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The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis

migrant_crisis
At the start of July 2015, plans were announced for Britain to spend more than 300 million pounds in international aid, which is targeted towards Syria and the Sahel Region of Africa and includes countries such as South Sudan, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Nigeria. The money is supposed to help stabilize the lives of people in those regions in order to relieve the Mediterranean migrant crisis by reducing the influx of migrants traveling to the European Union, especially to Italy and Greece.

As the Washington Post states, migrants flee from their home countries to Europe because of poverty, civil war, violence and political instability. The largest number of migrants by boats are Syrians, who are attempting to flee from a civil war which has left over 200,000 dead and more than 4 million displaced. The second greatest number of refugees comes from Eritrea, which is suffering from economic issues, a repressive government and forced conscription. A large number of migrants also come from Libya, Mali and Nigeria.

As of May 2015, the U.N. estimated that over 60,000 migrants crossed over the Mediterranean Sea since the start of 2015, and another 1,800 died during the crossing.

The journey across the Mediterranean by boat is very perilous, and migrants cross because they have no other choice. They normally pay a smuggler who forces them into an old and unreliable boat (sometimes at gunpoint) and often leaves the boat halfway across the Mediterranean, relying on rescue teams from Italy and other E.U. countries to get the migrants safely to shore.

Some blame the rescue teams for the influx of immigrants. While it is true that large numbers of people attempt the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in order to migrate into Europe — there were 220,000 unauthorized immigrants in Europe in 2014 — the rescue teams are not to blame for the large numbers of people attempting the crossing. Since Italy shut down its Mare Nostrum rescue program last October, numbers of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean remained about the same. However, the death toll jumped dramatically. From January to April 2014, only 96 died while crossing the Mediterranean, compared to 1,500 during the first four months of 2015.

Nevertheless, some are still convinced that rescue teams are responsible for the higher number of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean, and the situation has led to the rise of the far-right in Europe, especially in Italy and France, where levels of anti-immigrant rhetoric are high.

In reality, migrants only try to cross the Mediterranean because they do not have another choice. As one migrant put it, “We are between hell and the deep blue sea.”

Britain hopes that the money it is adding to the international aid budget will help lower the number of migrants by increasing political stability in regions that are suffering. However, even if Britain’s plan works, it is still unsure what will happen to those who have already migrated to Europe. There were plans to relocate 40,000 Italian and Greek refugees to other parts of Europe, but those plans appear to have stalled due to anti-immigrant sentiments.

– Ashrita Rau

Sources: Express, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Independent, The Atlantic
Photo: The Guardian

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New Training for Global Health Workers Announced by USAID

New Training for Global Health Workers Announced-TBPThe top government agency in the United States working toward ending global poverty announced a revolutionary online training tool for frontline global health workers earlier this month.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) unveiled a free and readily accessible resource for mobile devices that have an Internet connection. The training tool, named “ORB,” is the first of its kind.

The launch follows criticism of USAID by a panel comprised of business and development leaders last year. Mainly, the panel cited the agency for management problems, including insufficient coordination, accountability and progress-measuring data collection.

In April, Representative Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) introduced H.R. 1567 in an effort to ensure that Congress is doing all it can to assist USAID in saving impoverished lives around the world. The bill, which was unanimously approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would compel USAID to create clear, measurable and transparent goals.

In addition, the bill calls for an approach that would “improve nutritional outcomes, especially for women and children.” More than 6 million children under 5 years of age die from preventable and treatable causes every year, with more than half of these deaths attributed to malnutrition. For developing countries encountering these issues, global health workers are the primary, and sometimes only, source of healthcare, but they often lack the necessary training and support.

This is where the new USAID training comes in. The tool consists of a library of over 200 resources in 13 different languages that can help train health workers all over the world. The agency is anticipating the library will be able to support up to 100,000 frontline global health workers by 2017 with its easy-to-use, open source content.

The hope is that the new USAID training will improve the quality and reach of previous training efforts, leading to more knowledgeable, confident workers who will then alter the outcome of health matters for the more than 10 million women and children they currently service.

– Matt Wotus

Sources: The Library of Congress, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, USAID 1, USAID 2
Photo: USAID

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What is International Aid & Why Should We Care?

What is International Aid
What is International Aid? International aid is any form of needed assistance by one country, or multilateral institution, to another.

Aid is most commonly provided as official developmental assistance (ODA), which targets poverty reduction and the promotion of public welfare and economic development. The World Food Programme and the United Nations are examples of international organizations that provide significant amounts of aid to developing countries.

Investing in foreign aid is a just cause. The leading U.S. Government agency, USAID, alone saves more than 3 million lives each year through immunization programs. Over 850,000 people are educated about HIV prevention annually through USAID, and 40,000 have been trained to protect their countries for the long-term. Other forms of lasting education strategies include USAID’s population program, which serves more than 50 million couples worldwide, and USAID land cultivation training in Honduras that helps 21,000 families to practice subsistence farming and has reduced soil erosion by 70,000 tons.

Foreign aid is not just giving away money and resources; it means making a concerted attempt to restructure sectors in need of improvement. USAID invested $15 million in technical assistance for developing countries’ energy sectors, which created a $50 billion annual market for private power.

With all this good, would it surprise you that U.S. foreign assistance uses less than 1% of the total federal budget?

Less than 1% of the U.S. total federal budget values to about $50 billion. In comparison, the U.S. military defense budget totals to about $663 billion. To put this in per capita terms, The Guardian calculated that the U.S. spends $73 per person on aid and $1,763 per person on defense.

In 1970, The U.S. joined the ranks of many other wealthy nations with plans to give 0.7% of their gross national income as ODA. Of the twenty-three players, only five succeeded in 2011,and the U.S. was not one of them.

The U.S. gave 0.2% of their net ODA.

But why is this even a problem?

Other countries with fewer capabilities are doing more than their part while the U.S. is falling short. Public perception plays a huge role in how the budget is made and, subsequently, the degree of U.S. involvement in global aid. Americans, on average, estimated 28% of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid. Four in ten Americans also believe aid is given remotely, allowing the recipient to use it as they see fit. As a result, few people vote for budget increases.

In actuality, most U.S. foreign aid is issued to a specific issue and program with clear endpoints.

Most commonly, Americans believe foreign aid to be a waste of resources. Who does the money help and in what ways? In fact, it helps both the recipient and donor.

International aid strengthens national security, garners international support and establishes diplomatic ties between the donor and recipient countries.

Today, the donor-consumer relationship is far more influential than ever because developing countries and economies are in transition. Africa’s net growth momentum, for example, is expected to continue to rise with GDP growth increasing from 4.6% in 2015 to 4.9% in 2016. Home to five of the world’s twelve fastest growing economies, the supercontinent hosts a growing middle class and large youth population. While Africa’s political and economic history promises a challenge, its potential is enormous.

– Lin Sabones

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, UN, The Guardian, OECD, USAID, CNBC
Photo: Flickr

Nepal Earthquake Causes Economy to Tremble

nepal
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Nepal, turning buildings into ruins and killing nearly 5,900, has serious monetary implications. With the cost of reconstruction standing at $5 billion, it is evident the economic aftershocks will continue to be felt for years to come.

Frantic rescue workers, faces caked with ash and dust, carried a victim on a stretcher following the collapse of Dharara tower in Kathmandu, Nepal. Omar Havana, a freelance photographer for Getty Images, watched from afar.

“I try to be as human as I can be,” Havana said. “It’s hard not to be overwhelmed [by] what’s in front of my eyes: a hand appearing from the debris, a mother hold[ing] her baby. I’m just trying to tell the story of the people and the damage caused to the city.”

This damage, captured in pictures of destroyed homes and displaced children, could nearly paralyze the landlocked mountain country’s economy. The U.S. Geological Survey even estimates losses could exceed Nepal’s $20 billion annual gross domestic product.

Centuries-old temples and palace squares, once meccas for travelers, have been turned into dust. Tourism, which accounts for eight percent of Nepal’s economy, is likely to nosedive as high-end hikers and backpackers cancel vacations.

The seven percent of the workforce involved in the tourism sector will also feel these aftershocks, left unemployed and homeless in one of Asia’s poorest countries.

“Imagine the Due Torri in Bologna or the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. crumbling into rubble,” Saurav Rana, World Bank Group consultant, said of the destruction. “The loss has been demoralizing.”

Critical foreign investment plans are also being halted. A Chinese funded hydroelectric dam near the Himalayas, a $1.6 billion project, has been placed on the back burner.

Coca-Cola Company bottling plants in Kathmandu and Bharatpur have been temporarily shutdown. Stalling output will only worsen the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 40 percent.

“It has been one of the worst scenes I’ve witnessed in my life,” Havana said.

For those in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, rampant power outages and constant rain have left camps of families unnerved and dejected. Rural areas, where nearly 80 percent of Nepalis live, remain buried under landslides, inaccessible to rescue workers.

With the wet monsoon season a month away, many fear abject conditions and destroyed infrastructure will only foment an increased number of dysentery, cholera and hepatitis cases. Crowded camps, limited supplies and scarce drinking water will also put a strain on health care centers.

So far, the Asian Development Bank, a regional multilateral lender, has pledged $200 million to fund the first phase of rehabilitation. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also announced that the U.S. has pledged $10 million.

Though this aid could have a sizable impact on the small country, analysts are doubting the government’s capacity to revive Nepal’s economy. Political discord could compromise rehabilitation.

“It’s not only money that you need for reconstruction, but also human knowledge and a functioning government,” said Ilan Noy, an expert on the economics of disasters at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. “Nepal belongs to a category of countries where it’s unclear whether the ability to execute reconstruction will be sufficient.”

– Lauren Stepp

Sources: NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The World Bank, TIME
Photo: Rebecca Katherine

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5 Ways to Help Nepal

help nepal
Are you ready to help Nepal? The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Nepal on April 25, and its multiple aftershocks, has taken over 4,000 lives so far. That number is only expected to rise with the thousands of wounded needing medical aid.

Once the worst of the devastation has passed, the people of Nepal will face many hardships rebuilding their country and their lives. While many of the nation’s closest neighbors are traveling to Nepal to provide direct aid, the best an average American citizen can do is give money.

“It’s usually better to give money than stuff after a disaster because it gives charities more flexibility to address the immediate needs of the affected communities,” Jacob Harold, president and CEO of GuideStar, a company that maintains a database of 2.2 million IRS-recognized nonprofits, said.

Here is a list of reliable nonprofits that are accepting donations to be spent on relief efforts:

  • Save the Children: This organization has actually had programs in Nepal since the 70’s. It plans to save 10 percent of what it receives for future natural disasters.
  • Doctors without Borders: This organization is sending various medical teams to Nepal, including one that will perform surgeries. These doctors are traveling from all over the world and a donation will make sure that those in need receive medical attention.
  • The American Red Cross: The Red Cross has donated $300,000 to this disaster and that amount is just its initial monetary contribution. This organization encourages the public to not only donate on its website, but to also find a donation link on iTunes. It also recommends taking to social media to spread the word about the cause.
  • Global Giving: This organization plans to raise at least one million dollars for the people of Nepal. Aside from donating on its website, $10 donations are also accepted by texting GIVE NEPAL to 80088.
  • Social Media: Facebook has put up a link to donate on its front page, and the company is matching donations up to two million dollars. The hashtag #SupportNepal is also being used to spread awareness. The Red Cross is posting updates on the dire situation on both its Facebook and Twitter pages, and recommends clicking “Share” to raise awareness.

– Melissa Binns

Sources: Maria Shriver, Red Cross Chat, TIME
Photo: flickr

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International Social Service

international social service
Founded by a group of women in 1924, the International Social Service, or ISS, has since set out to mobilize a domestic and international network of legal and social work professionals. By efficiently connecting the vulnerable to various services, they can get the support they need.

ISS’s main focus is on international aid. It assists those who are overcoming personal or family difficulties that have resulted from voluntary or forced migration, as well as other social problems. It also contributes to the prevention of social problems linked to migration and inter-country mobility. Through its work, ISS tries to develop and maintain an international network of bodies to meet the needs of individuals and families who require its services.

In order to take complete advantage of aid, ISS conducts studies on the conditions and consequences of migration. It then uses its findings to make recommendations to countries that might find the information useful, or undertake any other appropriate action.

ISS has separate services that are specially designed for kids and adults since both require different types of aid. The services for both groups emphasize safety and well-being, while the services targeting children also focuses on permanency.

In 2014, to increase the effectiveness of its support, ISS partnered with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB focuses on issues such as religious liberty, marriage and family, justice, peace, human development, migration and refugees. These areas help ISS with its aid.

ISS is an organization set out to help those who are unjustly forced to move from their homes and given no other option than to migrate. The troubles faced by those migrants are unforgiving and daunting. ISS hopes to help those in need and also improve the way individuals can help those in need by conducting and learning from studies.

– Erik Nelson

Sources: International Social Service 1, International Social Service 2, International Social Service 3, International Social Service 4, International Social Service 5, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Photo: Daily Mail

Hunger in The Gambia

hunger in the gambia
The smallest country in continental Africa,The Gambia, is among the continent’s least developed and poorest nations. Over half of Gambians live on less than two dollars a day, which makes it very difficult to acquire adequate food provisions for themselves and for their families.

Making that quest even more difficult is the fact that The Gambia’s economy relies on agriculture, yet food production only accounts for 60 percent of the population’s estimated need. The government imports large amounts of food to meet the remaining need of its people, but an agricultural economy vulnerable to the effects of subpar harvests and unpredictable weather means that the government often cannot import enough food to meet 100 percent of the need.

The Gambia is surrounded on three sides by Senegal, thus the limited coastline lends to a lacking fishing industry. Because of a lack of fish processing and a selling of infrastructure, fish are typically sold to companies who have the capacity to keep them fresh and the facilities to sell them, rather than using the fish to feed the Gambian population.

However, the tourism and nut industries are growing in The Gambia, giving the country a bit more wealth with which to take care of its people. Unfortunately, rates of hunger remain high. In at least one of The Gambia’s five geographical regions, three-quarters of the population face the effects of severe malnutrition due to long-standing hunger.

International humanitarian efforts, such as those orchestrated by the United Nations’ World Food Programme, have been somewhat successful in working with the Gambian government to implement sustainable feeding programs.

By assessing what methods have been successful in other countries and modifying them to fit The Gambia’s unique needs, those who have established food aid in this country have created programs that have not only provided food to the hungry, but have also completely prevented hunger within some families.

What’s most important about food aid in The Gambia, though, is that humanitarian organizations have been careful to transfer their knowledge and to teach necessary skills to the Gambians themselves. If aid continues to be this sustainable and effective, hunger in The Gambia has potential to decline measurably.

– Elise L. Riley

Sources: World Food Programme, World Bank, All Africa
Photo: Action Aid

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Food Crisis in South Sudan Escalates

South Sudan’s Food Crises
South Sudan urgently needs $230 million in international aid in less than 60 days, the United Nations Humanitarian Aid Coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, forewarned. Without the international food aid, South Sudan may face a fate similar to Ethiopia’s famine in the 1980s, when hundreds of thousands died.

“We’re in a race against time,” said the U.N. coordinator Lanzer to journalists in Geneva. According to The New York Times, Lanzer had only one message to world leaders: “Invest now or pay later.”

With 3.7 million people on the brink of starvation in South Sudan, the U.N. now ranks its food crisis equivalent to Syria’s current predicament. Lanzer appealed for the most critical needs, such as food, water, seeds and farming tools, so that the South Sudanese will be able to plant the seeds before the start of the rainy season in late May.

“I am angry because we don’t have food to eat,” Nyadang told The New York Times. The mother of five does not object to the war itself, as her own brother was killed in Juba, capital of South Sudan, where government troops have been linked to civilian arrests and massacres.

Leaders of U.N. humanitarian aid agencies estimate that close to 255,000 South Sudanese have escaped to nearby countries, approximately 76,000 people sought refuge at U.N. bases across the nation and over 800,000 were driven away from their homes by the hostility that exploded in mid-December of 2013, when South Sudan President Salva Kiir claimed his former vice president, Riek Machar, attempted to overthrow the government.

“The (U.N) is seeking $1.27 billion for South Sudan for 2014, but received only $385 million in the first quarter of 2014, less even than in the equivalent period of 2013,” reported The New York Times.

“Already over one million people have been displaced and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance,” wrote David Crawford, Oxfam’s Acting Country Director for South Sudan, on the Oxfam website.

South Sudan is rich with oil, but also one of the world’s poorest nations. She became independent from Sudan in 2011. In spite of the peace deal after 20 years of civil war, the remaining grievances were not adequately dealt with. Abdul Mohammed, an African Union official told CS Monitor that the roots of conflict lay in South Sudan’s inability to unify the various ethnic groups in its nation building efforts.

In addition, those from the south have a deep-seated resentment over the lack of development in their poverty stricken region and blamed the northern Sudan government for taking their oil money.

While this is the first time South Sudan will face a major food crisis, Lanzer noted that the internal conflict has wreaked substantial harm on its already unstable and agriculture-based economy, drastically affected trade and slashed the production of oil down by 50 percent.

“The hostilities need to cease to give people the confidence to tend their land,” he added.

António Guterres, head of the U.N. refugee agency, visited west Ethiopia, where 90,000 South Sudanese fled to escape the violence. He told The New York Times, “The physical and psychological condition of these people is shocking. This is a tragedy I had hoped I would not see again.”

– Flora Khoo

Sources: New York Times 1, New York Times 2, Oxfam, CS Monitor, MLive
Photo: United Nations

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U.S. Foreign Aid Facts

U.S. Foreign Aid
With all the attention in the United States focused on the economy and the government’s fiscal decisions, people are finally noticing the vast amount of pork barrel spending that occurs every year. Wasted government dollars are spent on projects of no significance while Congress still refuses to extend unemployment insurance benefits.  This intense scrutiny of U.S. spending usually finds its way over to the International Affairs Budget.

According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Americans think 28% of the budget goes to foreign aid. Many are shocked to find that the real number is close to 1%! The same poll also found out that when people learn the truth, it changes their opinions.  When asked if the U.S. spends too much on foreign aid, 61% said “too much” while 13% said “too little.”  When asked the same question after learning the true proportion, just 30% said “too much” while 28% said “too little.”

Education must continue to dispel any myths about U.S. foreign aid and fight ignorance with facts.  Here are some facts about U.S. foreign aid that could help you in your crusade!

  • Nearly 3 billion people worldwide have received assistance from United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • U.S. foreign aid dictates future agriculture export totals; 43 of the top 50 consumers of American agriculture products are past recipients
  • Over 3 million lives are saved every year due to USAID health programs
  • Largely due to USAID programs, the world has observed a 10 percent reduction in infant mortality in just eight years
  • USAID family planning programs has seen the children per family average decrease from 6.1 to 4.2 in just 50 years in participating nations.
  • The number of democratic nations in the world grew from 58 to 115 between 1980 and 1995.  The U.S. provided assistance to 36 newly formed nations during this period.

U.S. foreign aid is a wonderful tool of diplomacy that promotes democracy and security throughout the world.  Investments are made in economic development, education and social services, health, humanitarian assistance, environment, governance, and security.  For further ammunition and a complete breakdown of U.S. foreign aid investments and their results, visit USAID’s results page.

– Sunny Bhatt

Sources: Washington Post, USAID, USAID
Photo: Ozy

ACDI/VOCA Eradicates Economic Endangerment

ACDI/VOCA Eradicates Economic Endangerment

ACDI/ VOCA is an organization dedicated to making financial stability accessible to individuals across the globe, regardless of their socio-economic status. One look at its name doesn’t tell a reader much, but the name of this organization is just as peculiar in appearance as it is rich in meaning.

The name dates back to 1977, referring to the merger of the Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI) and the Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA).

ACDI, as its own entity, sought to develop joint ventures around the world that indicate the values present in sustainable dual ownership, democratic leadership, and economic sustainability. Some of ACDI’s most notable accomplishments include the founding of the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO), re-institutionalizing collective banking in Poland, contributing to food aid monetization in several countries, and creating business-oriented farming practices in Ethiopia and Malawi.

Migrating from an exclusively “co-op” focus, ACDI began to pay greater attention to economic developments in agriculture, food security, enterprise development, poverty alleviation, and inside-out community development.

In VOCA’s circles, before the two organizations merged, the implementation of the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program was at the cornerstone of their advocacy. Over 11,00 assignments were carried out in 130 countries under this program, providing a short-term experience as building blocks for long-term development.

Once 1977 rolled around, these two international economic organizations saw it fit to join forces.

This new partnership allowed for a unique mix of ACDI’s long-term development initiatives and VOCA’s close attention to individual experience. Together, they cultivated healthy economic communities that valued each citizen—and created a system to last. For the sake of ease (and thankfully), the two organizations decided to shorten their name to an acronym and became ACDI/VOCA (pronounced A-C-D-I- Vōca.)

ACDI/VOCA describes themselves as follows:

“[We blend] business and technical acumen with humanitarian concern. Having worked in 145 countries, [we have] established a reputation for implementing successful, large-scale projects addressing the most pressing and intractable development challenges. [Our] approach does not rely on short-term interventions or supply-driven technology transfer directed at single problems in isolation. Rather it looks at problems holistically and taps an array of resources to provide lasting results.”

Funding for ACDI/VOCA comes mostly from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and private sector firms, among others.

– Kali Faulwetter

Source: ACDI/VOCA
Photo: ACDI/VOCA