The truth is that it’s easy to become focused on our own problems, but sometimes it pays to think about the challenges facing others, especially in low-income countries. I recently saw a segment on SBS television explaining that little money is spent on keeping young people healthy in the third world, and I wanted to share that story with you. I’ve done a bit more research … and this is what I found out.
The world now has its largest ever population of adolescents in human history. 1.8 billion people are aged between 10 to 24 years, and the bulk of those young people (almost 90 per cent) live in low and middle-income countries – yet a new study has found that only a tiny share of international aid goes to adolescent health programs in the developing world.
A researcher from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, along with two colleagues from Harvard Medical School, have examined how much international aid was spent on youth health in 132 low-income countries over the 13 years from January 2003 to December 2015.
Professor George Patton, leader of MCRI’s Centre for Adolescent Health, and Professor/Director of Adolescent Health Research at the University of Melbourne told the media that as a global community we spent $0.15 per adolescent each year on youth development assistance. Let’s be honest, that is a shameful amount. We all spend much more than that on coffee every year.
New study shows youth health is neglected
The study, ‘Development Assistance for Adolescent Health from 2003 to 2015’, was published on Saturday in the US in the JAMA Network Open.
The research showed that only 1.6 per cent of global health investments went toward youth projects even though adolescents account for 12 to 13 per cent of health problems in the developing world.
Prof Patton says most of the funds went indirectly through programs for HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, but he points to the plethora of youth health needs outside of AIDS prevention that are being overlooked.
These young people are suffering depression
“The statistics show that a large number of young people in developing nations are being disabled as a result of depressive disorders, self-harm, poor diet (anemia) and car accidents,” he said.
“These are all in the top ten for causes of ‘Disability Adjusted Life Years’ – a measurement of what harms young people, but in low-income countries these youth challenges receive almost no global funding.
“The international donor community has been ‘asleep at the wheel’ in failing to keep pace with changing demography and youth health needs.”
It’s time we supported these young people
Prof Patton hopes this research may rally international donors to invest in neglected areas, such as youth mental health programs, accident prevention and self-harm deterrents.
“Every cent spent on these challenges goes a long way to improving the lives of youth in low-income countries, but that doesn’t mean I’m arguing for funds spent on the more orthodox youth health projects to be diverted,’’ according to Prof Patton.
Prof Patton says HIV/AIDS funding should undoubtedly be maintained, but there is a desperate need for donors to look at these new areas of youth need.
West Pacific Nations are the Most Neglected
According to the research, adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa received the most development assistance with $0.40 spent for each individual each year. The Western Pacific, including Fiji and Papua New Guinea, received the least donor health development assistance with only $0.02 per annum per adolescent spent since 2003. Overall 50 per cent of projects funded in low and middle income countries were in sexual and reproductive health, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
The research team, which also included Harvard’s Dr Chunling Lu and Zhihui Li, counted 19,921 youth-targeted health projects funded worldwide from 2003 to 2015 with total funding of US$3,634 million.
“Prior to this research little was known about funding patterns for youth health projects in low and middle-income nations,” according to Prof Patton.
The team searched the OECD's Creditor Reporting System, which records international develop assistance. This publicly accessible system receives reports from four categories of international donors:
- The 30 members of the UN Development Assistance Committee
- 32 multi-lateral organisations (including the United Nations and World Bank).
- 20 non-Development Assistance Committee countries (including the United Arab Emirates)
- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Prof Patton says limits to the study include the unavailability of aid data from emerging donors, like China.
Even the UN has neglected youth health
He believes the lack of funding in youth projects was perhaps not surprising given adolescent health had not been a priority during the years of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
However he said the UN’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health, (the new guide development spending from 2016 through to 2030) calls on the global community to dig deep and spend more on youth health projects.
“Adolescence lays a foundation for future health, quality-of-life and economic productivity. And it is therefore remarkable that this group has been so undervalued in international development.
“Remember also that young people will be the next generation to become parents and they, in turn, will shape their children’s future.”
Young people are our future
Study senior author Chunling Lu, assistant professor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, echoed the sentiments.
“Considering how important young people are for the future wellbeing and economic development of low and middle-income countries, international donors need to reconsider both the levels and the patterns of investments that they are making,” Dr Lu said.
“The rapidly increasing population of adolescents currently growing up in developing countries further demands greater investment in adolescent health.”
From 2003 to 2015, youth-targeted health aid increased five-fold from $109.7 million to $528.5 million.
The top five donors were:
- Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria $806.8 million>
- United Nations Population Fund $401.3 million
- The United States of America $389.9 million
- The United Kingdom $251.8 million
- International Development Association $218.6 million
What can you do?
The reality is that if you care, you could donate to a medical charity or a youth charity. If you don’t have money to donate, consider whether you could run a fundraiser in your community to support a youth project overseas.
Believe me every little bit helps! Young people, especially those growing up in low-income countries, deserve and need our support.
ABOUT PAT MESITI
Pat Mesiti is a best-selling author, coach and educator in the area of personal development. Having built some of Australia’s largest people-driven organisations, Pat understands the power of harnessing human potential. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s great business minds and has sold over millions of copies of his books and materials.