New York City to Reward Poor for Doing Right Thing

from The New York Times

By DIANE CARDWELL

Seeking new solutions to New York’s vexingly high poverty rates, the city is moving ahead with an ambitious experiment that will pay poor families up to $5,000 a year to meet goals like attending parent-teacher conferences, going for a medical checkup or holding down a full-time job, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday.

Under the program, which is based on a similar effort in Mexico, parents would receive payments every two months for family members meeting any of a series of criteria. The payments could range from $25 for exemplary attendance in elementary school to $300 for a high score on an important exam, city officials said.

The officials said the program was the first of its kind in the country.

The project, first announced in the fall. was scheduled to begin as a pilot program in September with 2,500 randomly selected families whose progress will be tracked against another 2,500 randomly selected families who will not get the rewards. Officials planned to draw the families from six of the poorest communities in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

To be eligible, families must have at least one child entering fourth, seventh or ninth grade and a household income of 130 percent or less of the federal poverty level, which equals roughly $20,000 for a single parent with two children.

The city has already raised $42 million of the $50 million needed to cover the initial program’s cost from private sources, including Mr. Bloomberg. If it proves successful, the mayor said, the city will attempt to create a permanent program financed by the government.

Likening the payments, known as conditional cash transfers, to tax incentives that steer people of greater means toward property ownership, Mr. Bloomberg said that the approach was intended to help struggling families who often focus on basic daily survival make better long-term decisions and break generational cycles of poverty and dependence.

“In the private sector, financial incentives encourage actions that are good for the company: working harder, hitting sales targets or landing more clients,” the mayor said in an announcement at a health services center in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

“In the public sector, we believe that financial incentives will encourage actions that are good for the city and its families: higher attendance in schools, more parental involvement in education and better career skills.”

Since Mr. Bloomberg outlined the plan last fall, reaction among antipoverty experts and advocates has been mixed, with some hailing it as an innovative approach that could become a powerful model for the rest of the country and ultimately win the support of the federal government.

Indeed, the program is being financed by several high-profile organizations, including the Rockefeller, Starr and Robin Hood Foundations, as well as the Open Society Institute and the insurance and financial firm American International Group.

The Rockefeller and Starr Foundations are donating $10 million each, while the Open Society Institute is giving $5 million and A.I.G. is donating $2 million. A spokeswoman for the Robin Hood Foundation did not return calls or an e-mail message, and Mr. Bloomberg’s spokesman, Stu Loeser, declined to say how much the mayor contributed.

Some antipoverty advocates have bristled at what they see as the condescending notion that poor people need to be told how to raise their families. Others have focused on the broader economic issues at play.

“It is encouraging that the mayor believes there’s a public role for addressing intergenerational poverty, inequality and economic mobility,” said Margy Waller, a former Clinton administration adviser who is a co-founder of Inclusion, a research and policy group based in Washington.

“What is troubling is the focus on personal behavior as the solution to what is at least in part a problem of the economy,” she said. “Given what we know about the growth of low-wage jobs and the shrinking of the middle class, it will be, in fact, impossible to bring more people into the middle class unless we improve the labor market as well.”

A similar concern seems to have emerged with Mexico’s program, known as Oportunidades, which is now 10 years old, has a budget of more than $3 billion a year and covers nearly one-fourth of all Mexicans.

Intended to replace the food subsidies that had dominated much of Mexico’s antipoverty efforts, the program offers cash stipends to families to keep their children in school and take them for regular checkups. Parents must also attend regular talks on issues including health, nutrition and family planning.

Outside evaluations have found that the program has been successful in raising school attendance and nutrition levels and that the percentage of Mexicans living in extreme poverty has fallen.

Still, there are questions about how much more effective the program can be in lifting large numbers of people permanently out of poverty, in part because jobs are lacking.

In January, Santiago Levy, one of the program’s creators and a former undersecretary of finance in Mexico, said at the Brookings Institution in Washington that even if the program were 100 percent effective, it alone could not solve the problem.

“Now’s he’s out with a high school degree, a healthy man: Is he going to get a job or migrate to the U.S.?” he said.

But others see cause for optimism in the results of Mexico’s program and similar ones in other Latin American countries. In Nicaragua, for example, primary school enrollment rates grew to 90 percent from 68 percent; in Colombia, secondary school enrollment in urban areas rose to 78 percent from 64 percent, said Laura Rawlings, a World Bank specialist who has studied the programs, which she said are active or being created in nearly 20 countries.

The idea to try the program in New York has its roots in the broad attack on poverty that Mr. Bloomberg has made a high-profile cause for his second term. Roughly one in five New Yorkers lives in poverty, according to the Community Service Society of New York.

In keeping with the administration’s emphasis on outcomes, city officials say they will closely monitor the test group’s progress against that of the control group with the help of M.D.R.C., a nonprofit policy research organization involved in the program’s design.

All 5,000 families will be asked to agree to participate in the program before knowing which group they are in, said Gordon Berlin, the president of M.D.R.C., and those not receiving benefits will be paid a nominal fee to submit to monitoring and surveys, he said.

Officials expect that some of the control families will inevitably drop out, but Mr. Berlin said that in conducting similar experiments in the past, he had found that most were willing to participate even without the benefits because they were informed that it would help guide a government policy decision in which they had a stake.

The families receiving the benefits will be given a list of goals they are expected to meet, as well as the values assigned to them. They will also get a “passport” for documenting the completion of tasks that are not automatically reported elsewhere, said Linda I. Gibbs, the deputy mayor overseeing the effort.

The city is working with state and federal officials, Ms. Gibbs said, to make sure that families do not lose other benefits because of the grants.

Elisabeth Malkin contributed reporting from Mexico City.

International aid plea to parties

from The Herald

Eight international development agencies have challenged political parties to focus at least one campaign day over the next month on global poverty.

Oxfam, Christian Aid, Save the Children, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) and Islamic Relief are among those who want Sunday, April 15, a week after Easter, to be designated Development Day.

International aid is a reserved power for Westminster, but in the past four years support has grown for Holyrood becoming involved in direct links with Africa, particularly Malawi, after Jack McConnell visited the nation.
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A joint letter from the agencies has called for the spirit of the Make Poverty History campaign two years ago to be kept going into the next session of the Scottish Parliament.

"We are also aware of the depth of need in Malawi and in many other countries across the world," it says.

"That need, coupled with strong public support for more action, is why we believe that all parties should be setting out how they will take forward this policy."

Paul Chitnis, chief execu-tive of SCIAF, commented: "Recent opinion polling by SCIAF has shown very high levels of public support for Scottish politicians to take action on tacking global poverty.

"With a combination of public support here and great need in far too many coun-tries around the world, it's time for Scotland's politicians to bridge that gap and set out how they are going to take the aid policy forward."

Give duty-free market to smaller SAARC members, Assocham tells government

from Domain B

India, the largest member of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), should give duty-free market access to its smaller and less-developed neighbours like Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal, while Pakistan needs to implement the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, industry body Assocham said, ahead of the upcoming SAARC summit in New Delhi on April 3-4.

The summit meeting would ratify the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) and consider measures for relaxing visa policy among member countries. Other major issues on the agenda include fighting terrorism and improving connectivity among member states. "Indian industry would fully support the government if it comes out with any package for our smaller neighbours since the size of our industry and economy is large enough to accommodate the requirements of these countries," Assocham president Venugopal N Dhoot said.

India has extended a commitment to review non-tariff barriers, if any, and give better access to its market as part of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). "Our economy, which is expected to reach a size of a trillion dollar by March 2008, should share the fruits of growth with the smaller members of the SAARC," Dhoot said.

"Pakistan's reluctance to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India, even under the recently ratified SAFTA, is another issue that warrants an immediate solution," he said. The SAARC region accounted for a mere 2.5 per cent of India's total foreign trade in April-October 2006. Therefore, the opening up of India's market under the trade agreement is not likely to have a major impact on the domestic market, Assocham said.

Imports from the SAARC countries amounted to only less than a billion dollar, contributing just 0.82 per cent to the total imports of 104 billion dollars. Other proposals expected to be ratified at the summit include the establishment of regional food bank and a South Asian University, while a joint declaration would formalise entry of Afghanistan as the eighth member of SAARC.

The member countries have already exercised and agreed on the three major issues in the ministerial and secretary level talks earlier and a meeting of the state heads would formalise them during the summit meeting.

Once the deal is finalised, the food bank will start initially with a reserve of 241,580 tonne of food grain, which would be gradually increased. According to the proposal, India will contribute 153,200 tonne, Pakistan and Bangladesh 40,000 tonne each, Sri Lanka and Nepal 4,000 tonnes each, Maldives 200 tonne and Bhutan 180 tonne of food grain.

Connectivity includes physical connectivity in terms of concrete infrastructure projects, economic connectivity through freer movement of goods and trade, and connectivity of ideas and people through increased people to people contact rather than a mere inter-governmental process.

Modalities for bringing into operations a SAARC poverty alleviation programme by wrapping up the proposed $100 million 'SAARC development fund' would also be considered. Under the proposed telemedicine network project, hospitals in SAARC countries would be connected to the super-speciality hospitals in India. Five observers - China, Japan, Korea, USA and the European Union - will also attend the summit.

Eguarding Against Malaria - Using Insecticide Treated Nets

from All Africa

By Florence Udoh
Lagos

Scientifically it has been proven that prevention of malaria or any other disease is a cost effective way of combating any disease condition. In the treatment of malaria which has continued to claim many lives, particularly women and children, it is canvassed that all Nigerians should sleep under mosquito treated bed nets.

Indeed even as African continet gears up to celebrate this year's African Malaria Day on April 26th, it is good news to note that recently, the World Bank gave a credit facility worth 180 million dollars to Nigeria for control of malaria.

With the release of about $22 million US dollars from that grant for mitigation of the disease in seven states of the federation, the need to allow for more states to benefit from such long term grant is evident if the control programme is to achieve full success.

Recent statistics from the Federal Ministry of Health reveal that about 60 per cent of all outpatient attendances in hospitals across the country are as a result of malaria. Another 30% of all hospital admissions are said to be as a result of malaria disease.

Prevention rather than treatment of malaria, studies show is a more secure way of staving off the deadly disease. One of such preventive approach under international guidelines is sleeping under insecticide treated nets at all times.

In Nigeria, malaria disease is known to affect a high population of people. Women, particularly pregnant women, and children aged 0-5 are among the worst hit by the mosquito- borne ailment.

What is more disturbing about malaria scourge is that it affects in a major way, women, particularly pregnant women, and children aged 0-5 years.More than half of the total percentage of mortality among these vulnerable groups have been traced to malaria, over the years.

Malaria is said to be caused by a parasite called plasmodium falciparum. This parasite is transmitted by a particular specie of mosquito known as Anopheles, when it bites and secretes this germ into the blood stream of an exposed person. The Anopheles mosquito is easily distinguished from other breeds in many ways. For instance,they prefer to breed in stagnant water or generally moist and unclean environment which is why they thrive in many parts of the country where public hygiene is low.

The Anopheles mosquitoes have unique postures for which they are identified by. Unlike most other species of mosquitoes that rest in a flat posture on any object , the Anopheles mosquitoes rest on surfaces with their heads slanting down and their bodies raised at a steep angle upward.

A single bite of a mosquito like the Anopheles can introduce the life threatening plasmodium, which if not promptly treated can lead to death or cerebral disorder due to the complex make up of these germs that tend to quickly attack the human brain.So far, sleeping under Long Lasting Treated Nets are about the easiest options for preventing the common and preventable environmental disease.But the question is, how many Nigerians comply with this advice of sleeping under Insecticide Treated Nets.For many flimsy excuses, many avoid this alternative to the detriment of their lives or even that of children.

But determined to rid Nigeria of malaria burden at all cost, particularly in keeping with the Millennium Development Goal(MDG) on health, the Federal Government recently appointed key health officials from across various states of the federation to become members of a newly constituted National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) on the Nigerian Malaria Control Booster Project.This is an initiative of the health minister, Professor Eyitayo Lambo.

Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration ceremony of NPSC members Minister of State for Health, Halima Tayo Alao who chaired the occasion on behalf of the health minister, observed that Nigeria for far too long has been an endemic site for malaria disease. She said more hands must now be on deck to comprehensively rid the country of the avoidable menace in a pro-active system. She pointed out that with the conclusion of a grant offer from the World Bank,totalling 180 million US dollars, the fight against the disease should naturally should be unrellenting in the seven states penciled down to receive funding to curb the disease.The states include, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, and Rivers State. The selection of the seven states she explained, was based on a survey carried out to identify states with extremely high burden of malaria, as well as those with high level of commitment to eliminating the environmental disease in their various domains.She explained that efforts so far in combating malaria in Nigeria has been slow due to a number of reasons. These include lack of effective legislation on sanitation and control, illiteracy, poverty, poor environmental health, failure to sleep under Insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs) among other causes.

"Progress to date in combating malaria has been slow. And the coverage of prevention measures and effective treatment is below target. Only 34 percent of febrile children received anti-malaria treatment (chloroquine) and 17 percent of pregnant women received Intermittent Preventive Therapy(IPT) with Sulphadoxine- Pyrimethamine. Despite being a country where malaria is endemic, the use of long lasting insecticide- treated bed nets(LLINs), which is one of the main preventive interventions against malaria, remains below target.Only 6.8 percent of children under five and pregnant women sleep under insecticide treated nets," she said.

The minister disclosed that the primary goal of the National Malaria Control Program is to reduce the burden of malaria by half come the year 2010.According to her, this level of progress is expected to have a spiral effect on as well as reduce child mortality by 20 percent across the country. She explained that the National Malaria Control Program has been put in place to ensure massive scale up of vector control interventions for all at-risk population with a strong focus on preventive approach against the disease.

"Through the National Malaria Control Program, we expect to reduce all-cause child mortality by 2010, which is in turn expected to reduce all-cause child mortality by 20 percent .To attain this goal, the program envisages a massive scale up of vector control interventions for all- at risk population and a strong focus on preventive measures, coupled with the introduction of more effective case management and this includes the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies(ACTs) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria cases, with an initial focus on children under five,"she said.

The minister described malaria as a major public health problem which must be done away with at all cost. She said that studies have shown that malaria is a cause and consequence of poverty in Nigeria. She attributed majority of cases of malaria in the country to a parasite called plasmodium falciparum.The life-threatening parasite is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.According to the minister, malaria accounts for about 110 million clinical cases annually, including 60% of all out patient attendances and 30% of all hospital admissions across the various health care facilities in the country.

Alao, also explained that a program known as Country Strategic Plan is to used to improve access of Nigerians to treatment on a broad intervention scale. One of the key strategy of this program is the Case Management strategy. This the minister said entails diagnosis to ensure that at least 80% of people at risk of malaria take prompt and effective treatment within 24 hours of start of illness due to malaria.

Under this scheme, children under five will receive free Artmether- Lumefantrine(AL) through public sector and faith based health facilities.

"Under the case management treatment program, a home based management of malaria strategy will be developed to increase access to effective treatment for children under five years of age. This strategy will utilize patent medicine vendors as well as expand the role model mother system", she said.

Another strategy is the Integrated Vector Management system.This process is designed to ensure that at least 80% of the population at risk of malaria sleeps under insecticide treated nets. Under this scheme, the country coordinator of Roll Back Malaria Project in Nigeria(RBM), Dr. Yemi Sofola said that already, about 700,000 units of insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs) have been disbursed to children aged 0-5 in about 18 states across the various geo-political zones .

According to the minister, many more Nigerian children would be reached during the Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) and Measles campaigns. She said children under the age of five who have commenced Dipthera 3 vaccination would be given Long Lasting Insecticide Nets(LLINs) as soon as they are brought forward for immunization. "The nets are to be handed over to mothers when they present their children for immunisation activities. Also under the scheme, free LLINs will be given to pregnant women attending first ante natal care(ANC)", she said.

Yet another national program for malaria control is Malaria Prevention during Pregnancy. The minister of state for health noted that this initiative is put in place to increase access of at least 80% of pregnant women to direct Intermittent Prevention Therapy(IPT) and Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine(SP), both of which are drugs specifically designed to fight malaria in pregnant women. This is key, because many otherwise young and healthy pregnant women have in the past died needlessly from a single malaria attack. This is because pregnant women very easily are susceptible to death when exposed to malaria infection.This again is because their immune system is put under severe strain when a malaria causing plasmodium enters into their blood stream after just one mosquito bite .

The process of administering IPTs require expertise and competence on the part of medical personnel.This is because the procedure requires close monitoring of both mother and child on rather very regular basis to ensure effectiveness of the drugs as well as safety and tolerance level of mother and child.

In compliance with the Africa Region charter on Integrated Vector Management(IVM) on malaria, Nigeria, a signatory country to the resolution recently conducted a pilot Indoor Residual Spraying(IRS) in Barki Ladi area of Plateau state, north central of Nigeria.This area is known to be susceptible to malaria nearly through out the entire year.

According to Dr Yemi Sofola ,the Country Coordinator of Roll Back Malaria Project in Nigeria, the indoor residual exercise was done through collaboration with departments of parasitology and entomology, department of zoology, faculty of natural sciences of the University of Jos and the Roll Back Malaria Project.

"The implementation of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) against malaria conducted in Barki Ladi was a pilot work.It is a part of Integrated Vector Management(IVM) procedure.This is because vector population control or suppression is crucial to effective malaria control program anywhere in the world.And Nigeria is a signatory to the IVM resolution adopted by Africa Region resolution AFR/RC50/R6," she said.

According to her, the Integrated Vector Management(IVM) processes include chemical control(adulticides and larvicides), biological control(predators, parasites, and pathogens), and environmental management.Indoor Residual Spraying and larviciding are done using chemical control.

Results of the preliminary malaria study in Plateau has shown tremendous improvement in the process of building data for understanding molecular details of mosquitoes.It has also been proven that the exercise has gone a long way to provide up to date parasitology and entomological data among other vital body of knowledge directly linked to disease control in the state.During the study, malaria infection was found to be highest(98%) at the start of December of every year. Infection with malaria was observed to have been due to infestation with Plasmodium Falciparum(83.8%) more than any other parasite.Different species of mosquitoes were found to exist heterogeneously.These include the Culex mosquitoes, Anopheles Gambiae, Anopheles Funestus, and other species of Culex breed.The study also revealed in specific ways that there is a relationship between mosquito prevalence and poor environmental health and home based hygiene.

Further research into malaria has revealed that the proportion or frequency of attack is linked to certain blood groups. For instance, 33 year -old Dr Ken Eguda, a General Practitioner (GP) at the Wuse General Hospital confirmed that cases of malaria are common with specific blood groups, even as he said that a good percentage of his income is most often sunk into various treatment procedures, using ACTs. He said that blood groups that carry high oxygen levels naturally help malaria parasites in regenerating quickly. According to Dr. Ken whose blood group is O-positive, malaria is common with such general donor blood group.He said that sometimes he gets a malaria attack without even a mosquito bite.The attack is rather triggered from residue of malaria parasites already inside his system, which he said naturally reproduce themselves.He said that one of the biggest challenge to malaria cure is the fact that most drugs used in treating malaria do not reach the liver, an organ that is usually attacked by the parasites in the body. He said that single dose of Coartem, or other use of artesunate combination are usually handy in subduing the malaria parasites.

But another volunteer, Sunday Taiwo, aged 29 said that he rarely experiences malaria attack. Sunday whose blood group is AB, however said that he could have a spell of malaria may be just once in a year, but with very severe symptoms like head aches, fever, lack of appetite, vomiting which cost him a lot of out of pocket expenses to treat. He admits also that a drug called Coartem have been found to effectively deal with the disease whenever it surfaces.

According to Roll Back Malaria boss, Dr Sofola ,Nigeria is committed to drastically reducing the social and economic burden of malaria by half come 2010 This ambitious target she says forms part of the objective of Nigeria Malaria Control Booster Project is to improve access of pregnant women and children aged 0-5 to comprehensive malaria plus interventions in focal states. She said that the Malaria Control Booster scheme expected to commence March 2007 to February 2010 would go a long way in significantly improving level of utilization of malaria booster interventions but would also help to check maternal and child morbidity and mortality as a result of malaria.

"This is why the Federal Government recently obtained a World Bank credit, totalling $180 million dollars to push for elimination of the disease in Nigeria. But out of the amount, the World Bank has only approved the release of $20 million dollars to support Nigeria's malaria control program. This credit facility would be used to implement the Malaria Control Booster Project in seven states to start with," she said.

The major challenge however facing this giant leap is the sustainability of the program.Already, there appears to be an uneven spread of the funds appropriated for implementation of the program in seven states.For better results, more states should be incorporated into the otherwise laudable program. This no doubt means that more funds have to be sourced to be able to cover more states. Although the $20 million released for management of drugs procurement, preventive campaigns and treatment of malaria in all seven states appears to be insufficient, however close supervision of implementation process of the scheme is needful to make sure that the core values of the program are not jeopardised by scarce funds. Also, all participating states must play their roles in such a way that they are in consonance with the country's strategic plan for Roll Back Malaria, which is to give priority to pregnant women and children under five years.

Malaria is caused by a parasite called plasmodium falciparum. This parasite is transmitted by a specie of mosquito known as Anopheles mosquito when it bites and secretes this germ in the blood of a victim. One of the commonest characteristics of the Anopheles mosquito is that they prefer to breed in stagnant water or generally moist and unclean environment.

The Anopheles mosquitoes are easily identifiable because of their peculiar posture. Unlike most other species of mosquitoes that rest in a flat posture on any object , the Anopheles mosquitoes rest on surfaces with their heads slanting down and their bodies raised at a steep angle upward.Apparently determined to rid Nigeria of malaria burden, the Federal Government recently constituted a National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) of the Nigerian Malaria Control Booster Project.

Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration ceremony of NPSC members recently, minister of state for Health, Halima Tayo Alao who chaired the occasion , observed that it was high time Nigeria took steps to effectively check the malaria menace in a pro-active method. She pointed out that Nigeria is currently to benefit from a loan facility of 180 million US Dollars which would be used to tackle malaria in seven states.The states include, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, and River state. The selection of the seven states she explained was based on a survey carried out to identify states with extremely high burden of malaria, as well as those with high level of commitment to eliminating the environmental disease in their various domains.She explained that efforts so far in combating malaria in Nigeria has been slow, due to a number of reasons. These include lack of effective legislation on sanitation laws and control, illiteracy, poverty, poor environmental health, failure to sleep under Insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs) among other causes.

"Progress to date in combating malaria has been slow. And the coverage of prevention measures and effective treatment is below target. Only 34 percent of febrile children received anti-malaria treatment (chloroquine) and 17 percent of pregnant women received Intermittent Preventive Therapy(IPT) with Sulphadoxine- Pyrimethamine. Despite being a country where malaria is endemic, the use of long lasting insecticide- treated bed nets(LLINs), which is one of the main preventive interventions against malaria, remains below target.Only 6.8 percent of children under five and pregnant women sleep under insecticide treated nets," she said.

The minister disclosed that the primary goal of the National Malaria Control Program is to reduce the burden of malaria by half come the year 2010.According to her, this level of progress is expected to have a spiral effect on as well as reduce child mortality by 20 percent across the country. She explained that the National Malaria Control Program has been put in place to ensure massive scale up of vector control interventions for all at-risk population with a strong focus on preventive approach against the disease.

"Through the National Malaria Control Program, we expect to reduce all-cause child mortality by 2010, which is in turn expected to reduce all-cause child mortality by 20 percent .To attain this goal, the program envisages a massive scale up of vector control interventions for all- at risk population and a strong focus on preventive measures, coupled with the introduction of more effective case management and this includes the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies(ACTs) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria cases, with an initial focus on children under five,"she said.

The minister described malaria as a major public health problem which must be done away with at all cost. She said that studies have shown that malaria is a cause and consequence of poverty in Nigeria. She attributed majority of cases of malaria in the country to a parasite called plasmodium falciparum.The life-threatening parasite is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.According to the minister, malaria accounts for about 110 million clinical cases annually, including 60% of all out patient attendances and 30% of all hospital admissions across the various health care facilities in the country.

Alao, also explained that a program known as Country Strategic Plan is to used to improve access of Nigerians to treatment on a broad intervention scale. One of the key strategy of this program is the Case Management strategy. This the minister said entails diagnosis to ensure that at least 80% of people at risk of malaria take prompt and effective treatment within 24 hours of start of illness due to malaria.

Under this scheme, children under five will receive free Artmether- Lumefantrine(AL) through public sector and faith based health facilities.

"Under the case management treatment program, a home based management of malaria strategy will be developed to increase access to effective treatment for children under five years of age. This strategy will utilize patent medicine vendors as well as expand the role model mother system", she said.

Another strategy is the Integrated Vector Management system.This process is designed to ensure that at least 80% of the population at risk of malaria sleeps under insecticide treated nets. Under this scheme, the country coordinator of Roll Back Malaria Project in Nigeria(RBM), Dr. Yemi Sofola said that already, about 700,000 units of insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs) have been disbursed to children aged 0-5 in about 18 states across the various geo-political zones .

According to the minister, many more Nigerian children would be reached during the Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) and Measles campaigns. She said children under the age of five who have commenced Dipthera 3 vaccination would be given Long Lasting Insecticide Nets(LLINs) as soon as they are brought forward for immunization. "The nets are to be handed over to mothers when they present their children for immunisation activities. Also under the scheme, free LLINs will be given to pregnant women attending first ante natal care(ANC)", she said.

Yet another national program for malaria control is Malaria Prevention during Pregnancy. The minister of state for health noted that this initiative is put in place to increase access of at least 80% of pregnant women to direct Intermittent Prevention Therapy(IPT) and Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine(SP), both of which are drugs specifically designed to fight malaria in pregnant women. This is key, because many otherwise young and healthy pregnant women have in the past died needlessly from a single malaria attack. This is because pregnant women very easily are susceptible to death when exposed to malaria infection.This again is because their immune system is put under severe strain when a malaria causing plasmodium enters into their blood stream after just one mosquito bite .

The process of administering IPTs require expertise and competence on the part of medical personnel.This is because the procedure requires close monitoring of both mother and child on rather very regular basis to ensure effectiveness of the drugs as well as safety and tolerance level of mother and child.

In compliance with the Africa Region charter on Integrated Vector Management(IVM) on malaria, Nigeria, a signatory country to the resolution recently conducted a pilot Indoor Residual Spraying(IRS) in Barki Ladi area of Plateau state, north central of Nigeria.This area is known to be susceptible to malaria nearly through out the entire year.

According to Dr Yemi Sofola ,the Country Coordinator of Roll Back Malaria Project in Nigeria, the indoor residual exercise was done through collaboration with departments of parasitology and entomology, department of zoology, faculty of natural sciences of the University of Jos and the Roll Back Malaria Project.

"The implementation of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) against malaria conducted in Barki Ladi was a pilot work.It is a part of Integrated Vector Management(IVM) procedure.This is because vector population control or suppression is crucial to effective malaria control program anywhere in the world.And Nigeria is a signatory to the IVM resolution adopted by Africa Region resolution AFR/RC50/R6," she said.

According to her, the Integrated Vector Management(IVM) processes include chemical control(adulticides and larvicides), biological control(predators, parasites, and pathogens), and environmental management.Indoor Residual Spraying and larviciding are done using chemical control.

Results of the preliminary malaria study in Plateau has shown tremendous improvement in the process of building data for understanding molecular details of mosquitoes.It has also been proven that the exercise has gone a long way to provide up to date parasitology and entomological data among other vital body of knowledge directly linked to disease control in the state.During the study, malaria infection was found to be highest(98%) at the start of December of every year. Infection with malaria was observed to have been due to infestation with Plasmodium Falciparum(83.8%) more than any other parasite.Different species of mosquitoes were found to exist heterogeneously.These include the Culex mosquitoes, Anopheles Gambiae, Anopheles Funestus, and other species of Culex breed.The study also revealed in specific ways that there is a relationship between mosquito prevalence and poor environmental health and home based hygiene.

Further research into malaria has revealed that the proportion or frequency of attack is linked to certain blood groups. For instance, 33 year -old Dr Ken Eguda, a General Practitioner (GP) at the Wuse General Hospital confirmed that cases of malaria are common with specific blood groups, even as he said that a good percentage of his income is most often sunk into various treatment procedures, using ACTs. He said that blood groups that carry high oxygen levels naturally help malaria parasites in regenerating quickly. According to Dr. Ken whose blood group is O-positive, malaria is common with such general donor blood group.He said that sometimes he gets a malaria attack without even a mosquito bite.The attack is rather triggered from residue of malaria parasites already inside his system, which he said naturally reproduce themselves.He said that one of the biggest challenge to malaria cure is the fact that most drugs used in treating malaria do not reach the liver, an organ that is usually attacked by the parasites in the body. He said that single dose of Coartem, or other use of artesunate combination are usually handy in subduing the malaria parasites.

But another volunteer, Sunday Taiwo, aged 29 said that he rarely experiences malaria attack. Sunday whose blood group is AB, however said that he could have a spell of malaria may be just once in a year, but with very severe symptoms like head aches, fever, lack of appetite, vomiting which cost him a lot of out of pocket expenses to treat. He admits also that a drug called Coartem have been found to effectively deal with the disease whenever it surfaces.

According to Roll Back Malaria boss, Dr Sofola ,Nigeria is committed to drastically reducing the social and economic burden of malaria by half come 2010 This ambitious target she says forms part of the objective of Nigeria Malaria Control Booster Project is to improve access of pregnant women and children aged 0-5 to comprehensive malaria plus interventions in focal states. She said that the Malaria Control Booster scheme expected to commence March 2007 to February 2010 would go a long way in significantly improving level of utilization of malaria booster interventions but would also help to check maternal and child morbidity and mortality as a result of malaria.

"This is why the Federal Government recently obtained a World Bank credit, totalling $180 million dollars to push for elimination of the disease in Nigeria. But out of the amount, the World Bank has only approved the release of $20 million dollars to support Nigeria's malaria control program. This credit facility would be used to implement the Malaria Control Booster Project in seven states to start with," she said.

The major challenge however facing this giant leap is the sustainability of the program.Already, there appears to be an uneven spread of the funds appropriated for implementation of the program in seven states.For better results, more states should be incorporated into the otherwise laudable program. This no doubt means that more funds have to be sourced to be able to cover more states. Although the $20 million released for management of drugs procurement, preventive campaigns and treatment of malaria in all seven states appears to be insufficient, however close supervision of implementation process of the scheme is needful to make sure that the core values of the program are not jeopardised by scarce funds. Also, all participating states must play their roles in such a way that they are in consonance with the country's strategic plan for Roll Back Malaria, which is to give priority to pregnant women and children under five years.

Malaria is caused by a parasite called plasmodium falciparum. This parasite is transmitted by a specie of mosquito known as Anopheles mosquito when it bites and secretes this germ in the blood of a victim. One of the commonest characteristics of the Anopheles mosquito is that they prefer to breed in stagnant water or generally moist and unclean environment.

The Anopheles mosquitoes are easily identifiable because of their peculiar posture. Unlike most other species of mosquitoes that rest in a flat posture on any object , the Anopheles mosquitoes rest on surfaces with their heads slanting down and their bodies raised at a steep angle upward.Apparently determined to rid Nigeria of malaria burden, the Federal Government recently constituted a National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) of the Nigerian Malaria Control Booster Project.

Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration ceremony of NPSC members recently, minister of state for Health, Halima Tayo Alao who chaired the occasion , observed that it was high time Nigeria took steps to effectively check the malaria menace in a pro-active method. She pointed out that Nigeria is currently to benefit from a loan facility of 180 million US Dollars which would be used to tackle malaria in seven states.The states include, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, and River state. The selection of the seven states she explained was based on a survey carried out to identify states with extremely high burden of malaria, as well as those with high level of commitment to eliminating the environmental disease in their various domains.She explained that efforts so far in combating malaria in Nigeria has been slow, due to a number of reasons. These include lack of effective legislation on sanitation laws and control, illiteracy, poverty, poor environmental health, failure to sleep under Insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs) among other causes.

"Progress to date in combating malaria has been slow. And the coverage of prevention measures and effective treatment is below target. Only 34 percent of febrile children received anti-malaria treatment (chloroquine) and 17 percent of pregnant women received Intermittent Preventive Therapy(IPT) with Sulphadoxine- Pyrimethamine. Despite being a country where malaria is endemic, the use of long lasting insecticide- treated bed nets(LLINs), which is one of the main preventive interventions against malaria, remains below target.Only 6.8 percent of children under five and pregnant women sleep under insecticide treated nets," she said.

The minister disclosed that the primary goal of the National Malaria Control Program is to reduce the burden of malaria by half come the year 2010.According to her, this level of progress is expected to have a spiral effect on as well as reduce child mortality by 20 percent across the country. She explained that the National Malaria Control Program has been put in place to ensure massive scale up of vector control interventions for all at-risk population with a strong focus on preventive approach against the disease.

"Through the National Malaria Control Program, we expect to reduce all-cause child mortality by 2010, which is in turn expected to reduce all-cause child mortality by 20 percent .To attain this goal, the program envisages a massive scale up of vector control interventions for all- at risk population and a strong focus on preventive measures, coupled with the introduction of more effective case management and this includes the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies(ACTs) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria cases, with an initial focus on children under five,"she said.

The minister described malaria as a major public health problem which must be done away with at all cost. She said that studies have shown that malaria is a cause and consequence of poverty in Nigeria. She attributed majority of cases of malaria in the country to a parasite called plasmodium falciparum.The life-threatening parasite is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.According to the minister, malaria accounts for about 110 million clinical cases annually, including 60% of all out patient attendances and 30% of all hospital admissions across the various health care facilities in the country.

Alao, also explained that a program known as Country Strategic Plan is to used to improve access of Nigerians to treatment on a broad intervention scale. One of the key strategy of this program is the Case Management strategy. This the minister said entails diagnosis to ensure that at least 80% of people at risk of malaria take prompt and effective treatment within 24 hours of start of illness due to malaria.

Under this scheme, children under five will receive free Artmether- Lumefantrine(AL) through public sector and faith based health facilities.

"Under the case management treatment program, a home based management of malaria strategy will be developed to increase access to effective treatment for children under five years of age. This strategy will utilize patent medicine vendors as well as expand the role model mother system", she said.

Another strategy is the Integrated Vector Management system.This process is designed to ensure that at least 80% of the population at risk of malaria sleeps under insecticide treated nets. Under this scheme, the country coordinator of Roll Back Malaria Project in Nigeria(RBM), Dr. Yemi Sofola said that already, about 700,000 units of insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs) have been disbursed to children aged 0-5 in about 18 states across the various geo-political zones .

According to the minister, many more Nigerian children would be reached during the Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) and Measles campaigns. She said children under the age of five who have commenced Dipthera 3 vaccination would be given Long Lasting Insecticide Nets(LLINs) as soon as they are brought forward for immunization. "The nets are to be handed over to mothers when they present their children for immunisation activities. Also under the scheme, free LLINs will be given to pregnant women attending first ante natal care(ANC)", she said.

Yet another national program for malaria control is Malaria Prevention during Pregnancy. The minister of state for health noted that this initiative is put in place to increase access of at least 80% of pregnant women to direct Intermittent Prevention Therapy(IPT) and Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine(SP), both of which are drugs specifically designed to fight malaria in pregnant women. This is key, because many otherwise young and healthy pregnant women have in the past died needlessly from a single malaria attack. This is because pregnant women very easily are susceptible to death when exposed to malaria infection.This again is because their immune system is put under severe strain when a malaria causing plasmodium enters into their blood stream after just one mosquito bite .

The process of administering IPTs require expertise and competence on the part of medical personnel.This is because the procedure requires close monitoring of both mother and child on rather very regular basis to ensure effectiveness of the drugs as well as safety and tolerance level of mother and child.

In compliance with the Africa Region charter on Integrated Vector Management(IVM) on malaria, Nigeria, a signatory country to the resolution recently conducted a pilot Indoor Residual Spraying(IRS) in Barki Ladi area of Plateau state, north central of Nigeria.This area is known to be susceptible to malaria nearly through out the entire year.

According to Dr Yemi Sofola ,the Country Coordinator of Roll Back Malaria Project in Nigeria, the indoor residual exercise was done through collaboration with departments of parasitology and entomology, department of zoology, faculty of natural sciences of the University of Jos and the Roll Back Malaria Project.

"The implementation of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) against malaria conducted in Barki Ladi was a pilot work.It is a part of Integrated Vector Management(IVM) procedure.This is because vector population control or suppression is crucial to effective malaria control program anywhere in the world.And Nigeria is a signatory to the IVM resolution adopted by Africa Region resolution AFR/RC50/R6," she said.

According to her, the Integrated Vector Management(IVM) processes include chemical control(adulticides and larvicides), biological control(predators, parasites, and pathogens), and environmental management.Indoor Residual Spraying and larviciding are done using chemical control.

Results of the preliminary malaria study in Plateau has shown tremendous improvement in the process of building data for understanding molecular details of mosquitoes.It has also been proven that the exercise has gone a long way to provide up to date parasitology and entomological data among other vital body of knowledge directly linked to disease control in the state.During the study, malaria infection was found to be highest(98%) at the start of December of every year. Infection with malaria was observed to have been due to infestation with Plasmodium Falciparum(83.8%) more than any other parasite.Different species of mosquitoes were found to exist heterogeneously.These include the Culex mosquitoes, Anopheles Gambiae, Anopheles Funestus, and other species of Culex breed.The study also revealed in specific ways that there is a relationship between mosquito prevalence and poor environmental health and home based hygiene.

Further research into malaria has revealed that the proportion or frequency of attack is linked to certain blood groups. For instance, 33 year -old Dr Ken Eguda, a General Practitioner (GP) at the Wuse General Hospital confirmed that cases of malaria are common with specific blood groups, even as he said that a good percentage of his income is most often sunk into various treatment procedures, using ACTs. He said that blood groups that carry high oxygen levels naturally help malaria parasites in regenerating quickly. According to Dr. Ken whose blood group is O-positive, malaria is common with such general donor blood group.He said that sometimes he gets a malaria attack without even a mosquito bite.The attack is rather triggered from residue of malaria parasites already inside his system, which he said naturally reproduce themselves.He said that one of the biggest challenge to malaria cure is the fact that most drugs used in treating malaria do not reach the liver, an organ that is usually attacked by the parasites in the body. He said that single dose of Coartem, or other use of artesunate combination are usually handy in subduing the malaria parasites.

But another volunteer, Sunday Taiwo, aged 29 said that he rarely experiences malaria attack. Sunday whose blood group is AB, however said that he could have a spell of malaria may be just once in a year, but with very severe symptoms like head aches, fever, lack of appetite, vomiting which cost him a lot of out of pocket expenses to treat. He admits also that a drug called Coartem have been found to effectively deal with the disease whenever it surfaces.

According to Roll Back Malaria boss, Dr Sofola ,Nigeria is committed to drastically reducing the social and economic burden of malaria by half come 2010 This ambitious target she says forms part of the objective of Nigeria Malaria Control Booster Project is to improve access of pregnant women and children aged 0-5 to comprehensive malaria plus interventions in focal states. She said that the Malaria Control Booster scheme expected to commence March 2007 to February 2010 would go a long way in significantly improving level of utilization of malaria booster interventions but would also help to check maternal and child morbidity and mortality as a result of malaria.

"This is why the Federal Government recently obtained a World Bank credit, totalling $180 million dollars to push for elimination of the disease in Nigeria. But out of the amount, the World Bank has only approved the release of $20 million dollars to support Nigeria's malaria control program. This credit facility would be used to implement the Malaria Control Booster Project in seven states to start with," she said.

The major challenge however facing this giant leap is the sustainability of the program.Already, there appears to be an uneven spread of the funds appropriated for implementation of the program in seven states.For better results, more states should be incorporated into the otherwise laudable program. This no doubt means that more funds have to be sourced to be able to cover more states. Although the $20 million released for management of drugs procurement, preventive campaigns and treatment of malaria in all seven states appears to be insufficient, however close supervision of implementation process of the scheme is needful to make sure that the core values of the program are not jeopardised by scarce funds. Also, all participating states must play their roles in such a way that they are in consonance with the country's strategic plan for Roll Back Malaria, which is to give priority to pregnant women and children under five years.

City to take on new anti-poverty pilot program?

from WABC

$42 million has been raised in private funds

New York is on the verge of becoming the first in the country to try a new anti-poverty pilot program.
So far, $42 million dollars have been raised in private funds -- funds that will be awarded to people willing to take steps to help themselves get out of poverty.

Political reporter Dave Evans has more on the story.

The mayor is betting such an incentive will motivate five thousand familes in New York to change their behavior. One supporter today called it risky. But it's a gamble the mayor is willing to take.

Brownsville is one of brooklyn's poorest neighborhoods where two out of every five people live below the poverty line. The mayor hopes his new plan might change that a bit with cash incentives. For example, $25 dollars for perfect school attendance, $300 for a high score on a state test or $50 dollars, perhaps, for keeping a doctors appointment.

"And if that's what it takes for them to do that, for them to get paid to take their kids to the doctor and stuff then yeah he should do that. But me personally i would take kids to the doctor regardless. I shouldn't have to be PAID to do that," said single parent Aurea Rosario.

In a grand two-year, $50 million dollar experiment, the mayor's staff will select five thousand familes. Half will get the cash incentives, the other half won't. It's all being paid for with private money, and it'll target six neigbhorhoods: two in the Bronx, two more in different Harlem neighborhoods and two in Brooklyn -- Brownsville and East New York.

"It is paying people to do something that we think is in society's best interest and in their childrens' interest," Mayor Bloomberg said.

For ten years now, Mexico City has had a cash incentive program. It's helped improve school attendance and reduced child labor. Families will be able to earn up to $5,000 a year, but more important the long-term goal is to teach good habits and help families climb out of poverty.

Geraldann Grub, a single mother, thinks it's a great idea.

"Now I'm going to try and sign up for eveything I can get because you know, there are working parents who need help," Grub said.

Geraldann may have to wait a while because you can't sign up for the program. City Hall will select families this summer.

"And if this works, shame on us if we're not willing to try," Bloomberg said.

To be eligible for the program, a single mother with two children for example couldn't make more than $20,000 a year. And if you're selected, this would not affect other government assistance programs.

Poverty a looming issue for Fort Collins

from The Coloradoan

Elected officials encouraged to join discussion about solutions

Many Fort Collins residents have heard about some of the statistics, but have they seen the face of poverty?

This week, some women bravely shared their story in support of a local nonprofit's five-year fund-raising campaign, but also to demonstrate to the community that poverty is a growing issue, particularly for divorced women and children.

Tara Eckhardt was a 27-year-old single mother struggling to pay her bills when she contacted Project Self-Sufficiency for some help. The organization provides support, funding and education and job referrals to help lift residents from poverty and into a sustainable lifestyle. Nearly three years later, she is attending Front Range Community College in pursuit of a nursing degree that will help her provide for her family.

Currently, Project Self-Sufficiency assists about 125 families a year, but, like so many other social service and nonprofit agencies in the community, it is seeing more people in need such as Eckhardt.

The young woman's story should serve as a cautionary tale. The U.S. Census Bureau in 2005 reported a 63 percent increase in the number of single-mother households in Fort Collins and a 48 percent hike in Larimer County. The cause of the increase is not known, but the effect is becoming quite clear. Between 2000 and 2005, Fort Collins saw a startling 94 percent increase in children living in poverty, and a 73 percent increase in Larimer County.

United Way of Larimer County is currently studying how it can adjust to serve the growing poverty problem. But this burden will not be carried by nonprofits alone. Poudre School District also is researching how to deal with the socio-economic shifts. And governmental policy decisions, including those made at the school board, Fort Collins City Council and Larimer County commission level will impact those in need as well as taxpayers. Project Self-Sufficiency and other organizations are applauded for educating the public about poverty in our community. Their stories are powerful; the solutions will have to be even stronger. In the meantime, we strongly urge our elected officials to become part of this dialogue. Fort Collins' looming poverty problems are not often included on agendas and public forums. It's time to do so.

Leaders are urged to live up to poverty goal

from The Glasgow Evening Times

WORLD leaders have been challenged by a Glasgow MP to live up to their promises to meet their targets to cut world poverty.

Ann McKechin, the MP for Glasgow North, has tabled a Commons motion urging them to live up to pledges made at the Gleneagles summit 20 months ago.

She said: "We are now halfway towards the 2015 Millennium Development targets on poverty but still off-track to reach those goals.
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"It is time for all of us to agree that the world cannot wait to make poverty history."

Ms McKechin's motion urges the Government to note the continued public demand for urgent political action "to end poverty and climate chaos".

She said that the Government, Europe and the G8 had to acknowledge that the world "can't wait to make poverty history".

Speaker shares how she escaped poverty

from The Southeast Missourian

By Jennifer Freeze ~ Southeast Missourian

Presentation meant to show what poverty is really like.

At 25, Donna Beegle found herself with two children, no husband, little education and living in poverty.

On Thursday, Beegle, who now has a doctorate, shared how she escaped poverty during a presentation at the Show Me Center to more than 100 partners with the East Missouri Action Agency. EMAA helps low-income families in eight counties, including Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger.

Beegle was born the child of uneducated migrant farm laborers. Her family constantly struggled with poverty.

"I come from generations of being homeless and being hungry, and no one in my family has an education higher than the eighth grade," she said.

Beegle's early school experiences were stressful -- she never had the right clothing, shoes or lunch. By the age of 15, Beegle had dropped out of school, was married and worked in a foam rubber factory.

Ten years later, Beegle was divorced with two children and homeless. She worked long hours for little pay, and it was never enough to pay both the rent and the utilities.

"I knew something had to change, even if I did not know how or what to do," she said.

Beegle learned of a pilot program connected to a community college that aimed to help single women gain education or skills to earn a living. She received her GED and eventually went to college.

Today, Beegle travels the country speaking publicly about her experience living in poverty and teaches social workers, educators and health officials how to work with families that come from backgrounds like hers.

"As advocates, we need to know what it feels like for those living in poverty," she said. "We have to break the isolation between those in poverty and those not in poverty." Beegle said it's important to educate the middle and upper class about what poverty is really like. The media doesn't portray an accurate picture of poverty, she said.

"When you ask someone why people are living in poverty, they might say it's because these people aren't working or they use drugs," she said. "Actually, two-thirds of the people living in poverty work one or more jobs."

Because many educators never lived in poverty, Beegle said, they don't "understand its root causes and effect on children." But poverty should not be an excuse for poor academic performances, she said.

"We have to go through our systems and find out how these people are falling through the cracks," she said. "We have to figure out why they are struggling to get out of poverty."

Poverty reduction supported

from The ZNBC

Zambian and the European Union have signed the second poverty reductiobn budget support programme agreement amounting to Euro62 million.

The programme will help improve health and education which are critical in attaining the millenium development goals.

Finance Minister, Ngandu Magande said the poverty reduction budget will support the implementation of the Fifth Nastional Development Plan.

Mr. Magande said this will be done through budget support that will be transferred into the national treasury and allocated to needy areas.

EU delegation leader, Derek Fee stressed the need for government to raise domestic revenue from local taxes.

He said a self sufficient state will be achieved mainly by providing the enabling conditions for the private sector to thrive.

Bono to lead singers 'for the poor' at G8 summit

from Inspire Magazine

U2 lead singer Bono will be heading a group of artists as they perform an alternative programme at the Group of Eight (G8) Summit, concert organisers have announced.

With the slogan Your Voice against Poverty, Bono and German singer-song writer Herbert Gronemeyer will hold the concert in Rostock, near Heiligendamm, on June 7.

Heads of State and government of Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, US, Canada, Japan, and Russia will attend the summit to be held in Rostock city from June 6 to 8.

Bono was honoured earlier this month at the 38th NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) Image Awards for his contribution to the fight against Aids and global poverty.

The NAACP and The ONE Campaign announced an unprecedented new alliance at the awards, joining together for the first time in a life-saving partnership in the fight against global Aids and extreme poverty in Africa and the world’s poorest countries.

Call for overhaul of CIDA strikes chord: senator

from The CBC

A Senate report that recommends the federal government overhaul or abolish the Canadian International Development Agency has found surprising support, says one of its authors.

The report, Overcoming 40 Years of Failure: A New Road Map for Sub-Saharan Africa, says that CIDA has failed to make a difference in Africa with its system of foreign aid.

"People have been really positive about it," Liberal Senator Peter Stollery told CBC News Online on Wednesday. "Oh my gosh. You would have thought I would have been killed by now."

The report recommends that CIDA should either be abolished, or turned into an effective agency by giving it a statutory mandate that would include clear goals that could be monitored by MPs.

If abolished, the report says, its staff should be folded into the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Department. It also says the government should set up an Africa office and the majority of staff moved into the field.

Stollery, deputy chair of the committee, said CIDA has yet to react officially to the report, but he has heard that a response is in the works.

"They are worried because we are right. Why has it gotten such a huge response? We have peeled back the cover of all of this," he said.

"We are going to put pressure on the government to change this situation. We are not finished with this thing. We will corner them," he said.
Little to show for the money, says report

According to the report released in mid-February, since 1968 CIDA has spent $12.4 billion in bilateral assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa, which Stollery defines as the countries between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

The report says there is little to show for the money. "CIDA is ineffective, costly and overly bureaucratic," it reads.

About 80 per cent of CIDA staff are based in Ottawa, and staff people in the field have little authority to design and implement projects and allocate funds, the report says.

"This top-heavy system has perpetuated a system where our development assistance is slow, inflexible and unresponsive to conditions on the ground in recipient countries."
'No clear mandate'

CIDA was established through a paragraph in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Act, the report says, even though it has an annual budget of more than $3 billion.

"CIDA has no well-defined and clear mandate with objectives that can be monitored by parliamentarians," the report says.

Stollery, who was scheduled to speak at the National Press Club in Ottawa on Wednesday night, said Sub-Saharan Africa needs investment and trade that will create jobs, and the government should move away from "poverty alleviation" because economic development is what is needed.

"Without investment and private enterprise, there would be no progress," he said. "Businesses have to be established that will create jobs. Governments from other countries are not going to make Africans richer," he said.

Canada could make a difference to the continent if it had a new, clear and coherent foreign policy on Africa, with a focus on generating economic and employment opportunities, he said.

The report also recommends focusing bilateral development aid on a smaller number of countries to have a greater effect.

Africa needs to tackle corruption aggressively, the report says, while developed countries need to complete the World Trade Organization's Doha round of negotiations to pull down trade barriers that limit the access of African agricultural products to world markets.
A vibrant economy the answer

"Despite many popular beliefs to the contrary, the committee has concluded that international development assistance is not the long-term answer for Africa. Vibrant economies and good governance are the answer for Africa," the report says.

Stollery says the positive response the report has received stems in part from its comments on corruption because there is relief that these issues are being aired.

The committee, which took two years to research the report, heard from more than 400 witnesses. Sub-Saharan Africa is considered the world's poorest region. It contains some of the least developed countries in the world.

Report: State Income Taxes Pushing Many Working-Poor Families Deeper Into Poverty

from The Salem News

Alabama, Hawaii, and Oregon will continue to impose some of the nation’s largest income taxes on the poor even after the expected reforms are implemented.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - In nearly half of the states with an income tax, a family of four owes the tax even if its income falls below the poverty line, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

In 19 of the 42 states that levy an income tax, the “tax threshold” (the income level at which families begin owing taxes) for a two-parent family of four for tax year 2006 is below $20,615, the poverty line for such a family.

The number of states that tax poor families of four was unchanged from 2005, as improvements in some states were offset by backsliding in others. (Since 1991, the number of states that tax poor families of four has declined from 24 to 19.)

But some improvements are expected in the near future, the report notes. Several states with very low tax thresholds have recently enacted changes that should save low-income families hundreds of dollars in taxes over the next three years.

“Families with very limited means are still taxed too much by states,” said Jason Levitis, the report’s author. “Progress is occurring slowly. States increasingly realize they shouldn’t be taxing people deeper into poverty.”

Among the report’s key findings:

1. As families file their 2006 income taxes this spring, families with poverty-level incomes face more than $200 in state income taxes in ten states: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, and West Virginia. In four of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, and West Virginia), such families owe more than $400. These amounts can cause significant difficulties for families struggling to escape poverty, especially when combined with other taxes these families pay, such as sales, payroll, and excise taxes.

2. Among the states that made significant improvements for 2006 were Delaware, which implemented a state earned income tax credit that exempts working-poor families from the income tax; Virginia, which also implemented an EITC, raising its tax threshold by nearly $5,000; and Oregon, whose EITC is now “refundable” for the first time. (Under a refundable EITC, families whose EITC exceeds their income tax liability can receive a refund for the difference, which helps working families lift themselves out of poverty. Twenty-one states have EITCs, 17 of which are refundable.)

3. Among the states where low-income households’ tax bills rose significantly since 2005 were Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and North Carolina, all of which raised taxes on poor families by at least 25 percent.

4. In addition, New Jersey began taxing poor families of four for the first time since 1998; a family of four at the poverty line received a refund of $728 in 2005 but owed $219 in 2006.

In most states where low-income households’ tax bills rose, this happened not because of explicit policy changes but because tax provisions designed to protect low-income families — including standard deductions, personal exemptions, and credits — did not keep pace with inflation.

Nine states have recently enacted reforms that will reduce taxes on low-income families over the next several years: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and West Virginia.

A number of these states, however, will continue to impose heavy income taxes on low-income families.

Alabama, Hawaii, and Oregon will continue to impose some of the nation’s largest income taxes on the poor even after the expected reforms are implemented.

Any state should be able to exempt the poor from income taxes, the report states.

The loss of revenue from such exemptions poses special challenges for states that have a large number of poor families, and also for states where the income tax is the major state revenue source, but these challenges can be overcome.

For example, the 27 states that exempt poor single-parent families of three from income taxes include three of the nation’s ten poorest states (Kentucky, New Mexico, and Oklahoma) and seven of the ten states that receive their largest share of state and local tax revenue from personal income taxes (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Virginia).

“By eliminating state income taxes on working families with incomes at or below the poverty line, states can offset some of the child care and transportation costs that families incur as they strive to become economically self-sufficient,” said Levitis. “In other words, by eliminating income taxes on poor working families, states can help make work pay.”

To see the report for Oregon click on this link: cbpp.org/states/3-27-07sfp-fact-or.pdf

1 in 4 still in poverty: BoI

from The Jerusalem Post

The number of Israelis living below the poverty line slipped in first-half 2006 but remained at nearly one in four, and more than one-third of Israeli children lived in poverty during 2005, the Bank of Israel reported Wednesday.

"Poverty in Israel has reached a high level in recent years, high also in international terms," the central bank said in an excerpt from its 2006 annual report, to be published in full next month.

Some 24.7% of individuals lived in poverty in 2005, with the figure slipping to 24.4% at the end of first-half if 2006. Poverty rose for the three years through 2005. The poverty line is defined in the report as half the median income.

The Arab and ultra-Orthodox accounted for 60% of those in poverty, "a rate that has grown significantly over the years," the central bank said.

Many men within the rigorously Orthodox Jewish community spend much of their time studying scripture and do not work. And the poverty rate in the Arab sector reflects a relatively low participation by women in the labor force, analysts say.

Of those classified as poor, 40% "manage to consume more than the amount indicated by the poverty line, apparently through the use of credit or savings," the Bank of Israel said. But the weaker sections of the population find it difficult "to maintain a reasonable standard of living," the report says.

Child poverty rose 2 percentage points in 2005 "to an unprecedented 35.2%, which is high also by international comparison," the central bank said.

Poverty rose mostly because the government cut welfare payments in 2002 and 2003, the report said. Those budget cuts were part of the government's effort to balance the budget.

The weaker segments of society "are heavily dependent on welfare payments," the report noted.

Poverty fuels sale of kidneys

from The Hindu

Ramya Kannan

Many sell their organs to settle debts

# Urban slums have been the target of brokers and middlemen
# The sale has not benefited the donors substantially

CHENNAI: In every kidney commerce story, poverty turns up like a bad penny.

No longer than a month ago, despite the clampdown on kidney sale, the Directorate of Medical Education received a letter from a person imploring it to buy his kidney for just Rs.30, 000. The writer said the money would come handy for him to settle debts.

In September last year, a hand printed notice was nailed to the trunk of a tree roughly opposite a hospital in South Chennai. The note, written in Tamil, had a 30-year-old youth offering his `A-group kidney' for sale. When The Hindu spoke to the advertiser (the number was posted on the notice) he claimed he was selling his kidney to settle debts. He stressed that no broker was involved and that he could not think of any other way to get rid of his debts in a single go. Poverty, as much as the inability of supply to meet demand, fuels organ trade. Repeatedly, urban slums have been the target of brokers and middlemen seeking to keep up a steady supply of kidneys to hospitals in the State, especially in the metros.

Particularly, in Chennai, over the years, there have been frequent instances of the police stumbling on kidney-racket cases. Villivakkam was dubbed `Kidneyvakkam' when an expose in the late 1990s revealed that almost every house in the area had a member who had sold his or her kidney.

Even after selling their kidneys, the donors found they had not benefited substantially from the transaction. The study said participants admitted to worsening of their economic status: the average family income had declined over the period and the cash received had been spent speedily to settle debts and pay for food and clothing. At Ernavur, Thilagavathy, who sold her kidney in 2003, complained that she had become so weak after the operation that she had to give up selling fish, her family's only source of income. It is also the case with Rani Chellappan who donated her kidney and later suffered a fall, further debilitating her.

At a co-ordination meeting organised by the Government here in early March to chalk out a plan to eliminate kidney rackets, Health Secretary V.K. Subburaj acknowledged that 90 per cent of live-unrelated donors were living below the poverty line and selling the organ to settle debts.

Some doctors who attended the meeting also highlighted the need to examine poverty as the other side of the coin. They also made the case for implementing poverty alleviation schemes in urban slums, besides providing "risk groups" with training in alternative vocations.

Bono to Host ’Your Voice Against Poverty’ Concert at G8 Summit

from Christian Today

by Kevin Donovan

U2’s frontman Bono will be heading a group of renowned singers as they perform an alternative programme at the Group of Eight (G8) Summit, concert organisers have announced.

With the slogan ‘Your Voice against Poverty’, Bono and German singer-song writer Herbert Gronemeyer will hold the concert in Rostock, near Heiligendamm, on June 7.

Heads of State and government of Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, US, Canada, Japan, and Russia will attend the summit to be held in Rostock city from June 6 to 8.

Bono was honoured earlier this month at the 38th NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) Image Awards for his contribution to the fight against Aids and global poverty.

The NAACP and The ONE Campaign announced an unprecedented new alliance at the awards, joining together for the first time in a life-saving partnership in the fight against global Aids and extreme poverty in Africa and the world’s poorest countries.

Poverty and technology gap "fuel terror in Africa"

from Reuters South Africa

By Jeremy Clarke

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Poverty and lack of police skills are feeding international terrorism in Africa, delegates at a regional security conference said on Wednesday, while distancing themselves from the U.S.-led war on terror.

Peter Munya, Kenya's Assistant Internal Security Minister, told the Nairobi meeting developing countries must provide better job opportunities for impoverished youths to steer them away from recruiters working for extremist organisations.

"We must offer our youth the opportunity to succeed in our society so they do not become vulnerable," he said.

Munya told the conference -- which was called to study the risk of more attacks in east Africa -- that poor nations faced huge difficulties trying to keep track of technology-savvy terrorists who often seem one step ahead of the authorities.

"African countries do not have the resources, capacity and adequate equipment to detect sophisticated terrorism devices," he said. "We do not have the capacity to put in place the infrastructure to fight."

Bombings blamed on al Qaeda struck Kenya in 1998, killing at least 225 people at the U.S. Embassy, and in 2002, killing 15 people at an Israeli-owned hotel on the coast. Washington warns its citizens of "continuing terrorist threats" in the country.

Boudacar Diarra, head of the Algiers-based African Centre for Study and Research on Terrorism, told reporters the "African approach" differed from the U.S. counter-terrorism approach.

"There is an African strategy for fighting terrorism based on African experience, which was in place long before the events on September 11, 2001," he said.

"In fighting terrorism we must always still recognise human rights law, humanitarian law and refugee law."

Too poor to pay income taxes? N.J. says 'No'

from North Jersey Com

By LAURA FASBACH
TRENTON BUREAU

Residents earning below the federal poverty level in New Jersey aren't necessarily exempt from paying state income taxes even though most states give a break to the working poor, a new study shows.

New Jersey is one of only 19 states in the country that require some low-income residents to pay state income tax, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C., which released its study Tuesday.

Jon Shure, president of the New Jersey Policy Perspective, said the report is "embarrassing" to wealthy New Jersey.

"This report today shows how we're adding insult to injury in New Jersey," Shure said. "Not only are people below the federal poverty level, but you have to pay income tax, too."

Shure said there is a silver lining in the study, noting that it points out ways states like New Jersey can help the working poor.

One way New Jersey can eliminate the state income tax burden would be to raise the income eligibility for the state Earned Income Tax Credit Program, a plan that Governor Corzine proposed in his budget address last month.

The governor's spending plan has slated $64 million to raise the threshold to $40,000. The change would ensure that up to 300,000 additional families could receive both the state and federal credit.

Shure said if the Legislature supports the governor's plan, New Jersey can "remove itself form this tax hall of shame."

Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, said supporting changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit is a relatively simple way to make a big difference in the lives of low-income families.

"We're giving property tax relief to people who earn up to $250,000, but at the other end of the spectrum we have to help more," Weinberg said. "In Bergen County, there are pockets of extremely wealthy people and pockets of working poor."

Last year, Corzine proposed a measure that would eliminate state income tax for married couples making less than $25,000 and individuals making less than $15,000. But the plan died in negotiations with the Legislature. So far, there hasn't been legislative opposition to raising the income eligibility of the Earned Income Tax Credit plan. Shure said he is optimistic that the recent plan will pass this year.

"In a high-cost state like New Jersey, even people making well above $20,000 still can't afford basic necessities," Shure said. "Taxing anyone who is below the poverty line is especially burdensome."

E-mail: fasbach@northjersey.com

State tax burden on poor lightens

from The Birmingham News

Despite 2007 decrease, Alabama tax threshold still nation's 2nd lowest

MARY ORNDORFF

WASHINGTON - The poor in Alabama are paying less state income tax this year, but it's not enough of a break to rid Alabama of the nation's heaviest tax burden on families of four with poverty level income, according to a new study.

With tax season in full swing, residents won't be able to take advantage of the Jan.1 change on this year's tax returns. But low-income taxpapers will see a difference come April 2008.

A married couple with two dependent children earning $20,615 this year will pay $383 in state income tax, a decrease from $573 for 2006, but still the highest in the country.

For the first time in decades, the Alabama Legislature increased the point at which state income tax is owed, a move hailed by Gov. Bob Riley last year as a moral victory for families trying to work their way out of poverty. But as other states enact changes of their own, Alabama's national status as the most aggressive taxer of the poor is barely budged, according to the report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

"It is extremely heartening to find Alabama taking action, but it does appear that further action is needed," said Jason Levitis, author of the nonprofit organization's annual look at income tax burdens on the poor.

Alabama for years taxed families who made at least $4,600, by far the lowest threshold in the nation. For 2007, the threshold was increased to $12,600 for a family of four, the second lowest in the country, ahead only of Montana at $11,300, the report found. Last year, 19 states collected income taxes on families of four below the federal poverty level. Alabama and five other states still tax those earning less than three-fourths of the poverty level.

"In too many states, poor and near-poor families working to join the middle class are instead being taxed back into poverty," Levitis said.

Alabama's long history of taxing lower income families harder than most or all other states holds true no matter which income statistic is used.

For 2006, before the tax law changed, Alabama collected the second highest tax - $218 - from a single parent with two children earning minimum wage, or $10,712. For a two-parent family of four earning minimum wage, the tax was $178, ahead of Hawaii and West Virginia, in second place, at $83.

For a family of three earning 125 percent of the federal poverty level, or $20,099, Alabama charged income tax of $683, the highest in the country.

For a family of four at 125 percent of poverty, or $25,769, the state tax was the fourth highest, or $828.

`It just isn't right':

There are plans for additional tax relief now pending in Montgomery. Riley wants to again bump the income tax threshold to $15,600 over five years, which would benefit anyone earning less than $100,000 a year.

If it were approved and no other states changed their tax laws, Alabama would be tied for fourth lowest threshold for a family of four, behind Montana, Hawaii and Indiana and tied with Illinois and Ohio.

"With many Alabama families who are struggling to meet the higher cost of living today and the fact that Alabama has such low threshold, still, it just isn't right," said Riley spokesman Jeff Emerson. "We made tremendous progress compared to where we were, and Governor Riley hopes there will be another bipartisan effort this year to help even more families."

Kimble Forrister, state coordinator of the anti-poverty group Alabama Arise, said his organization advocates a one-year leap to a threshold of $15,800.

"This is real money to people who live below the poverty line, and every little bit helps for them," Forrister said. "But also when we work toward a cure at the bottom, we're also improving things for the middle."

The full report, The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2006, is available at www.cbpp.org.

E-mail: morndorff@bhamnews.com

State short-sighted in dealing with poverty

from The Independent On Line

By Staff Writer

If programmes to alleviate poverty are to have any real impact, they have to be sustainable beyond "the first generation" so that the children of the poor stood a chance of improving their lives.

In a paper delivered at the Living on the Margins conference at Spier, University of Cape Town poverty researchers, Sue Parnell and Edgar Pieterse, said the government was short-sighted in its attempts to help the poor.

"There is no question the political will to help the poor exists," Parnell said. "What is a problem, is that many of the steps being taken now will not improve the lives of future generations of the poor."

She said the Development Facilitation Act allows for compromises on the usual laws that govern the establishment of communities in areas zoned for low-cost housing.

'There is no question the political will to help the poor exists'
"It makes it legal to cut corners to keep costs down."

While this introduced a host of controversial issues in the development of low-cost housing, Parnell and Pieterse's concern is that the act unwittingly maintained the status quo with the poor destined to remain poor despite the attempt at a leg-up by government.

"Any relevant development by the formal sector within these communities becomes impossible because the infrastructure to support development doesn't exist or has been compromised.

"A major shopping chain couldn't build a complex within a low-cost community because, for example, the pipes used for sewerage might be to small to support the development," Parnell said.

People living in new low-cost communities were destined to a life of spaza shops and street trading, never enjoying the benefits of the first economy.

Growing rich-poor divide between couples

from The Guardian

Ashley Seager

Guardian Unlimited

There is a growing rich-poor divide in Britain between couples where both people work and couples where neither has a job, new research out today shows.

The Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) says that while well-qualified couples in good health are increasingly likely to bring home two pay packets, disadvantaged couples are increasingly likely to have no job between them. And more single people are out of work.

The report's author, Professor Richard Berthoud, said: "Inequality (between men and women) within couple families has undoubtedly been reduced. Yet inequality between couple families has been increased by the two-earner/no-earner polarisation.

"If part of the greater equality between husbands and wives consists of both of them having a job, another part consists of neither of them having a job. So inequality among women, and among men, may have increased."

The report, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, comes hot on the heels of government figures out yesterday showing the first increase in relative poverty since Labour came to power and the first rise in child poverty for six years.

Over the past 30 years, the proportion of adults with no direct or indirect access to an earned income has doubled from 7% to 14%. These no-earner families often depend on benefits, and have a high risk of income poverty - especially if they have children.

Prof Berthoud said his findings confirm the government's emphasis on work as the most important route out of poverty - but they also show that the long-term trend has been in the wrong direction, even when the economy has been booming.

The report shows that more people are in work now than 30 years ago but that there have been significant changes in the distribution of jobs between social groups.

Specifically, the findings are:

- Around 2 million adults who are in work today would probably not have had a job in the mid-1970s;

- Those whose job prospects have improved most are mothers, especially those with adequate qualifications, good health and a working partner;

- The number of couples who both have a job has increased. They are 'work-rich';

- There are another 2 million adults who probably would have had a job 30 years ago, but are now out of work;

- Those whose chances have deteriorated most are disabled men with poor educational qualifications and no working partner;

- There has been a steep increase, too, in the number of non-working adults without a partner or whose partner does not have a job. Most of these 'work-poor' families live on social security benefits, and have very low incomes;

- These trends have not mainly been associated with changes in the demand for labour in the economy as a whole. But there are some signs that the underlying growth in the number of non-working families may have levelled off over the past few years.

Panel links poverty to stress, illness

from Myrtle Beach Sun News

By Laura Giovanelli

Being poor is one of the greatest risks to people's health in Winston-Salem, local public-health and social-services experts said.

The officials were a panel of experts in public health, homelessness, housing and legal aid that met this week as part of the Crossing 52 Initiative discussion, "The Inequities of Health Care in Winston-Salem."

About 35 people gathered for the discussion at First Baptist Church on Highland Avenue.

Crossing 52 is a group devoted to improving race relations.

"There's no single factor of a person's state in life that's more likely to determine their health than whether they live in poverty," said Dr. Tim Monroe, Forsyth County's health director.

Poor people are more likely to live in substandard housing, or be homeless, the panelists said. They might be hungry, but they are also under more stress with fewer resources, which can lead to poor nutrition and possibly obesity and associated risks such as diabetes, hypertension and joint problems.

Tobacco use and obesity are Forsyth County's two leading preventable causes of death, Monroe said, something that is true of North Carolina as a whole.

But being poor - living at or below the federal poverty line - and being black are the two top demographic indicators of bad health, Monroe said.

Stress can't be separated from the former, he said.

"One of the things that we need to recognize is that being poor does not contribute to poor health just by limiting one's access to health care," he said. "It does in many, many other ways create poor health and much of it has to do with the constant stresses and uncertainties of those kinds of experiences.

"Not knowing for sure if you can pay the bills, that's an experience that most of us have never had to have," Monroe said.

"But many people live with this all time."

Racial and health disparities are indicators that show higher incidence rates of cancer, stoke, diabetes homicide, heart disease, infant morality and other problems among people who are not white and have low incomes.

Bank of Israel report: Poverty declining

from Globes

The Arab and ultra-orthodox populations constitute 60% of all poor.

The Bank of Israel states that poverty in Israel declined in 2006 after rising in the three preceding years. The central bank has released excerpts from the "Issues in Welfare Policy" section of its 2006 Annual Report. The full report will be published on April 11.

The Bank of Israel said poverty among individuals, as measured by the relative index customarily used in Israel, rose in 2005 to 24.7%, but fell to 24.4% in the year to June 2006. “Alternative poverty indices, which reflect the ability to purchase a basket of essential goods or a fixed basket, show a fall in poverty in 2005, after rising for the three preceding years. 40% of the poor managed to consume more than the amount indicated by the poverty line. However the high incidence of poverty over the years makes it difficult for the weaker sections of the population to maintain a reasonable standard of living, so that the level of consumption of 60% of the poor, as well as their income level, is below the poverty line.

“The incidence of poverty is particularly high among Arabs, and especially among the Bedouin (66.4% poverty) and the ultra-orthodox (Haredim). The Arab and ultra-orthodox populations constitute 60% of all the poor, a rate that has grown significantly over the years. The rise in poverty among these groups accounts for most of the change in the incidence of poverty in general. Poverty among the weaker populations grew mostly due to the comprehensive cutbacks in transfer payments from 2002 - as these groups are heavily dependent on welfare payments - and a fall in their participation in the labor market. In some of the weaker groups, however, for example those with low levels of schooling, their participation in the labor market increased slightly at the end of the period.

“Child poverty, as measured by the relative indices, rose by 2 percentage points in 2005 to an unprecedented 35.2%, which is high also by international comparison. The high rate of child poverty not only harms the children's current standard of living, but also adversely affects the creation of human capital, which is important for future earning power.