Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Astonishing Truth Behind Starvation

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Recommended: Hunger and Starvation in Sub-Saharan Africa

At this moment in sub-Saharan Africa, every 3 seconds a child under five dies from AIDS and hunger, and more than 90 percent of the people are suffering long term malnourishment. (World Health Organization) In addition to this, measles are taking the life of a boy almost every minute, when a measles vaccine cost less than $1. (WHO, World Health Organization) "Things are moving in the wrong direction," says Marc Cohen (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington). "If we look at sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, all the projections are that poverty and hunger are going to get worse." There are 31.1 million food-deprived masses, scattered across the region surrounding Ethiopia, and elsewhere. (The Christian Science Monitor, August 1, 2005)

These shocking facts drive us to raise the questions: what is occurring in sub-Saharan Africa? Why are poverty and hunger going to get worse in countries similar to Ethiopia? Is there any quick solution?

To understand the main point of this essay it is essential to understand: Why is this problem important? Well, to begin with, hunger and poverty are beyond comprehension for a lot of people. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, millions face these hardships in a daily basis. We, as part of the human race, must be aware of the ominous need in which millions of sub-Saharan people are. We must recognize their struggle for surviving and commit ourselves to make an effort in order to learn about their suffering. This could be a way to begin helping them. After all, helping them is our obligation as moral people, for whom the suffering of any human being can’t go unnoticed. Moreover, putting aside moral facts, hunger and poverty, combined with high levels of unemployment and a profound ...

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...es and their institutions.

Works Cited

Abraham McLaughlin. ”Hunger is spreading in Africa” The Christian Science Monitor, August 1, 2005. Print.

Thilo Thielke.”Africa’s Famine: No Shortage of blame” Der Spiegel, Hamburg, Germany, February 10, 2003.Print.

Food and Agriculture Organization. 2009. State of World Food Insecurity 2009. http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/.web. February 17, 2010.

Food and Agriculture Organization. 2010. State of World Food Insecurity 2010. http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/.web. February 17, 2010..

UNHCR 2008 Global Report 2008 "The Year in Review" http://www.unhcr.org/4a2d0b1d2.pdf.web. February 20, 2010

World Bank. Understanding Poverty. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/0,,countrycode:3A~cntry:517192~menuPK:64819306~pagePK:64392398~piPK:64392037~theSitePK:40941,00.html. Web. February 20, 2010.

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