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Sarah Ortega
Mrs. Milano
English 10 Honors, Period 3
10 May 2019
Living Conditions in Africa- A Crime Against Humanity
In many regions of Africa, a total of 20 million people, including countless children, are
experiencing horrible living conditions and health risks. “Africa is the poorest continent on earth
by a long shot. With the exception of three, 28 of the poorest countries in the world are in
Africa”(Children International). One of the many risks involves starvation, poverty, lack of basic
human necessities, and financial stability. These people do not have access to basic human
needs, such as nutrition, clean water, shelter and more. The United States proposes to improve
these areas by offering health innovations such as the Malaria vaccine and ‘promote stability’.
Regions shortfalls of resources and needs because of the circumstances which they are in and the
government’s decisions are a Crime Against Humanity.
Specifically, the Sub-Saharan regions in Africa have been facing many challenges with
their economic status. Les Picker, a writer for The National Bureau of Economic Research states,
“Investment Rate of Africa has fallen. Since 1975 the investment rate has declined to 8.5 percent
for the whole continent”(Picker). This demonstrates a crisis in their lack of investment. Which
indicates that they are not succeeding in reaching the expectation of some benefit in the future,
because of their financial deficiencies that show in their declining rates. These deficiencies are
mostly the government having a hard time reducing subsidies to their agricultural products.
Picker claims that, One of the main outcomes of Africa’s lack of activity is the disproportion of
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their income which has decreased in Africa and has increased everywhere else globally (Picker,
2019). Even if the Sub-Saharan is trying to improve the distribution of their money to other
places most in need, they are not using it resourcefully and that is where the complications come
in. The places Africa is giving their small portions to is not being used in a rise manner because
of these reasons.
To demonstrate an issue equally as important to Africa’s economic status, is that many
regions in Africa happen to be having problems with their resources which is affecting their
lifestyle along with their health. In the informational website, SOS Children’s Villages, it
indicates, In addition, people in many African countries have recently been suffering from the
effects of the weather phenomenon El Nino: droughts or torrential rains destroy crops, kill cattle
and lead to starvation” (SOS Children’s Villages). That weather phenomenon is one of the many
weather occurrences that happen in Africa that slowly takes more and more of their resources
and their daily needs to li...
