July 2023: Friends, Phones and Migration

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Friends, Phones and Migration

written by Aurelie

Friends to admire

I am so proud of our team member and friend Mabel from Sierra Leone. Her far-reaching engagement outside of Social Income just got featured in The Irish Times. Well done!

Money flow

We have just published a new video that explains the flow of money when you contribute. Just turn up the volume when you watch it.

The power of mobile phones

I got my first mobile phone as a 12-year-old and have had e-banking for many years now. Being so used to it, I forgot how significantly a phone can enhance a life. A study in Kenya found that beyond the monetary benefits, access to mobile money services alone was proven to reduce poverty by enabling savings, remittances, and improved access to business opportunities. But let’s not forget to sometimes put the phone away too – phones can have a negative impact on our psychological well-being.

African engine

Future reduction of global inequality hinges on increasing Africa's economic growth. But the world-renowned economist Branko Milanovic argues that this scenario is unlikely due to several reasons: high birth rates, inadequate or misused aid, potential leadership conflicts, and migration driven by higher income gains in Europe and unfavorable prospects at home.

Because I am a big fan of Branko’s work, I wrote him an email and asked: How much do you have to earn currently to be in the richest 1% of the world population? He answered: The current threshold to be in the top 1% by disposable income is just over $54,000 for one person. Disposable income is the money you have left after taxes and government assistance.

My World in Data

Stat of the month

1,000,000,000

In 2020 there were one billion migrants in the world, while the whole population was at 7.7 billion. Predictions say that there will be 1.2 billion migrants by 2050 and 1.4 billion by 2060. Beyond 2050, the figures are set to rise sharply as the earth warms and the world population grows, reaching a peak in the mid-2060s. That made me also think of David Attenborough exclaiming, “Without mobility there is no life!”

Quantifying poverty

Can poverty be reduced to a number? The World Bank recently increased the international poverty line from $1.90 to $2.15 a day. Critics argue that the threshold is still too low. Raising the poverty line to only $10 a day would reclassify 60% of the world population as poor.

Female genital mutilation

In Sierra Leone, 83 percent of women aged 15 to 49 have been victims of female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is a practice that is prevalent in 92 countries despite being considered a serious rights violation. When Fatma tried to get help from Sierra Leonean police, they told her that FGM is not a crime. Read her story.

My World in News

• Sums as low as $50 can help the world’s poorest protect themselves and their property in ways they couldn’t otherwise. (The New York Times)
• A new guaranteed income program in Philadelphia is set to help pregnant women of color. (Next City)
• What did former slaves face when they were sent back to Africa and had to set up a new life in Sierra Leone? (Empire)
• The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 paints a worrying picture of progress. (WEF)
• Read about the struggles of the Millennium Villages and the hurdles in direct cash transfers. (Le Monde Diplomatique, in German)

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