa Rica, Portugal, Spain, the Czech Republic, Nicaragua, Panama and the Netherlands. In just these countries alone, millions of people face poverty. In Nicaragua, in 2016, about 25% of people lived below the national poverty line. Meanwhile, in Portugal, in 2016, close to 2.6 million people faced risks of poverty, and in Argentina, about 10 million people endured poverty in the first half of 2019.

Ghitelman and Ratliff have already impacted so many lives by giving back with the Give & Go Foundation. The organization is providing children all over the world with the opportunity of playing the great sport of lacrosse. In the process, the organization educates children and teaches them skills necessary for personal development.

In an interview with The Sport of Philanthropy in 2019, co-founder Ratliff  said that “Sports are a safe environment to learn how to fail and try again, to learn how to deal with loss in emotionally elevated circumstances and to learn how to communicate through differences with teammates and coaches who aren’t always like you.” He further stated that his mission “is to not only help more people have access to sports but also to understand the power and value of sports when viewed through this lens.”

The Give & Go Foundation is prioritizing the well-being and development of children through sports, ensuring that children obtain the skills and empowerment necessary to rise out of poverty.

– Dylan Olive
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

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The Need for More Aid to Latin America

Aid to Latin America
The diverse sprawl of nations that make up Latin America and the Caribbean is currently mired in the intense ramifications of inequity and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite internal efforts from across Latin American nations to fight off poverty, inequality and illness, it is evident that more foreign aid to Latin America is necessary. The aid should fall into the two main categories of helping maintain sovereignty for Latin Americans and growing their economies.

The Current Crisis

The most significant threat to lifting Latin American nations out of poverty is the rate of high inequality paired alongside low social program spending, which has resulted in the region accounting for 28% of total global COVID-19 fatalities by April 2022 despite only making up 8.4% of the world’s population. In addition, ineffective cash transfers and tax systems, which often neglect to collect from the wealthiest citizens, result in women, Indigenous communities and other marginalized groups bearing the brunt of the economic fallout.

The impact of the pandemic has only exacerbated the issues of low social program spending and lack of progressive taxation. Increased food insecurity, economic contraction of 7.4% in the region in 2020, as well as increased poverty and extreme poverty rates, all paint the current picture of economic and social inequality in Latin America and the need for more aid to alleviate the region’s levels of poverty.

Current Aid

Funds are currently in play, supplying aid to Latin America for COVID-19 relief and future infrastructure support. The World Bank initiated funding for public health systems throughout 2021, various industry support funds, vaccines and emergency health response improvement. Countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Panama have received substantive aid with the primary focus on COVID-19 and health-related recovery.

Over the past 20 years, the need for aid in Latin America and the Caribbean has remained high, but due to developmental growth in the region, the “U.S. government has increasingly concentrated those resources in fewer countries and sectors.”

The rate of poverty in the region reduced from 45.3% in 2002 to 30.5% in 2019. However, around 2015, progress in many Latin American nations began to stagnate. Political instability deteriorated economic conditions in nations such as Nicaragua and Venezuela, and poverty levels only worsened across the region in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Biden administration has proposed as of March 31, 2022, a foreign assistance budget of $2.1 billion for aid to Latin America and the Caribbean. However, these funds have yet to receive approval and the type of causes that the money would go to suggests that there is no exclusive focus on marginalized groups and women in these countries.

The Necessary Aid

An Amnesty International report in April 2022 shows the need for more aid to Latin America in the coming months, but the kind of aid that goes beyond basic health and economic assistance. Most notably, countries must rework the frame of providing funding and aid by opting for a “human rights-based approach to recovering from the pandemic and tackling inequality.”

Looking Ahead

With much of the impact of the social and economic fallout of the pandemic falling on the women of these countries, aid that is to come to the region must take into account how services and economic improvements can work for women. Aid that helps Latin American countries provide financial investment for improved infrastructure is aid that can help alleviate poverty. In addition, aid with a focus on equality and taking into account the social and economic discrepancies on a nation-by-nation basis can more adequately contribute to ending poverty in Latin America.

– Albert Vargas
Photo: Flickr

Elderly Poverty in Israel: A Long-Term Project

Elderly Poverty in Israel
Elderly poverty in Israel has sharply declined over the last 20 years. The percentage of households below the poverty line that have a retirement-age head of the household has dropped from 27% in 1997 to 20% in 2011. One reason for this change is due to the welfare legislation laws passed in favor of elderly citizens. Coupled with, “social strategies,” such as living with younger, employed family members, the state of Israel can ensure its elderly population maintains a comfortable standard of living. The gross monthly income of households with retirement-age family members has increased from $3,948 in 1997 to $5,476 in 2011.

An Allowance

According to Ayal Kimhi, researcher and professor at the Hebrew University, “there is a general consensus that the elderly population is entitled to assistance.”

Elderly citizens who live with younger, employed family members are more likely to avoid poverty, because, when joined as one household, they will receive a higher income rate as opposed to an elderly citizen living on their own. Elderly individuals that live with younger family members have three sources of income: government support in the form of an old-age-benefit allowance, employment pensions and income from employed family members.

The percentage of elderly Israelis living in households that receive income from employment pensions increased from 48% in 1999 to 51% in 2011. Due to a rise in income among the elderly population, largely thanks to the old-age benefits allowance, elderly poverty in Israel is decreasing.

“In practice, poverty rates among those entitled to pensions are extremely low,” according to researchers Haya Stier and Haim Bleikh. Israel legislates that the elderly population receives “a minimum level of income.” Therefore, in addition to pensions received from employment, Israeli people of retirement age receive an old-age pension. Income from pension plans serves as a safety net for retired individuals to ensure that they can still live in comfort outside of employment.

The History Behind Legislation

As of 1980, “awareness of needs of the large and rapidly growing group of elderly population intensified.” As a result, Israel instilled new welfare laws and services. The new order specified that, legally, Israel had to provide a minimum income for the elderly population. Thanks to the National Insurance Institute (NII), the elderly population in Israel has been guaranteed a level of income that will allow them to still engage in day-to-day activities. However, there are a number of eligibility requirements.

In addition to a required income for the elderly population, Israel passed the National Health Care Law in 1995, guaranteeing all citizens health care coverage no matter their socio-economic status. This law covers ambulance and hospital services for all Israeli citizens as well as medication. About 30% of the national health care services budget goes toward addressing the health needs of elderly Israeli citizens.

Israel, through the introduction of these welfare acts, aimed to ensure that elderly citizens could “continue living in their own homes and communities as long as possible.” Israel also established public and private housing for independent elderly citizens. The elderly citizens who reside in these shelters are not in need of many services.

Finally, in 1998, Israel passed the Nursing Law, which sought to provide for elderly citizens struggling to engage in “activities of daily living (ADL).” The Nursing Law allows these citizens to “receive up to 16 hours a week of help” directly in their homes. Trained caregivers help with “personal needs as well as cooking, house cleaning and shopping.”

Looking Ahead

Elderly poverty in Israel has been on the decline since the passing of welfare laws in the 1980s. Thanks to the Israeli government and new social standards, the elderly population in Israel is guaranteed to live comfortably whether with their younger and still employed family members or independently. Israel is addressing elderly poverty within the nation and the gap of impoverishment between the elderly and the young has been closing over the past 20 years.

– Henry Hyman
Photo: Flickr

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Move for H2O Raises $150,000 for Clean Water in Haiti

Move for H2O
Move for H2O is a Canadian fundraising initiative in partnership with HOPE International where volunteers can participate in activities to raise money for water-insecure countries. Move For H2O’s 10th annual campaign selected the Haitian region of Fon Batis to support 4,989 people in the area who must walk 3 km uphill to the nearest water source, the Marianne Spring.

Exercise for a Cause

Move for H2O organizes public and virtual athletic events across Canada that individuals or teams can participate in while fundraising. Participants registered for events like Bike in Edmonton, Run in Vancouver and Kickbox in Burnaby, all of which the organizer hosted. Others held their own athletic fundraising events from kayak paddling to dog fetching.

Throughout the weeklong event, volunteers are provided with a fundraising page. This way, friends and family can cheer them on while they work out. Move for H2O encouraged participants to move 6 km to match the distance the people of Fon Batis walk daily for water, according to its website.

Organizers at Move for H2O were excited to provide for the people of Fon Batis through the 2022 fundraiser. Haiti remains one of the world’s most water-deprived countries, with 3.3 million people lacking access to clean water. Additionally, World Bank reported that water access in Haiti has decreased from 62% in 1990 to 52% in 2015, likely due to deforestation and a lack of sanitation infrastructure in rural regions.

HOPE International describes clean water as “the catalyzing step communities take to end the extreme poverty.” The nonprofit designated this year’s fundraising campaign with the purpose of constructing a water system in Haiti. It will bring clean water from the Marianne Spring directly to the people in the 12 neighborhoods of Fon Batis, instead of the other way around.

This development could directly impact the health of people. It could improve living conditions for the women and children who trek over two hours across high and uneven terrain to the Marianne Spring, according to Move for H2O.

Move for H2O’s Fundraising Impact

This year’s fundraiser, which took place from June 10th to June 18th, raised $152,453 for Fon Batis. Move for H2O posted a Twitter update following the fundraiser, stating that the money will go toward digging trenches, installing tanks, laying pipes and assembling taps for the water system.

Six kilometers of piping will send water from the spring into four tanks, according to Move for H2O’s website. The water will flow into community taps in Fon Batis after a treatment plant filters it. The organization foresees “profound transformation” coming to Fon Batis, “because water changes everything,” Move for H2O said on Twitter.

HOPE and Move for H2O’s commitment to providing water to families improved the lives of more than 12,000 people. Over the last 10 years, the fundraiser has raised about $1.07 million which went towards various communities like the El Capotillo District of Dominican Republic and Talaxcoc, Guatemala. Move for H2O is a strong example of how compassionate and committed individuals can create lasting impacts for the communities that need it most.

– Evan Lemole
Photo: Pixabay

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Combating Human Trafficking in Myanmar

Human Trafficking in Myanmar
Human Trafficking In Myanmar and surrounding countries such as Thailand, China and Laos have historically struggled to contain trafficking throughout the region of Southeast Asia. This crisis has escalated since the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s Army) overthrew the democratically elected members of the National League for Democracy party in early February 2021. As of 2022, the United Nations estimates there are 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers in Myanmar, nearly half of whom are children.

Regional Instability

As the world watched in disbelief as the fabric of democracy fell apart within Myanmar, many overlooked an already serious problem that had plagued the country – human trafficking.

Human trafficking in Myanmar has always been a prevalent issue. However, the recent conflict has created thousands of desperate refugees giving human traffickers an abundant amount of targets. In fact, the United Nations estimates that there are some 440,000 internally displaced people since the coup took place.

According to the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report by the U.S. Department of State, “The international monitor-verified use of children in labor and support roles by certain military battalions increased in conflict zones.” The report indicates that the coup combined with the COVID-19 pandemic has led to reporting far fewer trafficking cases making it difficult to estimate exact figures.

Globally human trafficking has become a booming business for criminals. Some estimates predict it has become one of the world’s most profitable organized crimes, bringing in more than $150 billion globally a year. According to the Walk Free Foundation’s Global Slavery Index, two-thirds of its victims are in East Asia and the Pacific.

Where Trafficking Victims Go

Human traffickers often deceive victims with the promises of high-paying jobs in surrounding countries in fields such as construction, agriculture and hospitality. Approximately 600,000 immigrants from Myanmar are legally registered to work in Thailand. However, many more are there working illegally in underpaid inhumane working conditions in industries such as fishing, factories, agriculture and sex work. Reports estimate that “out of 1 million illegal immigrants in Thailand, 75% are from Myanmar.”

Myanmar has been a hotbed for human trafficking for years due to political instability, natural disasters and internal ethnic infighting leading to a massive lack of opportunity for its populace. Since the coup took place, the number of individuals at risk of trafficking has skyrocketed. Despite this, there has been a notable decline in the population reporting trafficking cases due to the distrust between the populace and government forces.

Thailand is not the only country for the victims. Traffickers move many young women out of Myanmar and bring them to China where there is a large market for young women for the purposes of birth trafficking. Many of these women are from the Kachin State, a predominantly Muslim and Christian minority located in Myanmar’s northernmost regions bordering China. The practice of smuggling women to another country for the purpose of marriage and childbearing has become more common as experts point out how China’s “one-child policy” preference towards boys created a massive gender ratio gap resulting in millions of unmarried young men.

According to a report from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that surveyed four northern districts in Myanmar, there are more than 7,400 victims of forced marriage in China. “Victims of forced marriage suffer a range of rights violations and exposure to physical and psychological risks,” said Courtland Robinson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School. The true number of Myanmarese women trafficked into China is likely far higher due to only four districts (out of 74) examined in the study as well as this study dating back to 2017 and 2018, three years prior to the military coup.

Causes

When examining the root of human trafficking in Myanmar, the two largest causes would be poverty and political instability. The recent conflict has only exacerbated the flood of refugees making it easier for traffickers to take advantage of desperate people. Military control over Myanmar’s government has resulted in the loss of practically all trust between the government and the populace, creating a need for NGOs and other nonprofits to step in and provide aid.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is an NGO that has been operating in Myanmar since 2008 and continues to provide aid such as health care, water and sanitation services, career training and support for community development projects.

The IRC primarily operates in Myanmar’s most at-risk and remote regions such as Rakhine, Chin and Shan states. Some strategies the IRC uses to bring stability to the region include; teaching farmers modern agricultural techniques and technologies, assisting communities in the development of projects such as schools and health care centers and operating women and girls’ centers to support survivors of trafficking violence. The IRC also provides aid to thousands of refugees located in nine camps across the Thai border. The International Rescue Committee’s goal in Myanmar is to eventually stabilize the region through implementing infrastructure assistance.

With no assistance from the government and minimal response from members of the international community, the importance of NGOs and nonprofits operating in Myanmar is huge. As regional instability increases and the armed conflict continues, more people in Myanmar become displaced and are at risk of becoming trafficking victims every day. However, with the support of NGOs and nonprofits that are taking proactive and reactive measures to stabilize Myanmar, human trafficking in Myanmar can reduce.

– Michael McShane
Photo: Flickr

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CWTL Provides Tablets to Children

Tablets to Children
The Can’t Wait to Learn Program (CWTL) which began in 2021 runs in five countries and provides tablets to children in remote areas with high learning poverty. The program aims to provide education to children affected by conflict in Sudan, Jordan, Chad, Uganda and Lebanon. On June 23, 2022, a report announced that learning poverty in low-income and middle-income countries had increased by 13%.

The learning poverty increase is due to lowered household income and extended school closures during the pandemic and conflict in given countries. Learning poverty measurements occur by studying 10-year-olds’ ability to read and comprehend simple written text. In 2015, learning poverty in low-income and middle-income areas was at 57%. As of June 23, learning poverty increased to 70% of children unable to read simple text.

Can’t Wait to Learn

The Ministry of Education (MoE), UNICEF, War Child Holland and Ahfad University partnered to create the first Can’t Wait to Learn Program. They created the program in Sudan in in 2014 with their e-Learning Sudan (eLs) Project. This phase of the Can’t Wait to Learn program focused on math games on tablets.

In Sudan, conflict affects 2.6 million children. As of August 2019, approximately 3 million children were not in school. This amounts to around one-third of children who are old enough to attend school missing crucial learning.

The Can’t Wait to Learn Project relies on local facilitators who can travel to villages and understand how to use the tablets. In Kassala, Sudan Can’t Wait to Learn established learning centers in 23 communities. This was the start of Can’t Wait to Learn’s fight against learning poverty, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Can’t Wait to Learn @ Home

In refugee camps in Uganda and Lebanon, CWTL adapted to have children learn remotely. In June 2021, Uganda’s government enforced a 42-day lockdown, meaning that schools were closed to children and travel was limited. With public transit closed, War Child Holland provided bikes to facilitators to check on families and deliver charged tablets to their homes.

With the pandemic, more than 1.2 million children in Lebanon missed school. War Child Holland has 40 locations in Lebanon, helping Lebanese families that cannot send their children to school. More than 40% of children spend their family finances on essential items such as food. In response, War Child created Can’t Wait to Learn @ Home, where families receive a manual to help their children use their tablets.

Inside and outside of schools in developing countries, CWTL provides tablets with educational games to children. The games are meant to teach children how to read, write and count. In each country, games receive adjustments for specific languages and needs of the children in the area. Out of school children who may have never used a computer before can learn with a tablet without teacher assistance.

Results and Future

Children in the program showed improved skills greater than those in the Government Alternative Learning programme (ALP). Children improved their math skills by two times and reading skills by 2.7 times with the ALP. COVID-19 worsened the learning poverty crisis, showing risk of children missing out on $21 trillion in possible income.

Can’t Wait to Learn and Can’t Wait to Learn @ Home provide the opportunity for children to continue their schooling despite the state of where they live. Through crises, a pandemic and low family income, the program continues to provide tablets and learning opportunities to children around the world.

– Sara Sweitzer
Photo: Flickr