March 23, 2023

Somalia Drought is Killing Thousands but the World Remains Indifferent

 Somalia Drought is Killing Thousands but the World Remains Indifferent


By Emily Thompson

A new report this month by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) says an estimated 43,000 excess deaths occurred in Somalia in 2022 due to drought, half of which were children under five years old. Commissioned by the UNICEF Regional Office and the World Health Organization (WHO) Somalia country office and carried out by LSHTM, the study presents retrospective estimates of mortality across Somalia from January to December 2022. The highest death rates were estimated to have occurred in south-central Somalia, especially the areas around Bay, Bakool and Banadir regions, the current epicentre of the drought. The research is highly concerning and should spur countries to action – but the world remains indifferent.

The United Nations has reported that due to five consecutive unsuccessful rainy seasons, half of Somalia’s population of 17 million people require immediate assistance. Despite some experts anticipating a famine declaration last year, certain regions of the country were able to avoid such a classification. An estimated 43,000 Somalis died during the country’s longest ever drought last year, half of them likely to have been children under five years old, according to a new report.

LSHTM notes that the current estimates of the ongoing drought crisis in the Horn of Africa are comparable to those observed during the 2017-2018 drought, and there is a potential for the figures to increase to alarming levels, even surpassing the previous record. This crisis is considered one of the worst hunger emergencies in the last 70 years, and immediate action is necessary to improve the situation and prevent excess deaths.

The crisis is worse than people realize. Regions in the Horn of Africa, including northern Kenya, southeast Ethiopia, and Somalia, are facing severe drought conditions. Somalia, in particular, has been experiencing a series of droughts since 2008, with the latest crisis beginning in 2021. The crisis is also exacerbated by food insecurity, rising global prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous estimates indicate that the 2017-2018 drought crisis led to 45,000 excess deaths, and similar figures have been published for the 2010-2012 famine. It is crucial to act swiftly to restore the pre-crisis death rates.

Save The Children UK tweeted, “43,000 people may have died as a result of the #drought in #Somalia last year. Half of them are thought to be under 5 years old. With almost half a million children still suffering severe malnutrition, the world must act now to prevent further tragedy.”

Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, tweeted,

@PowerUSAID Somalia is facing a 6th failed rainy season — the longest stretch in recorded history. A new report from @WHO shows the staggering human toll of this drought [America] continues to surge assistance to prevent Famine but other donors must scale up assistance now.

But while some individuals and organizations tweet about the crisis, not enough is being done on the ground. This has not always been the case.

Over the past three decades, Western nations have provided significant assistance to Somalia in various forms. The country has been beset by conflict, instability, and poverty for years, which has led to humanitarian crises and internal displacement of millions of people. In response, Western nations have provided both emergency and long-term assistance to the country.

One of the primary ways Western nations have helped Somalia is by providing humanitarian aid in times of crisis. For instance, when Somalia was hit by severe drought and famine in 2011, the international community responded with emergency aid. Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany provided food, water, and other essentials to help those affected by the crisis.

In addition to emergency aid, Western nations have also provided long-term assistance to Somalia. This assistance has focused on areas such as governance, security, and development. Western countries have helped to train and equip the Somali National Army and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) in their fight against militant groups. They have also supported efforts to rebuild Somalia’s institutions and infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and roads.

Moreover, Western nations have played a vital role in promoting peace and stability in Somalia. They have supported diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and bring about political reconciliation. They have also supported the creation of transitional and federal governments in Somalia, as well as the organization of free and fair elections. Despite these efforts, Somalia still faces significant challenges, including political instability, poverty, and terrorism.

Most Americans will recall the US Black Hawk disaster that occurred on October 3, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Day of the Rangers. The US was involved in a humanitarian mission in Somalia, attempting to capture two of the top lieutenants of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, who was causing chaos and suffering for the Somali people. The movie Black Hawk Down recalls the events of that day.

While the assistance provided by Western nations over the last three decades has been essential in helping Somalia to survive and rebuild, a lot has changed and that interest has waned. Following the disaster, the US pulled its troops from Somalia and reduced its involvement in the country’s conflict. Since then, there has been less involvement by Western nations, partially due to security reasons and partially due to disinterest.

But thousands of people, mostly children, are dying preventable deaths. This joint report led by LSHTM and funded by UNICEF and WHO must spur the world into action.

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source

https://www.activistpost.com/2023/03/somalia-drought-



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Satan’s Devices: Standing Fast in the Digital Age








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At TD, the future of banking is personalized and digital

At TD, the future of banking is personalized and digital



 Gone are the days when paying a bill or depositing a cheque meant you had to go to the bank.

Many Canadians are now confident carrying out day-to-day banking on their phones and laptops and are ready to take the next step, towards experiences that go beyond the transactional and are tailored to their financial needs.

For TD Chief Digital and Payments Officer, Rizwan Khalfan, this is an opportunity to deepen relationships with customers by using data and artificial intelligence-driven tools to help deliver the curated, personalized solutions they’re seeking from their bank.

TD has seen first-hand how customers embraced and adopted digital financial tools over the last two years, explains Mr. Khalfan. Nearly two-thirds of the bank’s Canadian customers are now considered by TD to be digitally active, and TD has added 1.5 million North American digitally active users since the start of the pandemic.

“Digital adoption and engagement are at unprecedented numbers,” he says. “We’re seeing our customers having a higher affinity for digital engagement, and the pandemic has accelerated this trend with customers looking for ways to bank safely and conveniently from home. At TD we’re engaging with our customers digitally more than ever before.”

The TD MySpend app, for example – which helps customers track and manage their spending habits and gives them control of their accounts, investments and bill payments – recently surpassed three million registered users, with usage increasing more than 30 per cent during the pandemic. Through its focus on innovation, TD has continued to enhance the app’s capabilities and features over the last two years, based on customer feedback.

Mr. Khalfan is focused on delivering TD customers highly personalized experiences based on predictive insights from past customer behaviour and transaction patterns.

“With our customers digitally engaging with us more than ever, we have the opportunity to deliver banking experiences that are relevant, contextual and that build on the trust they have placed in us,” Mr. Khalfan says.

TD has a robust and well-established innovation ecosystem, which includes ideation, incubation, acceleration, a leading patent portfolio, start up and big tech relationships, investments in fintech and venture capital, and a presence in the academic arena. This ecosystem helps the bank to move quickly when deploying new functions designed to provide more personalized solutions for their customers.

Going beyond transactions

During the pandemic, says Mr. Khalfan, TD worked to deploy around a dozen functions that combine data with an analytics or AI model to deliver unique, differentiated experiences to their customers.

“We want to understand our customers’ needs and preferences,” says Mr. Khalfan. “Data allows us to develop deeper relationships with our customers and have a kind of ongoing digital conversation with them so we can work to better understand their preferences and bring them experiences designed to help meet their needs.”

An example of one of these innovations: TD launched an analytics capability to notify customers of upcoming bill payments via push notifications, meaning they could pay a bill on time with just a tap, allowing customers to see options and make personal choices. One customer might prefer to quickly pay their bill in full, Mr. Khalfan suggests, while another might want to know if the amount matches previous bills.

“All of us need to pay our bills, but we have different preferences in how we go about doing it,” he says. “Digital insights are an effective way to support our customers with information that is relevant in a digital setting.”

Using human-factored design methodology, where designers put themselves in the customers’ shoes to create relevant experiences, TD worked with its AI division, Layer 6, to produce an algorithm during the pandemic that could accurately predict an account balance two weeks in advance.

Going further than just alerting the customer about an insufficient balance or an influx of cash, TD looked to create an experience that shared clear, action-oriented information so the customer could make strategic financial decisions for them – for example, suggesting they transfer money from their savings account in the case of a low balance, or put money aside for long-term goals if their chequing account balance was higher than usual.

“We took the human-factor design competency that we have and combined it with AI, to create an experience to help customers navigate different financial situations,” explains Mr. Khalfan.

These insights are also accessible to TD colleagues when they’re having a conversation with a customer, allowing for a seamless transition between the digital experience and a phone, virtual or branch-based appointment.

And these innovations are being applied across the Bank. TD has seen a surge in new direct investing clients and recognized an opportunity to design a personalized experience that engages TD Direct Investing clients with digital insights through the TD app once their account has been opened. This includes information on how to set up an investment watchlist, how to look up an investment quote and steps to making their first investment. These personalized insight prompts also direct clients to educational resources available through the TD Direct Investing Learning Centre to help clients build their investment knowledge and confidence.

Building on the momentum created by significant digital adoption over the last two years, adapting to launch products and tools that offer personalized digital solutions will continue to be a priority for the Bank as TD digital & AI teams continue to work together to create new types of data-powered experiences.

“We want to empower our customers who are using digital properties with insights that are actionable and tailored to their needs,” says Mr. Khalfan. “Data-driven insights are helping to make this happen.”

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IF YOU DON'T GO DIGITAL YOU LOOSE ACCESS TO YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTS!


 March 22nd, 2023.

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