Ethical Travel - Developing Countries
Developing countries generally have a low standard of living, an under-developed industry and experience economic development and a moderate to low Human Development Index. A country is classed as Developing when it has a modern infrastructure and moves away from agriculture and the extraction of natural resources. To become a developed country, the nation would need a continuous, self-sustained economy and higher standards of living. In non-developed countries worldwide, 80 million children are denied access to a basic education. Not only that but hundreds of millions of other children are denied a quality education or the option of attending secondary school.
Story Highlights:
- How Do You Measure The Development Of A Country?
- Why Are There Developing Countries?
- The List of Least Developed Countries
- How You Can HelpFree Hair Cuts
- GOAL
Responding to major natural and man-made disasters over the past 30 years, including the Asian tsunami in India, floods in Mozambique and genocide in Cambodia, GOAL has implemented relief and development programmes in 50 countries.
Understanding the fundamental needs of water, food, shelter, medical attention and literacy, GOAL is an organisation that works hard to ensure the poorest people get these basic things. Providing enough food for the people living in developing countries is a continuing challenge.
By 2020, the world's population is expected to rise to 8 billion - according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Most of the growth – 85% - is expected to take place in developing countries. This will increase the growing demand for cereals and meat.
Nearly 1 billion people, two-thirds of whom are farmers, are already living in poverty and suffer from chronic hunger. This is partly due to the limited amount of arable land, with only 10% of land worldwide being available for farming - due to problems such as soil erosion and over-farming.
Biodiversity is also threatened by the demand of food production, as important areas such as tropical rainforests are converted to farmland. Many scientific and international development organisations have reached the conclusion that GM technology should aid development and be used to increase the production of main food staples. This would essentially reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and lead to more efficient food production for small-scale farmers.
How Do You Measure The Development Of A Country?
The Human Development Index is a measurement the UN uses to estimate the level of human development in a country based on the measure of life expectancy, the standard of living, education and literacy.
Low income and a high population growth are strong correlations in developing countries.The term Developing is seen by many as mis-applied as. To develop is often presumed to mean - develop in a western manner. There are alternatives.
Why Are There Developing Countries?
Here are some thoughts:
- Education
Richer countries have a better education system and are therefore understood to have better business sense. - Ethnicity
If individuals can strongly identify with their community, they will be more likely to work towards a common good, and enable their community, and therefore country to become stronger. It is much more difficult for a country to develop its economy if it is split into different ethnic groups. - Authority
Many of the poorest countries of the world do not have a respected presidency and this can make them appear weaker in the eyes of traditional countries.
The List of Least Developed Countries
According to the UN:
- Afghanistan
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Kiribati
- Laos
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- Sudan
- East Timor
- Togo
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Tanzania
- Vanuatu
- Yemen
- Zambia.
How You Can Help
- Head over to http://solvepoverty.com and click the free donate button. This allows you to donate for free.
- Sign online petitions to show your support
- Check labels and buy products from developing countries to strengthen their economies and support the livelihoods of farmers who grow the produce.
- Buying ethical produce is one of the most user-friendly ways to help people in the developing world. Recognising the choice you make as consumers can make a positive difference to the developing world, it has been considered more ethical than donating to charity.
- Contact the local and national media in the countries you visit. The more press attention there is - the more likely it is that a change will be made. This can include school papers, radio, TV and getting into online social networks.
- Contact politicians everywhere you go and alert them to the poverty in developing countries and the ways they could help.Motivate yourself and others by making posters and leaflets to distribute. Start fundraising and organising letter-writing campaigns. Whatever you do, make a difference.
- Jen Page
