Essays on ACF international

In 2009, ACF International launched emergency response for the victims of the typhoon and flooding. The organization mobilized the distribution of food, water, emergency kits, blankets etc. Another ACF initiative in Philippines is public emergency campaign for training vulnerable families best practices of hygiene and sanitation. Overall, in Philippines malnutrition and hunger are mostly caused by poor sanitation, food shortage, high prices and devastating effect of natural disasters. Moreover, although governmental programs partly helped to increase the effectiveness of agriculture, nutritional problems persist, most of all, due to low awareness of population about sound nutrition.

ACF International should focus its activity in the Philippines around educating people on proper sanitation and nutrition habits, to prepare emergency help and locations for the victims of natural disasters and help seasonal workers (one of the most impoverished groups) to find other sources of employment and to live a sustainable life.

Bolivia is also rated by the Index of Global Hunger as “serious”; malnutrition in young children here is 4.5%. Here the nutrition problems are related to water and sanitation factors: only 86% of people have access to clean drinking water, and only 25% have access to sanitation facilities.

The level of literacy is also comparatively low, only 86.7% of total population. More than 30% of population are below poverty line; the country also experiences severe problems with healthcare. Natural disasters such as flooding are additional sources of social problems. Soil erosion resulting from poor agricultural practices is a major environmental threat in this country.

The activities of ACF International here include creating boreholes to provide access to clean water, establishing hand-washing stations and latrines to improve sanitation, and helping the victims of flooding. Existing opportunities include, first of all, further improvement of sanitation and focus on sustainable use of scarce resources. Health education, medical treatment and other health care initiatives might also be very helpful for Bolivians. Threats may arise from crime level and drug trafficking, and existing social unrest might affect the initiatives of ACF International.
Colombia experiences a number of environmental problems such as damage of soil and water due to pesticide overuse, and air pollution. Here the index of global hunger is “moderate” and early malnutrition rate is 5.1%. The rate of HIV/AIDS is high (0.5% of all population), and the overall level of healthcare is poor, while the risk of infectious diseases is quite high. Access to drinking water is good (99%), which cannot be said about sanitation – only 74% of population have access to sanitation facilities. In 2010, the country experienced a severe flooding, which led to 6 billion damage to the economy. 45.5% people are living below poverty level, and this is the major cause of malnutrition in Colombia. Here ACF International helped to promote hygiene, supported grain businesses and helped the people to recover after the flooding. The main opportunity is to help to make agriculture more effective and to improve sanitation, both with providing sanitation facilities and by educating people. Most threats follow from criminal groupings and people engaged in the production of heroin and cocaine.

For Guatemala, the threat of hunger is serious and malnutrition rate for children below 5 y.o. is 17.7%. Many social and economic problems are related to natural disasters: earthquakes, hurricanes and tropical storms. Among Guatemala’s environmental problems, there are soil erosion and water pollution; access to sanitation facilities is medium (81% of population). 98% of people can access clean drinking water, and the level of unemployment is comparatively low. At the same time, economy is affected by corruption and money laundering, more than 50% of people live below the poverty level, while 15% of people live in extreme poverty. The causes of malnutrition in Guatemala are varied: droughts, decrease of coffee exports and reduction of coffee prices. Pool schooling and health care in rural areas also contributes to these problems. ACF International has helped people in Guatemala to improve their revenue-generating activities, provided seeds, tools and training for better agricultural techniques, and helped 50,000 of victims who suffered during the 2010 flooding. Further opportunities for ACF International include educational initiatives and collaboration with governmental programs aimed at reducing poverty, especially in the rural areas.