Author: Katherine Hewitt

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – Most organizations and nonprofits focus on maternity and infant healthcare in developing countries. That is where the money, resources and time are spent. On the contrary, not much is spent on the older portion of the population, the 60 and older crowd. One in nine people are over 60 worldwide, with two-thirds living in developing countries. The number continues to grow because of the aging baby boomers, better nutrition, increases in education and improvements in sanitation. The ratio of older people to the young is only to grow as family sizes decrease. By 2050, the number of people over 60…

SEATTLE — Most advocacy groups and institutions agree that education is key to raising people out of poverty. It provides people with a way to earn a living, empowers women and young girls, and aids disease prevention. Since the UN Millennium Development Goals of 2000 have been the focus of international development, access to education increased as well as the quality. The UN promised to resolve that all children, boys and girls, would have equal access to a primary education. In Sub-Saharan Africa, spending on education grew from $12.5 billion in 1999 to $57 billion in 2011. The enrollment rate…

SEATTLE — Sudan is a country where the poverty rate is almost 50 percent of the population. The UN Development Program made a commitment to lower the poverty rate in Sudan despite of serious conflicts and civil war. The program works to bring people affected by conflict together and start to make a better, economically secure life. Many of those targeted for the programs are women, refugees and former soldiers. Some of the development plans include educating the Sudanese youth to share their knowledge with small villages, creating a vibrant beekeeping industry and developing a value chain integration project. The…