CFTW - Blog #africans

By 2030, Africa Will Be Home to 90% of the Worlds Poor Population

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 05:39:56 +0000

Introduction

Africa has generally been known as a continent where poverty is common and subsisting on a low income is the norm. However, the impoverished communities of this beautiful continent are growing, and by 2030, it is anticipated that as many as 90% of the world’s total poor population will be located in this area.

The data can be difficult to decipher at first, and it may even appear on the surface to indicate that poverty in the African region is on a decline from 54% in 1990 to 41% in 2015. However, due to the population growth that occurred at the same time, the total number of people who are living in extreme poverty has actually increased substantially, from 278 million to 413 million in the same time period.

Some countries are making strides toward ending poverty, with E thiopia and Kenya the closest and Ghana close behind. However, Zambia and Mali have struggled to achieve the same international assistance seen by some other countries.

Why No Improvement?

The reasons why poverty continues to dominate talk in Africa are many, and not all are easy to solve. In total, 27 of the 28 poorest countries in the world are in Sub-Saharan Africa, with poverty rates over 30%. But poverty is not just a measure of financial wellness or the ability to acquire income; rather, it is a holistic examination of quality of life that considers hunger, shelter, access to healthcare, education access (both in terms of distance and society), being able to read or have a job, losing children to curable illnesses, and even the attitude of living one day at a time.

The most common factors by which poverty is measured are:

Availability of shelter
Access to clean food and water
Ability to use healthcare services
Government corruption
Poor infrastructure
Consumption of natural resources

However, in addition to these external criteria, individuals must also be assessed for emotional and spiritual poverty. These can have just as important an impact on the world—an emotionally and spiritually fatigued individual may not have the aspiration to continue their education, and the world has lost a valuable mind who may have made breakthroughs and contributions to others.

Why Address Poverty?

Our humanity often moves us to commiserate about the state of poverty in Africa, but sympathy alone is not the only reason to address poverty around the world. Because the insecure lifestyle generated by inadequate provisional needs makes people vulnerable, a number of issues can arise that have a global impact.

Imagine, for example, the change that would occur to unrest in the region if more people had access to food, healthcare, and job opportunities. Inept leadership may be replaced with highly educated individuals who are suited to lead wisely, and a country with strong leadership can become an integral player on the international stage. Similarly, countries that do not have inadequate healthcare help to keep global travel robust and safe despite outbreaks of dangerous diseases like Ebola and COVID-19.

US vs. THEM

African countries continue to fall behind in their goals to eradicate poverty. In September 2015, nations around the world joined in the Sustainable Development Goals agreement that was intended to eradicate poverty; however, many African countries are not on track to meet their promised poverty levels.

Part of the reason for falling short is due to a lack of international funding. Communities already stricken by poverty cannot just pull themselves up by their bootstraps; they need international aid from NGOs and other charitable organizations. If you have the financial means, you too can help pull people out of poverty by donating to these worthwhile causes.

Organizations like CFTW make it their mission to rehabilitate poverty stricken communities and heal the whole person—not just by providing financial means. Instead, CFTW and other charities work with underprivileged communities to educate them both academically and spiritually so that they can move on as fully realized individuals.

You can help CFTW and other charitable organizations by donating as you are financially able. Your contributions, even in the amount of a few dollars, go a long way in communities where a single dollar is more than some people earn for an entire day’s work. You can also contribute your time via volunteer hours at the in-person or online organizations that you are most passionate about. We have a global responsibility to help our fellow humans in need, especially when they are unable to help themselves.

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The Situation of Education and Health in Africa

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:59:06 +0000

Africa is the world’s second largest continent, home to 54 countries, a number of deserts and mountain ranges, and surrounded by seas and oceans on the majority of its borders. This exotic continent remains one of the top travel destinations for holiday travelers thanks to its unique and iconic wildlife, stunning landscapes, and distinctive cuisine. Unfortunately, the continent struggles to maintain a high quality of life for many of its residents, with healthcare, education, and economic struggles plaguing a large majority of its population.

Quality of Life and Health

The health and wellness of many African people has deteriorated over time, and being unwell is quickly becoming the standard. The rising cost of living has led to a high dependence on staple foods like grains in place of nutritionally dense foods like fruit, vegetables, fish, dairy, and eggs. This promotes the widespread production of cheap and nutritionally lacking fast food and packaged food, which in turn results in worse health outcomes.

Because of the food monoculture that lacks variety, more than 222 million Africans are undernourished. Nearly 14 million children are experiencing wasting, with four million wasted severely. Nearly two-thirds of children at preschool age are anemic, and more than half (58%) of all residents of sub-Saharan African lack access to clean water.

The area also struggles with disease, representing approximately 24% of the global disease burden while seeing only 1% of global health expenditure and 3% of the world’s health workers. Over 90% of global malaria cases occur in Africa, and around 3,000 children die each day of the disease. Women are also at particular risk in the health system, as 19 out of the 20 countries globally with the highest maternal mortality rates are in Africa.

Education and Teaching

It is easy to see why education in Africa may be lacking solely due to the poor health outcomes for many children, but a number of additional factors hamper proper education even further. Consistent military conflicts in the area based upon ethnic intolerance reduce access to education, as children in conflict zones or remote camps lose access to schooling. Many nations and institutions have been unsuccessful in ensuring geographical and gender equality in education; disabled students are at a particular disadvantage.

In addition, quality remains an issue in the African education system. Only one quarter of primary school teachers in sub-Saharan Africa have received any training; only about half of secondary school teachers are qualified for their positions, but many students will not even reach secondary school due to external factors. In fact, Africa has the highest rate of educational exclusion—and the lowest secondary school attendance—in the world. Only 28% of children enroll in secondary school, and 60% of young people aged 15 to 17 no longer attend schooling. One-fifth of 6 to 11s and one-third of 12 to 14s do not go to school, and as many as 15 million children have never been to school at all.

In addition to the healthcare outcomes and military presence that make education more challenging, limited household income also plays a role. The government provides little investment in equal access to education, and most children are responsible for contributing income to the family and so cannot spare time at school. Illiteracy resulting from inadequate schooling reaches as high as 40% across the continent, with some harder hit areas seeing over 50% of their population unable to read or write. These critical areas include Ethiopia, Chad, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Niger, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

Economic Opportunity

Economic opportunities are shrinking for those growing up in the African continent due to a cumulative build-up of roadblocks; these include poor health, a lack of education, and increasing military and governmental tensions across the region. In just two African countries—Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—more than 150 million people live in extreme poverty. One in three Africans, or around 422 million people, live below the global poverty line, accounting for more than 70% of the world’s poverty.

Around 40% of Africans earn approximately $1.90 US per day. One of the driving factors behind the rising poverty and falling economic opportunities is the rapid population growth that has been occurring in the region. Many factors drive this, but inadequate education and health provisions for proper family planning are contributors.

What’s Next

Countries across African continue to suffer from unsustainable economies that can collapse at any moment, local conflict, ballooning poverty levels, failing educational systems, and natural disasters like droughts that only exacerbate other issues. These barriers to a better quality of life can be addressed, but it will take cooperation and a concerted effort from people across the globe to offer the assistance that the African people need.

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