French estates blame social ills for violence

from Reuters

By Kerstin Gehmlich

VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France (Reuters) - Unemployment, poverty, police victimization, and poor housing top the long list of problems that residents of the run-down housing estates of Paris blame for violence that erupted this week.

There is nothing but scorn for President Nicolas Sarkozy's view that the unrest was not rooted in social crisis.

"Violence is wrong. But it comes from somewhere," said Ali Hammudi, a worker in Villiers-le-Bel, where the unrest broke out on Sunday after two teenagers died in a collision with a police car.

"Youths here have so many problems -- unemployment, housing, poverty. They don't know how to get out of it ... and the government hasn't done anything about it," Hammudi said, parking his car next to a vehicle torched in the disturbances.

On Thursday, Sarkozy blamed a "thugocracy" of criminals for the violence and rejected suggestions it was the result of social deprivation.

A heavy police presence has kept a lid on violence for the past two nights but the disturbances have revived memories of 2005 riots, when youths torched thousands of cars after two teenagers were electrocuted while apparently fleeing police.

Many young people say they feel stigmatized by police and discriminated against when trying to find a job or an apartment. They say they struggle to leave the often isolated estates, which tend to have poor transport links into central Paris.

In 2005, the conservative government in which Sarkozy was interior minister promised for deprived neighborhoods, home to many immigrants from Northern Africa and West Africa as well as their children.

NO CHANGE

Student Zacara said nothing had changed since then.

"They drew no lessons from 2005. And things can start again elsewhere any time," said the 17-year old.

"We need to make ourselves heard," said Zacara, who declined to give his last name. "Violence isn't good. But we must get people's attention somehow, no?"

Several hundred people silently marched through the streets of Villiers-le-Bel on Thursday, walking behind the coffin of one of the two teenagers killed in the crash on Sunday.

A public prosecutor has said an initial report cleared police of blame in what she said was a road traffic accident.

But some friends of the death youths question police actions after the crash and the speed with which help arrived, highlighting deep mistrust between police and some locals.

"Police are angry at the young people and they are angry at police," said Naziha Benaddi, a 34-year old woman of Moroccan origin. "We just want the truth to be told (on the crash)."

Benaddi said she was relieved that calm seemed to have returned over the past few days.

But many residents also feel uncomfortable with the heavy police presence.

Social, political factors affect area poverty

from Penn State Live

University Park, Pa. – Many state and federal initiatives to combat poverty focus on education, job training and affordable housing for residents. But a recent study reveals the influence of social and political factors on the amount of poverty in a county.

"While economic factors can partially explain the variation in poverty rates among regions, they cannot give the full picture," explained Stephan Goetz, director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development and Penn State professor of agricultural and regional economics, and a co-author of the study. "Some anti-poverty policies focus on improving the educational level of the residents and creating new jobs, but those strategies do not automatically guarantee change in the poverty rate."

Anil Rupasingha, New Mexico State University, and Goetz developed a spatial analysis model that measures social, political and demographic factors previously excluded from poverty studies or included only anecdotally. They examined data from more than 3,000 counties in the U.S. during the 1990s.

In addition to employment, industry composition and education figures, the researchers also analyzed a variety of other statistics including proprietorships or self-employment, federal grants, political competition, ethnic diversity, foreign-born population, non-moving residents and consumption expenditures.

Counties with more self-employed workers or entrepreneurs, more immigrants and more community leadership and participation, known as social capital, have lower poverty rates, according to the study.

Historically, the entrepreneurial class was seen as a driving force in the growth of business enterprise in a community. The study counted the number of full- and part-time proprietor jobs. While not all proprietors are entrepreneurs, they likely have more in common with this group than with wage or salary workers.

"Often the focus is on attracting new employers, particularly manufacturing industries or technology industries, or expanding current large employers," Goetz noted. "But in recent years, more government agencies have been promoting local entrepreneurship and small-business owners who may have deep family roots or social networks in their region."

Another factor, social capital, is measured by variables such as membership recreation and sports clubs, civic and social associations, religious organizations, business associations and professional organizations. Often, small-business owners and local entrepreneurs also may be part of those organizations.

"Entrepreneurs may be more involved with their community, not only financially but also as community leaders or volunteers," said Rupasingha and Goetz. "They may lead efforts to build affordable housing, new schools, libraries or arts centers. They also may be willing to purchase supplies from local businesses, rather than seeking the lowest-cost supplier."

Also, counties with a higher share of foreign-born population had lower poverty rates. One possible explanation is that foreign immigrants bring new ideas and energies into communities, which in turn lead to economic growth and less poverty, the researchers said.

The study finds that counties with more competition between the two major political parties have lower poverty rates. The researchers compared the county vote for the presidential candidates with the average pattern for those candidates in the national elections.

"The more balanced the voting, in the sense that the elections were closer and more highly contested, the lower the poverty rate,” said Rupasingha and Goetz. "This suggests that, just as more competition in the market for goods and services leads to better products, so does greater competition in the 'market' for voters produce better ideas for possible solutions to poverty problems."

In contrast, the study found higher poverty rates in counties most heavily affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with more service industries and big-box retailers, and with more federal grants. While the study did not examine the benefits of NAFTA, the results do reveal that the costs of free trade in terms of declining manufacturing employment opportunities are not borne evenly across U.S. counties.

"Service sector jobs that emerge to replace manufacturing jobs on balance likely do not pay enough to bring people out of poverty,"the researchers added.

"Although there have been many, many studies of poverty and billions of dollars have been spent on poverty programs over time, we still have many poor citizens," Goetz noted. "The poverty rate is now rising again after a decline during the 1990s. Policymakers are voting on programs that may address only the economic factors that lead to poverty. If the social and political factors are ignored, even the programs and recommendations with the best intentions may not be successful."

The research was funded by the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program of the US Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). The study findings were published in the August issue of Journal of Socio-Economics.

INTERVIEW-EU must give Africa more time on trade deals-Geldof

from Reuters Alert Net

By Ingrid Melander

BRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The European Union must give Africa more time to negotiate fair trade deals or it will jeopardise chances of a better relationship that both continents need badly, aid activist Bob Geldof said on Thursday. "There is a great opportunity for both out there, a great opportunity to arrange our priorities next week," the Irish rocker said in a telephone interview a week ahead of the Dec. 8-9 EU-Africa summit in Lisbon, the first in seven years.

"The way to do this is not to offer a Damoclean sword over their heads...if we fail to recognise that in Lisbon, we'll make a catastrophic turn-of-the century historic mistake," Geldof said.

The EU says it needs to clinch new trade deals with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries before a World Trade Organisation waiver on current preferential arrangements expires on Dec. 31. EU officials said on Thursday time was running out.

So far only a handful of countries in eastern and southern Africa have agreed deals. Others in Western and Central Africa have resisted, fearing they will expose their economies to too much competition.

"They do have other options," Geldof said, adding that the wealthy 27-nation European Union should ask the WTO for an extension of the current deals.

Fragile African nations need more time to make sure their economies will not be destroyed by imports from Europe and more aid and more help to boost trade with neighbours, Geldof said.

He said the EU should bear in mind growing competition from commodities-hungry China in Africa when it decides how to handle its trade talks with its former colonies.

"We cannot be dependent on Russian gas and oil... What is the other alternative for a resource-poor continent like Europe? A resource-rich one like Africa," Geldof said.

The EU is Africa's largest trading partner with trade totalling more than 200 billion euros ($296 billion) last year. But China leapt into third place in 2006 with 43 billion euros and has stepped up investments.

The rising influence of China is one of Europe's biggest fears in its relation with former African colonies.

It is also one of the main reasons for deciding to hold this summit, which diplomats hope will not be overshadowed by the trade talks or the attendance of Zimbabwe's controversial leader Robert Mugabe.

"We have had an opportunity to do what China is doing for 50 years and we did not do it, we insisted on all sorts of conditions," Geldof said, complaining of bureaucracy and strings attached to EU aid to Africa.

State allocates extra R87m for the poor

from the Mail and Guardian

An extra R87-million has been allocated to help people living in extreme poverty, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Thursday.

The money was in addition to funds already given to provinces for relief, he told reporters after meeting provincial ministers of social development in Durban.

"This is an important intervention from the government, especially in light of the steep rise in food prices, unemployment and other difficulties that have worsened the circumstances of the extremely poor," said Skweyiya.

The money was aimed helping individuals and families to cope in the short term while seeking long-term solutions to their financial plight.

The Social Relief of Distress grant would be distributed in the form of cash or food parcels, depending on household needs.

The allocations were R9-million to the Eastern Cape; R3,9-million to the Free State; R11-million to Gauteng; R5,6-million to Mpumalanga; R2,6-million to the Northern Cape; R7,6-million to the North West; R4,5-million to the Western Cape and R24-million to KwaZulu-Natal.

Skweyiya said the money was not intended to promote dependency.

"It is a short-term measure to assist those in distress until they get back on their feet," he said.

Skweyiya said African children were failing at school because they were simply not eating enough and getting enough nutrition.

"White and Indian children are passing every year because they get the best food."

Skweyiya said R9-billion had been set aside for early childhood development countrywide for the next three years.

"We want crèches for each and every child in each location ... it's up to the community to decide who should take up the challenge to help the children." he said.

Crèches to be set up were meant for children up to four and five years old.

By the fifth year, the Education Department would take over and look after these children until they finished school.

Sweyiya said the number of people receiving grants in South Africa had increased from two million in 1999 to 12,3-million this year.

Not all those qualifying for grants were aware of this form of state assistance, Skweyiya said.

"Africans don't know about it ... that's why you don't find whites and Indians on street corners, it's only the Africans on street corners because they don't know about the grants."

'Horrible situation'
Another issue discussed at the meeting was the setting up of a tribunal, because thousands of people who had applied for grants did not receive them.

"It will be set up soon to rectify the horrible situation," he said.

He could not give a figure on how many people did not receive their grants yearly. He, however, stressed that people affected by HIV/Aids did not receive grants.

"Only those with disabilities receive the grants," he said.

Skweyiya said the department was also planning to recruit "lots" of matriculants to do social work.

"Many social workers are leaving South Africa because they are not getting paid enough ... we are planning to increase their salaries," he said.

The minister also discussed plans with the provincial ministers to test each province to check their readiness to implement the Children's Act.

"It was passed two weeks ago and would be affected on April 1 2008," said Skweyiya.

He could not say how each province had measured up.

Answering a question on spanking, Skweyiya said: "As a parent, you must look after your own child -- don't let the state look after them."

He said the role of parents in society had diminished.

He said the Social Development Department had had discussions with Cuba, Brazil, Mexico and other countries about the running of social services in South Africa.

"The countries are interested in the way we run things here ... Some of them want to take it up as a policy in the fight against crime," he said.

"They also want to know whether it is worth investing money in children -- I said I believe spending money on children is the best investment," said Skweyiya.

He said such an investment would ensure getting the best out of "our own people".

[Record Review] Various Artists Big Change: Songs for FINCA

from Pitchfork

For a few years now, actress Natalie Portman has been traveling to impoverished countries to promote the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA) Village Banking Campaign, a microcredit organization dedicated to providing financial services to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets, and improve their standard of living. Now Portman has taken her activism in a slightly different direction, curating the iTunes-only charity compilation Big Change: Songs for FINCA, which features 16 old and new tracks from Beirut, Tokyo Police Club, Rogue Wave, Antony & the Johnsons, and Vetiver. Certainly everyone involved in Big Change means well, but even the best of intentions cannot compensate for what is essentially a dull collection of songs.

The fact that a song by Portman's My Blueberry Nights co-star Norah Jones-- "Broken", from the album Not Too Late-- fits so well into this tracklist should tell you a lot about the type of music Big Change emphasizes: sensitive singer-songwriter types. The result is a compilation with more lulls that excitement. Tom Brosseau's self-satisfied "Plaid Lined Jacket" is actually about a homeless guy with a new-old coat, which puts it in an unenviable lineage with Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise". Two tracks later, Brett Dennen's "Ain't No Reason" and Sean Hayes' electro-lite "Turnaroundturnmeon" slow the playlist's momentum to a halt, and neither Thee More Shallows' "Oh Yes, Another Mother" nor Angus and Julia Stone's "The Beast" can jumpstart it. These guys and their guitars aren't the Nick Drakes of our time-- they're the Dan Fogelbergs, which means some day we may look back on these songs and cringe. In the meantime, Big Change creates a staid atmosphere where artists like Antony & the Johnsons and Wooden Wand-- as well as Devendra Banhart and M. Ward, both of whom donate low-key exclusive tracks-- sound overly earnest and polite, stripped of their eccentricities and drained of personality.
Too little too late, the electric guitar on Rogue Wave's "How We Landed" sounds like a ray of light breaking through the clouds. There are some relatively adventurous choices on Big Change-- which, at $7.99, with proceeds going toward an anti-poverty organization is still worth your money, if not your full attention-- such as the blog-pop opener "Be Good" from Tokyo Police Club, whose handclaps and fast tempo actually benefit from the oppressive strumming of the acts that follow. Curumin's fuzzed-out "Tudo Bem Malandro" provides some much-needed rhythm to Big Change, and Bjorn Yttling's new mix of the Shins' "Australia" moves James Mercer's vocal melody further to the forefront and nicely fragments the music, as if he's singing along to the noise from his neighbors' apartments. Best of all is Beirut's new "My Night with the Prostitute From Marseille", which forgoes Zach Condon's favored detuned brass band accompaniment for chintzy synths, which evoke a garish decadence that complements the lyrics, the nature of which you can guess from the song's title. This sort of musical tinkering is largely absent on the well-meaning compilation, whose earnestness is reflected in its musical conservatism.

-Stephen M. Deusner, November 05, 2007

City Council Retreat: Fighting Poverty

from WSAV

Community Reporter Paul Rea is at the retreat this week with City Council leaders.

As a veil of fog began to lift over the Historic Jekyll Island Club, Savannah City Council began working strategies to lift the oppressive cloud of poverty that shrouds close to 30,000 of the city’s 128,500 residents.

The morning session of the council’s second retreat day began with an overview of where Savannah’s poor live. City Manager Michael Brown says many of them, almost 12,500 of them are living in government housing or rent assisted Section 8. Those are the families the city has an easier time finding and helping. Raising the rest to a higher economic level is a long term goal of both city staff and leaders.

The process starts with the expansion of the Step Up Poverty Initiative “We are dealing with hundreds of people in Savannah now,” Brown says, “we must see if we can expand that to the 28,000.”

Staff says so far the Initiative is providing direct energy assistance to the “working poor” helping pay for utilities. They are also offering financial and workplace education, teaching the value of banking and savings as well as job skills and readiness education.

Brown’s plan would use existing community centers in several neighborhoods as a one stop shop for all available government services, health, mental health, housing and other forms of assistance. It will take the cooperation of state and federal agencies something Brown says is slow in coming.

Mayor Otis Johnson volunteered to be Brown’s “big stick” in convincing those agencies to get on board. Saying he had nothing to lose because his political life is over in four years, Johnson said “Let me be the bad guy out there stepping on toes I’m willing to do that.”

Pupils give their free time to fight poverty

from the Independent On line

By Samantha Moolman

Most matriculants are on holiday, taking full advantage of their new-found freedom.

But Blue Hills College headboy Thabang Mabileng and some friends are hard at work trying to help alleviate poverty in South Africa.

Thabang and some of his fellow pupils arrived at the Pretoria News offices in the city centre after cycling 32km from their school in Midrand.

'We don't believe in handouts'
Thabang organised the Poverty Awareness Cycle Campaign as chairperson of the school's poverty clearance club to encourage people to donate funds to their worthy cause.

On Wednesday the pupils ran a clean-up campaign at Olievenhoutbosch. They were to donate food vouchers and teach the people how to help themselves.

Edwell Gumbo, science teacher and co-ordinator of the event, said: "We don't believe in handouts, which address only the immediate needs of the poor."

Inspired by the book High Noon, 20 Global Problems: 20 Years to Solve Them by JF Rischard, Gumbo proposed the idea to his pupils. They decided to take part in the National Association of Independent Schools Challenge 20/20 and were paired with Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, in the US, which has also begun raising money for the cause.

School students share, learn lesson about world hunger

from the Asheville Citizen Times

By Andre A. Rodriguez

Brennan Harlan didn’t seem to be loving her meager meal of rice, while her Carolina Day School classmates on the other side of the room enjoyed a three-course meal.

“It’s not really fair, but it’s what is going on in the world,” she said, realizing there are starving people elsewhere who would love to have her bowl of rice.

Harlan and her eighth-grade classmates were participating Tuesday in the school’s third annual Hunger Banquet, which splits the students into low-, middle- and high-income groups.

The low-income students were served a bowl of rice with no utensils. The middle-income group ate rice and beans with a plastic spoon.

Auzhela Bozeman, who was part of the middle-income group, was quick to key in on the fact that while she wasn’t enjoying the lasagna, salad, dinner rolls and dessert the high-income group received, “at least we’re not those guys.”

And that’s the point of the exercise, said middle school Principal Peggy Daniels, to get the students thinking about “those guys.”

“Whatever the reactions are, they’re good because they bring about discussion and an opportunity for kids to learn and to think about others and how we live and how others live,” she said.

Christian Humes seemed a little perturbed by his classmates in the middle- and low-income groups who came to stand around his table and stare down on his fine meal when the rice ran out. In the end, he decided to share.

“They started taking my stuff,” he said. “I felt kind of lucky that I got to eat, but then bad for them.”

He even felt a little guilty.

Following the meal the students separated into three classrooms to talk about their experiences, and how it relates to the plight of millions of the world’s population.

Fletcher Armstrong pointed out that toward the end of the meal, many of his classmates were trying to steal food from students in the high-income group.

“I think in the real world it would be a lot worse,” he said. “People would kill for food.”

The discussions got into how not having food can lead to poverty, illiteracy and war. The students started to think about ways to solve the problem, such as donating food and money and providing sustainable resources so people can feed themselves.

On the Net: www.hungerbanquet.org

2007 People Against Poverty Campaign offers help in a season of need

from the St Louis American

By Roscoe Crenshaw

This year marks the 19th consecutive year that Community Women Against Hardship (CWAH) has partnered with the St. Louis American for its annual project to assist under-served families in the St. Louis area.

In the current climate of mortgage crises, rampant crime, overseas warfare, widespread illness, inadequate health care, benefit cuts and homelessness, the poor suffer the most devastating effects. Now is the time for those of us who have more to make a donation that will brighten some families’ holidays.

If you would care to donate, please contact CWAH at (314) 289-7523. Checks should be made out to “Community Women Against Hardship.” The CWAH Family Support Center is located at 3963 West Belle Place, St. Louis, MO 63108.

#1. Ms. W. has always worked but recently stopped temporarily due to medical problems. In addition to her five children, she is also caring for her sister’s child. Her sole financial aid comes from family and friends, and in the past two months she has received two shut-off notices for her all-electric apartment. Clearly, she is without Christmas gift funds. Her wish list includes warm clothing, shoes, linen for beds (full-size and queen), kitchen table and chairs, end tables, pots, dishes and food.

#2. Ms. E. is a single mother of a seven year-old with asthma, diabetes and ADHD whose only income is welfare. Living with her mother, she is in remission from brain cancer - a condition that has left her unable to read and only able to write on a first-grade level. Hence, she is unable to obtain a job. She is in need of a blouse, ladies’ pants and boys’ pants, shoes, underwear and a coat. Her wish list includes a storybook, toys, games, perfume and a WalMart or Payless gift card.

#3. Ms. T. is a single parent in her early 40s with seven children and two grandchildren. She has always been generous to the less fortunate and has volunteered to several non-profit organizations in the past. She has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer and has had foot surgery and now requires more foot surgery. Being wheelchair-bound and making monthly doctor visits, she has lost everything and had to file for bankruptcy. Due to insufficient funds, she was without gas last winter, and this year her low food supply required her to rely upon food pantries. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

#4. Ms. H. is the mother of four children who was victimized by false charges at her work site that have been proven unfounded. Even though she has been completely vindicated, there are obstacles to her gaining employment. Having recently completed training as a medical technician, she must now secure a lawyer and provide documentation to expunge the false negative information from her record. Meanwhile, the family has no gas and has been subsisting on a very limited income. The Christmas wish list includes food, warm children’s clothing, cleaning supplies, linens, two heaters, a Barbie Doll, a truck, a drawing pad and pencils, Christian reading books, DVDs and a coat.

#5. Ms. M. is a struggling parent, worker and student (studying X-ray technology) who is caring for her twin girls and her mother. She has no car for transportation and no insurance or money for her daughter’s eye exam and glasses and very little for food and utility bills. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

#6. Ms. M. has a son who needs food, clothes and other basics so that he can stay focused in school. Although she is employed, the bills are overwhelming. She would like pants, shirts and a computer.

#7. Ms. B. is an 18 year-old mother of a two-year-old daughter living on temporary government assistance and food stamps. Her wish list includes clothing and toys (Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh).

Of course, all of these unfortunate though worthy candidates will be profoundly grateful for your expressions of generosity during this season of giving. Please contact CWAH at (314) 289-7523.

Putnam anti-poverty agency may close

from The Charleston Gazette

# Only remaining employee laid off, vice president says

By Alison Knezevich
Staff writer

For more than 40 years, the Putnam County Community Action Council has been helping needy families facing crisis. Now, a financial crisis of its own could force the anti-poverty group to close its doors.

“We are out of money,” said Jackie Chaney, vice president of the Community Action board. “It’s a very sad state of affairs.”

On Tuesday, board members decided to lay off director Dawn Bennett after this week, Chaney said. Bennett has been the only employee, since other layoffs in July. They might have to shut down the agency, “but that isn’t certain yet,” Chaney said.

“We feel horrible about what it does to the people in the county who need the help the most,” she said.

Community Action has been in a money crunch since summer. In recent years, the group provided job-preparation and literacy programs through the Region 2 Workforce Investment Board, one of seven boards in the state that get federal money under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

In June, Bennett learned that WIB planned to move its services from Community Action offices to a separate location, meaning they would no longer share the rent. Community Action board members moved to a cheaper office. They also planned to lay off some of its eight employees in July because the WIB did not have money to administer a reading program.

Soon after, Region 2 WIB officials told its funding recipients it had promised more money than it could give out for the 2006-07 fiscal year. It froze payments, and Community Action laid off all employees except Bennett.

Region 2 WIB director Jake Hunt acknowledged that WIB’s troubles “contributed” to Community Action’s crisis. His agency owed them $69,000 in reimbursements and has since paid them back about $24,000.

But he said he met with the group’s board last winter and told them they needed to diversify funding sources because the federal government was slashing his agency’s budget.

“We saw the cuts coming,” said Hunt, who was once the director of Community Action. “For us to be solely blamed would be an error.”

Five years ago, Community Action’s budget was nearly $1 million. Last year, it was $300,000, two-thirds of which came from Region 2 WIB. Not only have WIB funds shrunk, but so has other federal money, such as grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We have been taking cuts every year,” Chaney said.

Since July, Bennett has been working alone to provide “emergency services,” such as helping people pay utility bills through a FEMA grant. She has also been working with local churches for the Holiday Helpers program, which matches needy families to sponsors who provide toys and food for Christmas.

This week, Bennett and others met with representatives of one of Community Action’s only remaining funding sources, the Capital Resource Agency, which distributes federal block grants.

Capital Resource director Oren Thornhill said he would help Community Action through the end of the year, but is uncertain about funds for next year.

“I am sympathetic with them, but I don’t know how to get them out of that mess,” Thornhill said Wednesday.

One problem is that the federal grants are given out on a reimbursement basis, but Community Action has no money to spend.

Also, the federal government favors programs that help people become self-sufficient, rather than short-term help like paying utility bills and giving out Christmas toys, Thornhill said.

“Those are wonderful programs and there’s a need for them, but the federal dollars are just drying up for those things,” Thornhill said.

Thornhill added that Community Action had not drawn down on its contract with his agency since July.

Community Action is based on a model laid out in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, a legacy of his “War on Poverty.” In the past, it has served 2,500 people per year.

Bennett said she would work for free to distribute Christmas food and toys for people who already applied.

Teen Coastsiders do good in Mexico

from the Half Moon Bay Review

By Stacy Trevenon--[ stacy@hmbreview.com ]
A handful of Coastside young women spent a few days in Mexico brightening the lives of disabled and needy children earlier this month.

The occasion was a trip made by Half Moon Bay High School's Interact club, under the auspices of the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club, to bring wheelchairs to Mexico along with gifts and toys for children.

"It's so amazing, how much they thank you, and they have nothing," said Half Moon Bay Interact President Zoe Galle who, like the other girls, is a junior at Half Moon Bay High School. "It makes you realize how much we take for granted."

On Nov. 15, Interactors Galle, Kristen Ivases, Monica Tolar, Jenni Olivero, Kristin Kalkin and Hanna Ingraham made a presentation to Half Moon Bay Rotary, describing and showing photos of their experiences and explaining how the experience changed them.

Interact, an offshoot of Rotary International, is made up of clubs of teens focused on humanitarian work on the community and international levels. It is represented in Half Moon Bay with an active, motivated Interact club that meets weekly at lunchtime at the high school to plan its busy calendar.

The Half Moon Bay Interactors and Rotary Club belong to District 5150, which spans San Mateo to Marin counties.

Under the caring eye of Half Moon Bay Rotarian Millie Golder, the Interactors have mapped out a busy year that includes working at Candyland in December, supporting local medical institutions and this trip to Mexico.

Accompanied by several parents, District 5150 Governor Brian McLeran, and Rotarians from San Mateo, Foster City and Ontario, Canada, the Half Moon Bay Interactors visited Mazatlan and Rosario, Mexico, from Nov. 9 to 12, in a trip funded by the Wheelchair Foundation and matching grant through Rotary. They brought 500 unassembled and boxed wheelchairs, and toys.

Upon arrival, they assembled the chairs and got down to work, visiting the homes of those who needed chairs and meeting larger groups of people in schools and stadium-like larger assembly places.

"This is an amazing group of young adults," said McLeran. "I tried to assemble the chairs and just got in their way."

The students were sobered and appalled by conditions of poverty they saw, and touched by the graciousness and gratitude of the people they helped.

"We would go from our hotel to these homes, where a lot of people didn't have wheelchairs before and hadn't seen the front of their homes for years," said Ivases. "It made us feel so good we could give them mobility."

"It was a lot of hard work, and it was so sad," said Galle.

One such home housed a mother, who needed a wheelchair, and six children. "The wheelchair was her way of being independent," said Ingraham.

"It was such an eye-opener," she continued, as the photos flashed before the avid viewers. "I couldn't believe people lived in such poverty."

The teens also visited schools, many with dirt floors, flimsy construction and poor sanitation, where they put toys in the hands of delighted children.

More Ugandans out of poverty

from New Vision

By Gerald Tenywa

THE number of Ugandans living in poverty has fallen from 38% to 31% in the last five years, a UN report has said.

It said the number was 38% in 2002-2003, which improved to 31% in 2005-2006. According to the Uganda Human Development Report, which is to be launched today, 42% of the poor people live in rural areas, with only 12% in urban areas.

The number of people living in rural areas is highest in eastern and western at 93%, followed by northern, 83%, and central, 75%.

It said poverty was least in the central region, followed by eastern. The western region came third and the north tailed. Western Uganda performed poorly because of limited safe water while northern Uganda was hit by prolonged drought, cattle rustling and armed conflict.

The report said the fall in poverty had helped Uganda achieve one Millennium Development Goal, which aims to halve the number of people without safe water. It said 68% of Ugandans now have safe water, up from 63% in 2003.

Despite the war, the report said, the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund sunk boreholes there, which improved access to safe water.

Although the average distance to a water point was one kilometre, the average time taken queuing for water was 54 minutes, double the national average.

The report also cited malnutrition, low life expectancy and high mortality to be dog the poor.

Group says Coles' poverty rate among highest in Illinois

from the Journal Gazette and Times Courier

LATESTCHARLESTON -- A lack of transportation, affordable housing and employment opportunities were a few of the top barriers to poverty in this area identified during a forum Tuesday.

The Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights hosted the forum as a way to pinpoint problems and solutions to poverty in the Coles County area.

More than 40 people affiliated with local social service agencies worked in small groups to talk about grassroots efforts that can be made to address poverty in Central Illinois.

The forum, called “Moving from Poverty to Opportunity,” is one of 25 that are taking place across Illinois this year, said Doug Schenkelberg, associate director of policy for Heartland Alliance.

Coles County is in the top 10 areas of the state with the highest concentration of people living in extreme poverty, Schenkelberg said. Cook County does not make the top 10 list.

“This isn’t an urban issue. It happens in urban areas, but it isn’t strictly an urban issue,” Schenkelberg said.

Extreme poverty is defined as a family living at half of the federal poverty level. The federal poverty level for a family of three is $17,170 of income per year, so a family of three living in extreme poverty makes less than $8,585 per year.

In Coles County, families in extreme poverty make up 8.5 percent of the population. The number living below the federal poverty level in Coles County is 14.4 percent.

Although the existence of Eastern Illinois University students does have a small impact on the high Coles County poverty rate, Schenkelberg said it is more of a larger problem having to do with the teen birth rate, graduation rate and employment rate.

IMF Approves U.S.$1.5 Million Fund

from All Africa

Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)

NEWS

By Stephen Odoi-Larbi

The International Monetary Fund has approved US$1.5Million Fund to Niger, equivalent to SDR 940,000. After successfully completing the country's economic performance under three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement last Wednesday.

The approval of the fund brings to a total disbursement under the arrangement to SDR 25.38 Million (about US$40.4Million).

In completing the review, the Executive Board of the Fund approved Niger's request for a waiver for the nonobservance of a continuous structural performance criterion on the application of the flexible pricing mechanism for petroleum products. The Board also approved Niger's requests for the modification of the quantitative performance criterion for end-December on domestic financing of the government, the modification of the structural performance criterion on the application of a flexible mechanism for petroleum pricing, and the elimination of the structural performance criterion for end-December on the adoption of a decree defining the modalities for reimbursing the frozen postal savings accounts of the former National Postal Savings Office over a two-year period.

The Board again extended Niger's Poverty Reduction Growth Fund (PRGF) arrangement by four months to May 31, 2008.

Niger's PRGF arrangement was originally approved on January 31, 2005 in an amount equivalent to SDR 6.58 million and augmented to SDR 26.32 million (about US$41.9 million) on November 14, 2005.

Mr. Murilo Portugal, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair of the Board noted, 'The Nigerien authorities are to be commended for the overall satisfactory performance under the PRGF-supported program. Economic growth in 2007 is being sustained for the third year in a row, inflation is close to zero, reflecting a good harvest, and the national cereal security stocks have been replenished. Fiscal performance to September has been stronger than programmed, due both to higher revenue and lower expenditure than projected'.

"The fiscal program through end-December 2007 has been modestly revised to take into account lower external budget support than previously expected, but also higher projected revenue, boosted by exceptional revenue from mining, and somewhat higher expenditure. On the basis of these revised projections, the basic fiscal deficit target has been reduced. The fiscal program for 2007 and the proposed budget and projected expenditures for 2008 are consistent with the medium-term expenditure frameworks for increased investment in key sectors that underpin Niger's new Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2008-2012.

"The program continues to emphasize improvements in tax and customs administration through simpler procedures, as well as a widening of the tax base. Reforms in public expenditure management are ongoing, including measures to strengthen procurement, financial control, and budgetary execution. Steadfast implementation of these reforms will be essential for enhancing the effectiveness of pro-growth and pro-poor programs, advancing toward the Millennium Development Goals, and mobilizing additional resources form external donors.

"Given that Niger's external debt position remains vulnerable to adverse shocks, it will be important that the authorities sustain their efforts to preserve debt sustainability by seeking financial assistance mainly in the form of grants and on highly concessional terms.

"Continued efforts to enhance further the business and investment climate will be key to achieving a higher rate of economic growth. It will also be important that the authorities continue with the steadfast implementation of their action plan for the settlement of domestic arrears. Steps taken to restructure ailing microfinance institutions and privatize a financial institution should promote access to credit and deepen financial intermediation," Mr. Portugal said.

The PRGF is the IMF's concessional facility for low-income countries. PRGF-supported programs are based on country-owned poverty reduction strategies that are adopted in a participatory process involving civil society and development partners and articulated in the country's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. This is intended to ensure that PRGF-supported programs are consistent with a comprehensive framework for macroeconomic, structural, and social policies to foster growth and reduce poverty. PRGF loans carry an annual interest rate of 0.5 percent and are repayable over 10 years with a 5½-year grace period on principal payments.

African Aid Projects That Work: Partnerships on the Ground, Not Donations from a Distance

from Knowledge at Wharton

Not long ago, an unnamed global corporation decided that it wanted to help children in the southern African nation of Namibia -- and so it spent millions to donate scores of new computers and television sets for the classrooms in a particular region of this poverty-plagued, mostly rural nation.

They should have talked to someone like Jonathan Johnnidis first. Currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on virology, Johnnidis recently spent time in rural Namibia working to improve healthcare with a non-governmental agency (NGO) called WorldTeach. The rural aid worker had information the large corporate benefactor apparently did not -- that there is no electricity grid in that region.

Johnnidis drew a sharp contrast between that misguided project and another, more successful partnership between Namibia and the government of Germany, which was once colonial ruler of the African nation and now is helping to build miles of new roadways there.

"It was one of the best investments," said Johnnidis, who recounted his story during a panel discussion on new types of partnerships on the continent. The panel was part of the 15th annual Wharton Africa Business Forum, whose theme was "Africa Rising: The New Dawn of Trade and Investment." Germany "didn't provide money for drugs and it didn't provide money for computers. They just built roads." But the unglamorous, low-tech roads, he noted, will form the infrastructure that will eventually bring better healthcare and schools to these isolated regions.

The Wharton panel, entitled "New Partnerships in Business and Leadership Development," was focused on how a relatively new breed of NGOs -- not just WorldTeach but newer, high-profile ones like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation created by a Sudanese mobile-phone billionaire -- are bridging the gaps between cash-strapped governments and traditional Western relief funds.

According to the five panelists, one way the new NGOs are achieving this is by placing more people like Johnnidis directly in the areas that need the most help, and by better identifying the initiatives that can make a difference right away. Too often, the panelists agreed, what Africans need are not glitzy high-tech items, but basic infrastructure as well as human capital, such as health care workers.

Donors "pour money into countries that don't have the infrastructure to support everything the initiative plans to do," said Brian Anderson, who raises funds for a program in his native South Africa called MaAfrika Tikkun, which seeks to help children in AIDS-ravaged families. "What is critical is to create structure, to create systems, to create ecosystems."

The panel was moderated by Emma Osong, a Maryland-based former engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration who now works as a consultant and actively promotes African development. She said she believes partnerships involving new-style NGOs are critical to Africa's future. "Investment opportunities remain on the continent," she noted, "but many are still cautious about investing."

The tenor of the discussion matched themes sounded by many who attended the Forum -- that the long-troubled continent is now in a new period of economic revival with gross national product on the rise and the world's fastest growth in cellular telephones. At the same time, huge problems persist, from AIDS to abject poverty to corrupt governments that interfere with aid efforts.

It's this vast downside of the African story that has lured new players to the region, such as the Gates Foundation, which has spent a major part of its funds in Africa, or the Ibrahim Foundation, which seeks to support and reward good government. Increasingly, the panelists noted, this new breed is finding the gaps between inadequate government programs and slow-moving, poorly targeted, traditional aid programs.

Indeed, many of the African programs that the panelists are involved with have an economic development component, some directly and some more indirectly. An example of the latter would be the MaAfrika Tikkun program, established in the 1990s as the rate of AIDS infection in South Africa was soaring. MaAfrika Tikkun takes in hundreds of children whose parents have died or been rendered helpless by AIDS, and offers them schooling and nutrition while also seeking to empower the surrounding community. According to Anderson, the program helps economic development in several ways, both by training children from the poorest families for a future in the South African workforce, and by sometimes making it possible for an infected parent to work as well.

"We're focusing on children from infancy to age 20, when they can get jobs," Anderson said. "It's a very exciting opportunity because we are terrified that a whole generation is going to be lost. We have had moderate success." The MaAfrika Tikkun effort is backed personally by South African leader Nelson Mandela as well as the government.

Aid Money Never Spent

Throughout the Wharton panel discussion, a constant theme was finding new ways to put the considerable human capital of Africa to work -- not only to spur new economic investment but also to reduce the drain of poverty on the region.

One of the most intriguing concepts was outlined by Jern Lyseggen, a Norwegian entrepreneur who recently founded a global business-to-business search engine called Meltwater News, which has a substantial presence in Africa. Through his start-up company, Lyseggen also helped to found the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra, Ghana. Its goal is to train young Africans to develop and market commercial software. "The reason we chose commercial software is that you don't need the infrastructure," Lyseggen said. "You just need a few hundred dollars and a computer. If you get the right people and a computer, they can come up with all of these marvelous ideas."

Several panelists noted that the reason NGOs are thriving outside of governmental channels is that they operate relatively freely, outside the entrenched system of corruption. That corruption has led to the squandering of a significant portion of development and relief money.

Chris Odindo, CEO of International Development and Policy Corp., a global social enterprise venture, told the audience of his frustration when he learned, while playing squash with the minister of an African nation, of hundreds of thousands of dollars of aid money that was unspent. "That money could have been used more creatively for development," Odindo said. "That money could have been used for my passion in social enterprise. That money could have looked at how you can generate a new breed of entrepreneur."

Given the pervasiveness of corruption, it's not so surprising that many partnerships seek to sidestep governments and take a more direct, hands-on approach to specific projects. Johnnidis pointed out that one of those partners is the University of Pennsylvania. Penn's School of Medicine recently received a nearly $1 million grant from a U.S. government fund to combat AIDS in the African nation of Botswana, which has the highest rate of infection in the world. This initiative continues work that started in 2001 with private money from the Gates Foundation and the Merck Foundation.

As panelists noted, the AIDS epidemic also has had huge economic development consequences, because unlike most diseases, it tends to target adults who normally would be in the prime of their employment years. "You have all these qualified and motivated people who are being cut down," Johnnidis said, adding that the biggest problem is simply a stunning lack of health care. In all of Namibia, where Johnnidis worked, there were 500 health care workers serving about two million people. In some other nations, like Mozambique, the ratio is less.

Several of the audience members at the Wharton forum wanted to know what, if anything, these new relief partnerships were doing to address the so-called "African diaspora," the wide scattering of people of African descent around the globe. Although this process began during the slave trade centuries ago, there has also been a modern so-called "brain drain" as some of Africa's best-educated have departed the continent to work and raise families in the more stable environment of the West.

Odindo suggested that African nations take steps to encourage those of African descent who now live elsewhere to return -- even if just for a week or two at a time -- and assist in the redevelopment of the continent. He noted that Kenya already has such a program, allowing and encouraging Western physicians and health care professionals of Kenyan heritage to work in local hospitals. "That's one of the things we're working on," said Odindo, "to make it easier for people to go back."

The panelists all seemed to agree that Western-backed aid partnerships have the same goal -- to solve problems up to a level where Africans can ultimately implement and run things by themselves, whether that involves training more African-born health care workers and software entrepreneurs or handing over control of the schooling for children of AIDS-ravaged families. "Most of all, we work from the ground up," said Anderson of MaAfrika Tikkun. "We are focused on establishing partnerships and embracing community leadership and developing community leadership -- so that ultimately, we can leave the community.

[Comment] New Orleans: The Perfect Storm

from Infoshop News

With demolition of public housing set to begin mid-December, New Orleans residents are about to loose over 5000 units of public and affordable housing, possibly forever.

by Elizabeth Cook

I told my friend this morning, I think the city is coming apart. An outbreak of robberies, some perhaps by teenagers, authorities believe; homeless population exploding; politicians looking the other way when corruption serves their purpose. I'm reminded, I tell her, of the Bugs Bunny cartoon, where he is busy, furiously, digging underground, trying to tunnel his way to paradise, or a beach, or somewhere pleasant; I can't remember exactly.

He pops his head up, in the middle of the North Pole, and says something to the effect, "I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque".

It can feel like that sometimes. That one wrong turn and you wind up in a very cold environment.

The kind of cold environment, perhaps, where 17,000+ of our residents, citizens and neighbors are homeless. The kind of cold environment where politicians are willing to tear down viable public housing, for a "theory", and a poor one at that, that clustering the working poor together creates poverty.

The kind of cold environment where our elected "leaders" prattle on about ethics and reform in government, yet look the other way while the head of our federal agency, entrusted with creating housing for the working poor, is under criminal investigation for sweetheart deals that will demolish, viable, public housing for the working poor in New Orleans.

And if there were ever a corrupt concept, than that of destroying neighborhoods where poor people live, in order to combat poverty, particularly when there has been little effort, to date, to replace that housing before it is destroyed, well, you almost have to conclude that it is, truly, about learning to look the other way, to look away from the suffering of others.

Yes noises are being made, for example, for supportive housing vouchers, 3000 to be exact, according to City Councilwoman Stacy Head, that she has requested. We'll take the 3000 vouchers, if and when it happens. But you, Ms. Head, and the city council, are advocating for the eventual destruction of 7000 units of public housing, while you are asking for 3000 vouchers for "permanent, supportive housing". What better place to provide supportive housing, than in the housing developments, where you usually have the support structures as part of the developments?

Go figure.

Then we hear that Ms. Head is willing to have a few, supportive housing units in her district uptown. It's going to take more than a few, Ms. Head, to address this issue.

Two New Orleans East political leaders, City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard Lewis and State Senator Ann Duplesis, are opposing the construction of multi-family housing in the east. They are supported by some home owner's groups. If you look at the proposed rents for that 276 unit complex that they are opposing, it isn't like we are providing housing for the lowest wage earners in the city. Rents would range between $700 and $1300 per month, with emphasis placed on those who can "pay on their own".

Not wanting housing in the east because of the lack of resources there won't solve the lack of resources there. Usually, resources follow people, if we adequately fund those resources and insist that they get up and running again, like our public health system. Having people back in our neighborhoods in the east will increase the voices and the pressure for adequate services out there.

Factor in the Federal Emergency Managment Agency's (FEMA) decision, apparently backed by the city, to close all FEMA trailer group sites, and this is added wind pressure in this perfect storm. FEMA have been quietly closing the sites since August. This decision involves the closing of 2797 trailers, and over 5000 residents of the city. Many of the residents are questioning where they will end up.

The FEMA trailers were less than ideal, perhaps even dangerous in terms of the levels of formaldehyde found in them. But residents find themselves between a rock and a hard place: board with already stressed and over-crowded homes of relatives, or homelessness. There simply is not enough affordable housing to go around in New Orleans right now.

There is of course another alternative here: what about the federal government providing the necessary resources to rebuild our neighborhoods and infrastructure, like they should have done in the first place? What about creating a massive job works program, with living wages, funded by the federal government, to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast?

Why are our city leaders lobbying for inadequate resources, rather than the adequate resources needed to rebuild?

Why has ICF earned $16.7 million off of the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Small Rental Property Program, when not a single, small rental unit has yet to be funded by that program? This is criminal. This is corruption.

But it serves the interest, at least so far, of agendas: that of reducing the numbers of affordable units for the working poor, in order to keep people from returning. What other conclusions can we draw, when we see politicans advocating for reduced numbers of units available to the working poor? Demolishing public housing, limiting the construction of multi-family housing in the east, the failure of our elected "leaders" in the rebuilding and rehabing of our rental units in the city, is all creating the perfect storm in New Orleans, a storm that is engulfing our social services and crippling our city.

We're all waking up in that middle of that storm to a very cold, very windy landscape of our fellow residents sleeping in tents, with no bathroom facilities, huddling together in an encampment on the front doorstep of City Hall, where at least they feel safe from constant police harassment and the revolving door of Orleans Parish Prison.

We hear of our friends and neighbors getting sick from stress, some dying. This is ongoing. We have residents who have been fighting the good fight for public and affordable housing, even though they are under tremendous stress in what has become the daily fight for survival in New Orleans: rising Entergy rates, through the roof, rising food prices, inadequately funded public transportation, a fractured and chronically underfunded public school system in competition with charter schools.

And there are those who have simply given up, given up on their dream to return home. And isn't that what the powers that be have wanted? For people to give up the fight to return home?

Demolishing the buildings of public housing won't make our problems go away. It will exacerbate what may become the permanent shortage of affordable housing, and chronic, catastrophic numbers of homeless people.

Will the motto then be, "get used to it"?

UN report urges aid for world's poor on global warming

from The Hawk Eye

UN report urges aid for world's poor on global warming

By MICHAEL ASTOR


RIO DE JANEIRO, Developed nations must immediately help fight global warming or the world will face catastrophic floods, droughts and other disasters, according to U.N. report released Tuesday.

The report said rich nations will need to provide $86 billion a year by 2015 to "strengthen the capacity of vulnerable people" to cope with climate-related risks.

"The scenario is that our generation will experience reversals on a grand scale in the areas of health, education and poverty. For the future there is real threat of ecological catastrophe," Kevin Watkins, the report's lead author, told reporters in Brasilia, the country's capital.

Half the cost, $44 billion, would go for "climate-proofing" developing nations' infrastructure, while $40 billion would help the poor cope with climate-related risks. The other $2 billion would go to strengthening responses to natural disasters, the report said.

The report said the United States and other rich nations should pay the biggest share.

The Bush administration said in a statement that one of its top priorities is "to alleviate poverty and spur economic growth in the developing world by modernizing energy services."

The nearly 400-page Human Development Report comes just a week before the world's nations convene in Bali, Indonesia, to negotiate a new climate treaty.

At the report's release ceremony, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on rich nations to do their part.

"In Bali we are going to very seriously discuss the price rich countries have to pay so that poorer countries can preserve their forests," Silva said. "Because you're not going to convince a poor person in any country that he can't cut down a tree if he doesn't have the right to work and eat in exchange."

Brazil is home to around 70 percent of the Amazon rain forest -- the world's largest remaining tropical wilderness.

Scientists believe the rain forest can act as enormous sponge to soak up greenhouse gases, but deforestation and burning in the rain forest releases millions of tons of carbon into the air each year making Brazilian one of the leading emitters of greenhouse gases.

The report also found that increased energy efficiency, alternative fuels and even the reduction of trade barriers could go a long way toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The report suggested, among other measures, that a reduction of tariffs on Brazilian ethanol "would generate gains not just for Brazil, but for climate change mitigation."

Brazilian ethanol made from sugarcane is more efficient than the corn-based ethanol produced in the United States, but is subject high U.S. import taxes meant to protect American farmers.

"For Brazil to export ethanol, we have to pay an enormous tariff, almost twice the price, Silva said, adding the that oil producing countries pay no such taxes. "Where is the desire to depollute the planet. We could start taxing petroleum."

Without money from developed countries, the panel found, a warmer world "could stall and then reverse human development" in the countries where 2.6 billion people live on $2 a day or less.

Developed countries, meanwhile, are failing to meet their targets under the current climate treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, for cutting greenhouse gases by 2012, the report said. France, Germany, Japan and Britain have reduced their emissions somewhat, it said, but the European Union is falling short of its goal of a 20 percent cut by 2020.

Scientists have reported temperatures rose an average 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 100 years, bringing the prospect of a century of extreme weather, rising seas, widening drought and disease and harm to fisheries, forests and farmland.

"These impacts ... go unnoticed in financial markets and in the measurement of world gross domestic product," the panel's report said. "But increased exposure to drought, to more intense storms, to floods and environmental stress is holding back the efforts of the world's poor to build a better life for themselves and their children."

Olav Kjorven, head of the U.N. Development Program's bureau for development policy, said help is only natural "when we know that the frequency of droughts and floods is going up."

Because of global warming, he said, 600 million more people in sub-Saharan Africa will go hungry from collapsing agriculture, an extra 400 million people will be exposed to malaria and other diseases and an added 200 million will be flooded out of their homes.

from Spiegel

By Rose-Anne Clermont

Germany's children are poorer than they should be -- this is the conclusion that study after study has come to. Politicians in Berlin are beginning to address the problem, but the hurdles remain huge.

The outrage last week was immediate. How could a five-year-old girl starve to death? In Germany, no less? And how could it happen just one week after social workers had visited her home near the northern German city of Schwerin?

That, though, is exactly what happened, when the parents of little Lea-Sophie neglected their child for weeks until she eventually died last Wednesday. Since then, pundits and politicians have been demanding reforms in the way the state looks after children, with German Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen calling for a better system to assist families in need.

"It starts with helping families find midwives to accompany the pregnancy," the Christian Democrat minister said in an interview with the magazine Super Illu. "Later, it is important that children are sent to kindergarten and that unemployed parents receive the necessary help in finding jobs."

Lea-Sophie didn't just die because her family was poor. There were clearly other factors at play in her parents ultimately failing to give her the care she needed. But last week's headline -- and von der Leyen's plea to help unemployed parents -- was just the latest in a series of stories drawing attention to the plight of children in Germany. It has become increasingly apparent that this wealthy country has a growing problem with child poverty.

No Future

According to statistics released by the German Society for the Protection of Children (DKSB), some 2.6 million children in Germany -- one in six -- live in poverty. Among children under 15, the percentage grows to one in four. Even more worrying, the number of children supported by Hartz IV -- the new, less-generous welfare package that took effect at the beginning of 2005 -- has doubled since 2005, while at the same time an economic upswing has led to a significant drop in unemployment. According to the report, child poverty in Germany has risen 16 times in the last four decades.

"Material poverty doesn't necessarily lead to such acts," says Kristina Lurse, who works for child protective services in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, of Lea-Sophie's long-term neglect by her parents. "But Hartz IV may contribute to people feeling that they have no future."

It used to be that German welfare recipients got extra allowances for children's clothes, school supplies, Christmas gifts and even cash to fix the washing machine if it broke down. Two and a half years ago, those handouts were slashed. Now, families get €208 ($307) per child per month and a few more euros once kids reach 14. The welfare reforms introduced by Hartz IV have been credited with lowering unemployment and boosting the economy. But according to Anne Thome, a counselor working for a state funded program in the Berlin district of Neukölln, it's far from enough for families.

Looking at the Bottom of the Earning Scale

"I have clients who take their kids out of kindergarten because they can't cover the cost of the meals," she says. "Forget about birthday presents or going to the zoo. These families can't afford to put a decent breakfast on the table."

It is a trend not uncommon to rich countries: The prosperous grow wealthier while the underclass grows and becomes relatively poorer. Often, it is children who suffer the brunt of the inequality. Germany has long tried to reverse the trend and spends over €100 billion per year on family programs, according to Viktor Steiner, an economist at Berlin's Free University. But still, the poor have not been able to catch up. "If poverty is measured in relative terms," says Steiner, "then a general increase in living standards may well lead to more poverty."

When it comes to child poverty, Germany is far from the worst in the industrialized world. Ranked 11th in an annual survey by the United Nations' child advocacy organ UNICEF, Germany still comes in well ahead of the US and the UK, both at the bottom of the 21 countries listed. Still, with the results of the 2005 welfare reform just now becoming apparent, the country is taking a closer look at the bottom of the earning scale.

One of the biggest debates facing Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition -- which pairs the conservatives with the Social Democrats -- has been that of introducing a minimum wage in the country. With many jobs lacking a legally anchored minimum wage, a broad class of working poor has emerged. Social worker Thome, for example, who only works part time, says that she actually earns less than many of the welfare recipients she counsels.

Selective Criteria

Demonstrating a desire to prevent kids from falling even further behind has become an easy way to score points for politicians in Berlin. In July, a program to up the amount of money the government provides needy families went into effect. The €200 million plan looks to give money to those families that would fall below the poverty line were they to have kids. Still, some 80 percent of applicants for the fund are rejected because of the extremely selective criteria associated with the program.

Family Minister von der Leyen has consistently been the most vocal advocate of helping German families raise children, and she calls the child poverty situation in Germany "shameful." She has worked to give German moms and dads the freedom to go to work, and has pledged the creation of 500,000 more nursery spots for toddlers. She is particularly interested in helping a growing number of single parents enter Germany's traditionally child-unfriendly workplace.

The benefits of such a move could be double: Studies have linked early childhood education to better performance at school later on. But even here, Germany has significant hurdles, after the nation's education system was blasted by the United Nations earlier this year for solidifying social inequality. The UN Special Rapporteur on education Vernor Muñoz Villalobos lampooned Germany's system of separating children into university track schooling or vocational training as early as primary school. Results from the PISA student assessment test conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed that children of well-educated parents were over four times more likely to go to the university-track schools than children from families of skilled laborers.

Short End of the Stick

"If we didn't have money," says Christine Schmidt, a psychologist married to a human resources executive, "our daughter would end up at a special school." Her daughter, Pia, is 10 and borderline dyslexic, according to state test scores. Because Pia isn't severely dyslexic, though, her special training isn't covered by the state. Her parents shell out €325 per month so she can catch up to the rest of her peers. "If we were poor, she would never learn to read properly."

It's not only in education where poor kids get the short end of the stick. A study by the Robert Koch Institute showed that poorer kids get sick more often, due to bad nutrition. "Breakfast in most of these families is a slice of that cheap white bread you buy at Aldi that doesn't have anything in it to begin with," says Thome.

Heinz Hilgers, the president of German Society for the Protection of Children argues that it is nearly impossible to give children a healthy diet with the small amount of money provided by Hartz IV. The Robert Koch study also noted a higher degree of psychological and developmental problems amongst poorer kids.

York United Way expected growth in child poverty

from the York Region Era Banner

By: Chris Traber, Staff Writer
A United Way of Greater Toronto report revealing close to 30 per cent of Toronto families raising children live in poverty may be a sign of what we can expect here, United Way of York Region CEO Daniele Zanotti said.

“What we see in the data is the winds blowing north of Steeles. It’s a gentle wind right now, but we’re feeling it,” said Mr. Zanotti, who reviewed and advised on the sister organization’s study released this week.

“The number of vulnerable, low-income families is growing beyond Toronto’s borders,” he said.

The Toronto study reports 93,000 households, a 14-per-cent increase since 1990, are under serious financial stress.

The document also said the rest of the GTA’s 23 municipalities, including York’s nine, are relatively stable and improving.

But there are already signs of trouble in York Region, Mr. Zanotti said.

Mr. Zanotti cites a series of reports released by York Region, in partnership with the Community Reference Group, which he co-chairs with Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen.

One in 10 York Region residents lives under the poverty line, according to the Just the Facts About Your Community report.

That’s 71,600 York Region residents, roughly the combined population of Aurora, East Gwillimbury and King — based on 2001 census figures because the 2006 information won’t be available until next May.

“The city doesn’t end at Steeles,” York Region Food Network executive director Joan Stonehocker said. “We have the same issues and others. We have a lack of transportation, most definitely a lack of affordable housing and large rural areas in the northern part of the region.

“In general, many poverty issues in York Region are invisible. We just don’t think it happens here.”

Ms Stonehocker, who joined the network in September, is encouraged by the province’s promise of a strategy to address poverty and by the region’s support of the eight food banks in her network.

Systemic policy changes are needed to address poverty, Mr. Zanotti said.

“In York Region, in particular, there are two pieces that scream for attention,” he said.

First, the health and social services funding gap in the 905 area, as highlighted in a September audit, must be closed. Another solution, he said, is more services close to home.

“We have to have programs you can walk down the street to. The social services network is so stretched. We’re not just losing ground, we’ve got to find ground,” he said.

Helping our most vulnerable neighbours remains his immediate objective.

“I still freak out about about the homeless guy lugging his cart around Richmond Hill,” he said. “We can’t get lost in the numbers. We have to get our feet on the ground. United Way is focused on delivering services to the ground.”

With the regional United Way '07 campaign at the midpoint, it’s at 51 per cent of its $9-million goal.

Visit unitedwayyorkregion.com for information on how you can help.

Visit yrfn.ca or call 905-967-0428 or 1-866-454-9736 toll free for Food Network information and how you can help.

Alleviating Poverty in Nigeria - the CDD Initiative

from All Africa

Leadership (Abuja)

ANALYSIS

By Nathaniel Jonah

Several administrations in the past have made ambitious moves at eradicating poverty among Nigerians with each setting up its own agencies to tackle the ugly phenomenon but, very little has been acheived. Reports still show that majority of Nigerians still live below the poverty line. Nathaniel Jonah examines the activities of the Centre for democracy and development in its bid to alleviate poverty in Nigeria.

When President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua he left no one in doubt concerning his decision to effect a socio-economic transformation of the country. This naturally flowed from his numerous promises entrenched in his campaign manifesto entitled; "End poverty, develop Nigeria." As a fallout of his desire to move the nation out of the league of poor nations whose citizenry languish in poverty in the midst of plenty, the president further promised Nigerians to launch a massive assault on poverty using the United Nations Millennium Development Goals as his guide.

Thereupon, he launched his seven point developmental agenda which would serve as a focal point of his vision. The seven point agenda include a declaration of national emergency in the energy sector, revitalisation of the agricultural sector thereby boosting food security, wealth creation and poverty alleviation, land reform, human capital development including compulsory education for children and transport revolution which, includes mass transit.

No sooner had the president espoused his development agenda for the country than skeptical pundits began to call for caution. The misgivings which this section of the populace had for the President's enthusiastic declaration was premised on the failure of the previous administrations to deliver on their promises to alleviate poverty in the country. It is instructive to note that past administrations have engaged in previous times, in the past-time of glorifying poverty alleviation on the pages of newspapers and news conferences without any meaningful impact on the poor and downtrodden masses of Nigeria. Right from the Gen. Yakubu Gowon's National Accelerated Food Production Programme and the Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank devoted entirely to funding Agriculture, to the much publicised operation feed the Nation of 1976 under Gen. Obasanjo who, according to Anthony Maduaagwu "expended so much money and efforts in a scheme whose only success was in creating awareness of food shortage and the need to tackle the problem." All through the nation's political history, the story has been the same employ promises of poverty alleviation through accelerated and improved Agricultural practices but which only ended up in making the policy formulators richer and the poor masses, poorer.

Despite its array of abundant resources, and oil wealth, poverty has been the increase in Nigeria. The phenomenon has really aggravated to the extent that the country is now classified as one of the poorest in the world, a nation whose 70 per cent of its population is referred to as poor with 35 per cent of the citizenry, living in absolute poverty.

The Centre for Democracy and Development, (CDD) was established in the United Kingdom as an independent, non-profit research, training advocacy and capacity building organisation with the purpose to mobilise global opinion and resources for democratic development and provide an independent space to reflect critically on the challenges posed to the democratisation and development processes in West Africa. With the mission to be the prime catalyst and facilitator for strategic analysis and capacity building for sustainable democracy and development in the West African sub-region, the centre is committed to the critical engagement of the president on the appropriateness of his priorities especially as it relates to the issues of implementing an effective poverty reduction strategy in Nigeria.

As part of its efforts at facilitating sustainable development and enhancing capacity building in Nigeria, the CDD, in collaboration with other developmental Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) recently organised a civil society concentrative workshop on NEEDS II in Abuja.

National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy, NEEDS is Nigeria's plan for prosperity. It is the people's way of letting the government know what kind of Nigeria they wish to live in, now and in the future. It is also the government's way of letting the people know how it plans to overcome the deep and pervasive obstacles to progress that the government and the people have identified. It is also seen as a way of letting the international community know where Nigeria stands in the West African sub-region and in the world and how it wishes to be supported.

In a presentation titled "concept paper for civil society policy engagement on NEEDS 2" by Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, who also doubles as the director of the centre, civil society organisations apart from critically engaging the president on the appropriateness of his seven point development agenda, it is also imperative for the civil society to quickly put its acts together to critically assess the president's seven punt agenda and make recommendations on the focus of government policy and finalise and present the civil society character of demands initially presented to the Millennium Development Goals' office in the presidency at the mid-term review.

Former deputy governor, Central Bank of Nigerian, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, also argued in a presentation titled; "Roadmap to Revitalisation of Nigerian Bank" that, for Nigeria to achieve the MDGs by the year 2015, concerted efforts should be geared towards the United Nation's Millennium project best practices which includes rural development for food security, increased investments to enhance rural access to transport, information and communications, urban renewal and job creation, building national capacities in science, technology and innovation, improving the quality of education, and human capital (universal primary, expanded post primary and expanded higher education amongst others).

While identifying major reasons why poverty schemes fail in Nigeria to be, lack of clearly defined policy frameworks with proper guidelines for poverty alleviation, political instability and macro economic dislocations, corruption and the politics of "capture and ineffective bureaucracy and institutional failures amongst a host of others, Dr. Mailafia further highlighted the major causes of poverty as involving inadequate access to employment opportunities, low investment in human capital and destruction of natural resources (environmental degradation and reduced productivity) amongst a host of others.

Thus, to rescue Nigeria from the vicious grip of poverty, NEEDS was inaugurated with the aim of reforming the government, growing the private sector and empowering the people, with the national aspiration to be in the league of the 20 leading economies in the world by the year 2020. NEEDS was conceptualised to serve as a catalyst for the attainment of the goal. It was first implemented as NEEDS 1 from 2004-2007 NEEDS 1 was based on four goals which are poverty reduction, wealth creation, employment generation and value re-orientation.

But, with the pervasive rate of poverty in the nation, especially in the rural areas where social services and infrastructure are limited or non-existent, women and households headed by women are frequently the most chronically poor within rural communities.

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), at the workshop, urged for the development of a coherent framework to address the challenges posed by poverty and in surmounting these challenges. The CDD intends to organised an anti-poverty summit in December 2007 or January 2008 with the idea of giving civil society the opportunity to present its memorandum on a more effective strategy and focus for NEEDS to the leadership of the Executive and the legislature at the federal and state levels.