AFRICA‘S

MAJOR

CHALLENGES

I. Major Challenges Facing Africa Today

• 1. Extreme Poverty• 2. Child Slave Trade• 3. Children as Soldiers• 4. Health Issues• 5. Environmental Issues• 6. Hunger/Starvation• 7. Air /Water Pollution• 8. Ethnic/Civil Wars• 9. Refugee Camps• 10. Education/Literacy Rate

II. Causes of Poverty in Africa• Soil erosion• Overgrazing•Droughts•Deforestation•Cyclones (coastal countries)•Low agricultural productivity•Land degradation•Unemployment / low wages •Health issues•Military coups•Civil Wars•Poor farming methods•Low literacy rate•Poor roads

III. Who Are The Poor? 1. small-scale farmers 2. nomads and herders 3. skilled fishermen 4. wage laborers 5. displaced people 6. households headed by woman 7. unemployed 8. youth 9. landless people

IV. Western and Central Africa

1. 3/4 live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

2. 1/5 live in a country affected by warfare.

3. Land degradation (caused from over farming, deforestation and overgrazing) has reached an all time high.

4. The poorest people live in isolated areas

5. HIV/AIDS in Western and Central Africa is lower than that of Eastern and Southern Africa

6. Diseases could spread if not taken care

V. Eastern and Southern Africa 1. Rural poverty is growing at an alarming

rate in Eastern and Southern Africa2. Most of the region’s 130 million poor

people live in rural areas. 3. Ten of the 21 countries in these regions

earn less than the equal of $400. 4. Most of the families in the rural areas

are farmers. 5. Assistance to the farmers in these

regions has been very slow. 6. As a result agricultural productivity 7. More than 85 per cent of the rural poor

live on land that has medium to high potential for increased productivity.

8. The poorest people live in the desert or on semi-arid land that makes up almost 40 per cent of the land base of this part of Africa.

VI. North Africa1. The percentage of rural poor people varies from 6 % in Tunisia to 90 % in Somalia and 87 % in the Sudan. 2. Rural poor people makeup about 1/3 of Tunisia’s poor population and about ¾ of Somalia’s poor. 3. The causes for rural poverty in this region are:• limited access of good farm land• limited access to water• droughts • flooding• civil wars• poor infrastructure ( road systems, • highways, public transportation, electricity, • water, etc.)• high illiteracy rate (especially women)• weak local institution (police, fire, etc.)• poor integration of rural youth to urban areas. 3. Rural poor people have very little say in politics. (especially women). 4. Government policies tend to favor/aid the urban areas.

AFRICA”S CHILD SLAVE TRADE 200,000 children are sold every year in Africa as slave. Until recently slave trade has been largely in Angola, Sudan, Somalia or ChadThere are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone that have been taken for slave labor. Child slaves wanted for:•Domestic work•Industrial labor•Market stalls•Shop assistants•Sexual exploitation•Work on plantations There are 600,000 cocoa farms in Cote d'Ivoire Approximately 15,000 children are forced to work as slaves on these farmsThe trafficking of children for slave labor is growing at a rapid rate. Countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria and Togo. Brokers scout for children among poor families in rural areas of Brokers kidnap children y playing outside or who have wandered into urban areas. Others say they persuade parents that their children will receive a professional training or a good education with a wealthy family. Most of the parents are then corrupted by receiving a little cash.

The Invisible Soldiers: Child Combatants1. There are an estimated

120,000 child soldiers in Africa. 2. The small arms of children make it easier to

use weapons.3. In some countries, children as young as 10

have been recruited into a conflict. 4. Recent warfare has heightened the dangers

for children. 5. In many places children grow up knowing

only violence6. During the last decade, it is estimated that

child victims have included:• 2 million killed • 4-5 million disabled• 12 million left homeless• 10 million psychologically traumatized

.

Africa’s Health Issues1. Diseases such as AIDS, malaria,

pneumonia, measles and typhoid fever are killing record numbers of people.

2. It is estimated that more than 18 million people have died to date of Aids (3 million were children).

3. 25+ million adults are currently infected

4. More than 15 million children have been orphaned as a result of the Aids epidemic.

5. Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive.

6. In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day.

7. Malaria kills more than 1 million a year

Hunger / Starvation1. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, 300 million are children. 2. More than 90 percent are suffering long-term malnourishment3. Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight. 4. Horn of Africa is having a major problemReasons for famine:• Droughts in Western Sahel• Increase in Population• Poor soil/ loss of soil • Civil Wars•Little rainfall in South Africa5. Aids - sub-Saharan Africa. ex. Countries like Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe are losing a large number of young adults to the aids epidemic and gaining a large number of orphans and elderly people with no visible means of support.

Africa’s Water Pollution ProblemsTwo thirds (60%) of Africa is desert or dry lands. More than 50 % of Africans suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera and infant diarrhea43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. 27 African countries, greater than 30% of the population does not have access to safe water36 African countries where more than 50% of the population lacks access to sanitation40% of all child deaths from diarrhea are in Sub-Saharan Africa64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation. Oil leaks/spills at shipping portsPoor management of water resourcesLack of financial resources

Africa’s Air Pollution ProblemsGrowth of urban populationold carscarbon dioxide-emitting motorbikes gasoline with high lead contentIndustrial waste75-80% of Africa's population is still mostly poor and they use firewood for fuel. Burning wood releases CO2 into the atmosphere

Africa’s Ethnic /Civil WarsEthnic /civil wars were primarily over: 1. Natural Resources

• oil• gold, copper, iron ore, silver• water• diamonds

2. Border Disputes3. Ethnic/tribal rivalry4. Military coups5. Religion6. Education of some

Africa’s Refugee Problem1. Rwanda and Burund have created a massive

population displacement. 2. The war in the Democratic Republic of

Congo, has forced out tens of thousands. 3. Renewed war in Angola and continued

fighting in the Republic of Congo have displaced thousands.

4. It is estimated that more than 150,000 Sahrawis - people from the disputed territory of Western Sahara - have lived in five large refugee camps near Tindouf in the Algerian part of the Sahara Desert since 1975.

5. Angola, has an estimated 3 million refugees6. Children account for half of all civilian

casualties in wars in Africa

Literacy Problems in Africa1. Literacy is a major problem in Africa2. 136 million Adults cannot read3. In 2000, the average literacy rate in Sub-

Saharan Africa was 52 % for women and 68.9 % for men.

4. The African continent has strong regional differences:

5. Western African countries have the smallest literacy rate

6. Southern African countries have the highest literacy rate

7. South African schools are the most dangerous in the world.

8. Only 27% of the students attending South African schools feel safe.

9. Causes:• poverty • lack of money• material •human resources•safety in the schools• unemployment•exploitation of natural resources•prejudice against women

“When you educate a man, you educate an individual, when you educate a woman you educate a nation

Fact: 1. A child dies every three seconds from

extreme poverty, often before their fifth birthday.

2. More than one billion people do not have access to clean water.

3. "Every day 30,000 children die from a combination of disease- infested water and malnutrition,

4. More than 50 % of Africans suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera and infant diarrhea.

5. Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday.

6. Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight.

7. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, 300 million are children.

8. More than 90 percent are suffering long-term malnourishment.

9. Diseases such as AIDS, malaria, pneumonia and typhoid fever are killing record numbers as well.

10. Between 12 and 14 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS

Fact:11. Nearly 2 million children under 14 years

old are HIV positive12. Measles takes the life of a child nearly

every minute of every day13. 200,000 child slaves are sold every year

in Africa14. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves

in West Africa.15. Approximately 120,000 African children

are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old.

16. 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water

17. 64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation.

18. Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education

One in three children do not complete primary education.