Middle Eastern Countries Combat Stigma Surrounding Mental Health

While the stigmatization of mental health issues is common worldwide, sociocultural factors specific to the Middle East often prevent individuals from seeking treatment.

A drawing depicting mental health issues. Pixabay.

Mental health services are more urgently needed now than ever before. The world is currently facing a mental health epidemic, with over 264 million people struggling with depression in 2019. The additional stress and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have caused anxiety and depression levels to skyrocket. For many individuals, it has become even harder to participate in counseling programs. According to the World Economic Forum, over 93% of countries have reported a disruption in their mental health services since the pandemic started. 

In the Middle East, mental health awareness continues to rise, especially in the Gulf countries among the nations’ youth. A recent poll conducted in the Gulf region reported that 62% of youth agree that mental health issues are important. Even so, a recent survey in Saudi Arabia revealed that 80% of people struggling with severe mental health issues do not seek treatment. Similarly, this year’s Arab Youth Survey, which interviewed 4,000 young adults ages 18-24 from 17 Arab countries, revealed that mental health issues are rampant, with the number of people affected continuing to rise. 

Difficulties in Obtaining Proper Mental Health Care

The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest site in Islam. Konevi, Pixabay.

A prevalent culture of stigmatization in Middle Eastern countries prevents many individuals from seeking treatment in the first place. Due to the shame associated with mental health issues, privacy between the client and their mental health professional is of utmost concern. In many cases, mental health issues place a burden on a family’s reputation and social status. Rania Raine, a 43-year-old British-Egyptian art teacher who struggles with mental health, states that, “It’s the ‘shame’ families have, that their child isn’t perfect, that their lives are not perfect and what will people say, what will the neighbors say, society say–and then it all leads to marriage, how no one will marry the child who has a mental health condition, or worse still, ruin the chances of marriage of the other siblings.” 

Although the stigmatization of mental health conditions is common in Muslim communities, Ph.D. researcher Mounira al-Dousari states that they are “reflections of cultural practices and discourse.” There is a growing movement among mental health professionals to include faith in therapy, which results in a faster recovery for some clients. It’s also important to note that many forms of therapy use predominantly Western practices, which need to be diversified to appeal to a larger audience. According to Dousari, “When it comes to Islam, Muslim scholars and those working in the mental health field are working harder than ever to establish well-structured Islamically integrated psychotherapy models.”

Additionally, the financial burdens of seeking mental health treatment raise another concern. Even though mental health care is free in some public hospitals, many people do not trust them due to privacy concerns. Prices for private mental health care sessions are quite expensive. For example, Dousari’s research sessions cost $225 an hour, a large sum even for well-off families. 

Historic Treatment of Mental Illness in the Middle East

An entrance to the Moristan of Kala’oon, a mental health hospital in Egypt, 1878. Werner. CC2.5

Although mental health remains a prevalent issue in the region, the Middle East was well known for mental health treatment during the Islamic Golden Age. The term bimaristan, Persian for “home for the sick,” refers to entire psychiatric hospitals where a patient’s mind, body and soul were considered part of the treatment process. First opened in Fez, Morocco, and in Baghdad in the eighth century and later in Cairo, Damascus and Aleppo in the ninth, the practice was initially introduced by physician Ahmed ibn Sahl al-Balkhi. A famous manuscript written by Balkhi called “Sustenance for Bodies and Souls” was written in clear, understandable language and helped make mental health education more accessible to the public. Unfortunately, the practice declined throughout the centuries and does not occur in the mainstream today. 

Additionally, Dr. Mamoun Mobayed, director of the treatment and rehabilitation department at Behavioral Healthcare Center in Qatar, emphasizes that the stigmatization of diseases is a global phenomenon. “Any disease thought to be infectious or bizarre-looking, like leprosy, has always been stigmatized. Even with COVID-19, there have been cases where paramedics working with COVID-19 patients have been avoided due to the fear and stigma attached to the virus.”

In recent years, mental health awareness in the Middle East has become a top priority, with many countries starting their own wellness initiatives and campaigns. 

Qatar Paves the Way in the Gulf

Sidra Medical and Research Center in Qatar. Sergeev. CC3.0

Qatar launched a new mental health program in conjunction with World Mental Health Day. Being the first country in the Gulf to start such an initiative, the Wellness Ambassadors program aims “to promote mental health support and break the stigma attached to mental health conditions at school level.” Program ambassadors received comprehensive training on mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and bullying while breaking cultural misconceptions surrounding mental health. Dr. Mobayed states that educating individuals about mental health issues serves “to remove the barriers associated with mental health and know they are normal humans with a disorder in the mind.” 

Turkish Counseling Services Provide Assistance

Taksim Square in Istanbul. Pixabay.

A crisis helpline in Turkey helps those struggling with mental health issues during the pandemic. Supported by the World Health Organization, the service is accessible in all of Turkey’s 81 provinces and consists of 418 staff members trained in helping individuals manage stress and access mental health resources. So far, the service has offered more than 80,000 consultations since its inception. 

Social Media Campaigns in Kuwait Lead to Legislative Action

Youth in Kuwait. Wikimedia Commons. CC2.0

Kuwait enacted its first mental health law in 2019, which passed unanimously through the national assembly. Instrumental to this success were numerous social media campaigns led by youth, artists and mental health advocates. The founder of ASAP Beauty, Sheika Majda al-Sabah, credits her involvement in the campaign to her own struggles with depression. Other campaigns include “Mind Me”, “Human Line Organization” and “Taqabal”, with trending hashtags such as #noshame working to spread awareness. Outreach events helped to create a welcoming climate where people could speak more openly and denounce negative stereotypes surrounding mental illness. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an online program called Corona Care provides mental health services for those in need. Additionally, the Gulf Program for Mental Health encourages countries to develop comprehensive mental health programs that adhere to international standards. 

Although there is still work needed to break down barriers surrounding mental health treatment, Middle Eastern countries seem ready to rise to the challenge. 

To Get Involved: 

Check out social media campaign pages “Mind Me”, “Human Line Organization” and “Taqabal” working toward mental health awareness in Kuwait. Visit the website of the Institute for Muslim Mental Health, which focuses on providing support for Muslims in the United States. The Journal of Muslim Mental Health is an excellent resource to learn about issues affecting the Muslim community in the United States and globally. 

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Megan Gürer

Megan is a Turkish-American student at Wellesley College in Massachusetts studying Biological Sciences. Passionate about environmental issues and learning about other cultures, she dreams of exploring the globe. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, singing, and composing music.

East Asia Braces Itself as the 2020 Typhoon Season Begins

Southeast Asia is known for its tropical climate and distinct rainy, or monsoon, season. This sort of climate brings about an annual typhoon season. Typhoons are mature, tropical cyclones that mostly occur in the Pacific Ocean. They carry with them heavy winds, rain and tornadoes that rip through villages and beaches. These storms have the potential to be devastating, a fact confirmed by history several times over.

Thailand

While Thailand is not hit with as much force as its southern neighbors, the typhoon season is still clear. From September through November, the country is prone to typhoons with the potential to change the country’s landscape and infrastructure. 

In 2006, Typhoon Xangsane made landfall in the Philippines and devastated its way across Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. It wiped out 810 square miles of farmland across Thailand and caused 47 deaths. The storm brought with it strong winds, landslides and torrential rain that wiped out villages and caused hundreds of families to become homeless. 

Fortunately for Thailand, most storms are not nearly as devastating as Xangsane. Monsoons can be counted on, though, to bring about tropical storms each year. 

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia 

These three Southeast Asian countries feel the brunt of two different sets of cyclones. Typhoons move in from the northern Pacific, while tropical cyclones make landfall from the south. While safety measures are in place, such as shelters, help lines and emergency services, ultimately their geographic location leaves them vulnerable to Mother Nature’s worst.

In 2017, Vietnam experienced its deadliest typhoon since 2001. Dubbed Typhoon Damrey, the storm originated in the Philippines’ Visayan archipelago toward the end of the rainy season and killed at least 123 people and over 600 injured. The severe flooding and winds swept away anything that was not secured to the ground and left an estimated $1 billion in damages across Vietnam. Since then, the country has taken measures to ensure that it has a better communication system for its citizens to learn about the threat of storms as they arise. 

Korea 

Farther north, the Korean Peninsula sits in a spot not nearly as impacted by typhoon season as countries in Southeast Asia. While the peninsula experiences jangma, or the rainy season, its normal extent is heavy rains that inconvenience residents. This shows just how quickly tropical storms lose power as they move inland; they dissipate soon after doing so. 

A recent exception was Typhoon Hagupit, which made landfall in August. The Category 1 typhoon traveled north from the Philippines to China before impacting Korea as a subtropical storm. South Korea reported 15 deaths along with considerable property damage from the storm. 

The western Pacific typically sees more tropical storms than anywhere else in the world. About one-third of the world’s natural disasters occur in the region, and the numbers only seem to increase each year. These storms have caused countries to increase safety measures, focus on disaster communication, develop evacuation measures and create safe spots in public areas. The countries are well-known among visitors, but during the rainy season, the more experienced traveler might count these locations out.

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Elizabeth Misnick

Elizabeth is a Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Baylor University. She grew up in a military family and lived in Europe for almost half her life, traveling and living in different countries. She hopes to continue writing professionally throughout her career and publish her writing in the future.

The Impact of the Coronavirus on Efforts to End Child Marriage

The coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted the world, creating unforeseen challenges and serving to highlight and deepen racial disparities and global inequalities. Since the start of the pandemic, many countries have enacted mandatory quarantines in order to slow the spread of the virus, while a few countries are now in the process of easing, and in some cases lifting, restrictions. In addition to the coronavirus’s effects around the world, the pandemic is also having lasting impacts on the lives of women and girls across the globe—from school closures to a rise in domestic abuse to a loss of access to health care and community programs. In particular, COVID-19 is setting back efforts to end child marriage as it causes delays in programs around the world that are dedicated to ending child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). According to the World Health Organization, more than 3 million girls are at risk for FGM every year. According to UNICEF, there are approximately 15 million child marriages annually.

Researchers at the United Nations Population Fund predict that there “could be an extra 13 million child marriages and another 2 million cases of FGM in the next decade as the pandemic stymies global efforts to end both practices,” according to a report from Reuters. As more families face economic struggles caused by a global recession in the wake of the pandemic, “parents may marry off girls as a way to reduce the number of children they have to support or to access dowries,” according to the World Economic Forum. The risks of child marriage and FGM are also increasing during the pandemic because schools are closed and many organizations are finding it difficult to operate under lockdown. Schools help protect children, particularly girls, and when the schools shut down, organizations found it difficult to reach the girls and communities they support, according to Girls Not Brides, a global organization dedicated to ending child marriage.

The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) said that “some girls are prioritizing marriage and children over education” and “in Malawi, some people are saying, ‘Schools won’t reopen, so just marry,’” according to Voice of America. Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, according to UNICEF. In Malawi, 42% “of girls are married before the age of 18 and almost one in 10 are married before their 15th birthday,” according to a 2016 study.

The Centre for Social Concern and Development (CESOCODE) is one group that is trying to continue its work despite the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions. The programs director for CESOCODE, Ephraim Chimwaza, said, “When girls are forced to stay at home or within their communities rather than attending school, they are at far greater risk of experiencing gender-based violence and are more vulnerable to child marriage. The difficulty of the lockdown means that they cannot report anything that does happen to them, as they are much more isolated,” according to Girls Not Brides. CESOCODE utilized technology to keep in touch with the girls, using social media and a Bluetooth messaging service to check in with them and to promote domestic violence prevention and public health. They have also developed a podcast about domestic violence against girls, and for communities without access to technology the organization is handing out flyers and brochures to educate and spread advice on how to keep safe.

In Somalia, the coronavirus lockdown led to a huge increase in FGM. The country has the world’s highest FGM rate “with about 98% of women having been cut,” according to Reuters. The practice is “traditionally carried out during school holidays in urban settings or during the rainy season in rural areas,” according to Plan International, a girls’ and children’s rights charity. According to Plan International, Somali girls are being subjected to FGM from door-to-door circumcisers who are using the lockdown as an opportunity to carry out FGM since the girls are not in school. Since the period that girls are off of school is longer than other years, there is already an increase in FGM cases.

Girls and young women who were already at risk before the pandemic are now left unprotected, and as such, Sadia Allin, Plan International’s head of mission in Somalia, says, “Measures to address increased risk of gender-based violence and harmful practices, including FGM, should be included in response and recovery plans and these should be gender and age responsive. Girls and young women should be involved in the development of response and recovery plans to ensure their unique needs are met.”

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Asiya Haouchine

Asiya is an Algerian-American writer who graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2016, earning a BA in journalism and English. She was an editorial intern and contributing writer for Warscapes magazine and the online/blog editor for Long River Review. She is currently studying for her Master’s in Library and Information Science. @AsiyaHaou

COVID-19 Further Complicates Kenya’s Health Care System

Kenya is facing a double burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Clustering of infections, such as HIV and tuberculosis, and noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, renders Kenyans vulnerable to COVID-19. This has pressured an already overstretched health care system.

Hospital entrance sign in Kenya’s Rift Valley province. Melanie K Reed. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In mid-March, shortly after Kenya’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, the word “corona” began circulating around western Kenya’s villages. Young people used the word as a novelty, and the overall population remained preoccupied with existing illnesses. “This is a disease for whites,” said Sylvanus, a local father of seven. When calling after white people on the street, children replaced their traditional “mzungu!” (white person) with “coronavirus!” At this point, Europe was the pandemic’s epicenter. Kenyans felt that this foreign virus was removed from their world. 

However, Kenya’s high prevalence of preexisting health conditions renders a significant portion of the population immunocompromised and therefore vulnerable to the coronavirus. In a country experiencing health issues such as HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes and malaria, the pandemic has posed a threat to an already fragmented health care system. Although less than 4% of Africa’s population is over the age of 65, countries such as Kenya have seen high coronavirus mortality rates. 

Global evidence shows that people with underlying medical conditions are at a greater risk from COVID-19. In 2019, half a million Kenyans were living with diabetes, and over half of accounted deaths were associated with noncommunicable diseases. Currently, Kenya’s health care system is structured to manage individual diseases, rather than multiple ones. Because patients frequently carry more than one health condition, the health care system has been overstretched and inadequate. HIV, tuberculosis and malaria treatments are easily accessible, but noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer often go undiagnosed, and care is costly. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these shortcomings, as social distancing restrictions prevent Kenyans from accessing medical resources, and a surge of coronavirus cases imposes a double burden of disease. Additionally, front-line workers with undiagnosed, chronic illnesses have critically compromised their health, and hospitals have dealt with equipment shortages. 

Transcontinental travel has heavily contributed to the increase in COVID-19 cases across Africa. In order to minimize Kenya’s number of infections, President Uhuru Kenyatta stopped all flights from Europe. Kenyatta also imposed a national curfew and restricted movement between populated areas. Domestically, middle-class, urban dwellers have carried the virus into rural areas. On Kenyan television, villagers have urged educated, urban residents to remain in the city, instead of threatening the lives of others. 

In African countries, lockdowns are nearly impossible to implement because they would spur social and economic crises. Many people rely on cash earned daily to sustain themselves and their families. A strict lockdown would result in poverty and starvation. Kinship systems also play a crucial role in social welfare, as relatives care for one another. For people already barely getting by, cutting these social ties would be dangerous. Finally, a lockdown would interrupt the supply chains of essential drugs, preventing access to tuberculosis, HIV and malaria treatments. 

According to several African presidents, developed countries are failing to fulfill their pledges of financial support and debt relief. Throughout the pandemic, outside aid has not met the continent’s needs. While wealthy countries in the global north have funneled trillions of dollars into their own stimulus packages and health initiatives, the global south cannot afford such measures. With limited testing capacity, Africa has not confirmed many of the world’s COVID-19 cases, but the continent has been grossly affected by the economic crisis and global trade disruptions. Furthermore, the global shortage of testing kits, hygienic material and personal protective equipment has left developed countries vying for their own supplies, without consideration for underdeveloped nations. 

Anna Wood

is an Anthropology major and Global Health/Spanish double minor at Middlebury College. As an anthropology major with a focus in public health, she studies the intersection of health and sociocultural elements. She is also passionate about food systems and endurance sports.

Even Antarctica Is Impacted by COVID-19

Antarctica is the only continent without any reported cases of COVID-19. As lucky as Antarctica’s temporary residents might consider themselves, they know that a single diagnosed case could be devastating for the 5,000 people living there. Not only is there a lack of medical equipment, but also of resources because nearly all of them have to be brought from elsewhere in the world. The continent has already had a few close calls with the virus thanks to cruise ships coming to visit. The most alarming incident occurred when almost 60% of the passengers on board the Greg Mortimer, an Antarctica-bound cruise liner, tested positive for the virus in late March.

Isolation is, in many ways, already an innate aspect of living in Antarctica. Nevertheless, those on the continent are still taking precautions against the virus. Rob McKay, director of the Antarctic Research Centre in Wellington, New Zealand, summed up the situation: “Antarctica's an isolated environment - if you had a medical emergency with a high number of people sick, you just don't have the capacity to deal with it. And with close-quarter, confined environments, it's kind of like living on a cruise ship down there.” Many researchers and scientists currently stationed on the continent have been forced to reassess their travel plans as well as their research. As the Antarctic winter approaches and the world wrestles with COVID-19, residents are growing increasingly concerned. 

Life in Antarctica

There are over 80 bases established across Antarctica, each of which has its own community and is adjusting to COVID-19 independently from its neighbors. Although the bases are run by a multitude of countries and organizations, there is a universal understanding that the virus cannot reach Antarctic shores. If it does, there are plans for the virus to be dealt with immediately with methods such as isolation and contact tracing. Multiple organizations have announced that their priorities lie in keeping the stations safe for inhabitants and in continuing to operate the various base locations, even if it means redirecting resources. This reorganization means that construction and many major research projects have been canceled or postponed, leaving scores of researchers potentially cut off from a trip to the region. 

For some stations, day-to-day life has continued mostly as normal. Davis Station, a research base between Australia and Africa, is home to 23 researchers who are still enjoying communicable luxuries such as a shared gym, sauna and bar. Fortunately, people who are living in Antarctica were trained before going there and taught how to live an isolated lifestyle. Nevertheless, the age of COVID-19 has brought isolation to a new level and even the smallest connections are being cut off. At the Bharati base, one of the more remote research outposts, residents say that although they typically get “regular visits” from nearby expeditions and bases, they have not seen anyone from another facility since the beginning of March. Australia has stopped shuttling people between its three Antarctic bases because they typically make stops at other nations’ places. Even in a place with no cases of COVID-19, there is a fear of inadvertently spreading the virus; people are wary of cross-continental travel, even if it's with residents who have been in Antarctica for months. 

People in Antarctica have been watching the virus unfold from a distance. Some are struggling to conceptualize what a quarantined world looks like and wonder if they should practice social distancing to create good habits in anticipation of their return home. Everyone is worried about their loved ones, all of whom are at the very least 774 miles away. 

Coming Home

Penguins on a stony beach on the Antarctic Peninsula while an expedition ship transfers passengers in the background. Derek Oyen. Unsplash

Beyond setting high levels of restriction in order to enter Antarctica, isolation policies in the rest of the world have affected people’s ability to leave the continent as well. Many organizations wishing to bring people back are encountering closed borders, forcing travelers to reroute. Out of anyone to face these problems, however, Antarctic researchers seem to be the best suited. Despite running into major barriers about a month ago, organizations have been working to resolve this problem and have determined various ways of getting people out of Antarctica, especially in anticipation of the Antarctic winter. As one researcher said, “...that's the kind of the thing that we have to deal with. We have to be completely adaptable because working in Antarctica is like that - conditions change, the weather changes. So, we have to be ready.”

Phoebe Jacoby

is a Media Studies major and Studio Art minor at Vassar College who believes in the importance of sharing stories with others. Phoebe likes to spend her free time reading, drawing, and writing letters. She hopes to continue developing her skills as a writer and create work that will have a positive outward effect.

Overpopulated Indonesia Fears Baby Boom Due to Coronavirus

After months of telling its citizens to stay at home, Indonesia is now facing fears of a potential baby boom.

Traffic in Bandung, Indonesia. Ikhsan Assidiqie. Licensed by Unsplash.

With the country under quarantine from COVID-19, many people have stopped going to clinics to get contraceptives out of fear of catching the virus. This projected increase in pregnancies comes after extensive efforts by the country to encourage smaller families, an action taken in order to fight against the concern of child malnutrition. This problem is so severe that government vehicles drove around the cities and pleaded with the public through loudspeakers: “You can have sex. You can get married. But don’t get pregnant. Dads, please control yourself. You can get married. You can have sex as long as you use contraception.”  

The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) is Indonesia’s government-backed family planning program tasked with helping married couples manage the creation of their families. BKKBN is widely successful and employs 24,000 counselors to help execute their mission, much of which includes distributing free contraceptives to the public. 

The agency recently determined that there had been a significant decrease in the use of contraception between March and April of 2020 and that about 10 million couples in the country no longer had access to a form of birth control. An increase in pregnancy rates is deeply concerning for the Indonesian government because the country is struggling to manage the current population size given its available space and resources. In order to try and alleviate some of these effects, the government has openly discouraged people from having large families for years and freely provided various forms of birth control. About half of those who use contraceptives receive monthly or trimonthly hormone injections, 20% use birth control pills and many use IUDs. Condoms remain unpopular, though, across the country. It is worth noting that abortion in Indonesia is only permitted if it is “to save the woman’s life.” There are many possible contributors to the drop in contraceptive use during this quarantine period, such as a fear of leaving the house to acquire contraceptives (especially from hospitals), closed contraception clinics and other closed health care providers. 

One significant consequence of Indonesia’s population struggles is child malnutrition, a problem that Indonesian President Joko Widodo promised to alleviate within 4 to 5 years. More severe cases of child malnutrition (especially when paired with poor hygiene) can result in child stunting, a condition where the child is more than two standard deviations below the median of child growth standards as determined by the World Health Organization. If children are experiencing stunting then they are more susceptible to pneumonia, diarrhea and a weakened immune system. Given that COVID-19 is known to be more fatal for those with compromised immune systems, this is an especially pertinent concern. Long-term effects include an increased chance of experiencing chronic diseases such as hypertension and a lowered IQ. According to the organization 1,000 Days Fund, a group dedicated to the elimination of stunting, children with stunting can miss about a year of school because of the sickness. While Widodo has found some success in lowering the number of child stunting cases in the past few years, this period of quarantining may prove to be a major setback.

BKKBN announced that Indonesia should expect about 420,000 more babies than the average 4.8 million in the upcoming year. One demography expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Dr. Augustina Situmorang, believes pregnancy spikes are most likely to occur in low-income families who relied on the previously-accessible birth control provided by BKKBN in addition to young women who lost their jobs, had to return to their hometowns, and then had to get married due to social pressures. 

Indonesia’s health care system is already working overtime and has suffered considerably from COVID-19, registering more than 33,000 cases and over 1,900 deaths. Nevertheless, the government is attempting some preventive measures to combat more potential pregnancies. This includes allowing access to multiple months of birth control pills at a time, making door-to-door deliveries of contraceptives along with emergency supplies, and hoping to distribute contraceptives to 1 million people on June 29, dubbed “National Family Day.” Going forward, the Indonesian government will have to move efficiently if it wants to limit the burden felt by the Indonesian health care system with future generations.

Phoebe Jacoby

is a Media Studies major and Studio Art minor at Vassar College who believes in the importance of sharing stories with others. Phoebe likes to spend her free time reading, drawing, and writing letters. She hopes to continue developing her skills as a writer and create work that will have a positive outward effect.

Russia’s Oil Disaster in the Arctic Circle

On June 4th, 20,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled into the Russian Arctic after a fuel reservoir collapsed at a power plant near the city of Norilsk. It is considered Russia’s second largest oil spill in modern history. The site of the spill is the Ambarnaya River. The site of the spill, the Ambarnaya River, has turned into a deep red pool of deadly oil.  Since then, Russian President Vladimir Putin has instituted a state of emergency for the region around Norilsk, and investigations into the power plant are beginning. 

In terms of economics, it is vital that Russia acts with speed in order to clean up the oil, as they are the world’s third largest oil producer. Environmentally, though, the disaster is even worse. This oil spill has the potential to wipe out entire species in the region, literally poisoning and suffocating the plants and animals that rely on the Ambarnaya. 

How it happened  

There was a slight delay between the actual spill and reporting of the incident to the public, so the investigation process is playing catch-up. As investigations are ongoing, it is not entirely clear how such a massive disaster could have happened. The power plant claims that the fuel reservoir possibly collapsed due to thawing of permafrost below it. This could be a result of the larger issue of global warming and over-construction on unstable permafrost. 

Norilsk, Siberia, Russia. GRIDArendal. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Norilsk Nickel, the company that owns the power plant under investigation, is a huge economic force in Russia as they lead the world in nickel and palladium production. This has not stopped the Russian government from taking the power plant director, Vyacheslav Starostin, into custody. It is pursuing a criminal case of pollution and alleged negligence against the company.

What is being done

Putin began the work to remedy the spill by declaring a state of emergency over the region, but he expects the company to pay for the costs of damages. In collaboration with Norilsk Nickel, the Russian government’s state of emergency allows for more clean up personnel to be dispatched to the area. According to BBC, Oleg Mitvol, former deputy head of Russia's environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor, said there had "never been such an accident in the Arctic zone". Mitvol said the clean up could potentially cost 100bn roubles (£1.2bn; $1.5bn) and take between five and 10 years

Cleanup efforts have been difficult because of the remote location of the plant. The crews are unable to use barges due to the shallow water, and there are no roads leading to Norilsk. Sergey Dyachenko, chief operating officer of Norilsk Nickel, told reporters on June 4 that the company plans “to transport contaminated oil to temporary sites for remediation.”

To prevent the oil from spreading to other areas, containment booms have been placed on the Ambarnaya River. In response, Greenpeace stated on its website that it “will help collect only a minor part of the pollution, and therefore it would be safe to say that nearly all of the diesel fuel will remain in the environment.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.

The United States has also offered its help. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on June 6, "Saddened to hear about the fuel spill in Norilsk, Russia." He added that despite their disagreements, “the United States stands ready to assist Russia to mitigate this environmental disaster and offer our technical expertise.” Although the U.S. State Department and White House have not specified the ways they plan to help, efforts are in progress. 

The future 

It is not known how long the process to clean up the oil will take, or if all of the oil can even be cleaned up. Until then, it is important to note how environmental disasters in the Arctic like this are a result of the other dangerous environmental practices in place. The soil, plants and animals in this region of Siberia will be undoubtedly impacted and some species may never recover. This is not the first oil spill of its kind, and it will likely not be the last. 

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Renee Richardson

Renee is currently an English student at The University of Georgia. She lives in Ellijay, Georgia, a small mountain town in the middle of Appalachia. A passionate writer, she is inspired often by her hikes along the Appalachian trail and her efforts to fight for equality across all spectrums. She hopes to further her passion as a writer into a flourishing career that positively impacts others.

Meet the Helpers Rising Up During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Mister Rogers taught us that when things feel scary, “look for the helpers.” Today, people all over the world are stepping up to help their fellow human beings during the COVID-19 pandemic. This one’s for them—for the doctors, nurses and paramedics risking their own lives to keep us healthy; for those in the garment industry making masks for the workers on the front lines; for the chefs, the kitchen and delivery workers making sure no one goes hungry. These are the everyday heroes showing kindness and strength when we need it the most.

There are so many ways you, too, can help. If you’re looking to lend a hand, here are just a few ways you can make a difference.

Make Masks

The folks at the Minnesota Opera costume shop, EquiFit (a company that designs gear for horses and riders), Stitchroom (a custom home goods outfit) among so many others are retooling their operations to make and deliver masks to those working on the frontlines. If you’ve got a sewing machine and some free time, you can, too. Here’s what you would need.

For supplies, the most effective household materials to transform into masks include vacuum cleaner bags, dish towels, T-shirts, and pillowcases. Find more information about the efficacy of different materials right here.

There are many different types of masks you can create, from double-layered, to those with a pocket for a reusable filter. Here’s a tutorial to one of the simplest masks you can make from home. Find more mask-making resources here.

There are many different places you can donate your masks, including your local hospital. If you are looking for organizations that are helping to distribute, check out Stitchroom, and join their Facebook group for more maker resources.

Give Food

Chefs like José Andrés and Marcus Samuelsson are working to bring relief to those affected by COVID-19 through World Central Kitchen. So many other small restaurants and businesses in the US and beyond are donating food to make sure no one has to go hungry.

Save the Children and Blessings in a Backpack have teamed up with school districts to provide meals to students. You can donate to Save the Children here, and Blessings in a Backpack here.

Older adults are also among the most vulnerable right now. Meals on Wheels provides home delivery of food to seniors, and needs resources now more than ever. You can donate here.

Food banks are also facing an increased need during this time. Feeding America has set up a COVID-19 Response Fund to support its 200 food banks nationwide, and has set up mobile, drive-through distribution points.

Support Healthcare Workers

People like 16-year-old pilot TJ Kim and the motorcyclists at Masks for Docs are going the distance to deliver PPE to healthcare workers. Here’s how you can help, too.

The World Health Organization, the UN Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation have come together to create the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to finance diagnostic tests, buy supplies for healthcare workers and fund research efforts. You can donate here.

International Medical Corps is working with WHO to provide training, supplies and emergency medical response planning in high-risk locations. You can donate here.

Direct Relief is supplying health authorities in the US and China with protective equipment they need right now. You can donate here.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON GREAT BIG STORY

Studying Abroad Amid Lockdown

According to the Institute of International Education, the University of Georgia ranks thirteenth in the nation for the number of students who study abroad. With over one hundred faculty-led programs and nearly 2,000 students studying abroad each year, global experiential learning promises an expanded worldview and diversified education. 

During my second year pursuing a Spanish degree at the University of Georgia, I decided to study abroad in Valencia, Spain. Expecting to explore Europe for six months, I eagerly boarded a plane from Atlanta to Madrid with three bulky suitcases. From December to January, I spent my days attending lectures at a local university, traversing the Spanish countryside, and conversing with locals. Amid my cultural immersion, reports began to emerge about the coronavirus outbreak in China. I naively believed this novel disease would not impede trips to England, France, and Portugal.  

By February, however, COVID-19 had inundated Europe, forcing many study abroad students to return home. UGA’s Office of Global Engagement, like many universities, consequently issued this statement: “The University of Georgia recognizes that international travel, communication, and partnerships are essential to UGA's academic, research, and outreach mission and supports these endeavors. Countries and areas that carry U.S. State Department Travel Advisory Level 3/4 require special consideration and review to manage and mitigate risk, and in many circumstances, require the avoidance of travel altogether.” After a soccer match against Milan, a coronavirus epicenter, Valencia’s travel advisory was raised to a level 2. 

Fearing my study abroad program would abruptly end, I intended on visiting as much of Europe as possible. For three consecutive weeks, I took advantage of cheap airfare and traveled to London, Paris, and Lisbon. Each city’s hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions were practically vacant. I had imagined the streets of Paris, the city of romance and culture, to be bustling with music and lovers walking hand in hand. Yet, during the last week of February, Paris was eerily still. I waited for five minutes to climb the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, while most tourists wait over an hour. In the Louvre, which normally averages 15,000 visitors per day, I observed artwork like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo in silence. Even Champs-Elysees, the most famous street in Paris, was deserted. Apart from the occasional Parisian in mask, it seemed I had the city to myself. Days after departing Paris, the government announced, “All gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces will be cancelled.” Infamous sites that I had just toured, like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, were closed indefinitely. 

On March 11, more chaos ensued as the World Health Organization’s Director General, Tedors Adhanom, declared the coronavirus a pandemic, stating, “We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.” The following day, while I slept in my Valencia dorm, President Trump announced travel restrictions on 26 European countries, including Spain. Although the 30-day travel ban did not apply to legal residents of the United States, Spain simultaneously imposed a nationwide lockdown to combat the virus. Madrid barred travel to and from the city, and word spread that international flights would soon be suspended. In the early hours of March 12, I was awoken to program directors frantically pounding on my door. They affirmed we had a mere 24 hours to escape Spain on the final flight to Atlanta. 

I hastily packed clothes and souvenirs and boarded a bus to Madrid, leaving behind two suitcases full of belongings and many unsaid farewells to Spanish friends. After a five-hour excursion and many failed attempts to enter the city due to strict quarantine orders, I finally arrived at the Madrid-Barajas Airport. Panicked passengers in makeshift masks and hazmat suits rushed to their gates. Travelers emptied suitcases into trash cans to avoid long check-in lines. University students tearfully begged customer service for tickets home. While rushing through security, the customs officer reviewing my ticket murmured, “You’re lucky you found a flight out of here. Volver pronto,” meaning “come back soon.” On March 14, one day after my return to the United States, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, declared a state of emergency which placed the country on lockdown and cancelled all outgoing flights. I had narrowly escaped an impending two-month state of emergency.

On March 13th, travelers in hazmat suits rush through the Madrid-Barajas Airport. Photo by Shannon Moran.

Upon arrival in Atlanta, CDC workers recommended 14-day quarantine and randomly screened a handful of passengers for fevers. On April 20, Georgia Governor Kemp disregarded public health officials by announcing, “We will allow gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, estheticians, and massage therapists to reopen their doors.” Following a chaotic return to the United States and cancellation of my study abroad experience, I continue to fear contracting and spreading COVID-19 in a state reopening. In spite of dismay and uncertainty, I witnessed the world at a pivotal moment in history. Amidst a worldwide pandemic, I visited Europe’s cultural epicenters, and volveré pronto, I will return soon.

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Shannon Moran

Shannon is a Journalism major at the University of Georgia, minoring in English and Spanish. As a fluent Spanish speaker, she is passionate about languages, cultural immersion and human rights activism. She has visited seven countries and thirty states and hopes to continue traveling the world in pursuit of compelling stories.

Why Coronavirus Is Humanity’s Wake-Up Call

The rapid spread of novel coronavirus has prompted government, business, and civil society to take dramatic action—canceling events large and small, restricting travel, and shutting down major segments of the economy on which nearly all of us depend. It is a demonstration of our ability, when the imperative is clear, for deep and rapid global cooperation and change at a previously unimaginable speed and scale.

There is an obvious desire to protect ourselves and our loved ones. But we are also seeing something more as communities mobilize to address the crisis—a sense of mutual responsibility, born of a recognition that we are ultimately bound to a common fate. The speed of the resulting global shift is beyond any prior human experience.

At the same time, the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic focuses attention in the United States on the disastrous deficiencies of a profiteering health care system. Corporations are competing only to increase their take from health expenditures while minimizing the amount of money they spend on providing care. This system is reasonably proficient in providing boutique care for the very rich at exorbitant prices, but it is disastrously deficient in addressing the health care needs of ordinary people affordably. It is similarly deficient in anticipating, preparing for, and responding to public health emergencies such as the one we are in now.  

I sense that as our eyes open to this reality, we are seeing a simultaneous awakening to the imperative to deal with a host of other system failures that imperil our common future. For example:

• An economic system that values nature only for its market price, ignores Earth’s limits, and wantonly destroys the stability of its climate and the health and purity of its air, water, and soil. This directly imperils our survival and well-being.

• Military expenditures that consume more than half of all federal discretionary funding to prepare for conventional wars of the past and engage us in unwinnable conflicts born of environmental and social collapse. This represents wasted resources that would be better applied to addressing the underlying sources of current security threats.

• A financial system devoted to generating speculative profits for the richest without the burden of contributing to meaningful livelihoods and security for those who do useful work. Money must serve us, not enslave us.

•An education system that promotes maximizing personal financial returns as the highest moral obligation to society. Education should prepare us to transform a self-destructive system into one that will support our long-term future.

For far too long, we have ignored the failures of a system that reduces ever more people to homelessness, incarceration, refugee camps, permanent indebtedness, and servitude to institutions devoted to conflict and the generation of unearned financial returns. The challenges are monumental and are likely to be addressed only as we begin to understand that business as usual is simply not an option.

We need leaders committed to effective government of, by, and for the people.

This is humanity’s wake-up call. As we awaken to the truth of the profound failure of our existing institutions, we also awaken to the truth of our possibilities and interconnections with one another and with Earth. With that awakening comes a recognition that we must now learn to live lightly on the Earth, to war no more, and to dedicate ourselves to the well-being of all in an interdependent world.

We in the United States also face a special challenge. We have much that the world admires. But far from being a model for others to emulate, we represent an extreme example of what the world must now leave behind.

As a nation, we have for too long battled over simplistic political ideologies that limit our choices to granting ultimate power either to government or corporations, both of which are controlled by the richest among us. The coronavirus pandemic is a powerful reminder that effective government committed to the common good is essential to our well-being, and that there is no place in our common future for politicians committed to proving that government cannot work.

We need leaders committed to effective government of, by, and for the people. These leaders must simultaneously recognize that the collective well-being of all depends on institutions in all three sectors—government, business, and civil society—that are effective at, committed to, and accountable for serving the well-being of the communities that create them.

These are challenging and frightening times. As we respond to the coronavirus emergency and the immediate needs of the people and communities impacted by it, let us also keep in view the systemic needs and possibilities that crisis exposes. Despite the trauma all around us, let us embrace this moment as an opportunity to move forward to create a better world for all.

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David Korten is co-founder of YES! Media, president of the Living Economies Forum, a member of the Club of Rome, and the author of influential books, including “When Corporations Rule the World” and “Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth.” His work builds on lessons from the 21 years he and his wife, Fran, lived and worked in Africa, Asia, and Latin America on a quest to end global poverty.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORGINALLY PUBLISHED ON YES!

Volunteer Tourism is (Sometimes) Not the Answer

“The number of truly orphaned children in Cambodia halved in 2013, but the number of orphanages doubled.”

Perhaps you woke up today and realized that it was time for you to travel the world. If you’re anything like me, avoiding traditional tourism is a priority as you begin to research the ways and places to travel. The good news is, there are many alternatives to traditional tourism. Oftentimes, travelers want to make a difference as they move through the world so, naturally, combining your travel adventures and your philanthropy is a good idea, right? Not necessarily. While it’s likely that the most effective way to help someone in need, is to stay put and send them the money you were going to use on your trip, I know that most folks who volunteer in place of traditional tourism do so with good intentions. You should know then that there are some things that often go over-looked by those of us who want to see the world and make it better as we do. So, before you pack up and head to the Bahamas to do some hurricane relief here are three of the more commonly overlooked risks to keep in mind:

1)     Carbon footprint

Chances are if you’re going somewhere that falls into the category of volunteer tourism, or voluntourism, it’s going to take massive amounts of fuel to fly there. Make sure that it’s worth the environmental cost before you hop on a plane and travel somewhere that is likely experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand. Check for train routes, and other alternative forms of transport before you book a flight that covers the whole length of your trip.

2)     Building Projects

Many do-gooders hope to help people in need by building homes, schools or orphanages. While these things are certainly needed around the world, I hate to say it, you’re most likely not a qualified builder, and you probably don’t know building codes/laws for the place you’re visiting (though if you are-good on ya). You’re more likely to build a poor standing structure than say, a local professional, who you may have inadvertently taken the job from because you were willing to do it for free (though this isn’t always the case).

3)     Orphanages

Turns out that many children in orphanages around the world have at least one living parent –or at least an Aunt or two. Many families are told that their children will be better cared for and given better opportunities if they allow their child to be separated from them. Those opportunities rarely arise, and governments love to capitalize off the billion-dollar (orphan) travel industry. For example: the number of truly orphaned children in Cambodia halved in 2013, but the number of orphanages doubled.

Children are included in a workshop on how to mitigate the struggles their community faces. Raeann Mason

In an increasingly xenophobic world, however, travel volunteerism can be used to combat these very problems. In order to avoid falling into the trap of becoming volunteers who perpetuate poverty and crisis, we need to shift our focus. We can mitigate the negative effects of voluntourism by first engaging with a place as it is –be patient— wait to be invited by a local and help in their pre-existing projects. We can also educate ourselves about the organizations we are considering volunteering with – doing some vetting is necessary if we want to be responsible travelers. Don’t forget, we can always not volunteer with an organization at all. Get neighborly and meet the people around you; see if you can meet their needs all on your own. Because if we can shift our mindset from “helping” the poor to engaging in a cultural exchange we allow ourselves, and those we hope to benefit, a stable foundation that can be built upon. The more we learn about the places we hope to go, and the people who live there (like, on a personal level), the better we can bring the world together instead of breaking it down with our ignorance.

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Raeann Mason

Raeann is an avid traveler, digital storyteller and guide writer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Comm & Media Studies from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Passionate about a/effective journalism and cultural exchange, she is an advocate of international solidarity and people's liberation. As the founder of ROAM + WRITE and EIC of Monarch Magazine, Raeann hopes to reshape the culture of travel and hospitality to be ethically sound and sustainable.

‘AILA’AU's Volcano: The Forest Eater

On April 30th, 2018, Hawaii’s Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater collapsed after erupting for 35 years.

This Surgeon Has Restored Sight to 130,000 of Nepal’s Blind

Dr. Sanduk Ruit is an ophthalmologist on a mission to restore sight to Nepal’s blind. He is the executive director of the nonprofit Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu, Nepal, and has operated on more than 130,000 patients. He has adopted innovative surgical techniques for cataracts and often travels to perform operations, walking up to seven days hauling surgical equipment to reach patients who live in Nepal’s most remote villages. Why does Dr. Ruit do this? He lost family to treatable diseases and knows what it’s like not to have access to healthcare.

This Mega Kitchen Serves 40,000 People Each Day

With one of the largest kitchens in Asia, the Shri Saibaba temple in Shirdi, India, prepares, cooks and serves quantities of food that are nearly unimaginable. The kitchen dishes out as many as 40,000 meals per day, every day, all year long. It takes 600 people working in two daily shifts to prepare all this food. Yet despite all the effort, meals are free to the public. Why? The temple believes that those who are hungry deserve to be fed, and those who are thirsty deserve to be given a drink.

Forgotten, but not Gone: Zika’s Return to the Media

Earlier this week the Duchess Sussex of Meghan Markle canceled a trip to Zambia, citing exhaustion and concerns over the presence of Zika virus in the country. The Zika virus had been rather dormant in the media over the last year, all but vanishing in the wake of Trump speeches, trade wars, and Brexit. It had, however, remained a constant concern for those living in certain countries or traveling to them. Markle’s encounter with the Zika virus and the subsequent headlines have helped to push it back into public view, and once again, questions are being raised about its origin, transmission, and what is being done to fight it.

The Duchess of Sussex. Office of the Governor - General - GG.govt.nz. CC BY 4.0.

The Zika virus was first discovered in the Zika Forest in Uganda in 1947. The first recorded carriers were monkeys, but the forest was also home to over 70 species of mosquitoes, and they became the primary source of viral transmission. The disease was eventually discovered in humans in 1952, but for the most part remained confined to animals until 2007, when the first human outbreak was documented on the Island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. In 2015, the virus made international headlines when Latin America and the Caribbean saw an explosion of human-related cases. As was the case in Africa, mosquitoes were the main culprits of transmission. However, in 2016, the virus saw a sharp decline in new cases, and with it a decline in news coverage.

Adults infected with Zika often display no symptoms. Those who do usually report mild fevers, rashes and muscle pain. The impact on unborn babies is far more devastating. Zika infections during pregnancy have resulted in miscarriages and babies being born with microcephaly, a condition in which a child's head is much smaller than it should be (Markle and husband Prince Harry had recently announced that they were expecting a child, and concern for the child’s welfare was thought to be Markle's main concern when she opted out of her trip to Zambia).

The Zika Virus is spread mainly through mosquito bites. James Gathany - https://phil.cdc.gov/phil/details.asp?pid=9257. Public Domain.

While a full-on cure for the virus remains elusive, health and government officials have been able to curb infections by going after the mosquitoes that carry and transmit the disease. In preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian government launched a large-scale effort to fumigate the city for the insects, while in England a biotech company called Oxitec developed genetically modified mosquitoes, which, when released into the wild, would mate with infected mosquitoes and pass a gene on that would prevent those mosquitoes from reproducing. In the United States, The Centers for Disease Control made a point of advising those traveling to countries with high rates of infection to use insect repellants.

Microcephaly- a birth defect linked to the Zika virus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Domain.

Many world issues persist despite the ebbing and flowing of news coverage. Though not the hot story it once was, the Zika virus is still a viable threat and will remain so until a vaccine is found. Those traveling to countries that have been deemed areas of risk should take all necessary precautions to prevent infection, or, like the Duchess of Sussex, simply the put the trip off until another time.

JONATHAN ROBINSON is an intern at CATALYST. He is a travel enthusiast always adding new people, places, experiences to his story. He hopes to use writing as a means to connect with others like himself. 

How Nairobi Can Fix Its Serious Waste Problem

Uncollected solid waste is one of Nairobi’s most visible environmental problems. Many parts of the city, especially the low and middle-income areas, don’t even have waste collection systems in place. In high income areas, private waste collection companies are booming. Residents pay handsomely without really knowing where the waste will end up.

The Nairobi county government has acknowledged that with 2,475 tons of waste being produced each day, it can’t manage. Addis Ababa Ethiopia has a similar size population but only generates 1,680 tons per day.

Nairobi’s current waste disposal system is fraught with major problems. These range from the city’s failure to prioritise solid waste management to inadequate infrastructure and the fact that multiple actors are involved whose activities aren’t controlled. There are over 150 private sector waste operators independently involved in various aspects of waste management. To top it all there’s no enforcement of laws and regulations.

Nairobi’s waste disposal problems go back a long way and there have been previous efforts to sort them out. For example in the early 1990s, private and civil society actors got involved, signing contractual arrangements with waste generators. They often did this without informing or partnering with the city authorities.

More recently other strategies were put in place, some of which left parts of the city clean. They worked for a period, but unfortunately they weren’t sustainable because no institutional changes were made.

But there’s hope on the horizon with a new Nairobi Governor – Mike Sonko Mbuvi. He should learn from the mistakes of the past and put a new regime in place that addresses the structural problems that have plagued the city. This would include an improved improved collection and transportation plan that incorporates the private sector.

Learning from the past

In 2005 John Gakuo took over the management of city affairs as the Town Clerk. During his tenure (2005-2009) he made a deliberate effort to introduce new approaches.

When he took over the city only had 13 refuse trucks. They were able to collect a paltry 20% of the waste produced by the city. To overcome this, the authorities contracted private waste collection firms to collect, transport and dispose waste at Dandora dump site which is the biggest and the only designated site. This quickly boosted the total waste collected with levels oscillating between 45%-60%.

Other changes included:

• The development of a proper waste collection and transportation schedule with market operators. This meant waste from open-air markets was brought to identified collection points on specific days.

• A weighbridge to measure amounts of waste disposed at Dandora was introduced. An important way to know disposal levels vis-a-vis collection and generation.

• Enforcement officers were deployed to prevent dumping in parts of the city that were notorious for waste accumulation.

• Over 2,000 arrests were made, making residents aware that indiscriminate dumping was illegal and punishable under the city authority laws.

All these efforts paid off – for parts of the city. For example, the heart of the city, the Central Business District, was cleaned up and waste was brought under control.

But crucial elements that would have ensured that the changes were sustainable were left out. For example, no new physical infrastructure, like the construction of waste transfer centres and proper landfills, were built, nor was new equipment bought.

After Gakuo’s regime, the next one worth a mention is Evans Kidero’s regime (2013 - 2017). It can be credited for trying to fast-track the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Master Plan which assessed the waste management problem of Nairobi and developed projects that could be implemented to ensure a sustainable system was in place.

This ensured that while the private sector needed to help with waste collection and transportation, the government was key to institutionalising waste management services.

Thirty waste collection trucks were bought and serious investment was made into heavy equipment. And in an effort to streamline waste collection a franchise system of waste collection was rolled out. This involved dividing the city into nine zones to make it easier to manage waste.

The franchise arrangement gave private operators a monopoly over both waste and fee collections, but relied heavily on the public body for enforcement of the system.

The franchising system failed due to a lack of enforcement by the city. In addition, in-fighting broke out between the private waste collection firms that had individual contracts with waste generators and the appointed contractor.

But other changes introduced during this period were more successful and had longer lasting effect. For example new laws were introduced designed to create order in the sector. These included the solid waste management act in 2015. This classified waste and also created a collection scheme based on the sub-county system. It also put penalties in place.

In addition, in 2016, 17 environment officers were appointed and posted to the sub-counties to plan and supervise waste management operations alongside other environmental issues.

These changes planted the seeds of an efficient and working waste management system. But the regime fell down when it come to enforcement. This meant that the gains that had been made were soon lost.

What needs to be done

Expectations are high for the new regime that has taken over. It should look to fast-track the following programmes:

• Implement an improved collection and transportation plan that incorporates private sector and civil society groups;

• Establish a disposal facility to reduce secondary pollution from the city’s dumps;

• Decommission the Dandora dump site;

• Implement the re-use, reduction, and recycling of waste;

• Establish intermediate treatment facilities to reduce waste and its hazards;

• Create an autonomous public corporation;

• Put in place legal and institutional reforms to create accountability;

• Implement a financial management plan, and

• Implement private sector involvement.

Nairobi can fix it’s waste disposal problems. All it needs is focused attention, good governance and the implementation of systems that ensure changes outlive just one administration.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

LEAH OYAKE-OMBIS

Part-time lecturer and Director of the Africa Livelihood Innovations for Sustainable Environment Consulting Group, University of Nairobi

Update from Waves for Water's Efforts Post-Hurricane Matthew in Haiti

Jon Rose, founder of the non-profit Waves for Water, sent CATALYST an update on recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

It’s been just about two weeks since Hurricane Matthew made landfall on the South Western tip of Haiti. Two long, hard weeks for millions of people affected by this catastrophic event. In retrospect, I went into this one a little cocky, I think, mostly because I feel so comfortable in Haiti. It felt like no matter how bad it was going to be, it was happening in a place that feels like a second home. I thought the relief plan/action would also be easier because we have such a solid, extensive local network and team there. And I thought my own psychological capacity would be more balanced on this one because I had gone through it before, in the same country. I assumed a bunch of things… 

Well, the universe sure has a way of humbling us. In other words, I was mistaken on just about everything.

By day two on the ground, our W4W country director, Fritz Pierre Louis, and I, sat shaking our heads in disbelief. We basically had to throw everything that we thought we knew or expected out the window – to start fresh, as if this was an entirely new country. It is a different beast entirely than the 2010 earthquake that leveled Port-au-Prince.

Why? Many reasons, but I’ll list a few:

Photo credit: Waves for W

1. Scope of Destruction - 

Earthquakes have an epicenter – a narrower, more pinpointed area of impact. With hurricanes of this size the swath of destruction can cover hundreds of miles in all directions, leaving town after town after town leveled. The mountain villages see tornado-force winds (140 mph) with flash flooding that turns each valley into a violent river, destroying anything in its path. The coastal towns get the worst of it with those same tornado-force winds mixed with a 15-20 ft+ storm surge (aka tsunami). Basically a storm like Hurricane Matthew is like if a tsunami and a tornado got in a fight. The sheer scale of devastation, the widespread scope, has left many very experienced relief agencies (including us) with the very hard decision of where to start first.  

2. Remote Area - 

The majority of the Southwestern tip of Haiti is quite rural. Which means that most of the towns that got hit hardest are small and hard to get to on a normal day – windy coastal roads or mountainous dirt roads the only way in or out. This was before the storm. Now, most of those roads have been compromised, leaving relief capabilities at a bare minimum. For many of these places, supplies can really only be dropped by sea or air, which both tend to have limited payload capacity. This limits not only the speed with which supplies can come in, but the quantity. And with the massive amount of need, quantity is everything at the moment. Normally, relief initiatives will set up a solid distribution outpost in or around all the ground zero areas and then create a regular flow of supplies to feed those outposts (almost always by convoys of large trucks). This just isn’t possible for many of these places, and it won’t be for some time – bridges and roads are washed out, making them only passable via 4x4 vehicles that can traverse the riverbeds.  

3. Base of Operations -

In any good, large-scale/long-term disaster relief initiative, a solid BOO (base of operations) is imperative. This is the place from which teams can do all their planning/staging. It is basically home, office, and everything in between for the duration of the initiative. It needs to be close to ground zero, but with enough breathing room to create a habitable environment. It can often be a scenario as simple/rugged as a camp with tents, or commandeering an old building, or in the best case there are hotels or private rentals available. But in all these cases, we find a way to ensure the teams are safe and have what they need to do their job – power, cell and internet service, food, water, etc. In this case, the only real option was in the city of Les Cayes, which got hit really damn hard itself. But there is an airstrip, it has some hotels still operating on generators, cell service is in and out, and there is water and food accessible. The problem is some of the hardest hit areas are 4-5 hrs drive on 4x4 roads, so the amount one team can do per day, staging from so far away, is incredibly limiting. Until some of the major infrastructural issues in that part of the country are restored (roads, power, etc), which will be months, it’s nearly impossible for relief teams to set up proper long-term operations in those hardest hit areas. The only exceptions are small, targeted teams that can travel lightly in 4x4’s because they don’t have bulky supplies, such as ours (we can carry 200 water filtration systems and 100 solar powered LED lanterns, in two 4x4 vehicles), or medical triage teams. We have seen some of the medical teams already posted up throughout the region, in whatever buildings are still standing. But those aren’t long term operations, as medical is mostly needed in this initial stage.           

These are all things I’ve encountered (individually) before, over the many disasters we've worked. But it’s the combination of them all at once that is making this thing such a beast. The only other one I’ve seen with a magnitude like this was Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, which is still known as the largest storm ever recorded. If Haiyan is the largest, then Matthew was its equally evil twin brother, whose only difference is being a few seconds younger.

So, what does all this mean for W4W? After two weeks of traversing the whole Southwest, we now have a very accurate assessment of the hardest hit zones and a good plan to serve them. I shall note, unlike the majority of our other disaster relief initiatives, this one will include a few new categories of relief beyond our normal focus of access to clean water. 

Despite all challenges, W4W has hit the ground running with an action plan that focuses on access to the following essentials:     

1. Water - 

Access to clean water will still be our main focus, with a targeted implementation strategy aimed almost entirely on cholera hotspots. There have been over 20 new (Matthew related) cases of cholera that have popped up and these numbers are expected to rise dramatically in the coming weeks. Clean water is kryptonite for waterborne diseases such as cholera, so the more we target the areas where it is starting to spread, the better chance we have of curbing the amount of cases popping up, and prevent new ones. We did a very similar program in 2011, when the first outbreak happened in the Artibonite department of Haiti. In partnership with UN’s CVR division, we implemented 4,000 water filtration kits, with a full WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) education protocol/training, directly in two of the epicenters of the outbreak (Mirebalais and Saint Marc). Shortly thereafter, reported cases leveled out. The implementation strategy for our program this time will be very similar – we’ve identified five areas where confirmed cases have popped-up, or ones we feel are most susceptible to developing them. We will focus the majority of our water filter supply on these areas. We realize that so many places need access to clean water (even before the storm), but since we have limited resources and can’t help everyone, we feel that the best way for us to make the biggest impact is to target our efforts, by tackling the cholera issue head on.

2. Light - 

One of the main things that we feel is being overlooked is lighting. The power is out in all of these areas and will be for months. This means that once the sun goes down it is pitch black. There are obvious reasons why this is a challenge, but one of the major issues is safety. Light = community, people gather around any light source when it’s dark. To put it bluntly, a good light source dramatically cuts down the scenario of young women being alone/vulnerable in whatever dark shelter they’re staying. Right now, some families are burning small fires, inside or near their makeshift shelters. Which brings up other safety concerns in terms of breathing in smoke in a confined space, not to mention the incredible discomfort from the added heat alone. It’s already extremely hot, even at night. All of these points, we’ve witnessed personally, and has now brought this topic to the forefront for us. We feel that it is imperative to add this facet to our Matthew Relief Initiative. The lights we are implementing are solar powered LED lanterns that also have a USB port to charge a cellphone, as well as a built in radio (one of the primary ways that rural communities get their news/information). As a last little added bonus, we’ve sourced the lights in-country – so by adding them into our program, we are also contributing to the local economy.

 3. Cash for Work - 

We are establishing small scale CFW (cash-for-work) programs, focused primarily on rubble/debris removal from, starting with roads and community centers. These types of programs are widely used in development and disaster initiatives around the world. In a disaster situation, it’s a good way to help spark the local economy and fill some of the gaps left from the vacuum that follows a catastrophe such as this. The bottom line – everything has been stripped from these folks (including their jobs) and they need money, so rather than just give straight hand-outs, it's best to employ them, as there is so much to be done and they want/need the work. It's an honest job for services rendered, just like many of them had before. Local residents are already rallying and working for free to help their communities as best they can, but that doesn't put food on the table at the end of the day. The whole thing is overwhelming for them, so something like this helps to restore at least a little normalcy. 

Given the conclusions I’ve come to from the last two weeks on the ground and our vast experience in this field, I feel like we are well equipped to not only handle this, but to create a large-scale, long lasting, impact.

I will also note that even though these first two weeks were primarily focused around assessing the situation on the ground, we also started implementing of all three facets of the program. At this point, we've already distributed 500 water filtration systems and 300 solar lanterns in eight communities — Port Salut, Chardonnieres, Port-a-Piment, Coteaux, Les Cayes, Aquin, Jeremie, and Leogane. We've done this through some of our existing local networks and in collaboration with NGO partners such as (Les Cayes based) Hope for Haiti and local Rotary Club chapters. Lastly, in terms of our CFW (cash-for-work) initiative, we kicked things off with the clearing of rubble/debris on the main road in Chardonnieres. 

As our programs gain more traction in the coming weeks/months, more updates from us will follow. Thanks to all of you who have supported and believed in this initiative so far… this stuff simply doesn’t happen without you.

Look out for updates from W4W on their website: www.wavesforwater.org

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Jon Rose

@wavesforwater

Jon Rose is the founder and CEO of Waves for Water, a non-profit organization that helps bring clean water to areas that lack consistent access to it. W4W does this through its Clean Water Courier program, which is based on a Do-It-Yourself humanitarian model. 

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