Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Integritas: Fighting Corruption in Indonesia


The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Indonesian government recently announced the Indonesia Integrity Initiative (Integritas). Integritas is a program that seeks to prevent corruption in Indonesia. Despite the great political transformation Indonesia has undergone over the past 20 years, corruption remains a stubborn holdover from the previous authoritarian regime. Moreover, corruption in Indonesia permeates both the public and private sectors. It promotes negative outcomes in both governance and business. With an eye toward increased civic engagement, Integritas represents a new way of addressing the issue.

Corruption in Indonesia

In 2011, more than eight in 10 Indonesians claimed that corruption was a serious issue. Ten years later, Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perception Index scored Indonesia 38 out of 180 countries in perceived public corruption, with lower scores indicating higher perceived corruption. This long-held distrust is not without reason. Former President Suharto allegedly profited $15-$35 billion through corrupt practices in his 31-year tenure.

Suharto’s behavior set the standard for graft and abuse of public resources by officials for decades. In 2019, a member of parliament running for reelection had more than 400,000 envelopes in his basement meant for voter bribes. In 2021, a former maritime affairs and fisheries minister was found guilty of accepting bribes in a livestock smuggling scandal.

Finally, lower-level corruption is just as prevalent. Nepotism and bribery plague the civil service sector, especially in its enrollment program. Importantly, these practices harm Indonesia’s governance, economy and people.

How Corruption Impedes Growth

Prevalent corruption impedes economic growth by fueling inefficiencies in resource management. It also distorts economic incentives meant to encourage growth. This is partially why the Indonesian economy has made slow progress over the last few years. In turn, this slow progress leaves many without formal employment. Those who take up informal positions in rural areas often receive pay below the regional minimum wage. That, in turn, keeps many in poverty, and seeing this poverty, candidates seeking office bribe voters with money and food, including sugar and rice. Of course, this further exacerbates the problem once the candidates take office. Clearly, a necessary step in addressing corruption in Indonesia is changing the culture around it.

The Indonesia Integrity Initiative

The Integritas program looks to address corruption by promoting civic engagement and integrity in business and government sectors. The goal is to aid local civil society in identifying systemic corruption vulnerabilities and conflicts of interests that promote them. This strategy marks a shift from corruption prosecution to prevention. If successful, citizens will become more aware of anti-corruption programs, adopt attitudes that promote shunning of corrupt practices and will provide much-needed oversight in public and private sectors.

USAID cooperated with the Indonesian government to align Integritas with national development goals on growth and stability. This makes anti-corruption efforts a high priority alongside economic and development initiatives. The Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan), a local NGO, will be implementing this $9.9 million program over the next five years.

With corruption present in most levels of society, many Indonesian citizens have grown accustomed to these dishonest practices and even encourage certain forms of it, such as voter payoffs. These practices have negatively impacted economic growth and hurt those who struggle to find fair employment. The Integritas program will help address this issue and, if successful, should promote a culture that makes it hard for corruption in Indonesia to thrive.

– Gonzalo Rodriguez
Photo: Flickr

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Effective Language of Instruction Policies Combat Learning Poverty

Effective Language of Instruction
According to the World Bank, children are more likely to succeed and stay in school if they are taught in their native languages. However, about 37% of children who attend schools in low- and middle-income countries receive education in foreign languages, which puts them at an educational disadvantage. Effective language of instruction policies can help reduce learning poverty and improve children’s learning experiences. As a result, children are more likely to succeed in foreign languages and subjects like math and science, which can open up career opportunities down the line. Because educational attainment is a proven pathway out of poverty, the effective language of instruction policies must become a global priority.

The Effective Language of Instruction Policies

The World Bank lays out an approach to the effective language of instruction through public policy. The first principle of the World Bank’s approach is to educate children in their native languages up until at least their sixth year of primary school. The second principle states that children should have the opportunity to learn all academic subjects in their native language, not just reading and writing. Third, second languages at the primary school level must take the form of foreign language classes that begin with an emphasis on oral communication skills. Fourth, native language instruction should continue in schools even when “a second language becomes the principal language of instruction. “And finally, governments should continue to introduce effective language of instruction policies over time in order to best serve students and their countries.

Early Benefits

Limited access to effective language of instruction can hinder a student’s learning process as early as kindergarten. Children in low- and middle-income countries often lack access to educational resources at home, therefore, attending a school with ineffective language of instruction creates additional disadvantages for students. When children have access to effective language of instruction, they are more likely to excel in reading and writing, which are valuable tools in learning most other subjects. Children with access to education in reading and writing are more likely to engage in classes and schoolwork. Reading and writing skills can also help students excel in the real world, giving them career opportunities once they leave school.

A Foundation for the Future

Children who reap the most benefits from these policies often come from families with socioeconomic disadvantages. When a child’s family is unable to compensate for a lack of effective language of instruction at school, the child is more likely to drop out of school, repeat grades, experience learning poverty and receive a lower quality education overall, according to the World Bank. Effective language learning offers children opportunities to escape learning poverty, complete school and use the skills they learn to develop careers. The World Bank also finds that these policies reduce national education costs per student and in turn, allow governments to put more funding into achieving equal and quality education systems.

Learning poverty affects children all over the world and it often begins at a very young age. Effective language of instruction can benefit students everywhere and is particularly valuable for children in low- and middle-income areas, where learning opportunities may be scarce. Native language education lays out a foundation for student success, professional opportunities and national advancement, enabling children to break cycles of poverty.

– Cleo Hudson
Photo: Unsplash

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The Mujerprospera Challenge in Central America

MujerProspera Challenge
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) introduced MujerProspera (WomanProsper) Challenge on January 13, 2022. The challenge encourages applicants to propose innovative ways to promote gender equality in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Overall, this project addresses the relationship between gender and poverty and forms part of a long list of ongoing USAID projects that bolster the opportunities of the world’s impoverished.

Gender and Poverty

Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras noted high levels of extreme poverty even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, although the spread of the virus prompted rises in poverty levels throughout the region. According to the Center for Strategic and Management Studies, the Northern Triangle, of which Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras form part, stands as “one of the [most impoverished] regions in the Western Hemisphere.” Migration patterns and environmental disasters also exacerbate the struggles of those living below the poverty line. As of August 12, 2021, USAID estimated that 8.3 million citizens across these three countries require humanitarian aid.

These facts do not exist in isolation of gender inequality. In fact, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras stand out as nations where gender and poverty intertwine. Data from the Gender Equality Observatory shows that extremely high percentages of women in Guatemala (51%), El Salvador (39.4%) and Honduras (43.5%) had no “incomes of their own.” All of these rates are higher than the regional average, which stood at 27.8% as of 2019.

Evidence proves that changing these statistics leads to positive change. A World Bank report on women’s role in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) economies notes that “an increase in the number of women in paid work between 2000 and 2010 accounted for around 30% of the overall reduction in poverty and income inequality.” Women in these countries receive fewer opportunities and face more challenges than many men in the same social and economic situation. As such, U.S. efforts to combat global poverty must also combat global gender inequality.

Developments in Central American Women’s Rights

Local activists, politicians and international organizations in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras continue to make significant progress in women’s rights. One group, the IM-Defensoras, has launched several campaigns throughout Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras since 2016 to protect women and provide a cooperative network for female humanitarian activists.

In addition, the Regional Office of U.N. Women for LAC launched the Women, Local economy and Territories (WLEaT) program in 2018 with a specific focus on the Northern Triangle countries. WLEaT “contributes to the creation of new and better employment and income opportunities for women entrepreneurs and businesswomen” by strengthening their access to business services and promoting inclusive financial practices in the private sector. The program, therefore, contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as ending global poverty (SDG 1),  combating gender inequality (SDG 5) and promoting “decent work” and economic expansion (SDG 8).

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in June 2021, USAID and several partner organizations provided resources for women in need of humanitarian aid. This includes a total of $60 million spread across the three Northern Triangle countries to encourage employment, train Indigenous women for midwife careers, prevent gender-based violence and more. Most recently, on January 13, 2022, USAID introduced another important program: the MujerProspera Challenge.

What is the MujerProspera Challenge?

The MujerProspera Challenge stands as one of many U.S. programs pushing against multiple levels of inequality. The program’s official request for applications documents states that the project seeks to “advance women’s economic security, employment, and/or entrepreneurship” in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

The lofty document lists different types of solutions that draw from training initiatives in the private sector to the implementation of gender-inclusive legislation. However, overall, MujerProspera provides another way for women in these countries to protect their agency and independence.

Applicants can win funding awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 in value. Through these awards, applicants can fund necessary initiatives or solutions that acknowledge the relationship between gender and poverty and promote women’s involvement in the economic sector. The MujerProspera Challenge thus empowers women, local activists, entrepreneurs and organizations to develop solutions to improve situations of gender inequality and poverty in their home countries.

– Lauren Sung
Photo: Flickr

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Initiatives Against HIV in Haiti

HIV in Haiti
With an estimated “2.2% of adults” noting an HIV-positive status in 2010, Haiti faces “the largest [HIV] epidemic in the Caribbean.” In 2020, 150,000 children and adults in Haiti lived with HIV. People older than the age of 15 made up 93% of this population. In addition, 20% of Haitians living with the disease are unaware that they are HIV-positive. To help reduce the prevalence of HIV in Haiti, several initiatives are currently underway, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNAIDS and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

CDC Initiatives

Since the CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB opened its office in Haiti in 2002, the CDC has launched several initiatives to address the country’s HIV epidemic. The first aim is to strengthen health systems by training medical personnel, supporting staffing needs and strengthening the Haitian Ministry of Health’s governance. The CDC has also aided in the development of the iSanté national electronic medical record (EMR) software to better monitor and track HIV patient data. These innovative tools help inform evidence-based treatment for this disease. In 2018, iSanté, “along with two other EMR systems,” could monitor the data of “96% of HIV care and treatment sites.”

Another goal of the CDC office in Haiti helps improve laboratory resources. Through a collaboration with the National Public Health Laboratory and GHESKIO, a medical treatment, research and training center in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, the CDC has helped develop and expand several HIV testing methods. In addition, the CDC assisted in developing “an external quality assurance program and a training curriculum” to support lab accreditation.

Community-led Monitoring

With support from UNAIDS, the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the U.S. government via the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Haiti’s Civil Society Forum Observatory has initiated “community-led monitoring,” a program through which people living with HIV hold each other accountable throughout treatment. Community members are familiar with HIV patients from their community, and when patients do not follow through on treatments or follow-ups, community members know how to best communicate with them and encourage them to return. Community-led monitoring can provide valuable feedback on service delivery from a patient perspective, helping to improve on existing issues “to retain people in care.”

Community-led monitoring reveals the weaknesses of treatment plans for HIV in Haiti and brings corresponding solutions to light. For example, due to insight from community-led monitoring, the Civil Society Forum Observatory brings to light a need to increase the window of service hours and decrease patient wait times. It also recommends that stable HIV patients receive a six-month supply of antiretroviral medication. Through community-led monitoring and other resources, Haiti was able to allocate multiple months’ supplies of antiretroviral medicines to 88% of HIV patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation strives to combat pediatric HIV worldwide through advocacy, research and initiatives for prevention and treatment. Although most HIV patients in Haiti are adults, 8,000 children younger than 15 lived with HIV in Haiti in 2020. Thus, addressing pediatric HIV in Haiti is an important health initiative.

Toward the latter part of 2020, the Foundation began its work in Haiti with the Delivering Technical Assistance Project. The project offers “cost-effective technical assistance (TA), capacity building and program implementation services” to HIV reduction programs. The technical assistance includes program management training, mentorship, consultations and workshops for health care workers.

These strategies, and many others throughout the country, are successfully helping lower HIV rates in Haiti. As organizations continue to implement HIV reduction plans, the severity of the HIV epidemic in Haiti may see a decline in the years to come.

– Aimée Eicher
Photo: Flickr

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Desertification and Farming in the Sahel

Farming in the Sahel
Desertification is a problem that those living in the Sahel Region have faced for many years. Desertification is when areas of viable land for farming dry up and are absorbed or transformed into a more desert-like climate. The Sahel Region spans 10 African countries including Burkina Faso, Chad and Cameroon. The Sahel Region has lost millions of hectares of easily accessible farming land to the desert, thus creating food insecurity and loss of income for thousands, if not millions, in the region.

The Impact of Desertification

Desertification is the official term for the process when fertile land, typically in an arid, semi-arid or sub-humid area, loses enough moisture to receive classification as desertland or drylands. The drylands are 40% of the earth’s land surface. According to the United Nations, the rate of degradation in areas susceptible to desertification has sped up 30 more times than in previous years. Increased human activity and the lack of rainfall for extended periods are the leading causes of dryland desertification. Desertified lands officially are 10% of the Earth’s land surface. Many families in areas at risk of desertification rely on farming for their income. But, as the land dries, farming becomes impossible.

Desertification hits some of the most vulnerable populations as it takes away income sources. Desertified land can neither grow crops nor provide the food or land necessary for livestock. The land that some once coveted for farming now cannot retain water. The income that agriculture and livestock farming on desertified land formerly bought no longer exists.

Farming in the Sahel Region

The Sahel Region is officially a semi-arid climate, making farming difficult. Large companies do not typically organize farming in the Sahel Region. Instead, farming is family or community-run and provides food immediately for the owners and operators of the farms. There is little food or livestock traded elsewhere to earn income. Additionally, there is little to no developed infrastructure for communities to develop commercial farming.

Farming in the Sahel Region does not provide a lot of income, nor is it located in an area with highly-ranked or flourishing economies. It has, however, in many past years, contributed at least 45% of each region’s gross domestic product. Many countries in the Sahel Region employ the majority of their workforce in the agriculture sector. In half of the countries of the Sahel Region, poverty rates are as high as 40%. Therefore, the income of the Sahel Region farmers is vital.

In Chad, farmers earn an average of $253 a month. Mali farmers earn less than Chad farmers, with an average monthly income of $169. Senegal farmers earn around $173 a month. These farmers earn enough to sustain themselves, but there is rarely extra money to circulate into the local economy.

How to Improve Farming in the Sahel Region

Farming in the Sahel Region is a race against the clock as the region faces desertification. Organizations such as Context Global (CGD) invest in small farms to bring about economic growth and improvements to the Sahel Region farming communities. CGD does this by creating international links between the farms. CGD builds commercial links without requiring membership in an overarching organization so the farms can maintain independence and gain more experience to advance their operations and incomes.

In the desertified lands, though, farming is incredibly difficult. To combat desertification, there is a new farming tool called the Delfino Plough. The plough brings the ground back to life. This plow, in particular, can cover a minimum of 10 hectares a day to revitalize the land. As the plow moves along along the farmland, it injects seeds deep into the ground that are rich in vitamins to allow the soil to sustain life. As nutrients seep into the ground, it can revert back to its original state and sustain more and more crops.

Creating Opportunity

The more crops that farms are capable of producing, the more they can earn and provide for their landowners and communities. The land brought back to life saves the farmers money as well. If they can grow hay instead of buying it, farmers save money that they can then spend on other farming necessities. With the efforts of organizations such as CGD and tools such as the Delfino Plough, the farmers will have the opportunity to expand their farming operations and increase their immediate incomes while saving for the future.

– Clara Mulvihill
Photo: Flickr

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A Look at Each Kardashian’s Charity Work

Kardashian's Charity Work
The Kardashians are members of one of the most famous celebrity families in the world. Known for their successful businesses and the popular reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” their lives of fame, glamour and wealth often distract spectators from the Kardashians’ valuable charitable contributions. Each Kardashian’s charity work exemplifies the organizations and ideals they care for most.

Kim Kardashian’s Charity Work

Kim Kardashian’s charity work includes donating $1 million to the Armenia Fund, which is a humanitarian organization established in 1992 that provides relief to Armenian citizens in need. Overall donations to the fund have contributed to creating schools, highways and medical centers for Armenians. The Armenia Fund has raised more than $100 million for communities in Armenia and Karabakh.

Kim Kardashian also advocates for disaster relief. For example, she answered phones to take donations for the telethon One Voice: Somos Live, organized by Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Anthony in 2017. The television event raised $35 million for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in order to rebuild homes and provide families with the funds to recover their losses.

Kendall Jenner’s Charity Work

Kendall Jenner, a world-famous supermodel and Kardashian family member, also helped to reduce global injustice by donating to charity: water. Charity: water, founded in 2006, works with local organizations “to fund water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)” initiatives in rural areas across the globe. The organization monitors projects to ensure that the initiatives it funds to supply water are able to function sustainably for as long as possible. For her 22nd birthday, she asked fans, friends and family to donate to charity: water in place of a birthday gift. She encouraged donations by noting that she herself “made a donation to fund 25 wells in Ethiopia that will bring clean water to 5,000 people.” The birthday campaign raised more than $67,000.

Kylie Jenner’s Charitable Work

Many know Kylie Jenner as a prolific contributor to charities across a wide variety of humanitarian areas. She is an ambassador for Smile Train, which is a charity founded in 1999 that funds surgeries for people, mainly children, with cleft lips and palates around the globe. Smile Train also provides speech therapy, nutrition services, dental and orthodontics procedures and “emotional support” to the children it currently helps. So far, the organization has provided aid to more than 1.5 million children.

In 2016, Kylie gave Smile Train 100% of the proceeds of a special lip kit she sold to the public, totaling almost $500,000. Additionally, in March 2020, she donated $1 million to assist people facing the impacts of the Australian wildfires. In this way, Kylie has attempted to diminish inequality around the world.

Kris Jenner’s Charitable Work

Kris Jenner has public donated to charities like the Ronald McDonald House Charities, raising and donating $3 million to the organization for COVID-19 relief. The Ronald McDonald House (RMDH), founded in 1974, works to provide support to the families of ill or injured children around the world who require medical care. Kris, along with Kim, also visited Haiti after the 2010 earthquake to provide assistance to families in deep need.

Both Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian publicly state that they prefer not to discuss their charity work and donations with the public. Both the sisters have donated to charities but feel it is not appropriate to flaunt their contributions publicly. Each Kardashian’s charity work is unique and reflects the distinct personality of each member.

Outside of the limelight, the Kardashians’ charity work shows their commitment to helping the disadvantaged and contributing to global poverty reduction.

– Rachel Reardon
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

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A Closer Look at Mental Health in the Philippines

Mental Health in the PhilippinesMental health plays a significant role in the emotional and physical well-being of a person. However, historically, the Government of the Philippines has given little attention to mental health in the Philippines. Breaking this trend, the Philippines passed the Mental Health Act in 2018.

A Brief History of the Philippines’ Mental Health Policy

In 2001, the Philippines implemented its “first mental health policy.” Followed by a revision in 2016, the Philippines arrived at a nationwide enactment of the newest installment of the Mental Health Act in 2018.

The Mental Health Act designates mental health services as a fundamental right for all Filipino citizens. The Act asserts that “mental health services shall be free from coercion and accountable to the service users” and legislates “the full range of human rights” for people enduring mental illnesses. This includes the right to “participate fully in society and at work, free from stigmatization and discrimination.” The Mental Health Act stands as a significant milestone in psychiatry for the archipelago nation. However, COVID-19 has brought an onslaught of new challenges in terms of mental health in the Philippines.

COVID-19 and the Effects on Mental Health

During the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on mental health. For some, stress, fear and adversity lead to an increased risk of mental health issues. In addition, quarantines and lockdown restrictions can increase feelings of isolation and loneliness, contributing to poor mental well-being. Due to various barriers, older members of society, in particular, may find it challenging to stay connected during the pandemic.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about the mental health of the generation of children growing up in this period. Worldwide, the pandemic has brought to the forefront the need to improve mental health access.

Within the Philippines, a 2020 survey by the Department of Health indicates that around 3.6 million Filipinos found themselves battling mental disorders during the pandemic. Since then, the Filipino government and private organizations have implemented various programs to help citizens navigate their mental health.

Mental Health Programs During COVID-19

The Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) is a “private, non-stock and nonprofit organization” that aims to “raise awareness, provide services and conduct research” on mental health in the Philippines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group has continually offered mental health services through its project, the Philippine Mental Health Association Online Psychosocial Support (Ensuring Wellbeing Amidst COVID-19). The project offers free online counseling sessions to Filipino people suffering from mental health issues during the pandemic.

Also offering telemental health services, the Ateneo Bulatao Center for Psychological Services provides psychological first aid (PFA), psychotherapy and counseling. On November 26, 2021, the Center announced on a Facebook post that it would offer free brief counseling services for Filipino adults ages 18 and older. During these sessions, individuals “can speak with responders who will listen” and “provide a safe psychological space.” These sessions aim to help strengthen coping mechanisms and instill better emotional control skills.

During the same month, WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched Project BRAVE (Building COVID-safe Responses and Voices for Equity) in the Philippines, “a two-year joint [program].” Project BRAVE aims “to assist vulnerable women, children and adolescents with mental health and psychosocial services and protection from gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Crisis Hotline

For those who require immediate mental health services, in line with the Mental Health Act’s mandate to create an around-the-clock mental health hotline as a suicide prevention strategy, the DOH in the Philippines set up the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) CRISIS HOTLINE in May 2019. This proved to be a crucial mental health resource during COVID-19. The NCMH CRISIS HOTLINE notes a rise in monthly calls to the hotline regarding depression “from 80 calls pre-lockdown to nearly 400.” By the first six months of 2021, the hotline noted “3,329 suicide-related calls” in comparison to 1,282 of these calls in 2020. With an average of 32 to 37 daily callers from March to October 2020, the hotline’s services stand as an imperative mental health resource in the nation.

Looking to the Future

While the pandemic rages on, the Government of the Philippines and various organizations are providing an assortment of resources freely available to the public to improve their mental health. With such commitments, Filipino people can access the mental health resources they require.

– Gaby Mendoza
Photo: Flickr

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The Struggle of Child Soldiers in Colombia

Child Soldiers in Colombia
Child involvement in armed conflict is a harsh reality, although the media often considers it a niche phenomenon with respect to many other international matters. According to estimates, the number of children soldiers around the world today amounts to more than 300,000, but this is only a statistical number. Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America are areas where there is the greatest use of minors in war contexts. The prevalence of child soldiers in Colombia is an issue that requires significant attention.

Child soldiers are often in areas that have very unstable governments and prevalent rebel organizations. Additionally, these areas often implement military investments aimed at maintaining stability at the expense of economic development plans, subsequently leading to other countries cutting them out of international trades. Meanwhile, these governments are frequently unable to deliver even the most essential services resulting in inadequate or absent health care systems, very high levels of unemployment and the lack of education systems. Colombia is no different with a prevalence of unrest and child soldiers.

The Beginning of Child Warfare in Colombia

The Republic of Colombia stands out in this context not only for having the world’s highest crime levels but also for the increasing rate of children involved in military actions. Guerrilla and paramilitary groups in addition to government armed forces, forcibly recruit children of every age, many as young as 8 years old. Statistics estimate there are up to 14,000 child soldiers now fighting in opposition groups in Colombia; although, it is a practice that has been going on for more than 60 years.

The preferred targets for recruitment are inevitably young people from the poorest neighborhoods of large cities or the more desperate rural areas as they do not have access to basic education and vocational training, and are therefore without many prospects. Furthermore, the recruitment takes place with false promises, but more often through coercion, under the threat of violence to these children and their families. Unfortunately, joining those corps does not represent an escape to the threats for those children that, with little to no training, must act as front liner shields, conduct executions, participate in suicide missions or make and transport explosives. In this context, the gender difference is a thin line and the differences in roles between males and females become smaller and smaller as the age of recruitment falls.

According to estimates, female child soldiers make up 40% of the total of child soldiers globally and it seems that militias reserve the hardest tasks for them. Not only do female child soldiers across the world carry out the tasks reserved for boys but many also end up as porters, spies, medical aides and even child brides and sex slaves.

Cause of Child Soldiers

To understand the causes of child soldiers in Colombia, it is necessary to frame the country’s political background. Colombia’s troubled political past dates to 1948 when the murder of liberal leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán caused a war between liberals and conservatives. More than a decade of growing instability led to the establishment of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). Those paramilitary groups later converged in the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) and continued the fights for 20 more years, wreaking havoc and death in the country and kidnapping political leaders. It is among these paramilitary groups that the practice of child exploitation for various purposes began. In conclusion, on June 23, 2016, FARC and the government signed a ceasefire showing commitment to building a better future for Colombia.

Five years later, however, political stability still seems far away, and with it, the tragedy of boys and girls used and abused. In November 2019, the Colombian government enforced a national action plan along with other accountability measures like Case No. 07 of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace aimed to prevent recruitment and sexual violence against children in the country. Despite these measures, according to the latest Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, paramilitary groups like FARC continue to forcibly recruit younger boys into their militias without punishment.

Combating the Problem

Luckily, especially in the last decades and thanks to the mobilization of the Colombian government, many nonprofit organizations directly support the cause against child soldiers in Colombia and multiple other poor countries. The way they are doing this is by not only granting populations access to essential services but also by building playgrounds and schools and promoting access to work. One organization that is helping children is Misiones Salesians, which began in Madrid in the 1970s and has reached 130 countries today. It provides international aid to promote the economic and social progress of various countries, thus contributing to eradicating the root causes at the base of child exploitation. Furthermore, Missioni Don Bosco Onlus, which began in Turin in 1991 and is a continuation of the pioneering work of the Italian humanitarian, has created 4,469 schools and professional training centers to help approximately 1,140,000 boys around the world.

To bring an end to children in warfare, the Colombian government must continue to define ever more stringent policies and accountability measures aimed to discourage the recruitment of child soldiers. In addition, on an international level, it is necessary for governments to collectively establish and impose sanctions against those who refuse to ratify the relevant international agreements and commit such crimes. In a time when governments around the world seem to be coming to terms with the reality of facts on several matters, it remains crucial not to forget the capital importance of foreign aid plans from developed countries in support of those causes that may not have a direct or immediate return on their economy or society, but that represents a considerable opportunity for collective progress.

– Francesco Gozzo
Photo: Flickr

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The Challenges of Women in Sierra Leone

Women in Sierra LeoneGender-based violence, discrimination and genital mutilation are some of the many challenges that women in Sierra Leone face. In comparison to males within the nation, a woman’s “voice, visibility, participation and representation in elective and appointment positions” is substantially less. Women in Sierra Leone face severe marginalization despite their significant “contributions to the economy” and the sustenance of their households.

Genital Mutilation

Active membership in “secret societies” has detrimental impacts on girls and women in Sierra Leone. These inconspicuous societies stand as  significant “cultural institutions” steeped in ancient rituals that Sierra Leoneans believe “protect communities against evil and guide adolescent girls to womanhood.” Sierra Leone holds “one of the highest rates of [female genital mutilation]” globally with 90% of girls and women aged 15 to 49 enduring the violating procedure. Female community members often perform genital mutilation procedures “without anesthetic,” using knives, razors and even shards of glass. Female genital mutilation, in addition to risks of extensive hemorrhaging, can result in a multitude of medical problems ranging “from infections and cysts to infertility and complications in childbirth.”

Gender-Based Violence

Almost 50% of Sierra Leonean females endure “sexual or physical violence during their lifetime.” Throughout the Sierra Leone Civil War, “widespread and systematic sexual violence against women and girls” was a common occurrence. This extreme brutality, often at the hands of rebel groups and Civil Defense Forces, affected girls and women of all ages. In terms of violence within domestic relationships, several factors play a role.

The first is that Sierra Leonean society sees certain types of violence in a relationship as warranted and acceptable. In addition, women who report cases of domestic violence face harsh judgment and shame from the community, which is why many choose to remain silent. The legal system also does not see cases of violence involving married women as a priority, but rather, a personal matter that requires a resolution within the confines of a home. In general, many citizens do not have faith in the legal system. The lack of competency within the fragmented legal system continues to generate leniency for perpetrators, contributing to the prevalence of abuse toward women.

Marginalization in the Workforce

Women in Sierra Leone have long generated significant advances in the economy and frequently serve a key part in ensuring their households’ survival. In rural Sierra Leone, women perform more than 60% of the agricultural work necessary for food production in the nation. Males, however, continue to have stronger opportunities for management and influence of the industry, ultimately demoting females to inferior jobs, according to USAID.

Barriers to Education

Girls are less likely to remain in school in comparison to boys due to factors such as child marriage, early pregnancy and gender roles that dictate a female must take on household responsibilities. Additionally, it is extremely rare for a female to continue her education after marriage or pregnancy — “less than 2%” of married females between the ages of 15 and 19 attend school. Due to these cultural norms, women in Sierra Leone are chronically undereducated, a factor that has far-reaching impacts.

Lack of Political Representation

Women in Sierra Leone confront significant challenges when joining the political arena. They face difficulty when navigating disproportionately male-dominated political structures, such as in “accessing male-dominated political networks and making allies, in financing election campaigns and in commanding respect.” Women also often face gender-based discrimination within the political domain. Lower levels of literacy as well as inadequate knowledge of rights and “political processes” further limits females’ capacity to participate on an equal ground alongside males and successfully advocate for fellow women.

The Good News

The Lady Ellen Women’s Aid Foundation (LEWAF-SL) is an autonomous, international non-governmental organization developed in 2008 but formally “established in 2014.” This group was formed in remembrance of Ellen Pauline Kise, a philanthropic humanitarian who died of cancer in 2008. LEWAF’s objective is to eradicate gender-based violence in Sierra Leone, dissolve inequality and ensure that societies treat women as valuable contributors deserving of dignity and respect. To accomplish this, the organization supports women through a four-pronged response:  prevention, protection, response and advocacy. LEWAF seeks to help women in Sierra Leone achieve equality and become empowered.

Despite the discrimination they endure, women in Sierra Leone can look to a brighter future as organizations empower them with the resources and skills to rise up against women’s rights violations and lift themselves out of poverty.

– Tiffany Lewallyn
Photo: Unsplash

Food Systems in Ecuador

Food Systems in Ecuador
In 2020, 930,000 tons of food went to waste in Ecuador, according to The Global FoodBanking Network. Much of this waste is due to the inefficiency of food systems in Ecuador. However, there are programs making efforts to decrease this waste and much of these efforts have proven to be very successful. Much of the produce in Ecuador comes from small-scale farms that families run.

According to the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, families or smallholder farms occupy 75% of the world’s agricultural land and many of these individuals live in poverty. Without an abundance of employees and a lack of training on commercialization for these small producers, it is difficult for farmers to make a profit suitable for the size of their families. The Joint Programme took notice of this issue and is working to increase access to nutritious foods in the province of Imbabura.

The Joint Programme

The Joint Programme began in September 2020 and helped increase the production of vital foods such as quinoa and lupine. It educated farmers on sustainability and good production practices to get the most benefit from their crops. The initiative also supports the National Plan For Good Living 2013-2017, as reported by the Sustainable Development Goals Fund. The Joint Programme strives to reduce poverty and undernutrition in the cities of Ecuador.

According to the Sustainable Development Goals Fund, this effort helped 716 families to grow agro-diverse plots and increased their access to markets and fairs to sell their produce. The efforts also helped 118 producers of chocho, a high-protein legume, and gave assistance to 112 quinoa farmers to diversify their crops. Out of the 483 families in the program, 60.1% diversified their diets to include more fruits, vegetables and legumes.

The Future of Food Program

After the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, more concerns arose about the ability of food systems in Ecuador to adequately provide for citizens. Only supermarkets were able to sell produce, whereas, before the pandemic hit, producers could sell their food at fairs and marketplaces. This was a necessary option for many farmers due to the small number of collection centers in Ecuador, making it difficult to sell products to supermarkets. It was also more difficult for people to access produce at markets due to stay-at-home orders.

The Future of Food program started in 2019, according to the Diplomatic Courier. The program members deliver baskets of produce from small-scale farmers directly to families in need after the baskets pass a sanitation check. This ensures no produce from farmers goes to waste and provides a source of food to families so that they can stay home during the pandemic. The program has reached more than 9,300 families in Ecuador and has inspired the first farmer-owned online marketplace.

Programs that address the shortcomings of food systems in Ecuador are helping the nation inch closer to food security and sustainability. Implementing these programs in more cities may be helpful to small-scale producers in making a liveable wage and will increase families’ access to healthy foods.

– Katelyn Rogers
Photo: Flickr