- Edit: For each digg this story gets I will donate $0.01 to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts in Darfur –
When we think of poverty, most Americans probably think of those commercials asking you to give a dollar a day to children in Africa. Alot of Americans would gladly give $30 a month to help a child they don’t know be able to eat and get the medications they need. Its a good feeling to help those who are less fortunate be able to continue living.
The truth of the matter, though, is that there is a reason why poverty is so intrusive in Africa. For the most part, the whole of Africa has not been included in the industrialization of the rest of the world. Geographically, half of Africa is desert and the other half is rainforest. The continent doesn’t have many natural resources, with the exception of South Africa’s diamond mines, and thus does not yet have much in the way of contributing to the new global economy that industrialization has brought to the rest of the world. With little arable land, its hard for African countries to feed the growing population, and with less-than-equal medical care, AIDS has been a plague on the continent for almost a century now.
African governments, too, aren’t as stable as most other industrialized governments. The inability of some African nations to govern its people has continued the trend of poverty in cities and towns. And while the $30 a day can help save some children, when those children grow up, they are going to face the same hardships they did before their Western saviours helped this get a good meal and medical care. And while its not a bad idea for people to help other people, governments need to help other governments as well.
Africa lacks a good power and telecommunications network. They lack a good education program and job training, because they lack jobs. Africa needs to break the cycle its been in, as seen from the outside world looking in. Governments in Africa need to come together like governments in Europe have after World War II. The resources Africa does have need to be shared among its people in order to better the quality of life until such point as the rest of world can set up a means to help Africa not only with a way to raise funds but a way to use technologies the rest of the world are able to use.
For instance, the Saraha Desert is once of the best places to build and maintain solar power plants. Proposals have been floating around the internet for a massive solar array to help power Europe. And yes, while European countires would reap the benefits of solar power exported from Africa, Saharan counties can reap the benefit of exporting that power to not only Europe but also other parts of Africa, and even western Asia. Literally, some African countries have it in their ability to empower the rest of Africa with affordable “local” electricity. Its a great first step in helping the lives of so many African people.
Secondly, once a continental power grid can be established local communities can tap into it at first, in order to run schools, medical clinics, and water treatment facilities. If every community in Africa had those 4 basic services: electricity, medicine, clean water, and education, the people of Africa would go so far.
Thirdly, a better infrastructure of roads to connect people could be built to help facilitate commerce. Farmers and tradespeople would be able to move their goods from place to place and make money or trade with others. Commerce would no longer be limited to the capital cities and those who live within walking distance.
And, skilled laborers could be taught in Africa to do the jobs needed to build a network of roads and power and communication lines. Skilled Africans would be needed to monitor and maintain not only those networks but also water treatment facilities and power stations.
In conclusion, poverty in Africa exists. Africa’s current situation has been the same for hundreds of years, but now that the rest of the world sets the bar, the need to help fellow human beings is stronger now more than ever. But unless African nations can come together an define goals for the continent and use what resources they have available to compete on the world stage, the rest of the world will indeed still see Africa has largely in poverty. We’ll still have people donating $30 to someone who needs food and medicine. We’ll still see news reports of violence and trouble. We’ll still be living so much better than they will because we’ve been given the opportunity while they’ve been left behind.
