Author: Mary Barringer

DAKAR — Agriculture was a big business in Senegal. However, climate change directly impacted food security in the country. Farmers depend entirely on rain for their crops. Climate change and its resulting unpredictable rains, lower rainfalls and storms can destroy crops and lead to falling crop prices. As a result of the industry’s poor performance, many people have relocated from rural to urban areas. Senegal’s rural population dropped from 70 percent in the 1960s to 57 percent in the 1990’s, and has since remained steady. With these figures, it is no wonder that life in urban areas seems more attractive.…

STOCKHOLM — In 2015, people marched in the streets of Sweden waving banners that read “Refugees Welcome,” and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven talked about helping “when the need is great.” Little more than a year later, the Swedish government implemented border controls to slow the flow of people seeking asylum. Here are ten facts about refugees in Sweden that may be surprising: In 2015 Sweden received more than 160,000 refugees requesting asylum per capita; more than any other European country. Organizations that help refugees integrate into Swedish society include Kompis Sverige (Swedish Buddies).  Kompis Sverige is a service that introduces…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Launched in March 2016, the U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls enables girls to get the education and training they need to succeed. It is a comprehensive strategy utilizing the expertise and strengths of four agencies: the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Each of these agencies has its own plan to implement the U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls. The State Department’s strategy advocates for policy and legal reform to protect girls from violence, promote women’s rights and expand girls’ access to education, health…

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — According to the World Fact Book and Tokelau’s 2012 Millennium Development Report, there is no data available regarding extreme poverty in Tokelau. The World Bank defines poverty as people living on less than $1.25 a day. Since basic needs such as food, water, education and health are being met, extreme poverty in Tokelau does not exist. Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand. It relied on New Zealand to govern and support the territory from 1926 to 2004. In 2004, New Zealand delegated all administrative and legislative powers to the Village Council of Elders and authority…

SEATTLE — People are familiar with shortages of gasoline, food and water, but few people correlate the word shortage with oxygen, especially in hospitals. In the U.S. and Europe, hospitals manufacture oxygen on-site, but less than half of the hospitals in Africa have access to a reliable source of medical-grade oxygen. A shortage of oxygen in Africa threatens the lives of millions suffering from life-threatening diseases and injuries. Oxygen is essential to treat critically ill patients, trauma, obstetric complications, heart failure and pneumonia. Mwemezi Kaino, head of anesthesia and intensive care at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center says, “when lungs become…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a global economy, it benefits everyone to ensure that all children have access to a quality education. When children are equipped with basic skills including reading, writing, science, and math, it creates a bright future for the world. The goal of the READ Act is to provide universal basic education and improve the quality of that education for all boys and girls. Here are 10 facts about the READ Act (S. 623): READ Act stands for Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act. The READ Act is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and co-sponsored by Sen.…

PHNOM PENH — Decades of war have created a situation of extreme poverty in Cambodia. People need access to clean water, food, healthcare, shelter and education. War left many children without parents and created a situation in which they must fend for themselves. The People Improvement Organization (PIO) provides free education, food and training to reduce poverty in Cambodia. In Cambodia school is not free – students must pay a study fee to all teachers and must purchase uniforms and school supplies. Because PIO provides free education, food and training to reduce poverty in Cambodia, children and young women can…

SEATTLE — Providing affordable electricity to Africa’s poor is critical to the development, economic growth and prosperity of the continent and its people. A solution to the energy crisis is mobile-enabled solar home systems or grids in partnership with mobile operators to provide pay-as-you-go solar electricity service. The Sustainable Energy for All Initiative set a goal to provide electricity to everyone by 2030. Current projections indicate this goal will not be reached. In fact, by 2030 half a billion people will still have no electricity. In areas without electricity, hospitals must operate without light and power for life-saving equipment. Businesses…

SEATTLE — The Microsoft Affordable Access Initiative Fund works with companies developing technologies that could make the internet available and affordable to people in underdeveloped countries. More than half the people in the world have no access to the internet. Some may think of the internet as a luxury used for gaming, shopping and social media, but in underdeveloped countries, the internet is a necessity. Internet access creates opportunities in information, communication, banking, education and healthcare. Mary Snapp, corporate vice president and head of Microsoft Philanthropies had this to say: “Too many people around the world lack internet connectivity and the…