Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

The Road to Progress: Human Trafficking in Jamaica

Human trafficking in Jamaica was once a national crisis. However, heightened awareness across the island has proved effective. Today, Jamaica aims to facilitate the increased vigilance of human trafficking and forced labor through programs and education.

Human Trafficking in Jamaica Rankings

On an annual basis, countries are divided into tiers based on their efforts to comply with standards outlined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. In 2005, Jamaica had a Tier 3 ranking as a “source, transit and destination” for human traffickers. The tiers are:

  • Tier 1 – The country has shown thorough acknowledgment and enforcement against trafficking in persons.

  • Tier 2 – The country has not fully met standards, but is making effective efforts to increase compliance.

  • Tier 3 – The country has not fully met standards and is not making effective efforts to increase compliance.

Since then, Jamaica began exploring and enforcing the research and specifics of anti-trafficking methods. The Government of Jamaica devoted $15 million in support of victim rehabilitation and the actions toward increased anti-trafficking legislation. As a result of these investments, the island nation improved to Tier 2 by 2014.

How Jamaica Applied Anti-Trafficking Methods

Carol Palmer, the chair of the National Taskforce Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP) released a statement on July 24, 2016, describing the human trafficking conditions in Jamaica. “We are on a path to ensure that Jamaica becomes free from Human Trafficking. We are trying to engage every Jamaican in this fight because we can’t do it by ourselves, we need your help.”

NATFATIP applied the following methods to combat human trafficking in Jamaica:

  • Providing Shelters for victims of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor.

  • Further enforcements in arrests, prosecutions and convictions of traffickers.

  • The development of the Trafficking in Person database.

  • Facilitating human trafficking education to police officers, first responders and the public

  • Enforcing human trafficking offenders to a mandated 10 – 30 year sentence.

Furthermore; the Office of National Rapporteur on Trafficking In Persons (ONRTIP) sought to hire research analysts tasked with reporting “detailed information on human trafficking victims, prosecutions, investigations and victim support services.” ONRTIP also partnered with the US-based Warnath Group’s Child Protection Compact in launching a new user-friendly resource library that provides information and resources for concerned citizens.

EU Commended Jamaica For Leadership Efforts

In a meeting with the European Union Delegation members, the Jamaican government and anti-trafficking organizations were commended for “their leadership in fighting against human trafficking.” During the meeting, members also voiced efforts to support multidisciplinary actions such as awareness campaigns, targeted policies and programming, among other methods.

Jamaica was once a source, transit and destination for human traffickers to lure women, men and children into forced labor. In recent years Jamaica has strengthened its local awareness and as a result, NAFTATIP concluded that between 2010 and 2018, 750 anti-trafficking operations were conducted; 82 victims have found refuge; 30 suspected traffickers have been arrested and 3 prostitution rings were dissolved.

– Ayesha Swaray
Photo: Flickr

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Can Vegetarianism Help Feed the Hungry?

Can Vegetarianism Help Feed the Hungry?
Vegetarianism is more than just a fad diet. Plant-based foods typically have high levels of nutrients and are cheaper and more accessible than other foods. Pivoting agricultural preferences to focus on plant-based foods has many provable benefits. But can vegetarianism help feed the hungry? The answer is yes.

Meat is Inefficient

A very high demand exists for meat currently. In the Amazon, approximately 60% of deforested land is pasture. Animals that farmers raise for consumption on this land eat various types of cereals, which provide very little nutritional return for humans. Meat is also calorically insufficient. As of 2013, 36% of the calories from crops worldwide go toward feeding animals, but only 12% of those calories contribute to the human diet as meat and other animal products. Therefore, land and resources going towards an inefficient nutrition source.

The demand for meat means there is less farmland for plant-based crops—crops that can feed more people at a lower cost. The way vegetarianism can feed the hungry is by freeing up resources for plant-based crops. Switching to plant-based foods could recover 70% of calories that frequently go toward animal protein.

Going Vegetarian is Globally Sustainable

It is no secret that animal diets also have severe environmental consequences. Greenhouse gases from livestock farming contribute to environmental damage that disproportionately affects impoverished areas. Moreover, it eats up money that could go toward improving living conditions for those living in poverty. In this way, a vegetarian diet can help the world’s hungry; it frees up resources that countries can instead allocate to distributing plant-based foods. Research at Oxford University has shown that widespread adoption of vegetarian diets can save trillions of dollars globally each year. After assessing different scenarios, researchers concluded that widespread veganism could avoid more than eight million deaths by the year 2050, and a vegetarian diet could save 7.3 million lives.

Not Ready? Go Flexitarian

One does not have to give up all animal products in order to reap the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. The fact is that current agricultural methods induce environmental challenges that disrupt both the natural and man-made food chain. Simply reducing the number of animal products consumed can help. Going “flexitarian,” or plant-based except for special occasions, makes a difference too. Whether it is one vegan day a week or one meat-based meal a day, a flexitarian plan exists for everyone. In addition, the planning ahead this would require helps minimize food waste.

The health benefits of adopting a flexitarian diet include better cognitive function, lower body composition, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease and longer life expectancy. Plants comprise vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, minerals and polyphenols that work to protect the brain and body from various factors that accelerate aging, disease and mood disorders.

Giving up meats and dairy products may seem daunting. However, not only are animal products ineffective in feeding the world but such products consume more calories than they provide. In essence, it is true that vegetarianism can feed the hungry. Adopting vegetarian diets would not only help the world’s hungry but also make individuals healthier and the environment stronger.

– Maddey Bussmann
Photo: Flickr

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The Benefits of Investing in Women

The Benefits of Investing in Women
Gender equality, or rather a lack of gender equality, is not simply a historical problem. To this day, women all around the world face inequality. One of the most notable issues pertaining to gender inequality is the gender wage gap. Its impacts affect not only women but society as a whole. To end the gender wage gap and other inequalities, society must start to recognize the benefits of investing in women.

The Gender Wage Gap Explained

There are two types of gender wage gaps. The controlled wage gap refers to when a man and a woman have the same exact job in the same exact industry with the same exact qualifications. In this situation, as of 2021, women earn 98 cents per $1 that men earn. This seemingly small upfront difference builds up over time, and the pay discrepancy leads to very dissimilar outcomes for these two genders.

An uncontrolled wage gap is the second type. The uncontrolled wage gap refers to the overall difference between men’s and women’s wages. It does not matter what job it is, what industry one works in or if one works full- or part-time. The measurement takes into account how much each worker makes on average per hour each year. This gap is much more prominent—a woman makes 82 cents to a man’s $1 as of 2021.

Companies provide several “justifications” for why women receive less pay than men within the organizations, but actual reasons include employers’ implicit biases, a wage penalty that accompanies motherhood and a higher likelihood of women working part-time. This is based on if women have the opportunity to obtain higher-wage jobs within such companies. Often, women are unable to attend school to receive the qualifications necessary for high-skilled work.

These inequalities in labor compensation become more glaringly obvious when it comes to unpaid labor. Women are more than twice as likely as men to participate in unpaid work. Notably, the most frequent unpaid jobs women take on are domestic work and child care. In impoverished communities, women must sacrifice their education to fulfill the expectation to manage the household and raise children.

The Importance of Investing in Women

Beyond equality, investing in women provides a multitude of economic benefits. The unpaid labor women often take on can actually hinder the economy. Economists estimate that unpaid domestic workers—if paid—could constitute approximately 40% of a nation’s GDP. A lack of education for women also plays a role in stunting economies. When women receive education, economies tap into a whole new sector of individuals that bring new, innovative ideas to the table, which help economies grow. Further, studies show that for every 10% of girls enrolled in school in a developing country, the GDP increases long-term by 3%.

In addition to paying women for labor and educating women, it is imperative to give women advancement opportunities. Women make up approximately half of the agricultural labor force but less than 13% of landholders globally. If women obtain the same amount of land, technology and capital as men, there could be an estimated 30% increase in food production. In this way, empowering women could help to substantially reduce world hunger. On the more industrial side, studies show that both efficiency and organization significantly increase when three or more women enter senior positions at companies.

A Better Society For All

Decreasing the wage gap begins in three main areas: women’s unpaid work, education and health. When women in developing countries receive aid and money, the aid does not stop at just the direct beneficiary. Women are likely to extend the benefits to those around them; women tend to invest their earned money into their children’s education and health as well as their own. Giving women financial tools has economic gain for all and promotes economic justice.

The best way to ensure a fair economy is to invest in women, particularly in developing countries. Women should have the opportunity to work the same jobs, receive the same qualifications and have the same economic opportunities as men. Society’s way forward is through taking advantage of the benefits of investing in women.

– Becca Blanke
Photo: Flickr

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Addressing Malnutrition in Venezuela

Malnutrition in VenezuelaA meager 3% of Venezuelan families are considered food secure in a country where more than 96% of people live in poverty. Child malnutrition in Venezuela rose to 26% from December 2019 to March 2020. Maduro’s government, a hotbed of mismanagement, corruption and cronyism, has done little to help the poverty and malnutrition in Venezuela. Hyperinflation continues to suppress economic activity, and U.S. sanctions imposed to pressure Maduro into reform or exit, have limited Venezuela’s access to imported food, medicine and other basic goods. On April 19, 2021, the World Food Programme announced that it would be implementing a program to address food insecurity and malnutrition in Venezuela.

Child Malnutrition in Venezuela

A 2021 policy brief by medical researchers called Venezuela’s public health system “practically non-existent.” Especially with U.S. sanctions, many healthcare facilities are unable to obtain the medicine or medical equipment needed to properly function. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic puts further strain on already limited health resources. As of April 2021, the Venezuelan Government has vaccinated less than 1% of the Venezuelan population.

According to a UNICEF report, 13% of children in Venezuela suffered from malnutrition between 2013 and 2018. Without access to sufficient calories, protein or generally diverse foods, many of these children will be held back developmentally, far beyond their childhood years. Venezuelan nutritionist, Raquel Mendoza, tells Thompson Reuters that “A population suffering from malnutrition implies we are going to have adults with less physical and intellectual potential.” Mendoza states further that “We’re going to see a regression in the development of the country because human resources are diminished.” These words express the urgency and importance of speedily addressing malnutrition in the country.

Before 2009, Venezuela’s infant mortality rate was steadily declining. In the first decade of the Chavez presidency, which began in 1999, infant mortality dropped by half. However, under Venezuela’s ongoing economic and sociopolitical crisis, the infant mortality rate has regressed to where it was in the 1990s. Even though many cases go unreported, statistics show that child mortality increased by 30% in 2016.

The World Food Programme Alleviates Malnutrition

Starting in July 2021, the World Food Programme (WFP) will provide school lunches for children between 1 and 6 years of age. The WFP’s goal is to reach 185,000 students by the end of 2021 and 1.5 million by the end of 2023. These meals will mainly go to preschool and special education schools, but public and private schools will receive aid too.

Despite the pressing need for foreign aid, the Maduro government has historically rebuffed aid attempts by international organizations and governments. According to the Washington Post, Maduro blocked almost $60 million worth of U.S. aid in 2019 and insisted that Venezuela was not a country of beggars.

The agreement reached between Maduro and the WFP Executive Director David Beasley on April 19, 2020, came after months of resistance by the government. The program’s operations will remain independent of the political turmoil and uncertainty of Maduro’s rule.

The Road Ahead

Although the aid cannot catapult Venezuela out of its current crisis, the WFP program will improve the lives of many families who do not know how or when they will eat next. Although rarely dissolving geopolitical tensions or toppling an unjust regime, humanitarian aid organizations can and do protect those who suffer from the impacts of corruption, mismanagement and conflicts of others.

– Alexander Vanezis
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Higher Education in Kenya: MasterCard Foundation

Higher Education in KenyaEnrollment in higher education in Kenya has been on a steady increase, posting a gain of 28% from 2013 to 2014. However, the government has cut funding to higher education programs. The cuts have made it difficult for universities to handle this influx of new student enrollment. Kenya’s Commission for University Education has decreased government subsidies to these institutions but is still trying to find ways to support quality higher education opportunities in the nation.

Kenya’s Higher Education System

Kenya has both public universities and private universities. Public institutions are established via Acts of Parliaments, while the Commission on Higher Education oversees the operations of the private institutions. Acceptance to bachelor’s degree programs require a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and typically lasts between four to six years. The higher education system has several similarities to the university system in the United States. It also shares many of the same issues with regard to equitable access and funding.

Beyond issues of government funding, the higher education system in Kenya faces issues of overcrowding, ever-growing demand and poorly equipped libraries and curricular resources. Due to all of these challenges facing the high-demand university system, outside NGOs and investors have worked with students to create a more productive, accessible and equitable system for higher education in Kenya.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is one of these outside investors working with students. It wants to ensure students who want to access higher education in Kenya are not barred from doing so strictly because of a lack of financial resources. The Mastercard Foundation partnered with the United States International University-Africa in Kenya to provide 1,000 merit-based scholarships for those seeking an undergraduate degree.

This partnership and subsequent scholarships amount to $63.2 million. The first scholarships began in the 2020-21 academic year. They will ensure students are receiving high-quality university educations and also have access to leadership development opportunities. Further, the scholarships seek to address inequities with regards to who has access to higher education in Kenya. A total of 70% of the scholarships will go to young women, 25% to refugee scholars and at least 10% will go to students with disabilities. The Mastercard Foundation has a history of investing in global youth. It has stated that it is committed to creating a generation of African leaders who will transform not only their own nations and continent but the entire world.

Higher Education Creating African Leaders

This scholarship program not only supports students financially but grants access to internships and post-graduate career services. The program hopes to create graduates who go on to become entrepreneurs, NGO leaders, social workers and changemakers. Overall, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program has committed $1 billion to support higher education worldwide and creating more equitable access to higher education and working to support leaders of the next generation from every part of the globe.

– Tatiana Nelson
Photo: Flickr

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Global Collaboration: The Mayors Migration Council

Mayors Migration Council
As the name suggests, the Mayors Migration Council consists of a group of mayors from different corners of the world focused on the global response to migration. The goal of this council is to “empower and enable cities with access, capacity, knowledge, and connections to engage in migration diplomacy and policymaking at the international, regional and national level.” This collaborative effort includes mayors from Zurich, Milan, Montreal, Freetown and Los Angeles and multiple others.

Mayors Migration Council

Recently, the Mayors Migration Council launched a $1 million initiative focused on assisting with needs for internally displaced people (IDPs). This initiative comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide support for migrant and refugee populations worldwide. It has focused efforts on Barranquilla, Colombia; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Beirut, Lebanon; Mexico City, Mexico and Lima, Peru. These cities with high populations of at-risk migrant peoples are provided direct financial support focused on urban areas. In these urban areas, the World Bank projects that communities may lose 15%-25% of total government revenues through 2021.

As government budgets undergo decimation as a result of the pandemic, this program provides support on projects “related to public health, employment, livelihoods, and social protection to mitigate the health crisis and its socio-economic impacts.” These focus areas are a direct illustration of the goal of this council. They hope to provide access to COVID-19 services as well as work with migrants to have a positive impact on the pandemic situation through direct work opportunities.

UN-Habitat

Through a partnership with UN-Habitat, the Mayors Migration Council has been able to implement groundwork programs that directly affect the lives of these migrant populations. An organization with prior experience with improving urban communities, the UN-Habitat organization takes funds from the Mayors Migration Council and provides direct guidance for these funds. This includes allocating funds to local governments and providing governmental and technological support. In Beirut, UN-Habitat partnered with Mayor Jamal Itani to develop a mobile health clinic to provide free COVID-19. The clinic is available to migrants and refugees as well as the rest of the population.

Cities Working Together for Migrants and Refugees

This new initiative includes commitments from the 2018 Marrakech Mayors Declaration. This declaration established the Cities Working Together for Migrants and Refugees programs. It focuses on the role of the mayors involved and how they can directly impact migration-related issues. Cities Working Together for Migrants and Refugees further supports the mission of the Global Compact for Migration, a U.N. agreement “on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions.” This important initiative provides mayors in cities across the world a framework on how to handle migration as it happens, a vital framework before COVID-19 but especially amplified throughout the pandemic.

Proven Importance

With a multitude of different nations faced with political corruptness, violence, overall unrest, natural disasters and now the COVID-19 pandemic, large migrations of people will continue to occur. For the majority of nations, the current protocols for handling migration have plenty of room for improvement. These concerns are why a collaborative organization like the Mayors Migration Council is so important. It continues to provide adequate support and opportunities for all persons regardless of migration status. An organization comprised of mayors provides those with the political status to initiate change. Additionally, it offers a platform for meaningful discussion and collaboration between all corners of the world. This most recent million-dollar program further allows for increased national capabilities to handle these migration situations.

– Jackson Thennis
Photo: Flickr

E-Commerce Can End Rural Poverty in China

E-Commerce Can End Rural Poverty in China
E-commerce has the power to end rural poverty in China. In 2014, about 100 out of 640 households in Kengshang were on a list for having annual incomes of less than $400. The rural Chinese village in Anhui province had been in poverty for years. This is due to a shortage of farmland and geographical isolation. Most villagers made their living by growing tea but the working population decreased every year as people left to find jobs.

In 2015, the district’s commerce bureau invested $31,000 in Kengshang. This involved setting up a workshop to train the villagers and renovating a school building. The villagers sold dried bamboo shoots in small decorative bags, which the poverty-alleviation team then sold online. All of the profits went directly to the villagers. The annual revenue from the online shops in 2020 was about $123,870, up from $23,226 in 2016. By 2016, the Chinese government deemed the village of Kengshang poverty-free.

E-Commerce in China

Kengshang is one of many success stories in poverty alleviation thanks to e-commerce in China. E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods over the internet. It allows more people to access potential global markets for their products, which can help reduce poverty by opening up a new avenue of income for the impoverished. It has been especially effective for those facing rural poverty.

E-commerce in China is a robust industry for rural communities. All 832 state-level impoverished counties have e-commerce programs to alleviate poverty. In 2019, 13.84 million rural e-commerce shops existed. The shops registered total online sales of about $8.02 billion in the first quarter of 2020, up 5% from 2019.

The Alibaba Group, an e-commerce giant, launched the Rural Taobao Program in 2014 to help give rural citizens better access to the internet and help farmers increase their income by selling agricultural products directly to urban consumers online. It does this by setting up e-commerce service networks in counties and villages and improving logistical connections for villages. It also provides training in e-commerce and entrepreneurship and develops rural financial services through the AntFinancial subsidiary of Alibaba. The Rural Taobao Program has expanded rapidly, from 212 villages in 12 counties in 2014 to more than 30,000 villages in 1,000 counties in 2018.

The Chinese government has invested in improving the existing e-commerce system. In the future, the government plans to improve infrastructure in rural areas to smooth urban-rural trade channels, especially for agricultural products. Third-party delivery services, improved rural logistics systems and the cultivation of local brands will support agricultural products.

Eliminating Poverty in China

E-commerce in rural provinces has helped China eliminate rural poverty nationwide. In November 2020, President Xi Jinping announced that all rural citizens were living above the centrally-defined poverty line of about $400 a year. While this is still below the internationally recognized poverty line of $700 a year, it is an impressive feat thanks to strategies like e-commerce in rural areas. In the future, the growing industry of e-commerce has the potential to bring all rural Chinese people above the international poverty line.

E-Commerce During COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce has become even more important. Online ordering and no-contact delivery give rural communities a source of income that does not risk their health. Despite disruptions due to shutdowns, Taobao, an e-commerce platform, saw merchants sell 160% more products in March 2020 than in 2019. PinDuoDuo, another e-commerce company, has boosted daily orders to 65 million, compared to 50 million before the pandemic.

Looking Forward

With sustained development and investment, e-commerce has the potential to end rural poverty in China. The Chinese government needs to invest in the workers by providing entrepreneurship training, helping them establish an online presence and creating the necessary infrastructure to help them sell their products online. That way, e-commerce can be a long-term solution.

Other countries can learn from China’s e-commerce model. While China’s success comes in part from the extensive government involvement in the lives of individual citizens, other nations can still take note of the booming e-commerce industry. Investments in e-commerce development programs have the power to help end rural poverty in China.

– Brooklyn Quallen
Photo: Flickr

The Process of Eradicating HIV/AIDS in Mozambique

HIV/AIDS in Mozambique
The East African country of Mozambique has struggled to control the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Since its introduction to southern Africa in the late 1980s, the adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Mozambique is around 12.10% – the seventh-highest rate in the world. However, there is good news. Infection rates and deaths that relate to AIDS are decreasing and the country is feeling a surge of international support. Here are three ways in which Mozambique is currently fighting against the epidemic.

Grants

In February 2021, the Government of Mozambique, the Global Fund and other medical partners launched six new grants to expand treatment and service options for HIV, TB and malaria. Actions like this are causing HIV/AIDS in Mozambique to experience a downward trend in cases and deaths.

With greater funds, HIV treatment will become more available. In fact, one can attribute greater access to treatment to the “29% decrease in the number of AIDS-related deaths” from 2006 to 2019. These particular grants are significant because they are worth $773,913,131, a figure that is 49% larger than the previous allocation amount.

The financial assistance aims to reach vulnerable populations, especially adolescent girls, and to make testing widespread. Mozambique is working towards creating strong, sustainable health systems. Health officials are hopeful that these grants will put the country on the path to self-sufficiency where external help is no longer necessary.

Medicine

There have also been recent developments in the world of pharmaceuticals. Mozambique launched a new preventative drug for tuberculosis (TB) on March 24, 2021, which is World Tuberculosis Day. Although this drug does not specifically treat people with HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, the two ailments inextricably connect. HIV greatly weakens the body’s immune system and puts people at high risk for diseases like TB.

The Mozambique Health Minister, Armindo Tiago, explicitly stated, “this programme is aimed at people living with HIV/AIDS.” The new system reduces pill intake from nine to three pills a week and the treatment duration from up to 36 months to just three months. According to Unitaid, “up to 3 million patients are expected to be made available for eligible countries this year.” These countries include Mozambique, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

This shorter, less invasive treatment intends to attract more people seeking medical therapy. If proven successful, it is likely that the number of HIV-related deaths will drop. As a result, Mozambique should gain the upper hand in the fight against communicable diseases.

Clinics

The U.S. NGO, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, is helping combat HIV/AIDS in Mozambique. This organization focuses on preventing pediatric HIV and ending pediatric AIDS all over the world. On March 15, 2021, the NGO donated two mobile clinics that will serve the cities of Maputo, Matola and the district of Marracuene.

The organization intends to provide primary care as well as sexual and reproductive health services to 3,000 young people. It chose the areas of Matola, the district of Marracuene and Maputo because of the high number of teenagers who need “more accurate information” about sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases. The mobile clinics have services for HIV/AIDS testing, tuberculosis, cancer screening, counseling and more.

Implementing these three forms of aid furthers the country’s efforts to make healthcare more accessible for those who need it most. Mozambique is a demonstration of how people across the world are still passionately fighting against HIV/AIDS.

– Lucy Gentry
Photo: Flickr

“De-Neglecting” the Impact of Chagas Disease in Brazil

Chagas Disease in BrazilMore than 1 billion people in developing countries are sick and require treatment for Neglected Tropical Diseases, or NTDs. These are infectious diseases that have very little attention and donor funding compared to diseases like malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. NTDs can have debilitating results such as malnutrition, blindness, weakening mental development and more. They also tend to go hand in hand with poverty, because less access to clean water and sanitation allows these diseases to thrive. One of these diseases, Chagas disease, also known as “the kissing bug disease,” exists in the areas of Brazil where poverty is prominent.

“NTDs are not prioritized in wealthier, developed countries because they do not experience the same living conditions that affected populations are in, said Jadie Moon, a representative from NGO De-Neglect. “Diseases like HIV and tuberculosis are more prevalent in developed countries and attract more attention. Additionally, the public tends to focus more on diseases that kill such as malaria. However, NTDs are more likely to disfigure and affect [the] daily lives of individuals.”

History of Chagas Disease in Brazil

Chagas disease exists in the Americas, mainly in rural areas of Latin America where poverty is prevalent. It was first reported in Brazil by Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas in 1909. A parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transferred from the waste of triatomine bugs, or kissing bugs, causes the disease. The disease can also be spread through food that has been contaminated by the bug’s feces, infected blood transfusions and organ donations. This disease affects 8 million people today, and 20,000 people die from it every year.

From 2001 to 2018, 5,184 cases of acute Chagas disease were found in Brazil. The rate of infection recorded in Brazil annually was “0.16 per 100,000 inhabitants.” Studies show a rapid increase in records of Chagas disease before 2005. Though there was a drop from 2005 to 2009, there was another increase in infections after 2009.

Symptoms and Warning Signs of Chagas Disease

Though many NTDs are not considered life-threatening, the results of Chagas disease can be. The acute phase of the disease has minor symptoms. They include fever, swelling at the infection site, rash, nausea and enlargement of the liver or spleen. These symptoms will usually go away on their own, but if left untreated the disease can advance to the chronic phase.

The chronic phase is more serious and may occur 10 to 20 years after the infection. The parasites hide in the heart and digestive muscles, leading to cardiac and digestive or neurological disorders. Chronic symptoms include an irregular heartbeat, esophagus enlargement, difficulty swallowing, an enlarged colon and heart failure.

Around 20 to 30% of individuals who are in the chronic phase of Chagas disease eventually develop clinical disease. Usually, the clinical disease that develops is cardiac. Chagas disease is often discovered in an individual years after the infection in late stages, and once established it can cause severe, even deadly cardiac and digestive disorders.

“Because of the commonly asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic acute phase of infection, Chagas disease is difficult to diagnose, and often leads to missing the best time frame of treatment,” said De-Neglect members Jesse Chen and Helen Lee.

Prevention and De-Neglecting Chagas Disease in Brazil

One of the key methods in protecting people from Chagas disease – like any other NTD – is prevention. Methods of prevention in areas that are high-risk include:

  • Using bed nets that have been soaked with insecticide
  • Avoid sleeping in a mud, thatch or adobe house
  • Making home improvements to prevent bug infestation
  • Screening pregnant mothers, blood donations and testing organ/tissue/cell donations (as an infected individual can spread the disease to a healthy individual that way)
  • Washing, checking and cooking food well so there is no bug feces

De-Neglect

One of the best ways of preventing Chagas disease in Brazil is educating the public that lives in high-risk areas. A social media concentrated NGO in California called De-Neglect has a mission of doing just that. The organization has been around since 2018, formed by a group of UC Berkeley students and alumni. De-Neglect’s mission is to raise awareness and education about NTDs like Chagas disease, and how they affect communities in poverty. De-Neglect works to accomplish this goal through research, educating the public in health and participating in “community-based mobilization.” Their members are in contact with individuals and organizations from around the world and use their media platforms to raise awareness for NTDs like Chagas that affect areas like the rural communities in Brazil.

“I know someone who passed away due to Chagas disease almost 3 years ago in Brazil,” said De-Neglect team member Paula Serpa. “It is suspected that my friend acquired the infection due to his poor living conditions and, while playing a pickup soccer game, he suffered a heart attack and passed away.”

Growing the Organization

De-Neglect Team member Jessica Tin recounts the feat it took to form De-Neglect and build their network of collaborators. They faced certain roadblocks about finding accurate and up-to-date info for some NTDs. “Recently, we reached our next milestone with the release of our “What is scabies?” video and a social media campaign for World NTD Day, said Tin. “This was our first major moment in getting our name and mission out to the NTDs community as well as to our personal circles, where most of our friends and family had never even heard of NTDs before. Seeing our impact has given us extra momentum to continue our mission by expanding our network and educating the community.”

Lessening the Impact of Chagas in the Future

“Given that NTDs are concentrated in developing, poverty-stricken countries, their management often takes up most of a person’s existing and potential wealth,” said De-Neglect Team Member Jessica Yescas. “By providing solutions, such as medication and accessibility to medical care — as well as raising awareness through education — the possibility of alleviating the perpetuation of poverty due to NTDs can become a reality.”

Those infected with Chagas disease in Brazil face additional challenges if they already struggle with poverty. If not provided reliable, affordable medication the results could cost them dearly. They can miss out on work and educational opportunities, pushing them further into poverty. Raising awareness for Chagas disease and other NTDs in areas impacted by poverty and putting them in the spotlight creates more opportunities to instill solutions, not allowing them to be neglected anymore.

– Celia Brocker
Photo: Flickr

Natural Disaster Relief in Paraguay

Natural Disaster Aid in Paraguay
The landlocked Republic of Paraguay is prone to a wide range of natural disasters. Floods and droughts affect the most benighted areas of the country. Fortunately, both national and international agencies are taking action in aiding the local population, working through COVID-19 preventive measures that have delayed the arrival of natural disaster relief packages.

Natural Disasters in Paraguay

Paraguay experienced its worst floods in 2015 and 2019. Since then, the country has confronted subsequent natural disasters in the regions of Boquerón, Presidente Hayes and Alto Paraguay, with more than 2,400 families and 80,000 individuals affected. Even though Paraguay is one of the most humid countries in the region with a fairly high precipitation rate, climate oscillations have been destabilizing already vulnerable communities. As a country relying primarily on crops and cattle raising, fluctuations in climate and natural disasters can prove fatal for the rural population, not only putting the local economy at risk but also increasing the chances of infections through water-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.

As the South American country that has experienced the steepest exponential economic growth in the last thirty years, Paraguay has taken long strides to increase income per capita and reduce inequality. However, most of its economy is commodity-based, which makes it extremely sensitive to fluctuations in climate. Floods tend to be an especially dire calamity since they directly affect the agriculture, animal husbandry and hydroelectric energy industries.

Increasing Climate Resiliency

According to the World Bank, Paraguay ranks 95 out of 181 countries in the 2019 Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative. This renders the country fairly vulnerable to climate catastrophe, primarily because of a lack of response and strategic planning. Climate indexes such as this one serve to acquire relevant diagnoses and eventually form sector-specific policies that can aid development outcomes.

It is necessary for the national government to take action to increase climate resiliency by adopting adaptation implementation efforts. Policymaking is crucial in this area, prioritizing investments for more efficient climate mitigation techniques in vulnerable rural areas.

A Four-Part Plan

The Paraguayan government has been taking action against these threats. The Ministry for National Emergencies (SEN) alongside the country’s National System of the Environment (SISAM) have devised a comprehensive plan to diminish natural disaster impact in Paraguay. The plan has been included in Paraguay’s Sustainable Development Goals for disaster risk reduction and consists of four parts:

  1. Understanding the extent of damage that natural disasters may cause. This includes encouraging research for preventive purposes and using ancestral indigenous techniques in farming to reduce the environmental impact that slash-and-burn techniques have on climate catastrophe.
  2. Increase governance in areas prone to natural disasters. The government is committed to creating laws related to aid in cases of floods and droughts, and beginning to build sound infrastructure to easily aid affected areas.
  3. Invest resources in building said infrastructures, such as roads and municipal buildings that can withstand harsh environmental conditions. This goal also expects to increase cooperation between national and regional authorities for quick aid relief.
  4. Ameliorate time of response by authorities and communities. This means not only investing in disaster-proof establishments but also empowering individuals and promoting universal access to reconstruction and rehabilitation.

International Assistance

In addition to the government, international aid organizations are also providing natural disaster relief to Paraguay. For example, USAID has been active in Paraguay since 2004, providing aid in the aftermath of 10 disasters. The World Bank has also been focused on helping Paraguay improve disaster preparedness. The organization has identified research gaps within Paraguay’s climate disaster response, including climate variability and water resources. Additionally, the World Bank has led economic-environmental feasibility studies, which are currently lacking. These efforts are all designed to ensure Paraguay has the resources necessary to overcome natural disasters.

Alongside conscientious data-gathering for the prevention of natural disasters and natural disaster relief, international assistance is crucial: it has not only proven helpful during calamitous environmental instances but also during a yellow fever outbreak, the subsequent seasonal dengue epidemic and COVID-19. Moving forward, USAID, the World Bank and other international organizations must continue to prioritize addressing natural disasters in Paraguay.

– Araí Yegros
Photo: Flickr