Author: Sarah Prellwitz

SEATTLE —This year marks a significant turning point for the war on poverty. It is the end of work on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the initiation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. As 2015 nears a close, now is a good time to reflect upon some of the results of the war on poverty. The U.N. implemented a target goal to cut poverty rates in half between 1990 and 2015. They reached this goal in 2010, five years early. Now, only 22 percent of the global population lives below the poverty line.…

KABUL, Afghanistan —New voices are emerging in Afghanistan, originating from the cameras of young women in the Bamiyan Valley. The participants are students of the Young Women’s Photography Initiative (YWPI), Imagine Asia’s program to increase learning among female Afghanis. Increasing girls’ access to education is especially vital in Afghanistan, where females make up only 18 percent of the upper-level student population and 85 percent of women remain uneducated and illiterate. “You cannot succeed when you make it impossible for half your population to contribute and thrive,” said high-profile photographer Annie Griffith to National Geographic’s Speakers Bureau. Educating girls is a…

JOHANNESBURG — In October, a week before exams, South African students gathered in masses outside the universities of Cape Town and Witwatersrand to protest the government’s plan to raise education fees by 10.5 percent in 2016. If the plan went through, many of these students would be priced out of their education. Others would see their scholarships dry up, forcing them to apply for loans. These student protests echoed those of their parents in 1976 when students rallied against inefficient education and voting discrimination. Back then, the government promised to make education more accessible for all. Many feel the government…

OREM, Utah — A picture is worth a thousand words, but VII photographers weren’t campaigning for words when they teamed up with the Millennium Villages Project to photograph extreme poverty. What they want is action in Africa. Jeffrey Sachs founded the Millennium Villages Project with the help of Millennium Promise, UNOPS and Earth Institute of Columbia University. Its goal is to eliminate poverty in Africa by addressing “the root causes of extreme poverty, taking a holistic, community-led approach to sustainable development.” It draws from science, government, business and civil society to empower communities. The latest organization to join the cause…

NEW DELHI — Four years ago, the UN established October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child. On this day, campaigns rally together “to highlight, discuss, celebrate and ultimately advance girls’ lives and opportunities across the globe.” One of the main focuses is to improve education. Girls ten and under have a better chance of attending grade school than previous generations. However, globally, only 30 percent of girls attend a secondary school. In developing countries like India, one in seven girls marries before the age of 15. Marriage at an early age severely limits a girl’s chances of finishing…

SEATTLE – Like many countries, Ireland recognizes that we all share a responsibility to improve the world. While many countries were present throughout the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were ratified last month at the United Nations, Ireland played a particularly important role. Along with Kenya, Ireland was appointed to lead negotiations on the SDGs. The position required gathering together the UN member states, private sectors and civil societies, and conducting talks and consultations. “The appointment puts Ireland at the center of the most important and ambitious global development agenda that the world has ever undertaken,” said…

As Shiite Houthis clash with pro-government fighters in Yemen, it is becoming harder for children to go to school. Almost 3,600 schools have closed because of the violence, and 2 million children have been prevented from receiving an education. Rahaf Mohamed Saeed, a fifth grader, was displaced twice and had to attend a school where she could not even find a seat. “No one gave me my grades,” Rahaf told UNICEF. Fortunately, the Yemeni government refuses to tolerate the education issue. Last November, Prime Minister Bahah introduced 2015 as “Education Year.” At a ceremony covered by Yemen Times, he announced…

SEATTLE — Some donate peanut butter; others fight crime. Here is everything you need to know about 10 innovative organizations that go above and beyond: 42/22: Humanity Through Baseball began when Jim Cederberg and Drew Sauer taught baseball to a group of Kenyan orphans. The game was instantly popular. Cederberg and Sauer decided to create an organization that could “continue to provide human interaction between Americans and the people of Kenya and, potentially, other undeveloped countries.” How? By teaching baseball. Amnesty International, founded in 1961, researches violations of human rights and lobbies governments to make changes. During a time when…