Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Solar Energy in Lebanon

solar-energy-for-all-in-lebanonWithin the last three years, Lebanon has experienced several crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Beirut port explosion without forgetting an unprecedented economic and political crisis that was recently worsened by the war in Ukraine and global inflation. However, there is one crisis that the Lebanese people have suffered since 1992: the electricity crisis. The Lebanese state never managed to provide its population with regular, 24 hours of electricity per day. People had thus come up with alternatives, such as private electricity generators and most recently solar energy to secure this basic right.

The Electricity Situation in Lebanon

For decades now, electricity has been a major issue in Lebanon. State-owned Electricité du Liban provides only two hours of electricity per day. However, some areas experience complete shut-off. Until today, the Lebanese people’s main alternative to state-provided electricity is resorting to private generators that work on diesel. Two problems emerge from this situation, the first one being the price of petroleum-related products.

With the ongoing economic crisis and the devaluation of the Lebanese Pounds, the Lebanese government does not have enough funds to purchase fuel and make the electricity factories functional. On the other hand, people are also not able to afford fuel for their own private generators. The second problem is related to over-exploited private generators that are forced to shut off a few hours a day, leaving most people living with long power outages.

Why Does Solar Energy in Lebanon Make Sense?

Given all the challenges Lebanon is facing to have proper access to electricity, renewable energy becomes an interesting option to consider. Lebanon has a lot of natural and biological advantages, such as wind, water, etc. However, the most interesting and important natural asset is the abundant sunshine the country enjoys for the majority of the year, making solar energy in Lebanon the ideal alternative to consider for Lebanon to get out of the electricity crisis.

Using solar energy in Lebanon saves money for the Lebanese people whose private generators’ cost keeps on increasing. In fact, for 12 hours of electricity a day, the fuel cost for private generators can be as high as $550 per day. Although the installation of solar panels is also expensive, it saves a lot for the consumer. If someone pays $550 per day on fuel, installing solar panels will reduce his cost to $140 per day, according to Beirut Today.

Solutions

Despite being essential and economic in the long term, installing solar energy in Lebanon is still very expensive for the average Lebanese household or business. Prices of solar installation range between $2,000 and $5,000, which is a substantial amount for Lebanese workers who usually earn around $550 on average. However, the Lebanese people are not alone and different actors are bringing new initiatives to allow the spread of solar energy in Lebanon. The Housing Bank is conducting one of these initiatives, which is proposing loans from 75 million to 200 million Lebanese Pounds over a period of 5 years, according to Arab News.

Other international and local NGOs are also helping the government as well as the people to have access to solar energy. For example, the UNDP, in collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Health has provided 10 hospitals with solar panels. While NGOs, such as Meghterbin Mejtemiin are looking for funds from the Lebanese Diaspora to help those in need in their home country.

As always, the Lebanese people are showing how resilient they are in times of crisis and how innovative they become to adapt to the different situations they are living in. Thankfully, people can also count on Lebanese solidarity, especially with the diaspora that is always ready to help, the most recent example being their support for solar energy implementation in Lebanon.

–Youssef Yazbek
Photo: Flickr

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G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment

G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and InvestmentG7 is an organization comprised of seven of the world’s most advanced and powerful economies: the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The leaders of these nations recently came together to announce a new G7 partnership for global infrastructure and investment. The partnership will include a funding program of $600 billion with a focus on improving global infrastructure, medicine and technology. This international funding partnership is promising to improve the lives of millions, especially in the world’s impoverished and developing nations.

G7 Promises Relief for Global Economy and Low-Income Countries

In 2021, at the G7 summit, President Biden announced a plan to enhance the economic and infrastructure needs of developing nations, as well as support the economies of the United States and its allies. This initiative was part of Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

In June 2022, after a year of collaboration between the leaders of the G7 nations, President Biden announced the partnership for global infrastructure and investment, a $600 billion initiative of global infrastructure investments between the seven countries by 2027, according to The White House.

The collaboration will officially launch the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). This should strengthen and diversify the supply chain, as well as improve the quality of life for millions of people in developing countries. The United States will contribute $200 billion over the course of five years, The White House reported. This makes it one of the most extensive contributions to low-income and developing countries in recent years, especially after facing global economic setbacks from the pandemic.

Some of the projects cited in the initiative are an industrial mRNA vaccine plant in Senegal, solar projects in Angola, a sub-sea cable linking South Asia and Europe, a linking port from Christmas Island and a modular nuclear reactor plant in Romania.

G7 Funding Program Demonstrates Effective International Cooperation

The G7 partnership for global infrastructure and investment is in part motivated by the United States and other economic powerhouses’ desire to compete with China’s Belt and Road initiative. China’s infrastructure initiative focuses on road transportation, bridges and mining, which economists estimate to cost $1 trillion.

In the G7 funding program, Biden references a wider range of goals including clean energy, gender equality, health care and communication technology. President Biden and the other G7 leaders are hopeful that the new G7 funding program will have a more direct positive impact on the lives of the impoverished, the global economy and the climate, The Guardian reports. Prior to the G7 summit, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan had each announced their individual global infrastructure investment plans.

In November 2021, President Biden met with multiple world leaders to ensure their plans could cooperate to create a more powerful global investment plan that would have a greater impact, according to The Guardian.

G7’s Commitment to Poverty Reduction

The G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment marks one of the most cohesive and extensive international investment plans in recent years. The PGII will support the clean energy initiative, U.S. national security and digital infrastructure. This initiative could offer relief to the 689 million people living in extreme poverty.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the poverty rate up to 9.1% in 2022 from 7.8% in 2019, signaling a dire need to support people in developing nations by offering them improved digital communication, access to medical supplies and health care, emergency COVID-19 relief and economic support. President Biden asserts that the United States’ partnership with G7 could change millions of lives across the world and the global economy could experience some relief after the pandemic.

– Ella DeVries
Photo: Flickr

Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Samoa

impact-of-covid-19-on-poverty-in-samoaThe impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Samoa is evident in several ways — from increased homelessness to insufficient medical supplies to lack of clean water access. However, thanks to government aid and international assistance, the most vulnerable groups are being supported.

ADRA Samoa Gives Shelter

As it relates to addressing homelessness, the Samoan Government and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) partnered to provide accommodation for families who lost their homes during the pandemic.

As of August 4, 2022, the Samoan Government distributed about 1 million Samoan tala ($369,659) in relief aid while 120 families were given brand new homes by ADRA. The Shelter and Hygiene Program provided ADRA with a grant of 2 million tala ($739,318) and an additional 1.5 million tala ($554,488) to construct specially-adapted homes for 88 households where a family member has a disability. All of the support the government and ADRA provide helps improve the lives of vulnerable families and inspires others.

“It has been a very exciting period for ADRA in Samoa, especially when we have been able, through the shelter interventions, to make a significant difference to people’s lives, and to help them strengthen their resilience to pandemics and natural disasters,” Su’a Julia Wallwork, director of the ADRA told Adventist Records in a statement. In collaboration with New Zealand Habitat for Humanity, ADRA will resume its work on a project called Maluapapa Safe Haven Project.

Samoa Receives Lifesaving COVID-19 Supplies

The impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Samoa has also been far-reaching in terms of the country’s health care systems. To ensure that all residents have access to necessary resources, the World Health Organization (WHO), carried out by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and in partnership with the European Union (EU) shipped medical supplies to Samoa in May 2022.

The Minister of Health commented on the assistance the WHO, WFP and the EU provided stating “This equipment and medical supplies will be used by Samoan health workers around the country as they continue to test and treat patients and to remain safe themselves as they save lives.”

The supplies included 280,000 face masks, 248,300 hand gloves, 72,000 hospital garments, 30,000 N95 masks, 10,300 face covering, 6,000 COVID-19 testing kits, 3,000 pulse measuring devices and 50 oxygen gas generators which is a sufficient amount for the hospitals that may not have enough resources, the WFP reports.

Dr. Kim Eva Dickson, a WHO Representative to Samoa is grateful for the assistance from the EU due to the barriers they face during the pandemic, stating “We knew we needed to get this equipment and supplies into health workers’ hands here in Samoa, but getting it here was going to be a challenge, due to limited flights and inflated shipping costs. Thankfully, we spoke with our colleagues at WFP and, with support from the EU, they made this flight possible. ”

ARROWS Supplies Clean Water

The impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Samoa can also be seen in terms of water scarcity. Caritas Australia and Caritas Samoa started the Advancing Resilience through Resources for Outreach and Water Security (ARROWS) program to provide service to families living in residential homes or villages who have no access to clean water.

The program built a water system for 32 families in the mainland of Upolu and Savai’i. Tului is from a family of 13 who had to live with polluted water for 10 years. Since the ARROWS program began, Tului and her family now have access to water, measured in a 3,000L tank to bathe, wash dishes and consume water safely without falling ill.

Many families experience hardships like lack of water, medical supplies, or losing their homes due to the pandemic. However, organizations like the ADRA and ARROWS made it possible for families not to endure the hard struggles but to strive for a future full of possibilities for their community.

– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Shea Butter Plant in Ghana

Shea Butter Plant in GhanaShea butter, known as “women’s gold,” supports female empowerment, backs many U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), enhances the global supply chain and promotes self-sufficient development in Southeastern Ghana. To make the most of this versatile nut, Bunge Loders Croklaan (BLC), “the specialty oils and fats business of [U.S.-based] Bunge Limited,” opened Africa’s first and largest shea butter plant in Ghana, in 2019. Bunge’s example portrays how capitalizing on a burgeoning international market is mutually beneficial for the United States and the world’s impoverished, especially women.

Bunge’s Global Partnerships

As an international industry headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Bunge’s purpose is to “connect farmers to consumers to deliver essential food, feed and fuel to the world.” Bunge serves more than 70,000 farmers and consumers by “sourcing, processing and supplying oilseed and grain products and ingredients.”

The BLC sector specializes in delivering oils and fats to farmers and industries within and across borders. Reaping benefits since the opening of the shea plant in Tema, Ghana, Aaron Buettner, a president of BLC, said that the “latest investment in Ghana plays a critical role in strengthening BLC’s global infrastructure for processing and supplying high-quality shea products to our customers around the world, while also bolstering the entire ecosystem of regional crushers and local shea collectors in the West African region.”

BLC’s Shea Butter Plant opens Financial Opportunities in Ghana

Bunge’s global network increases employment and enhances the self-sustainable development of the local shea community in Ghana. About 16 million families in Africa rely on the shea industry to financially sustain their households. In late 2020, Tema’s shea butter plant provided jobs for 73 people, mostly residents and individuals around the community. Currently, in 2022, Ghana has met the unemployment rate indicator under the SDG “decent work and economic growth” at a value of 4.52.

Celebrating Ghanaian Women’s Empowerment

Women represent most of the shea butter plant industry in Ghana. With “skills passed on from mother to daughter,” women pick, process and sell shea nuts and their components. Women leave their homes at dawn and travel to the shea parklands to generate income for their families.

Autonomy in labor helps to raise the status of women. The gender equality goal of the Sustainable Development Report displays a value of 89.68 in 2020 for the ratio of female-to-male labor participation rate, indicating that Ghana is maintaining an egalitarian workforce.

Shortcomings to Women’s Rights in Ghana

Still, gender inequality remains a prevalent issue. Despite employment data that often only captures the world from its surface, women in Ghana generally have fewer assets and are more impoverished than men. In fact, according to Oxfam, about 94% of the wealthiest people in Ghana are men.

Women are even disadvantaged in the shea business due to their absence in key stages of the supply chain. Illiteracy and lack of skills prevent many women from maximizing their wealth and industries’ production. In fact, “significant challenges remain” in the ratio of female-to-male mean years of education received.

How BLC Helps Females in Ghana

The Where Life Grows campaign, connected with BLC, committed itself to “empower shea collecting women, create socio-economic value in their communities and conserve and regenerate the shea landscape.” The campaign builds the capacity of women through training and by providing innovative resources. For example, during the off-season, women working with the Where Life Goes program organize, plan and discuss their needs with colleagues and receive loans. The women use the borrowed money to rent land, buy fertilizer, hire tractors to plow the soil and more.

Furthermore, BLC and the campaign implement solutions to alleviate stagnated access to sustainable clean energy in Ghana that impedes on shea production. BLC’s management designs efforts that provide energy-efficient pots and stoves that “use 60% less wood,” emit less smoke and decrease nut boiling time. These newly improved tools improve working conditions, sanitation and efficiency. By investing in local skills development overseas, the Missouri-based company attains a more efficient and sustainable production process while accounting for humanitarian needs.

Bunge’s partnerships supply training, tools, farming activities and direct sourcing to women in Tema, ultimately strengthening both ends of the value chain. Global businesses, namely BLC, operate with a multitude of incentives, such as strengthening the independence of women in Ghana and creating jobs in the United States. The international shea business improves Ghanaian individual and economic wealth and works to close the gender gap.

– Anna Zawistowski
Photo: WikiCommons

 

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Accessible Water in Morocco

Water in MoroccoDrought has limited access to water in Morocco. In March 2022, Morocco experienced its “worst drought in 40 years.” Since September 2021, reservoirs in Morocco have only received 11% of typical yearly rainfall, according to Moroccan authorities. Droughts in Morocco are not uncommon, but the current drought is so major that it poses a threat to the water supply in Moroccan cities. In an attempt to put an end to this water scarcity, Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) has drafted and started construction on a project in Marrakech, under the National Program for the Supply of Drinking water and Irrigation 2020-2027 that seeks to build dams inside the country to efficiently distribute water throughout Morocco.

The Blueprints

The National Program for the Supply of Drinking water and Irrigation 2020-2027 aims to “accelerate investments in order to strengthen the supply of drinking water and irrigation,” and thus, increase the nation’s resilience when facing droughts. The plan includes the construction of dams, with a special focus on providing water relief to rural areas.

As of June 2022, ONEE is overseeing the construction of a pipeline that will efficiently allocate water in Morocco’s most populous city, Casablanca. The project is separated into two stages. The first stage involves installing a pipeline that is roughly 4.5 miles long and goes from North Casablanca to the Médiouna distribution reservoir in Southern Casablanca. The goal of the pipeline is to “ensure optimal management of the available water resources at the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah dam and the Oum Er Rbiaa basin.”

The second phase of the project intends to use a booster station to expand the pipeline velocity to 2,500 liters per second from the current velocity of 1,550 liters per second. Expansions of the pipeline plans to extend an additional 4.4 miles to Casablanca’s Bouskoura reservoir in the southern region. The cost of the pipeline for phase one is around €18 million and the second phase will cost the city an additional €12 million. ONEE foresees the completion of the second phase by July 2023.

ONEE received approval from the government to build multiple dams in the country’s Marrakech region back in 2020 and began construction in March 2022. This project has cost the country roughly $256 million and is receiving funding from the African Development Bank under the African Finance Corporation.

The goal of the project is to raise the number of major dams in Morocco from 145 to 179. The current focal point of the project is the Al Massira Dam “where a settling station, a treatment station, three pumping stations and several reservoirs with a total capacity of 93,000 cubic meters will be installed.”

The Importance of Change

The Moroccan economy tends to falter during times of droughts. Due to drought, agricultural output in Morocco reduced by 17.3% since 2021. It is expected that in 2022 Morocco’s poverty rate will remain stagnant at its current rate of 2.5% due to inflation in food and goods and the drought’s toll on agricultural production.

Due to the powerful effects that the current drought has on the country, efforts toward making water in Morocco more accessible are imperative.

– Luke Sherrill
Photo: Flickr

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Migration to Portugal

Migration to PortugalPortugal, a coastal country known for its colorfully-tiled sunny beach towns, is increasingly gaining a reputation as a destination for migrants looking to work in the European Union. In fact, over the last five years, Portugal’s immigrant population has increased by nearly 70%. In 2020, the number of people that acquired Portuguese citizenship stood at nearly twice that of the previous year. This increase in migration to Portugal stems from the needs of both the country as a whole and the migrants themselves.

The Benefits that Migrants Bring to Portugal

Portuguese citizens, as EU members, have the legal right to both live and work in other European Union countries. This includes countries like Germany and France, which have higher wages and better living conditions than Portugal. As a result, Portugal has a high rate of citizens that emigrate outside of the country, leaving the economy with a need for a replacement labor force.

Not only do migrants remedy the country’s labor shortage but they also bring in tax revenue and contribute to Portugal’s Social Security. Migrants even create jobs by starting businesses of their own, opening grocery stores foreign cuisine restaurants, hair salons and more. This enriches the diversity and vibrancy of the country while stimulating the economy.

What Brings Migrants to Portugal?

To fulfill that basic economic need for labor, Portugal has constructed a legal framework for immigration that is highly beneficial to incoming migrants. In June 2022, Portugal’s minister of foreign and parliamentary affairs announced that the nation would dissolve the quota regime and provide for a six-month work-seeking visa.

Even those without a visa, undocumented migrants, are permitted to apply for work. Once they have secured a job, they can apply for residency. Even “proof of legal entry” requirements in applying for residency status within the country are typically informally lax. Once a resident, migrants can have their families join them and enjoy the same legal status of residency. After five years, a resident can “qualify for a Portuguese passport of their own.” This ease on the path to a passport is a primary perk of migration to Portugal, alluring enough to make up for the relatively low wages offered in the country.

The largest group of migrants in the country are Brazilians, followed by another Portuguese-speaking country, Cape Verde. Both are steeped in poverty, with the most recent estimates of Cabo Verde’s national poverty rate standing at 35% as of 2015. In Brazil, about 27 million people lived under the national poverty line in 2021. With a national poverty rate of 16.2% as of 2019, Portugal offers a gateway out of deeply impoverished communities.

Once a migrant secures a European Union passport, they are free to move toward the wealthy economic core of Europe that draws Portuguese nationals as well, with the promise of higher wages. This allows migrants and their families to pursue opportunities to move toward the higher quality of life they imagined when they chose to leave their homelands.

– Grace Ramsey
Photo: Flickr

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The First Malaria Vaccine

Malaria VaccineIn October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a vaccine for the prevention of malaria. This malaria vaccine, called the RTS,S, is the first and only the WHO has recommended for malaria prevention.

Devastating Impact

Malaria has a devastating impact on countries where the disease is common. In 2020, there were 241 million malaria cases and 627,000 malaria deaths. In Africa, where 82% of malaria cases occur, 80% of malaria deaths consist of children under 5. In addition to the high death toll, malaria causes an estimated loss of $12 billion every year in lost productivity.

Over the past several decades, improved preventative measures including mosquito nets, antimalarial medications and efforts to reduce mosquito habitats have helped to contribute to a decline in the prevalence of malaria. Since 2015, however, progress in efforts to combat malaria has slowed, according to WHO. Some countries with especially high malaria transmission rates have even experienced an increase in malaria cases. After a slump in progress in recent years, though, the success of the RTS,S vaccine offers a ray of hope.

The Vaccine

Due to the complexity of the parasite that causes malaria, this vaccine took more than 30 years to develop. Research on the RTS,S vaccine began in the 1990s with the first clinical trial on it published in 1997. However, several more decades of trials would pass before researchers proved the vaccine to be safe and effective against malaria in children.

Trials completed in 2015, which followed a schedule of three or four vaccines for children between 5 and 17 months of age, found the RTS,S vaccine to reduce malaria-related hospitalization by 37% in the first four years of vaccination.

Over the course of three years, the pilot program, which included trials in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi vaccinated more than 900,000 children. The pilot program confirmed that the vaccine, while not perfect, reduces the frequency of severe malaria infection and demonstrated that large-scale vaccine distribution is feasible, according to WHO.

Based on the findings of the trials, the WHO expects that vaccinating one child could save the lives of 200 of them, according to its report. The WHO estimates that, if widespread vaccination is achieved, the RTS,S vaccine could save the lives of 40,000 to 80,000 children every year. Following the success of the pilot program, the WHO officially recommended the use of the vaccine for areas with high to moderate malaria transmission in October 2021.

In April 2022, the WHO reached the milestone of having 1 million children in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

A Historic Breakthrough

After several years of stagnation, this malaria vaccine represents what Dr. Mary Hamel, a medical epidemiologist who works on malaria prevention, called “a historic breakthrough.” In addition to being the first vaccine to provide protection against malaria, the RTS,S vaccine is the first vaccine for the parasitic disease, meaning the development of this vaccine represents not only a breakthrough in malaria research but a breakthrough in the world of vaccine development.

Though the vaccine’s efficacy is modest, its success is a major breakthrough in a decades-long fight against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. As the first WHO-recommended malaria vaccine, this vaccine has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives every year and serve as a stepping stone toward future innovations in the realm of malaria prevention.

– Anna Inghram
Photo: Flickr

WHO and Kenya Launch Emergency Health Hub

Emergency Health Hub in KenyaThe World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new emergency health hub in Kenya in partnership with the government. According to the WHO, the hub aims to facilitate emergency services required to handle public health crises, such as outbreaks of new diseases. It will include a Centre of Excellence for the Health Emergency Workforce to oversee the training of 3,000 responders, who will be equipped to react to public health emergencies within 24 hours. The hub will also contain a stockpile of emergency medical and logistical supplies needed across the region.

The Government of Kenya and the WHO hosted the ground-breaking ceremony for the Emergency Hub and Center for Excellence on July 9. While the emergency health hub in Kenya does not have an estimated date of completion yet; it is part of WHO Africa’s flagship program for ensuring health security, whose goal is the better protection of 1 billion Africans from health emergencies by 2025.

Kenya is providing $31 million in funding specifically for the emergency hub, while the WHO is contributing $47 million for the flagship initiative in its entirety. In addition, $5 million of the government’s contribution will go toward construction costs for the hub. The hub will be located near Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital in Nairobi.

Why the Hub is Needed

According to the WHO, Africa experiences a disproportionate number of health emergencies compared to the rest of the world with more than 1,000 per year although the continuent lacks the health infrastructure and manpower necessary to deal with current and future crises.

Notably, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed gaps within the region’s health system. While initiatives such as COVAX have made progress, only 20.3% of the continent is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of August 2022, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Alongside COVID-19, the WHO is also monitoring cases of the Marburg virus in Ghana and monkeypox outbreaks in Central and West Africa, among other diseases in the continent.

Health Emergencies and Extreme Weather Patterns

A major concern for the future is that the number of public health emergencies is expected to go up due to extreme weather patterns. Research shows that there is an increased risk of transmission of climate-sensitive diseases as weather patterns change. In addition, as wildlife begin moving out of their habitats due to the weather shifts and increasingly interact with other foreign species and humans, there are more opportunities for new viruses and pandemics to emerge.

Kenya is already feeling the impact of droughts for multiple consecutive rainfall seasons. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network estimates that 3.5 million people face severe food insecurity in Kenya alone as of May 2022, alongside almost 80 million people in the Horn of Africa and East Africa regions.

The drought has brought on a malnutrition crisis in Kenya. As of July 2022, around 950,000 children under 5 years old and 135,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are malnourished and require treatment, according to the World Food Programme. In its press release, the WHO recognized that malnutrition and food insecurity are one of the emergencies that the hub aims to tackle.

The Future of Africa’s Public Health Systems

The Emergency Hub and Center for Excellence aim to train responders in Kenya and help create an crisis response team for every country in Africa. The teams will comprise professionals across a range of disciplines, from epidemiology to mental health services.

Kenya’s hub is the first of the WHO Africa’s centers planned under its flagship program, which will prove crucial in the continents’ responses to potential health crises. Senegal and South Africa are the next countries in line to set up similar emergency hubs and training centers.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu stated that “the Hub will improve the capacity of African countries to prepare, detect and respond to health emergencies, support resilient health systems, and strengthen the regional and global health architecture,” at the ground-breaking ceremony.

– Ramona Mukherji
Photo: Flickr

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Fruit Trees in India Alleviate Hunger and Poverty

Fruit Trees in India
In India, hunger and poverty remain persistent problems despite the growing economy. In 2021, estimates indicated that around 97.7 million people, or 6% of the population, lived in extreme poverty defined as less than $1.25 a day in income. This issue is significant in various regions, with Bihar experiencing a 52% poverty level followed by Jharkhand at 42% and Uttar Pradesh at 38%. In the regions of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, 45,000 children die each year of malnutrition. Deforestation and erosion that devastate farming land and natural resources have worsened this problem. However, the planting of fruit trees in India could help those in poverty.

Fruit Trees as a Solution to Poverty

Many organizations are combating these issues by planting fruit trees in India as a means of supporting sustainable livelihoods. The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation aims to plant community trees at clinics, schools and community centers to provide a steady “source of healthy food” and reforest the region of Uttar Pradesh. In addition, low-income families will also receive fruit-bearing trees to help them subsist. The foundation will provide horticultural training and workshops that will teach community members “the value of fruit trees” and how to take care of the trees and the environment to ensure sustainability.

Other Organizations Planting Trees

The One Tree Planted organization has supported the planting of 1.5 million fruit trees in India as of March 2022, including jackfruit, key lime, pomegranate, guava and custard apple, among others. The tree planting took place across the regions of Madya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Haryana — areas with high levels of extreme poverty.

These efforts helped restore 1,553 hectares of land that had succumbed to deforestation and positively impacted about 1,200 farming households throughout the process. Furthermore, 85% of the reforestation is a result of the work of more than 11,000 female farmers.

A grove of about 100 fruit trees can provide sustenance and an income to a family of four, helping lift communities out of poverty. As widowed and elderly women are particularly at risk of poverty, the organization focused on employing these marginalized groups. In addition, the trees will help increase biodiversity by providing sustenance and shelter to insects and small animals. This, in turn, will create thriving natural environments in the regions.

The Sustainable Greening Initiative (SGI) is a social enterprise based in India that focuses on combating severe weather, hunger and poverty in the nation. In two and a half years, SGI planted more than 25,000 fruit-bearing trees in 23 areas across India. By the third year, the trees could increase household income by INR 5,500 or $100 annually. SGI plants fruit trees at orphanages, old-age homes and homesteads of low-income farmers to help supplement the livelihoods of these communities. SGI also monitors the growth of the trees to ensure survival and sufficient fruit yields and assists in developing communal vegetable gardens to further combat hunger and poverty.

Looking Ahead

Fruit trees in India are a key aspect of the fight against hunger and poverty in the nation. Not only do the trees provide food for communities but they can reduce poverty through employment opportunities and their market value. Many organizations have devoted their resources to planting trees throughout many regions facing high levels of hunger and poverty. Because of these initiatives, millions of thriving trees are now visible, reforesting devastated lands and uplifting households living in poverty.

– Kimberly Calugaru
Photo: Flickr

Combating Sexual Violence in Indonesia

combating-sexual-violence-against-women-in-indonesiaWomen in Indonesia stand as a key population for economic growth and development in Indonesia. Yet, the rights of women do not receive sufficient protection. A 2019 survey conducted by ValueChampion ranked Indonesia as the most dangerous nation for women in the ASEAN region. Regardless of women’s pivotal roles in the Indonesian economy, cultural and societal constructs of the “ideal woman,” along with gender roles, contributes to the disempowerment of women and the prevalence of structural sexual violence against them. For this reason, combating sexual violence against women in Indonesia is imperative.

Perception of Sexual Violence against Women in Indonesia

The long-standing gender norms and biases against women in Indonesia have limited women’s rights and opportunities. Furthermore, due to a conservative culture and societal stigma that considers the victim a disgrace to the family, women are reluctant to report sexual assaults.

In West Java province specifically, in 2021, the reported cases of violence against women stood highest at 58,395 cases. In 2022, Indonesia’s Commission on Violence Against Women reports that a minimum of three women in Indonesia endure sexual violence every two hours.

A study published in 2021 involving an Islamic Higher Education Institution in West Java highlights the prevalence of sexual violence against women in higher education institutions. Out of 333 female respondents, including students, employees and lecturers, 27.5% of respondents had faced verbal sexual violence and 13.8% had faced physical sexual violence.

Also, the research results found that some of the female respondents incorrectly understood the issue of sexual violence, even “positioning victims or survivors as the ones who were responsible for any sexual violence incidents.”

The Impact of COVID-19 on Women

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, violence against women increased in Indonesia and across the world. For instance, the number of violence cases reported to the National Commission on Violence against Women doubled amid the pandemic. By October 2021, the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) received more than 4,200 complaints in comparison to the total complaints of 2,389 for the entirety of 2020.

Also, according to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, there were almost 5,000 more cases of sexual violence in Indonesia in 2021 than in 2020.

According to a study in 2020, there is a strong correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and the growth of domestic violence. The growth of domestic violence was likely driven by the increase of stress associated with the continuous lockdowns, health risks and economic instability within the households.

Furthermore, “Indonesian women carry the burden of unpaid work, including caregiving, due to persistent gender inequality in Indonesian society and segregation in the labor market.” The pandemic has only exacerbated this situation.

Legislative Approach to Sexual Violence against Women

On April 12, 2022, the Indonesian parliament passed the Sexual Violence Bill a decade after its first introduction in 2012. For years, Muslim conservative groups opposed the bill arguing that ” it contravenes religious and cultural values.” The eventual passing of the law came about as women’s rights groups highlighted several cases of sexual violence, arguing that this equates to a “state of emergency.”

The sexual abuse case regarding an educator raping 13 students (aged 13 to 20) at an Islamic boarding school in West Java drew the attention of President Joko Widodo. The president then called on the Indonesian parliament to accelerate deliberations on the Sexual Violence Bill.

The sexual violence bill broadens the legal framework for the victims of sexual violence and imposes harsher punishments. The new law covers nine forms of sexual violence, “physical and non-physical sexual abuse, forced contraception, forced sterilization, forced marriage, sexual torture, sexual exploitation, sexual slavery and sexual abuse through electronic contexts.”

The law also grants victims of sexual violence restitutions and adequate counseling. In terms of sexual criminal cases, the new law allows “one item of evidence to be submitted in addition to the testimony of the victims.” Prior to this Sexual Violence Bill, the court required two items of evidence. The establishment of this new law prioritizes the victim’s testimony.

Future of Women’s Rights in Indonesia

Although the Indonesian Parliament passed the Sexual Violence Bill, women’s rights activists are raising concerns about its implementation. On May 19, 2022, Nuril Qomariyah, who played a key role in promoting the Sexual Violence Bill, noted during an interview with CIVICUS, “We will need to keep moving together to ensure a successful process of implementation.”

In comparison to other nations in Asia, “Indonesia has ratified and adopted most of the international human rights instruments and global commitments related to human rights and women. “The recent passing of the Sexual Violence Bill proves the power of women’s rights activists and NGOs. But, the nation must implement this new law in order to uphold women’s rights and reduce the number of sexual violence cases against women in Indonesia.

– Youngwook Chun
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