Every week, Rural Reporters collate reports on development in rural Africa and its environs. The reports include some of our top picks from recent must-read research, interviews, reports, blogs and in-depth articles which have been carefully selected to help you keep up with global issues. Here are some of the updates you may have missed from the previous week:
Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?
For decades, Africa has been grappling with a poaching crisis that has resulted in precipitous declines in iconic large mammals such as elephants, rhinos, zebras, and gorillas. Some 26,000 elephants, three-quarters of the elephant population in the Ruaha-Rungwa region in Tanzania as of 2009, were killed over a five-year period, for instance. Much of the slaughter has been attributed to organized crime syndicates that are becoming increasingly militarized and employing sophisticated weaponry. The results of the present study confirm the link between poverty and poaching, but they also reveal that many villagers harvest bushmeat to supplement their income and are not among the poorest of the poor, as is often assumed. More importantly, the study reveals that how poachers view their financial status relative to other villagers is a primary influence on poaching habits.
Mupfumira calls on ILO to champion decent work in rural Africa
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister Prisca Mupfumira has urged the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to scale up efforts to champion decent work in the rural economy to achieve sustainable livelihoods for the majority of people and an end to hunger. In a statement yesterday, Mupfumira highlighted that Africa still had a high incidence of poverty despite the high economic growth rates witnessed on the continent.
“In her intervention, the minister accordingly called on the ILO to scale up efforts to champion decent work in the rural economy so as to achieve sustainable livelihoods for the majority of people and an end to hunger as called for in Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement said.
Kenya creates online system to monitor rural sanitation
Kenya has launched an online monitoring, evaluation and reporting system to improve capturing of data on sanitation and hygiene status, a conference has heard.
According to Kenya’s Ministry of Health, the country has open defecation rate of 14 per cent, with countries such as Wajir and Turkana having a rate of 76.7 and 82.2 per cent respectively.
The online portal could help coordinate monitoring of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and enable public health officials in rural areas facilitate rapid acceleration of the Open Defecation Free (ODF) campaign, experts say
One of the oldest refugee settlements in Africa gets new banking services for the first time
Mayukwayuka refugee settlement was established in Zambia in 1966 to host refugees fleeing from Angola’s civil war. For the first time, banking services are now available in the camp thanks to the entrepreneurship of a former Angolan refugee. Mayukwayuka, Zambia – Banking services have for the first time come both to Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement and the local integration resettlement scheme in Kaoma District of western province in Zambia, thanks to the business acumen of an enterprising former Angolan refugee. The pioneer of the first banking service is 59 year-old William Ngonga Kasoka, a self-made businessman, who, according to the rural standards of this remote area of Mayukwayukwa, could be deemed one of its affluent residents.
Human Development Report 2016: Human Development for Everyone
Despite outpacing global human development growth rates over 15 years, sub-Saharan Africa remains burdened by the world’s most uneven distribution of development gains, with women, girls, people living in rural areas, migrants, refugees and those in conflict-affected areas systemically left behind. Gender inequality remains a serious challenge to human development in the region.
These are among the findings of the Human Development Report 2016, entitled “Human Development for Everyone‟, released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Rainwater harvesting could be the future for South Africa
The recent water crisis has made the infrastructural problems around our water systems glaringly obvious. Last year, a number of highways were flooded due to construction and drainage problems. This resulted in a number of accidents, injuries and damaged cars.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has been looking at different solutions to combat the water shortages. A few weeks ago, Minister Nomvula Mokonyane visited the British American Tobacco South Africa’s Heidelberg factory. The factory is the eighth largest within the BAT group internationally and the first to invest in rain water harvesting technologies aimed at reducing municipal water use.
10 per cent rural population of Pakistan without access to clean water
The statistics about the situation of access to water was shared in the WaterAid’s report “Wild Water: The State of the World’s Water” released to mark World Water Day falling on March 22. The report has discussed findings of few countries, highlighting the fact that 663 million people are without clean water globally, and the vast majority of them, 522 million, live in rural areas. These communities face particular challenges in gaining access to clean water, due to their often isolated location, inadequate infrastructure and a continued lack of funding.