Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Colombia’s Improved Healthcare

Colombia's Improved Healthcare
Colombia’s healthcare system has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few decades. The country has been able to provide its people with adequate healthcare coverage due to reforms it started making in the 90’s. Colombia offers a variety of healthcare plans to its people, including one that is public and the rest which are private. Also, Colombia is home to 40% of the best hospitals in Latin America.

Additionally, in 2018 and out of 191 countries, Colombia ranked 22nd in healthcare, according to the World Health Organization. To understand Colombia’s improved healthcare, it is important to highlight the process responsible for the success that the system currently enjoys.

The Process

The current state of Colombia’s healthcare traces back to 1993 with the introduction of Law 100. Law 100 stated that all citizens of Colombia, regardless of their financial state, are entitled to a comprehensive healthcare plan. This law created Colombia’s healthcare coverage system called the Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud (SGSSS). Colombia uses both general taxation and payroll contributions to ensure that the SGSSS continues receiving funding.

This reform has been beneficial to Colombians in several ways. Just in the first 10 years of the introduction of the SGSSS into law — the number of Colombian citizens that had healthcare coverage skyrocketed. Only 25% of Colombians were covered in 1993 and by 2003 that number was up at 75%. The percentage of people covered by the healthcare system has only risen since 2003. In 2007 about 90% of Colombians received coverage and in 2011, the percentage was at 95%. Other indicators of Colombia’s improved healthcare coverage system is in the country’s improved life expectancy and infant mortality. In 1993, with the introduction of the SGSSS, life expectancy was at 69 years. By 2015, the average life expectancy was at 74 years. The infant mortality rate in Colombia was 21 deaths per 1,000 births in the year 2000. In 2015 the infant mortality rate was down to 14 per 1,000 births.

Healthcare’s Impact on Poverty

Colombia’s improved healthcare has also been extremely beneficial to those living in poverty. For the poorest 20% in Colombia,  healthcare coverage was as low as 4% in 1993. This figure rose to 89% in 2016. Also, Colombians who live in rural areas have had an increase in coverage — rising from 6.6% in 1993 and growing to 92.6% in 2016. Moreover, Colombians all have the same types of health plans available to them. This means that any particular citizen has the same options available for them to choose from as any other citizen. Medical patients’ out-of-pocket spending on health services in Colombia is only at 14%. This figure is much lower than what most citizens in other Latin American countries pay.

A New Challenge

Colombia’s improved healthcare is a product of more than two decades of work and reform. The reforms have allowed many Colombian’s to have the healthcare they need, without the extreme costs. This includes all types of Colombians, regardless of their socio-economic standing. The only challenge to further reforms in Colombia is the growing population within the country. As the country grows so will the population and the amount of money the country spends on its healthcare system. This represents another challenge that the nation should bear in mind, going forward.

– Jacob E. Lee
Photo: Unsplash

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3 Beauty Brands Empowering Ghanaian Women in Poverty

Ghanaian women in poverty
It is undeniable that, right now, the makeup, skincare and haircare industries are flourishing globally and are predicted to continue their economic rise well into the future. According to Euromonitor International, in 2020, the beauty industry’s net profit reached $500.5 billion — a more than 5% increase from 2019. Broken down by category: general cosmetic care earned $307 billion, skincare acquired $145.2 billion, haircare collected $79.2 billion and premium beauty earned $139 billion. The industry’s forecast predicts an annual net profit of $756.63 billion by 2026. 

Right now in Ghana, the beauty industry is experiencing a cultural role shift and growth in profit. The increasing population of young people is beginning to explore skin, beauty and hair care — and they’re looking locally. As this industry grows, Ghana-based brands are looking to do more than just provide beauty products. Through outreach programs and innovative business plans and programs, personal care companies are working to provide financial aid, job opportunities, equitable support and empower Ghanaian women. Here are three Ghana-based beauty brands empowering Ghanaian women in poverty.

3 Beauty Brands Empowering Ghanaian Women in Poverty

  1. FC Beauty Group Limited: Established more than 30 years ago in Ghana, FC Beauty Group Limited (FCBGL), not only provides and distributes high-quality hair and beauty products at a wholesale price to local salons but also hosts extensive outreach programs for impoverished women. FCBGL launched the Grace Amey-Obeng Foundation International in the summer of 2007. This foundation has made it a priority to aid Ghanaian women in poverty, with the purpose of providing young women an education, training and a sense of self. Through this program, FCBGL has focused its outreach to young homeless women, some of whom must engage in prostitution to financially support themselves. For women who engage in transactional sex consensually, the foundation provides them with skills to prevent difficulties in their profession. These skills include preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and exploitation. For women who do not wish to continue this work, the brand offers job prospects and training that allow them to change their economic direction. The brand continues its outreach work by partnering with the Osu Girls’ correctional facility to provide inmates with hirable skills for future economic success. FC Beauty Group Limited hosts another program titled the “Tutsi Project.” The Tutsi Project’s agenda is to act as insurance for the women who have completed FCBGL’s training programs and are now pursuing a career. Since its conception, the FC Beauty College has trained more than 6,000 economically successful students. Seed money is provided to women looking to start their own businesses. Many trainees are full-time mothers as well as entrepreneurs and FCBGL’s investment at the beginning of their career allows them to feel financially supported.
  2. Nokware Skincare: With old-school natural products and innovative ideas, the brand Nokware, meaning “truth,” creates all products from recipes and raw materials passed down through Ghanaian women’s lineage. Remaining local is an important piece of Nokware’s business plan and the brand solely uses materials that can be found and farmed by local African women. By practicing fair trade and pricing deals, Nokware can work towards its overall mission: economic inclusion. Recognizing the financial disparity many Ghanaian women face, this brand works to exclusively buy locally to put money back into the community and create a space for those who have been neglected in the workforce. By situating “community commerce” at the forefront of its company, Nokware works to stimulate the Ghanaian economy from the inside out. Empowerment of Ghanaian women in poverty is very important to Nokware Skincare. The brand works to accomplish that goal by primarily hiring women who face a substantial wage gap. Recognizing them as powerful resources, Nokware also staffs its executive boards and factory floors with Ghanaian women in an effort to minimize the prevalent wage gap in the country. The company’s “Nokware for Women” fund is an educational scholarship program available to the daughters of Nokware employees to diminish gender inequalities in education.
  3. True Moringa: Named after the extensive benefits of the plant found in northern Ghana, True Moringa is a brand that creates a diverse selection of products that all contain the oil of the True Moringa tree. On a trip with MIT’s D-Lab to Ghana, Kwai Williams and Emily Cunningham learned about the aforementioned tree, known as the “miracle tree,” from local farmers. The plant contains high levels of Vitamin A, calcium and protein. It also has the ability to grow and strengthen other crops in any climate. After learning this, Williams and Cunningham realized that the plant could minimize poverty and malnutrition in the country, and bring economic opportunities to farmers while providing consumers with high-quality skin and hair care products. The founders were aware of the lack of training, reliable commerce and income insecurity Ghanaian farmers face. As a result, they created a business plan that could compete with more established beauty brands and source locally to raise the monetary value of the brand’s contributing farmers. The company’s website states that the creation and application of the True Moringa brand has served more than 5,000 farming families, planted more than 2 million trees and increased local Ghanian farming revenue tenfold. In addition to the economic growth created through local sourcing, True Moringa allows customers to make an impact. With every purchase made, True Moringa will plant a tree which, in turn, combats deforestation and malnutrition in the small farming communities the brand works with. The True Moringa skin and hair care brand not only works to contribute to the beauty industry and empower Ghanaians by providing high-quality products, but also looks outside to create sustainable incomes and resources to empower Ghanaian women in poverty and their families.

All of these brands have created a positive impact on Ghanaian women in poverty. They have done so by looking beyond the cosmetic aspects of their products and focus on empowering women through their incomes, access to food and financial well-being. These brands have given hope to women and families for a better future, and have continued to walk alongside them as they move into a more financially secure future.

– Alexa Tironi
Photo: Flickr

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How Food Supply Chains Are Curbing the COVID-19 Hunger Crisis

Food Supply Chains
Despite immense stress due to COVID-19, food supply chains have demonstrated resilience by offering a potential avenue for long-term poverty alleviation. The pandemic has threatened food security around the globe, with Feeding America reporting that as many as 17 million people could experience food insecurity in its wake. As such, food supply chains play an important role in assuring individuals’ access to food.

The Resilience of Food Supply Chains Amidst COVID-19

Food supply chains are the mechanism by which raw food becomes consumer-ready. These supply chains consist of farm production, processing, transportation and consumption. There are two primary categories of food supply chains. Firstly, domestic chains, in which food is produced and consumed in the same country. Second, international chains, in which food is transported across borders. Both domestic and international chains have been severely affected by the pandemic. However, there are notable differences in the impact on the two systems. This is due to their unique types of labor, transportation, and consumer demand among other conditions.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) explained that food supply chain complications disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. Wealthier countries, which use large-scale international chains, have more capital- and knowledge-intensive structures. These international supply chains have shown greater resilience amidst the pandemic. The recovery of international chains helps explain why low-income countries are experiencing disproportionate effects of the pandemic on food security.

In comparison, low-income countries primarily rely on small and medium domestic chains. Small domestic chains are more labor-intensive and thus affected more heavily by pandemic labor restrictions. Furthermore, the labor-intensive components of food supply chains are the hardest-hit by COVID-19. This impact stems from mobility restrictions, reduced workplace capacities and illness that limits employees’ ability to complete their jobs.

The Potential to Fight Poverty

Ensuring logistical flexibility and employee health is imperative in mitigating harm to domestic food chains. Social innovations are emerging to address the labor needs created by the pandemic. These innovations aim to increase the “flexibility of labor sourcing and timing,” by improving access to transportation, decreasing reliance on physical labor in certain production zones and improving hygiene and health education to avoid outbreaks in densely populated work areas.

Far beyond social innovation in labor, though, many believe the COVID-induced threat to food supply chains could provide an incredible opportunity for long-term poverty alleviation. One contributor to the International Food Policy Research Institute wrote: “During COVID-19, the bureaucratic, financial, logistical and technological reasons that always seemed to make actions impossible or improbable have fallen away.”

Food supply chain innovations have also addressed financial, managerial and health complications. These issues affect supply chains both in the short and long terms. For instance, digital innovation and the growth of e-commerce have played significant roles in enabling supply chains to overcome previously existing complications in the face of the pandemic.

Every type of food supply chain has increased e-commerce use. E-commerce decreases contact between workers and consumers and allows for easier food access around the globe. Apps developed by governments and businesses in places like India and China have allowed consumers direct access to food providers. Overall, these changes simplify the transportation process for food producers in countries around the world.

Innovations in Food Supply Chains

Large-scale supply chains and companies have also supported small and medium domestic supply chains with kick-starter financial support for COVID-19. Aid has also been provided to families and communities through voucher programs. Additionally, the World Bank has been working to stabilize prices across the various supply chains. By investing in the infrastructure and labor flexibility of domestic supply chains, governments and development partners have the power to strengthen global food security.

The threats to food supply chains have considerable policy implications, the OECD explains, underscoring the importance of open borders for importing and exporting food items. The World Bank released a joint statement calling for the free international movement of food to prevent a food insecurity emergency, calling on countries to cooperate to ensure food accessibility around the world. The statement also emphasizes the importance of making every step of food logistics accessible to prevent all people from going hungry, especially during pandemic lockdowns and restrictions.

– Emily Rahhal
Photo: Flickr

Healthcare in Iran

Healthcare in IranIran, officially recognized as the Islamic Republic of Iran, has a population of more than 84 million. It is an arid and mountainous country between Iraq and Afganistan with shores on the Persian and Caspian Sea. Iran is the 17th largest country in the world. Healthcare in Iran has improved since the implementation of the Primary Health Care system, but there is still a divide between rural and urban access.

In 1974, Iran began fueling more resources into the expansion and development of its healthcare system. The government hoped that implementing Primary Health Care (PHC) would improve citizens’ access to healthcare in Iran. By 1979, PHC networks slowly began integrating into healthcare in Iran. It wasn’t fully developed and functioning until 1985.

Rural and Urban Divide

Since the Iranian government created a PHC, it has continued to expand healthcare. Currently, Iran has public and private systems; however, public healthcare has taken on the main role in healthcare services. Unfortunately, there continue to be disparities between rural and urban access. Rural citizens obtain healthcare services at health houses that are scattered across Iran’s countryside. These places generally have two working medical professionals with basic equipment to meet standards needs for nearby residents.

There is approximately one health house to care for the needs of 1,200 rural citizens. These centers offer general healthcare needs, such as vaccinations, maternal and child health and health education. As of 2018, around 90% of those in rural areas had access to basic health services. Although these health houses didn’t provide the same care as urban hospitals it did increase the access to health services for those living in rural areas. Those in rural communities did not have to venture into urban cities for their basic healthcare needs or checkups.

At least 75% of the population lives in urban areas and cities. Here, they have access to Iran’s private and public hospitals. There are 773 hospitals in urban areas in Iran. This is where advanced medial professionals reside and specialized treatment is available for the citizens. However, even in urban areas hospital infrastructure is lacking.

Reconstructing Healthcare in Iran

In May 2014, healthcare in Iran entered a major reconstruction period as the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) began implementing its new Heath Transformation Plan (HTP). The new plan involved nine packages to reform the current healthcare system, including improved access and quality of healthcare and increasing the number of specialized doctors. These improvements have since provided healthcare to almost 10 million Iranians in “marginalized areas” throughout Iran. The program also rehabilitated 13,000 existing health centers and built 3,000.

While there continue to be disparities in healthcare access between rural and urban areas. Iran has continued to increase its expenditures for healthcare services and create programs like the Heath Transformation Plan. This has helped healthcare in Iran to continue on the path of growth and development while allowing Iranians to have more confidence in their countries healthcare system.

– George Hashemi
Photo: Flickr

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3 Nonprofits in Lebanon Assisting After The Explosions

Nonprofits in Lebanon
On August 4, 2020, life in the Lebanese city of Beirut — a city with a larger population than Houston — changed forever. Two explosions at a port containing ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical, sent shock waves that could be felt as far as 100 miles away. More than 150 people have died and thousands more hospitalized, in need of recovery from various injuries. In response to this recent disaster, nonprofits in Lebanon have launched initiatives to provide critical assistance.

Implications of the Beirut Explosions

Since the explosion — many have gone and remain missing, COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed and the Prime Minister has resigned. Life for Lebanon’s 2 million residents has seen a drastic, negative shift — due to these tragic and catastrophic events.

However, the global community has rushed to Lebanon’s aid. On August 9, 2020, a United Nations-backed virtual conference with participants from Britain, Qatar, the U.S., the E.U., China and the World Bank pledged nearly $300 million in assistance to Lebanon. Here are three nonprofits in Lebanon that are providing aid to those in great need.

3 Nonprofits in Lebanon Providing Assistance

  1. Embrace Lebanon: Embrace Lebanon is an NGO that raises awareness of mental health and challenges the negative stigma surrounding mental health advocacy in Lebanon. The organization established Lebanon’s first National Emotional Support and Suicide Prevention Helpline. This helpline organizes campaigns and collects donations to help improve life for the citizens of Lebanon. Last November, after a period of social and economic instability, the helpline number around the country, at a record rate. Embrace Lebanon received an average of 150 calls per day, as opposed to the previous average of seven calls per day. After such a horrific event colored by death, displacement and loss — mental health support will remain an important service in Lebanon.
  2. Beit El Baraka: Beit El Baraka aims to uplift the citizens of Lebanon by providing low-cost housing, a free supermarket and affordable medical attention to the retired community. The explosions that rocked the city of Beirut left homes uninhabitable — displacing more than 300,000 people and making housing an extreme necessity. In response to the crisis, Beit El Baraka is distributing boxed lunches to people in need and pledges on social media to immediately begin repairing houses. Since its establishment in 2018, Beit El Baraka has refurbished 55 homes, paid 349 bills and given medical attention to 356 patients.
  3. Impact Lebanon: Impact Lebanon is a disaster relief organization with a mission to pursue helpful initiatives in the most efficient way possible. After the explosions, the group launched a fundraiser to assist victims. Impressively, the organization reached its first fundraising goal within minutes. A statement regarding the explosion detailed Impact Lebanon’s commitment to transparency and anti-corruption, as well as outlining how the money would be allocated to different NGOs’ fights to provide relief to those most in need.

Grateful for Hope

After the disastrous explosion, hope has become a scarce commodity. Although seemingly unattainable, support from around the world and aid from nonprofits in Lebanon are making hope much more accessible, one initiative at a time.

– Rebecca Blanke
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Agricultural Growth from Livestock Fattening in Mali

Livestock Fattening in Mali
Livestock has always been a crucial part of Mali’s economy. Traditional methods of cattle and other livestock fattening in Mali, though, are outdated and inefficient. In the past 20 years, the government of Mali, along with international organizations focused on development, has focused on modernizing the livestock economy of Mali with the intent of creating economic growth and prosperity for both producers and consumers.

Growth in the Livestock Industry

It is important to first define how valuable livestock is to the economy in Mali. Livestock provides over 40% of the agricultural GDP in Mali. Furthermore, 80% of all livelihoods in Mali are in the agricultural sector. Clearly, improvement in the livestock economy will supply enormous benefits to huge populations of the country.

Mali has successfully invested in the livestock economy. Between the years 2000 and 2016, the average livestock stock per 100 people in Mali was 70.9 TLU (tropical livestock units). This is over three times the median for African countries (23.44). Moreover, the gross production of livestock in Mali grew at 3.87% annually, far above the 2.2% median for African countries.

Between 2000 and 2018, the yield for cow’s milk increased by 25%. Additionally, the total output of cow’s milk increased by 185%. Similarly, goat’s milk production doubled, while sheep’s milk increased by a factor of 1.5.

The successful growth of livestock fattening in Mali stems from concerted, focused government efforts to improve the infrastructure and knowledge base of those working in the livestock industry. Additionally, international development organizations have provided both funding and know-how to help these workers.

Successful Government Programs

One program in particular has focused on improving livestock fattening in Mali. Implemented jointly by the governments of Mali and the United States, the Livestock for Growth Project (L4G) emerged with the idea of helping producers get access to microfinance loans that would allow them to modernize their livestock fattening programs.

L4G also trains local farmers in business acumen that will help their businesses thrive. By teaching producer groups things like banding together and buying supplies in bulk, introducing modern fattening methods such as creating multi-nutritional licking blocks, and explaining how to use fodder crops as future animal forage, L4G has slingshotted thousands of local livestock farmers into the modern age of agriculture.

Plenty of other agencies and programs also exist that serve livestock producers. The Ministry for Livestock and Fisheries helps traditional livestock industries through improved infrastructure and ensuring a healthy market for delivering goods to the public.

The Institute of Rural Economy is Mali’s main research institute that helps find new ways for farmers to maximize their earnings. The agricultural sector has six research centers across the country, which helps to make sure each region is given personalized, individualized attention for their specific problems.

Individual Success Stories

These nationwide, infrastructural programs are incredibly valuable, but of course, the real benefit comes in the form of individuals increasing their welfare through modernizing livestock fattening programs.

Adama Togola has sold cattle since 1985. In the past, he had no organized plan or schedule. He fed his cows in a sort of haphazard, random fashion. Then, the Agricultural Competitiveness and Diversification Project, a World Bank initiative, taught him modernized methods of cow fattening. His newly gained knowledge contributed to his business growing immensely. After the training, the price he could sell his cows for doubled from 300,000 CAF to 600,000 CAF.

Similarly, Yissa Djiguiba fattened her sheep and goats in an outdated, traditional fashion for many years. She was a beneficiary of the previously mentioned L4G programs. L4G taught her modern fattening methods, which allowed her to raise sheep and goats to full maturity in three or four months rather than the full 12 months it took her prior. This essentially tripled or quadrupled Yissa’s income, allowing her to send her children to school, setting up her family for future success.

Mali serves as a model for other developing countries seeking to improve their agricultural infrastructure. Important modernizations in livestock fattening techniques can drastically boost the production and welfare of farmers and consumers alike.

– Evan Kuo
Photo: Flickr

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Improving Health and Healthcare in Benin

Benin's Health Care
The Republic of Benin is located in the western region of the African continent. The sub-Saharan country possesses a tropical climate and a population of approximately 12 million people. Benin’s economy highly relies on agriculture. Its production of cotton provides 40% of Benin’s GDP and 80% of its exports. Unfortunately, Benin is an impoverished nation with about one-third of the population living beneath the international poverty line. The citizens of Benin also experience many different issues regarding the handling of healthcare in Benin.

Lack of Resources

As of now, the government spends only 3.3% of the GDP on services relating to healthcare in Benin. The average life expectancy is around 60 years old. However, the infant mortality rate stands at 63 deaths per 1,000 births, while the maternal mortality rate stands at 500 deaths per 100,000 births.

Despite Benin’s relatively large size (about 110,000 square kilometers), there are only four hospitals within the national borders. A survey conducted in 1999 reported that for every 1,000 patients who arrived at hospitals to receive treatment, only 0.1 doctors and 0.2 beds were available. As a result, one of the primary methods to improve Benin’s health care is to hire and train more doctors.

Diseases

The Joint United Nations Program for HIV/AIDS states that anywhere from 38,000 and 120,000 individuals in Benin may be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. These figures are comparatively lower than in other African countries, but the virus is still spreading among young adults. Waterborne diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera and meningitis have high risks and rates of infection. Typhoid Fever poses a highly dangerous threat in Benin, as only 23% of the population has access to adequate sanitation services. Further efforts need to emerge to improve the quality of drinking water. Until then, the citizens of Benin have to rely on boiling their water to remove bacteria.

Natural Disasters

In 2010, Benin experienced the worst series of flooding that it had seen in decades. The floods affected over 800,000 people and wiped away entire villages. Due to the lack of water clean-up and filtration, people were consuming water that overflowing latrines had contaminated. As a result, reports to hospitals determined that there were nearly 800 new cases of cholera. The disaster prompted the U.N. refugee agency to activate an emergency plan to help those the floods displaced.

Malnutrition

Despite Benin’s current progress in healthcare, child malnutrition still remains a critical marker of poverty and improper healthcare. Assumptions have also determined that over 25% of infants and children younger than 5-years-old suffer or die from malnutrition. However, the government of Benin has recently developed an innovative plan for improving child nutrition.

The new Early Years Nutrition and Child Development Project (EYNCDP) is the first step in a series of three operations that aim toward improving the delivery and quality of selected health and nutrition interventions throughout the country. This first project focuses on integrating early stimulation and learning, primary school feeding programs and policy improvement.

Nonprofit Aid

There is further hope toward improving the lives of the people in Benin. Since 1995, the nonprofit organization CARE has been working on projects to help families in Benin receive improved income and education. For example, CARE has organized programs to combat gender-based violence, provide access to better nutrition and improve Benin’s healthcare.

It also provides aid to communities plagued with frequent flooding. Additionally, CARE grants further assistance by helping local farmers in rural communities improve their income via loan associations. By aiding farmers with their loans and savings, CARE ensures that their families are able to make proper investments, and in turn, can buy better livestock, seeds and farming equipment.

Projects like CARE can go a long way to provide aid to people living in difficult conditions like those in Benin. Through its efforts to aid communities experiencing flooding, healthcare in Benin should improve.

– Aditya Daita
Photo: Pixabay

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Migration

COVID-19 on Migration
The novel coronavirus spread at dramatic rates since its discovery in Wuhan, China in late 2019. Some countries including China, Vietnam, New Zealand and Norway have successfully stopped the spread with an aggressive response; other countries, however, have been unwilling or unable to make similar progress. Worldwide confirmed cases currently top 20 million. While the virus is certainly transforming many aspects of life, the impact of COVID-19 on migration has become especially significant.

How COVID-19 Affects Refugees

About 80 million people have experienced forcible displacement from their home countries throughout the world. Additionally, 72 million of those asylum seekers are currently living in developing countries that lack the resources to aggressively fight a pandemic like COVID-19.

The International Rescue Committee estimates that up to 1 billion cases of COVID-19 could hit fragile countries housing the world’s refugees, such as Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. Yemen has struggled with a major humanitarian crisis since its civil war escalated in 2015. Today an estimated 24 million people within the country are in need of assistance, with half of those individuals being children.

In most refugee camps, social distancing is impossible. One can find a prominent example of this difficulty in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This camp crams more than 850,000 Rohingya refugees into a very small, dense area. These refugees have severely limited access to health care. The lack of clean water for handwashing could prove disastrous when attempting to combat COVID-19. In addition, malnutrition and poor sanitation make refugee camps like Cox’s Bazar a potential hotbed for viral transmission. Medical depots at the camp only have 300 beds available and will be overrun if an outbreak emerges. These makeshift hospitals lack the lifesaving respirators needed for those in critical condition. In addition, medical workers must deal with COVID-19 on top of other preexisting health crises. Diseases like cholera, malaria and tuberculosis remain a constant issue.

The impact of COVID-19 on migration is evident in the record low numbers of refugee resettlement. For the time being, the United Nations has suspended relocation. People living in these unsuitable conditions are in dire need of help. Rather than taking in these refugees, most countries have chosen to lock down their borders without exception.

The Fate of Migrant Workers

Many industries in developed and undeveloped countries alike rely on a steady stream of foreign laborers. In the age of COVID-19, there is a premium on skilled workers in key industries like healthcare. As such, some countries have expedited the migration process for doctors, nurses and scientists.

Other job types have not experienced such demand. In countries like the United Arab Emirates, migrant workers are unemployed or have unpaid wages as a result of the pandemic. These men and women have no income to send back to their families and home villages, and many face a difficult decision: return home to their families where work is even rarer or scramble to find another job under their visa before being deported.

An Opportunity for Change

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on migration remains unclear. Asylum seekers in refugee camps will likely be the last on the priority list when vaccines become available, thus delaying their relocation even further. Until refugees obtain similar health protections to citizens, coronavirus will never fully resolve.

As lockdowns gradually end, the countries hit hardest by COVID-19 will face the immense task of rebuilding their economies. As part of this process, there will likely be a focus on hiring citizens over migrant workers. Governments may choose to distribute funds to domestic industries and put foreign aid on the back burner.

There is, however, a chance to reimagine human mobility. Portugal, Ireland and Qatar moved to ensure everyone has access to health care, regardless of their citizenship status. Several European Union countries have emptied their immigration detention centers to avoid outbreaks. Italy’s new amnesty law has granted 200,000 work permits to migrant workers.

Migrant workers are a major contributor to the global GDP, performing jobs across skill levels. Foreign labor is vital to successful economies, and a more fluid entry system would help expedite the road back. It is finally in the self-interest of governments worldwide to provide an easier path for these workers and mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on migration.

– Matthew Beach
Photo: Pixabay

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Job Guarantees and Fighting Poverty

job guarantees
As global unemployment and food insecurity (as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) rise — there is a great need for innovative macroeconomic solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of these crises on the world’s poor. The idea of a federal job guarantees has become more popular lately. This perhaps is a response to the mass international unemployment and recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Job guarantee programs, which have been implemented across the world, involve mass public employment for all people who are seeking a job. These programs are helping to lift millions out of poverty while also offering non-monetary health benefits. Creative ideas like job guarantee programs are imperative to consider when seeking solutions for the devastating harm that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused to the world’s poor.

The Benefits of Employment

Employment offers the obvious benefit of the income and the corresponding ability to provide for oneself and one’s family, monetarily. Mass public employment can reduce the need for many social welfare programs and replace them with salaries earned from substantive, productive and helpful work. In certain scenarios, job guarantees can provide healthcare, childcare and other benefits to the world’s poor.

Job guarantees can also provide individuals with non-monetary benefits that only employment can offer. Employment and higher income have been consistently correlated with better physical and mental health. Yet another reason why this type of program can be incredibly beneficial. Employment has also been linked to lower mortality rates and a reduced risk of depression and other mental illnesses. Furthermore, working individuals feel a higher sense of self-esteem and even recover more quickly from sickness, when employed.

Where It Has Worked

Countries across the world, most famously India and Argentina, have implemented employment guarantee programs. In Argentina, the government started the “Plan Jefes y Jefas” program in response to the country’s 2001 financial collapse. This program sought to improve public infrastructure such as sanitation, roads and schools by guaranteeing employment to any heads of households for a maximum of 20 hours per week.

The program specifically targeted female heads of households, as women are often left out of the labor force in Argentina and are quick to be labeled “unemployable.” In fact, 71% of the beneficiaries of the program were women. At the time, Argentina was classified as a developing economy — proving that job guarantees can thrive outside of the developed world.

In 2005, the Indian government passed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — which provided guaranteed jobs to India’s poorest rural population. The program has been an unprecedented success in raising wages for rural workers, helping women enter the workforce, increasing access to healthy foods and education and decreasing the number of people who unwillingly leave their home villages to seek employment in cities.

The program reached more than 54 million households, underscoring its ease of access. The success of the Indian job guarantee program demonstrates how transformative these types of programs are in fighting extreme poverty.

The Power of a Job Guarantee

Along with the individual relief that job guarantees provide, they also offer significant macroeconomic benefits. Job guarantees empower workers and increase their bargaining power against global conglomerates. Also, job guarantees can increase consumer spending and therefore boost tax income for developing governments. In that same vein, it is these very types of governments that would benefit greatly from the increased revenue. These programs can help steady the economy during recessions while also maintaining inflation through stabilizing purchasing power.

Job guarantee programs have serious potential to effectively fight poverty while also providing benefits to the governments that administer them. These programs have the potential to provide income, power, health benefits and other opportunities to the world’s poor. Moreover, as proven tools in the fight against global poverty, their use may be paramount.

– Garrett O’Brien
Photo: Flickr

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6 Facts About Homelessness in Qatar

Homelessness in QatarThough Qatar may be known for its gleaming skyline and booming business hub, there is notable income inequality that leads to downstream consequences, such as an explosion of homelessness within the nation. While perhaps the country evokes images of riches and wealth, the reality is not so for all those living and working within the country. Here are six facts about homelessness in Qatar that warrant everyone’s attention.

6 Facts About Homelessness in Qatar

  1. As a result of the economic boom during the last 40 years in this small nation in the Middle East, Qatar has gone on a massive building spree. To maintain this rapid pace of building, the country has relied primarily on migrant immigrants to help construct the city. These migrant workers have been subjected to repulsive conditions. Worse yet, the Qatari government could historically do more when it comes to basic human needs for these vulnerable, migrant workers.
  2. Many migrant workers, unable to afford accommodation, sleep at the construction sites in which they work. The companies that sponsor these migrant workers for construction projects in the city do not provide sufficient wages. Furthermore, these same employers do not provide any type of housing to support thousands of workers. Therefore, many migrant workers end up sleeping outside.
  3. An Amnesty International report on the construction of the future FIFA World Cup site in Qatar looked into the mistreatment of these migrant workers. Most notably, the report focused on migrant workers’ unfair treatment concerning housing securement. The report identified multiple individuals who were priced out of their affordable rental housing, due to their company delaying salary payments.
  4. Those who are homeless in Qatar face consequences from all angles of society. The government often views these workers as expendable — thrown into subjugated parts of society and subject to threats from criminals and police alike. These actors take advantage of the migrant workers already poor situation. Without proper living conditions, living on the streets can be quite difficult, especially if one lacks the required documentation and visas.
  5. The government of Qatar has been investing in improving labor conditions for workers. In addition, the government is addressing homelessness in Qatar, more broadly. Encampments like “Labour City,” funded by the State of Qatar’s private engineering office, is an area designed to house over 100,000 migrant workers. The new residences are significant improvements from previous accommodations. Some features of these new residences including access to the internet, green spaces and larger living areas — a far cry from a life on the streets.
  6. Private firms have also been investing in migrant laborers’ living conditions. Barwa Al Baraha, a subsidiary of a private property management business in Qatar, has built residences that can house up to 53,000 people in significantly improved living conditions.

Protecting Vulnerable Populations

While the nation of Qatar has experienced economic success in recent decades, there is no guarantee that the fruits of this success will be distributed equitably. In contrast, some marginalized and vulnerable populations (e.g., migrant workers) within Qatari society are at a higher risk of exploitation, simply due to their life circumstances. Through a concerted effort from both public and private initiatives, labor and living conditions for migrant workers are improving in Qatar and these efforts must continue.

– Zak Schneider
Photo: Wikimedia