Structural Violence and the Bottom Billion

The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that free-market capitalism would dominate the world economy. US scholars claimed the system would create mass amounts of wealth and significantly reduce poverty. Looking back on the past twenty years in terms of worldwide averages we can see that neoliberal economics has done precisely what it claimed it would. There are now over 1,200 billionaires in the world (up from 358 billionaires in 1995) and the percentage of people living in poverty has decreased worldwide in both relative and absolute numbers. But these realities hide other, more disturbing, outcomes of this economic system behind a cloak of (over)simplification. For example, the economic rise of India and China has brought most of their citizens out of poverty, thus significantly offsetting the fact that in the year 2000 a billion people were poorer than they were in 1970 and that the median age of death in Sub-Saharan Africa is less than five years (no, this is not a typo).

These "hidden" people suffer from what Dr. Paul Farmer – Professor at Harvard University and founder of Partners in Health – calls "structural violence": that the structure of the neoliberal economic system denies elementary rights to many people through tyrannical governments, lack of health care, neglect of public facilities, lack of education, oppression, and exploitation. Rights violations are no accident. According to Farmer, "rights violations are, rather, deeper pathologies of power and are linked intimately to the social conditions that so often determine who will suffer abuse and who will be shielded from harm."

It’s not only Africa. Haiti, Harlem, much of the former Soviet bloc, Bolivia, Laos, Cambodia, Yemen, Burma, North Korea, and indigenous groups everywhere collectively suffer violent conditions. Economist Paul Collier – former director of the research department at the World Bank – has identified a total of fifty eight countries that fall into the “bottom billion” category: those who are “falling behind and falling apart.” Collier believes we need to refocus our view of poverty. Many of the poor countries of the 1970’s are actually middle-income countries today, yet the International Monetary Fund has offices in every middle income country and virtually no offices in the fifty-eight countries of the bottom billion.  

Why are these countries “falling behind and falling apart” while others are reducing poverty at speeds never before seen? Collier believes there are four characteristics unique to the countries of the bottom billion that make it nearly impossible to climb out of poverty: the conflict trap (i.e. being trapped in a civil war), the natural resource trap (i.e. becoming a one-dimensional economy), the trap of being land-locked with bad neighbors (i.e. being unable to access ports for trade), and the trap of bad governance in a small country (i.e. government leaders stealing aid money or not building infrastructure). All countries of the bottom billion have at least one of these afflictions and most suffer more than one.

Following the horrors of Nazi extermination camps in the Second World War the world demanded a set of rules to ensure such catastrophes would never again be written in the pages of history. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was the result. However great its intentions, the events in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda certainly show that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been unsuccessful in preventing grotesque human rights violations. Dr. Farmer would say that no state provides sufficient rights to all its citizens. While achieving this might be unrealistic it should be our goal and we can certainly do better than presently.  

In the US we have done a good job achieving civil and political rights. But what about other rights? What about other countries? Dr. Farmer says, "civil rights cannot really be defended if social and economic rights are not... the hesitation of many in the human rights community to cross the line from rights activism of pure principals to one involving transfers of money, food, and medicine betrays a failure... to address the urgent needs of the people were are trying to defend."

Inequality – political and economic – is a threat to democratic government and economic growth. Institutions (governmental, economic, and social) in highly unequal societies tend to be inefficient compared to their more egalitarian cousins. A cycle of inequality emerges as these societies ignore social obligations (such as education) and instead focus on opening up their economies to a world dominated by competitive capitalism. In this world the rule is: if you can’t compete you don’t get to play the game. More concerning, extreme inequality creates political instability and thus undermines democracy. Fed up and with nothing to lose, these marginalized groups frequently resort to violence, coups, and other undemocratic practices. This instability scares off would-be investors and inhibits the gradual process on which economic growth depends.

The day after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s murder – and two months before his own murder – Robert “Bobby” Kennedy gave one of the greatest speeches of all time. Titled On the Mindless Menace of Violence, Kennedy’s words ring as true today as they did over forty years ago: 

… [W]e seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far-off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and call it entertainment. We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire whatever weapons and ammunition they desire… Some look for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.  

… [T]here is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is the slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter. This is the breaking of a man's spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man among other men. And this too afflicts us all.  

…We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of others. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others… But we can perhaps remember, if only for a time, that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek, as do we, nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can. 

So how to fix this flawed system? Dr. Farmer argues for an overhaul. We need to "redistribute some of the world’s vast wealth" to reduce inequality, provide human rights to all and provide a preferential option for the poor. Collier says we need to overhaul our system of aid, use military interventions appropriately, develop effective laws and charters, and provide trade benefits to those in need. He calls on conservatives and liberals of the world to work together.

The neglect of those in poverty in this era of affluence is our world’s greatest regret. To overcome it is our greatest challenge.

Ode to Chaco

In the business world it is always refreshing to find a company not only supremely confident in the quality and craftsmanship of their product but that backs it up by boldly going where few others dare to: offering a lifetime warranty.

I purchased my first pair of Chaco´s for hiking in Alaska and in anticipation of travels in the Middle East. Although I loved the highly adjustable single-strap design and uniquely designed sole what really sold me on the $100 sandal was its lifetime warranty, but not for obvious reasons. I was fairly certain they would last a long time so the idea of replacing them wasn´t on my mind; I was looking for a versatile and well-made product and in Chaco I trusted because they offered more than words and promises: they backed their confidence up.

 "would you like your check, sir?"

After three years of traveling through twenty countries on five continents I still thought my Chaco´s would last forever and I became (like so many before me) a passionate advocate for a Chaco-led life (more on this later); life without which isn´t really "living" after all.

Tragedy struck in country number twenty when my invincible sandals were put to their toughest test: Panama. More specifically, the Comarca Ngäbe-Bugle in Panama. My Chaco´s failed this test. Conditions in the Comarca, I´ve now learned, are perhaps the most ideal for destroying a pair of Chaco´s. Incessant tropical rain creates muddy conditions which turn pathways into an ATVers paradise. While this is splendid in a place that has never heard of ATV´s, this mud is also kryptonite to Chaco´s when combined with immense amounts of hiking (thus, on a Peace Corps Volunteer).

My first pair of Chaco´s broke within my first three months in Panama. Chaco´s policy is to send a new pair for a broken sole (they informed me they could not do anything about my broken Chaco "soul" though) and replace a broken strap for $20. Send them the broken pair and they send you a new pair: very smooth. I was worried I would have to pay $50 to send my sandals internationally but again, Chaco saved the day. As a PCV I only had to email a photo of the break to get a new pair. Phew! It was just as easy to replace my second pair five months later when they, too, broke.

Of the nine PCV´s in the Comarca from group 66 seven of us own and practically live in a pair of Chaco´s. Most of us have had to replace them at some point. In an extreme example my friend Jake just broke his third pair here and is walking barefoot everywhere, refusing to put his feet in anything else while he waits for his fourth pair to arrive. (Not really).

Kayla's Chaco's after I attempted to fix them...

The irony is that we continue to use a product that continues to fail us. Why the stubbornness? Because Chaco´s are by far the best foot wear here. Other options:

• Boots keep the mud down and are good for crossing rivers but are so hot. Although is rains in sheets here it does not make sense to wear rain gear at eighty degrees; you will just get soaked with sweat. It´s better to remove the gear and embrace the rain bath. And without raingear boots fill with water. Verdict: obsolete.
• Hiking boots are good during the dry season but are worse than boots in the wet season. They are harder to clean, fill with water because I refuse to wear rain gear (you would too - trust me), and my laces have broken four times. Verdict: obsolete.
• Teva´s or Keen´s. Teva´s lose their velcro after a short period of time and are harder to clean than Chaco´s. My only friend here with Teva´s were given to him used by his dad and if he wasn´t so cheap he´d have Chaco´s. Keen´s are nice sandals with better toe protection than chaco´s but are a nightmare in the mud. My only friend here with Keen´s just told me she was buying a pair of Chaco´s for precisely this reason. Verdict: obsolete.

While writing this blog post I was trying to decide which is more impressive: how tough Chaco´s are and how good their customer service is or how rugged the Comarca is. Just before my head exploded from being unable to answer this great quandery it dawned on my that I can be equally impressed by both of them and thankful for how they enhance my life. (This is the kind of perspective you develop when living a Chaco-led life). Happy Hiking!

Summer´s Here (haha!)

Every year summer arrives the part of the Comarca south of the Cordillera Mountains sometime during the first week of December. Just like in the United States it is an exciting time: children are finishing the school year, corn, beans, yucca and other foods are beginning to ripen, and there is no more mud! According to my journal, summer started this year on December 6 because that was the first time in many months we didn´t have any rain. I am tempted to consider the first day of summer the 5th, though, as that was the night Lela hauled her cooking rocks out from her "kitchen" and into the open air. That night we huddled around the fire and felt the excitement of summer while Lela prepared rice and chicken under the brilliant lights of a full moon and stars. The conversation during dinner focused on fact that seven dogs now spend the majority of their day in my 12´x12´ house.

For most of my first year in site that number fluctuated between a manageable three and five dogs and has held strong at four the past four months. That all changed on November 18 when I woke up to the sound of three whimpering puppies curled up with their mom in the corner of my house. Pregnant Puma finally had her puppies. I was excited and honored she chose my house to have her pups in but Armodio felt differently. Armodio, sixteen and famous for being the family´s best hunter (he´s incredible accurate with a slingshot), said the puppies are no good because Puma is "good for nothing." I understood this to mean she doesn´t hunt (which is true) so I responded, "well she´s really cute - she´s good for looking at. haha." He clearly misunderstood my sarcasm for stupidity (this happens far too often) and before walking away he gave me a quizzical look then chuckled awkwardly. I interpreted this to mean two things: "I´ll never understand Scott" (probable) and "Scott is weird" (definite).

Since the birth of the puppies my days have been filled with excitement and my nights have been filled with a growing melody of animal noises that to my complete lack of surprise is even more annoying than before! To the owls hoot and the frogs burp comes the roosters roost and the cicadas song. The crescendo grows with the dogs bark and the pigs snore (he sleeps against my house) and everything culminates in the screeching sound of three whining puppies.

Despite this and the little piles of puppy poo and pee on my floor, their cuteness and entertainment more than make up for the extra work of cleaning up after them and my lack of sleep. And I am closer to them now because they almost died twice today. In the morning Armodio killed a highly poisonous Coral snake slithering near the house. In the afternoon I noticed my guitar case had become part of a large termite home (this is a painfully clear sign that I need to practice more). I removed the guitar from its cubby and began scraping away the termite home with my machete when a large scorpion began scrambling up the case and toward my hand. I simply shook the case and the scorpion fell to the ground. At this point all I should have needed to do was stomp my foot. I was not that lucky.

Whereas the puppies once stayed curled up in a cute ball of fluff all day in the corner of my house, they now whine and wander around aimlessly. I have to dance around to avoid these adorable miniature moving landmines, two of which happened to place themselves just inches from where the scorpion fell. Of coarse a scorpion strike would kill these fur balls so I acted fast. I scooped up the puppies with my left hand and let my machete take care of the threat with my right.

Such is the level of excitement in Bajo Cerro Name in the Comarca Ngabe-Bugle as we welcome summer into our lives again.

Unofficial Peace Corps Degrees

My friend Tim had to leave Panama before he was finished with his service because civil unrest made his presence in his area too dangerous. This is not common in the Peace Corps although it does happen. I saw Tim two days before his departure and asked him how he felt about leaving early. He replied, "You know Scott, I haven't even been here [in Panama] a year, yet I know I've learned far more here than I did during four years in college."

Two weeks after Tim returned home I attended a training seminar on the construction of composting latrines. One night while we were cooking dinner on my friend's propane stove I shared Tim's words with fellow volunteers. We agreed with Tim about the value of our PC experiences and, in doing so, were led into a discussion about what degrees and minors we unofficially earn as PCVs. This list does not include the skills we develop (such as time management and problem solving); rather, it is a list of the knowledge we have attained listed as degrees we think we deserve.

Degrees:

• Literature: I am well on my way toward reading at least one hundred books during my PC service. My list includes Atlas Shrugged, The Grapes of Wrath, The Brothers Karamazov, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, War and Peace, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy to name a few. A lively debate among PCVs about these novels round out the major.
• Education: The entire philosophy of the PC rests on education; empowerment and capacitation are the keys to a successful and sustainable service. Whether it is seminars, lectures, or hands-on teaching, nearly all our work rests on education.
• Development Economics/Political Science: PCVs love to debate and discuss these two subjects more than any others. By far. A seemingly unlimited supply of books on these two subjects floats through the PC community to enhance the discussion.
• Diplomacy: In order to balance our values with our community's we rely on diplomacy. PC work itself leads many people into the field of diplomacy.
• Outdoor Education: PC service seems like a long camping trip. Getting to my site involves hiking at least 1.5 hours and neighboring PCVs are up to seven hours away.
• Community Organization: Much like education, community organization is a large component of PC work. This is especially true for Environmental Health Volunteers where success depends on the community's contribution to projects and being organized into effective groups.  

Minors:

• Spanish: This should be a major for me since I will be living in a Spanish-speaking country for two years. But in the Comarca where I live the Spanish is improper. I think of it as hick Spanish. That's enough for at least a minor, right?
• Medicine: PCVs are given a medical kit and are expected to self-medicate minor ailments. Numerous gastrointestinal issues and recovery from them improve this knowledge.
• Public Speaking: Seminars and lectures involve knowledge transfer which means that PCVs are expected to practice their public speaking skills in Spanish often.
• Management: PCVs teach their communities the importance of management and they also manage the projects they undertake.

Peace Corps in Panama: Giving Back this Holiday Season

Dear Family & Friends,

As many of you know, I am currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Western Panama. For the past year I have been living in a small village with members of Panama’s largest indigenous group, the Ngäbe. My job as an Environmental Health Volunteer is to work with the local community to improve their access to clean water and effective sanitation systems. As a Peace Corps Volunteer I strive to leave a sustainable impact on my community, Bajo Cacicón, through empowerment and capacitation. Many of you have expressed interest in contributing to my Peace Corps work. I am now at the point in my service that it is easy for friends and family to get involved.

(If you have already heard my story and would like to contribute to my project, you can scroll down and follow the link at the bottom. If not, please read the story of my project that follows.)

My work thus far has focused on identifying my community’s strengths and weaknesses, their most urgent needs, and the challenges associated with the extreme poverty of the region. Using my Peace Corps training, community organizing skills, and much-improved Spanish, I have facilitated a variety of community meetings and discussions. Through this process the community was able to unite and determine their primary need of new latrines.

Currently without latrines, the people of Bajo Cacicón use Quebrada Plata, a nearby stream, to go to the bathroom. Quebrada Plata is also the sole place for bathing and washing, and the water is used for both cooking and drinking. This environmental and public health nightmare leaves the locals with regular bouts of e.coli, giardia, and amoebic dysentery. Children are the most at-risk group and suffer awful consequences due to the exposure of these pathogens. Bloated bellies and severe diarrhea are common symptoms among children and exacerbate malnutrition and other poverty-related health problems.

The people of Bajo Cacicón and I have developed a plan to solve this problem. We will build 46 latrines for families within the community to improve the health of over 300 people. Basic latrines will ensure that all dangerous pathogens are contained a safe-distance from Quebrada Plata and will no longer threaten the health of the community.

Because the Peace Corps seeks to empower and capacitate we are requiring each family to contribute 50% of the construction of their latrine. This contribution will be in the form of materials (supplying sand and wood) and labor (transporting purchased materials to the community and construction of the latrines). The easiest way for you to help the families of Bajo Cacicón is to send a donation for the purchase of required materials. The monetary cost of building a latrine for one family is $102.

I am asking each of you to consider the health and well being of a community that has been under-served by its country and is working hard to make positive changes. I feel fortunate to be living and working with the people of Bajo Cacicón. Please contribute the amount you are able and consider paying for at least one family to complete this project.

Children of my host family bathing in a stream

To donate, visit my Peace Corps website and use a credit or debit card to make a contribution. 100% of your donation will go directly to build latrines in Bajo Cacicón. Feel free to send me an email with questions or comments. I would love to hear from you. Also, please forward this email to anyone that might be interested in my project. Thank you for your time and consideration. Any amount you can give will significantly improve the lives of the children and adults of Bajo Cacicón.

Sincerely,

Scott Mortensen

(scottbmortensen@gmail.com)

In the land of Anteaters and Sloths

One perception all volunteers living in the Comarca quickly make is that Ngabe's like to kill nearly all living animals. This is hard to get used to, especially when it comes to the killing of endangered animals. To give credit where it's due, though, I must admit that most animals are killed for food. Iguana, paca, agouti, armadillo, peccary, "conejo pintado", river shrimp, squirrels and a whole host of birds are hunted with nothing more than slingshots and good dogs. All the animals are delicious (even iguana). Additionally, a friend of mine living on the Caribbean coast complains of people hunting endangered sea turtles.

Animals are also killed for prevention and, unfortunately, fun. We call that "por gusto" here. The hummingbird they killed was a lucky shot from a slingshot. The possum was killed because (i'm told) they kill chickens. In a land of such rampant and effective killing you can understand my surprise when I encountered animals as large as an anteater and a sloth.

The anteater was shown to me by my fourteen-year-old host brother, Cuchinto, after he nearly beat it to death with a stick. I was impressed with the first anteater I've ever seen -it reminded me of a wolverine or small bear because it was muscular and visibly strong. The family's two best hunting dogs encountered it slurping ants out of the ground and decided to attack. Bad idea. The anteater quickly slashed its sharp claws and nearly killed both dogs. I was upset to see the kids playing with the suffering animal when I asked Cuchinto, "why are you killing it?" "For revenge" he said.

Cuchinto on the left with his cousin playing with the anteater

More recently I was shown to a sloth inching it's way along a branch quite high in a tree. Cuchinto, determined to make things more exciting, climbed up and shook the sloths branch until it fell from the tree. The kids surrounded the sloth and picked him up by placing stick in his hands to grab onto, which he did (see picture). He seemed to be fine from the fall. The kids played with him for a while before he escaped up a tree. I asked, "you're not going to kill it?" "no", they said, "they don't bother anyone."

Just after falling from the tree the sloth grabbed a stick Cuchinto put into his lap

A few days after this encounter I returned home from a hike to a neighboring community and found a rotting sloth carcass in the middle of the path. At home, Cuchinto's twelve-year-old brother, Pepo, asked if I saw the dead sloth. I nodded. He puffed his chest and bragged that he had killed it. "Why?" I asked. "I don't know. Por gusto," he replied.

Happy 11/11/11.

A Year of Perceptions

Exactly one year ago today I hiked to my site in the middle of the rainiest month of the year to officially start my Peace Corps service. Many accomplishments, numerous challenges, and countless invaluable experiences have made the last year immensely rewarding. I find myself closer to my neighbors, closer to the land we live on, and closer to fellow volunteers (they are a wonderful support system). Now, on my way to celebrate our "one year" with the rest of group 66 at a resort on the Caribbean coast, I have been trying to think of a blog post to commemorate the past year. I've decided to pick ten perceptions that shed light on the Ngäbe "experience":

(In no particular order)

1. Toughness is Valued. Whether it's brothers hitting or slapping one another or a mom remarking "How pretty" to her sons scraped-up chest after he slid down a palm tree shirtless, pushing through pain is expected and taught from a very young age.

2. Physical Abuse is Present. I've heard many stories but I have personally only witnessed Lela grab a twig to whip the children when they misbehave -especially when they are whining or crying. I also hear parents make threats, saying, "Be careful, I'll hit you."

3. Voice Inflection Tells as much as Words. Speaking here seems more exciting and interesting than back home with ups and downs, highs and lows, and drawn-out syllables. The more time I spend here I realize it really is an art to speak with such excitement. Lela is the grand-master at this. She says things like "It was HARRRRD" or "I went faaaaaarrrrrrrr" and her audience knows just exactly how hard it was or far she went by the emphasis she places on certain words. I love talking this way.

4. Non-Verbal Communication is Commonly-Used. People make animal sounds (especially chicken and dog), whistle, and hand gesture to communicate. The fewer words the better. It is not uncommon to have entire conversations with only hand-gestures because there is a sign for just about everything. Popular signs replace "lets go", "want to eat?", "the car is full", "no", "what's up?", "why?", and many other phrases or questions. This practice is especially fun to watch when two grand-masters go at it and volunteers take a lot of pride in perfecting this delicate skill.

5. Gender Roles are clearly Defined. This is true in most rural and poor parts of the world. Female roles include: tend to the children, harvest food, haul water from the river, wash clothing, cook, and make artisanry such as nagwas and chakras (traditional dress and bags, respectively). Male roles involve building structures, hauling wood for cooking fires, slashing and burning, planting, and harvesting food. Attending meetings and visiting people are not gender specific. Children are expected to do what they are told, which usually includes roles from both genders.

6. Children help a lot. The importance of contributing is also taught and learned at a very young age. Everyone contributes and works hard. My favorite example is the five-year-old, Luiz. He hikes uphill forty-five minutes to school every day, hikes home, and then is expected to retrieve water, serve food to visitors, burn trash (which he loves), and help his mom harvest food.

7. Grandparents Help with Childcare. Not only does Lela watch her grandchildren for weeks at a time but Lela's children expect it, they don't provide any material or monetary assistance to offset food costs, and Lela and her family are more than happy to have the company. Right now, two grand-daughters have been living with Lela for three weeks while their mom (Lela's daughter) nears the end of her third pregnancy.

8. People are Shyer Away from their Homes. This is to be expected to a certain degree in any culture but the transformation here is drastic. I can laugh and share food with someone in their home but when I cross them in a path near another home or near other people it is as if they don't know me. I have paid careful attention and I know it's not just me; they do it to each other, too. It doesn't matter if they are cousins or siblings either. Some people are not shy but most are.

9. Killing everything is Popular. Animals are not only killed for food. Hummingbirds, anteaters, sloths, and possums are all killed and not eaten. There are probably more than fifteen different types of wild animals that are hunted and eaten here, though. I have eaten most of them and they are all delicious. The reality that some of the animals are endangered is difficult to accept and a hard subject to breach.

10. This Place is P-R-O-D-U-C-T-I-V-E. Generous amounts of rain and sun can transform a cleared plot of land into an impassable green wall taller than me in a short amount of time. Landscapes change drastically over time as man battles nature to plant crops. Also, animals and humans procreate like it's their job. My host dad, Samuel, has fourteen living children with two wives and we had six dogs but two died.