Poverty

Do you ever wonder how many people have money, food, clean water, and shelter? Throughout the world, over 3 billion people (about half of global population) live under 2.50 US dollars a day. UNICEF has calculated that 22,000 children in the world die of poverty. Besides, there are also contagious diseases affecting the lives of the poor, such as AIDS and malaria. This especially regards countries dealing with warfare, countries near Angola, Burundi, Mozambique, and Uganda, as they have a drastic amount of people suffering from poverty.

Africa has a couple of the poorest countries in the world with an estimated population of 1.033 billion people. This is due to the fact that more than 70% of  Africa are rural areas and they live depend on its agriculture for food and money. And more than 218 million people are living in extreme poverty which they are deprived of human needs. Half of the African population live on under 1 US dollar a day.

Clean water is an essential need to life. In Africa, over 1 billion people do not have access to clean and safe water, which is 1 person in every 8 people in the world. According to the Water Project, clean water can help you stay healthy, grow food, build houses, and have sufficient energy. Oftentimes in small villages, water sources can only be found miles and miles away from their homes. Everyday people spend hours trying to find a water source and thinking of ways to transport it back for their family.  The Water Project tells stories about a five-year old carrying a 40 pound jar full of water and a mother carrying a 70 pound jar full. Without a clean water source, the poverty cycle will never be broken.


USA Today has wrote real life news about children living in poverty in Africa. Little thirteen-year old Pascal and his little brother were abandoned by their drunk mother in the streets and were too poor to afford a meal. The brothers are only two out of the 46 million African children. Most of them have never had the chance for education because they cannot afford tuition and uniform fees. Enrollment of primary schools of Africa hits the lowest among the world.


How YOU can help:
- Spread awareness among family and friends, encouraging them to step up and give a voice
- Donate money to non-profit organizations for clean water, money, food, shelter, education, etc.
- Interacting with Africans and helping them by hand (teach children, help farming, etc.)
- Prayers :)



Sites Used:
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/region/home/tags/africa
http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats
http://thewaterproject.org/poverty.asp
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-07-21-africaschild_N.htm
http://achieveinafrica.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/facts-on-education-in-africa/