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How You Can Help the People of Estonia

Help the People of EstoniaEstonia is a crucial ally for the United States in the modern age. On March 29, 2004, Estonia joined NATO as a means to strengthen their position in the world and form stronger international relations with the West. Since then, the United States, as well as many other key NATO members, have maintained a strong presence in Estonia to guarantee the nation’s security.

To help the people of Estonia, it is important to consider how to improve the state of their home lives. There are a lot of charitable groups that donate to help displaced children and young mothers.

Caritas Estonia is a valuable organization in Estonia which dedicates itself to improving the lives of vulnerable Estonian women. Their approach to helping the people of Estonia is to provide the support necessary to empower underage mothers and pregnant teenagers to participate and advance in the Estonian workforce.

Another organization working to strengthen Estonian families is SOS Children’s Villages (SOS CV). The organization started in 1992, shortly after Estonia gained its independence from Russia. SOS CV offers a valuable service to the most vulnerable 20 percent of Estonia’s population: it’s children. SOS CV provides homes for children whose parents can no longer afford to house them.

How can you help the people of Estonia? Browse the websites of these organizations to learn more about the work they do. You can donate your time and money to a worthy cause helping to strengthen the Estonian workforce and care for children in Estonia.

You can also email Congress via The Borgen Project’s website. The Borgen Project is an American organization whose purpose is to lobby U.S. Congress to implement policy changes to help reduce poverty around the globe.

These are just a few ways how you can help the people of Estonia.

– Tim Sherwood

Photo: Flickr

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Refugee Crisis: Helping People in Hungary Through Technology

Hungary_refugee

Though the European refugee crisis has largely faded from the international media’s spotlight, thousands of asylum-seekers continue to enter Europe by any means possible with the hopes of starting a new life. In the face of this ongoing humanitarian crisis, the Hungarian grassroots organization Migration Aid has harnessed the power of social media as a means of delivering aid and guidance to thousands of refugees.

Migration Aid was founded in June 2015, at the height of the European refugee crisis, by a handful of concerned citizens in Budapest that desired to help people in Hungary. The organization originated as a closed group on Facebook, which was utilized as a virtual planning board for orchestrating aid delivery, which included food and supplies distribution. The organization also consisted of various specialty groups with coordinators assigned to handle legal matters, storage, logistics and any other issues. Migration Aid set up centers in the railway stations of Budapest and the surrounding area and quickly grew to over 600 volunteers.

Two years have elapsed since the group’s inception, during which time Migration Aid has helped feed, clothe and provide direction to thousands of refugees, but the situation faced by asylum-seekers in Hungary remains extremely tenuous. Hungary’s geographic location has forced the country into a major role in the crisis, as it is a popular by-way for migrants hoping to settle further afield from the Middle East in Northern and Western Europe. Between January and August of 2017, 2,491 asylum applications were registered in Hungary alone.

The European Union has endeavored to establish a comprehensive and effective means of responding to what has become the largest global displacement crisis since World War II. In September 2015, the European Commission announced a minimum quota of refugees that each EU member country would be expected to host, with the intention of fairly distributing the burden of providing for the record numbers of migrants streaming into the continent. It was also in September 2015 that Hungary closed its borders to refugees, and began strictly limiting their movement throughout the country.

Furthermore, Hungarian officials have resisted compliance with the quotas and policies made obligatory for all members of the EU. In March 2017, the Hungarian government implemented a law requiring that all refugees whose asylum applications were pending be housed in detention centers. When it was discovered that the housing units available at these detention centers were comprised of shipping containers and that refugees were being forced to pay for their stay, the United Nations refugee agency urged the E.U. to stop sending asylum seekers to Hungary, declaring this mandatory detention a violation of international law that guarantees people access to asylum.

Additionally, Viktor Mihály Orbán, a Hungarian politician, petitioned the European Commission President to exempt Hungary from the migrant relocation quotas, a request which was denied and earned the Hungarian government a lawsuit for failure to comply.

In the face of the conditions now being imposed on refugees, Migration Aid has developed new strategies to help people in Hungary. Recognizing the need for information dissemination pertaining to the new laws and regulations, the organization developed a new application named InfoAid, which seeks to provide information to asylum-seekers in their native language. According to Migration Aid’s website, the InfoAid app seeks to provide the following types of information:

  • what rules apply to them
  • where they can receive care
  • what is going on in transport
  • where there is safe drinking water in Hungary
  • where and how they should buy train tickets
  • where they can receive medical care
  • how they should collect the waste they generate
  • where, when and why they have to register and what exactly it involves

The InfoAid app supplies information in English, Arabic, Urdu and Farsi. Migration Aid is currently seeking the help of volunteer translators so that they can keep up with the need for translated information, as well as expand their offerings to include Greek and Pashto.

Thanks to internet technology, anyone around the world with relevant language skills wondering how to help people in Hungary can act as an invaluable source of aid by donating their time and skills. More information about volunteering can be found on Migration Aid’s official website, or on the Facebook page.

For individuals desirous of contributing but who lack the language skills required to volunteer, Migration Aid also accepts monetary donations, which are fundamental to the organization’s ability to help people in Hungary. Now more than ever, the innovative and progressive efforts that this organization continues to make on behalf of refugees in Hungary is a tremendous source of hope and comfort to many.

– Savannah Bequeaith

Photo: Flickr

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How to Help People in Laos

How to Help People in LaosMore than half of the population in Laos lives below the poverty line. This is one of the highest statistics of poverty in the world. Unfortunately, a massive proportion of these individuals are children. Children living in poverty in Laos frequently do not have access to healthcare or education. This is one of the biggest humanitarian issues facing Laos, but, of course, there are also many others. Here is how to help people in Laos, especially children:

Firstly, you can donate or contribute to a variety of organizations that do work in the region. SOS Children’s Villages International is an organization that works to protect the rights of children in Laos and other countries. They focus on providing quality emotional and physical care to children who have lost their families or are not in a position to stay with their families. You can sponsor a child or a village, or make a one-time donation.

Care is another organization that works in Laos, among many other countries. Care’s goals are to cut poverty off at the root by providing substantial and sustainable change to those who are most vulnerable to poverty, hunger and disease. They also provide emergency relief when necessary. Care accepts donations.

ChildFund Australia is another organization that works to secure children’s rights and promote community development. They work in a variety of countries, including Laos. ChildFund Australia puts 78 percent of all funds towards program expenditures in the countries they work in. They accept donations and allow you to sponsor a child.

There are a lot of other nonprofit organizations that work to protect children’s rights in Laos, but these are a few of the largest. Whichever of these organizations you donate, volunteer, or contribute to, the people in Laos need all the help they can get. Now you know what to say the next time someone asks how to help people in Laos.

– Liyanga De Silva

Photo: Flickr

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Four Ways to Help People in Zambia

Help People in ZambiaZambia – a Sub-Saharan African nation that has the largest copper industry and is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World – is one of the poorest nations in the world. Despite its beautiful Victoria Falls attraction and other scenery, 60 percent of Zambia’s population (16 million people) live below the poverty line.

Five million people in Zambia do not have access to safe water, and eight million of their people do not have access to sufficient sanitation. These cause diarrheal diseases and often death for children under five. Aside from physical health deterioration, many kids do not get the proper schooling, which in turn makes it more difficult to get jobs in the future to financially stabilize themselves and their families. This is a major concern for Zambia, with more then half of the nation living below the poverty line. Luckily, there are many easy ways to help people in Zambia.

Donate
One way to help the people in Zambia is to donate. There are multiple organizations that accept donations which go directly to Zambia. An organization called Children’s International uses donations to pay for school uniforms, supplies, scholarships, tutoring and medications that are inaccessible to people in Zambia. Children’s International also works with setting kids up for employment by holding mock interviews, resumé building workshops as well building both workplace and technical skills.

Sponsor
Another way to help those suffering in Zambia is to sponsor a child. An organization called Children International works to create a better environment for kids to grow up in by running a sponsorship. Sponsoring a child in Zambia would allow Children International to continue to provide education and healthcare to children in need.

Hands-On Volunteering
For those looking to get first-hand experience acting on the poverty crisis in Zambia, you can join one of the many organizations that work hands-on in the country. One of the best ways to help people in Zambia is to volunteer your time on the ground. One organization that works in Zambia to create sanitation facilities throughout the country is called Water Aid. In 2016, Water Aid was able to provide 61,000 people with safe water and 62,000 people with better sanitation.

Support the Bill
Another way to help people in Zambia is to be a voice by supporting the AGOA & MCA Modernization Act. If passed, the bill will authorize the Millenium Challenge Corporation to operate concurrent economic compacts in other countries, including Zambia. Contacting members of congress by phone or email to let them know you support the bill is an easy way to help out those in Zambia. The people in Zambia are not able to provide a voice for themselves, but others have the ability to stand up for them.

Donating, sponsoring a child, volunteering and supporting the AGOA & MCA Modernization Act are all fantastic ways to get involved and help the people of Zambia. The more people willing to help, the sooner Zambia can start to see its citizens being lifted out of poverty.

– Chloe Turner

Photo: Flickr

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How to Help People in Moldova

How to Help People in Moldova

Finding out how to help people in Moldova does not necessarily require a singular approach. But whatever the method, it must be efficient, as a press release from The World Bank highlighted it as “one of the poorest countries in Europe.” Over 5 percent of the country’s people endure extreme impoverishment, and its administration “pledges to take out of poverty over 150,000 men and women” by the year 2020.

The United States AID explorer page marks the country as lower-middle income. For 2015, U.S. disbursements to the nation reached over $136 million, with its top sector focusing on agriculture. Furthermore, 11 percent of these U.S. funds took the form of military aid, while the rest fell under the economic umbrella.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released an analysis with potential growth changes needed to help Moldovans have a better quality of life. It broke down the needs into categories with the percentage of growth for each:

  • More decent jobs (89 percent)
  • Higher and fair pensions and social benefits (64 percent)
  • A reliable justice system (36 percent)
  • Access to high quality health services (36 percent)
  • Promotion of a healthy lifestyle (24 percent)
  • Investment in infrastructure (22 percent)
  • Transparent governance (20-21 percent)

UNDP mentioned that with U.N. support, the National Bureau of Statistics would consult with those “from vulnerable groups” in the spring of this year to allow better evaluations of “the complexity of poverty phenomenon and its dimensions, given that economic indicators…are not always in line with those experiences and perceptions of people…”.

The World Bank named some of the highlights from the Moldova Poverty Assessment 2016:

Pensions
Pros: Increased income
Cons: There are better methods that benefit disadvantaged groups

Labor markets
Pros: “Contributed to the progress”
Cons: This progress occurred “mostly through productivity increases rather than job creation”

Because a significant part of confronting Moldova’s poverty revolves around the workforce, it is paramount to support legislation that addresses this. This may seem like a daunting task for ordinary people outside of the country to fulfill. But for those questioning how to help people in Moldova, supporting important legislation like the Economic Growth and Development Act—which strives for “market-based economic growth in developing countries”—can be one of the most effective methods in making headway.

– Maleeha Syed

Photo: Flickr

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How to Help People in Colombia

How to Help People in Colombia

Colombia is divided into two different realities: the modern urban areas and the poor rural zones. In numbers, 40 percent of the Colombian rural population lives in poverty, which means that these communities lack basic services such as schools, roads and food.

The most visible problems that this social inequality creates are the education gap between rural and urban areas and the high rural malnutrition rates. Here are some organizations and solutions about how to help people in Colombia.

The digital divide is one of the problems that affect Colombia, impeding the education in rural zones. According to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Colombia has one of the biggest gaps in internet access in rural zones. However, there are various organizations that are working to make this gap shorter.

One of them is Transformemos, a social organization that fights to provide education to vulnerable sectors. Among its achievements is the installation of 2,000 interactive rooms with a special education software that teaches general education. It has also implemented the first multilingual software in the country that has allowed education to indigenous communities.

Thanks to these efforts, Transformemos won the UNESCO Confucius Prize in 2012. Other organizations join the fight for education, such as Fundación Corona and Fundación Luker.

Another solution to reduce the gap in education is mobile applications. Eneza Education is an example of this advance. With its interactive multi-platform application, Eneza is already helping 2.6 million people in Africa. Technology like this can be adopted in rural areas in order to make education accessible and help people in Colombia.

Malnutrition still affects areas in Colombia, especially in places like La Guajira, home of the Wayú community. In this native settlement, 90 percent of the families have a cyclical food shortage. In addition, 2000 Wayú children under five years have severe problems of malnutrition, according to research conducted by El Tiempo.

The Foundation Wayuu Taya works for improving the living conditions of this indigenous community in the South American country. The organization accepts donations via its web page and it has also an online shop where it sells bags made by Wayú. All the resources it acquires help the Wayú community.

Fundación Pies Descalzos also provides better nutrition to children in poor communities, including the Wayú. It has developed a nutrition plan where the kids are able to have adequate levels of nutrition. The founder of this organization is the popular Colombian singer Shakira, who has also worked in other poor communities around the world.

The actual Colombian government struggles to erase the social inequality that exists between rural and urban zones. However, there are still problems that have to be resolved. The organizations and solutions presented above are ways to help people in Colombia, and the good news is that these foundations are looking for alternatives to reduce poverty in their country.

– Darío Ledesma

Photo: Flickr

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Three Ways to Help Alleviate Poverty in Brazil

Help People in BrazilThough Brazil boasts a strong economy, income disparity between the rich and poor is vast, and 3.7 percent of the total population lives in poverty. Much of the poverty in Brazil is concentrated in northern rural areas, where young people in particular feel the effects of poverty. In Northern Brazil, about 25 percent of all children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. This income disparity is partially due to unevenly distributed land, and high land prices make it difficult for small-scale farmers to compete in the market. In recent years, the government has undergone measures to correct this imbalance, including reducing taxation on farming, which has already begun to improve the welfare of rural poor.

Brazil has been very successful in alleviating much of its own poverty, in particular through a government program known as Bolsa Familia. Through Bolsa Familia, parents receive a monthly stipend in exchange for sending their children to school and to health checkups. Still, there is much to be done to ensure that the rural poor continue to thrive.

Here are just three ways to help people in Brazil:

  1. Sponsor a child. With young people in Brazil most harshly affected by income inequality, this may be one of the most effective ways to disrupt the cycle of poverty and help people in Brazil. For example, Child Fund International offers programs to sponsor individual children. This money goes toward supplying a child with food, clean water and education.
  2. Volunteer. There are many ways to volunteer time toward bettering conditions for people in Brazil. Project Favela, based out of Rio de Janeiro, is a volunteer-run organization which offers both schooling and after school care for poor children (and many adults as well) completely for free. Volunteers help teach English, science, math, reading, art, theatre and even coding.
  3. Encourage vocational training. CARE, a nonprofit organization based out of the UK, has had tremendous success addressing the structural causes of poverty in Brazil and encouraging rural schools to provide vocational training to its students. In addition, CARE has helped poor communities in Brazil develop sustainable business practices and has provided access to microfinance.

Though Brazil still struggles with inequality and poverty, it’s clear that, on its own, the country has made tremendous strides toward fixing its problems. With a bit of help, it can continue to bring down the poverty rate and build a better future for all its citizens.

– Audrey Palzkill

Photo: Flickr

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How to Help People in Togo Through Education

Help People in Togo

Togo is an African country that values education, even though “more than 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.” There is a need to help people in Togo receive proper education to prevent further poverty and to empower its women and youth. The different ways to help people in Togo revolve around these factors.

Accessible Education
Over the last decade, Togo has benefited from free basic education. Previously, a basic education was less accessible to children simply because their families could not afford the yearly fees. The efforts to help people in Togo ensure that families were not keeping their children out of school because of fees have continued to this day.

However, 20 percent of children still do not attend school and 30 percent must work to aid their families. Advocating for primary education to be a requirement for all Togolese children is the next step towards progress. Nonetheless, funding Togo’s schools ensures they will not be forced to charge families once again.

As for the quality of that education, it is crucial to hire adequate teachers who do not utilize child labor for the teacher’s own economic gain. Moreover, for the children’s safety and for a more effective learning environment, most buildings require extensive maintenance and infrastructure improvements. For example, many schools in Togo do not have electricity.

Efforts made by organizations partnered with Togo have seen improvement. Even with a standard class size of 80 children, non-government organizations have provided students with necessary materials and other forms of aid.

Empowerment
Providing adequate education allows Togo’s young adults to trust their own educated minds to help them make a difference in their country. This idea has already started to bear fruit, as a number of Togolese are working to foster innovation and healthful practices among their fellow citizens.

Sename Koffi Abdojinou founded WoeLab, an organization that utilizes renewable resources to create technology to help people in Togo. For example, a member named Afate Gnikou made a 3D printer out of e-waste alone.

Kokou Senamé, a youth from Togo, advocates for sexual education. He feels that youth leadership is vital and that youths should be able to educate one another about contraceptives. The voice of a peer is very impactful when it comes to topics with intense stigmas. Sexual education is extremely important in a country with about 120,000 people with HIV. Educating youths to use protection also helps prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Safe Childbirth
UN Women works to protect the life and health of pregnant women. In 2010, there were “287,000 maternal deaths…in Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Haiti, Mali, Niger and Togo.” Without proper healthcare and education, pregnancy puts mothers and their children at risk.

To help people in Togo, UN Women is advocating for adequate training for midwives and other health workers, ensuring a safer birthing process.

Empowering women to gain adequate knowledge regarding childbirth and child rearing is the first step towards alleviating poverty. Once Togolese mothers are properly cared for, they can advocate for their own children to value education and provide youths with the confidence to fight for change.

– Brianna White

Photo: Flickr

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How to Help People in Peru Out of Poverty

Help People in Peru

While the poverty rate in Peru has dropped over the last year, there are still people living without access to basic human necessities. There are several programs and organizations that help people in Peru by putting them in a position to live a better life.

In Peru, over 3 million people are living in poverty and over 5 million have no water resources, according to HELP International, a globally responsive organization. Over 40,000 more people have left poverty compared to last year, but the government is expecting a decrease of 3 percent this year because of floods resulting from El Niño earlier this year and a graft scandal that has halted public works.

The flooding caused by El Niño killed about a hundred people and damaged thousands of homes. Organizations in Peru like Save the Children and ADRA Peru have been working and accepting donations since then to help those affected.

Global Giving is another nonprofit organization resource that lists the specific needs of people in certain regions living in less than desirable conditions. On the Global Giving website, you can find a list of projects accepting donations for relief for the thousands that were forced to abandon their homes.

By giving help to people in Peru, you would be helping the one-third of Peru’s population that lives in poverty. This help goes a long way towards continuing the progress that Peru has made in its fight to reduce poverty.

– Jalil Perry

Photo: Flickr

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How to Help People in Tonga

Help People in Tonga

There are many ways to help people in Tonga thanks to the wide variety of organizations taking action and accepting donations from the public.

Here are a few of the organizations that are making changes and contributing to the well-being of citizens in Tonga.

  1. One of Tonga’s biggest struggles is its high threat for experiencing natural disasters. The Australian Red Cross works with the Tonga Red Cross to help provide relief to disaster victims who live in Tonga.
  2. A Catholic agency in New Zealand by the name of Caritas works with Tonga to help citizens adjust to the effects of climate change. Caritas also supports a Caritas Tonga Climate Change Officer by the name of Amelia Ma’afu, whose area of focus is on the island of Ha’apai. As a Climate Change Officer, her responsibilities include conducting training sessions to raise climate change awareness, researching information to build a plan of action to help citizens deal with climate change and visiting communities to talk to inhabitants and gather data.
  3. The World Bank is not only helping the people in Tonga with the aftermath of former disasters, but it is also working to protect the future of the community. The World Bank has helped Tonga by assisting the government with building cyclone-proofed homes on safer areas of land. Supporting The World Bank is a great way to help people in Tonga.
  4. The Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) volunteers are helping in Tonga by working to bring more variety in employment and help ensure citizens have a dependable income. Tonga supports itself with agriculture, exporting products such vanilla, kava and coconut. Volunteers through VSA are helping make sure that Tonga’s agricultural department thrives.
  5. The Asian Development Bank/Japan Scholarship Program (JSP), offers scholarships to people in Tonga. This creates opportunities for many young citizens in Tonga – those who are 35 years old or younger, of good health and hold a bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply for these scholarships.

By donating and volunteering with organizations such as these, everyday citizens are able to help people in Tonga, bringing hope and changing lives for the better. Consider taking the time to check into these organizations and make a contribution today.

– Noel Mcdavid

Photo: Flickr