Starvation in Africa is now believed to be the most serious problem of all. Different sources say that every year hunger kills more people than diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined all together. Many of those people are kids who die at very young age because of lack of food. The situation is very serious and African continent is in a grave danger. Hunger became a grim reaper who takes away countless numbers of lives each and every day.

Hunger statistics

Africa is the continent with the second largest number of hungry or malnourished people.

According to FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), in 2014, over 20 % of African population was undernourished. That is around 227 million people who suffer from hunger.

In Sub-Saharan Africa one out of four persons is undernourished. Moreover, 23 million of school-age children in Africa attend classes hungry.

In the south parts of Somalia, almost half of the population suffers from malnourishment. This number constitutes the highest malnutrition rate in the world.

These statistics are really dreadful. While most of us take food for granted, for many African children it became a kind of luxury which is not always accessible.

Malnutrition in children

Malnutrition is especially dangerous for children during gestation and for those who have not reached the age of 2. For those kids malnutrition most often means permanent problems with physical and mental development.

The extreme form of malnutrition is called starvation. Children who suffer from starvation usually have: a thin body, short height, very low energy levels, and swollen legs and abdomen. They immune system is extremely weakened and they are vulnerable to all kinds of infections and diseases. The body has no strength to defend itself.

Moreover, malnourished mother is more likely to pass the HIV virus on to her child. HIV transmission is another very serious problem in African countries. And as you see, it is connected to starvation problem.

Another problem is chronic illnesses and diarrhea which are a very common phenomenon across the developing countries. They are also connected to the starvation problem as their occurrence accelerates the development of malnutrition.

Hunger facts

There are many different causes of hunger but most common are: poverty, environment, harmful economic systems, conflicts, and rapid population growth.

Poverty seems to be the most important factor. Many African families simply do not have enough money to buy food. As a result, parents and children are starving and the state is not concerned with their situation.

Environment is another problematic issue. People have to face erosion, desertification, deforestation, and of course droughts and water shortages. The agricultural production is sometimes extremely reduced. This reduction has a direct effect on hunger increase.

Economic systems in the world tend to gather all the supplies for the minority who live well. However, on the other hand, we have those who are barely able to survive. The control over resources is based on military, political and economic reasons which sometimes have nothing in common with welfare of the world’s population.

Another factor connected with poverty and hunger are conflicts. In countries affected by wars many families experience a shortage of food supplies. Many of them are leaving their homes because of fear. They are leaving everything behind and usually end up in some refugee camp where they are forced to live in harsh conditions.

And the last but not least among the causes of hunger is the rapid population growth. This growth together with other negative factors leads to decrease of income in families. The decrease income means poverty and poverty means hunger.

African children in need

As you can easily notice, everything is connected. Malnourished children easily catch different diseases. Those diseases accelerate the speed of malnutrition development. Then children become even weaker; suffer from even more diseases and in the end they die. This is a little bit harsh; nevertheless, this is the truth.

In addition, African countries struggle with water pollution, droughts, conflicts, rapid population growth. All of these factors constitute a big challenge for the African families. They struggle with various problems every day in order to survive.

The people of African continent are not able to change this situation on their own. They desperately need help form the outside. Many actions must be taken simultaneously in order to improve lives of African children. How can you help?

Starvation – feed the children

Aid for Orphans Relief Foundation is concerned with the situation of starving children in Africa. We do our best to provide those kids with food, clean water, basic medications, and hygiene and wellness supplies. You are most welcome to join our efforts! Check out our donation page – there are a lot of different ways to support our charity foundation. Millions of hungry children are waiting for your help!