The impact of economic downturn on children in Africa
Wednesday 1 April 2009
I was reading on papers about the economic crisis and about the money that governments have been using to support banks in developed countries. I couldn’t help to think about people in Africa who have no access to banks credits or no regular income. However it does not mean that the crisis has not hit Africa. Before this, I have already seen in rural areas many families struggling to meet their needs such as food and health. I cannot imagine how they are coping with the situation now.
Traditionally it used to be the case in Liberia for families to have lunch three times a day but because of the hardship after the war they reduce the meal to two times per day. Last year when I visited families in June, most of them were only eating one meal a day. With the recent raising of food prices I wonder how tough the situation is now for them.
I remember visiting Fatou last year who had to choose between taking her sick baby to the clinic or to make money to feed her family. For women like Fatou, loosing a day of work to attend the clinic means that they will not be able to feed their family. Fatou told me she knew she should take her baby to the clinic to get treatment as soon as the fever started but she could not leave her other children starving.
In rural northern Rwanda, Alphonsine has to work harder and twice than she used to do. There, the daily wage cannot even cover the price of one kilo of bins sold 350 RWF (£0.3). Today, Alphonsine works harder and harder just to pay for food neglecting her child and herself. She even doesn’t have enough to buy cloth to protect her child from getting chest infections.
In the same district, I also met with Immanirakiza who has three children. She told me if she wants to feed her family she has to work every day, and there is no money left to pay for healthcare fees.
This is the picture in most of the African countries. Because of increase of food prices, people have to sacrifice or to renounce to access to basis social services like education or health. It broke my heart when Ciatta a mother in Liberia told me that sometime she feels guilty to see her children going to school with nothing to eat or wondering how they were able to study on an empty stomach.
I wonder if when world leaders plan to save the economy they will think about how to help children like Ciatta’s.
Tags: G20, G20Summit, G20Voice
May 22nd, 2009 at 7:31 PM
Congratulations on your important work. I am planning to film children in Rwanda this September and could benefit from any information anyone who has worked there can provide me.
Eric
eric@earthHeal.com