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Charities Operating in LaosLaos, a country located in Southeast Asia with a GDP of $2,054 and 18.3% of the population living in poverty, ranks 115th out of 167th in the overall Prosperity Index. According to an article from Amnesty International, multiple areas pose a problem for the country’s human rights, including “economic, social and cultural rights.” However, here are five charities operating in Laos that are helping Laotian people have access to things that are easy to take for granted such as education, access to water and appropriate health care.

GreenHeart Foundation

GreenHeart Foundation is a humanitarian nonprofit organization that has made a “continuous pursuit to address issues of poverty, gender inequality, sex trafficking and unexploded bombs and promote creative expressions through the Preservation and Perpetuation, and Promotion of culture and arts in Asia.” Alongside USAID, the foundation has helped “establish and promote cottage weaving industries along with Consortium and the Lao Women’s Union.” The project provided various benefits to more than 533 weavers. GreenHeart Foundation has helped women express themselves through their artwork which is a part of their life through their traditional cultures. Expressing themselves through creativity can help these women get recognition in a country that’s struggling with social and economic rights.

The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization that focuses on improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. It plays an active role in working “with the Lao government to improve human rights and help communities manage the development and safeguard their natural environment.”

Natural resources account for more than a third of Laos’ total economic growth, which puts increased pressure on the environment. The Asia Foundation provided support to three villages in the Xe Bang Fai district and Khammouane province, helping the people “develop sustainable and economically viable wetland management plans.” Allowing people to use wetland resources can help them financially while also supporting “smallscale riverbank erosion protection measures,” according to The Asia Foundation.

Laos Educational Opportunities Trust (LEOT)

Established in 2006, Laos Education Opportunities Trust (LEOT) aims to “supplement local efforts and ensure students can access quality education and the skills they need to be successful in the future.” This includes community projects, scholarships and sponsorship programs that support children as students and work with isolated or rural villages to “improve the health and sanitation of families and communities.”  This has posed an equal opportunity for all children regardless of their social or economic status within their family households.

Laos Rehabilitation Foundation (LRF)

Laos Rehabilitation Foundation (LRF) is a nonprofit, nonreligious, and nonpolitical organization that aims to “provide medical services to Laotian people and surrounding communities with a greater focus on children and the poor.” LRF has had many accomplishments, including “providing items of personal hygiene and clothing to the children of Home of Light, a school for blind children” in Vientiane. LRF has also completed various construction projects for the country including building various health centers and schools to help provide children the best care that they deserve.

The World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been “involved in supporting the development of health services and health systems in Laos since the country became a member of the organization in 1950.” WHO’s mission towards Laos is to “achieve the highest level of health for all health sector reforms and universal health coverage for the country by 2025.” Providing health care to all people living in both rural and urban areas could help the country improve its human rights and fight poverty.

It is through these five charities operating in Laos that Laos continues to receive help to better improve their country environmentally, economically and socially. Laos could potentially improve its human rights record through charities that have helped make a difference in providing better human rights.

– Nevin Guler
Photo: Unsplash

Digitizing Salary PaymentThe World Health Organization (WHO) is actively working to enhance the conditions and motivation of African frontline health workers. Through digital innovation, the African health sector benefits from implementing financial technologies such as digitizing salary payment. It facilitates direct cashless income transfer to workers. They created bank accounts and digital bookkeeping collaborating with other Better Than Cash Alliance members, a partnership comprising 80 United Nations (U.N.) members.

WHO has launched this initiative in 24 African countries, digitizing salary payment for more than two million health workers. Spearheaded by WHO’s Department of Digital Health, these payments ensure African frontline health workers’ steady and timely incomes. These innovations foster a cashless society and empower women to access and participate independently in the financial system, aligning with the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Cashless Payment Facilitation

Cash payments for incomes have been deemed “Unwieldy” and represent the challenges in Africa. For instance, the physical handling of cash poses security risks for workers. There is a higher likelihood of salary discrepancies if manual counting methods are not rigorous. However, digital innovation is revolutionizing the African health sector by implementing mobile money systems. These systems have significantly accelerated the pace of payments to workers, offering numerous benefits. Previously, managers bore the burden of physically storing cash at payment sites and distributing funds to disbursement sites for employees to collect their salaries. This process often involved considerable time and effort for workers. With mobile money systems, workers can receive their payments in as little as 30 minutes after completing their work, streamlining the payment process and enhancing efficiency across the board.

Between 2014 and 2021, the global proportion of adults engaging in digital payments rose by 35%, reaching 57% in Sub-Saharan Africa. This surge has played a pivotal role in advancing financial inclusion in the region. The president of the World Bank Group underscores the importance of robust policies to facilitate access to formal accounts and financial services, particularly in the wake of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital Accounting

Digital innovation revolutionizes the African health sector by emphasizing digital payments, streamlining business operations and reducing cumbersome paperwork. Organizations, often managing payrolls with hundreds of employees, can now improve efficiency in payment verification and meticulous bookkeeping. Instead of manual calculations and record-keeping, systems automatically log transactions and swiftly generate precise accounting documents. However, achieving this efficiency requires comprehensive reform of the financial system as a whole within the nation. This entails innovating processes to automate manual tasks, integrating employee information seamlessly, verifying hours worked and implementing effective dispute-resolution mechanisms for payment-related issues.

Motivation Boost for Workers

Various programs have witnessed detrimental impacts on health services due to cash payments. For instance, in Côte d’Ivoire in 2019, delayed cash disbursements resulted in employee attrition and the postponement of a polio immunization project. Additionally, researchers identified disruptions in immunization patterns among recipients attributed to a lack of incentives for frontline health workers, including door-to-door vaccinators and campaign organizers.

According to the WHO, delayed and incomplete payments adversely affect the morale and satisfaction of frontline workers, leading to decreased motivation and challenges in retaining health campaign workers. However, digital innovation is transforming the African health sector. Through the World Health Organization’s Mobile Money digital payment system for health campaign workers, 99% of workers engaged in the polio immunization campaign in Mali and Ghana were paid on time, resulting in improved retention rates and successful program delivery across multiple districts.

Furthermore, the gender wage gap has narrowed as women gain greater autonomy and privacy over their financial affairs through advancements in digital finance. This progress promotes financial empowerment for women and fosters greater economic independence. Furthermore, digital innovation significantly enhances health care in Africa by improving the effectiveness and retention of health workers. These advancements yield notable results in critical health initiatives, such as immunization programs, ultimately contributing to improved health care outcomes across the continent.

– Tevin Mundo
Photo: Unsplash

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary DiseaseChronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, ranks as the third leading cause of death worldwide, trailing only behind heart disease and strokes. The condition impedes breathing by damaging the airways and/or lungs. It may cause chronic coughing, mucus and wheezing and permanently disable the affected individual. In affluent countries, one can easily avoid it by self-care, especially by avoiding smoking.

On the other hand, in developing countries, air pollution and the living environment are much more significant factors. Interestingly, estimates suggest that 50% of COPD cases in Sub-Saharan Africa occur in individuals who have never smoked and it often remains undiagnosed. It is a silent killer of so much of the population simply because they are impoverished.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Nigeria

The lifestyle of the people in Nigeria likely causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the country. Whether or not people smoke tobacco, most African kitchens suffer from poor ventilation due to biomass smoke. Biomass fuel includes anything from a living thing, mostly wood or animal waste. Fires, often fueled by more biomass or kerosene, are also constant for heating or light. Although women are less likely to smoke than men, they have the same amount of COPD cases because they spend far more time inside the house.

COPD prevalence in Nigeria is attributable to factors beyond solely toxic air. Malnourishment at birth is a high-risk factor, potentially leading to weaker or misshapen lungs. Unborn and newborn infants, sharing environmental exposures with their mothers, may also encounter lung defects. Moreover, in economically disadvantaged African communities, high rates of HIV and tuberculosis persist. These diseases, if causing lung damage, contribute to the risk factors for COPD.

Prevention

COPD remains incurable, with survival strategies centered around removing oneself from potential dangers, such as tobacco use, engaging in regular exercise and maintaining optimal lung health. Ideally, addressing this concealed epidemic involves preventive measures to stop it before it begins.

However, the World Health Organization has implemented multiple steps to protect Africans from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The first is the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, approved by 180 countries, including Nigeria, which aims to help protect people from tobacco smoke. The second is the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD), a network aimed solely at eliminating respiratory illnesses like COPD and asthma in low- and medium-income countries.

Various other proposals have been suggested to prevent illnesses caused by indoor air pollution. One approach involves the construction of homes equipped with chimneys or flues, allowing smoke to exit the living spaces efficiently. Creating infrastructure to provide homes with electricity or gas for cooking could eliminate the use of biomass fuel and its associated smoke.

Enhancing housing conditions goes beyond improving living standards; it has the potential to not only create better living environments but also to save lives.

– Varsha Pai
Photo: Pixabay

 

Tuberculosis in TajikistanThe landlocked country of Tajikistan has for years had one of the worst rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) cases anywhere in the world. Now, foreign aid to Tajikistan is helping to alleviate the country’s health burden.

A History of Tuberculosis Struggle in Tajikistan

Poverty is an influential determinant of TB. Poor living and working conditions directly increase the risk of transmission among people. For decades Tajikistan has had one of the worst rates of infection and TB mortality of any Central Asian country. However, a brief look at these rates offers signs of a promising future.

In 2002, the reported rate of TB per 100,000 people was 219. An encouraging downward trend saw the rate drop to 82 in 2019. This decrease in infection rates could be due to new successful treatments of the disease. By the time of recording in 2019, 91% of cases had been treated successfully, according to The Global Fund. Despite making significant progress in the past two decades, Tajikistan remains ranked 23rd out of the drug-resistant tuberculosis countries throughout the world.

The Front Line

Since 2011, Zufliya Dusmatova has worked for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Tajikistan as part of a program that focuses on pediatric TB. She knows all too well how hard the battle against the disease is in this part of the world. “Children have different symptoms of TB than adults…the symptoms in children often resemble other diseases and therefore pediatricians might treat children for viruses or diseases, like a cold or bronchitis,” she explained.

A considerable barrier to accurate diagnosis is the expense of CT scans in the region. Without the aid of life-saving equipment stopping the transference and growth of TB within patients can lead to death. Furthermore, the social stigma associated with the disease presents a further challenge to caregivers as those suffering from TB are less likely to seek treatment should it affect employment opportunities or even marriage prospects, MSF reports.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has since consolidated guidelines on drug-resistant TB treatment, doing much to help and identify those suffering from TB in Tajikistan, according to MSF.

Foreign Aid to Tajikistan

Foreign aid to Tajikistan is vital in the fight back against diseases like TB. As a low-income country largely reliant on labor remittances, any economic shock can be disastrous for health care initiatives in Tajikistan. This is why in 2020 state aid to Tajikistan from the U.S. continued to support the fight. The $51.3 million assistance, not including an additional $6.3 million for COVID-19 assistance, is essential in continuing to safeguard Tajikistan’s national health.

Furthermore, in 2021, USAID donated TB detection equipment to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health. The equipment included smartphones, tablets, video conferencing devices and equipment for climate control.

In addition to U.S. support, the World Bank has agreed to support the new Tajikistan Millati Solim (Health Nation) project with $57.25 million. The project and funding will support improvements in primary health care services throughout the country. As well as to better prepare Tajikistan for any future health care emergencies.

A Brighter Future

The past two decades have seen many successes in Tajikistan’s battle to control TB infection within the country. However, that fight is not over. On March 24, 2023, the UNDP reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating TB in Tajikistan by celebrating World TB Day. The day’s theme of “Yes! We can end TB!” both provides hope for Tajikistan’s future and a reminder of how far the nation has come.

– Thomas Field
Photo: Flickr

Digital Adherence TechnologiesAccording to a report by the World Health Organization, more than 80% of tuberculosis (TB) cases and deaths were associated with low and middle-income countries in 2022. Common poverty conditions, such as crowding and inadequate ventilation, were found to contribute greatly to its spread. 

To treat tuberculosis, patients are required to undergo months of antibiotic therapy. Directly observed therapy (DOT), is a widely employed strategy that relies on confirming patient adherence to treatment protocol, where health care workers observe patients taking anti-TB medication. However, DOT requires significant time and resources for health care providers and patients. Digital Adherence Technologies (DATs), on the other hand, are digital tools (internet, phones, computers, or detectors) that allow patients to take their medication at their convenience while adherence is relayed to healthcare providers without direct observation. As a modern strategy to combat TB, DATs can help affected individuals and families from a wide range of income levels by reducing implementation costs over time.

Types of Digital Adherence Technologies

Several types of DATs can be implemented to improve TB treatment outcomes:

  1. Medication sleeves/labels are a form of custom packaging on fixed-dose anti-TB medication that contains a unique code the patient can use to report adherence. After removing a pill, the patient is required to call a toll-free phone number or send a free SMS message to submit the code and prove daily consumption. This DAT was first implemented in India and is now used throughout Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda. 
  2. Equipped with a sensor and mobile data connection, Smart Pill Boxes alert healthcare providers to patient medication adherence whenever they are opened. This DAT includes features such as a rechargeable battery and a LED and/or speaker to enable reminders and has been implemented in 20 countries with varying income levels, including Brazil, Mozambique, and China.
  3. Video Supported Treatment (VAT) requires patients to use a secure remote application to record then upload videos of themselves ingesting medication that the provider can later access. This DAT has been implemented in 17 countries, spanning across Asia and Africa.

DATs have varying costs, levels of accessibility and ease of implementation. Poverty, resource limitations and insufficient infrastructure can pose challenges to implementing these technologies. Medication sleeves require phone access and communication infrastructure to support phone calls or text messages. Smart pillboxes require adherence platform access but are user-friendly and work with various pill types. VATs require phone access, mobile data or Wi-Fi and an in-country server to store video files yet are considered suitable for use with different drug types.  These requirements help determine the logistics of implementing a DAT for a specific country.

Implementing Digital Adherence Technologies

The Stop TB Partnership and the ASCENT Project are two organizations among many that continually research and implement digital adherence technologies for tuberculosis treatment. The Stop TB Partnership funded the implementation of medication sleeves and video-observed treatment in Nigeria, where tuberculosis rates are high, from October 2021 to August 2022. According to a December 2023 report, more than 7,600 patients received digital adherence technologies through this project. Patients achieved success with a medication sleeve called 99DOTS, but limited access to smartphones and network difficulties hindered the success of video observed treatment. The project highlighted the importance of digital adherence technologies with low technology requirements, especially in remote locations. 

In 2021, the ASCENT project, organized and funded by Unitaid, began implementing smart pill boxes and medication sleeves in Ethiopia, a low-income country with a high tuberculosis burden. The project provided more than 4,000 people with DATs. In November 2023, the ASCENT team reported broad acceptance of the technologies among patients with tuberculosis, high national support, and concerns regarding costs. The project also revealed ways leaders could improve and increase the use of digital adherence technologies in Ethiopia in the future. 

Conclusion

Digital adherence technologies offer several strategies to support tuberculosis patients through months of medications. Implementing these tools in areas of poverty presents challenges to overcome, including limited resources and frail infrastructure. To this end, organizations will continue to implement, research, and improve the use of DATs for tuberculosis treatment around the world.

– Kelly Carroll
Photo: Flickr

Period Poverty in SamoaSamoa is made up of nine islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It is about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), period poverty in Samoa affects one in five women. Period poverty means that women do not have access to the appropriate menstrual products and basic sanitation during menstruation. It affects millions of women throughout the world and can lead to many challenges for women and girls.

How Period Poverty Affects Women

There are health challenges that can arise when women are not getting the proper sanitation or products when menstruating. If there is a lack of sanitation, women may wear products for too long, which can lead to infections such as toxic shock syndrome. Toxic shock syndrome occurs when a tampon is left in for too long; it can progress rapidly, which can lead to shock, renal failure and death. Lack of menstrual products or sanitation can also lead to irritation.

Period poverty in Samoa can affect the mental health of girls and women, as many of them feel shameful when menstruating. Women may begin to isolate themselves by sleeping or living separately. Women may also begin to ask for a leave of absence to hide a period. Over time, this can lead to depression and anxiety.

Period Poverty in Samoa

Period poverty in Samoa causes many girls living in remote areas to not attend school while menstruating. This is because they do not have the proper products needed during a period. Period products can be expensive to purchase, so some women may resort to using other things or nothing at all. When girls skip school, they miss out on opportunities to learn, which impacts their ability to rise out of poverty, considering that education is a proven pathway out of poverty.

Samoa, along with the other Pacific Islands, has the lowest rate in the world for basic drinking water and sanitation services. According to the U.N. water report, in 2020, only 55% of people had access to drinking water and only 30% had sanitation services. This can make it extremely difficult for girls and women who are menstruating. Due to a lack of clean water, girls and women are unable to maintain proper hygiene while menstruating.

Making a Difference

Angelica Salele is a Samoan entrepreneur who is striving to fight period poverty in Samoa. On May 28, 2018, she launched MANA Care Products, a startup that produces reusable sanitary pads locally in Samoa and provides impoverished or low-income Samoan girls and women access to more affordable and sustainable menstrual products. The business is normalizing menstruation and addressing menstrual stigma through open discussions in Samoa. It is also part of the Pacific Menstrual Health Network, which strives to help Pacific women and girls understand their menstrual health rights throughout their lives.

There are limited solutions to fight period poverty in Samoa. Salele believes that MANA Care Products will be the solution that Samoan women need. Reusable sanitary pads are designed to help women continue to work and attend school while menstruating, live a normal life and have an affordable option.

There is also work underway to help restore the water system in Samoa. An article published in March 2023 on the U.N. Sustainable Development Group website highlights that the U.N. worked with partners and communities in Samoa to create the Vai O Le Ola (Water of Life) Report in preparation for the March 2023 U.N. Water Conference in New York. The report “draws on insights from these consultations to set out a response to the Triple Planetary Crisis and propose integrated approaches of restoring the quality and resilience of Samoa’s water system,” the website says. The National Human Rights Institution in Samoa is also discussing legislating the right to “a clean, safe and sustainable environment.”

A Promising Future

Although period poverty in Samoa is still a significant concern, local entrepreneurs are taking action to ensure the health and well-being of impoverished girls and women in Samoa through creative, affordable and sustainable innovations.

– Abby Trussell
Photo: Flickr

Cancer in Latin AmericaLatin America and the Caribbean rank fourth for the highest number of cancer cases among all the continents and cancer is currently the leading cause of premature death in nearly half of the region. Approximately 1.5 million new cancer cases and 700,000 deaths occur annually in this region with mortality rates of 86.6 per 100,000. In 2020, the most common cancers were prostate, breast, colorectal, lung and stomach. If these rates remain unchanged, the cancer burden in the region will only increase. There is an estimation of an increase of 67%, meaning there will be approximately 2.4 million new cases annually by 2040.

Some of the health issues in Latin America are exacerbated by poverty. While there have been some policies in place to limit social inequities from poverty, including improvements in education and health-related sectors, including increased school access and reduced infant mortality, the maintenance of these policies has been insufficient. With that, many people lack access to basic health care and treatment. This results in a high amount of the population, specifically the elderly, experiencing poor conditions and lack of healthcare, leading them to be more likely to receive diagnoses of disabling diseases including cancer. 

The Latin American and Caribbean Code Against Cancer

A new method is being put into place to lower the risks of getting cancer and mortality rates. This method is through the Latin America and Caribbean Code Against Cancer. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) launched this initiative on October 17. This project aims to have code generate recommendations based on current scientific research. There are 17 recommendations based on this research, which have conformed to common scenarios for the region. These recommendations are to limit the likelihood of developing cancer and if a person already has cancer, the recommendations can decrease the risk of mortality. In addition, 30 policy recommendations accompany the previous suggestions. These policy recommendations are not legally binding as some structural and socio-economic factors prevent the implementation of these suggestions. 

17 Actions to Limit the Risks of Cancer

Specialists and representatives convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization have reviewed the recommendations made by the code and recommend a set of 17 actions that people should take to start preventing cancer in Latin America. The first 14 actions include not smoking and maintaining a smoke-free environment, maintaining a healthy weight and doing daily physical activity, eating a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol, breastfeeding to prevent breast cancer, protecting yourself from direct sun exposure, ensuring there is no smoke buildup in your home, limiting time in areas with high air pollution, adopt preventative measures in a job that has exposure risks, get checked for bacteria or virus infections, and do not use hormone replacement for menopause.

The first of the final three actions is that people between the ages of 50 and 74 should visit a healthcare provider to have an early test for colon and rectal cancer. The second of the final three recommendations is that people 40 years or older should visit a health provider every two years for a clinical breast exam. Then, from ages 50 to 74, get a mammogram every two years. The last of the final three recommendations is that people from the ages of 30 to 64 should visit a health provider for an HPV test every 5-10 years for cervical cancer. A combination of these 17 actions will help lower the risks of getting cancer and lower the risks of mortality if cancer already persists.  

30 Policy Recommendations to Mitigate Cancer

To accompany these 17 actions are 30 recommendations. These recommendations are not legally binding as some factors affecting the region make it difficult to implement them. These factors include poverty, unemployment, lack of housing, difficulty obtaining healthy food, and lack of health infrastructure. These 30 recommendations fall under the categories of tobacco, weight, physical activity, diet, alcohol and breastfeeding, sun exposure, indoor air pollution, outdoor air pollution, occupational hazards, helicobacter pylori, viral infections, hormone replacement, early detection of colon and rectal cancer, early detection of breast cancer and early detection of cervical cancer. These recommendation categories are very similar to the 17 actions as they are meant to be used in tandem. As they are meant to be used together, they will help limit the risk of developing cancer and lower mortality rates. 

For the code to work effectively, countries in the region are to include all 17 actions without making any changes to the wording. The only exceptions are for synonyms that are generally accepted. Additionally, no changes are to be made to the public policy recommendations accompanying the actions. With effective use of both the actions and the policies, it will be easier to begin preventing cancer in Latin America. 

Conclusion

The pressing challenge of cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean, ranking fourth globally in cancer cases and facing high mortality rates, demands urgent attention and comprehensive strategies. Code Against Cancer provides hope for preventing cancer in Latin America through the initiative guidelines. The 17 actions and 30 recommendations include diverse lifestyle aspects and public policy, providing a comprehensive framework for cancer prevention. Through collaborative action and commitment to preventive measures, there is hope for preventing cancer in Latin America and lowering mortality rates. 

To begin to limit cancer even further in the Latin American community, poverty should be addressed to limit inequities in receiving treatment and access to healthcare. There are organizations that are beginning to limit poverty including TECHNO, which is a global organization advocating for social policies that is currently operating in 19 countries in Latin America. This organization is taking a three stage approach to limiting poverty. Their website states that “the initial phase is a needs assessment through Community Organizing Committees, the second phase is the implementation of programs in response to the needs and the third phase is the promotion of the implementation of lasting and sustainable solutions.” With organizations including TECHO, poverty will begin to be reduced at larger scales. Limiting poverty in combination with Code Against Cancer will be beneficial in lowering cancer rates and keeping the population healthy. 

Sara Agosto
Photo: Flickr

Worldwide Water CrisisCurrently, there is a worldwide water crisis, as 771 million people face a total lack of access to safe water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three people worldwide does not have access to safe drinking water. The global water crisis has far-reaching consequences for communities across the globe, such as contaminated water-borne diseases, health issues like dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as economic difficulties. Families may have to spend a significant amount of their income on buying bottled water or traveling lost distances to collect water, which can make it challenging for them to fulfill other basic needs, including food, shelter and education.

Affecting Women and Girls

In addition, water scarcity disproportionately affects women and girls because they often experience the burden of collecting water. Spending hours of their days walking to obtain water for their families often limits their opportunities for education, work and social activities. Unsafe sanitation also poses a threat to women and girls, as they face a higher risk of abuse and assault when having to use outdoor toilets or sharing facilities with men and boys.

In 2009, actor Matt Damon and engineer Gary White founded Water.org, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide access to safe water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Water.org combats the global water crisis across 11 countries through affordable market-based solutions.

Global Water Crisis in Numbers

The following five statistics put into perspective the pervasiveness and danger of the water crisis.

  1. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, and 3.4 billion do not have proper sanitation facilities, according to Water for People.
  2. According to reports, one in six health care facilities does not have handwashing stations or toilets, which puts millions of people seeking help for health issues at an even greater risk.
  3. Water for People reports that “3.4 million deaths occur each year from water-related diseases.”
  4. On average, women living in rural Africa walk 3.7 miles every day to collect water and carry 40 pounds of it back to their families.
  5. By 2025, half of the global population could live in regions confronted with water scarcity. Furthermore, by 2040, over a quarter of the world’s children will “live in areas of extremely high water stress.”

Water.org combats the global water crisis with urgency and innovation in an effort to reduce the grand scale of water scarcity worldwide.

Water.org’s Mission and Formula

Working in 11 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, Water.org combats the global water crisis through market-based solutions to empower communities and make access to safe water and sanitation sustainable. The organization offers two loan programs—WaterCredit and WaterEquity—that have distinct goals and serve different groups of borrowers.

WaterCredit provides small loans to families in developing countries, who lack access to traditional credit and cannot afford to pay upfront for water and sanitation solutions, such as wells, pumps, and toilets. Families repay these loans over time, with the expectation that the borrower will eventually become financially stable enough (now that they can devote their time to other efforts besides collecting water) to repay the loan in full.

The WaterEquity program is an impact investing project that provides funding for water and sanitation enterprises to scale solutions to reach more people. Investors offer small loans for water and sanitation that are repaid over time, potentially receiving a financial return.

WaterEquity helps to attract private capital to the water and sanitation sector, promoting innovation and expanding access to safe water and sanitation. According to Water.org, “The investor can potentially receive a financial return, or re-invest to further their social impact.” This initiative provides sustainable solutions to the global water crisis and offers an “attractive risk-return profile to investors.”

Impact and Achievements

As of 2023, Water.org has provided access to safe water and sanitation to over 55 million people in 11 countries, according to its website. Water.org’s primary initiative, WaterCredit, has helped to mobilize over $4.4 billion in capital for water and sanitation projects. Water.org has enabled communities around the globe to take control of their own solutions and break the cycle of poverty caused by a lack of access to safe water and sanitation.

India’s water crisis is particularly severe. Nearly 600 million people face high to extreme water stress, and “nearly 200,000 people in India die each year due to inadequate access to safe water.” In addition, by 2030, the water demand in India could be “twice the available supply.”

On the bright side, Water.org’s efforts against the global water crisis include 31 local partners in India. Water.org has helped more than 21 million people gain access to safe water and sanitation.

The organization combats the global water crisis through innovative solutions that generate long-lasting and life-changing effects for families worldwide. Overall, the continued efforts of organizations like Water.org present hope for a future where safe water and sanitation are accessible to all.

– Skye Connors
Photo: Flickr

Cancer-Related Deaths in InfantsOut of the 7 million cancer-related deaths worldwide, 5 million occur in low and middle-income countries (LMCs), according to a National Library of Medicine study. Cancer accounts for 10% of the yearly death toll in LMCs. Yet, it is not acknowledged as a grave threat because diseases such as AIDS, Malaria and other infectious diseases run rampant in these countries and pull the focus away from the crucial problem of cancer-related deaths in infants.

Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases

Due to an increase in awareness of diseases, especially in infants, there have been significant strides in the development of vaccinations against childhood infections. Other initiatives have helped provide antibiotics to fight bacterial infections in LMCs, and with heightened awareness, the general cleanliness of places of residence has also improved in many areas. All these factors have lowered the infant mortality rate from infectious childhood diseases, but in turn, have increased the mortality rate for cancer and cardiovascular-related deaths in infants.

LMCs Lead in Cancer-Related Deaths

According to The Cancer Atlas, “The childhood cancer burden is strongly related to the level of development.” Better-developed countries have lower cancer-related deaths in infants. According to a dataset that measured the frequency by which infants undergo cancer tests, North America ranked highest at 97.2%, while Asia and Africa scored 6.3% and 5.3% respectively. Unfortunately, this factor contributes greatly to the growing threat of cancer in Africa.

The Lancet Global Health conducted a study on cancer mortality in LMCs and found that sub-Saharan African countries are the most vulnerable to cancer-related deaths in infants. The study also revealed the following:

  • “Significant associations between childhood cancer mortality and numbers of hospital beds per capita, external beam radiotherapy units, nuclear medicine physicians, pathology services and transplantation services.” Most of these resources and facilities were not sufficient in most places.

  • An increase in resources and money led to an increase in diagnosis and treatment as well.

  • Other factors such as maternal education and lowered health care costs also boosted the frequency of cancer diagnosis and treatment in infants.

Poverty and a lack of education and some of the leading factors that contribute to the increasing ‘cancer burden’ in LMCs. Focusing on educating individuals and alleviating poverty, along with providing access to medical facilities is a crucial step toward increasing successful diagnosis and treatment of cancer in infants.

Cancer Preventions

Between 30% and 50% of cancers are preventable by avoiding risk factors such as tobacco, ultraviolet radiation and pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, 1 million cases of cancer are preventable through vaccination against HPV and Hepatitis B. Early diagnosis, before the cancer spreads, is essential to the treatment process according to WHO. “In [the] absence of early diagnosis, patients get their diagnoses at late stages when curative treatment may no longer be an option.”

Advanced Initiatives

Among initiatives that aim to improve the frequency of testing in LMCs and for the overall benefit of patients, are the following:

  • Specialized medical training: Providing specialized medical training and increased resources can improve patient outlook, as cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma in children have a high cure rate with effective treatment.

  • Palliative care: This is a treatment that focuses on relieving symptoms of cancer. It is an imperative aspect of cancer-related treatments. Palliative care serves to reduce the suffering of cancer patients and improve their quality of life. Due to the low diagnosis rate in sub-Saharan Africa, many individuals get their cancer diagnosis when curative treatments are no longer viable, and have to rely solely on palliative care.

These advanced initiatives are carried out by WHO, along with the Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and other U.N. Organizations under the banner of ‘the U.N. Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.’

This task force aims to reduce premature mortality from cancer and other non-communicable diseases by 25%. It was established in 2013 by the U.N. Secretary-General and over 40 U.N. agencies, encompassing developmental banks and intergovernmental agencies, are a part of it. The task force provides direct medical aid to LMCs by mobilizing resources to inaccessible areas. It also advocates for the necessary global governmental aid required to fight cancer and other non-communicable diseases.

Looking Ahead

Through various avenues such as monitoring the global “cancer burden,” conducting detailed research on causes of cancer and providing technical assistance in LMCs, WHO and the U.N. hopes to significantly reduce cancer-related deaths in infants. Success in this endeavor will help many more children enjoy good health and long life.

– Vahisté Sinor
Photo: Flickr

Everything You Need To Know About Poverty In BoliviaIn 2021, the World Bank reported that national poverty in Bolivia was around 36.3%, with extreme poverty standing at 11%. The key responsible factors include the lack of human development and an ever-increasing unemployment rate. Also, ongoing socio-economic issues alongside a lack of education threaten the country’s economy and future.

The State of Education in Bolivia

Despite completing primary education, the majority of Bolivian students do not continue to secondary education. Increasing poverty rates have also affected children’s access to education. In 2014, the country passed legislation permitting child labor for children up to 10 years old and above. This led some families to prioritize their children’s work over their education.

In March 2023, 140,000 public school teachers participated in Bolivia’s largest strike since 2019. Outrage over a new curriculum that requires teachers to work additional unpaid hours prompted the strikes. Teachers are demanding an increase in the education budget, wages, and staff. With strikes becoming more common, students often have no one to teach them. This, in turn, impacts the education of Bolivian children negatively.

Malnutrition in Bolivia

Approximately 16% of children in Bolivia experience chronic malnutrition. Also, more than one in four children under 5 years old suffer from growth stunting due to chronic malnutrition, representing the highest rate in any Latin American nation. The country’s agricultural production has been stagnant, causing food insecurity among families, with 30% of households experiencing food shortages for more than three months a year. As a result, children are affected physically and academically, with many having to walk long distances to school on empty stomachs. Going through such levels of physical stress often impacts concentration levels among affected children.

Unemployment in Bolivia

In 2019, the unemployment rate in Bolivia was 3.7%, but it increased to 7.9% in 2020. The World Bank reported a drop to 5.1% in 2021. The low productivity of small-scale farming, droughts and decreasing product quality have caused a shrinkage in revenue generation in this sector. Poor infrastructure has also negatively affected the transportation of goods. Bolivia’s human development index ranking was 118 in 2021, indicating a lack of equal human development and underscoring the country’s poor economic state. According to the World Bank, Bolivia’s GDP per capita was $3,345 in 2021.

Poverty Alleviation Efforts

Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGF), an independent organization, partnered with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Health Education (WHO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to implement the “Bolivian Government’s Zero Malnutrition Multi-sectoral Programme (PMD-C)” in the Andean region of Cochabamba. The program had three components: integrating nutritional activities into communities, educating and strengthening agricultural capabilities and improving the nutritional status of families. Following this intervention, reports indicate that 21,489 children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women gained better access to food of increased quality and quantity, there was a 50% reduction in anemia among children, and chronic malnutrition in children aged 6-23 months decreased by 30%.

In 2013, the World Bank supported the La Paz municipality in improving access to secondary education (as well as retention) for more than 10,000 at-risk students. It constructed and renovated approximately 240 classrooms, supplied learning equipment, supported staff and strengthened education management for primary and secondary schools in the area.

The Secondary Education Transformation Project financed an incentive program for students at risk of dropping out to help improve retention rates in secondary education levels. Collaboration with the Bolivian Salesian University led to the development and implementation of a postgraduate degree program. The partnership led to the construction of 19 buildings, benefiting more than 10,000 students and 11,000 staff members who were fully equipped and supported. These educational buildings are still in use as of April 2023. The aim is to reduce poverty in Bolivia for future generations.

Brighter Future for Bolivia

Bolivia has struggled with poverty due to inadequate and unequal education, chronic malnutrition, and persistently high unemployment rates even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, ongoing efforts are underway to improve Bolivia’s current situation. Organizations like UNICEF, WHO and UNIDO have implemented programs that aim to reduce malnutrition in the country. Also, the World Bank has been providing financial support to Bolivia’s education system. Local and humanitarian organizations are working to strengthen communities, promote a more sustainable economy and create a brighter future for Bolivia.

– Joshua Rogers
Photo: Flickr