Posts

, ,

With Successes Come Education Struggles

education_struggles
There have been many successes for girl’s education in the developing world. Challenges remain, however, creating a puzzle for problem solvers around the world.

Girls face many more education struggles than boys do. This is especially the case during puberty. For one girl living in Uganda who wants to be a doctor, lack of proper toilets causes embarrassment and results in missed days at school. “Some toilets don’t have doors and so we fear to enter as people can see or enter the toilets at any time. At the toilets, they don’t have water to flush or wash, and so it’s complicated to attend school when I have my period.”

While some might think this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO has found differently. One in 10 girls across Africa miss school during their period. Half of girls attending school in Ethiopia miss between one and four days of school a month because of menstruation.

In India, the problem is even worse. Sixty-six percent of schools there do not have functioning toilets. Without private toilets, girls’ health is put at risk. Coupled with the stigma and taboos associated with menstruation and periods, and the result is often that girls drop out of school in the developing world.

Another issue that also affects girls’ education in Africa is child marriage. Every year, 15 million girls 18 or under marry. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 40 percent are married before 18, and 12 percent before they are even 15. In Chad, the number of girls married under age 15 jumps to 29 percent. Even with minimum age laws, marriages still go ahead with parental consent.

This has implications for young women’s education. Once they are married, they are expected to fulfill duties at home which leaves them with them no time to pursue their studies. This begins a vicious circle: without education girls are not informed of their rights and are able to act on them.

Despite these challenges, there have been huge gains in education for girls around the developing world. By 2012, most countries had reached the Millennium Development Goal target of girls primary education parity with boys. For many countries this meant that for every 100 boys, 97 girls also attended primary school.

However, even in this victory lies a caveat – not all countries have actually reached full parity. Sub-Saharan Africa enrollment rate for primary school-aged girls was still languishing at 75 percent in 2010. “Three-quarters of the countries that have not achieved parity at the primary level enroll more boys than girls at the start of the school cycle.” To equalize enrollment at the beginnings of school years would be to achieve parity.

Afghanistan stands out as a beacon of success when it comes to girls’ education, especially with the Taliban influence in the area that discourages girls in school. Girls enrollment in 2014 reached 3.75 million girls. In 2002, only 191,000 were enrolled.

While there are still big problems girls face around the developing world when it comes to attending school, it is important to acknowledge the victories. More work is needed but if progress continues, more successes will come.

– Gregory Baker

Sources: The Guardian 1, The Guardian 2, The Guardian 3, The Guardian 4, The Guardian 5, UN Women
Photo: The Better India

, , ,

Prosthetic Devices for the Developing World

Prosthetic-Devices-in-Developing-WorldProsthetic devices are expensive, an expense that most individuals in the developing world cannot afford. However, this all changes with a team of researchers from the University of Victoria.

Since June 2015, the team is working towards building prosthetic devices for people in the developing world, mainly focusing on prosthetic hands. The hands are custom built using 3D printers, slowly building the prosthetic layer by layer.

Eighty percent of those who need prosthetics live in the developing world, however, only two percent receive treatment.

Cost is the main obstacle when issuing prosthetic devices. Models can range from $12,000 to $70,000. This is a cost too expensive for many individuals in developing countries.

According to engineering assistant Kalonica Christie, the University of Victoria’s models are much cheaper.

“Our system costs about $100 in materials and can be fit to the patient by a prosthetist for $300,” Christie said.

Trials are underway in Guatemala and Nepal, the home country of one of the researchers. The team hopes to establish printing stations where the need is the greatest. They also hope to make prosthetic devices available to anyone who needs them.

Another figure making strides in the prosthetic devices arena is Brazilian computer-aided drafting enthusiast, Martin Vincent Bloedorn. Bloedorn was inspired by the need for a robust and low cost 3D prosthetic hand device. Among one of the more mechanically complex prosthetic hands is Bloedorn’s “Biohand,” which nearly imitates the human hand.

Bloedorn’s goal is to be able to sell “Biohand” for less than $300 total, which is even less expensive than the University of Victoria’s model.

“Though technology gets cheaper by the day, the prices of health-related tech haven’t seen drastic changes in the last years. While I do understand that there is a lot involved in developing live-supporting devices, I feel that there’s lots of room to increase affordability in the field…living in the third world, it’s clear to me that such devices simply can’t reach all those who need them,” Bloedorn said.

The prosthetic hand uses standard RC servomotors that can be assessed nearly anywhere in the world. Their internal parts are also very similar across multiple manufacturers. This is part of Bloedorn’s plan to make prosthetics accessible all over the world.

In Brazil, where Bloedorn developed the prosthetic device, components are expensive or hard to get. These obstacles drove the initiative to make the prosthetics inexpensive to consumers.

Bloedorn admits that the device lacks aesthetically pleasing covers, but they are soon to come.

Prosthetic devices are very expensive for individuals in the developing world, but are also a necessity for some. With the developments by the University of Victoria and Bloedorn, these devices are being made more affordable and availability has been increased in the developing world.

With 80 percent of the individuals needing prosthetic devices living in the developing world, something must be done to make these life saving devices more affordable. Steps to make this happen have finally begun.

– Kerri Szulak

Sources: Global News, 3ders
Photo: International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics

Self-Adjusting Glasses Provide a Vision for the Future

Self-Adjusting-Reading-Glasses
The lack of productivity caused by poor eyesight costs the developing world $269 billion per year according to the World Health Organizations. Other estimates put the number as high as $700 billion.

Poor eyesight makes living in the developing world considerably burdensome. It is much more difficult to hold down a job, accidents are more frequent and even life expectancies are significantly lower.

To bring about worldwide, long-term economic development, affordable eye care must be brought to the 517 million people in developing countries with both impaired vision and a lack of the means to correct it. For this reason, in the past few years, great strides have been made in promoting affordable eye care in the developing world.

Self-adjustable eyewear is a potential solution to this problem. Low priced and easy to use, they provide a solution to over 80 percent of those with vision problems in the developing world, though they cannot yet provide a solution to astigmatism and similar conditions.

One company providing such a service is Eyejusters. Eyejusters bring high quality eyewear to the developing world for a low cost using something known as “Slide Lens.” Able to tackle both near and long-sightedness, though Eyejusters tends to focus on reading glasses, Slidelens glasses allow the individual to adjust them through the turning of a screw.

Self-adjustable eyeglasses can be provided for an extremely low price. Dutch glasses maker, “The Focus on Vision Foundation,” is able to produce a pair of glasses for just $4 a pair, while the average North American pair of prescription eyeglasses is $350.

British company Ad Specs has been selling its brand of self-adjustable eyewear in the developing world for $19 a pair. All of these companies are using technology to bring low-cost solutions to problems which, in the developing world, have a very high cost.

Self-adjustable glasses provide a major fix to the problem of poor eyesight in the developing world. Fixing this problem can significantly improve the economic well-being, health and life expectancy of millions.

– Andrew Michaels

Sources: Forbes, Gizmag New York Times Eyejusters Global Eyesight
Photo: Business Opportunities

, ,

Rise of Cancer in the Developing World

cancer_developing_world
While many people know cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, few realize cancer has become a significant burden on the developing world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports more than 60 percent of new cancer cases occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, concluding that cancer in the developing world accounts for more than 70 percent of all cancer deaths.

In 2012, there were 14.1 new cases of cancer, compared with 12.7 million new cases in 2008. Part of the reason for this is globally, the population is aging. Developing nations are seeing an increase in many cancers because people living longer and having a change in lifestyle. Many people in developing countries are adopting the lifestyles of those in industrialized nations and are now facing new risk factors such as poor diet, obesity and smoking. This is causing an increase in common cancers such as breast cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer.

Breast cancer was the most common cause of death in women in 2012. Treatments and testing for breast cancer that are available in industrialized countries have not yet reached the developing world. Cancers caused by infections such as cervical cancer (often caused by the Human Papilloma Virus [HPV]) also cause more deaths in the developing world because there are fewer screening and treatment programs for the disease.

As a result of gains by global health professionals, such as the reduction in infectious disease and the decrease in the child mortality rate, many more people in developing countries live to older ages. Unfortunately, work in chronic disease prevention and intervention needs to catch up. Developing countries do not have the resources to screen, prevent and treat chronic diseases such as cancer.

Global health has historically been focused on communicable (or infectious) diseases. Julio Frenk, Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, says there needs to be a switch in thinking that allows for a more comprehensive view of global health. First, because communicable and non-communicable infections are not as separate as once thought. The WHO estimates that one fifth of cancers are caused by communicable infections such as HIV, HPV, hepatitis B virus, and Helicobacter pylori. In addition, infections, hunger and maternal deaths are no longer the only problems of the poor. The world’s poor people are increasingly prone to non-communicable diseases and injury.

There is a misconception that because there are “bigger fish to fry,” such as infectious diseases and poverty, people should not worry about cancer. However, in many middle-income countries, cancer is now one of the leading causes of death and yet it still receives little attention. There is also the issue of having access to screening be inequitable. In middle-income countries, only the most affluent people have access to cancer screening.

Fortunately, information is beginning to be spread about the need to add cancer to the global public health agenda. Bill and Melinda Gates gave a $50 million grant to create the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention.

– Elizabeth Brown

Sources: WHO, CBC, HSPH
Photo: UN Special

Child Marriage and Poverty in the Developing World

India_Child_Marriage_Underage
In developing countries many marriages are early or forced and child marriage is wide spread, particularly among girls. While boys do marry before the age of 18, girls are much more significantly affected. A study on child marriage found that in 2003, there were 72 girls married for every one boy in Mali. Despite efforts from the United Nations and various NGOs to end child marriage, one-third of girls still marry before the age of 18 and one in nine marry before the age of 15. Every year, 14 million girls under the age of 18 are married.

Child marriage occurs in poor rural communities and the girl’s parents or other leaders in her village often arrange the marriage. The girls often have no say in when or whom they marry. Child marriage is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia.

Child Marriage and Poverty

Child marriage is most prevalent in the poorest countries in the world and particularly in the poorest households of these countries. For poor families, child marriage often seems like the best way to get their daughters and the rest of their families out of poverty. When parents marry off their daughter, they often receive a dowry. Even if the families do not receive a dowry, they benefit from having one less person to care for.

Parents believe marriage is a way out of poverty for their daughter, but girls who marry young often remain in poverty and never receive an education.

The International Centre for Research on Women reports poverty is strongly related to the number of child brides. In Bangladesh, Mali and Mozambique, more than 75% of the population lives on less than $2 per day and more than 50% of the girls are married before the age of 18.

The country’s GDP is also related to child marriage. Chad has a GDP of only $1,600 per capita and 71%of its are married before the age of 18. In almost all developing countries girls from poor households are more than twice as likely to marry before the age of 18 than girls in more financially secure households.

Child Marriage and Health

Girls who marry young often get pregnant soon after; however, these girls are often not physically or emotionally mature enough to handle the demands of sexual activity, pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death in girls between the ages of 15 and 19 worldwide. These girls are also at much greater risk of domestic violence and rape and often believe that their husbands have the right to beat them and force them into sex. Lastly, girls who marry young are at a greater risk of contracting HIV.

What Can Be Done?

The Girls Empowerment Network is going into communities where child marriage is prevalent and starting girls clubs that empower girls and finally ask them whether they want to get married. It then helps the girls to advocate for themselves and explain to their parents and the leaders of their communities that they want to go to school rather than get married. One community where the Girls Empowerment Network is working recently initiated a law saying girls may not be married before the age of 21. While this may not work in all communities, it is at least starting to work in some.

– Elizabeth Brown

Sources: Plan, IRCW, Girls Not Brides, NPR, UNFPA
Photo: The Travel Photographer

10 Gender Role Quotes in the Developing World

sandra_day_oconnor
Gender inequality is a major concern in many developing countries. Women are sometimes still viewed as inferior to men and are often not given equal opportunities.  Gender inequality is not only delaying the progress of women in education and in the workplace, but it has also been proven to impede a nation’s overall economic development.  Here are some thought-provoking gender role quotes in the developing world:

1. “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.” – Kofi Annan

2. “Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to learn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.” – Sandra Day O’Connor 

3. “Compared to income or assets in the hands of men, income or assets in the hands of women is associated with larger improvements in child health, and larger expenditure shares of household nutrients, health, and housing.” – Esther Duflo 

4. “Empowering women in the developing world is crucial for greater equality between the sexes.” – European Commission

5. “Blocking women and girls from getting skills and earnings to succeed in a globalized world is not only wrong, but also economically harmful.” – Justin Yifu Lin

6. “Sharing the fruits of growth and globalization equally between men and women is essential to meeting key development goals.” – Justin Yifu Lin

7. “Equality is not just the right thing to do. It’s smart economics. How can an economy achieve full potential if it ignores, sidelines, or fails to invest in half its population?” –Robert Zoellick

8. “Gender inequality holds back the growth of individuals, the development of countries and the evolution of societies, to the disadvantage of both men and women.” – State of World Population Report

9. “As long as women face violence and discrimination, our efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve equality, and advance human rights and democracy will not succeed.” –Michelle Bachelet

10. “Much more must be done to combat discriminatory gender norms. In developed and developing countries alike, inegalitarian practices and beliefs expose women and girls to physical, sexual, and emotional violence while simultaneously stunting their own and their societies’ economic potential.” –Jordan Bernhardt

Other gender role quotes in the developing world can be found on www.brainyquote.com and www.goodreads.com/quotes.

– Allison Johnson

 

Read global poverty quotes.

Sources: Brainy Quote, The Atlantic, American Progress, Reuters, The Economist
Photo: Wikipedia

, ,

biNu Maximizes Cell Phone Abilities

cell_phones_third_world
Australian start-up biNu may be pioneering revolutionary cell phone technology. By minimizing the required bandwidth and memory capacity of the user’s phone, biNu brings smart-phone level applications to ‘dumb’ phone users for little to no cost, and emphasizes reliability in weak or spotty networks, which cover a majority not only of the developing world, but the planet as a whole.

$7.5 million in funding from Eric Schmidt and others, and a UN ‘My World Innovation’ Award later, it seems the technology is working.

biNu dramatically widens two data streams currently existing in stunted forms. One of these is headed into the developing world. At least 4 million users in the developing world access the biNu cloud every month, utilizing hundreds of millions of webpages. Phones that were previously only usable to make calls are now empowered with the apps of corporations, governments, NGOs, and more, bringing an unprecedented level of information and communication to poor regions.

This stream is also significant for its profitability – for both biNu and others. Gary Lentell and Dave Turner, biNu’s founders, know first-hand how volatile the tech start-up world can be, having already lost all $75 million they made with their previous business, Sabela Media; biNu’s ability to bring new markets into touch with marketers means it stands to make a profit as the middle man.

But the companies who can present ads to these new markets may be the ones who profit most dramatically – if they can capitalize on the face-time as efficiently as Google has. In this way, biNu is for software what the cell phone was for hardware: a lead forward in terms of inter-connectedness.

The second data stream is headed out of the developing world, to NGOs and research institutions who now have direct access to the people they are trying to help. This second stream has already been dramatically influential, enabling over 100,000 responses to a UN survey which utilized the software.

As more NGOs become aware of biNu’s potential, its ability to make direction connections between aid givers and aid receivers will proliferate and create a more seamless development community – a community which currently suffers greatly from a major divide between those who have the resources and desire to help, and those who require help.

Lentell has repeatedly stated his interests lie dominantly in creating a solid, profitable business – not in helping people, which is only a perk. While many CEOs who express such sentiment earn derision for not being in touch with economic reality, NGOs and the developing world should be grateful to have such a practical mentality heading biNu.

Too many start-ups with the revolutionary potential of biNu sputter and die because of overly idealistic leadership. BiNu’s best chance to bridge the Digital Divide is to focus on itself and its profitability, continue to pursue the best technology and the most reliable investments, and allow its users to dictate how biNu is applied to the developing world.

– Alex Pusateri

Sources: Venture Beat, The Next Web, BINU, BINU: How It Works, INC

Agriculture in the Developing World

Agriculture in the Developing World
Large corporations, NGOs, and regional nonprofit groups have begun to recognize the importance of sustainable agriculture. The facts facing all of them include a burgeoning world population and projected rising incomes from more people coming in the future. The issue becomes trickier when the additional food that must be cultivated needs to be nutritious to combat diseases, many of which are attributed to malnutrition. If that demand is not met, a larger public health crisis ensues that leads to stunted economic growth and social upheaval over food prices.

One major area of the world that is a proverbial difference-maker in ensuring the future population is fed properly is sub-Saharan Africa. The region, containing over 202 million potential hectares of usable, arable land has yet to do anything with it. AllAfrica cites a recent press release by the World Bank in July 2013, calling for leaders in the region to do more with the resources at their disposal. The World Bank points out that despite the immense potential of the African continent, a lack of good governance, development, infrastructure, and education for it’s people is limiting nations from becoming modern and self-sufficient.

A promising development is an action plan noted by The World Bank that would if followed in full, end poverty in Africa within the next decade. By instituting reforms to document all lands, ending government corruption that doesn’t favor the majority of national populations, and motivating all Africans to support the broad changes, food security will be ensured. Increased foreign interest and investment in the continent coupled with rising commodity prices, basic legal structures that already exist, and more technology mean starting the massive effort will be much easier.

With the issue captured in an international spotlight, “The World Bank Group supports and endorses the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security…” What this means essentially is that the immense amount of land available in Africa will be properly sold and used. To assess the progress of individual nations, The World Bank Group has implemented the Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF).

The aforementioned efforts of smaller, private and nonprofit groups to help the situation are exemplified in various innovative investment competitions. The Global Food and Health Innovation (GFHI) Challenge, concluding in August 2013, is one such opportunity accepting proposals for different technologies or approaches to tackle agricultural challenges like the ones in sub-Saharan Africa. Not only will this introduce a wealth of fresh ideas and tools, but it may also translate into jobs that will provide an economic boost. Along with changes championed by major geopolitical groups, these key investments will help finally bring an end to global poverty within our lifetime.

– David Smith

Sources: Diplomatic Courier, All Africa, GFHI Challenge
Photo: Farmland Grab

, ,

Nominees Sought for Development Achievement Award

Nominees Sought for Development Achievement Award
Nominations are now available for The Guardian‘s Development Achievement Award.  Anyone who has traveled to the developing world has met outstanding individuals changing the lives of the impoverished and marginalized. The Guardian’s Development Achievement Award seeks to reward and recognize individuals making a huge impact in the poorest parts of the world.

These individuals work hard in the face of intense challenges. They spend tireless hours fighting for those they represent and deliver help that goes far beyond their pay grade.  However, often their work is known only by those who are directly impacted by it or those who happen to come across them in the areas where they work. The Development Achievement Award, now in its fifth year, seeks to bring some publicity and awareness to these hardworking individuals.

The winner of the award will receive public recognition for his or her work and achievements. Their accomplishments will be publicized to both colleagues and a broader global audience. Dr. Kshama Metre, last year’s winner, is a pediatrician who runs an organization called Cord that has helped thousands of poor in rural India by dealing with the causes and effects of poverty in a holistic manner. Renwick Rose, the winner from 2011, is an advocate for farmers’ rights in the Caribbean and works hard to fight for fair trade wages and practices within the region.

The nominees for the Development Achievement Award must be unsung heroes and have made an exceptional contribution to alleviating poverty. They should be individuals whose work deserves more recognition than it has received thus far and people who have gone above and beyond their regular line of work.  The winners will receive a film about their work, a profile in a Guardian supplement, and a presentation of the award in their own country. Nominations are welcome from anyone in the world for anyone in the world. The closing date for nominations is August 5, 2013.

– Amanda Kloeppel

Source:The Guardian

Global Majority & Potential Water Shortage

UN_clean_waterWithin two generations, the majority of the world’s people could find it difficult to access clean water. That was the warning issued at an international conference on water held last month in Bonn, Germany. The conference, entitled “Water in the Anthropocene: Challenges for Science and Governance: Indicators, Thresholds and Uncertainties of the Global Water System,” sought to “address the global dimensions of water system changes” brought on by human and natural influences.

Water experts warned that in addition to climate change, inefficient extraction methods and pollution from the runoff of agricultural fertilizers will combine to compromise the world’s freshwater sources. Without more concerted efforts to change this situation, they warn, a global majority with soon face water shortage on a regular basis.

Already nearly a billion people do not have access to clean water. Four and a half billion people live within 50km (31 miles) of an “impaired” water source, one that is either polluted or running dry. People in the 1st world are also vulnerable as pollutants like endocrine disrupters, which have spread into rivers and other freshwater bodies in many parts of the developed world, and have been shown to cause fish to change gender.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon echoed these calls to attend to the global water crisis. In a speech at the United Nations International Day of Biological Diversity, Ban said, “We live in an increasingly water insecure world where demand often outstrips supply and where water quality often fails to meet minimum standards.” He warned that current trends will make shortages all but inevitable.

Along with the scientists and officials meeting at the Bonn water conference, Secretary Ban called for the next set of Millennium Development Goals to include goals related to water sustainability. As one official at the Bonn conference stated, “There is no citizen of the world who can be complacent about this.”

– Délice Williams

Sources: Water in the Anthropocene, The Guardian
Photo: Shale Shock Media