Achieving Universal Education

All humans have a right to attend school yet in many parts of the world
there is a lack of provision of what would normally be regarded as a
necessity in developed societies. Yet we must not forget education is a
luxury evolved through peace and formation of societies. For, would
school be on your minds if you were dying of thirst and hunger? Would
school be on your minds if you were in a war zone?

Aside from a stable political environment provision of education requires

teachers and school buildings. Both of which require financial backing. Not
a lot of teachers would give up a comfortable lifestyle in order to teach
poor children with little to no financial reward, having to live in a poverty
stricken area. Moreover, money will have to be spent upon teaching
equipment like buying books, chalk and some sort of school building need
be established. Whilst seemingly simple where are the funding to come
from? The government is unlikely to be able to fund all such projects or
profitable for them to do so. The children themselves cannot offer much in
terms of school fees either. Therefore many such projects are only funded
through charity. Charities themselves depend upon generosity of the
citizens in the developed world. Proceeds have to then cover the logistics
of the operation including travel, administrative costs in short much like
running a company. However with so many different charities in operation
and the fact at times one’s donations feels like a needle in the sea it is
difficult for charities to supply, fund and encourage educational
establishments in 3rd world countries as discussed above.

Combatting HIV/AIDs, Malaria and other Diseases

“Around 67% of people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa”1.

“In developing and transitional countries, 9.5 million people are in immediate
need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 4 million (42%) are receiving the
drugs”2.

Though Aids is an incurable disease, there is much evidence to suggest it

occurs far more widely in poor regions of the world. This suggests better
healthcare and hygiene can prevent the spread of such diseases in
general. Therefore the quality of healthcare provision must be readily
improved in these regions. This is however no easy matter. Medical
equipment is expensive, training is highly technical and lengthy and the
1 ,7
Source: “Aids Epidemic Update 2009”, a UNAIDS publication, November 2009
2
construction costs are very expensive. In villages it will be even harder to
convince doctors to come. Poor living conditions and payments detract
most qualified practitioners to the region.

However, one can still improve the healthcare of a region without doctors
by improving sanitary conditions and promoting awareness of hygiene. As
early as 1847 Ignaz Semmelweis a Hungarian Physician discovered
washing hands in chlorinated lime solutions could significantly decrease
the cases of childbed fever. Thus clean water is vital. Such a supply will
not only reduce cases of waterborne diseases which are large killers but
will contribute to hygiene. However, the implementation of water pipes is
costly. In addition it would require the establishment of sewage plants and
with it maintenance requirements which both require personnel with the
relevant technical skills. One low-cost solution that is currently being
widely adopted has been the implementation of wells. Village
communities together can help build the wells developing a sense of
community, learning in the process how to maintain it.

Just as important is awareness. Many of the poor will not be educated in

the risks of HIV, they may not realise the way it is transmitted or realise
the importance of safe sex or with regard to any other disease. Therefore
one of the best methods is to educate in addition to providing them with
institutions where they may seek medical help. This may include handing
out pamphlets, or sending volunteers to converse personally with them.
Most importantly perhaps, providing free protection like condoms since
the poor is unlikely to spend any hard-earned money on such goods.

Finally, we must be aware that illnesses can be inter-related. One example

is sickle-cell anaemia and malaria. Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic
disorder whereby the red blood cells assume an abnormal, sickle like
shape due to a mutation in the haemoglobin. It can lead to a variety of
complications and shorten lifespan. However, those with sickle-cell
anaemia are resistant to malaria due to the sickle cells. Therefore if sickle-
cell anaemia is cured, more people will be exposed to malaria therefore
malaria medicine will have to be increased too.