Why is Africa Poor?

I reckon that the biggest reason for poverty is that people are born into it. How many middle class people significantly improve the living conditions of their parents? Not many. Showing how difficult it is to generate wealth. One also has to consider the role of sex and politics. Often Africans are told the cause of their poverty is too many children; which is a simplification that is often misunderstood as racism and the result is that more children are produced in defiance. The real problem is that its too many children in poverty. I try and encourage men thus : "You can have lots of children. Just don't do it when you are struggling for money. Rather wait until you are established. It is far better to have 5 children when a man is 50, than 2 when he is 20."

It is not merely in relation to Africa that people believe poverty is the result of laziness or idleness. In a book entitled 'Ministry of Mercies: the call of the Jericho Road,' Tim Keller picks up on the fact that in North America one of the most widespread justifications for not reaching out to the poor is the convenient myth that the poor are poor because they will not work. But the facts, he states, contradict the myth. He writes, "[in North America] approximatrly one-third of the poor are children. Another third are adults who are working, but not making a wage that lifts them out of poverty. A sixth consist of the elderly and the mentally or physically disabled. Only the final sixth consist of the 'controversial' people - single parents home with children, and persons who are able-bodied but not working. It is not fair to simply consider all these people 'lazy.' A great number of them suffer with debilitating social and emotional problems. But even if we did count many in this group as the 'shiftless' poor of popular imagination, we see that it is only a fraction of the massive group of needy North Americans" (p. 19). Certainly, the 'facts' surrounding poverty are very different in Africa than in North America, but the myth of poverty being synonomous with idleness is universal, and will not do to justify us in our reluctance to face poverty squarely as essential to our active faith in Christ.

A child dies every three seconds from AIDS and extreme poverty, often before their fifth birthday. More than one billion people do not have access to clean water. Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday. More than 50 percent of Africans suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera and infant diarrhea. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, 300 million are children. Of these 300 million children, only eight percent are victims of famine or other emergency situations. More than 90 percent are suffering long-term malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency. 200,000 child slaves are sold every year in Africa. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone. (sources: BBC 5 October, 2001 & Anti-Slavery Society) About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: Africa Children’s Charter) Children account for half of all civilian casualties in wars in Africa. (source: Africa 2015) One in six African children dies before the age of five. Most of these deaths could be prevented. (source: Africa 2015) Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight. (source: UNICEF) In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: UNICEF) Between 12 and 14 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. (source: World Bank/UNICEF) Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive. (source: UNICEF) 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF) 64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation. (source: UNICEF) Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (source: Africa 2015) poverty Africa For every 100 boys there are only 83 girls enrolled at primary school. (source: World Bank/UNICEF)