Archive for category: Health

Information and stories on health topics.

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The Health Crisis in Ukraine

Health Crisis in UkraineMonths of war leaves a health crisis in Ukraine and its healthcare system strained to provide proper healthcare to the citizens. As many healthcare facilities are destroyed and many more are overwhelmed with the number of patients, healthcare workers work long hours treating patients with short-term to long-term illnesses like HIV, tuberculosis and polio.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “this war has gone on for 100 days too many,” as the war in Ukraine is “shattering lives and communities and imperiling the short- and long-term health of Ukraine’s people”.

HIV

The HIV virus affects the immune system and leads to AIDS if untreated. Even before the war started, Ukraine suffered an epidemic of HIV, with an estimated 250,000 people diagnosed and many more not realizing they have the virus. HIV is more common among people who struggle with drug addiction and sex workers, in other words, people living on the marginalized side of society.

USAID provides support and services to treat people with HIV. However, with the ongoing war and the health crisis in Ukraine, it is hard for patients to get tested for HIV or receive the proper treatment.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease in the lungs with about 33% of cases connected with drug use. Meanwhile, only 76% of patients receive successful treatment for the disease, with the remaining 24% not completing or receiving their treatment too late. Additionally, some TB victims are asymptomatic, causing the disease to spread rapidly.

Because of the war and the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of detecting TB dropped. TB is one of the leading causes of death of HIV patients, and because of the health crisis in Ukraine, TB can spread easily and cause more deaths.

Polio

Similar to HIV, Ukraine experienced an outbreak of polio before the Russian invasion. Polio is a virus that affects the spinal cord that can lead to paralysis or even death. Children under the age of five are especially vulnerable to the virus.

Vaccination is possible, but the Russian invasion interrupted a campaign to vaccinate children against the virus. Even so, vaccination rates for polio are under 50% in Ukraine. Areas similar to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, have struggled to combat polio due to a lack of vaccination.

World Health Organization Increases Its Presence

Before the war started, Ukraine was on a path of progress with health care. In 2014, the Ministry of Health implemented the National Strategy on Health to help improve the quality of health. However, the ongoing war halted progress as hospitals and health care services were destroyed.

Because of the health crisis in Ukraine, WHO increased its presence in Ukraine and in countries with refugees. Since the start of the war, Ukraine confirmed over 260 attacks on their healthcare system as of June 2.

“WHO is doing everything we can to support Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and deliver essential medical supplies and equipment,” Ghebreyesus said. “But the one medicine that Ukraine needs most is the one that WHO can’t deliver – peace. We call on the Russian Federation to end the war.”

To meet the needs of the health crisis in Ukraine, WHO appealed to the U.S. for $147.5 million. WHO wants to use $80 million to provide support to the people still in Ukraine and an additional $67.5 million to support countries with refugees.

A Look Ahead

Even though Ukraine is experiencing a health crisis as a result of the Russian invasion, international organizations similar to the WHO provide medical support while also advocating for monetary support to the U.S. government.

– Chris Karenbauer
Photo: Flickr

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Fanning the Flames: Extreme Heat and Child Malnutrition in West Africa

Extreme Heat and Child MalnutritionResearchers from Cornell University found a link between extreme heat and child malnutrition in western Africa. The study revealed that there was an increased prevalence of chronic and acute malnutrition in young children due to extreme heat exposure.

About the Study

The study focused on West Africa because it is a particularly warm section of the sub-Saharan region that experiences an average maximum temperature of 32 degrees Celsius — the heat threshold after which there are effects on mortality. It looked at data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in the West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo between 1993 and 2014.

The DHS Program conducts household surveys to collect data from developing countries about health, nutrition and demographics. Researchers studied the nutrition of children aged 3-36 months who had been exposed to temperatures at multiple ranges, the highest of which is above 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the study, extreme heat affects child growth and nutrition in three main ways:

  • Agriculture: Inadequate rainfall brought on by extreme heat can negatively impact agricultural production. The study primarily looked into the agricultural effects of extreme heat on chronic and acute malnutrition.
  • Disease: Extreme heat increases exposure to infectious diseases that may affect early development, as pathogens and vectors survive at warmer temperatures.
  • Direct Impact: Infants and young children are sensitive to sudden heat waves or increased temperatures, as they are unable to regulate their heat stress.

The study found that the prevalence of stunted growth from chronic malnutrition increased by 12% and low weight from acute malnutrition increased by 29% as a result of average heat exposure.

Beyond health impacts and higher mortality rates, chronic undernutrition can also lead to worse learning outcomes and lower incomes later on in life, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty and malnutrition.

Future Implications

Research published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science showed that extreme weather patterns are linked to increased conflicts, the spread of diseases and migration globally. While the study analyzed child nutrition and temperatures between 1993 and 2014, its findings have larger implications for the future.

Rising temperatures are affecting the African continent disproportionately. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2021 was the sixth warmest year globally, but the third warmest year for Africa. In particular, West African countries faced their highest annual temperatures on record, including the countries reviewed in the study. The region is also likely to be more prone to heat waves in the future, which can set off droughts and other extreme climate events. In addition, Africa already has a high rate of stunting at 30.7% compared to the global average of 22% as of 2020, according to the Global Nutrition Project.

The effects of extreme weather patterns on food insecurity can already be seen in the long-term drought in the Horn of Africa, where millions are food insecure and are facing malnutrition. Western Africa is also experiencing a food crisis exacerbated by multiple factors, including extreme weather events, conflict, Russia-Ukraine war-driven inflation and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This issue will not stay localized to Africa — many other regions are seeing the impacts of extreme heat. Europe experienced extreme heat waves in June and July 2022, with countries such as France breaking temperature records. Along with these heat waves come wildfires, heat-related deaths and rising food prices from decreased agricultural production, leaving many families food insecure.

Successes

The study found that in the period of analysis, interventions such as improved infrastructure and child care decreased rates of stunting by 5.8%. Programs instituted by organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, the World Food Programme, Actions Against Hunger and more have made a tangible impact on providing food assistance and reducing child malnutrition in the past few decades.

Countries across Africa, including Senegal, Rwanda, Cameroon and Angola, set up councils or committees in their governments to address food insecurity and malnutrition. They started initiatives encouraging breastfeeding, fortifying foods, hosting school feeding programs and using technology to spread awareness about the importance of nutrition. Malabo Montpellier Panel, an international group of agriculture and food security experts, noted that these countries saw a significant drop in stunting and undernourishment rates between 2000 and 2016.

As the current food crisis persists, President Joe Biden’s administration announced $215 million in emergency food assistance to several African nations as of May 2022. This is an important step in addressing what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called “the greatest global food security crisis of our time.”

– Ramona Mukherji
Photo: Flickr

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Is Thorium-Based Nuclear Energy a Viable Solution?

Thorium-Based Nuclear EnergyThe 2021-2022 global energy crisis is the most recent in a series of energy shortages in the last 50 years. However, because of the rise in gas prices along with the strain on the world oil supply caused by the Russia-Ukraine War, impoverished countries reliant on oil and gas as their primary sources of energy are affected by this crisis much more. Now more than ever, the importance of alternative energy sources, such as thorium-based nuclear energy, is evident as countries reliant on the now strangled supply of oil and gas face struggles.

What is Causing Increased Energy Prices?

The primary source of energy in the world is usually a type of fossil fuel such as oil, natural gas and coal.

However, as a result of the current global energy crisis, every form of fossil fuel has rocketed in price. Due to the sudden hike in prices, some countries could find it difficult to afford their required quantities of fossil fuels. As such, countries could be unable to obtain enough energy-producing resources.

What is Thorium?

Thorium is a naturally occurring, slightly radioactive element that can be used to derive nuclear energy. It is also far less radioactive than uranium.

Thorium does not contain fissile material and therefore it is far safer than uranium. It can be immediately switched off in the case of a disaster, preventing a meltdown, while the latter will continue to produce energy during a disaster, causing a meltdown to occur.

Along with being safer, thorium is cheaper and more plentiful compared to uranium as well. This is partly because the concentration of uranium within the earth’s crust is far less abundant than thorium, making uranium much rarer. This could make thorium-based nuclear energy a much more affordable option.

How Thorium Can Help Energy Shortages?

While the initial cost of mining thorium and constructing power plants would be costly, it is an investment that could pay off in the long run. Thorium is extremely efficient when compared to the most commonly used sources of energy in the developing world. For instance, a ton of thorium is equivalent to around 3.5 million tons of coal.

Even when compared to other nuclear resources, thorium still holds out as superior to uranium, to which thorium is around 200 times as efficient.

Throughout history, energy sustainability has been one of the forefront issues when dealing with fossil fuels. This is especially true in developing nations, as many rely on coal as their main source of energy.

However, due to recent developments in nuclear technology, thorium-based nuclear energy puts humanity a step forward in achieving energy sustainability. The use of thorium could possibly eliminate one of the biggest problems faced by those in poverty, being a reliable source of energy that does not cause frequent power outages while being able to readily supply heat.

Hope for the Future

Energy crises are complex and even life-threatening disasters. In developed countries like the U.S., reserved power and backup sources of deriving energy encourage recovery. However, even with these resources, truly getting out of an energy crisis could take years; if unsuccessful, many could lose their jobs/livelihoods along with losing their comfortable standards of living.

In developing countries, years easily turn into lifetime struggles with a crisis that could prevent much of their population from advancing out of poverty. Fortunately, many countries in the developing world are realizing the potential of nuclear power and are funding programs to provide its energy to their citizens.

For example, in 2021, Nigeria established the Russian-Nigerian Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) which plans to build the largest nuclear power plant in Africa by the end of the decade.

In 2018, Bangladesh’s signed into law the funding for a second VVER-1200 nuclear power plant, one of the most efficient in the world.

While thorium-based nuclear energy may not be the perfect solution to the energy problem, it certainly could be a good start in helping those in poverty live a life without energy instability.

– Humzah Ahmad
Photo: Flickr

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International Organizations Fund School Feeding in West Africa

School Feeding in West AfricaThe COVID-19 pandemic forced schools across West Africa to shutter their doors. These widespread school closures had a deleterious effect on the education and well-being of western Africa’s most vulnerable children. Youth were not only deprived of an education but also a chance to receive a meal through their country’s school feeding program. As schools gradually reopened as COVID-19 rates subsided, school feeding in West Africa provided an avenue for children to receive nutritious food, a commodity that some children only attain through their educational institution.

What is School Feeding?

School feeding refers to a meal provided at a child’s school at no cost to the child’s family. According to the World Bank, it is “most frequently designed as a social protection measure for poor and vulnerable communities with the key outcome being an improvement in education through increased enrolment, reduced absenteeism and enhanced gender equality.”

With a full stomach, school feeding often leads to children’s increased ability to concentrate and learn. Additionally, per the World Food Programme (WFP), “every $1 invested in school meals has a $9 return on investment.” Finally, school feeding provides incentives for families to send girls to school instead of keeping them at home or marrying them off early.

Thus, initiatives to support school feeding in West Africa are crucial because of their remedial effects on the harmful repercussions of school closures. Fortunately, international organizations are partnering with government authorities to provide increased funding and efficacious implementation for school feeding in West Africa. Specifically, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Liberia have benefited from foreign assistance.

Home-Grown School Feeding in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is an impoverished West African nation bordered by Guinea and Liberia. According to the WFP, in 2022, more than 65% of residents living on less than $1.25 per day.

As food prices skyrocket across the nation, school feeding programs remain essential for children and their families. In 2021, the government of Sierra Leone launched an initiative to transition the nation to a home-grown model, according to the WFP. This novel type of school feeding allows local agricultural workers to directly supply schools with fresh produce.

Of note, the WFP is assisting the government by launching a pilot program in the town of Tawuya. The pilot initiative has been a blessing to local female farmers. Adama, a Tawuya resident and mother of seven, told a representative of the organization that the “WFP created a means for us women to earn money regularly.” Overall, the WFP’s intervention in Tawuya has enabled many families to overcome food insecurity.

The McGovern-Dole Program in Senegal

Currently, 751,000 Sengalese citizens are food insecure and 17% of children younger than 5 are malnourished. In response to the food security crisis in Senegal, Counterpart International, an organization focused on establishing enduring relationships with at-risk communities, announced in October 2021, that the nation would be the recipient of a $25 million McGovern-Dole program award. The McGovern-Dole program is an initiative by the United States Department of Agriculture to curtail childhood hunger by providing food and financial assistance to developing nations.

The new initiative seeks to bolster school attendance, literacy and community health through school feeding and enhance the Senegalese government’s ability to implement the program. In a 2021 article in Counterpart International, Brian Dotson, Director of Food Security at Counterpart International, commented “…this project will provide a vital safety net for food-insecure families living in poverty in Senegal…”

Save the Children’s $25 Million Project in Liberia

According to the 2021 Global Hunger Index, Liberia ranks 110th out of 116 countries. In an effort to ameliorate hunger in Liberia, Save the Children launched a $25 million school feeding program on June 2, 2022

The funds from Save the Children will help the Liberian government implement its “Liberia Empowerment Through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN) Project.” Although this is a program implemented by both the government and NGOs, the majority of its funds are supplied through donors. Thus, Save the Children revitalized the LEARN program which has distributed more than 10 million school meals to more than 45,000 Liberian children.

Western African Governments Take the Lead

As these three programs demonstrate, school feeding in West Africa is indispensable. While international organizations have largely funded and implemented these programs, western African governments have also taken action to strengthen school feeding.

According to Brookings, 27 countries from across Africa voiced approval for a United Nations school meals coalition that aims to exceed pre-pandemic school feeding levels. Specifically, President Patrice Talon of Benin and President Macky Sall of Senegal have allocated additional funds for their nation’s respective school-feeding programs. Additionally, the African Union, a collective organization of 55 nations, endorsed home-grown school feeding and marked 2022 as the “Year of Nutrition.”

– Alexander Portner
Photo: Flickr

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Pandemic Preparedness: The World Bank’s Investment in the Africa CDC

Investment in the Africa CDCIn July 2022, the World Bank announced a new $100 million support program for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). It aims to increase African governments’ preparedness to handle future disease outbreaks. This funding is vital since there are approximately 140 disease outbreaks annually across the continent. “The project will help to cultivate regional capabilities critical to ensuring a resilient and prepared continent. It will do this by helping to build and maintain a robust public health workforce across countries’ health systems,” said the World Bank.

The Program’s Aim

An important aspect of the program and its investment in the Africa CDC is to “increase the number of epidemiologists and outbreak responders” to better deal with diseases at their initial outbreak. Along with a more immediate response, an aim of the World Bank is to reinforce Africa’s already existing public health infrastructure. The International Development Association, a branch of the World Bank focused on providing financial support for development programs in the world’s most impoverished countries, finances the project.

The Africa CDC was formerly directly associated with the African Union (AU), but recently, the AU granted the Africa CDC autonomy to increase its efficiency when dealing with health emergencies. The World Bank cites the health organization’s newfound autonomy as a great opportunity for investment in the Africa CDC to help its growth and further increase its future efficiency when handling health emergencies across the continent.

Other Recent Investments

This recent investment in the Africa CDC comes on the heels of a $100 million investment project in October 2020, also initiated by the World Bank, titled the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI). However, this investment includes contributions from the U.S. CDC in addition to private entities such as Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Microsoft. The focus of this project is on pathogen genomics, namely to expand access to “next-generation genomic sequencing tools and expertise designed to strengthen public health surveillance and laboratory networks across Africa.” The Africa CDC asserts that this program will help “to develop new vaccines, diagnostics and treatments for current and emerging infectious diseases.”

Africa PGI will form part of the Institute of Pathogen Genomics that the Africa CDC established in 2019. The Africa PGI partnership will last for four years. These investments show an increased emphasis on public health in Africa from the states and organizations located outside of the continent.

Future Outlook

The goal of these investments in the Africa CDC is to increase preventative capability. The Africa CDC is looking to advance its ability to “nip diseases in the bud” before they become full-fledged outbreaks.

If the Africa CDC can be better prepared to detect and handle potential outbreaks before they occur, then it can save lives, time and funds. Africa’s past Ebola outbreaks present an illustration of inadequate disease control measures.

The Africa CDC cites these initiatives, namely the most recent $100 million from the World Bank, as holding the potential to increase efficient collaboration between institutions across the continent when it comes to outbreak preparedness.

Those that are likely to benefit most from these investments are those living in extreme poverty. Recent assessments of African states’ preparedness capacities have found that those most at risk of becoming affected by potential health emergencies are those living in the poorest conditions and those who are most marginalized. In sub-Saharan Africa, about 40% of the population lived in extreme poverty in 2018, equating to about two-thirds of the world’s extremely impoverished population.

The World Bank cites the emphasis on public health in the AU’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, as a pivotal reason behind its recent investment initiatives. As Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, the acting director of the Africa CDC, eloquently stated, “Africa is changing the dynamic in its journey of realizing a New Public Health Order.”

– Devin Welsh
Photo: Flickr

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The State of Renewable Energy in France

Renewable Energy in FranceIn 2015, nearly 200 countries signed off on the Paris Agreement to combat changing weather patterns. Since then, the agreement’s host nation, France, has made considerable, yet, insufficient progress towards its goals. The issue of climate has become a common topic of discussion in recent years. Changing weather can have various effects on the planet such as natural disasters. In an effort to confront the matter, the Treaty of Paris originated to get countries around the globe to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Interestingly, France, the country in which the treaty emerged, has fallen behind in trying to reach this goal. Here is some information about the state of renewable energy in France as well as the types of energy France uses in addition to it.

Sources of Power in France

In order for most nations to reduce their carbon emissions, they had to first reduce their use of fossil fuels. A large majority of greenhouse gasses come from the burning of these resources. France, on the other hand, does not really have this issue.

While renewable energy in France did not make up a large portion of power production, the country had another option to look to. For decades, France has primarily relied on nuclear energy for its power. In fact, in the year 2000, more than 70% of the country’s power came from nuclear energy, which emits much fewer greenhouse gasses than burning fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, nuclear energy comes with its own dangers. While nuclear power reduces the quantity of greenhouse gasses that release into the atmosphere, it produces nuclear waste that can prove to be harmful to the environment. Additionally, more nuclear energy means a higher risk of a nuclear meltdown which can have even more detrimental environmental effects. Overall, many countries, including France, have decided that renewable energy is the best option.

New Environmental Policies

France has implemented various laws and policies to help the country reach its Paris Agreement objectives. For example, the country’s environmental program, EN MARCHE, intends to close multiple coal based power plants, provide more funding for renewable energy and create a new recycling model. Also, the Environmental Transition Law (ETL) allows more renewable energy project funding to local authorities and single-use permits for wind energy, biogas and hydropower, and creates more than 35 million smart meters.

On top of this, France also has various future projects planned. In 2020, the French Energy Ministry created 1.7 gigawatts of renewable energy projects. Total, an energy company, will have its largest solar power plant located in Valenciennes. Overall, France expects 40% of all of the nation’s power to come from renewable energy by the year 2030.

Renewable Energy in France

According to the general delegate of the Renewable Energy Trade Administration, Alexandre Roesch, renewable resources generate 25% of France’s power. Hydropower supplies most of this energy. Out of all the nations in the European Union, France produces the most hydropower.

 Behind that is wind power, although that may not be the case for much longer. Wind power has progressed rapidly in France and the country has planned various projects for the future as well. Wind power could overtake hydropower by 2030 and could be key for France in meeting its renewable energy objectives.

 Like wind energy, solar power generation has also increased in France. While many do not expect it to surpass hydropower anytime soon, it could still significantly contribute to reducing carbon emissions.

Falling Behind

While France has increased its renewable energy production and has various renewable energy projects in the works, the country is still at risk of not reaching its Paris Agreement goals. Much of this is due to internal debates that are slowing the process of constructing renewable power stations.

For example, creating new wind farms could greatly boost renewable power production in France, but there are other factors that French citizens are concerned with. Wind farms drastically increase noise pollution and many believe that their construction could eradicate biodiversity.

While the citizens continue to debate over these and various other issues, France is unable to complete its projects because of these internal disagreements. France could end up falling behind its fellow European nations in its own treaty if it cannot develop its renewable energy at a faster rate.

Renewable Energy’s Impact on Poverty

Energy poverty is an issue that impacts many countries in Europe, including France. In 2019, 12% of France’s population did not have adequate access to energy. Much of this is due to high energy prices and low incomes. This has resulted in many French citizens being unable to warm their homes during cold winters or cool their homes during increasingly hot summers.

The implementation of additional renewable energy in France could mitigate this issue in a couple of ways. Firstly, the cost of renewable energy has dropped significantly over time and is actually more affordable than nonrenewable energy now. This will make it easier for poorer citizens to have access to the power they need. Also, many of the households experiencing energy poverty are located along France’s coastal regions, which also happens to be where many wind power stations will undergo construction. The price and proximity of renewable energy could be helpful in lifting France out of energy poverty.

In addition to lowering energy poverty, more renewable energy could lower unemployment as well. Currently, France sits at an unemployment rate of 7.3%. France’s various renewable energies account for about 60,000 full-time jobs. If France’s future renewable projects come to fruition, it could create thousands of new jobs and lower the unemployment rate drastically.

Overall, renewable energy in France has become more prominent in recent years albeit, not at the rate they hoped for. Unfortunately, if the country wants to reach its ultimate goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, they have to pick up the pace exponentially. There is time and potential for France to become an even more renewable nation as long as the government and its citizens can reach an agreement that will yield positive results in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

– Tyshon Johnson
Photo: Flickr

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Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Slovakia

Impact of COVID-19 on poverty in SlovakiaWhile the COVID-19 pandemic severely exacerbated poverty in Slovakia, further investigation reveals that the damage was not as terrible as it could have been, due to generous monetary assistance and the valuable, effective work of several NGOs. This work has mitigated the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Slovakia, specifically in the Roma community.

About the Slovak Economy

The Slovak economy was already struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic. In Slovakia’s post-communist era, in which it transitioned to a Western economy, it faced several challenges. Additionally, Slovakia’s adoption of the euro, which unfortunately coincided with the timing of the recession and the euro crisis, further weakened its economy and thus worsened the issue of poverty in the state.

However, funding and monetary assistance from the EU have proven beneficial in providing support to small businesses that the crisis affected. This funding also focused on preserving employment and supporting self-employed individuals. Overall, economic activity in Slovakia is beginning to rebound and recover from the pandemic. This is, in part, due to lockdowns that helped prevent the virus’ spread. Slovakia’s economy, in comparison to other European countries, contracted less severely.

Slovakia’s GDP and Inflation

However, this should not allow for the overlooking of the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Slovakia, as well as Slovakia’s general economy. Slovakia’s GDP has grown since 2019, but not as quickly as in the quarters recorded before the pandemic. Economists expect inflation to be around 7% in 2022 due to the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, changes in energy prices or wage expectations, and other COVID-related externalities that cause dramatic price increases.

Slovakia’s most important economic sectors are the industrial and automotive industries, meaning that relief aid primarily focused on supporting these two sectors. However, this also means that other sectors, such as the tourism and service industries, did not receive as much relief – and these sectors rely on the work of people in high-risk groups, such as youth workers and members of the Roma community. Slovakia’s poverty rate is approximately 11.4%. It has decreased in recent years, but not as much as it could have if it were not for the pandemic. This is partly because relief aid did not target the most vulnerable economic sectors in which high-risk groups, such as the Roma community, work.

Lockdown Measures and the Slovak Roma Community

While lockdown measures may have benefited Slovakia’s economy, they were controversial in that they targeted vulnerable Roma populations. These lockdown measures sparked accusations of discrimination; the government “sealed” off the minority Roma population in order to stop COVID-19 from spreading even more. Roma people are more susceptible to diseases like COVID-19 because they live in segregated settlements with poverty, overcrowding, limited infrastructure and poor hygiene. Because of this environment, they have a greater susceptibility to infectious diseases.

As the pandemic began to grow in severity, the Slovak government announced its plans to test Roma communities after one Roma man broke a self-quarantine rule. As a result, the government contained 6,000 Roma people in five separate settlements in eastern Slovakia, where they identified the first infections. The government justified this harsh, extreme lockdown by citing specific issues with actually enforcing quarantine in the first place.

Non-governmental organizations and local Roma organizations feared that this would place the Roma people at even greater risk of COVID-19 exposure, infection and spread because the extreme containment measures had jurisdiction over environments and settlements conducive to the spread of infectious disease. Additionally, some argued that these policies were discriminatory because of the great risk they would cause for Roma people. The three main tenets of COVID-19 mitigation advice are wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing hands regularly; unfortunately, these are hard to implement and maintain in communities that are crowded and lack access to running water, such as those in which Roma people live.

People in Need Slovakia

Several NGOs saw an opportunity to work with government agencies and prevent higher infection rates for the Roma population (at least when compared with the rest of the Slovak population). In 1999, a group of journalists documenting the war in Kosovo founded People in Need Slovakia, an NGO that is helping the Slovak Roma community survive the pandemic. It has focused on providing emergency aid by handing out masks, disinfectants, soap and jerry cans to supplement water access. It also fundraises and provides emergency food provisions for the poorest Roma families in these settlements. The second phase of its relief plan involves organizing summer schools to compensate for issues in education access – due to school closures and the lack of wifi and laptops necessary for distance learning.

Zdrave Regiony

A second NGO, Zdrave Regiony, has been training health mediators. These mediators are local community members who lack medical qualifications but work with medical professionals as a bridge between community members and medical staff. Specifically, throughout the pandemic, it has liaised with health professionals, assisted in recognizing and tagging COVID-19 symptoms and coordinated testing and vaccination sites in Roma communities where trust in governmental authorities and mandates is low.

Overall, the assistance of these two organizations has led to positive results, as incidences of COVID-19 within the Slovak Roma community are no greater than in the rest of Slovak society. This means that the organizations, in cooperation with local community members and government officials, were able to mitigate the effects of the living conditions that characterize Slovak Roma settlements. Perhaps, this necessary step will open the door to more work and assistance that ensures Roma communities receive better care in times of crisis.

Though there have been many impacts of COVID-19 on poverty in Slovakia and, though the general Slovak economy has certainly suffered as a result of COVID-19, it is encouraging to see that organizations and communities are working together to counter the already-existing effects of poverty and spread of disease, especially for those who are at greater risk.

– Shiloh Harrill
Photo: Flickr

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Demining in Libya: How Communities are Protecting Themselves

Demining in LibyaCivilians across Libya face a unique challenge in their daily lives: avoiding landmines. Both the United States and the European Union remain committed to building a safe community for Libyan civilians by working with groups pursuing demining in Libya.

How We Got Here

Libya is a coastal city in northern Africa. The Government of Libyan National Unity (GNU) was established in March 2021 and a group led by warlord Khalifa Haftar controls the country politically. States surrounding Libya began independently supporting the two competing groups, with countries such as Egypt supporting Hafter and Turkey supporting the GNU. Another power that joined in aiding Haftar is Russia and a Russian organization called the Wagner Group.

Currently, the Wagner Group continues to occupy and influence parts of Libya, especially in the east. It continues to assist the Libyan National Army (LNA) under Haftar despite the ongoing war that Russia faces in Ukraine.

In 2020, the Wagner Group withdrew from Tripoli, the capital of the country located along the coast in western Libya. According to several sources, the organization left landmines in the area in the process of withdrawing, leaving Libyan civilians in a dangerous situation. The remaining landmines resulted in more than 300 innocent deaths or injuries in the past two years.

Through partnerships with the United States, European Union and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the present dangers mobilized communities in Libya to come together and address the issue.

Communities Unite – Free Fields Foundation (3F)

Present dangers in Libya include landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Not only are these weapons remaining from the Wagner Group in the ongoing Libyan civil war, but there are still weapons from wars dating back to World War II. Three organizations that specialize in demining in Libya receive funding from the United States and represent a significant impact in eliminating the risk of more than 60,000 explosives in the last 11 years.

The European Union similarly coordinates three demining projects with several organizations including 3F, also known as Free Fields Foundation. Rabie al-Jawashi started 3F in 2012 in Tripoli. The organization now has 60 working members and received accreditation from the Libyan Mine Action Center. Rabie’s organization primarily focuses on areas near the coast and is making a large impact on the safety of families returning home after the war. In a mere eight months in 2020, 3F destroyed over 1,050 explosives in their focus area.

Many success stories arose from the Free Fields Foundation since its establishment. One example is the case of Saud Abdel Rahman and his family located in Sirte, Libya. After seeking refuge in a neighboring city during the war, Rahman’s family returned to find their farm in ruins. After seeing phone numbers for 3F on local billboards, Rahman contacted the organization, which removed landmines from his farm. This allowed the family to continue farming. Rahman also noted that his children personally experienced mine safety education in their school, thus illustrating the real-world impact that 3F creates.

A Safer Future

Apart from demining field work, 3F also works to educate Libyan civilians on mine safety. Members of the organization inform families on the correct steps to take if families locate explosives and collaborate with regional groups to instruct children in local schools.

The United States government also strives to inform civilians on the proper contacts and risk prevention to safely eliminate explosive risks. Further, the United States promotes the GNU’s humanitarian and economic development endeavors by offering support to the Libyan government.

With landmine education and renewed funding from the United States, European Union and other critical partnerships, demining in Libya continues to embody a community effort for the safety of Libyan civilians.

– Kaylee Messick
Photo: Flickr

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The Impact of USG Funding for Ethiopia

USG Funding for EthiopiaDespite Ethiopia’s fast-growing economy, it is one of the most impoverished nations in Africa. However, the United States Government (USG) is making a significant effort to combat poverty in Ethiopia. On April 26, 2022, the U.S. announced that it would provide about $43.7 million in order for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support along with health, nutrition and food aid to Ethiopians suffering from drought. Overall, USG funding for Ethiopia will help the nation make headway with poverty reduction.

Implementation

According to USAID, drought, flooding, food insecurity, vector-borne disease and minimal access to health services are just a few of the acute shocks that Ethiopian populations routinely suffer. These issues are worsened by continued large-scale violence, conflict and displacement, leading to a complicated emergency humanitarian situation.

On top of these challenges, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have not only brought about health impacts for countries but also economic repercussions. The World Bank predicted that Ethiopia’s poverty rate would stand at 27% by 2019. Like many other countries, Ethiopia suffered economically after the pandemic as its gross domestic product growth shrank from 6.1% in 2020 to 5.6% in 2021. Real wages for Ethiopians in Addis Ababa alone declined by 14% for high skilled workers at the onset of the pandemic.

How Will it Help?

According to the World Bank, Ethiopia is the “second most populated country in Africa” as of 2020. With this comes the increasing problem of water shortages. Besides water shortages, there is a lack of access to clean and safe water, which can lead to water-borne diseases, such as cholera, as individuals resort to consuming water from unsafe and potentially contaminated sources.

In fact, according to an article by Lifewater, “7.5[%]of the global water crisis is in Ethiopia alone” as of 2019. According to USAID, by April 2022, 8 million people in the southern parts of Ethiopia faced the impacts of drought conditions as a result of a third continuous “poor rainy season” in the latter part of 2021, which sparked severe water shortages and increased demand for emergency food aid.

WASH support aims to combat this by supplying safe water and preventing disease outbreaks. Food insecurity is also an issue in Ethiopia. According to the World Food Programme, despite Ethiopia’s progression, there are 20.4 million people who are still in need of food aid. The U.S. will ensure more people in Ethiopia have access to food by “providing assistance to drought-affected populations.”

Aftermath

Ethiopia continues to show effort in slowing down poverty. In fact, according to the World Bank, the government created a 10-year plan based on the 2019 Home-Grown Economic Reform Agenda for Ethiopia. With the intention of moving to a “private-sector-driven economy” and fostering “competition in key growth-enabling sectors” while promoting efficiency and a proper “business climate,” the plan will run for approximately 10 years from 2020/21 to 2029/30.

Ethiopia’s five-year growth and transformation plans aim to achieve “middle-income status” for the nation by 2025 by “sustaining high growth and speeding up structural transformation.” In the meanwhile, the USG funding for Ethiopia is actively lessening the burden on those who suffer from poverty in Ethiopia.

– Frema Mensah
Photo: Flickr

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The Aging Crisis in China

Aging Crisis in ChinaThe aging crisis in China will become a key concern for the country, as “the population aged over 70 years in China is projected to reach [more than] 300 million in 2060.” China is the fastest aging country in the world, but sources show that it struggles to maintain the necessary infrastructure and policies to accommodate its growing elderly population. The World Health Organization reports that an aging population requires different public health and socioeconomic support than a more evenly distributed population does. At the moment, China does not have a well-developed social security net for its elderly. However, studies estimate that the GDP amount spent on services such as pensions, medical care and welfare will need to nearly quadruple by 2050 to meet the needs of China’s population.

The One Child Policy

China’s large aging population is largely attributed to its low birth rate as a result of its one-child policy. The policy, which was in effect from about 1980 to 2015, significantly reduced birth rates. A primary effect of the policy is that the population no longer mirrors a standard age distribution or “population pyramid.” Instead, there are more people who are aged 50-54 than those who are aged 35-39.

Generally, scholars view a youthful population pyramid, where there are more people under age 25, as a better indicator of a nation’s health and longevity. China’s population, however, represents an aging nation, in which a key concern is that by 2050, the working-age population will be less than 60% of the total, leading to severe economic consequences. The aging crisis in China remains a key area of concern for the government, which is forming new policies to combat the issue.

Retirement

Another issue is that many seniors, especially those who are lower income, reach the age of retirement without having enough savings built for retirement. If a person reaches retirement age without a healthy pension or adequate savings, they must either rely on others or, in the worst possible instances, succumb to conditions of poverty.

The same article cites a 2013 study done by Peking University reporting that “only 3% of respondents had a commercial pension and just 0.2% had a private pension.” An aging population can be a sign of increased access to health care and education, but because of China’s current and past enacted policies, a significant revamp of social policies is necessary to accommodate the aging population.

Urban Versus Rural Living

Moreover, limited access to education and rural living is linked to declining cognitive health. Though the World Health Organization reports that across China’s geographic regions, 75% of older people suffer from noncommunicable diseases as of May 2021, China’s poor and low-income populations struggle most with this issue as they have limited access to quality health care.

Research shows that there is significant regional and urban-rural disparity in China regarding economic, social and health issues. Poorer, rural communities have reduced access to care that would enable healthy aging. The COVID-19 pandemic in China has only exacerbated these challenges.

Moving Toward the Future

Once the Chinese government and Chinese academics began to see the long-term impacts of the one-child policy, many groups began prioritizing care for the elderly to begin to repair the aging crisis in China. A study done by Peng Nie and others found that from 2011 to 2015, statistics point to an improvement in healthy aging.

However, there are still significant geographical disparities that groups are seeking to address, such as the link between healthy aging and higher education or the link to higher socioeconomic class.

A positive sign is that China ended its one-child policy in 2015, expanding it to two children, and later, expanding it to three. This is a reassuring sign that China recognizes its aging health crisis, though implementation of policy to help Chinese citizens must be developed as well. Abandoning the one-child policy means that the age breakdown of the Chinese population may even out over the next few decades.

Additionally, the National Center for Gerontology (NCG), established in 2015 and located inside Beijing Hospital, focuses on preventative and control measures related to the aging crisis in China. This manifests in the form of research, training of medical professionals and the prioritization of health services for older people in remote areas.

The NCG published journals and established the National Plan for the Elderly Health Service System (2019–2022), which seeks to solidify a course of action for China. Among other goals, the NCG raises awareness for geriatric issues and encourages people to become involved in geriatric care.

– Lara Drinan
Photo: Flickr