Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Everything to Know About Health Care in Congo

Health Care in Congo
The Republic of Congo is one of the most resource-rich and “least densely populated” nations in Africa. Its economy is heavily dependent on oil exports so it is vulnerable to dropping oil prices and economic crises. This, combined with its history of civil conflict, has resulted in a high poverty rate of 52.5% in 2020. Further, in times of economic decline, a lack of government funding has plagued health care in Congo. In turn, that has led to high out-of-pocket costs for the majority of patients. It also has resulted in a lack of health care professionals and an uneven distribution of health care services. Finally, the financial strain of the health care system exacerbates the country’s burden of communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV. It has also contributed to the nation’s high rates of maternal and infant mortality.

Effects of Communicable Diseases

A major challenge that health care in Congo faces is the high rates of tuberculosis (TB), malaria and HIV. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death in Congo and early diagnosis is a critical first step in ensuring successful treatment. To increase Congo’s TB testing capabilities, the World Health Organization (WHO) equipped the cities of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire with GeneXpert diagnostic machines, which the Global Fund financed.

Delivered in December 2021, the GeneXpert machines have increased the TB testing rate eight-fold at the Antituberculosis Centre in Brazzaville. In the past, TB centers in Congo could only treat the most critical cases due to backlogs created by inefficient machines. By increasing the number of diagnoses, the GeneXpert machines have proven to be a cornerstone in expanding access to TB treatment.

The GeneXpert machines are part of the Global Fund’s two grants that total more than $64 million to strengthen prevention and treatment services for TB, malaria and HIV in Congo. Implemented by the UNDP and Catholic Relief Services, the goals of the grant are threefold:

  1. Successfully treat 90% of TB cases by 2023.
  2. Scale-up access to antiretroviral treatment for HIV-infected patients, with a special focus on pregnant women.
  3. Deliver 3.5 million mosquito nets across Congo by 2023 and increase access to malaria treatment and diagnostics.

Maternal and Infant Health Care Successes

In the past two decades, Congo has made significant strides in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. The maternal mortality rate has fallen from 739 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 378 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017. Similarly, the infant mortality rate has fallen from 106 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 63 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020.

To continue on this trajectory of improving maternal and infant health, in June 2021 the World Bank approved $50 million for the Kobikisa Health System Strengthening Project. The project’s goal is to improve the quality and availability of maternal and child health care in Congo among the most impoverished households. With financing from the International Development Association, the Kobikisa initiative will provide free health services for pregnant women and their children in 36 districts across the country. Included in these services are treatments for diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis and the provision of vaccines. By delivering essential health care services free of cost, the Kobikisa initiative will help alleviate the financial burden of health care for millions of Congolese citizens.

Strengthening Congo’s Health Infrastructure

In addition to these targeted interventions, the Congolese central government has also begun to prioritize strengthening the infrastructure of health care in Congo. In 2018, the government increased its investment in health care from 5% of the annual budget in the previous year to 13%.

The main focus of the Congolese government’s investment is improving primary care services and revitalizing health districts. At a workshop in September 2021, executives in the Ministry of Health and Population received coaching and the tools needed to train and supervise various health care professionals “from 93 health areas of the 2020-2021 Operational Strategy.” The training of health care actors at the community level will not only improve the quality of primary care patients receive but will also expand the availability of health care in Congo to remote and rural communities that are underserviced.

Ensuring quality and affordable health care in Congo is one of the cornerstones of the nation’s development. While there is still much work to do, improvements are visible thanks to the support of the international community.

– Kaitlyn DeWeerd
Photo: Flickr

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How Bitcoin in Honduras is Aiding its Economy

Bitcoin in Honduras
Honduras has one of Central America’s most robust and fastest-growing economies. Still, there is no doubt that the nation has had its fair share of economic strife. In April 2022, a heavily tourist-populated region nicknamed “Honduras Prospera” legalized the use of Bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency. Honduras Prospera will serve as a trial for Bitcoin usage in Honduras, with expectations for future growth.

Economic Struggles in Honduras

Honduras’ economy has certainly had its struggles. Hopefully, by introducing Bitcoin in Honduras, the country’s economic struggles will diminish. In the pre-COVID-19 pandemic age, in 2018, at least 16.5% of Hondurans lived on less than $1.90 a day. Since 2019, two significant hurricanes and natural disasters have impacted the nation and exacerbated the number of people in poverty due to the pandemic and its effects. In 2021, the poverty rate reached 73% with the extreme poverty rate reaching 53%. That marks the highest poverty and extreme poverty rates in Honduras since 2005.

One of the primary reasons Honduras’ economy has struggled is its dependence on agriculture and trade with the United States. If either of these sectors struggles, the entire economy struggles. Honduras’ agriculture accounted for slightly less than 30% of the country’s workforce in 2019 and is responsible for at least 12% of Honduras’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Honduras’s trade with the United States accounts for about 41% of all Honduran trade annually. At the end of 2020, the bilateral trade earnings were more than $9 billion with a surplus that unfortunately only favored the U.S. Despite the immense difficulties the country has experienced since 2019, Honduras’s economic projections have been optimistic, with expected annual economic growth of 4.5%. The acceptance of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in Honduras will allow that figure to increase by the end of the next fiscal year.

Benefits of Accepting Cryptocurrency for Honduras

Introducing Bitcoin in Honduras has many benefits for the Prospera region before the rest of Honduras follows suit. The usage of Bitcoin in Honduras aims to entice foreign investors and make tourist spending easier to facilitate. It is a move following the introduction of Bitcoin in El Salvador, one of Honduras’s neighboring countries. Bitcoin in Honduras and El Salvador, while likely to face technical challenges in the early stages, intend to bring new business opportunities across borders and in international markets.

Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin have significant potential for economic security and allow for lower transaction fees. The decreased costs will encourage foreign investors and encourage locals to make use of Bitcoin as well. The lowered fees will prove beneficial to those living in poverty as they work to avoid extra costs and fees. One of the greatest challenges to implementing Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies anywhere is the technological barriers many places face. These include setting up a digital wallet. However, as Honduras Prospera is a tourist destination and is prepared for technological changes, it is a perfect location for a test run of cryptocurrency use.

Having Bitcoin in Honduras will open the door for new employment opportunities and can diversify the financial foundation of Honduras’s economy. The diversification of Honduras’ economy will allow for future safety should its agricultural foundation falter or trade with the U.S. become too difficult.

Honduras’s Economic Future

People do not widely accept the idea of Bitcoin in Honduras, as the first rollout of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are only taking place in one region of the country. Hondurans are skeptical of the economic advantages of Bitcoin after seeing the difficulties El Salvador has faced in its first weeks of using the cryptocurrencies.

One of the best ways to bring about economic growth in Honduras is to increase economic competition in all regions of the country, especially in the rural areas. The rural areas of Honduras are the most likely to experience poverty. Plus, with the benefits of Bitcoin in Honduras, including the lower transaction costs, Bitcoin should be able to easily spread to the country’s corners. Bitcoin also allows for merchant protection. Given Honduras’ heavy reliance on trade and the international economies and markets, the success in the piloting of Bitcoin will create even more support for introducing Bitcoin to the area.

Honduras’ estimated economic growth has stalled at about 4% since 2020. Honduras is still struggling to rebuild its infrastructure and economy since the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters hit, making any efforts to fix the problems invaluable. With the benefits of Bitcoin in Honduras, many already are finding popular Bitcoins for use, and with the need for any economic recovery, expanding Bitcoin’s availability for use will likely receive significant support. There are many websites already helping Hondurans find the best Bitcoin or cryptocurrency to use and the first Bitcoin ATM opened in August 2021. The expansion of Bitcoin will lead to economic growth in Honduras. It might allow Honduras’s economy to exceed expectations for its annual economic growth, thus amplifying the impacts of cryptocurrencies.

– Clara Mulvihill
Photo: Flickr

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Laos’ Commitment to Waste Management

Waste Management
Laos, known as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is one of the most impoverished countries in Southeast Asia. However, over the last 20 years, its economy has been one of the fastest-growing in the region, resulting in an increase in the amount of waste generated. Waste management systems struggle to keep up with this increased waste. Waste management in Laos is “limited to urban centers” and tends to be poorly managed with just 40%-60% of waste collected. Pollution affects the Lao people negatively, resulting in around 10,000 deaths per year, according to a 2021 study by the World Bank. With waste management emerging as a dire issue, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) are offering support to address the issue.

The Larger Part of the Issue

Around four million tonnes of plastic waste discharges into the world’s seas annually, mostly originating from rivers in Asia such as the Mekong, which goes through Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. About 70 million people rely on this river for food and resources, especially in Laos, though it is “one of the dirtiest in the world.” The Laotian lifestyle is transitioning from a “traditional and subsistence-based lifestyle” to a more urban lifestyle that focuses more on consumerism and imported goods.

The lack of waste dump sites and formal infrastructure significantly and directly impacts the health of citizens, especially when resorting to disposal practices such as burning, burying trash and discarding waste in rivers. Testing of the water sources across more than 3,000 households in Laos shows that  E.Coli in drinking water contaminated 86% of the household population. Furthermore, even for homes using bottled water, a staggering 85% of individuals had E. Coli in their bottled water.

Making the Effort

Laos citizens view plastics as a luxury item, portraying a sign of economic progression. However, this mindset also contributes to plastics becoming the second-largest type of waste, accounting for up to 24% of total waste generated by Laos. But, even as plastic and other wastes are prevalent, cities such as Luang Prabang are making an effort to keep the area’s streets clean. With the locals taking action to actively keep the city clean, these city-dwellers set the example for other city-dwellers in Laos. Responsibility is on communities and households, especially as Laos has a small budget for addressing the waste management issue.

A World Bank 2022 Get CLEAN and GREEN – Solid waste and Plastic Management in Lao PDR report recommends strategies to resolve the waste management issue. One strategy is to move from a linear to a “circular economy.” This would reduce waste by “reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products.”

The UNDP’s Work

The UNDP gathered a focus group of around 30 university students from diverse economic backgrounds, finding that close to 90% of students realize how poor waste management impacts the planet. The organization gave students suggestions for taking action, such as establishing task forces in communities and using social media to share information on helping as green advocates.

The UNDP also found that students who learned to separate waste in schools were eager to follow waste separation procedures. An online UNDP survey shows that social media would influence the mindsets and behaviors of more than 80% of respondents. The UNDP considers the immediate banning of plastic as critical.

The GGGI is aiding in solid waste management in the capital city of Vientiane, formulating a 10-year Strategy and Action Plan. It also has created four project activities:

  • Decentralized garbage collection services
  • A Waste Bank and the designation of the role of waste pickers
  • Organic waste segregation systems and private composting companies
  • Glass recycling involving 10 elementary schools to maximize waste disposal

Looking Ahead

While the Lao PDR transitions to a more urban economy and struggles with waste, organizations have offered solutions to support a more sanitary Laos, which will benefit the health and well-being of people. As education reaches citizens and offers them pathways out of poverty, Laos can create a safer, cleaner and more prosperous country for its populace. And if the country does lean more toward a “circular economy,” Laos could be on its way to reaching a net carbon neutral status by 2040.

– Jerrett Phinney
Photo: Flickr

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Everything to Know About Poverty in Lebanon

Everything to Know About Poverty in Lebanon
It has been almost three years since Lebanon, previously labeled as the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” began to slowly drown in poverty. As the ESCWA report stated, 82% of the Lebanese and non-Lebanese population lives in multidimensional poverty while 40% of them live in extreme multidimensional poverty. Those numbers result from an unprecedented economic crisis that started in October 2019 and kept on worsening with the COVID-19 outbreak, the Beirut Port explosion, the ongoing corruption and the war in Ukraine. Here is everything to know about poverty in Lebanon.

Health Care

One of the most important and dangerous symptoms of the poverty increase in Lebanon is the degradation of the health care system. The Lebanese lira has lost more than 90% of its value since 2019, making it impossible for many health care professionals (nurses and doctors) to live decently with their salaries, thus leading them to leave the country for better opportunities abroad. In addition to that, the country imports many medical care products and medicines, leading to a huge increase in their prices, making them unaffordable for many. Lebanon has the means to produce its drugs, an action that the actual government is encouraging while it still needs time before being fully implemented.

Public Utilities and Food Security

Another dimension to know about poverty in Lebanon is the lack of public utilities available to the people. The most famous, touching a majority of people, is the lack of electricity the state provides, forcing the Lebanese people to reach out to owners of private generators to have a few hours of electricity a day. However, this alternative has a considerable cost to Lebanese households. The fuel that powers the generators comes from abroad, requiring payments in USD and making it impossible for many to subscribe to this service amidst the severe economic crisis the country is going through.

A more recent issue Lebanon must face as a result of the War in Ukraine is the wheat crisis and with it a risk of shortage in bread production. The country imports more than 60% of its wheat from Ukraine. The urgency of this new issue also depends on the government’s capacity to secure enough quantities before any increase in the price of wheat.

Education

The numerous challenges Lebanon has faced over the past three years have also had their effect on education. According to UNICEF, 260,000 Lebanese children risk interrupting their education. Whether it is the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the students to stop their studies because of the lack of means to pursue them online, the destruction of some schools in Beirut after the port explosion and the economic crisis forcing some schools and universities to increase their tuitions making them unaffordable for many.

Efforts to Help Lebanon

A year ago, the World Bank approved a $246 million project to provide 147,000 households with basic needs as well as cash transfers. More recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached an agreement of $3 billion with the Lebanese government to help Lebanon get out of the crisis. On another note, local NGOs are playing an important role in helping people in need. Private actors are also taking initiatives to benefit from this situation, by enhancing made in Lebanon products, thus relying less on imports.

Hence, having presented everything to know about poverty in Lebanon, shows clearly that the country is not in its best phase. However, hope is always there with small steps taken towards a better future and especially with a young generation who is learning from the mistakes of the older. Helping Lebanon is therefore helping a country full of potential and showing once again that it will rise despite all.

– Youssef Yazbek
Photo: Flickr

Eco-Kolek Aids Plastic Waste Collectors in the Philippines

Waste Collectors in the Philippines
Informal waste collectors in the city of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, in collaboration with the Eco-Kolek initiative by Project Zacchaeus (PZC), are developing a safer, more organized method of waste collection and disposal for their community. The Eco-Kolek project allows waste collectors to voice themselves and become more involved in their local communities.

Plastic and Poverty in the Philippines

Single-use plastic products are low-cost and easy to produce; the high production rate of single-use plastics in the Philippines has led to a large percentage of plastic pollution coming from the country. The Philippines produces 2.7 million tons of plastic waste annually and roughly 20% of it pollutes the ocean. As a nation of more than 7,500 islands, the coastal areas of the country are especially susceptible to the negative impacts of ocean plastic pollution.

Recent data shows that about 23.7% of Filipinos lived under the poverty threshold in the first quarter of 2021 while about 10% lived in extreme poverty, unable to meet their basic food needs. Because single-use plastics are an inexpensive way to purchase everyday necessities, like soap and toothpaste, impoverished communities produce and purchase these plastics in abundance.

Project Zacchaeus and Eco-Kolek

Project Zacchaeus is a social enterprise in the Philippines that develops specialized products and services and trains local citizens to become “servant leaders” in their communities. The organization focuses on communities in need and tailors strategies that aim to alleviate poverty in each area.

Eco-Kolek is an initiative of Project Zacchaeus that educates and provides relevant resources to waste collectors. The project’s goal is to bring a sense of safety and organization to the practice of waste collection and to elevate waste collectors in the Philippines to “Eco-Warriors” and community leaders. The program takes place in Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan in the Philippines to “help bridge the gaps of waste management.”

How Eco-Kolek Helps Locals Improve Waste Collection

Women make up a large number of informal waste collectors around the world. In the Philippines, women commonly turn to waste collection to earn extra income for their families. In Puerto Princesa, local women hold many leadership roles in waste management.

A waste collector gathers improperly disposed waste and sells it to collectors for a profit. Through the help of Eco-Kolek, the Eco-Warriors can earn an income by learning other relevant skills, such as bookkeeping. With the help of the Eco-Kolek program, the waste collection has become more than just a job — it has become a way to practice and improve leadership skills and become active voices in the community. The Eco-Warriors have become integral to curbing plastic pollution in Puerto Princesa.

In March 2022, USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program provided the Eco-Warriors with vehicles to make waste collection more efficient. The agency donated “five bicycles, two motorcycles with sidecars and one four-wheeled multi-cab” to the Eco-Kolek program. These vehicles will help the waste collectors reach about “3,000 households in Puerto Princesa.” The Eco-Warriors who will drive the vehicles will also receive free training and courses on driving and vehicle maintenance.

Eco-Kolek aims to reduce ocean plastic pollution by helping waste collectors in Puerto Princesa maintain a more efficient and sustainable method of waste collection. The program professionalizes the job of waste collecting by making it safer and more organized. Eco-Warriors receive education on waste disposal laws and how to most safely dispose of solid waste. Eco-Kolek provides the resources for local waste collectors to unite and more effectively help themselves and their community.

– Melissa Hood
Photo: Flickr

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Fighting Food Insecurity by Decreasing Food Waste

Decreasing Food Waste
Food waste is any food fit for human consumption that one disposes of or uses for a differing purpose either due to choice or circumstances such as food expiry. In a 2014 report, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that food waste compounds the severity of poverty because it negatively impacts hunger, “nutrition, income generation and economic growth.” An essential point of the report is that the need for decreasing food waste is a global issue and food waste occurs at every level of the food supply chain.

The Global Issue of Food Waste

In lower-income countries, the barriers to decreasing food waste include, “managerial or technical limitations in harvesting techniques, storage, transportation, processing, cooling facilities, infrastructure, packaging and marketing systems.” For middle-income to higher-income countries, food waste often occurs on the consumer side, for example, improper meal planning that leads to food wastage. In addition, policies, such as agricultural subsidies, can lead to the excess production of certain crops. Food safety regulations may also lead to the wastage of food that is still fit for human consumption.

To visualize the dizzying scale of food waste, the FAO reported in 2021 that “17% of total global food production” goes to waste. The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2021 confirms this, highlighting further that in 2019 global food waste equated to 931 million tonnes of food waste, 61% of which occurred at the household level. The report finds that “household per capita food waste generation” is similar across all nations, developing and developed. In brief, food waste is an issue that spans across class and country lines — a global crisis that requires a global solution.

How the FAO is Fighting Food Insecurity

The FAO is fighting food insecurity through education and collaboration with other governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private partnerships. Among these educational endeavors, the FAOs’ SAVE FOOD initiative aims to reduce food waste in SAARC countries (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) by educating smallholder farmers on proper post-harvest management practices. Post-harvest loss occurs at high rates of 20%-40%, mainly due to a lack of awareness and knowledge, which can affect “food availability, food security and nutrition.” Especially in countries with “traditional fruit and vegetable supply chains,” namely Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the SAVE FOOD initiative prioritizes post-harvest management training.

How the Private Sector Fights Food Insecurity

Private sector partners are addressing food waste-created food insecurity at all levels, from the production of food to its consumption. One of these partners, GrainPro, is decreasing food waste through its high-tech “GrainPro Cocoon” in Bangladesh, one of the FAO’s prioritized SAARC countries. The GrainPro Cocoon decreases food waste because it preserves dry grains, spices and seeds “in an airtight and moisture-tight container.” The containers are uniquely suitable for Bangladesh and other countries prone to flooding. GrainPro containers are easily transportable and can protect contents from flooding up to as high as a meter.

Under a Bangladeshi Department of Agriculture Extension project in partnership with the official GrainPro partners of Bangladesh, Allied Agro Industries and ACI Motors, 800 units of the GrainPro Cocoon went out to Bangladeshi farmers. Farmers who used the GrainPro Cocoon to store paddy seeds saw a “20% increase in production” due to improved seed quality, which positively impacted farmers’ income. For a country with about 48% of the population economically relying on agriculture, this continued collaboration will enable people to escape extreme poverty.

10x20x30 Initiative

The World Resources Institute’s (WRI) 10x20x30 Initiative is a compelling development in decreasing food waste. The initiative began in 2019 by the WRI Champions 12.3 coalition, which is a joint team of “executives from governments, businesses, international organizations, research institutions, farmer groups and civil society” all committed to reducing food waste. This coalition aims to reach U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, namely to reduce by 50% “global food waste at retail and consumer levels” while minimizing “food loss during production and supply.”

In 2020, the WRI rallied 12 food retailers and foodservice providers, including “six of the world’s largest food retailers” and secured commitments from these providers to recruit 20 of their own respective suppliers to focus on achieving SDG 12.3. The commitments led to nearly 200 food suppliers globally committing to cutting their food waste in half by 2030.

A remarkable amount of progress is visible in decreasing food waste as a result of the commitments of the international community. Going forward, global participation in decreasing food waste must continue in order to reach the global goals of combating hunger and achieving zero poverty.

– Chester Lankford
Photo: Flickr

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Aviro Health in South Africa 

Aviro Health
In 2015, a quarter of the global disease cases existed in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Yet, only 3% of the world’s doctors reside in this region. Access to health care is crucial in maintaining a functioning society. Aviro Health, a company based in Cape Town, South Africa, is extending accessible health care and information to patients across the country while improving treatment options and the overall health of sub-Saharan Africans.

Health Care in South Africa

There are more than 600 hospitals in South Africa, including the third-largest globally, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, which holds 3,400 beds and 6,760 staff members. Around 400 of these hospitals are public and the remaining 200 are private. Public health care is available to all people living in South Africa “regardless of nationality or immigration status.”

Many people face challenges when physically traveling to medical centers despite their availability. According to the World Bank, only one-third of those living in rural areas of Africa reside within two kilometers of adequately paved road systems. Technological advancements that allow health care practitioners to virtually conduct appointments would greatly benefit those in desperate need of health care.

About Aviro Health

Aviro Health in South Africa began in 2012. It is a technology company based in Cape Town that develops digital innovations that assist both health care practitioners and patients. The established vision of the company has stated that “We see a world in which everyone gets medical information and healthcare that is accessible, efficient, and delivered with empathy and understanding.”

Aviro staff members aim to provide services through technology, which would allow those who encounter difficulties traveling to medical centers in person to still receive information and treatment. Medical practitioners receive further training in the form of e-books and videos and patients can learn more about testing and diagnoses through e-learning. Technology benefits that Aviro Health in South Africa developed are also available to health care professionals in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. Since its foundation, Aviro has assisted more than 50,000 users in accessing medical services.

The Pocket Clinic

A significant technological innovation developed by Aviro Health in South Africa is the Aviro mobile Pocket Clinic. This innovation is a digital counseling service used by health professionals in both the private and public sectors in South Africa. The Pocket Clinic allows medical counseling through mobile phones or other technological devices. Patients can manage their health care digitally while also connecting to health care providers.

The service provides users with a medical content plan based on their medical tests that users can receive via the web, the platform app or Whatsapp. The Pocket Clinic can also connect patients to other health experts and services that could provide hands-on treatment. The Pocket Clinic serves as a life-changing tool that the medical field can use to assist health care practitioners and patients in delivering and efficiently receiving care. The Aurum Institute partnered with Johns Hopkins University offering self-HIV tests in the lobbies of health care centers “supported by the Aviro Pocket Clinic on tablets.” This led to a “40% increase in testing” along with an 80% increase in HIV treatment uptake.

HIV/AIDS Testing

South Africa is home to the world’s largest HIV treatment initiative. Yet, as of 2021, South Africa noted 7.8 million HIV cases, with only 4 million people receiving treatment in the country. In the age of COVID-19, many people find it difficult to travel to medical facilities to receive testing and treatment.

Fortunately, the Pocket Clinic offers self-tests for patients without requiring the presence of a health care professional. This method also promotes increased patient privacy. A soft launch of self-HIV tests by Aviro Health in South Africa generated positive results. In Kwazulu-Natal, 7.5% of service users tested positive for HIV and began ARV treatment in contrast with only 2.5% in conventional clinical-based testing.

Pocket Clinic also connects those who test positive to an HIV hotline. In the next five years, Aviro Health anticipates making self-tests available to 10 million people in the sub-Saharan region.

A Future of Health

Technological advancements in health care that Aviro Health in South Africa developed improve overall health in the country. Innovations that individuals can access virtually will provide better testing and treatment for patients across the nation.

– Megan Quinn
Photo: Flickr

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Scam Call Centers in India and Poverty

Scam Call Centers in India
India has one of the most sophisticated and developed call center industries, so much so that many other countries outsource their jobs to India. However, scam call centers exist in India, which is an illegal underground part of this industry. While these centers are not a new concept, they had become increasingly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in India. A Microsoft 2021 survey found that India is perceived “as the hub of [scam] call center talent being put to criminal use,” defrauding many countries such as the United States, Canada and even the people within India itself.

This particular survey, comprising 16 countries and 16,254 adult internet users, concluded that seven out of 10 people from India “encountered tech support scams in the past year.” With the prevalence of scam calls in India rising from 23% in 2018 to 31% in 2021, police raids in the nation aim to combat scam call centers in India. The Indian Ministry of Labour and Employment is also taking the initiative to improve job outcomes for youth, indirectly preventing people, especially youth, from resorting to these illegal practices.

Poverty as a Driving Factor

Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to India’s National Statistical Office, India endured a harsh economic contraction of almost 24% “in the first quarter of the 2020-2021 fiscal year,” marking the “worst decline among the world’s major economies releasing GDP figures for that same quarter.” In December 2021, India noted an unemployment rate of 7.91%, up from 6.3% in 2018-2019, according to Al Jazeera. Furthermore, close to 30 million Indian citizens between the ages of 20 and 29 faced unemployment in 2021, which equated to 85% of the total unemployed population, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Due to these circumstances of unemployment, people search for jobs wherever they can find them, sometimes falling victim to fraudulent job opportunities or even participating in fraudulent work as a last resort.

Victims of Scam Call Centers

Scammers will target whoever they can get money from, whether young or old. In the United States, it is common for scammers to target the elderly and vulnerable populations, with scammers allegedly using tactics such as fear to steal money. IRS and Social Security scammers threaten to arrest their victims if they do not receive the money, among other methods. The United States experienced an increase in losing money through tech scams from 6% in 2018 to 10% in 2021. Some victims would lose their entire life savings.

Canada experienced an increase in victims losing money to tech scams from 3% in 2018 to 6% in 2021. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported that scammers stole a minimum of $3 million from citizens in 2020 through a bank investor scheme.

However, compared to the rest of the world, scammers target residents in India the most. The victim rate is likely high due to customers in India being more trusting of unsolicited contact. From the same 2021 Microsoft survey, “47% [of Indian consumers] thought that it was very or somewhat likely that a company would contact them via an unsolicited call, pop-up, text message, ad or email.” This is a 15% increase from 2018.

The survey also reveals that scammers misled 48% of Indian consumers into continuing the scam. Millennials in India (aged 24-37) were the most at risk of falling victim to scams in 2021, resulting in 58% of targets losing money through scams. Around 73% of males were likely to lose money when interacting with scammers in contrast to 27% of women. Customers in 2021 lost 15,334 rupees on average, though 88% of those who lost money were able to recover 10,797 rupees on average.

Action to Combat Scam Call Centers

Police residing in multiple cities of India are combating scam call centers and their illegal practices through raids, arresting hundreds of people and seizing data. The Delhi Police raided a group in 2020 for allegedly defrauding more than 4,500 United States citizens, stealing upward of $14 million. Along with this, the Delhi Police’s cyber-crime unit raided more than 25 scam call centers within the same year.

In the Indian city of Gurugram between January and June 2021, police raided eight call centers. New Delhi police also arrested 65 people on July 28, 2021, seizing “58 computers, two laptops, internet routers and data found on electronic devices.”

Addressing Youth Unemployment

Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Gangwar said that India is dedicated to reducing youth unemployment rates in India, making efforts to “improve the bridge between unemployment and education.” This statement came “after the signing of a Statement of Intent between the Ministry and UNICEF” in June 2021. The partnership aims to empower the youth in India to gain the relevant skills and guidance for future legitimate job opportunities.

The National Career Service (NCS) provides “career counseling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, apprenticeship and internships” in order to address the youth unemployment rate in India. The Ministry and NCS are taking steps to combat lockdown-induced barriers in the job market, for example, by planning “online job fairs” and providing job seekers with links for remote job opportunities and online skills training.

Both UNICEF and Gangwar hope to make improvements in the next three years to help the youth secure brighter futures. By creating more legitimate job opportunities and making skills and education initiatives accessible to the impoverished, India can prevent youth from resorting to participating in scam call centers. As India recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty and unemployment reduce in the nation, it is likely that the prevalence of scam call centers will reduce too.

– Jerrett Phinney
Photo: Flickr

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Landslide-Preventing Water Systems in Morocco

Water Systems
Since 2000, Morocco has been quite successful in reducing poverty and increasing its citizens’ quality of life. During those years, the poverty rate decreased by almost 30%. Despite significant progress, numerous challenges remain for rural Moroccan communities, one of which is rapid deforestation. In 2020 alone, the country lost approximately 3,62 hectares (more than 13 square miles) of forest cover. To address landslides as a consequence of deforestation, the High Atlas Foundation is building landslide-preventing water systems in Morocco.

Deforestation and Water Access in Morocco

As it is, Morocco is susceptible to droughts and deforestation exacerbates this issue as the removal of trees causes a decrease in soil moisture and leads to desertification. Deforestation can also diminish soil quality and lead to poorer crop yields. For communities in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco, the reduction of forest area was also linked to landslides that destroyed crops and houses.

Another threat to rural Moroccan communities is a lack of access to water. In 2020, only 61% of rural Moroccan citizens had access to “safely managed drinking water services.” Around 77% had access to “at least basic drinking water services.” That leaves 23% of the rural population without a safe and reliable water source.

Experts agree that planting trees (reforestation) is a crucial step in combating these issues. Not only does it stabilize the water cycle and improve soil quality; the crops harvested from trees provide diversity to the agricultural economy and give an extra measure of economic security to nearby communities. If hypothetically, cereal crops were to fail in an area, farmers would still have crops to sell and eat.

The High Atlas Foundation

The High Atlas Foundation, commonly called HAF, has done admirable work when it comes to reforestation. The Foundation dedicates its time and resources primarily to reforestation efforts but also helps provide access to clean water throughout the High Atlas Mountains. In the 2020-2021 planting season, HAF oversaw the planting of more than 700,000 trees. Three new nurseries have undergone construction in the last year and a half, resulting in a total of 11 HAF-managed fruit tree nurseries throughout Morocco.

HAF’s efforts do not stop there. High Atlas Foundation has initiated projects that go above and beyond when it comes to efficiency; it has found a way to address three community threats with a single project. The Foundation noticed in 2011 that landslides and a lack of food/water security particularly plagued the Toubkal community and HAF devised a one-stop solution to assist the rural area as landslides led to crop destruction.

With carefully designed water systems, the High Atlas Foundation was able to provide clean water to 14 villages. The system, located on a hill, also steadied the area and provided the stability needed to prevent soil erosion and frequent landslides. Additionally, HAF planted fruit trees in the area, and through community training and newly possible irrigation, the Toubkal area was able to start producing new crops. The new nursery and reforestation will improve soil quality and eventually contribute to a healthier water cycle.

Looking Ahead

Morocco is well on its way to see victory over poverty; with help from NGOs like the High Atlas Foundation, reforestation is increasing food and water security for thousands. Due to innovative solutions like the stabilizing water systems, life in rural Moroccan communities is drastically improving.

– Mia Sharpe
Photo: Flickr

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How Mobile Phones Can Fight Child Marriage

Mobile Phones Can Fight Child Marriage
A March 2021 report by UNICEF indicates that as many as 100 million girls in the world could experience child marriage in the next 10 years. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted school shutdowns, financial distress, parental mortality and early pregnancy, putting millions of girls at risk of child marriage. Several organizations have created initiatives to reduce child marriage amid the pandemic and many of the initiatives revolve around mobile phone use. Mobile phones can fight child marriage and gender discrimination by raising awareness with hotlines, social media and apps designed to educate and empower young women.

Driving Forces Behind Child Marriage

In countries where child marriage is prevalent, many parents feel social and economic pressures to marry off their young daughters. Parents who do not have the resources to support all of their children may feel that pushing their daughters into marriage is the only financial option. Patriarchal norms, economic instability, lack of educational opportunities and poverty can all increase the commonality of child marriages in developing countries. According to Girls Not Brides, many parents believe child marriage will increase their daughters’ safety and reduce the risk of sexual and physical abuse, even though this is quite the contrary — spousal abuse is quite common in child marriages. Mobile phones can fight child marriage by raising awareness about laws, rights, job opportunities and alternatives to child marriage.

The Naubat Baja Project

The National Family Health Survey 2020-21 (NFHS-5) revealed that, in Rajasthan, 25.4% of females between 20 and 24 years old entered into marriages before the age of 18. In rural areas of Rajasthan, child marriage rates of females are higher at 28.3% in comparison to 15.1% in urban areas.

The Naubat Baja project began on International Women’s Day in 2019 to reduce child marriage in Rajasthan and empower girls through mobile phones. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) worked in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan, the Directorate of Women Empowerment and the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Foundation to launch the initiative. The idea behind the project is to target youth using their “favorite” technological devices: mobile phones.

When girls call the Naubat Baja number, they receive a phone call back that contains a recording about government welfare schemes, job opportunities and information about child marriage, health, hygiene, COVID-19 protocols and other themes that are relevant to girls in Rajasthan. Various forms of entertainment, such as songs, stories and short audio dramas, which Naubat Baja updates regularly, relay much of this information. Initiatives like the Naubat Baja project model how mobile phones can fight child marriage and gender discrimination by providing girls with access to empowering resources and information.

Apps and Social Media

Many mobile phones support apps and social media that can fight child marriage and uplift girls who are at risk of it. The creators of the Naubat Baja project used social media and graffiti to popularize the initiative among young people. While many low-income areas lack access to the internet, launching a project like Naubat Baja on social media can help gain national and global support from communities that do have internet access.

Several developers have also created apps that prevent child marriage. Bangladesh has a child marriage prevalence of 51%, ranking in the top 10 nations with the highest rates of child marriage globally. An organization called Plan International Bangladesh designed an app for marriage registrars to verify young women’s ages before entering into marriage. In its first six months of use, the app prevented more than 3,700 child marriages.

Between apps, social media and hotlines, mobile phones offer a range of technological resources that can empower girls and fight child marriage. The rising popularity of mobile phones makes their influence increasingly widespread, especially among youth. The Naubat Baja project exemplifies how technology can lead to social development and spread awareness about pressing issues like child marriage.

– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Unsplash