Underground Schools for Women and Girls in Afghanistan

The Taliban reconquest of Afghanistan brought an education ban for women and girls, but secret schools have emerged.

A burqa-clad woman in Kabul in September 2021, Milad Hamadi for the Tasnim News Agency. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The life of every Afghan citizen changed on August 15, 2021, when Taliban forces seized the capital city of Kabul and, for the first time in decades, were able to impose the group’s severe intolerance on the whole nation. Those most affected have been young girls and women, who are limited in going about their daily lives and barred from many activities that they previously were able to enjoy freely. As the Taliban continue to ban women from  schools and universities, a new generation of young Afghan girls are left wondering what their future will look like. Recently underground school operations have opened up, taking place both virtually and in person, allowing many Afghan girls the ability to continue their education despite the repression, keeping hope alive in a society that faces deep political and societal challenges.

According to the Taliban’s Minister for Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, women are not allowed to go to school because they weren’t following the rules of how “proper ladies” should act in a public setting, including not adhering to the Emirate’s strict dress code. However, this issue transcends  the regime’s hijab policy. The Taliban use religion to justify their strict policies, arguing that it goes against Islamic principles to have girls and women go to school, even stating that the sciences as a whole are no place for them. The Taliban is able to impose its own interpretation of Sharia Law, the traditional Islamic legal code, which is known for including strict guidelines for how girls and women should live. Many professional Muslim scholars have rebutted the Taliban, asserting there is no justification for banning women from having an education, including that “gender-based denial of education has no religious justification.”

An Afghan girl in Oruzgan Province, John Scott Rafoss. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite these obstacles, women and young girls across Afghanistan are fighting for their rights not only to obtain a just education, but to be recognized as important parts of society and claim back their dignity and honor. In an effort to help girls achieve their dreams and achieve literacy, underground schools have started taking shape across the nation, even holding virtual classes. In order to keep an entire generation of young girls thriving, parents are finding alternative means, going as far as risking their lives to create a hidden education system that will serve as primary education and even providing university level courses for older students. One of the pioneer women behind this movement, Sodaba Nazhand, told The Associated Press that “when the Taliban wanted to take away the rights of education and the rights of work from women, I wanted to stand against their decision by teaching these girls.” 

While girls and women are able to pursue knowledge and obtain skills through these underground schools, there is much fear among family members and the students themselves, who know the consequences of getting caught disobeying the Taliban. Several of these schools are held virtually for safety and easier access, although not everyone has access to electronics or wifi. Taliban rule has led to  widespread poverty across Afghanistan, leaving families and individuals unable to support themselves economically, making internet access unattainable for many. Some schools have even begun to be held in person, as houses become secret classrooms. Nafeesa is a young girl that attends an underground school in her small, rural village in the Eastern part of the country. When asked by reporters how she is able to get away with attending a secret school, she said that “Boys have nothing to do in the kitchen, so I keep my books there. If my brother comes to know about this, he will beat me." Despite the fear that she feels in going against rigidly enforced new social norms, Nafeesa and many others continue to defy the status quo to make a better future for themselves, using education as a portal to freedom. 

TO GET INVOLVED

Women For Women International - Women For Women has created an Afghanistan program to help women in the nation discover their power and ways they can pursue a brighter future ahead. For more info, click here.

Malala Fund - Malala Yousafzai has created an Afghanistan fund that provides on-the-ground support to help young girls access education. To learn how you can donate, click here.

Kimberly Hidalgo Hernández

Having obtained a MA in International Policy, Kimberly seeks to bridge the gap between global development and government legislation. Growing up between the United States and Spain, she believes that travel is the best way to discover yourself and understand the world. Her goal is to promote a deeper awareness of the effects of climate change in society and politics.

8 Ways to Get Started with Activism 

A guide to making social changes through small steps.

Climate protests. Unplash

Many of us care deeply about social causes and would like to get involved in activism, but struggle to take the first step. Maybe we fear the time commitment and have other pressing responsibilities with work, family or friends. Or maybe it’s just intimidating. Here are eight ways to get started as a part-time activist. They are all relatively easy and a great way to, as Gandhi said, “be the change you want to see in the world.”

1. Commit Yourself to Learning

The simplest and most overlooked step to becoming an activist is learning. Through consuming media that promotes or educates on social causes, you can discover a cause you’re passionate about, find an activist group whose mission speaks to you, and learn about the people, animals, countries, social groups, and environment that you want to advocate for. Read nonfiction books, research online media such as journals, websites and podcasts, or even just explore social media accounts by searching through hashtags. This is the first step.

2. Donate 

Realistically, economic activism is the bread and butter that allows activist groups to create change, so donating to a cause you’ve researched can make all the difference. More funding and economic investment usually means more social impact, although the relationship is not always linear. Funding keeps activists paid, operations smooth, and costs of office space covered and can also add credibility to a nonprofit's cause. 

3. Volunteer

If you can’t make a monetary investment to social activist groups, make a physical investment. Many hands make light work, and volunteering is a perfect outlet that doesn’t require a large time commitment or an official position. Much like donations, the more volunteers an organization has, the greater its potential impact. Volunteering also has the unique benefit of uniting people that are passionate about the same cause, and so can create a strong sense of community around an issue. 

4. Vote

Some consider voting a civic responsibility. D.H. Parks. CC BY-NC 2.0

Political theorists may argue civic responsibility, but for many activist groups voting is also a way to express satisfaction or dissent for policies that affect their missions. Voting can mean giving a voice to the causes of social activist groups. Activists vote even if they are not convinced of the power of their individual voices, because social activism derives power from a collective voice. Even a small number of votes can be the difference between starkly different policies.

5. Writing Letters of Dissent 

Expressing disagreement with the policy of a company, the politics of a government official, or legislation in general, helps put public opinion in the forefront. Writing on behalf of a particular activist group or a general social action mission can better express the anguish or anger felt toward a particular policy. A letter can contribute to a  general dissent toward a policy which could, then, lead to revisions in legislation and corporate actions that threaten the activists’ goals.

6. Political Activism

Find a political candidate, whether local or national, whose mission and policies align with your own beliefs and advocate for their voice with your own. Helping a political candidate share their message might involve volunteering for a voter drive, canvassing for the candidate in your neighborhood to support their campaign or increase grassroots fundraising, or conducting phone calls to personalize the policies of the candidate to their constituents. Through political activism you can promote a candidate whose policies will truly make a difference in your life, your community and beyond.

7. Passive Activism: Petitions and Social Media

Passive activism often means supporting a cause through signing online petitions or using social media to like, post or repost, hashtag, or comment on a post that advocates for social change. While critics deride this form of advocacy as the easiest and, consequently, laziest form of activism, passive activism can build exposure and boost viewership for nonprofits, activists, and candidates. And it's how many more “active” activists get their start.

8. Protests

Amnesty International’s Refugee Day Rally against Britain’s asylum policy. Lewishamdreamer. CC BY-NC 2.0

Before any part-time activist can protest, they need to find a protest relevant to their desired cause and in a not-too-distant location. You can find local protests through the social media platforms of your city’s local government and more specific organizations. The Twitter and Facebook pages of activists and nonprofits in particular can serve as the social media catalysts for protest. Finding a protest also means checking up on the websites of your favorite activist groups under an “Events” tab, where such groups typically post protest dates and locations for protests. Some local governments even have protest calendars on their websites.  

Nonprofits and Activist Organizations to Donate to or Volunteer for:

Climate Change 

  • Sustainable Harvest International: Addresses climate, biodiversity, forest and soil restoration and human health in relation to the environment

  • Environmental Defense Fund: Addresses climate, energy, ecosystem, ocean, and health issues in relation to the environment

  • Sunrise Movement: Youth political action organization whose mission is to stop climate change and create jobs 

  • Extinction Rebellion: Global pro-environment movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on climate change and environmental protection

Human Rights 

Racial Justice 

Women’s Issues

  • The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network: Anti-sexual violence organization that provides victim services, raises awareness about sexual violence and works to achieve justice for survivors

  • Malala Fund: International nonprofit that fights for girls’ education by investing in education activists and holding global leaders accountable

Global Health 

  • Doctors Without Borders: Mostly donation-based medical humanitarian project dedicated to caring globally for communities in danger

  • Partners in Health: International nonprofit that partners with local governments to bring medical care to poor areas 

LGBTQ+ Rights

  • The Trevor Project: Provides and utilizes crisis services, peer support, LGBTQ activism, research, and public education efforts to end suicide for LGBTQ youth.

  • Ali Forney Center: Offers services like job readiness training, support, and shelter for homeless LGBTQ in New York to protect them from the dangers of homelessness

Veteran

  • Wounded Warrior Project: Provides programs and services to injured veterans, including mental health care, rehabilitative care and career counseling

Su Ertekin-Taner

Su is a first year student at Columbia University majoring in creative writing. Her love for the power of words and her connection to her Turkish roots spills into her satire, flash fiction, and journalistic pieces among other genres. Su hopes to continue writing fearless journalism, untold stories, and prose inspired by her surroundings.

Food Deserts, Food Swamps and Food Apartheid

Around 2.2 percent of all U.S. households live in areas without access to inexpensive healthy foods, leading to higher rates of obesity. These “food deserts” stem from a history of racism and inequality. 

Food deserts are areas where residents don’t have easy access to healthy, affordable food. Instead, they may be overrun with fast food options. Mike Mozart. CC BY 2.0 

Approximately 23.5 million Americans live in areas with limited or no access to affordable, healthy foods—especially fresh fruit and vegetables. These areas are commonly known as “food deserts” and are disproportionately found in low-income, minority communities. 

Food deserts occur when there are few or no grocery stores within convenient distance; for example, a survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 2.3 million people live more than one mile away from a grocery store and do not have a car. In urban areas, the nearest grocery store might be a long trip away via public transportation, and not everyone is able to take time out of their day to make the trek, especially those in low-income neighborhoods who may be working more than one job. 

Despite common misconceptions, living in a food desert does not necessarily mean that a person is food insecure. In fact, food deserts are often flooded with food choices—just not ones that are both healthy and affordable. A food desert may have plenty of smaller stores to buy food from, but these stores typically have limited options compared to  grocery stores, specifically in the availability of fresh produce. Without  easy access to grocery stores, people living in food deserts must turn to more convenient and affordable options, namely fast food. 

Experts have coined the term “food swamp” to describe areas that are oversaturated with unhealthy food options. A study by the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that an average food swamp has four unhealthy eating options for every one healthy option. 

Because people living in food deserts and food swamps have easier access to unhealthy food than healthy options, these areas also suffer from higher obesity rates. Studies have shown that food swamps may be a more accurate predictor of obesity rates than food deserts. However,food swamps and deserts tend to occur in the same areas, and more often than not these areas are low-income, minority communities. 

The USDA has identified over 6,500 of what they refer to as “food desert tracts” based on census data and data about the locations of large grocery stores. In a 2012 study about the characteristics and causes of food deserts, the USDA found that areas with greater levels of poverty were more likely to be—or to become—food deserts. The study also concluded that “food desert tracts have a greater concentration of all minorities” than tracts that are not considered food deserts. 

Because of the way that food deserts disproportionately impact minority communities, some food justice activists, like Karen Washington, prefer the term “food apartheid,” as it better captures the racial and economic nuances of the situation. Washington points out that “food desert” brings to mind “an empty, absolutely desolate place” with no food to be found, but this is not what a community with poor access to healthy food looks like. Nina Sevilla, another food justice activist, notes that “desert” implies that these areas are naturally occurring, which is not the case. 

“Food deserts” are the result of decades of systemic racism that led to housing segregation; under the Federal Housing Administration starting in the 1930s, middle and lower-class white families migrated to the suburbs while minority families remained in urban housing projects. Redlining policies prevented minority groups from moving into what were seen as white neighborhoods. As white middle-class residents shifted to the suburbs, so did new supermarkets, leaving minority neighborhoods without easy access to a wide variety of food. 

The term “food apartheid” highlights how these racist policies shaped low-income minority communities’ access to healthy food. 

Since food inequality and so-called food deserts and food swamps are so rooted in racism, they are not an easy problem to address. However, there are many organizations working on different solutions to food apartheid, from championing policy reform to building alternative food systems, such as urban and small-scale farming and affordable organic grocery stores. 

To Get Involved: 

To learn more about where “food deserts” in the U.S. are located, look at  the USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas here.

For a comprehensive policy platform on food, visit the HEAL Food Alliance here.

Rachel Lynch

Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.

Soldiers Speak: War Crimes in Myanmar

Recent atrocities and war crimes have been reported by military soldiers in Myanmar as the civil war rages on. 

Human rights protest for Burma in France. Totaloutnow. BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Myanmar has a dirty, bloody history attached to the political and military conflicts that have furiously swept through their country. The civil war that rages on adds to this history, and the war crimes and atrocities that are currently occuring illuminate the fragility and deep rooted struggles between the Burmese government and its citizens.

The civil war started in February of 2021 after Myanmar’s military powers – known as the Tatmadwa – seized the government from the elected officials of the National League for Democracy (NDL), the leading civilian party in Myanmar. The NDL had won the election in 2021 by 83%, the New York Times reports, but the military ignored these results, an action said to be linked to the government's dislike for Aung San Suu Kyi. She was the leader of the NDL who would have become the elected official of the Burmese government. 

The military coup that overthrew the government in 2021 was the event that turned the tide of the political state of the country, and now battles between military soldiers in the Tatmadaw and pro-democracy armed civil militias have erupted and raged now for almost two years. 

The military powers in charge currently – referred to as the junta: a “group of military leaders” as BBC explains – are led by General Ming Aung Hlaing. He was given power from military leaders after the coup in 2021. General Ming is responsible for the imprisonment of countless NDL members, as well as multiple ‘campaigns against ethnic minority groups’ including the Rohingya Muslim Genocide that has been taking place in Myanmar for years.

Rohingya refugees. Austcare-World Humanitarian Aid. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

As the war continues to rage on, Tatmadaw soldiers have started to come forward with stories of the atrocious war crimes that they were ordered to commit onto the civilians of Myanmar. BBC has reported that soldiers have admitted to “killing, torturing and raping civilians”. Large scale human rights violations have continued to occur as well, including the imprisonment of protesters, the treatment and killing of political prisoners and the treatment of civilians during wartime conflicts has sparked dialogue from the United Nations (UN). The UN reports that military powers have “directly targeted civilians” with airstrikes and attacks, and have already killed “at least 1,600 people”.

Six anonymous soldiers agreed to an interview with BBC, where they told the story of crimes against humanity, one of the few crimes that can be prosecuted at the Internationcal Criminal Court, being committed at the hands of the unstable Tatmadaw military regime. One reported that they had been told to “shoot anything they saw; another was ordered to burn down a house with civilians locked inside it. Other soldiers admitted to witnessing women being raped at gun point after soldiers believed the victims to be supporters of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) – an armed civilian militia organization. These six soldiers also discussed the energy of other members of the regime, stating that some soldiers would ‘boast’ about their crimes and actions.

Villages have burned to the ground, civilians have been abused, killed and looted. This is the current fate of the Burmese people, but the civilian militias continue to fight back and continue to push for democracy. In a country so often torn between citizens and the military state, the fate of the people of Myanmar has remained undecided. The UN states in their report that “despite spiraling violence… ‘the will of the people has clearly not been broken.’” Determined to return to a time of democratic rule, the civilian population of Myanmar continues to fight against the horrors of the military regime wishing to dominate them.

TO GET INVOLVED

The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is, as Insider states, “the country’s democratically elected legislature,” the very same that was overthrown in the coup in 2021. They have a GoFundMe, which is run by the Citizen of Burma Award Organization, that uses the money to support pro-democracy protests and encourages civil disobedience against the junta military regime. To donate to the protestors, click here .

The Civil Disobedience Movement also collects donations which are sent directly to people in Myanmar to fund and support civil disobedience and protests against the government. To donate, click here.

Additional ways to GET INVOLVED can be found in Insider’s “5 Ways to Help Anti-Coup Protests on the Ground in Myanmar Right Now”. This article discusses multiple ways to donate, to educate oneself and to create constructive and far reaching conversations about the injustices befalling the Burmese people. To read more, click here.

Ava Mamary

Ava is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois, double majoring in English and Communications. At school, she Web Writes about music for a student-run radio station. She is also an avid backpacker, which is where her passion for travel and the outdoors comes from. She is very passionate about social justice issues, specifically those involving women’s rights, and is excited to write content about social action across the globe. 

How Climate Change and Political Unrest Created a Famine in Sudan

The war in Ukraine has drastically raised the price of food, worsening an already dire situation in Sudan. 

Children in Bahr El Ghazal, Sudan wait for food from the World Food Programme. United Nations Photo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Famine was officially declared in Sudan more than five years ago, due to a variety of factors which range from climate change to political unrest. South Sudan was engaged in a civil war for  roughly five years from 2013, which tragically left about 4,000 people dead and a staggering four million displaced and fleeing. While a ceasefire was reached in 2018, peace was rocky and sporadic attacks continued to make production nearly impossible for Sudanese farmers.

With famine being officially declared in 2017, the suffering still raged on in 2019, when extreme rain and flooding began to hit Sudan. The flooding continues in 2022, as the global political situation only makes matters worse in Sudan. The war between Ukraine and Russia has had an impact on Sudan in a number of ways. With over half of Sudan’s wheat being exported from the Black Sea region in Turkey, the war has caused food prices to skyrocket. Additionally, food aid programs are primarily focusing their efforts on Ukraine at the moment. While Ukraine clearly needs aid as well, Sudan has been all but abandoned and ignored in this dire moment due to global attention to other political conflicts. 

What used to be a market in Thonyor, Sudan. DFID - UK Department for International Development. CC BY 2.0. 

CBS News interviewed a Sudanese mother, Nyabany Kong, who reported not having eaten in two weeks. Like many others, she had to flee her home, which was subject to torrential floods that completely destroyed her farm. Kong has also lost her husband and her other child to this flooding and famine. Kong’s horrifying story is one of thousands. 

Get Involved

Unfortunately, Sudan’s situation has been exacerbated severely by aid organizations lacking funds due to massive allocation to Ukraine. The best way to get involved is to donate to food relief organizations such as The World Food Programme, which is trying to get as much food as possible to Sudan, but simply doesn’t have the funds to do so. If monetary donations are not an option, simply spreading the word about the crisis and suffering in Sudan is also essential. Unfortunately, the western world often gets weary when spreading awareness, and suffering continues without any attention. The war in Ukraine has also required a lot of attention and money, which has drained Sudan of aid even more than before. Doing your own research about this conflict and then alerting the people in your life to the critical need in Sudan can also help organizations deliver the resources that are needed.

Calliana Leff

Calliana is currently an undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in English and minoring in psychology. She is passionate about sustainability and traveling in an ethical and respectful way. She hopes to continue her writing career and see more of the world after she graduates. 

Structural Violence: How Societal Factors Affect Health

Income, race and geographic location are often weaponized against communities, preventing them from accessing and achieving health and wellness.

A routine doctor’s appointment may be rare for those living in poverty, causing them to not seek treatment for incipient medical issues. #PACOM. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Income, geographical location, climate and access to resources all affect people’s health in various ways. Indeed, it is rare to get malaria, a mosquito-borne disease in the Arctic. It is also comparatively easier for a wealthy person who has access to top-notch treatments to recover from cancer than a disadvantaged person who cannot afford a routine doctor’s appointment. These societal factors have a proven link to health outcomes, and they are usually not controlled by individuals. To fully foster public health, it is necessary to eliminate those societal factors that precipitate health concerns.

There are both biological and societal factors that affect health. Biologically, genetics can affect one’s health, as the causal relationship between genetics and diseases such as cystic fibrosis have been demonstrated through medical research. However, biological factors are not the only thing that affects health; societal factors do as well. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines social determinants of health as: 

The non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems.

Sometimes, the system itself is rigged against a substantial part of the population from attaining complete physical, social and emotional well-being. That is called structural violence. These arrangements are ‘structural’ because they are “embedded in the political and economic organization” of society, and they are ‘violent’ because they harm people, whether physically or not. 

Lowndes County, Alabama, where the low-income Black population suffers disproportionately from hookworm infections due to structural violence. jimmywayne. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

One example of these biosocial determinants and structural violence in play can be found in rural Alabama, where hookworm, a disease thought to be eradicated years ago, is making a resurgence in Lowndes County. That county is 72% Black and has a poverty rate of 21.9%, almost double the national average of 11.4% in 2020. Low-income Blacks in the county are more prone to hookworm because they live next to pools of raw sewage, the perfect breeding ground for the worms. 

Structural violence is also at play here, as the Black population live near the pools of raw sewage because they cannot afford proper sewage systems. The local and state government, in turn, perpetuates this problem by turning a blind eye on the issue and not providing any assistance to the residents. Through no fault of their own, Blacks in Lowndes County have a heightened risk for hookworm due to the circumstance in which society makes them live.

Cultural practices can also precipitate or hinder disease. West African countries that already had fragile healthcare systems were particularly affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak because of cultural practices regarding funerals. In those cultures, funerals involve washing the dead body by hand before burial and paying respect to the dead through physical contact, both of which are exceptionally high-risk activities with regards to the spread of Ebola, since the virus is still present in the corpse. Controlling the Ebola outbreak must address these cultural issues.

Finally, around the world, food deserts are scattered around urban centers, usually located in areas of poverty. Food deserts are areas with a dearth of supermarkets and other sources of healthy foods, forcing people living there to travel further for quality foods or to settle for cheaper unhealthy foods. Since many food deserts are in areas of poverty, the people living in those areas usually have no choice but to buy cheap  foods with subpar qualities. The unhealthy diet of many in those areas lead to higher rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Structural violence affects food deserts, as the economic disincentives for healthy food sources to serve low-income areas show that society does not provide adequate support to them. In northern Ireland, food deserts are especially pronounced since 32% of households do not have a car. Some food deserts are the result of years of neglect of marginalized communities. Failure of the UK government to provide adequate public transportation in northern Ireland demonstrates that neglect.

Simply treating disease without regard for the underlying causes of it will not eliminate the issue. To eliminate hookworm, proper sanitation services must be implemented. Containing Ebola means educating local communities about safe methods to bury the dead in a way that does not denigrate their culture. To eliminate obesity, focus should be on providing access to healthy foods instead of just telling people to change their diet. It is important to treat diseases as complex issues instead of having a singular focus on the cure. Removing societal barriers to good health is instrumental in ensuring the physical, social and emotional health for all.

To Get Involved

The organization Partners in Health serves to improve healthcare in developing countries through patient-provider partnerships. Partners in Health works to create sustainable healthcare systems that serve all, emphasizing healthcare as a human right.

Often, the best way to remove the societal factors that affect health negatively is by advocacy. Writing to your elected officials is a good way to draw attention to those issues, which may spur them to act on your recommendations. To find your representative in Congress, click here.

Bryan Fok

Bryan is currently a History and Global Affairs major at the University of Notre Dame. He aims to apply the notion of Integral Human Development as a framework for analyzing global issues. He enjoys hiking and visiting national parks.

The Decriminalization of Illicit Drugs in British Columbia

Canada has announced their plans to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drugs in British Columbia by January of 2023. They are hopeful this will lower high rates of overdoses.

Graffiti about drug decriminalization. Ted’s Photos. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

In British Columbia, Canada, where thousands of overdose deaths occur each year, officials have decided to try decriminalizing small amounts of illicit drugs. The illicit drugs in question include heroin, cocaine, opioids, methamphetamine and more. Residents of British Columbia 18 years or older will be allowed to possess a maximum of 2.5 grams of these drugs without penalty, a policy that will take effect in January of 2023. This policy comes from an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that makes these drugs illicit, which was granted to British Columbia for a three-year trial run.

Officials hope that by decriminalizing small amounts of these drugs, dependent users will feel less afraid of prosecution and stigmatization if they do decide to seek drug-related help. Further, by tackling rates of drug deaths as a public health issue, BC Government News says “the Province will create new pathways to support those seeking treatment.”

Since the height of the pandemic in 2020, British Columbia has struggled with high rates of illicit drug abuse and overdose deaths. In 2020, drug-related death rates rose into the two-thousands, a problem that since 2016 had been declared a public health crisis. Most of these deaths occur when drug users hide their addiction from friends and family, fearing the reaction or stigmatization that will come from their loved ones learning of their addiction.

By decriminalizing these drugs, Canada hopes to reverse this effect; Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, wrote in a tweet: “Stigma and fear of criminalization cause some people to hide their drug use, use alone, or use in ways that increase the risk of harm. This is why the Government of Canada treats substance use as a health issue, not a criminal one.”

Street use in Vancouver. Ted’s Photos. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The exemption to be instituted in 2023 has found support from family and friends of deceased drug users and was even supported by the police associations and chief coroner. Though some call for even further decriminalization – a policy that would expand the 2.5 gram limit to larger amounts – health officials in Canada believe 2.5 grams is a good trial starting point. Harm reduction is their main goal; British Columbia’s Provincial Health Official Dr. Bonnie Henry stated, “This is not one single thing that will reverse this crisis but it will make a difference.”

In requesting an exemption from the Controlled Drug and Substances Act, British Columbia also stated that drug-related felonies and arrests disproportionately affect already marginalized communities. In decriminalizing small amounts of drugs, the authorities will reduce  punitive actions and may help to decrease the stigmas around drug use that cause people to hide their addictions. 

Turning Point of Tampa has also stated that experts on drug incarceration have stated that imprisonment does not deter drug use, and problems such as substance abuse, mental health issues and fear of open drug use worsen when sentenced to prison time. Peer clinical adviser Guy Felicella told the New York Times, “Arresting me and incarcerating me for all those years for using drugs never stopped me once from using drugs — even when I went to prison. It didn’t do anything except create stigma and discrimination, shame,” which is the exact thing Canada is trying to end through decriminalization.

Hoping to reduce the stigma surrounding drug use that leads to deaths due to fear of judgment and sequentially more dangerous usage, Canada is waiting to see how this exemption in 2023 will reduce rates of drug-related deaths, and whether further decriminalization is needed. 

To Get Involved:

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC) is an advocacy organization that is fighting against the harm caused by drug prohibition laws. Campaigning with a platform centered on decriminalization, the Coalition strives to reduce the high rates of drug overdose deaths in Canada. To learn more about the CDPC’s mission and to support their work, click here.

Ava Mamary

Ava is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois, double majoring in English and Communications. At school, she Web Writes about music for a student-run radio station. She is also an avid backpacker, which is where her passion for travel and the outdoors comes from. She is very passionate about social justice issues, specifically those involving women’s rights, and is excited to write content about social action across the globe. 

Photo Essay: On the Ground with Waves For Water in the Philippines

While the Philippine Islands were being struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan’s wrath, Jon Rose, Founder of Waves For Water, was already hatching his plan to help.

W4W began work in the Philippines in response to Typhoon Haiyan and continues to support areas with water shortages. 

In 2013, the Philippines was hit by one of the most devastating typhoons ever recorded: Typhoon Haiyan. The natural disaster affected people throughout Southeast Asia and killed 6,300 people in the Philippines alone. Throughout the country, over 4.3 million people were affected. One major impact of the typhoon was its obstruction of access to clean water. 

To address this problem, Jon Rose, founder of Waves for Water (W4W), arrived in the Philippines ready to distribute his organization’s water filters among “forgotten pockets,” communities that were not “the focal point of major relief efforts.” His method of distribution and relief relied on the “train-the trainer, local-based model” in which W4W organizers “empower” and “facilitate” for local people rather than decide “who gets what, when, where and how.” Two years after the typhoon, W4W established an office in the Philippines, where it is currently registered as a non-profit organization. Since 2015, W4W has built 66 rainwater catchment systems and provided over a million Filipinos with access to clean water. In December of 2021, the organization helped to address the devastation caused by Hurricane Odette in Siargao, Philippines through a partnership with Billabong. Currently, W4W is providing aid for those impacted by Tropical Depression Agaton, which has displaced 1.9 million people in Visayas and Mindanao, Philippines. You can contribute to this specific effort here. 

W4W’s humanitarian efforts are not limited to the Philippines. Since its inception in 2009, the organization has made an impact in 44 countries, including Mozambique, Ecuador, Sierra Leone and Chile, and has helped 3.75 million people gain reliable access to clean drinking water. W4W currently has 24r active programs helping to address water access issues. These programs seek to provide aid to citizens of Ukraine, Australia, Haiti and Guatemala. You can learn more and help out here.

Jon Rose

As a pro surfer of 13 years, Jon Rose traveled the world in pursuit of perfect waves. It was this passion that led him to development of Waves for Water in 2009. He hopes to see W4W enlist and empower travers to help solve the world water crisis.

Pride and Punishment: The Struggles of the LGBTQ+ Community of Africa

In 32 African countries, homosexuality is deemed unlawful—punishable by imprisonment and in some cases, death. The LGBTQ+ community is fighting prejudice in a battle to be their truest selves.

Ugandan citizens at a pride parade. Chrisjohnbeckett. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Out of the 54 countries that make up the African continent, 32 of them outlaw homosexuality. Historically a continent that traveling members of the queer community steer clear of, Africa has a deep and intricate history with politics surrounding sexuality. However, Africans who identify with the LGBTQ+ community fight fiercely to change legislation, stigma and prejudice in their respective countries, challenging this lineage of controversy. Those who are brave enough to protest for their rights to love whomever they desire organize in-person parades and protests, while those under threat of harm—or even death—find ways to demonstrate their pride in, generating virtual communities and workshops that allow for the LGBTQ+ community to connect across the globe without leaving the safety of their homes.

Map of African countries with anti-gay laws. Amnesty International. CC BY-ND

To understand the hardships facing the LGBTQ+ community of Africa today, it is important to know the causal factors that led to such a homophobic climate. Anti-queer sentiments were introduced to the continent during Western colonization; previous to imperialism affects on the continent, African tribes in many regions practiced homosexuality freely. Val Kalende writes in The Guardian that “there is ethnographic evidence of same-sex relationships in pre-colonial Africa.” This cultural history also demonstrates the lack of importance placed on strict gender roles. 

Additionally, the evidence also shows the practice of choice-based pronoun usage; women in positions of power would occasionally label themselves with male pronouns. Post-colonization laws that targeted the cultural muting of African traditions and practices formed the foundations for homophobia by outlawing same-sex relationships and visibly impacted African sentiments around the LGBTQ+ community for the foreseeable future.

Now, on the foundations of decades of hatred inspired by colonizers and imperialists, queer citizens of countries throughout Africa struggle under harsh legislation to simply be their truest selves. In most of the 32 countries that outlaw same-sex relationships, legislation punishes queer people by prison time and fines. Financial punishments vary in size and currency depending on the country. Prison sentences also range widely, varying anywhere between one year (as demonstrated in Ethiopia’s legislation) and lifetime imprisonment (such is the law in Kenya). 

There are four countries in Africa that make same sex relationships punishable by death: Mauritania, Somalia, Nigeria and South Sudan. In Nigeria, a country ranked by Forbes as #1 in “The 20 Most Dangerous Places for LGBTQ+ Travelers,” members of the LGBTQ+ community who are found out be participating in homosexual relationships face death by stoning.  

LGBTQ+ activists hanging signs. Distelfliege. CC BY 2.0.

Despite the gravity of the punishments for being queer, brave members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to demonstrate their pride. Unwilling to be silenced, queer people all around Africa organize pride parades, protests and online conferences to discuss ways they can fight the systemic homophobia they face in legislation. Further, the same people work hard to destigmatize same-sex relationships, challenging the post-colonial homophobia that has overpowered the original nature of African culture. 

Groups like PRIDE OF AFRICA (POA) organize yearly events to celebrate pride, inviting and encouraging queer Africans to “live their most authentic selves.” POA also founded the Johannesburg Pride Parade in 2019, which has recently gone online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but continues to invite members of the LGBTQ+ community to speak and rally. POA also holds online conferences, so those who wish to stay at home and stay anonymous can do so to limit the threat of prejudicial punishments. 

For activists in imminent danger should their sexuality be outed, their protesting and pride demonstrations are more closely guarded. For those who need to seek exile in other countries or continents after being unexpectedly outed, journalism, photography and participation in parades like UK Black Pride (which focuses on Pride in the Black community and is based in London) are their only options to avoid death while still being able to demonstrate their pride. 

To Get Involved

There are a handful of organizations centered on the eradication of hate crimes, stigmatization, improper health care and prejudicial legislation that accept donations to support their missions. Organizations like OUT that support the destigmatization of queer lifestyles and SHE (Social, Health and Empowerment Collective) specifically serve the African queer community. To find a collective list of legitimate organizations including OUT, SHE, and other foundations actively assisting the LGBTQ+ community of Africa, click here.

POA and UK Black Pride serve the same purposes: to allow for queer Africans to have a safe place to demonstrate their pride. POA takes place mostly online and in South Africa, and UK Black Pride is held in London.

To learn more about POA events, mission statements, and goals, click here.

To learn more about the UK Black Pride Parade and their mission statements, click here.

Ava Mamary

Ava is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois, double majoring in English and Communications. At school, she Web Writes about music for a student-run radio station. She is also an avid backpacker, which is where her passion for travel and the outdoors comes from. She is very passionate about social justice issues, specifically those involving women’s rights, and is excited to write content about social action across the globe.

Eradicating Guinea Worm Disease: The Countdown to Zero

Guinea worm disease is on track to be the second disease eradicated from the world, but there is still work left to be done.

Health workers explain how to use water filters. uncultured. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Guinea worm disease, also known as dracunculiasis, is an infection caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. Larvae of the parasite are found in water sources in sub-Saharan Africa, and they can contaminate drinking water. Once consumed, the parasite stays inside the infected individual for up to a year as it grows into a worm until it removes itself from the human host, leaving through the skin. 

When the worm emerges from the human, it causes a painful skin blister, possibly resulting in a fever or secondary infection. There have been cases of people becoming crippled by a Guinea worm infection. The worm needs to be pulled out from the human body, several centimeters per day, by winding it around some gauze or a small stick. 

Health worker treating an infant with Guinea worm disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CC0 1.0.

In 1986, the Carter Center, the foundation of former president Jimmy Carter, began to lead the global campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. When the campaign started, there were 3.5 million cases of the disease in that one year. In 2021, there were only 15 reported human cases worldwide. This dramatic reduction of cases was the result of several carefully planned interventions.

The program to eradicate Guinea worm disease is community-based and relies on extensive villager volunteers. This approach respects the dignity of the people affected and builds trust between the community members and health professionals. The Carter Center aims to work with ministries of health to provide comprehensive health education and maintain political will.

Surveillance and supervision is instrumental in containing the spread of the disease. In the Gambella region of Ethiopia, village volunteers try to ascertain possible cases among their peers every week. When a suspected case is found, an investigation occurs. A lab test is needed to confirm a case of Guinea worm disease. The infected person’s demographics and symptoms are also tracked, as is information about the water sources that the person used. There are also community meetings to inform them of those infected. This is why gaining the trust of communities is so important. Community participation, especially in light of the stigma associated with the disease, is vital in containing the disease, and it all depends on trust.

As Guinea worm disease is waterborne and is contracted by drinking water contaminated with the larvae, interventions that involve treating water before it is drunk is essential. The Carter Center has distributed pipe filters to affected populations and taught them how to use them to prevent the new cases of the disease. In some places, the pesticide abate is applied to water sources to kill the larvae that cause Guinea worm disease. These interventions have drastically reduced the prevalence of Guinea worm disease, but the fight is not over yet.

While great progress has been made in eliminating Guinea worm disease in much of the world, some challenges have arisen. Civil unrest and political instability in some places where Guinea worm disease is prevalent have prevented efforts to combat the disease. Ethiopia, which had some of the highest rates of the disease, is mired in a civil war, making it hard to reach everyone affected by Guinea worm disease. Recently, cases of Guinea worm disease have also started to appear in animals. Today, most cases of Guinea worm disease occur in other animals, not humans. Complete eradication of Guinea worm disease cannot be completed until the world is free of the disease in both humans and animals.

To Get Involved

While the Carter Center is the leader in the drive to eradicate Guinea worm disease, there are also other partners and stakeholders in the campaign who can be supported through donations and volunteering. Among them include the ministries of health of affected countries, UNICEF, WHO, Ethiopian Public Health Institute and the UNHCR.

Bryan Fok

Bryan is currently a History and Global Affairs major at the University of Notre Dame. He aims to apply the notion of Integral Human Development as a framework for analyzing global issues. He enjoys hiking and visiting national parks.

11 Ways to Help Ukraine

Help support the Ukrainian people as their country is invaded.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has caused hundreds of civilian deaths, with more than 2 million refugees having already fled the country. It is crucial in these trying times that Ukrainians know they have support. Here are some ways to help. 

Meduza

“Within a few days, maybe even today, it is possible that there will be no independent media left in Russia,” read a post on Meduza’s website. Meduza is an independent media source at extreme risk of losing its platform to inform the public. Russian President Vladimir Putin is working to have complete control over censorship in Russia and Ukraine, meaning citizens of these countries will no longer have access to any information besides what Russia’s government allows. Meduza has already been blocked in Russia, and now it is fighting to stay alive through the support of allies outside of these countries. The organization is looking for financial support and social media awareness.

For more information and to donate, visit Meduza’s website. 

Reporters Without Borders

Reporters Without Borders is a worldwide independent media organization that works to keep freedom of the press and information to citizens of the world. According to their site, on March 4, Russia adopted a new law making the “publication of ‘false’ or ‘mendacious’ information about the Russian armed forces punishable by up to 15 years in prison.” This threatens every single independent media outlet in Russia and Ukraine. Support Reporters Without Borders through sponsorship, donations, volunteering and more listed on the website. 

For more information and to support, visit Reporters Without Borders’ website. 

The Kyiv Independent

The Kyiv Independent was launched three months ago by journalists who had been fired in Ukraine for defending editorial independence. Now, they are playing a vital role in keeping the freedom of the press alive in Russia and Ukraine. On their website, they have options to “become a patron” and donate to the organization’s GoFundMe.

For more information and to support, visit The Kyiv Independent’s website.  

Doctors Without Borders

Working in conflict zones, Doctors Without Borders focuses on helping citizens in need after natural disasters, wars, epidemics and more. Responding to the Ukraine crisis, the organization sent 1,400 cubic feet of medical supply shipments on March 6, along with members of the organization. There are multiple ways to get involved with Doctors Without Borders from working in offices to working in the field, and if a career path isn’t something you’re considering, donating is another great way to show support. 

For more information and to support, visit Doctors Without Borders’ website. 

International Medical Corps

A global first responder organization, International Medical Corps provides emergency medical assistance to people in need in any circumstances. A hub in Poland has been created, so members of the organization can assist members of Ukraine and surrounding countries with physical and mental health situations. International Medical Corps is looking for donations to continue its efforts in Poland. 

For more information and to support, visit International Medical Corps’ website. 

Contact Government Representatives 

Don’t have the money to donate? Another way to get involved if you are in the United States or Europe is by contacting government representatives in efforts to accept as many Ukrainian refugees as possible. Boundless offers great tips for formatting emails, finding your elected officials and learning information about what your contribution will do for citizens in need. 

To find your representative, visit the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. 

Global Giving

Global Giving is a nonprofit that connects other nonprofits with donors and companies. Helping to properly equip humanitarian projects in distressed communities and donating to the Ukraine Crisis Fund creates a direct impact on citizens in need. With a goal of $10,000,000, Global Giving has promised that all funds raised will go to providing shelter, food, clean water, health support, psychosocial support and more. 

For more information and to support, visit Global Giving’s website.

The World Food Programme 

As the world's largest humanitarian organization, The World Food Programme works to provide meals to all people in emergency situations. Working directly with citizens in Ukraine who have been forced from their homes and into hunger, donating to The World Food Programme will provide families with meal packages and more.

For more information and to support, visit The World Food Programme’s website.

UNICEF

UNICEF is running an emergency response for Eastern Ukraine, leading health, social policy, child protection and many more programs to aid families affected by the conflict. UNICEF is looking for volunteers, donors, social media support and reporters to help with the efforts in Ukraine. 

For more information and to support, visit UNICEF’s website. 

United Help Ukraine

An organization started directly in response to the attack on Ukraine, United Help is focusing on wounded warriors, humanitarian aid, medical supplies and raising awareness. Donating to United Help Ukraine will directly help Ukrainian citizens, soldiers and frontline volunteers. 

For more information and to support, visit United Help Ukraine’s website.

Airbnb

Offering free short-term housing for over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, Airbnb is relying on the help of citizens across the world. Airbnb is looking for donations and possible hosts to house refugees. Nonprofits are working with Airbnb during this time to book homes for eligible citizens. 

For more information and to support, visit Airbnb’s Help Ukraine website. 

Knowing what organizations have the best intentions and support for people in need can be difficult. The American Endowment Foundation provides a great resource for choosing the right organizations where your support will make the biggest difference.

Haleigh Kierman

Haleigh is a student at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A double Journalism and Communications major with a minor in Anthropology, she is initially from Guam, but lived in a small, rural town outside of Boston most of her life. Travel and social action journalism are her two passions and she is appreciative to live in a time where writers voices are more important than ever.

Half of South Korean Elderly Are Living in Extreme Poverty

The pension retirees receive is only a quarter of the amount needed for single households, causing many elderly to return to work. 

Elderly South Korean woman. Mctrent. CC BY-NC 2.0

South Korea is known for high rise buildings, luxury skin care and high tech devices. Yet with all of these advances, it has the worst senior poverty rate among developed nations. The population has been struggling to stay off the streets with only 35% of seniors receiving a monthly pension. Fewer than half of seniors receive government assistance and it is only a quarter of the amount needed to cover basic necessities. 

The Confucian tradition of children taking care of their parents is fading in South Korea. In previous generations the elderly turned to their children for financial assistance, often living with their children until their passing. However, the Census has shown that one in three Korean seniors live alone today and six out of ten elderly are supporting themselves. It has become difficult for children to help aging parents due to the expensive cost of living and the high unemployment rate. The country’s legal retirement age is 60, but many employees at private companies are pressured to leave around age 50 due to scarce executive or high-ranking jobs. When they retire at such a young age, they realize their pensions or severance packages are far below the cost of living and that the social safety net is insufficient. They are forced to re-enter the working world, but often in positions that are temporary or day-to-day, offering very low pay.

Retiree collecting cardboard boxes. Mariej55quebec. CC PDM 1.0

In order to make a living, many retirees collect anything that can be recycled and transported to the local junk yard using makeshift handcarts. Cardboard boxes are what they tend to collect most because they are the easiest to come across. Although prices vary, the average income per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) is 40 won ($0.33). On a 12 hour day, retirees earn about $6.68: a salary that’s far below the poverty line. South Korea is expected to become a “super-aged society” with more than 20% of its population aged 65 years and older by 2026. A fall in the fertility rate and rising longevity are the two fundamental contributors to the country’s growing ageing population. 

Pre-pandemic, soup kitchens were a social gathering place for many retirees. A popular one among the elderly was Angel Soup Kitchen. On average, they served more than 350 free meals three times a week: operating 26 centers across South Korea. Retirees would line up in the early hours of the day to guarantee a spot in line. It was a place where they could be among other seniors enjoying a meal. However, with the pandemic and the elderly being the most vulnerable, Angel Soup Kitchen closed and now distributes take home meals. With so many soup kitchens closing, Warm Chaeumteo was one of the few that remained open. They provide three meals a day, seven days a week. Due to the temporary closure of other soup kitchens, the center is getting approximately 100 more visitors a day, compared with the normal turnout before the outbreak. They receive just under 1,000 people per day. It is becoming harder to keep soup kitchens open with the decline in volunteers, many deciding they want to avoid face to face interactions.

Senior Koreans Playing Chess at a Park. Terence. CC BY-ND 2.0

The mental health of retirees has seen a spike in recent years. The disruption of the traditional family unit is a large reason why. Children often lose contact with their parents, leaving the retired elderly to feel lonely and isolated. A long term effect of these feelings will trigger depression, anxiety and loneliness. To socialize, retirees frequent parks and public areas, but with the restrictions of the pandemic, most areas are now closed. This forces the elderly into further isolation and a toll on their mental health. Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service reported that about 40% of the 684,000 Koreans diagnosed with severe depression were over age 60. With an aging population that will only continue to grow, countries with large elderly populations are facing an unprecedented issue: how to properly care for a large influx of elderly people, while still moving towards the future. Living longer is usually associated as being a hallmark of success, but current societal structures in many countries are not equipped to provide the social services needed. 

As South Korea and the globe try to figure out how to care for this large wave of retirees living longer, there are startups like EverYoung. A company that only hires employees aged 55 and older. Employees monitor blog content and detect sensitive information, as well as perform other IT tasks. There are 420 seniors from a variety of career backgrounds employed. Moreover, a mandated 10-minute break for every 50 minutes of work, and staff are rostered on four-hour shifts. Manager Kim Seong-Kyu told ChannelNews Asia that older employees have detail-oriented skills not common in the younger workforce, with distracting cell phones stored away during work time. Kyu said, “they are full of passion. The time that they have, and their interest in this work, are primarily why they come to work”.

To Get Involved:

The Korea Legacy Committee and Asian Boss have partnered to provide free meals every Sunday for the South Korean elderly. They aim to become a safe haven for impoverished seniors and expand the meal program around the country.  

To learn more about Korea Legacy Comittee click here.

To support the South Korean elderly during the pandemic click here.

Jennifer Sung

Jennifer is a Communications Studies graduate based in Los Angeles. She grew up traveling with her dad and that is where her love for travel stems from. You can find her serving the community at her church, Fearless LA or planning her next trip overseas. She hopes to be involved in international humanitarian work one day.

How to Be a Global Citizen

From reading about the world and taking political action to volunteering effectively and traveling sustainably, here is a step by step guide to be a global citizen. Wherever you live, your home extends beyond national borders and here are some ways to acknowledge that. Check out these 7 steps on this path.

Read More

Child Slavery in Ghana

When Elizabeth Tulsky participated in NYU’s study abroad program in Ghana, she also independently volunteered with City of Refuge, a local organization that uses education as a tool to combat child slavery. She said of her experience that it had “a tremendous impact on my life and what I want to do in the future.”

In Ghana, children are often enslaved, maltreated and many mothers struggle to see their children as more than a financial burden. While there are no statistics on the actual number of children trafficked, estimates are in the thousands. What is known is that 25% of Ghanaian children ages 5-14 years are involved in child labor. Child labor and human trafficking are both against the law in Ghana, however, laws are not enforced.

City of Refuge fights against child slavery by educating small villages about the harms of keeping children out of school and depriving them of a childhood. The organization is founded on the belief that if they can empower single mothers educationally and economically then they will no longer be vulnerable to selling their children as slaves.

Can you tell me a bit about City of Refuge and the work they do?

City of Refuge workers enter villages and open discussions with the chiefs in a respectful manner and work to free children who are in dangerous and/or miserable conditions and separated from their families. On a daily basis, City of Refuge provides home, happiness, and sanctuary to many rescued children. Furthermore, City of Refuge runs the only public school in the city, Doryumu. The organization works at the root of the problem, beginning with single mothers. Many children end up in slavery because mothers simply have absolutely no means of supporting themselves, much less their young children. Selling them, as hard as it may be to believe, truly seems like the only option for many women. Thus, City of Refuge works with single mothers to find alternative solutions to make ends meet, and have started two local businesses to be run by single mothers to increase opportunities for mothers and in turn, reduce the number of children sold into horrific situations.

How were you involved with the organization?

I worked in the small school where the children living with the City of Refuge family were educated and spent my evenings at the home playing with children and helping them with their homework. I also spent time shadowing the founders and through this I learned much about the process.

What do you know about child slavery in Ghana?

Children are targeted as slaves for fishermen for several reasons. First, children are easy to acquire as so many parents are impoverished and feel financially helpless. Second, children’s small hands are ideal for making and untangling fishing nets. When the nets get trapped in trees in the lake, children are sent in the water to untangle them. Unfortunately, this means many of the child slaves are incredibly susceptible to water-borne disease and illness and sadly, some do not know how to swim and may drown in the water. Children who are enslaved receive no form of education or care and spend up to eighteen hours a day working on the lake. They are often fed no more than one meal a day, which frequently consists of just gari, a food made from cassava, soaked in the lake water.

Any advice for travelers going to Ghana?

This is probably true for every country, but just approach everything with an open mind, try new things, immerse yourself in the culture as much as possible.

How can readers help the victims of Child Slavery in Ghana?

Check out City of Refuge for more information.

Other organizations doing good work include Youth Generation Against Poverty (YGAP), an organization that inspires volunteers through creative fundraising opportunities. They have created several projects partnered with City of Refuge.

Elizabeth Tulsky

Elizabeth studied social work at NYU and has experience working with trauma, grief, family issues, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and general life transitions. She hopes to use her work to create culturally responsive, affirming and inclusive healing spaces while promoting the use of person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed, anti-racist and social-justice frameworks.

Yemen Experiences World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis

Yemen’s ongoing civil war has left 24 million in need of assistance and more than 100,000 dead since the conflict began in late 2014. Today, Yemen is considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and is on the brink of being labeled by the United Nations as the world’s worst famine in 100 years. 

A hungry Yemeni child eats a food bag. USAID_IMAGES. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Hunger, malnutrition, famine, displacement and mental health issues are among some of the devastating consequences imposed upon Yemeni civilians by the country’s civil war. Although the conflict between Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government and the Houthi, or Ansar Allah, armed movement broke out in late 2014, Yemen was already one of the most vulnerable countries in the Middle East.

Following the Arab Spring in late 2011, previous Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to turn over his power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Since then, the country has been enthralled in a civil war which has left millions of civilians hungry homeless, or dead. Houthi forces took over Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, in late 2014, instigating the war. By early 2015, Houthi officials declared mobilization to overthrow Hadi’s regime and, only a day later, fighting broke out in Lahij Governorate. Lahij Governorate quickly succumbed to Houthi rule and President Hadi fled the nation. 

With the help of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia created a coalition of mostly Sunni Arab states to combat Houthi forces and the rise of Iranian influence in the Middle East in 2015. Today, much of the conflict in Yemen is a proxy conflict for the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the region. 

The Arab coalition conducted countless air campaigns to drive out Houthi forces from Yemen and facilitate the return of Hadi’s government, despite the trail of destruction these air strikes leave behind. Funerals, weddings, homes, mosques, schools and hospitals have all fallen victim to these bombs. In response to an attack on Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil fields—which disrupted nearly five percent of the world’s global oil supply—Saudi Arabia spearheaded a bombing campaign. According to the Yemen Data Project, the conflict and air strikes since 2015 left around 17,000 Yemeni civilians dead or injured, as of March of 2019. 

According to the United Nations, Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. With over 100,000 people killed and 85,000 children dead from famine, the UN warned that millions of Yemenis could face starvation in what could be “the world’s worst famine in 100 years.” Currently, 16.2 million Yemenis are food insecure while famine continues to rise; child malnutrition there is one of the highest in the world, with two million children in need of acute malnutrition assistance; and at least one child dies of malnutrition or diarrhea every 10 minutes in Yemen. 

Displacement is another major consequence of the war in Yemen. With more than five million people estimated to have been forced to flee their homes, four million Yemenis remain displaced today. These displaced families live in camps of makeshift shelters, forcing them to continue moving around and making them vulnerable to severe weather conditions, air strikes and other dangers. In addition to the overwhelming number of displaced and homeless Yemenis, the nation is also home to around 300,000 refugees mostly from the Horn of Africa.

The devastating impacts of Yemen’s ongoing war does not stop at the physical realm—consequences of the violence have affected the mental health of Yemeni youth. According to Columbia Global Centers’ PGIF Project, a 25-year-old living in Yemen today “has already lived through 15 major conflicts and wars,” making depression, PTSD and other mental health disorders common in Yemen’s youth. Considering the lack of infrastructure and medical facilities already in Yemen, mental health concerns are pushed to the backburner. With roughly one psychiatrist per 500,000 people, only three mental health hospitals exist in Yemen. The lack of mental health services and resources has forced individuals who battle with mental health issues to turn to alternate methods of help, such as Quranic healing, while professional help is reserved for more extreme disorders, such as psychosis. 

PTSD is one of the most common products of war, and this is evident with  Yemeni children. Growing up with bombs dropping all around them, PTSD in Yemeni civilians and children is often triggered by loud noises and the sounds of planes whooshing overhead. Behavioral changes such as bedwetting, isolating oneself and emotional detachment are common consequences of PTSD in children. 

Beyond death by air strike or on-the-ground fighting, many Yemenis have lost their lives to hunger and diseases because of restrictions on humanitarian assistance, imports and access to essential services. Because of this, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres refers to Yemen’s crisis as “man-made.” Many third party nations, organizations and institutions have requested the warring countries involved to improve civilian protection, but have experienced little success. Now, many activists have taken to social media to garner support and aid for Yemen’s children, as well as raise awareness of Yemen’s situation—for being the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, Yemen is often underrepresented in the media.

GET INVOLVED

Despite the restrictions on humanitarian aid in Yemen, there are still ways to help. Save the Children is one of the largest organizations operating in Yemen and is currently aiding children suffering from malnutrition, supporting health facilities in hard-to-reach areas and leading educational programs. 

The international organization, World Food Programme, aims to provide 13 million people with food assistance across Yemen. To accomplish this goal and ensure their efforts are uninterrupted in 2021, the WFP is seeking to raise $1.9 billion. 

The Danish Refugee Council offers partnership opportunities to private companies, where partners will have the opportunity to help solve the global displacement crisis. The DNC is a trusted partner of the United Nations, is rated the world’s third best non-governmental organization, and is a Core Humanitarian Standards certified organization.

Mia Khatib

Mia is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in journalism and minoring in international relations. As a Palestinian-American, Mia is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and is interested in investigative and data-driven journalism. She hopes to start out as a breaking news reporter and one day earn a position as editor of a major publication.

Future of Afghan Women in Limbo after U.S. Troops Leave

After U.S. troops recently left the largest American base in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base, the future of Afghanistan remains unknown. In particular, the lives of Afghan women are now at stake due to the gender inequality that still exists in the country.

Midwifery students in Afghanistan. United Nations Photo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Due to the Taliban’s strict rules restricting women’s rights, gender inequality remains a threatening reality in Afghanistan. Countries retreating from Afghanistan—the U.S. included—are leaving behind a dark future for Afghan women and girls, who face serious crises of health, education and violence. The U.S. left Bagram Air Base, its largest base in Afghanistan, on July 1.

Afghanistan has a history of violence within the country after foreign forces have retreated their troops. For example, when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988, the U.S. looked away, and Afghanistan erupted in a factional war that killed thousands. During this conflict, Afghan women were raped by fighting forces.

Photos of Afghan women cowering under the whips of Taliban members haunt history, and they were the cause of feminist sympathies that emerged across the U.S. Those activists hoped that American involvement in the area would bring relief to a tortured country.

Since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, Afghan women have not wasted one minute in fighting for their rights.  Today, many women serve in important governmental roles, like as parliament members and ambassadors. Many women are also musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, or inventors. In fact, during the pandemic, the Afghan girls robotics team created low-cost ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients.

Women on the job in Afghanistan. United Nations Photo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In more good news, infant mortality has decreased and life expectancy has increased. Foreign involvement has had a big hand in accomplishing this. However, now that international troops are withdrawing, aid has been shrinking and pledges to help Afghanistan are less frequent.

Along with the U.S., several other embassies have also withdrawn their troops from Afghanistan, including Australia.

In an interview with Human Rights Watch, Afghan women said that they now face obstacles in accessing care due to costs, insecurity, and scarcity of providers. Furthermore, as countries withdraw from Afghanistan, the unknown future of the country could mean further violence that would produce even more problems for women and families.

GET INVOLVED

To help the fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan, consider working, interning, or volunteering with Women for Afghan Women WAW. WAW was founded to advocate for women then living under the brutal rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now, it is the largest organization for Afghan women and girls globally and the largest women’s organization in Afghanistan. Afghan Women’s Educational Center also focuses on Afghan women’s rights—they are a non-profit women-led national organization that reduces vulnerability among marginalized communities with a special focus on women and children. They offer various jobs and projects to get involved with.

Isabelle Durso

Isabelle is an undergraduate student at Boston University currently on campus in Boston. She is double majoring in Journalism and Film & Television, and she is interested in being a travel writer and writing human-interest stories around the world. Isabelle loves to explore and experience new cultures, and she hopes to share other people's stories through her writing. In the future, she intends to keep writing journalistic articles as well as creative screenplays.