ROCHESTER, New York — Founded in 2009, Building Minds in South Sudan is a New York-based nonprofit that constructs schools and aids local communities within South Sudan. The organization aims to “enhance the lives of South Sudanese families through community-based educational programs and facilities,” its website says. Since its establishment, Building Minds in South Sudan has provided educational as well as economic opportunities for the people of the Mayen-Abun village in Twic State, South Sudan. In an interview with The Borgen Project, the organization’s president and co-founder, Sebastian Maroundit, and Judy Schwartz, chair of the board and the ambassador program,…
Author: Saiesha
RENO, Nevada — On May 4, 2021, Rep. Ed Case [D-HI-1] introduced H.R. 2967, the “Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act,” or the “BLUE Pacific Act.” This bipartisan legislation will establish a new framework for United States foreign policy, security and development in the Pacific Islands that prioritizes economic and social well-being, empowering Indo-Pacific nations to address ongoing challenges augmented by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and changes in climate. If enacted, H.R. 2967 will expand diplomatic relations between the United States and Pacific Island nations, advancing regional security challenges and U.S. national security interests while alleviating poverty.…
BELMONT, North Carolina — In 2022, about 50 million people across 45 different countries stand at the brink of famine as the looming global food crisis threatens to upend the food security gains accomplished over the past two decades. More than 800 million people go to sleep each night experiencing hunger, the World Food Program (WFP) reports. Of this number, 345 million individuals endure acute food insecurity, meaning that their lack of food access poses an immediate threat to their life or livelihood, the Food and Agriculture Organization says. The United Nations developed the WFP in 1961 specifically to deal…
MADISON, Connecticut — Cancer treatment in impoverished countries is an issue that is extremely consequential to millions of people. Although the entire world deals with cancer in some way, developing nations account for nearly two-thirds of the total 7.6 million global cancer deaths, according to the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Health Care Disparities High-income countries, such as the United States, France and Japan, have the economic funding and resources to skew the fight against cancer a little more in the favor of their people. With cancer prevention initiatives, modern treatment facilities and a plethora of public health campaigns,…
CHICAGO, Illinois — For more than 100 years, citizens of Puerto Rico have been subject to the taxes, military drafts and laws voted on by the representatives in the United States federal government. Over the same period of time, these citizens have had no ability to determine how much taxes they pay, the rules that govern their society or who the U.S. goes to war with. Democratic representation is not the only area where Puerto Rico differs from the country that governs it. While the U.S. sported an overall poverty rate of around 13.1% in 2018, impoverishment in Puerto Rico…
WASHINGTON, Michigan — Beijing and Santiago are strengthening bilateral ties, increasing trade and investment via China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Chile. As Chinese presence in Latin America becomes more prominent, it is necessary to assess how these new relations will impact economic expansion in Chile, particularly for impoverished Chileans. Overview of Chile Chile is a country home to almost 19 million people. One of the wealthiest nations in Latin America, the Republic of Chile has become an influential regional player, partly because of its close relationship with the West and its burgeoning affinity with China. After a quick…
WASHINGTON, Michigan — Colombia is a dominant player in trade in the Western Hemisphere, possessing the fourth largest economy in Latin America. The U.S., therefore, strives for a healthy relationship with the Latin American nation, but high levels of violence in Colombia complicate commercial ties. Still, the two countries abide by the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA), a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) that eliminated most tariffs and financial barriers. By reshaping the U.S.-Colombia trade dynamics, this agreement influences poverty in Colombia. History of the CTPA The original intention of the CTPA aimed to enhance bilateral trade, with the initial…
HOUSTON, Texas — “I wake up and hear explosions,” Yaryna, an ENGin student, recalled the first day of the war in Ukraine in an Instagram post by ENGin. “We didn’t understand what had happened. My mother said, ‘The war has started, we are being shelled, and you don’t go to school today.’ We didn’t think our life would turn upside down that day.” Unfortunately, Yaryna wasn’t the only student in Ukraine affected by the Russia-Ukraine war. The U.N. estimates that up to 90% of Ukrainians could face poverty by 2023 and the war could undermine almost two decades of economic…
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — November 24, 2016, marked the creation of Colombia’s 2016 peace accord between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to bring an official end to the armed conflict that had been ongoing for decades. However, the government of Colombia has been slack in its execution of the mechanisms of the agreement since then, with civil unrest showing no positive sign of ceasing. Moreover, despite Colombia’s economic recovery in 2022, increasing inflation is harshly affecting low-income Colombians. On May 26, 2022, Senator Bob Menendez [D-NJ] introduced the U.S.-Colombia Bicentennial Alliance Act in…
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico — Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov has auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize medal to raise funds for Ukrainian child refugees. The Nobel Peace Prize has sold for $103.5 million, shattering the record for the most money ever paid for a Nobel Prize. This is all part of Muratov’s efforts to raise funds for UNICEF to help children displaced by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which includes donating the $103.5 million from Muratov’s auction as well as the accompanying $500,000 cash award from the Nobel. Muratov hopes his actions will both help refugees and encourage others to do…