Aside from a small percentage of people who struggle with adversity, most Americans don’t need to be concerned about their most basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and education. It may be impossible to imagine not having fresh bottled water, groceries in the refrigerator, and public schooling for your children.
However, not all families are that fortunate. In Africa, approximately 87 million children are born into poverty annually with over 40% of African families struggling to survive on a meager $1.90 per day. Although a single person cannot save the world, it is still possible to make a difference in a child’s life.
Hunger
It’s hard to focus on anything else if your stomach is rumbling which is why child hunger is a major worldwide crisis. Just imagine if your own child was asking you for dinner when you have nothing to give them to eat. That is a heartbreaking scenario for a parent to endure, yet it is all too common in Third World countries. Unfortunately, malnutrition often causes stunted growth and the development of other diseases in children from underdeveloped countries.
Lack of access to clean drinking water is a related crisis that affects over one billion people worldwide. Can you picture yourself drinking from a mud puddle? Children in sub-Saharan Africa and other impoverished countries drink muddy and contaminated water on a regular basis.
Medical Care
Naturally, if families can’t afford food or water, they can’t afford to see a doctor either. Sub-Saharan African children have a higher likelihood of dying before reaching the age of 5 than children from other nations that are more developed with malnutrition playing a huge role in the increased rate of premature death.
These children are susceptible to succumbing to diseases that American children are routinely vaccinated for such as measles. Additionally, diseases such as pneumonia, malaria, and HIV lead to the deaths of many impoverished children as they lack access to medical care to treat these conditions.
Education
Frequently, children from the poorer regions of Africa and other underdeveloped countries lack the ability to attend school due to financial hardship. Although these children are often very bright and eager to learn, their days consist of struggling just to survive.
While the primary needs in these such communities are food, water, medicine, and adequate shelter, education has the capacity to lift residents out of poverty and improve the quality of life for future generations.
What Can You Do?
While it’s probably impossible for you to save an entire region alone, you can make a difference in the life of a single child through sponsorship and donating to charitable organizations. Although you may not be able to relate to the hunger and poverty epidemics that continue to occur in other parts of the globe, the struggle is all too real for many of these children. If you open your heart and your mind, you can save the life of a child and make a positive impact on reducing child poverty.