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Teachers Education Program in Pakistan

Teachers Education Program in Pakistan

Armed with nuclear technology and on the border of Afghanistan, Pakistan has become an important country in the War on Terror. While the primary method for addressing terrorism has been militaristic and reactive, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has created a program to strengthen Pakistan’s educational system and thus help prevent the spread of terrorism – the Teachers Education Program.

Although it possesses nuclear technology and the world’s 6th largest military, Pakistan is still a developing country with roughly 60% of the population living close to or under the poverty line. Communities that struggle to meet basic needs are more susceptible to terrorist influences. The first step to converting someone into a terrorist is to meet the basic needs of a community that otherwise doesn’t have the resources to meet those needs.

The Teachers Education Program has recently awarded 200 scholarships of 20,000 Pakistani Rupees to students pursuing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in education. This type of education reinforces the transition the Pakistani educational system is undergoing.

In Pakistan, the educational system is modernizing by moving from a base in rote memorization (which is founded on repetition) to a system based on critical thinking. With an updated and fortified educational system, Pakistani students will be better prepared to contribute to the economic development of their communities and thus limit the persuasive ability of terrorist cells.

Investing in the economic development of impoverished communities through education is an excellent way to prevent the spread of terrorism and strengthen the global economy.

– Pete Grapentien

Source The Express Tribune, University of Massachusetts
Photo: Facebook

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Feed the Children

Feed_the_childrenEvery single day, families all across the world struggle to provide food for their children. The harsh effects of world hunger and malnutrition are shocking. In 2010, nearly 7.6 million children lost their lives. Of these children, nearly half died due to hunger and poor nutrition.

Feed the Children (FTC) does not take these issues lightly. A not-for-profit organization, FTC pledges to make a difference in children’s lives. Donations made to FTC are matched five times by partner support, making contributions even more important. These donations provide the children with everything they need to be properly nourished and healthy.

FTC is deeply rooted in its values. These values, reflected through their four pillars, serve to end world hunger and poverty altogether. The four pillars are:

1.    Food and Nutrition
2.    Water and Sanitation
3.    Health and Education
4.    Livelihood Development

FTC provides relief in ways other than donations. Volunteers can take part in medical and disaster missions worldwide. There is also the opportunity to sponsor a child. Donors are able to keep in contact with the child they are providing for, communicating with the child and receiving updates on the child’s health.

For more information on the Feed The Children organization and how to become involved, visit www.feedthechildren.org.

– William Norris

Source: World Hunger.org
Photo: Blogspot

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Birth Rates and Poverty in Niger

Birth Rates and Poverty in Niger
Niger is the seventh poorest country in the world. It is an example of the multitudinous effects of extreme poverty. With high political instability, high levels of gender inequality, high birth rates, high levels of malnutrition and ethnic conflict, attempts to lift Niger out of poverty have often failed because of the magnitude and multitude of problems to be faced.

The population of Niger works largely in fishing and farming. As a result, they are unusually susceptible to natural disasters and climate conditions. A 2005 drought that led to a massive food shortage had devastating effects on the people and the economy, with the IMF forgiving 100% of the nation’s debt, roughly $86 million USD. In 2010, famine wiped out many people and the country reported the outbreak of multiple diseases, with deaths due to diarrhea, starvation, gastroenteritis, malnutrition and respiratory diseases.

Education levels in Niger are among the lowest in the world, with many children unenrolled and children often forced to work instead of study. Nomadic children often do not have access to schools.

The high birth-rates in Niger are a problem, as they contribute to an expanding population whose families cannot support them. This is partly as a result of the belief that the greater the number of children one family has, the greater the chance that a family will be lifted out of poverty when one finds success.

– Farahnaz Mohammed
Source: Richest.org, DW.DE
Photo: Niger Delta Rising

SCREAM to End Child Labor

SCREAM to End Child Labor
An estimated 215 million children are involved in labor worldwide. Over half of these children are forced into the dark side of child slavery, drug trafficking, prostitution, and armed conflict. Labor of any kind deprives children of their right to adequate education, leisure, health and other basic freedoms, and forces them into a world of endless work and subjugation.

June 12 marks the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) annual call for a global commitment to end the harmful practice of child labor. Since 2002, the ILO has used this day to highlight the plight of children around the world who face this reality every day. It is the hope of the organization that the day will serve as a “catalyst for the growing worldwide movement against child labor.”

A number of efforts exist aimed at promoting support for and awareness of the cause led by the ILO and other organizations. The ILO’s chief effort is the campaign “Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media,” SCREAM for short.

SCREAM is based around the idea that every child has the right “to play, to go to school and to dream. Adults bear the responsibility, as guardians of childhood, for making that possible.” This sentiment is supported by community actors and organizations, all of which also believe in the promotion of social justice and the universal recognition of children’s rights.

Through education, the vicious cycle of child labor and poverty can be broken. In the same way that poverty leads to child labor, child labor also leads to further poverty. Education gives children the opportunity to remove themselves from this perpetual condition to realize their full potential.

The arts can act as a powerful tool in the empowerment of children. Through learning to express themselves, children can develop confidence, memory, self-discipline, and self-esteem.  One initiative,“Music against Child Labor Initiative”, asks orchestras, choirs and musicians across all genres to dedicate one concert to the struggle against child labor. Conductors Claudio Abbado, José-Antonio Abreu, Daniel Barenboim, the Mozart Orchestra, the International Federation of Musicians, and el Fundación Musical Simon Bolivar El Sistema are among the top supporters.

The initiative’s manifesto states that “music – in all forms – is a universal language. Although we sing in every tongue, it also expresses emotions we cannot say in worlds. It links us all. Together, the world of music can raise its voice and instruments against child labor.”

Finally, at a time when global communication is at an all-time high, the integration of media provides an important opportunity to bring an end to child labor. With the help of media attention, the SCREAM program has been carried out in 65 countries and is available in 19 languages.

– Kathryn Cassibry

Sources: International Labor Organization, SCREAM

Photo: World Vision

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Poverty Reduction in the Comoros

Poverty Reduction in the Comoros
The Comoros consists of four islands located in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar and Mozambique. Affectionately calling their country Masiwa, or “the islands”, the population totals to 1,080,000 citizens. The country, among several other small island states, is considered underdeveloped. Although the country gained independence in 1975, political and institutional crises created sustained instability.

In 2012, the Union of the Comoros, under the leadership of the newest president, Dr. Ikililou Dhoinine, drafted an official Poverty Reduction Strategy, highlighting six distinct goals to reducing their nation’s poverty.

1. Stabilize the economy by building a foundation for strong equity.

Although the external debt of the Comoros is said to remain unsustainable, the country’s external trade has increased from 47.8% in 2010 to 52% in 2011, increasing imports from 8.9% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2011.

2. Strengthen profitable sectors, including institution building and participation of private economic operators.

The Comorian government has set a priority to repair highly damaged roads including 17 km on Ngazidja, 17 km on Ndzouani, and 6.5 km on Mwali, among other main highway repairs.

3. Strengthen governance and social cohesion.

Studies on citizenship, prejudice, discrimination, the roles of women and youth in society, the establishment of 16 peace committees, introducing biometrics into the electoral process, and the institutionalization of a national commission to fight corruption.

4. Improve the health of citizens.

According to the recently drafted strategy, 300 households are currently benefiting from implemented sanitation programs, far surpassing the target set in 2011. A sanitary water network has reached 23 km, active in Djando on Mohéli, Domoni, and Sima on Anjouan.

Fighting against avoidable illnesses has also made significant progress. Through obtaining instruments and equipment, support for training programs, and the installation and management of vaccine distribution. Comorians were able to see high percentages of vaccination effectiveness per antigen.

5. Promote education and vocational training.

The main objective in education was to improve access to educational institutions per capita. Enrollment in professional and vocational roles reported an increase from 3% in 2010 to 8% in 2011. Although this rate is lower than the projected improvement of 15%, there has been a significant increase in admissions at the University of the Comoros.

6. Promote environmental sustainability and civil society.

Priority zones for biodiversity conservation resulted in the completion of five inventories of flora and fauna, exceeding the 2011 forecast. 1,531 citizens were educated in several areas of agricultural management, complying with government-instated goals for sustainable use of renewable resources.

Although one out of two people in the Comoros is considered poor, the Comorian government is taking active steps to reduce their poverty and improve the lives of their citizens.

– Kali Faulwetter

Sources: IMF, Every Culture, Maps of World

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CARE: Cooperative Efforts to Take Down Poverty

CARE to take down poverty
In 1945, twenty-two separate American charities decided they could accomplish more good by working together. They combined to become CARE, a network of humanitarian organizations providing relief to war-torn Europe. Originally named the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, they delivered millions of CARE packages across Europe, believing that poverty was the result of a lack of basic goods, services and healthcare.

With the need for war relief in Europe drawing down, CARE began shifting its focus to the developing world, where poverty, conflict, famine and natural disasters rendered their relief efforts invaluable. But their regions of focus are not all that changed; as the organization grew, they expanded their understanding of poverty and its causes to include the view that social exclusion, discrimination, and the absence of rights and opportunities often cause poverty.

By the early 1990s, the meaning behind the organization’s acronym was updated to “Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere”. And by 2007, more than six years of experience caused CARE to adjust its mission again to include a focus on gender equality, realizing that empowered women are the key to lifting families out of poverty.

CARE is now one of the oldest and largest global poverty aid organizations in the world, with 14 member organizations working in 84 countries supporting 997 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects. CARE Australia, CARE Canada, CARE Denmark, CARE Deutschland-Luxembourg, CARE France, CARE International Japan, CARE Nederland, CARE Norge, CARE Österreich, CARE Thai Foundation, CARE International UK, CARE USA and two affiliate members CARE India and CARE Peru, work together to defend the dignity and fight poverty by strengthening communities’ capacity for self-help, providing economic and educational opportunities, delivering relief in emergencies, safeguarding health for mothers and families, enhancing water access, influencing policy decisions at all levels, and addressing discrimination in all its forms.

By dealing with the causes of poverty, CARE helps people to become self-sufficient, thereby promoting permanent change. Their mission is to help build a world where poverty has been eradicated and people can live in dignity and security. CARE truly is a global force in the movement to end poverty.

– Dana Johnson

Source: CARE,CARE International
Photo: npr

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Protecting Our Future: Save the Children

Save the Children
The dedicated workers of Save the Children have been affecting positive, lasting change in children’s lives for the past 81 years with no signs of slowing down. They partner with local governments and organizations in vulnerable communities to offer children support and protection from neglect, exploitation, violence, poverty, malnutrition, inferior medical care and education, and much more.

With offices spread across 120 countries, the organization has helped millions of children in Africa, Asia, America, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In 2012 alone, they helped more than 125 million children overcome obstacles including poverty, illiteracy, obesity, and abuse.

Save the Children focuses on the following key areas:

  • Child protection – Save the Children fosters child protection programs such as child trafficking awareness campaigns, and advocates for policy and services improvement to protect children affected by disasters, conflict, or development setting.
  • Newborn and child survival – Each year, close to 7 million children die before their 5th birthday. Save the Children works to prevent senseless deaths by training health workers to deliver inexpensive medical interventions.
  • Education – the organization coaches educators in effective teaching techniques, offer opportunities to continue education beyond the classroom, and ensures learning continues in times of crisis.
  • Emergency response – In times of natural disaster or civil conflict, the organization provides food, medical care, education, and support throughout the recovery process.
  • Health and nutrition – Save the Children works to make quality maternal and reproductive healthcare, newborn and child healthcare, nutrition education, adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare, and emergency healthcare available to impoverished communities.
  • HIV/AIDS – the organization offers prevention education programs to stop the spread of AIDS beyond the 3.4 million children currently living with the disease. They also offer protection programs to children orphaned by the disease.
  • Hunger and livelihoods – its hunger and livelihood programs focus on increasing food supply, educating farmers to produce higher yields, teaching parents the benefits of a varied diet, and teaching children how to manage money and find work.

The organization is recognized by regulatory services as a leader among nonprofit organizations; The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) awarded it an A+ rating. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has determined that Save the Children meets all of the standards for charity accountability. Charity Navigator awarded Save the Children their 11th consecutive overall 4 out of 4 stars rating in 2012. The Forbes 200 Largest U.S. Charities List rated the organization’s fundraising efficiency at 92%, and their charitable commitment at 91%. Great Nonprofits named them the recipient of a 2012 Top-Rated Award. And America’s Greatest Brands featured Save the Children as one of the strongest and most trusted humanitarian relief and development philanthropies.

The amazing work being done by Save the Children can be multiplied even further by charitable contributions to their Global Action Fund. To make a donation, please visit the Global Action Fund webpage.

– Dana Johnson

Source: Save the Children, Global Action Fund

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Adopt an ECD

Adopt an ECD
Early childhood development (ECD) is an aspect of life that kids in Africa can’t afford to take for granted. Only 43% of children under five in South Africa have access to these crucial programs either at home or in a specialized center. Exposing children to ECD programs is an important factor in their ability to grow into intelligent adults, and also plays a crucial role in lifting them out of poverty.

To change the vicious cycle of poverty, the National Development Agency is launching the Adopt an ECD campaign to allow more kids the chance to participate in early childhood development programs. The most prevalent reason children do not have access to these programs is because their families simply cannot afford them. And without early childhood development programs, most kids will grow up without the education and skills necessary to raise themselves out of poverty, thus continuing the cycle.

The Adopt an ECD campaign allows individuals and organizations to donate money, supplies, or work hours to help create more accessible programs for kids. The donations will go toward building new schools and daycare centers, buying school supplies, or renovating buildings to be more child-friendly. When individuals and businesses help contribute to the campaign, they are not only helping educate children, they’re also helping end global poverty.

– Katie Brockman

Source: Mail & Guardian
Photo: World Vision

China Wins Influence Through Aid

China Wins Influence Through Aid
Schools. Roads. Hospitals. For Westerners contributing to foreign aid in Africa, these elements of infrastructure may seem like opportunities for foreign aid to meet basic needs. For China, however, these are strategic investments in Africa’s potential for bilateral trade.

Over the last twenty years, China has dramatically increased foreign aid to Africa. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China increased funding for aid from $5.6 billion in 1990 to $21.8 billion in 2007. In 2009, China disbursed around $1.4 billion in aid to Africa alone.

Experts say that China’s increasing presence on the African continent is a strategic move to gain access to vast natural resources. For example, China has invested more than $400 million dollars in Zambia alone, where coal mines have provided both employment opportunities and resources. Similar contracts have been made with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which would heavily benefit Chinese railway and mining companies.

While Western foreign aid often addresses basic needs like food, water, shelter, and health, Chinese aid has provided funding for projects that Western aid agencies are reluctant to give money to infrastructure and local projects. Whereas foreign aid from the United States is often accompanied by economic and political conditions, Chinese aid is given without any strings attached.

Much of China’s aid also addresses education, setting the stage for an industrial and manufacturing based Africa. Last year former Chinese President Hu Jintao announced that over the next three years, an “African Talents Program” would offer 18,000 scholarships to Chinese universities and train 30,000 Africans in a number of sectors.

China’s full aid volume remains unclear, as the Chinese government considers this amount a state secret, lack of transparency that stands in harsh contrast with Western aid agencies. Furthermore, much of the aid provided is in the form of loans. Carol Lancaster, the fellow at the Center for Global Development, writes that the pressing question for many is this: “Will Chinese aid discourage needed economic and political reforms in African countries?”

However, for those who are treated at the China-Zambia Friendship Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, one of a number of Chinese projects in key African countries, aid is aid and needs are being met. As for the education programs, assistant dean at Tsinghua University Meng Bo says, the biggest impact is hoped to be for students from politically unstable countries like Somalia. “We believe in the long run [alumni] will all contribute to different academic and professional relations between the two countries.”

According to Lin Jing, Counselor of the African Department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China’s relationship with Africa is not just economic, but “that of moral obligation.” China’s soft power may present a challenge to the Western world, but China’s increasing influence through aid is an opportunity for East-West collaboration to address global poverty and underdevelopment in Africa.

– Naomi Doraisamy

Source: BBC,Center for Global Development,Center for Strategic International Studies,Guardian,The New York Times

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Four Steps to Ending Child Marriage

end-child-marriage

Ending the practice of child marriage is an important step in eradicating global poverty and improving global health. Countries that have a high rate of documented child marriages also rank high in infant and maternal mortality as well as perpetual poverty. Here are some key steps to ending the practice:

  1. Transform cultural norms; In many places, child marriages are considered acceptable no matter the age or age difference between prospective spouses.
  2. Establish community-based programs; Often, the groups that are the most effective in combating such issues are already rooted in the affected communities. Such grassroots efforts, when combined with enforced national laws and policies that prohibit child marriage can greatly decrease them.
  3. Increase education; Girls who have access to education are less likely to marry early than those with minimal or no schooling. Even girls who are married, however, should be to encourage their education. This will help to make them more qualified for any economic opportunities that may come their way.
  4. Provide economic opportunity; Many girls enter into marriage at a young age because of the dowry given to their family by their prospective groom. Young women are also sometimes forced into marriage by their families when they can no longer afford to take care of them, or when it appears that the groom’s family will be able to better provide for her. Thus, practices such as micro-lending, savings clubs, and job placement programs can provide other options.

– Samantha Mauney

Source: ICRW
Photo: Sulekha