Author: Olivia Bradley

SARAJEVO — The failure and success of humanitarian aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a controversial topic of conversation since NATO’s intervention in the country in the mid-1990s. First, “humanitarian aid” is a broad category. The word “humanitarian” can be defined as anything from “having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people,” to “pertaining to the saving of human lives or the alleviation of suffering.” By this definition, monetary aid, service, food aid and even military intervention (depending on the motivation and goals) could qualify as humanitarian. Through that lens, Bosnia has seen two…

SEATTLE — Burundi was the site of a brutal civil war from 1993 to 2006. The war was based on the long-standing ethnic divisions between Hutu and Tutsi that also caused a genocide in neighboring Rwanda. As a result of this war, and the refugee crisis and political instability that still exist in Burundi today, infrastructure in Burundi has suffered. Burundi has limited transportation infrastructure, relying primarily on roads, many of which are in poor condition. Large fuel trucks and the elements both contribute to road erosion, making many roads (especially those in rural areas) difficult and even dangerous to…

SEATTLE — The war and 1994 genocide grievously impacted infrastructure in Rwanda. Roads and buildings were destroyed, staff members from utility companies and ministries fled or were killed and many government and private records were destroyed. Immediately after the war, infrastructure rehabilitation was not a priority, and in fact, was further strained due to poor management and the resettlement of refugees. In recent years, however, Rwanda has reprioritized infrastructure and made important gains. In 2000, President Paul Kagame launched a series of development goals called Vision 2020. These goals included the development of economic infrastructure, the renewal of older infrastructure…

SEATTLE — Estonia is a small country in Eastern Europe. In 2016, it had a population of just over 1,316,000 and a GDP of $21.137 billion. It ranks 30th on the Human Development Index, just below Brunei and just above Andorra. These five facts about hunger in Estonia are crucial to understanding the effects on the country. Hunger in Estonia was at its highest in the early 1990s. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia’s economic relations with Russia and other former Soviet states became unpredictable. They could no longer count on their former trading partners to buy their…

In 2011, the United Nations passed Resolution 66/170, declaring October 11 to be the International Day of the Girl (also called International Day of the Girl Child.) According to the U.N., “the day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” The International Day of the Girl has been celebrated yearly since 2012, each year focusing on a different theme. The theme of the first year was child marriage. The theme of 2017 was the unique experiences of girls before, during and after crises and conflicts.…

FREETOWN — Sierra Leone is a small, densely populated country on the coast of West Africa. It is ranked low on the Human Development Index, at 179 out of 188. More than 50 percent of its population lives in poverty and almost 50 percent are food-insecure. Hunger in Sierra Leone affects children most egregiously. Malnutrition is a leading cause of death among children and approximately one-third of children under the age of five are chronically malnourished. In some towns, such as Bombali and Tonkolili, the rate of chronic malnutrition is double the national average. According to Save the Children head…

DAMASCUS — Since its beginning in 2011, the Syrian civil war has claimed the lives of thousands and forced millions from their homes. For the children who have survived, and even those who are still living in Syria, the war has taken something else from them – their access to education. Prior to the war, Syria had one of the strongest educational systems in the region. They had near 100 percent school enrollment and a literacy rate over 95 percent. Now, over 3000 schools have been destroyed in the fighting and are often targeted during air strikes. Nearly 3 million…

SEATTLE — Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country located in Central Asia, west of China and south of Kazakhstan. It gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and has had a rocky road, politically and economically, since then. The Gross Domestic Product of Kyrgyzstan is $5.4 billion and it has the second-lowest Gross National Income in Europe and Central Asia, after Tajikistan. The poverty rate is 32.1 percent. Kyrgyzstan ranks at 126 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index and at 66 out of 146 countries on the Gender Inequality Index. Poverty is a relevant issue, and there are…