What in the world is going on?

What in the world

is going on?

Pip Florit highlights global issues that haven’t been hitting our headlines recently.

It has been a rare occurrence in the past year to turn on the news and be met with a headline that has nothing to do with Covid-19. Sometimes it’s a struggle to remember what filled our news before the pandemic. At times, it has felt like other global issues have gone away, but that is far from the case. While we have been wrestling with huge concerns about health and the economy, many low-income countries have been struggling with the same issues, superimposed on a background of vulnerability caused by poverty, violence, displacement and climate disasters.

Poverty

For the past 20 years, the global poverty trend has been heading in the right direction. Each year, fewer and fewer people have been living in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 per day. When the United Nations produced the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, goal number one was to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere” by 2030. It was always known to be ambitious and now, Covid-19 has created a setback.

By the end of 2020, there was an annual increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty for the first time since 1998 with around 100 million people being pushed into that group and millions more predicted to join it in 2021.

Many low-income countries have experienced fewer cases of Covid-19 than European countries. As of the end of January, Malawi had reported around 20,000 cases (0.1% of the population), Myanmar 138,000 (0.26% population) and Zambia 45,000 (0.25% population). This is compared to 3.65 million cases in the UK (5.5% of the population). However, the socioeconomic impact has often been devastating.

Nearly 10 million people in the UK have been on the government furlough scheme at some stage since March 2020. For many businesses and individuals, it has been a lifeline. But what happens when the government enforces a strict lockdown without the capacity to support those for whom that means a loss of income? In countries where informal labour is so prevalent, where working from home isn’t an option and few people have significant savings, the resulting loss of income has been catastrophic for some.

…there was an annual increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty for the first time since 1998 with around 100 million people being pushed into that group…

The effects of a loss of income are far-reaching: lack of access to healthcare, fewer children in school, hunger and poor nutrition, homelessness. For our partner churches in Malawi, as individuals have lost their incomes, the churches’ income has also reduced, limiting their capacity for ministry. In the hospitals of CCAP Livingstonia Synod, patients have been unable to pay hospital fees, leaving the patients without adequate healthcare and the hospitals with reduced income, and therefore reduced staff and capacity. Many of our partners rely on overseas funding for their work – this also decreased in 2020 as economies suffered globally. The global fight against poverty has suffered a setback and there is much to do to get it back on track.

Violence

The effect of Covid-19 on violence throughout the world has not been easy to predict or measure.

At the beginning of the crisis, there was much speculation about the effect the virus might have on violent conflict. Would it cause opposite sides to stop fighting each other and unite to control the virus? Would it hit conflict-ridden countries harder due to their lack of cooperation? More than a year on, it seems that neither of these things has been completely true.

One thing that is clear is that there is a vicious cycle of violence and vulnerability that the pandemic has exacerbated. In areas where war has raged for years, healthcare systems have been weakened, in some cases, severely. In Syria, health centres and hospitals have been destroyed by conflict, leaving many without access to medical care and therefore more vulnerable to the effects of the virus. In places where humanitarian aid organisations had been providing relief including healthcare, Covid travel restrictions have limited their ability to be present where needed. PCI partner, the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL) has recognised this, prioritising the building and maintenance of a healthcare centre in war-torn Aleppo as an important part of its outreach.

The pandemic has also caused the flare-up of local conflicts and riots. People forced into poverty have reached desperation, leading to violent protests in Kenya, Nigeria, Colombia and many more countries.

PCI’s development partner, Christian Aid, has reported an increase in domestic violence in countries like Kenya, where lockdowns and curfews have been imposed. The stress that has come from higher levels of unemployment has increased levels of violence and restrictions have led to women being cut off from support services. Christian Aid is working with local domestic violence organisations to support these women practically and emotionally.

As we entered 2020, there were almost 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide…

Displacement

As we entered 2020, there were almost 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide – people who had fled violence, natural disasters and persecution. 2020 was a difficult year for many of them. Those who were escaping fear in hope of a better life have been left in limbo, with travel restrictions and closed borders preventing them from reaching their destinations and being resettled.

Refugee camps have become familiar sights in many countries. Some are well established, with people living there for many years. Others are newer or more temporary, set up in response to immediate needs. It took a long time for the virus to reach the refugee camps, perhaps because movement in and out of them is restricted, but in recent months, there have been several reports of outbreaks in camps around the globe.

Often crowded and lacking resources, these camps are ideal places for a virus to thrive. We’ve all been told the importance of social distancing, of staying two metres apart and avoiding any unnecessary contact with others. In most refugee camps, this simply isn’t an option. In one camp in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, which houses Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, there are more than 25,000 people in 0.39 square kilometres. Up to 10 people live in one room. Added to this, they often lack simple sanitation items like soap and water, let alone more complex medical supplies. Outbreaks in these places are dangerous and hard to control.

More than three quarters of refugees worldwide live in low-income countries, where healthcare systems are often weak. PCI partner, NESSL, has been working with refugees in Lebanon and internally displaced people in Syria for many years. In the past two years, Lebanon has experienced financial crisis, political disaster and a worsening number of cases of Covid-19. It is also recovering from the August 2020 explosion in Beirut that caused death, injury and destruction. Despite this, it remains one of the top refugee hosting countries in the world – 20% of the population is made up of refugees.

NESSL is stretched but it continues to respond in the midst of these crises, providing water and hygiene supplies for the internally displaced in Syria and education for the refugee children in Lebanon.

The factors that cause people to flee their countries have not disappeared, so the refugee crisis continues, dealing with the extra challenges that the pandemic brings.

The environment

Climate change disproportionately affects the poor. Those living in poverty have fewer options and when hit by an extreme weather event, are more likely to lose their homes, livelihoods and sources of food and clean water.

In the middle of 2020, when much of the world was in some level of lockdown, it seemed that there could be an unforeseen benefit – an improvement in the environment and climate. Factories stopped production, air travel largely ceased, there were fewer car journeys and all of this led to a decrease in carbon emissions and hazardous waste. Cities that normally sat under a cloud of smog reported clearer skies. Water pollution experienced a decrease as fewer factories disposed of their waste.

On the other side, the pandemic has seen an increased reliance on single-use plastics. The damage caused by such materials has been well publicised in recent years and has led to responses from individuals, supermarkets, fast food chains and small businesses. These days, you can buy toothpaste, shampoo, washing powder and razors that contain no plastic and come in plastic-free packaging. You can also get reusable nappies, straws, shopping bags and food wraps that help you reduce waste.

Use of these products had been increasing, but the pandemic reversed that trend. Coffee shops stopped accepting reusable coffee cups in favour of disposables. Disposable face masks and plastic gloves are now a common sight discarded on the streets. These changes may be necessary to limit the spread of the virus, but in the long run, we need to remember the damage these products can cause. Their production and mismanaged disposal (e.g. incineration or careless dumping) emits harmful gases and some plastics take up to 1000 years to decompose, ending up polluting oceans, beaches and the natural habitats of many animals.

Recent reports suggest that the positive effects on air and water quality will be short-lived when the pandemic is over, but what if they aren’t? What if the pandemic has opened our eyes to see the link between our activity and the global

What if the pandemic has opened our eyes to see the link between our activity and the global environment?

environment, showing us that it is possible to make improvements? None of us is exempt from looking after creation. Now may be a good time to consider what part you could play. While the pandemic is still around, could you use a reusable face mask? Could you walk instead of driving? When it’s over, could you make more use of public transport, take fewer flights? For businesses and organisations – could at least some meetings continue to happen online rather than face-to-face to reduce the impact of travel? Having had our eyes opened, it’s important that we don’t close them again.

In 2020, PCI launched a special Moderator’s Christmas Appeal, highlighting the challenges for some of our partners in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. The funds raised will support a range of projects from PCI’s development partners, Christian Aid and Tearfund, as well as partner churches in South Sudan, Malawi, Indonesia, Romania, Lebanon, Syria and Nepal. To all who contributed, a huge thank you. This will help people like Nyra who, trained by Tearfund in South Sudan, raises awareness of Covid prevention measures, protecting people in remote communities. This is vital for a country like South Sudan, which is already struggling against floods, famine and conflict.

The issues that affect our world, our partners and our global family have not gone away in the past year. For many, they have only increased. In these places, our partners are working to bring hope. All around the world, we have partners who are working in situations affected by poverty, violence, displacement and climate change. The past year has been difficult for them, but through it, they continue to work, serving the living God, who is in control.

Pip Florit is PCI’s Mission Support Officer for Partnerships.