Many factors, including the pandemic, global conflicts, and natural disasters have greatly impacted economies around the world. COVID-19, for example, halted travel for several years, affecting tourism and setting back local economies dependent on the industry. As a result, many countries are still in a state of economic collapse and are struggling to address high rates of unemployment and business closures. At the same time, devastating earthquakes, floods, landslides, and other natural disasters have only added to the stress that communities are facing.<\/p>\n
As if addressing these challenges were not enough, we are also dealing with the rise in the costs of goods and services. With Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, unexpected food shortages, and widespread shrinkflation (when companies downsize their products), our funds are no longer going as far as we hoped, and there seems to be no end in sight.<\/p>\n<\/div>
While all of us have been affected by inflation, the rising costs in our partners\u2019 communities mean that many already vulnerable populations are at serious risk. When their communities face economic distress, education, health, and human rights development all face major setbacks. In communities where schools are difficult to access and families have limited financial resources, children and youth are forced to drop out of school to support their families. In our partner communities, children often have to find low-wage farming or illegal work, or are even forced to get married to ease the burdens of their families. As a result, no one in their family completes their studies and the cycle of poverty in their communities continues.<\/p>\n
The families that our partners support also do not have the means or resources to access quality healthcare services and often do not seek treatment when their or a family member\u2019s health is at risk. If funds are even more limited, they will likely not go to see a doctor until their condition is very serious resulting in community members losing their lives from illnesses that were initially treatable.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>