30 Mar 2019

Jack Ma’s Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative 2019 for African Entrepreneurs

Application Deadline: 30th June 2019

Eligible Countries: African countries

About the Award: Each year for the next ten years, the Prize will host a pitch competition in Africa where ten finalists from across the continent will compete for US$1 million in total prize money.  The Prize, which is supported by its continental partner Nailab, is focused on empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs, with a focus on small businesses, grassroots communities and women-founded enterprises.
“The Netpreneur Prize Initiative has brought together a strong ecosystem of players to support both technology-driven and traditional businesses. We look forward to unveiling the full slate of regional partners and to receiving applications from promising African entrepreneurs in the coming weeks,” said Sam Gichuru, Founder and CEO, Nailab.

Type: Entrepreneurship

Eligibility: Core values of the Prize will be reflected in the application criteria including:
  1. Open to entrepreneurs who are nationals from any of the 54 African countries
  2. Open to all industry sectors
  3. Strongly encourage young people and female entrepreneurs to apply
Number of Awards: 10

Value of Award: All ten finalists will receive grant funding from the Jack Ma Foundation, as well as access to the Netpreneur community of African business leaders to leverage the community’s shared expertise, best practices, and resources.

Duration of Programme: 
  1. Announcement of the top 50 regional finalists: August 2019
  2. Announcement of the final 10 finalists: October 2019
  3. Grand Finale pitch event: November 2019
How to Apply: Apply in the Programme Webpage
  • It is important to go through all application requirements on the Programme Webpage (see link below) before applying
Visit Programme Webpage for Details

TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences 2019 for Researchers in Developing Countries

Application Deadline: 22nd April 2019

Eligible Countries: Developing Countries

About the Award: TWAS Research Grants are awarded to high-level promising research projects in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics carried out by individual scientists in the S&T-lagging countries  (S&TLC) identified by TWAS.

The TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences aims to:
  • Reinforce and promote scientific research in basic sciences in developing countries;
  • Strengthen developing countries’ endogenous capacity in science;
  • Reduce the exodus of scientific talents from the South;
  • Build and sustain units of scientific excellence in S&TLC over a longer period to help them achieve a critical mass of highly qualified and innovative scientists capable of addressing real-life problems facing their countries.
The TWAS Research Grants Programme supports research in the basic sciences only; proposals focusing on more applied research should therefore be submitted to IFS. TWAS cannot accept projects relating to applications in agriculture or medicine or that use existing techniques to screen, for example, medicinal plants for bioactive substances or to monitor an environment for pollutants; TWAS will have to reject such proposals.

Fields of Study: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics

Type: Research, Grants

Eligibility: 
  • Individual applicants must be nationals of developing countries. They must hold a PhD, be at the beginning of their careers, but already have some research experience. They must hold a position at a university or research institution in one of the S&TLCs and be under 45 years of age.
  • Applications from women scientists and those working in Least Developed Countries are especially encouraged.
  • Individual scientists who submit a satisfactory final report on a previous grant may apply for a renewal.
Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: 
  • Research Grants to individual scientists amount to a maximum of USD 15,000.
  • The grants, which are normally provided for a period of 24 months, may be used to purchase scientific equipment, consumables and specialized literature (textbooks and proceedings only). They do not cover salaries of researchers and/or students, field expenses, or travel expenses. In addition, the purchase of laptops and laboratory animals is not supported.
Duration of Program: 24 months

How to Apply: 
  • TWAS Research Grant applications can ONLY be submitted online now by clicking on the “Apply Now” tab at the bottom of this page.
  • Please note that a researcher may only submit one application at a time and for only one kind of grant (either as an individual applicant, as a research unitCOMSTECH or the OWSD Early Career Women Scientists (ECWS) Fellowship). Applicants cannot apply for other TWAS programmes i.e. Postdoctoral, Visiting Scholar and Visiting Researcher programme within the same year in order to be present in their home country throughout the duration of the grant.
  • For any queries please contact Ms. P. Patel, e-mail: researchgrants@twas.org.
Apply Here

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Johnson&Johnson One Young World Scholarship Program to attend One Young World Summit 2019

Application Deadline: 6th May 2019

To Be Taken At (Country): The Hague, The Netherlands

About the Award: If you are a young leader (aged 18-30) working within health and/or care-giving, then this scholarship is for you. You may be a social entrepreneur or working for a social enterprise, medical facility and/or an NGO, or you may be a birth attendant, nurse, doctor or an individual dedicated to health and care giving to undeserved communities.
As well as attending the upcoming One Young World Summit, scholarship recipients will receive individual coaching from senior Johnson & Johnson leaders to further develop their aspiration, strategy and/or initiatives.

Type: Conferences

Eligibility: 
  • Candidates must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of the 2019 OYW Summit
  • You must be working on the front lines of delivering care (i.e. you may be a social entrepreneur or working for a social enterprise, medical facility and/or an NGO, or you may be a birth attendant, nurse, doctor or an individual dedicated to health and care giving to underserved communities)
  • If selected, Health Care Professionals classified as Government Officials within their home country will need approval from their employer, and will undergo an additional health care compliance approval process by Johnson & Johnson before their scholarship can be confirmed
Selection Criteria: 
  • Passion for global and local health/care issues
  • Leadership and innovation on the front lines of care
  • Willingness to share and learn from others
  • Commitment to invest 10% of their time to the Program
Number of Awards: 12

Value of Award: The Johnson & Johnson One Young World Scholarship Program runs from September 2019 – February 2020. All scholar recipients will be expected to invest 10% of their time in this program and to attend regular Johnson & Johnson webinars and calls. ​
  • Participation in the 2019 Johnson & Johnson One Young World Program
    • Individual coaching with senior Johnson & Johnson leaders
    • Working with 2019 Johnson & Johnson delegates in buddy teams, over the course of the six-month program to support the Scholar through the sharing of their skills and knowledge
    • Attendance at the J&J OYW Program pre-workshop and dinner on 21 October 2019
    • Attendance at the J&J OYW Program debrief session & lunch on 26 October
    • Participation in interactive webinars and conference calls throughout the duration of the Program
  • Access to the One Young World Summit 2019 in London, United Kingdom
    • The cost of travel to and from London (economy flights only)
    • Hotel accommodation in a single room from 21-25 October inclusive
    • Catering which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, during these days
    • Transport between the Summit accommodation and the Summit venue
    • Summit hand-outs and support materials
How to Apply: Apply here

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

European Commission Lorenzo Natali Media Prize 2019 for International Journalists

Application Deadline: 14th April 23:59 CET 

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): Brussels, Belgium

About the Award: The Lorenzo Natali Media Prize was launched in 1992 to recognise excellence in reporting on development issues, inequality, human rights, and poverty eradication. It was created by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), and named after Lorenzo Natali, an early champion of European development policy.
Today, the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize’s community of past winners, jury members and partners have created a platform supporting reporting on development. The Prize also gives a voice to those whose vital message is often overlooked or ignored.
The Prize is organised by the European Commission in close collaboration with strategic regional partners and ambassadors. 

THEMES
The overarching theme of the 2019 Lorenzo Natali Media Prize is journalism for development. Entries to this year’s competition should relate to to development cooperation issues such as, but not limited to, youth, gender equality, health, climate change, etc.
The European Union and its member states jointly provide over half of all official global development aid, making it the world’s leading donor. The New European Consensus on Development aligns the EU with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Field: The 2019 Lorenzo Natali Media Prize will be awarded in the following three categories:
  • Grand Prize: open to journalists whose media headquarter is located in one of the more than 160 partner countries* with which the European Union engages on development and cooperation.
  • Europe Prize: open to journalists whose media headquarter is located in one of the countries of the European Union.
  • Best Emerging Journalist Prize: open to journalists under 30 whose media is headquartered  in any country where DG DEVCO and DG NEAR provide development assistance*, as well as in the EU Member States.
Type: Contest

Eligibility:

Publication period
  • Entries must have been published (print or online) or broadcasted (radio or television) between 10 March 2018 and 9 March 2019.
  • 2018 winners cannot compete again for the 2019 Prize, but are eligible for subsequent editions.
Author(s)
  • Submitted journalistic works can have one or several authors. The participants must be the authors and holders of the copyright and the moral rights of their work. 
Language requirements
  • Entries are accepted in all languages. However, a translation in English, French or Spanish is required for the entries that were not originally published in one of these languages. The entries will be evaluated on the basis of translated texts provided in one these three languages.  
Length
  • For text-based applications, the length limit is 2 000 words. Video and audio entries can be up to 10 minutes long.
  • The Prize Secretariat reserves the right to disqualify any entry that contains hurtful, misleading, libellous or vulgar content, or that contains any material that could constitute or encourage conduct which would be considered a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any national or international law.
Plagiarism
  • Plagiarism, which includes the unauthorised use of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own, will result in disqualification. Retrospective discovery of plagiarism will result in revocation of title of winners.
Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: The winner in each category will receive €10,000. The winner of the Best Emerging Journalist Prize category will also be offered a work experience with a media partner.

Duration of Programme: Winning journalists will receive their award at the Lorenzo Natali Award Ceremony at the 2019 European Development Days, which take place in Brussels on June 18-19, 2019.

How to Apply: Submit your entry for the 2019 Lorenzo Natali Media Prize via our online platform here
  • It is important to go through all terms and conditions on the Programme Webpage (see link below) before applying

Visit Programme Webpage for Details

World Bank Robert S. McNamara (RSM) Fellowship 2019/2020 for Developing Countries

Application Deadline: 2nd May 2019

Eligible Countries: World Bank Member Countries

To be taken at (country): Host Institution in any country other than candidates home country

Eligible Subject Areas: Economics, health, education, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, or other development related subject.

About Scholarship: The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program (RSMFP) provides support to developing country citizens (.xlsx) who are current PhD candidates studying in developing countries, funding up to $25,000 to conduct PhD research on a development topic in a World Bank member country other than the Fellow’s home country or country of residence.This is a wonderful opportunity for the most promising developing nation researchers to advance their doctoral work with the best international advisors and host institutions in their fields of study.

Type: PhD

Who is qualified to apply?Applicants Must:
  • Be a national of a World Bank member developing country;
  • Not hold dual citizenship of a developed country;
  • Be 35 years of age or younger on the Application Deadline date;
  • Be enrolled in a PhD program in a member developing country of the World Bank at the time of application
  • Reside in a member developing country of the World Bank since enrolled in the PhD program;
  • Have completed all coursework and exam requirements for attaining a PhD at the time of application;
  • Have a PhD thesis centered on a field of development.
  • Not be a staff member (which includes consultant) or a relative of a staff member of the World Bank Group
Selection Criteria: The RSMFP uses the following process to review completed applications, with the aim to identify eligible candidates with the most innovative and relevant research proposals in the area of development.
Two qualified reviewers independently review each eligible application to assess the following:
  • Quality of the proposed fellowship (70%)
  • Prospects for a productive career in research post-PhD (30%)
Selection Process: All criteria are strictly adhered to. No exceptions are made. Eligibility criteria WILL NOT change during an open call for applications. However, this information is subject to change between the close of one application process and the opening of the next.

Value of Award: RSMFP provides up to $25,000 (U.S.) for developing country nationals to travel abroad to conduct development-related PhD research under the supervision of a host advisor at a university, research or development institution in a World Bank member country. Details on eligible expenditures are provided in the Application Guidelines.

Number of Awards: Several

Duration of Award: onetime grant for a 6 to 10 month period

How to Apply:
  • Guidance for this call for RSMFP fellowship applications, including this call’s: (i) instructions and requirements to submit an application, the eligibility criteria applicants must meet; and the selection process are provided  in the Application Guidelines and FAQsPlease read these documents before starting your application.
  • Once you are familiar with the application requirements and processes, click HERE to apply, and refer to the Accessing the online application and Navigating the online application to learn how to access and navigate the online application.

Visit the Fellowship Webpage for Details

Slovak Government Scholarships 2019/2020 for International Students

Application Deadline: 30th May, 2019.

Eligible Countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kenya, Republic of the Sudan, Kosovo, Moldova, Mongolia, Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

To be taken at (country): Government of the Slovak Republic

About the Award: Slovak government scholarships, under OECD-defined conditions for conducting official development assistance, include awarding the Slovak government scholarship to persons with Slovaks Living Abroad status.

Type:  Undergraduate, Masters, PhD

Eligibility: A government scholarship may be awarded to a national of a partnering country who
a) has
  1. temporary residence for the purpose of studies,10)
  2. temporary residence as a third party national granted Slovak Living Abroad status,11) or
  3. the right to stay on the territory of the Slovak Republic for a period in excess of three months,12)
b) is
  1. a full-time student at a public university located in the Slovak Republic in one of the academic programs contained in the notice defined in Subsection 2 who demonstrates command of Slovak at the level required by the given public university, or
  2. a participant in language education for the purposes of university studies (“language education”)
and c) as of 1 September of the year in which the application for a government scholarship is submitted,
  1. is at least 18 years of age and not more than 26 years of age with respect to language education for studies of a first-level or second-level academic program or an academic program combining first and second-levels or studies in such an academic program or
  2. is at least 23 years of age and not more than 35 years of age with respect to language education for studies of a third-level academic program or studies in such an academic program.
Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: This scholarship offers students monthly scholarship and stipends

Duration of Scholarship: A government scholarship is awarded a) over the standard duration of studies in the given academic program, b) for ten months in the case of language education, c) during the months between the completion of language education and registration for studies in the given academic program or between the end of studies in one academic program and registration for studies in another academic program, if 1. the participant in language education completes language education or a student completes studies

How to Apply: The submission of online application form is available on the website: www.vladnestipendia.sk

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details


Award Provider: Government of the Slovak Republic

Pulitzer Centre Persephone Miel Fellowship 2019 for Journalists in Developing Countries

Application Deadline: 15th April 2019

Eligible Countries: Developing Countries

About the Award: The fellowship, overseen by the Pulitzer Center in collaboration with Internews, is designed to help journalists from the developing world do the kind of reporting they’ve always wanted to do and enable them to bring their work to a broader international audience. The fellowship will benefit those with limited access to other fellowships and those whose work is not routinely disseminated internationally. Miel fellowships involve reporting from within the applicant’s native country—or following migrant communities from there to other locations.

Type: Fellowship (Professional)

Eligibility: The Persephone Miel fellowships are open to all journalists, writers, photographers, radio producers or filmmakers, staff journalists as well as freelancers and media professionals outside the U.S. who are seeking to report from their home country. Female journalists and journalists from developing countries are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must be proficient in English.

Selection: The fellowship recipient will be selected by the Pulitzer Center in consultation with Internews. Selection will be based on the strength of the proposed topic and the strength of the applicant’s work as demonstrated in their work samples. We are looking for projects that explore systemic issues in the applicant’s native country and that provide an overarching thesis, rather than individual spot-reports from the field.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: 
  • The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will provide a travel grant of $5000 for a reporting project on topics and regions of global importance, with an emphasis on issues that have gone unreported or under-reported in the mainstream media. Specific grant terms are negotiated during the application process based on the scope of proposed work and intended outcomes. Payment of the first half of the grant is disbursed prior to travel, upon receipt of required materials, and the second half on submission of the principal work for publication/broadcast.
  • The Pulitzer Center will also offer $2500 to cover travel expenses associated with travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with Pulitzer Center staff and journalists and take part in a 2-day workshop. Depending on the specific needs of the fellow, this may occur prior or after the reporting takes place.
  • The Center works with fellowship recipients to distribute their work across multiple platforms in the U.S. to reach the widest possible audience. Projects with multimedia components that combine print, photography and video are strongly encouraged.
How to Apply: Click here to go to the Pulitzer Center Grant Application webform.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

African Trans-Regional Cooperation through Academic Mobility (ACADEMY) Scholarships 2019/2020 for African Staff/Students

Application Deadline: 30th April 2019 (23:59 CET)

Eligible Countries: African countries

To be taken at (country): The partners in ACADEMY consortium are:
  1. Université de Tlemcen (Coordinator), Algeria
  2. University of Cape Coast (Partner), Ghana
  3. Kenyatta University (Partner), Kenya
  4. University of Ibadan (Partner), Nigeria
  5. University of KwaZulu-Natal (Partner), South Africa.
  6. Universidade do Porto (TechnicalPartner), Portugal
  7. Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique (Associate Partner), Algeria
  8. Pan African University for Water and Energy Sciences (Associate Partner), Algeria.
About the Award: The African Trans-Regional Cooperation through Academic Mobility (ACADEMY) project is designed to provide resources and opportunities for student and staff mobility from four regions of Africa, offering support for Masters, Doctoral and short research, teaching and administrative visits between the consortium partners.

Field of Study: The eligible fields of study for the ACADEMY project are:
 Business, administration and law,  Natural sciences,  Information and Communication Technologies,  Engineering, manufacturing and construction,  Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary.

Type: Masters, PhD, Short course

Eligibility: Applicants for all types of scholarships must:
  • Be nationals and residents in any of the eligible African countries.
  • Have sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction of courses in the host country.
  • Fulfill the criteria of one of the target groups below:
Target Group 1 (TG1)
  • For Master and PhD credit-seeking mobility applicants: Students must be registered in one of the five partner universities: Université de Tlemcen (Algeria), University of Cape Coast (Ghana), Kenyatta University (Kenya), University of Ibadan (Nigeria), and University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).
  • For staff: Staff must be working in one of the five partner
  • universities.
Target Group 2 (TG2)
  • For credit-seeking mobility applicants: Students must be registered in any African Higher Education Institution.
Selection Criteria: The home and host universities of the consortium will work together to evaluate the applications based upon the following criteria:
  • Academic merit.
  • Motivation for the mobility period.
  • Language skills.
  • Research Project (for PhD).
  • Research/Teaching/Working Plan (for academic and administrative staff).
  • Scientific Production/Previous experience (for academic and administrative staff).
In addition to these academic criteria, the following administrative criteria will be taken into account:
  • Relevance of the mobility for both the host university and the home university.
  • Equal geographic representation of the partner universities in the mobility scheme.
  • Equity considerations for designated groups (Female, candidates with disabilities or in social/political vulnerable situation, …).
Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: The Scholarship covers:
  • Monthly subsistence allowance for the entire mobility period
  • Extra allowance per academic year to female students (for mobility equal to or longer than two academic years)
  • Settling in allowance (for students only)
  • Roundtrip flight ticket and visa costs – for mobility equal to or longer than two academic years, two roundtrip tickets will be provided (arranged by the coordinating institution on behalf of students)
  • Comprehensive insurance (Health, Accident and Travel) (arranged by the coordinating institution on behalf of students)
  • Participation costs such as tuition fees, registration fees and service fees where applicable (paid directly to the hosting institutions)
  • Research costs for students on mobility for 10 months or more (based on actual research needs and dependent on a request submitted by the students).
Duration of Award:
  • Credit-seeking scholarships (for Masters and PHD students): Students who are registered for full-degree studies at their home institution will be able to apply to spend a study period (6 or 10 months) at one of the partner institutions in the consortium and return to their home institution after the exchange period to complete their degree at the home institution.
  • Degree-seeking scholarships (for Masters and PhD students) Students will be able to apply for full degree scholarship (20 months for Master and 36 months for PhD)for completion of a Masters or PhD degree at one of the partner African Higher Education Institutions in the Consortium.
  • Academic and administrative staff scholarships Staff employed at a partner African Higher Education Institution of the Consortium will be able to apply for short term mobility opportunities (1, 2 or 3 months) which could include benchmarking exercises, sabbatical research periods, guest lecturing, curriculum development, knowledge and resource sharing trips etc.
How to Apply: Apply via Programme Webpage.
  • It is important to go through all application requirements including Guidelines on the Programme Webpage (see link below) before applying
Visit Programme Webpage for Details

Rising Politics of Intolerance and the Need for Unity

Graham Peebles

Over the last 20 years extreme right-wing groups have been on the rise throughout the world. They share a belief in white supremacism and conspiracy theories that allege there is a global plot to replace white Christian populations with Muslims and people of color.
As socio-economic inequality has grown and immigration increased the reactionary ideology of tribal nationalism has become more popular and bled into mainstream politics. Far right groups have garnered support and won political power in a number of countries, including Austria, Poland, Hungary, Italy, the US and India.
Rising far-right terror
Within the spectrum of the far right there are varying degrees of bigotry and Neo-Fascist ideals; at the darkest extreme there are the Neo-Nazi’s, a small percentage that holds the most violent views; next are the pro-white, anti-Semitic social conservatives, they form the majority and want a separation of the races; then there is the more moderate wing or Alt Lite, staunchly anti-feminist, anti-political correctness, pro-western chauvinism. All are abhorrent, all are dangerous; a hint of prejudice no matter where it comes from adds to the collective atmosphere of intolerance, fans the flames of division and can incite violence.
While overall terrorism throughout the world is declining, The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) states that, “there has been a real and significant increase in far-right terrorist activity.”
Since 2014, the number of attacks from right-wing extremists has been greater than attacks from Jihadists, and, the Anti-Defamation League report that during 2018 “right-wing extremists were linked to at least 50 murders in the United States [up 35% on 2017].” Globally, between 2013 and 2017 there were 113 attacks “by far-right groups and individuals…. of those 47 attacks took place in 2017.
On 15th March, 50 Muslims were murdered in Christchurch, New Zealand: the indiscriminate attack on two mosques during Friday prayers was carried out by Brenton Tarrent, a 28-year-old Australian white supremacist. Prior to the attack Tarrent published a 78-page document entailed The Great Replacement, online. In it he states that the aim of the Christchurch murders was “to take revenge on the [Muslim] invaders for the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by foreign invaders in European lands throughout history…and the thousands of European lives lost to terror attacks throughout European lands.” The manifesto title and many of the ideas promoted in it come from Le Grand Remplacement by 71-year-old Jean Camus and published in 2012.
Camus claims that the white Christian European population is being ousted by immigrants from the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. His views have become highly influential on right-wing groups, nationalist and identitarian movements across Europe, the US and elsewhere. Although Camus is particularly concerned with France and preserving French culture, he believes that all Western countries are faced with what he calls, “ethnic and civilizational substitution”, in which over the course of a single generation a civilization is transformed by immigration.
As a result of wars in the Middle East and economic insecurity in Sub-Sharan Africa large numbers of migrants have indeed fled to Europe and elsewhere seeking safety and a new life. The influx of migrants/refugee into western countries presents societal challenges and change, but is not a threat or an act of ‘replacement’. The vast majority of migrants do not want to leave their homeland and travel to a country they do not know; people migrate to escape conflict, persecution and economic hardship, much of it caused by the foreign policies of western powers over decades, the exploitation of poor countries over centuries and the concentration of global economic wealth.
Cries of hate; modes of tolerance
Far-right terrorism is a transnational issue; extremists from different countries are more connected than ever and work together. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies relates the example of how in early 2018 members of the Rise Above Movement (RAM, a white supremacist group based in California) “traveled to Germany, Ukraine, and Italy to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday and to meet with members of European white supremacist groups.” They posted photographs on Instagram with the RAM logo and words like “RAPEFUGEES ARE NOT WELCOME HERE”.
In Ukraine RAM members are reported to have met with Azov Battalion, a paramilitary unit of the Ukrainian National Guard believed to be training and radicalizing white supremacist organizations based in the United States.
The internet plays a crucial role in the work of such groups: social media platforms are employed by both Islamist and right-wing extremists to spread propaganda, organize training, make travel arrangements for events/protests, raise funds and recruit members. Extreme right-wing Internet channels spread lies, exaggerate and mislead; when challenged the sacred cow of freedom of speech is invoked to justify the use of inflammatory language. Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right, but when it leads to murderous violence it violates the most basic human right, the right to life; freedom of speech needs to be conditioned by a sense of social responsibility, respect and understanding of others.
Acts of hate and intolerance of all kinds have been increasing exponentially across the western world in recent years. The 2016 election of Donald Trump in the US, the highly divisive EU referendum in Britain the same year and the influx of refugees fleeing wars and economic hardship triggered a wave of crimes against immigrants, particularly Muslims, as well as other minority groups. Liberal politicians, especially women, have also been targeted, many receiving hate mail and violent threats from right-wing extremists.
The current hatred of Muslims was aroused by the 9/11 attacks and inflamed by the ‘War on Terror’ announced by President George W. Bush in 2007; prejudice normalized, the far right flourished. A 2010 poll conducted by Gallup found that almost half of Muslim Americans experienced racial or religious discrimination, which is on par with “Hispanic Americans (48%) and African Americans (45%),” and, according to research by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency a third of Muslims in Europe say they face discrimination effecting employment, access to public services and housing.
Mainstream politicians stir up discrimination and incite hate; President Trump openly expresses hostility to foreign nationals and consistently makes and retweets Islamophobic comments, he has banned people from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, talks of the US being invaded and is building a ‘wall’ on the Mexican/US border. He is not alone in pandering to prejudice, many right and far right leaning politicians in western democracies have been guilty of fanning the fires. A striking example was the recent action by UK Home Secretary, Sajid David when he stripped Shamima Begum of her British citizenship. The 19 year old, who was in the final days of pregnancy when the announcement was made, had made the mistake of going to Syria in 2016 to support ISIS and marry an ISIS fighter. Her baby was born inside a refugee camp in Syria and, due to lack of proper medical care, died three weeks later.
Not only is the action to make her stateless illegal, it panders to the rhetoric of right wing populism and, instead of fostering forgiveness and compassion, adds to the creation of an environment in which judgment, intolerance and retribution flourish.
Unity not division
Protectionist ideals flourish in an atmosphere of fear, of economic instability and an unstable political environment; such insecure conditions strengthen inward-looking insular attitudes allowing the divisive ‘us versus them’ ideology to become the norm. Divisions of all kinds feed the idea of separation, create distrust, suspicion and fear; and fear leads to conflict and hate.
A cornerstone of the economic system and many aspects of contemporary life is competition; competition encourages division. Competition and aggression go together: the sense that we must compete or fight to survive, that others – especially others that are dissimilar – are regarded as opponents, rivals, competitors wanting what we have, which we must defend at all costs. Trust is nowhere in such an unjust world, society fractures along flag waving lines, violence erupts.
One of the consequences of this combative socio-economic system is inequality – of wealth, income, opportunity, influence, access to culture etc., etc. This social poison fuels a range of ills including mistrust, particularly of ‘the other’, someone who looks, talks and prays differently. Societies with the highest levels of inequality have the lowest levels of trust.
Competition, socio-economic inequality and poverty are not the cause of right-wing extremism, neither is the spread of misinformation or the use of inflammatory language, but collectively they form a powerful force in the creation of circumstances in which negative human tendencies like fear and aggression, are inflamed.
Division in any form, including nationalism, and competition go against human nature; if we are to free the world of all forms of extremism and hate they need to be driven out of society and from the systems under which we live. Unity is the keynote of the times, unity with the greatest level of diversity; modes of living that encourage tolerance and unite people must be actively inculcated. This means rejecting competition and embracing cooperation; it means sharing resources, information and wealth equitably; it means building trust and right relationships. Only then will there be peace within our communities and the wider world.

The Health Care Crisis in Rural America

Barb Kalbach

We’ve got a rural health care emergency on the horizon.
Rural hospitals are closing or teetering on the brink of closure at an alarming rate. More than a hundred have closed since 2005 and hundreds more are on life support. Long-term care facilities are vanishing across rural America or being bought up by large corporations who care about profit, not the care of our loved ones.
Most rural hospitals have even stopped delivering babies — you’ll need to go to the city for that, so plan ahead.
I know firsthand. I’m a registered nurse and lifelong Iowan from the country. I’ve kept a close eye on where we’ve been with health care, and where it appears we’re headed. It’s not looking too good for my community and others if we stay on our current failed path.
Medicaid expansion was supposed to help here in Iowa. It sure didn’t — because we handed the program over to private, for-profit “managed care organizations.” What we got in return was less care — and more services denied, facilities shuttered, and lives lost to corporate greed.
Hospitals that were already struggling now have to submit and re-submit claims to these private companies and wait months, if not years, to get paid. Even without privatized Medicaid, we’d still be facing an impending rural healthcare emergency. Privatization merely hastened what was already happening.
Americans spend about twice as much on health care than any other developed country, but we live shorter lives — even as we create “health care billionaires” that get profiles in magazines like Forbes.
The for-profit healthcare system is an extractive industry, helping to suck the wealth and life out of communities, especially in rural areas. We’re being left behind because the for-profit insurance industry doesn’t see us as worth their time.
Rural hospitals, local nursing homes, and care facilities are the lifeblood of our small towns across the heartland. We’re watching our farms and small towns wither away as the countryside empties out and our health declines.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. A system that puts the wellbeing of our community ahead of the bottom line of a select few can and will deliver the care we need, where and when we need it, and keep our rural communities alive and vibrant.
Which brings us to the Medicare for All Act of 2019 introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state. Instead of allowing private corporations to decide who pays for health care and how much, we would put our financing back into public hands — and our health care decisions back into the hands of patients and their care provider.
Under Medicare for All, virtually all aspects of our health care will be covered. This includes, but isn’t limited to, medical, dental, vision, hearing, prescription drugs, mental health, addiction treatment, and much more.
Medicare for All also covers long-term and in-home care as well. What a gift to our families, especially those that often go unseen by an industry dominated by profit: the elderly and people with disabilities. Long-term and in-home care allows people to stay near their families or in their homes, rooted in the communities we call home.
Perhaps most importantly for Iowa and other rural communities, Jayapal’s bill includes a special projects budget for capital expenditures and staffing needs of providers in rural or medically underserved areas.
Will this cost money? Of course it will. But we’ll actually spend less overall than we’re currently spending in our broken health care system, and we’ll get better and more comprehensive coverage.
For all these reasons, Medicare for All is the prescription America and our rural communities need.

‘Every War Is a War Against Children’

Kathy Kelly

We, in the United States, have yet to realize both the futility and immense consequences of war even as we develop, store, sell, and use hideous weapons. The number of children killed is rising.
At 9:30 in the morning of March 26, the entrance to a rural hospital in northwest Yemen, supported by Save the Children, was teeming as patients waited to be seen and employees arrived at work. Suddenly, missiles from an airstrike hit the hospital, killing seven people, four of them children.
Jason Lee of Save the Children, told The New York Times that the Saudi-led coalition, now in its fifth year of waging war in Yemen, knew the coordinates of the hospital and would have been able to avoid the strike. He called what happened “a gross violation of humanitarian law.”
The day before, Save the Children reported that air raids carried out by the Saudi-led coalition have killed at least 226 Yemeni children and injured 217 more in just the last twelve months. “Of these children,” the report noted, “210 were inside or close to a house when their lives were torn apart by bombs that had been sold to the coalition by foreign governments.”
Last year, an analysis issued by Save the Children estimated that 85,000 children under age five have likely died from starvation or disease since the Saudi-led coalition’s 2015 escalation of the war in Yemen.
“Children who die in this way suffer immensely as their vital organ functions slow down and eventually stop,” said Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children’s Country Director in Yemen. “Their immune systems are so weak they are more prone to infections with some too frail to even cry. Parents are having to witness their children wasting away, unable to do anything about it.” Kirolos and others who have continuously reported on the war in Yemen believe these deaths are entirely preventable. They are demanding an immediate suspension of arms sales to all warring parties, an end to blockades preventing distribution of food, fuel and humanitarian aid and the application of full diplomatic pressure to end the war.
The United States, a major supporter of the Saudi-led coalition, has itself been guilty of killing innocent patients and hospital workers by bombing a hospital. On October 3, 2015, U.S. airstrikes destroyed a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing forty-two people. “Patients burned in their beds,” MSF reported, “medical staff were decapitated and lost limbs, and others were shot from the air while they fled the burning building.”
More recently, on March 23, 2019, eight children were among fourteen Afghan civilians killed by a U.S. airstrike also near Kunduz.
Atrocities of war accumulate, horrifically. We in the United States have yet to realize both the futility and immense consequences of war. We continue to develop, store, sell, and use hideous weapons. We rob ourselves and others of resources needed to meet human needs, including grappling with the terrifying realities of climate change.
We should heed the words and actions of Eglantyne Jebb, who founded Save the Children a century ago. Responding to the British post-war blockade of Germany and Eastern Europe, Jebb participated in a group attempting to deliver food and medical supplies to children who were starving.
In London’s Trafalgar Square, she distributed a leaflet showing the emaciated children and declaring: “Our blockade has caused this, – millions of children are starving to death.” She was arrested, tried, convicted, and fined. But the judge in the case was moved by her commitment to children and paid her fine. His generosity was Save the Children’s first donation.
“Every war,” said Jebb, “is a war against children.

Aging China

Tom Clifford

A country that turns grey before wealthy is the dilemma facing those who reside in the leadership compound of Zhongnanhai, just off Tiananmen Square.
A demographic timebomb is ticking and while it is primed to go off after the current leadership in China retires, it is a scenario that could undermine the economy and political stability long before the predicted detonation.
Despite the abolition of the one-child policy, in 2015, the birth rate last year was 10.94 per thousand, the lowest since 1949, when Mao Zedong took power. In 2017 it was 12.43 per thousand, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. The number of babies born in 2018 fell by two million to 15.23 million. In some areas the birth rate plunged. In Qingdao, a city in eastern Shandong province – one of China’s most populous regions – births between January and November decreased by 21 per cent to just over 81,000 compared to the previous year.
For decades most families were limited to one child to control population growth. This policy was often enforced with abortions and harsh financial penalties. A gender imbalance occurred. About 117 boys were born for every 100 girls in 2015 as parents believed males would better secure their welfare in old age.
But the onset of an ageing society and a shrinking workforce saw this policy relaxed in 2015 when couples were allowed two children. But his has not gone to plan. Rising and stratospheric education, health and housing costs make it difficult for couples to afford even one child, let alone two. Also living arrangements mean that many couples have to look after both sets of parents, often in small apartments.
Traditionally, care for the elderly is the responsibility of the children, particularly in a Confucian society where respect for elders is part of the social fabric. Not only is it part of tradition, it is the law. There is a legal requirement for children to look after their parents’ “spiritual and physical needs”. The rising numbers of those classified in the ranks of the elderly will put an unprecedented strain on the ties that hold society together.
China’s workforce – those aged between 16 and 59 – was 897.3 million last year, a 4.7 million drop from 2017. The workforce is on track to decline by as much as 23 per cent by 2050.
China is ageing more rapidly than almost any country in recent history, according to the United Nations. A serious labor shortage will be the consequence.
There were about 222 million people aged 60 years or older as of 2015, about 17 per cent of the nation’s entire population, currently 1.3 billion people. This is expected to peak at 1.4 billion in 2029. The decline will set in immediately after that according to a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences study released in January. The population decline means less domestic consumption, and thus rapidly slowing economic growth. Spending will have to be re-evaluated by new financial strains on the government. The consequences of this will be felt far beyond China’s borders. It was Chinese spending that helped the West avoid an even steeper downturn after the 2008-9 crash.
A baby boom under Mao was followed by more than three decades of a one-child policy, formally introduced in 1979, that created distortions in the economy. True, many poor people in the countryside, where the policy was less strictly enforced, had more than one child. The wealthy, traditionally in the cities, had one. These were the inheritors. That generation of first wealth was passed down to one child instead of dividing it up among siblings. Wealth was concentrated in the coastal areas. This created enormous distortions. Disparity between rich and poor is obvious. The richest 1 percent of households own 30 percent of China’s wealth, according to a Peking University study.
China has relied on government credit to boost its economy. As the population ages, the government will need to divert a good chunk of that funding to take care of the elderly.
In one sense, it is testament to the country’s growing prosperity and new opportunities for women they prioritize careers over raising children and shun traditional roles.
This is already apparent, though not in the government, still exclusively male. But women are outperforming men in education and the workplace. More women than men attend universities, despite the gender imbalance. At least 40 percent of Chinese GDP is attributable to women – the highest proportion in the world. Some 7 in 10 Chinese mothers work outside the home and 80 percent of all female self-made billionaires, globally, are Chinese.
A society undergoing such profound change is ripe for instability.
There are sleepless nights in Zhongnanhai.