Archive for category: Health

Information and stories on health topics.

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War Puts HIV-Positive Ukrainians at Risk

HIV-positive UkrainiansThe war in Ukraine disrupted its supply chain of HIV medication and necessary health services. More than 40 health facilities that provided services for HIV treatment and prevention are now closed. What is more, it may not be safe for HIV-positive Ukrainians to leave their shelters to pick up their medications, and even if it is, pharmacies are not guaranteed to have the drugs. People fleeing also do not have adequate amounts of medication. They may have a one-month or two weeks supply, but not enough to sustain them before they have access to more medication. The people in Russian-occupied territories along with those who are unable to relocate to a safe place are currently the most vulnerable.

HIV Medication Explained

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves taking a combination of HIV medications daily. Though ARTs are not a cure for HIV, they help prevent transmission and let HIV-positive people live longer healthier lives. ART reduces a person’s viral load, the amount of HIV in a blood sample, to an undetectable level. If a person’s viral load level is undetectable, meaning that a viral load test cannot detect it, then that person cannot transmit HIV to others.

Before the war, approximately 260,000 people were living with AIDS. Of this population, only 58% had access to daily antiretroviral medications. Now, with the war resulting in reduced access to ARTs, UNAIDS reported the possibility of the “resurgence of Ukraine’s AIDS pandemic.”

How PEPFAR Has Been Providing ARTs

HIV-positive Ukrainians are now depending on international support for treatment. The United States President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) invested $13 million in antiretroviral medications for Ukrainarinas in need. PEPFAR began in 2003 and is the largest commitment by any nation to address one disease. Its funding, which totals more than $100 billion, includes funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). The Global Fund also provided emergency aid for ART medication in Ukraine.

The first wave of medication from PEPFAR delivered 18 million doses of ARTs to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and 100% Life, the “largest organization of people living with HIV in Ukraine” to distribute. This portion of life-saving treatment will cover six months of treatment for HIV-positive Ukrainians, less than that of PEPFAR’s commitment to cover one year, or 51 million doses of ART medication in Ukraine. PEPFAR flew the antiretroviral medications to Poland. From there, trucks transported the medication to medical facilities in Ukraine.

UNAIDS’ Efforts

Civil society organizations are making great efforts to distribute drugs and medical supplies to vulnerable people in locations that are difficult to reach. UNAIDS put forth an initial $200,000 in emergency funds for medical supplies to be distributed in seven cities with large HIV populations: Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kryvy Rih, Kyiv, Odesa and Poltava. UNAIDS has requested an additional $2.24 million to fund civil service organizations in Ukraine that are providing HIV treatment and refugees in other countries that are experiencing HIV. Civil society organizations that receive support from UNAIDS are helping to get HIV-infected individuals ARTs in the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) helped push Viiv Healthcare, a pharmaceutical company, to provide HIV medication donations to the Czech Republic, Poland and other countries in the European Union that are hosting Ukrainian refugees.

The war in Ukraine has deepened the threat of HIV deaths for positive Ukrainians. Although foreign aid has played a pivotal role in obtaining and dispersing antiretroviral medications throughout the nation and to Ukrainians abroad, there is still a high demand for ARTs in difficult locations and to continue after the one-year investment from PEPFAR concludes. Ukraine’s Public Health Center created a website with more support for HIV-positive people. The website includes information about where individuals can continue ART therapy and provides information about how to find HIV help. It also provides contacts for Ukrainian refugees with HIV. The need to get medication to HIV-positive Ukrainians is urgent, and the threat of another AIDS pandemic is not over.

– Jordan Oh

Photo: Flickr

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Foodborne Illness in Southeast Asia Impacts Poverty

Foodborne illness in Southeast AsiaEvery year, one in 10 people across the world become infected by a foodborne illness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These are known to cause a wide range of symptoms from the milder, which may result in a long day in the bathroom, to the more severe, which can cause meningitis, sepsis and even death. Though common throughout the world, foodborne illnesses affect some regions more than others in both spread and severity, with the greatest impact on the poorest areas. The Asian Development Bank estimates that 4.7 million people in Southeast Asia fell into poverty in 2021, making safe food and other necessities harder to access. Due to these factors and others, there is a higher prevalence of foodborne illness in Southeast Asia.

The Current Standing of Foodborne Illness in Southeast Asia

High rates of both population and economic growth among Southeast Asian countries contribute to an increase in demand and production of food. But, higher agricultural output, especially meat production, the advent of foodborne illness has become more likely.

In 2015, the WHO created the first-ever global estimate of the burden of foodborne illness. Based on 2010 data, it estimated the existence of more than 150 million foodborne illnesses in Southeast Asia. These infections proved fatal for 175,000 people in the region, with children under 5 accounting for one-third of global deaths due to diarrhea. These diseases can also be disabling with side effects often including brain disorders, cancer and organ failure.

The four most prevalent causes of foodborne illness in Southeast Asia include Campylobacter species, Shigella species, Enterotoxigenic E. coli and Non-typhoidal S. enterica. Each is estimated to burden more than 15 million Southeast Asian people with bouts of sickness every year. Various forms of Salmonella and E. coli are the most life-threatening while norovirus and hepatitis A contribute to thousands of fatalities as well.

How Foodborne Illness in Southeast Asia Exacerbates Poverty

Diseases caused by foodborne illnesses result in “an annual loss of 33 million years of healthy life,” Felicia Wu, a food scientist who works with the WHO and for Michigan State University, told NPR in 2015. With thousands dying every year, the possibility of children losing one or both parents to a foodborne illness is a real threat. The loss of a parent can do harm to human capital development. For instance, a study by Kathleen Beegle and others found that maternal orphanhood leads to a loss of two centimeters of final height and one year in school.

Even when these diseases do not lead to the worst outcomes, they can still have major effects on the short-term well-being of those in poverty. For instance, while rarely fatal, those infected with the Campylobacter species, the most prevalent foodborne illness in Southeast Asia, will experience painful symptoms for a week on average. A week or more of debilitating symptoms can likely mean time off of the job. With so many people infected with these diseases in the region, this can have broader effects on the economy. In the Southeast Asian country of Indonesia, there is a projected cost of $4.7 to $16.7 million from diarrhea caused by foodborne illnesses alone.

Improving Standards through Multilateral Institutions

In 2016, an estimated 60 million people endured undernourishment in Southeast Asia, making food security high on the policy priorities of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the intergovernmental body responsible for facilitating cooperation between the nations. Trade between Southeast Asian nations has been an important tool in countering this.

But, with trade, one country’s foodborne illnesses can quickly become another’s. To address this, ASEAN set up a Food Safety Policy in 2015 for better practice and enforcement of food safety standards. Some of the actions that this policy takes include support for small and medium-sized producers to adhere to food standards, a rapid alert system for disease tracing and transparency requirements concerning all new food safety laws.

Improving Practices with the ILRI

While news laws and standards set up an improved framework, especially for producers involved in regional trade, nearly all of the agriculture in Southeast Asia is informal. While these informal producers are more accessible to most, they are also harder to regulate, creating greater potential for hazards.

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), an intergovernmental organization based in Kenya and Ethiopia, is working to improve local producers’ practices on the ground in Southeast Asia through a number of programs. In 2017, the ILRI began the SafePORK project to counteract disease from pork in Vietnam. This project has helped teach better pork safety practices and risk communication methods to small-scale producers across the country. With more confidence in the pork supply, the president of one pork cooperative told ILRI that there is more stability in its supply chains and it is making between 10-15% more on sales.

Looking Ahead

Though the incidence of foodborne illness remains high in Southeast Asia, the work of multilateral institutions and international scientific organizations have created frameworks to reduce the prevalence.

– Joey Harris
Photo: Flickr

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US Aid to Help Pay Ukraine’s Health Care Workers

Help Pay Ukraine’s Health Care WorkersOn July 12, 2022, the U.S. and World Bank announced the provision of $1.7 billion in aid to help pay Ukraine’s health care workers and supply “other essential services.”

Ukraine’s Health Care Workers

Despite the ongoing Russian offensive, many Ukrainian health care workers have opted to remain in the country, performing their duties under extreme strain and hardship. These individuals are key to Ukraine’s continued resistance, providing essential medical services for soldiers and civilians alike. Ukraine’s minister of health, Viktor Liashko, expressed that “the overwhelming burden of war” has made it more difficult to pay health care workers, emphasizing the urgency of continued financial support.

Importance of Humanitarian Assistance

The latest aid package brings the total U.S. budgetary assistance to Ukraine, via USAID, to $4 billion as of July 2022. Ukraine has used this aid to maintain essential social services, such as ensuring schools and medical facilities receive gas and electricity, providing basic humanitarian supplies and supporting civil servants. USAID Director Samantha Power expects that Ukraine’s dependence on foreign aid will continue as the Russian offensive continues targeting Ukraine’s public services.

The importance of supporting Ukraine’s hospitals cannot be overstated. Russia’s offensive strategically targets health care institutions alongside other public works. Ukraine noted 269 attacks on Ukraine’s public health institutions as of June 2, 2022. Russia’s strategy has decimated vital supply lines and infrastructure. The recent U.S. aid to help pay Ukraine’s health care workers is a step in the right direction, however, continued international support for Ukraine’s humanitarian services remains essential.

Additional International Support for Ukraine

The U.S. has sent the most aid to Ukraine since the start of the war, however, many other countries have also stepped up to support Ukraine’s humanitarian and military needs in this time of crisis. As of July 4, 2022, the U.K. had committed about $3.5 billion and the European Union had pledged nearly $1.5 billion to the cause. The IMF and World Bank have also sent multiple aid packages worth several billion U.S. dollars since the conflict began. The private sector is also a valuable source of aid for Ukraine, with major corporations such as IKEA, Adidas and Google pledging millions of dollars worth of assistance.

Fund-tracking platforms such as Devex estimate that there are a total of about $100 billion in aid commitments to Ukraine as of July 2022. Unfortunately, only about $8.5 billion will be allocated toward humanitarian aid, with the remaining funds being tied up in military packages or loans that cannot be allocated toward emergency services.

The $1.7 billion in U.S.-World Bank aid to help pay Ukraine’s health care workers and sustain essential services will bolster Ukraine’s health system and public institutions. As Russia’s offensive grows more protracted, the continuance of such humanitarian assistance is crucial.

– Mollie Lund
Photo: Flickr

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Repairing Madagascar’s Health Information System Through Singing

Madagascar’s Health Information SystemMadagascar’s exotic flora and fauna belie a broken and underdeveloped health information system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the probability of dying by the age of 5, per 1,000 live births in Madagascar is 50.24. The problem is not only a lack of access to health care but also lags in timely information, which prevents Malagasy people from taking proper precautions against infectious diseases.

Although 77% of Madagascar’s population is literate and 57% have access to mobile phones, people in the rural areas are still hampered by low literacy rates and a lack of a proper telecommunication system. Consequently, people share the majority of health-related facts orally, leading to the rampant spread of misinformation. In an effort to debunk myths and reform Madagascar’s health information system, a local NGO called Doctors for Madagascar, initiated a project that utilizes a unique tool for its success: singing.

Beginning of the Project

In 2018 and 2019, the measles epidemic in Madagascar caused more than 200,000 cases and over 1,000 deaths. During this time, health workers observed a deficiency of knowledge among rural people in southern Madagascar about measles vaccination.

To dispel the false rumors circulating, Doctors for Madagascar teamed up with local singer/songwriter Ebera to start the “Singing Sensitization” project as a medium of “getting accurate health information to isolated, rural communities in the country’s south.”

Free live music performances took place in places such as markets so that it could reach as many different demographics as possible. The song “The Measles” by Ebera became vastly popular among the rural Malagasy people for its educative lyrics and lilting tune.

The lyrics contained all information from verifiable sources such as the WHO and the Malagasy Ministry of Health. The song warned — “measles — they’re lethal” and advised them to take their children to the hospital if they showed symptoms like coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or diarrhea, instead of bringing them to “a shaman or a witch.” In addition, the song also urged villagers to get the measles vaccination as it would help protect them better against the disease.

Melodies During COVID-19

The success of “Singing Sensitization” during the measles outbreak in Madagascar encouraged the NGO to continue its project during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave in 2020, songs focused on the importance of wearing masks, washing hands regularly with soap and water as well as social distancing. The productions also placed emphasis on the origin and spread of the virus.

According to the WHO case study, these performances were conducted sporadically “at eight to nine locations each month (or bimonthly in each village) in Ampanihy until August 2021.” The infrequency was a result of compliance with social distancing rules proposed by the government.

The Song of Victory

Conveying facts through songs sung in local dialects has proven effective especially since the performances conclude with an informative Q&A session, where health workers address additional questions and concerns.

This created trust between the villagers and the health workers. The project members often held focus group sessions and informal interviews with “community leaders, health care workers, and local health authorities” to understand how much the villagers had learned and retained as well as identify what was lacking in their knowledge, WHO case study reports.

The team modeled additional performances based on these discussions, focusing on filling the “knowledge gaps” and denouncing any inaccurate information.

Additionally, these discussions helped the “Singing Sensitization” team infer that the reach of their performances was approximately 60–70%, with “a positive uptake of the initiative by the local population,” WHO case study reports.

Making it Large Scale

“Singing Sensitization” has greatly helped in improving rural Madagascar’s health information system. As of now, the biggest challenge is getting funding, recruiting more local performers and expending time and energy on translating lyrics into different local languages.

Nonetheless, the team wants to expand its project and take it to other “hard-to-reach” rural communities. One of their goals is to introduce a radio network for easier and wider transmission of information.

– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Flickr

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Cash Transfers in Government Policy

Cash Transfers in Government PolicyIn recent years, humanitarian organizations have recognized cash transfers as an effective way to pull children and families out of poverty. In the early 2000s, just a few UNICEF country offices experimented with cash transfer initiatives to reduce child poverty. After a few years, these initial projects and several cash transfer programs implemented by UNICEF in Latin America showed promising results. For this reason, cash transfers form an integral part of UNICEF’s Framework. In fact, as of 2015, more than 70 countries globally are implementing cash transfer programs. These programs show the importance of including cash transfers in government policy.

Conditional Cash Transfer Initiatives

Cash transfers prove to be a simple and efficient way to provide low-income families with access to food rather than providing the food itself. Research shows that families struggling to make ends meet will likely spend cash transfers on pure necessities. However, critics still remain concerned over the misuse of cash transfers given to poorer families.

This is why cash transfer programs often rely on pre-agreed conditions. For example, for a family to be a beneficiary of a cash transfer program, they must agree to send their children for regular health checkups and must ensure school attendance.

In a study conducted by Bastagli et al. (2016), monitoring and assessing 56 cash transfer programs across 30 countries, households noted significant positive impacts from cash transfer programs. In a vast majority of cases, cash transfers led to an increase in household food expenditure, a reduction in the poverty rate and a positive local economic impact.

The Hidden Benefits

Despite the effectiveness of cash transfers in pulling people out of poverty, governments rarely use these programs or do not at all. Why? The short answer would be politics. Voters are not likely to vote for a party that requires higher tax payments from individual citizens but is far more likely to support a “free-school lunch” project. That is because to the average citizen, free lunches to low-income children do not feel like a cost coming from their own pocket while a cash transfer does.

Further, many fail to consider that cash transfers address financial limitations to basic social services, such as education and health care, and thereby, are able to reduce multidimensional child poverty. For many, the cost of school supplies, stationery, health service costs and prescription fees is not within the realm of what is financially possible.

An evaluation of cash transfer programs finds that 13 out of 20 reporting studies note a rise in school attendance rates. Furthermore, nine out of 15 reporting studies witnessed a rise in beneficiaries’ utilization of health care services.

Argentina’s Cash Transfer Program

In 2009, the Argentinian government implemented the Universal Child Allowance (AUH) Programme, a conditional cash transfer program with the goal of breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty. The program targets individuals younger than 18 who reside in financially unstable households, including households facing unemployment or households headed by workers in the informal economy sector.

The individual that qualifies for the program will receive 80% of a specific allowance monthly. The individual will receive the remaining 20% and future payouts on the condition that they satisfy certain school attendance requirements and attend health check-up appointments. By 2018, the program had benefited 3.9 million children since its implementation, equating to 0.6% of the nation’s GDP.

In agreement with the importance of cash transfer programs, the chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, Alison Garnham, has argued that countries should ensure a “minimum layer of protection”  via free school meals and sufficient cash transfers in government policy as a part of a long-term poverty reduction campaign.

– Pauline Luetzenkirchen
Photo: Flickr

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Doctors Without Borders Helps Ukraine

Doctors Without Borders Helps UkraineDoctors Without Borders is an international, non-governmental group that cares for people affected by conflict, disease, natural and human-made disasters and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries. Since the war’s beginning, Doctors Without Borders helps Ukraine in many different ways.

Doctors Without Borders Helps Ukraine

Since Russia launched a large-scale military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, millions of people have fled their homes, 7 million remaining displaced in Ukraine and 5 million fleeing to various neighboring countries.

Doctors Without Borders has maintained a presence in Ukraine since 2014, working to respond to the needs of HIV and tuberculosis patients. As the war has escalated over the last couple of months, the organization has halted its normal activities and launched emergency projects in Ukraine, tending to the current residents as well as the refugees in surrounding countries.

Doctors Without Borders teams are making every effort to help in Ukraine. Working with Ukrainian railways, the organization constructed a two-car medical train to transport patients from the east side of the country– the most affected side– to medical facilities on the west side of the country in April 2022. Doctors Without Borders is also setting up mobile clinic teams around the country.

Since implementing these teams at the war’s beginning, the organization has carried out more than 800 medical procedures in the subway stations, where Ukrainians are taking shelter against Russian bombing, according to its website. A team in Southwestern Ukraine has started tending to the needs of displaced people who need mental health care, and those who were receiving treatment for injuries and illnesses before the war broke out.

Helping Ukrainian Doctors

Due to the lack of trauma training that many Ukrainian doctors have, Doctors Without Borders has employed trauma specialists to teach those working in the hospitals how to assess and deal with trauma cases. A large effect that Doctors Without Borders has had on helping in Ukraine is the donation of medical supplies to the already-existing clinics and hospitals in the country.

Prior to the war’s outbreak, supply lines around the country were already extremely insecure, and the effects of the war have heightened the uncertainty of the lines even more.

Ukrainians have been in desperate need of medical equipment since the war’s beginning, having to make do with a very limited supply of first-aid kits, surgical tools, general resources and funds to administer vaccines. In March 2022, Doctors Without Borders delivered its first shipment of medical supplies to the Ukraine Ministry of Health and has continued to donate on a regular basis, according to its website.

COVID-19

Before the war, around 35% of Ukrainians had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As the conflict continues to rage, a surge of COVID-19 cases is taking place as a result of the disruption to testing and vaccine administration. As of August 2022, there are currently more than 4,000 active cases of COVID-19, and very limited supplies to help.

Doctors Without Borders teams around the world have been responding to the pandemic since 2020 and make no exception in Ukraine as the war brings up other pressing health issues. COVID-19 activities are remaining at the forefront of health care within the organization’s emergency activities, as Doctors Without Borders is providing Ukrainians with regular testing and vaccinations.

In addition to medical supplies and treatment, Doctors Without Borders has also donated a large supply of cold-weather clothing and tents to support the large population of homeless Ukrainians, according to its website. As the war continues to rage, Doctors Without Borders, in conjunction with other global aid organizations, is doing everything possible to provide relief to those who are unfairly facing displacement and danger.

– Ava Lombardi
Photo: Unsplash

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Sex Trafficking in Papua New Guinea

Sex Trafficking in Papua New GuineaEvery year, both citizens and tourists fall victim to sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea (PNG). PNG is also used as a common transit point to aid in exploiting individuals from other countries.

What is Happening in Papua New Guinea?

The U.S. Department of State placed PNG on a Tier Two Watch List. “The government of Papua New Guinea does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so,” according to the U.S. Department of State report. There are many challenges and attributes to consider when evaluating sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea. Although PNG lacks a lot of resources, the country has begun to improve in its elimination of sex trafficking.

As one of the World’s least developed countries, PNG faces many challenges with education, advocacy and law enforcement of sex trafficking. Furthermore, the country has not prioritized the incarceration of traffickers. According to the TIP 2021 report, PNG did not report any new investigations or prosecutions in 2021.

Since its Criminal Code Amendment in 2013, PNG has only prosecuted one individual that resulted in incarceration in November 2020. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, PNG has seen a decrease in all criminal investigations, with minimal energy spent on sex trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of State.

The Efforts

Although sex trafficking in PNG may look glum, the country is continuing to work toward the goal of elimination. Since the release of the 2020 Trafficking in Person (TIP) report, PNG has gone from Tier Three to a Tier Two Watch List. The main difference in these tiers is that as a Tier Three, it is stated there is no effort to eliminate trafficking.

PNG has also made slight efforts to broadcast and spread awareness to the public. On the country’s national day against human trafficking, “local authorities sponsored an article in their national newspaper to increase general awareness of trafficking,” according to the Tier Two Watch List.

In coordination with law enforcement agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has provided aid for both international and domestic victims. In 2019, PNG launched a “safe bus” in the capital city of Port Moresby which expanded to Lae. The bus began as a result of sexual harassment and assault on public transportation. Since its implementation, it has kept women and children safe in transit to and from work and school.

There are many providers of aid internationally, including the U.N., IOM and the U.S. government. Within the TIP reports, the U.S. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons also provides Prioritized Recommendations. Most notably, the recommendations, among others, include “implementing existing standard operating procedures (SOPs), increasing protective services for victims of trafficking, instituting a policy framework, increasing awareness of and participating in the committee by civil society and protection stakeholders and acceding to the 2000 U.N. TIP Protocol.”

The Progress

As a Tier Two Watch List country, the elimination of sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea is slowly improving. However, a lot of work needs to be done to accomplish this. With “an acute lack of financial and human resources,” according to the U.S. Department of State, PNG struggles to make strides.

Although domestic attempts to eliminate sex trafficking may appear minimal, the country has shown great growth by improving on the TIP Tier list. International support such as aid from the U.S. and the U.N. is continuing to rise. The government has followed prioritized recommendations, such as amending the criminal code in 2013.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally. It can be difficult to look past such daunting statistics. However, PNG is growing its resource pool and on the road to the elimination of sex trafficking. With the continued support of foreign aid, sex trafficking in Papua New Guinea could improve.

– Sierra Winch
Photo: Flickr

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Green Initiatives Reduce Poverty in Ghana

Poverty in GhanaPoverty in Ghana has been reduced, thanks to the tremendous growth of the Ghanaian economy over the past years, but at a hidden cost: the natural resources that undergird this success are being increasingly and perhaps unsustainably, depleted. The increase in the price and production of raw materials such as cocoa, gold and oil have quadrupled the real GDP growth, and cut extreme poverty in Ghana to a Lower Middle-Income Country status, from its previous status as a Low Income Country. Nonetheless, such impressive growth must be balanced with environmental protection in order to prove enduring.

Ghana’s Precarious Dependency on Natural Resources

Residents of the Bia Biosphere Reserve in Ghana are extremely dependent on the forest for their livelihoods. As cocoa farmers, harvesters of wild honey, mushrooms and other non-timber forest products, the people living in the region cannot economically sustain themselves without such natural resources. And yet, environmental depletion has become a serious concern, seeing as local populations rely almost exclusively on the forest’s resources for income. Large corporations also contribute to this degradation: unmanaged solid waste and gold mines result in air, plastic and water pollution, contaminated sites diffuse hazardous chemicals, and general deforestation and overfishing severely strain the biosphere.

Beyond the sheer environmental toll, the economic costs of such overexploitation are immense. The World Bank Ghana Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) estimates that environmental degradation incurs an annual cost of $6.3 billion, equivalent to nearly 11% of Ghana’s 2017 GDP. Air pollution costs nearly $2 billion and causes approximately 16,000 deaths each year. The damage caused by water pollution equates to 3% of the GDP. Land degradation costs over $500 million while deforestation costs $400 million per year. In addition to the immediate economic tolls, the depletion of natural resources inhibits the potential for future growth.

Green Economy Initiatives

In response to the increasingly salient threat of the Ghanian economy’s overdependence on natural resources, local communities have begun working with UNESCO and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to put in place green economy initiatives. The project builds on the Green Economy Scoping Study, performed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) between 2012 and 2013. The goal of such initiatives is to uncover income alternatives, as to reduce local populations’ reliance on natural resources for economic survival.

The project, launched in 2013, has thus far identified multiple viable alternatives to depleting natural resources, a few of which include mushroom farming, bee-keeping, snail rearing and palm oil production. According to UNESCO, there have been 235 direct beneficiaries, of which 91 are women, who received training and support as part of the green initiatives to transition to alternative livelihood options. In addition to the direct crafts, the residents also received education in marketing and investing, as to ensure the sustainability of their new businesses.

The green economy initiatives have had tremendous positive impacts on the socio-economic status of local communities, who have since been able to vary their sources of income and avoid environmental depletion. The project attests to the importance and viability of reconciling nature and economy for sustainable growth.

– Emily Xin
Photo: Unsplash

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5 Facts about Education in Niger

Education in NigerThe country of Niger has been fighting a war against poverty for years. In 2021, the United Nations named Niger the least developed country in the world, with 42.9% of its population earning less than $1.90 per day. As the country’s economic state has worsened, so has its education system. Children are unable to learn due to financial disparities and geographical disadvantages and are not receiving the level of education and social interaction that they need. Here are five facts about the realities of education in Niger.

5 Facts about Education in Niger

  1. More than 50% of children between the ages of 7 and 16 do not attend school. Meanwhile, the preschool enrollment rate sits at only 7%. These statistics are the results of food insecurity, extreme poverty and inadequate access to schools. One of the greatest barriers to education in Niger is hunger, as children are not able to attend school for weeks at a time due to malnutrition. While schooling in Niger is compulsory, many areas do not have educational facilities to accommodate children. Too many students live much too far to walk to school, and some families do not have enough money to purchase a car to get them there.
  2. As of 2020, the Government of Niger only spends 3.8% of its GDP on education, according to the World Bank. This low percentage is indicative of a lack of investment in the education of Niger’s youth. Niger continues to rank close to the bottom on the United Nations Development Programme’s Education Index but, since 2015, has spent less than 4.5% of its GDP on education.
  3. The literacy rate in Niger is only 13.6%, one of the lowest in the world. Less than 8% of children have acquired adequate numeracy and literacy skills by the end of primary school, and only one-third of teachers demonstrated satisfactory competency levels in 2017. Education in Niger demonstrates favor toward the men of the population, as the literacy rate for males ages 15-24 is higher than those of women in the same age group by more than 10%.
  4. Access to and completion of education is worse among minority groups in Niger, such as girls living in rural areas and children with physical and mental disabilities. Only four out of 10 girls make it as far as the sixth grade before dropping out due to financial or familial difficulties. In addition, the country’s lack of adaptive classrooms and inclusive training means that schools are not meeting the standard of education that students with disabilities need in order to succeed.
  5. The impacts of COVID-19 worsened the challenges that the education system in Niger was already facing. In addition to the 2.5 million children who were already being deprived of an education, 3.6 million children had to leave school, and few had the resources to participate in virtual learning. More than 80,000 teachers ended up out of a job, and dropout rates began to increase. The closure of schools in Niger has had a very negative impact on students, and many are still recovering from the financial and educational setbacks that their families have suffered.

UNICEF continues to advocate for more accountability of Niger’s government, urging them to allocate more funds toward education. In July 2020, the Global Partnership for Education donated $70,000 to Niger to help it recover from the pandemic, which will go toward drawing up a plan to rebuild and redefine education in Niger. Organizations around the world are acknowledging the disparities in Niger’s education system and are working to provide a stronger foundation for students.

– Ava Lombardi
Photo: Flickr

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How Google is Helping Africa’s Small Businesses

Africa’s Small BusinessesIn June 2022, Google announced a new initiative that targeted small businesses in Africa. The initiative was part of the company’s month-long celebration of International Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Business Day. Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, make up a large portion of the global economy, “[accounting] for 90% of businesses, 60 to 70% of employment and 50% of GDP worldwide.” The significant role that micro, small and medium-sized businesses play internationally as the backbone of economies holds true, especially in Africa. Consumers “buy more than 70% of their food, beverages and personal care products” from Africa’s small businesses.

Loyalty to Small Businesses

This loyalty to small businesses has continued despite the insurgence of corporate supermarkets and retail chain stores. Transitioning this loyalty to e-commerce holds incredible promise for economic development throughout the continent. South Africa posted online sales of $1.8 billion in 2020 and countries like Nigeria and Kenya where the retail sector is a major component of GDP posted 30% and 40% growth rates respectively in 2021.

The framework for e-commerce in Africa has been laid out. Internet coverage, access to credit cards and bank accounts and mobile phone usage have all increased substantially in Africa in the last decade. Google has noted this opportunity for growth in Africa, with Google’s country director for West Africa Juliet Ehimuan noting that “E-commerce presents an opportunity for small businesses in Africa to reach new customers and grow.”

However, the online market has remained untapped for many small and medium businesses in Africa. Technical know-how, as well as concerns over cybercrime, has impeded online market penetration by small and medium businesses in Africa, according to a report by World Trade Organization (WTO). Fortunately, Google’s new initiative is helping build online retail presences for Africa’s small businesses, aiming to “…assist small businesses in Africa to gain the expertise to connect online, expand their customer base and scale-up,” according to Ehimuan.

Google is accomplishing this strategy through a three-pronged plan. It includes the Shopping Small Business Summit, an online career certificate course, and the Local Opportunity Finder.

Shopping Small Business Summit

In late June 2022, Google hosted a Shopping Small Business Summit. According to The Guardian, this event was a one-hour virtual training session to help small and medium business owners develop the skills they need to compete in the online marketplace. This training session covered both e-commerce trends as well as digital marketing tools and skills.

Online Career Certificate Course

The second portion of Google’s plan to help build online retail presences for Africa’s small businesses is an online career certificate course, as The Guardian reported. Unlike the Shopping Small Business Summit, this course has limited availability and is not free. However, Google has offered 1,000 scholarships to Africans who wish to participate in the course. This course will cover digital marketing and e-commerce trends in a deeper capacity than the Small Business Summit, and it aims to prepare Africans for entry level-jobs in e-commerce.

Local Opportunity Finder

Google also launched the Local Opportunity Finder in June 2022. The Local Opportunity Finder is a free online tool for small and medium business owners that aims to improve their online presences. This new tool can analyze a Google Business Profile and then give personalized recommendations for improvement. These improvements are geared towards making e-commerce sites more appealing to consumers and overall more consumer-friendly.

Google’s commitment to growing small businesses is helping build online retail presences for Africa’s small businesses. The large African retail sector is dependent on small businesses. However, the continent has lagged behind in terms of digital market space until now. If African businesses can take advantage of Google’s initiatives and work through the impediments holding back e-commerce in the continent, they could scale their businesses up and expand their consumer bases.

– Benjamin Brown
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