|
But not most efforts
were peaceful. The economy was not the only factor affected but
also the general well-being of the people. In a report by UNICEF in
1980, only 10 % of the death toll consisted of combatants. 90% of
those who died were children and women. There were a lot of cases
against human and children’s rights, such as harrasment and
rape. Educational deprivation also became one of the effects of the
war. Children were forced into labor or directly into military
service. Others were maimed by the destruction of landmines. War
aftermath produced street children and continued practice of child
labor and oppression of women.
War and its effects
certainly deprived Africa of opportunities essential to its growth.
The majority of Africa's countries and people live below the
percentage of Low Human Development. The need for facilities such
as health services, safe water access and sanitation are not met.
The percentage of the population without access to safe water that
corresponds to Low Human Development from 1990-1996 was 29.43%. The
country with the highest percentage is Chad (76% of its
population). Low Human Development's percentage of population
without access to sanitation was 64.6 % while 94% of Mali and
Malawi had no access to sanitation. In a Low Human Developing
country in 1993, 36.2 doctors was to 100,000 persons. In Malawi,
Chad and Mozambique, there were only 2. In addition to this,
mortality rates are skyrocketingly high. In 1996, 90.02 infant
mortality was to 1,000 births in the Low Human Developing county.
In Niger there were 191. On the other hand, maternal mortality in
1990 in Low Human Developing countries was 763.4 per 100,000 live
births. In Sierra Leone, there were 1,800.
Land was being used
for battlefields rather than being tilled. Also, farming methods
and equipment were very basic. Daily per capita supply of calories
in 1995 in Low Human Developing countries was 2315.02. In
Mozambique, there was only 1675. (Source of Statistics taken from
UNDP Indicator Report)
We don't want Africa
to be untapped forever. We don't want Africans to be deprived of
the bounty of their own land. You had a glimpse of their continent.
You spun through their history. You had a chance to see hard core
statistics.
Now what is to be
done? Africa may be a million miles away, but you can do something
using your own unique endowments. Africa is part of the Earth and
so are you. No one would like to look back at it and say: Too
bad.
[ Page 1 ] [ Page 2 ]
|
