Girls in Afghanistan are still finding ways to learn, child casualties in Ukraine rise 16% over the summer and one year on from catastrophic floods in Pakistan. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
Despite enormous challenges, some girls in Afghanistan are still finding ways to learn
Access to education has always been a major challenge for all children in Afghanistan, given the war, conflict, migration, displacement, and natural disasters that have led to the current widespread poverty and deprivation across the country.
But for girls, it has been especially hard. Nearly 30 percent of girls here have never entered primary education. 14-year-old Amina is one of them.
But community-based education is bringing change for Amina and many other girls in Afghanistan who have never had “formal” education. Last year, Amina joined CARE’s Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), which is a part of the Leave No Girls Behind (LNGB+) initiative, which launched March 21, 2021.
The project helps girls complete primary education up to grade six. LNGB+ is being implemented by a consortium of partners, including the Aga Khan Foundation, CARE Afghanistan, Catholic Relief Services, and Save the Children. ALP works with a total of 1,451 extremely marginalized out-of-school girls, including 64 girls with disabilities, and 57 ALP teachers.
Child casualties in Ukraine rise 16% over the summer with over 540 children killed in 18 months of war
Child casualties in Ukraine increased by more than 16% between May to August compared to the previous four months as air and drone attacks tripled, with no end to the danger faced by children after 18 months of war, Save the Children said.
Since May 2023, a total of 151 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine, bringing the number of child casualties since the escalation of the war on 24 Feb last year to 1,680, according to UN data. This includes 541 deaths, with 25 children killed this summer.
The month of June was the deadliest so far this year for children with 12 children killed and 45 more injured. According to verified UN data,1 there was an increase in all civilian casualties in Ukraine between 1 May and 13 August with July recording the highest number of total civilian casualties in 2023 at 848.
One year on from catastrophic floods, millions of children in Pakistan still need urgent support
One year after historic floods devastated Pakistan and a national state of emergency was declared, millions of children continue to need humanitarian assistance and access to essential services, UNICEF warned. Recovery and rehabilitation efforts remain underfunded.
This season’s monsoon rains are worsening already challenging conditions for flood-affected communities, tragically claiming the lives of 87 children across the country. UNICEF estimates there are still 8 million people, around half of whom are children, who continue to live without access to safe water in flood-affected areas. Over 1.5 million children require lifesaving nutrition interventions in flood-affected districts, while UNICEF’s current appeal of US$173.5 million to provide life-saving support remains only 57 per cent funded.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Top 10 US fund-raising charities specializing in international aid
In today’s world, poverty, natural disasters, and conflicts are just some of the issues that affect millions of people. To address these, there is a growing need for humanitarian aid organizations that are able to provide emergency assistance and long-term support to those in need while at the same time being able to fund-raise and spend the money efficiently. This article focuses on the Top 10 US organizations with the highest private donations in 2022 that have been operating for decades.
Last year, the top 100 charities in the United States received an astonishing total of $58.8 billion in private donations, marking an 8% increase compared to the previous year (for comparison, the Development Assistance Committee country members provided a little over $25 billion for humanitarian aid in 2021, according to OECD.org). Overall, 100 charities alone received one-eighth of all charitable donations. Here are the top 10 charities specializing in international need that received the highest private donations in 2022.
Worst drought in over 70 years leaves Uruguay almost without water. How can the country solve this problem?
Every morning, rural producer Fernando López used to get up, turn on the tap and boil some water to make the traditional Uruguayan mate tea. Over two months ago, he had to change this habit as the only drinking water he can now rely on is bottled water bought at a supermarket near Montevideo, the country’s capital.
Can Universal Basic Income eradicate poverty? Pros and Cons of monthly cash payments
The concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has received a lot of attention in the ongoing common effort to combat poverty. But can it really serve as a means of eradicating poverty? How effective can it be? This article will examine the benefits, drawbacks, and consequences of implementing UBI as an innovative social policy.
Here’s what else has happened
USAID: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Ministry of Health (MOH) officially launched the USAID Quality Healthcare activity, a new maternal and child health project that will be implemented across Ethiopia by John Snow, Inc. (JSI).
IFAD and Bangladesh: Minister for Agriculture Muhammad Abdur Razzaque lauded the country’s work with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), noting that this “continuous collaboration is vital to creating an inclusive and empowering ecosystem for farmers to fortify resilience against climate change, foster sustainable food systems, and drive rural development with the ultimate goal of promoting rural prosperity.”
Greater Horn of Africa: The Greater Horn of Africa is finally emerging from three years of devastating drought, with above-average rainfall predicted for the forthcoming season. Whilst this is a welcome prospect, it is accompanied by the risk that flooding will impact local communities and livelihoods.
Rohingya refugees: The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is calling on the international community to renew its commitment to the nearly one million Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution in Myanmar for neighbouring Bangladesh.
Reports
Renewable energy manufacturing in Southeast Asia can generate USD 90 billion to USD 100 billion in sustainable revenue by 2030
The Southeast Asian region could lose up to 30 percent of its gross domestic product by 2050 due to increases in global temperature and extreme weather events, but bolstering the region’s renewable energy manufacturing capacity would position Southeast Asian countries to create new jobs and meet growing energy demand while drastically reducing emissions, according to new research released on the sidelines of the ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bloomberg Philanthropies, ClimateWorks Foundation, and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).
Events
The First WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit
📅 17 – 18 August 2023
Gujarat, India
The First WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit will take place on 17 and 18 August 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. It will be held alongside the G20 health ministerial meeting, to mobilize political commitment and evidence-based action on traditional medicine, which is a first port of call for millions of people worldwide to address their health and well-being needs.
