Author: Mary Efird

SEATTLE — On October 31, 2017, the K-pop boy band BTS announced its partnership with UNICEF in a campaign to end violence against children. BTS’ LOVE MYSELF campaign is a complementary offshoot of UNICEF’s #ENDViolence campaign, which began in September 2013. The shared goal of LOVE MYSELF and #ENDViolence is to protect the world’s children from violence, exploitation and abuse. Violence against children is a global epidemic. It occurs in every country, but evidence shows it is more rampant in impoverished regions, where the stress of low socio-economic status tends to breed violence. In these areas, violence occurs in children’s…

SEATTLE — This July, Sandra Musujusu, a student at the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), presented groundbreaking new research. Musujusu is currently constructing a new breast cancer treatment method. The young scientist introduced her research plan to the World Bank at an exhibition for the 10 African Centers of Excellence. Her medical ambitions highlight the importance of quality STEM education programs in Africa. Breast Cancer in the Developing World Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women. Diseases of the developing world are often visualized as mosquito-borne viruses facilitated by poor living conditions, but cancer…

SEATTLE — In 1970, monkeypox infected people throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and this was the first time this disease had been observed in human populations. In the following decades, intermittent outbreaks of monkeypox occurred throughout Africa; since September, nine cases of monkeypox in Nigeria were confirmed. Origins of Monkeypox Monkeypox is a rare disease with symptoms similar to, but milder than, smallpox. It has been observed mainly throughout remote regions of central and western Africa, with major outbreaks occurring in 1996, 2005 and 2016. Though the disease predominately affects people living in Africa, it has proven capable…

SEATTLE — Nestled in quaint Durham, North Carolina, Duke University has earned global renown for its successful basketball team and top-notch academics. Beyond offering challenging curricula, Duke also fosters opportunities for its students to change the world. The Developing World Healthcare Technologies Lab at Duke (DHT Lab) is a program, belonging to the university’s Pratt School of Engineering, that seeks to comprehensively address technical problems that hinder healthcare in the developing world. “If you have ever been to the doctor, you know how important technology is to health,” Dr. Robert Malkin, a biomedical engineering professor at Duke, told The Borgen…

SEATTLE — To solve problems faced by the mining industry, many mining countries have turned to a surprising technology: virtual reality. This November, Tshimologong, a South African company focused on digital innovations, will host a hackathon for the mining industry. Hackathons are collaborative events in which computer programmers congregate to create specific new programs. The Mine D Hackathon in South Africa has the goal of creating computer programs that will improve the health and safety of mining operations in the country. Though there is debate about whether mining is a lucrative utilization of resources or problematic specialization, there is no…

ASTANA — The Republic of Kazakhstan has a dark history of hunger. A former member of the USSR, Kazakhstan was one victim of collectivist farming, which resulted in the starvation of millions of people in the 1930s. After declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan was left to deal with an economy sunken deep into recession; however, in merely a few decades, Kazakhstan has managed to improve its economy. Simultaneously, hunger in Kazakhstan has decreased, and the nation has even contributed to the effort to decrease hunger beyond its borders. In the late 1990s, the oil industry of…

GUATEMALA CITY — Like many people living in Latin America, Guatemalan citizens rely heavily on a diet of rice and beans. While rice and beans is a classic dietary combination seen throughout the developing world due to its affordability and long shelf life, the pair can leave a nutritional void. The prevalence of the gastrointestinal disease gastritis in Guatemala is, in part, due to inadequate sustenance wreaking havoc on the digestive tract. Gastritis is characterized by inflammation or irritation of the stomach lining caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Other health issues, such as ulcers and stomach cancer, can arise…