CHILDREN MORTALITY RATE
5.9 million children under the age of 5 died in 2021.
More than half of these early child deaths are due to conditions that could be prevented or treated with access to simple, affordable interventions.
Leading causes of death in under-5 children are preterm birth complications, pneumonia, birth asphyxia, diarrhoea and malaria. About 45% of all child deaths are linked to malnutrition.
Children in sub-Saharan Africa are more than 14 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than children in developed regions.
A child's risk of dying is highest in the neonatal period, the first 28 days of life. Safe childbirth and effective neonatal care are essential to prevent these deaths. 45% of child deaths under the age of 5 take place during the neonatal period.
Preterm birth, intrapartum-related complications (birth asphyxia or lack of breathing at birth), and infections cause most neonatal deaths. From the end of the neonatal period and through the first 5 years of life, the main causes of death are pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. Malnutrition is the underlying contributing factor in about 45% of all child deaths, making children more vulnerable to severe diseases.
Overall, substantial progress has been made towards achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4. Since 1990 the global under-5 mortality rate has dropped from 91 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 41.1 in 2021 But the rate of this reduction in under-5 mortality was insufficient to reach the MDG target of a two-thirds reduction of 1990 mortality levels by the year 2021.
Who is most at risk?
Newborns
2.7 million babies die every year in their first month of life and a similar number are stillborn. Within the first month, up to one half of all deaths occur within the first 24 hours of life, and 75% occur in the first week. The 48 hours immediately following birth is the most crucial period for newborn survival. This is when the mother and child should receive follow-up care to prevent and treat illness.
Globally, the number of neonatal deaths declined from 5.1 (4.9, 5.3) million in 1990 to 2.7 (2.5, 2.9) million in 2015. However, the decline in neonatal mortality from 1990 to 2015 has been slower than that of post-neonatal under-5 mortality: 47% compared with 58% globally. This pattern applies to most low- and middle-income countries. If current trends continue, around half of the 69 million child deaths between 2016 and 2030 will occur during the neonatal period. The share of neonatal deaths is projected to increase from 45% of under-5 deaths in 2015 to 52% in 2030. Moreover, 63 countries need to accelerate progress to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of a neonatal mortality rate of 12 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030.
Prior to birth, a mother can increase her child's chance of survival and good health by attending antenatal care consultations, being immunized against tetanus, and avoiding smoking and use of alcohol.
At the time of birth, a baby's chance of survival increases significantly with delivery in a health facility in the presence of a skilled birth attendant. After birth, essential care of a newborn should include:
ensuring that the baby is breathing;
starting the newborn on exclusive breastfeeding right away;
keeping the baby warm; and
washing hands before touching the baby.
Identifying and caring for illnesses in a newborn is very important, as a baby can become very ill and die quickly if an illness is not recognized and treated appropriately. Sick babies must be taken immediately to a trained health care provider.
Children under the age of 5
Substantial global progress has been made in reducing child deaths since 1990. The number of under-5 deaths worldwide has declined from 12.7 (12.6, 13.0) million in 1990 to 5.9 (5.7, 6.4) million in 2015 – 16 000 every day compared with 35 000 in 1990. Since 1990, the global under-5 mortality rate has dropped 53%, from 91 (89, 92) deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 43 (41, 46) in 2015.
The world as a whole has been accelerating progress in reducing the under-5 mortality rate. Promisingly, sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest under-5 mortality rate in the world, has also registered a substantive acceleration. Its annual rate of reduction increased from 1.6 percent in 1990s to 4.1 percent in 2000–2015. The remarkable decline in under-5 mortality since 2000 has saved the lives of 48 million children under age 5.
Between 1990 and 2015, 62 of the 195 countries with available estimates met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 target of a two-thirds reduction in the under-5 mortality rate. Among them, 24 are low- and lower-middle income countries. Despite these gains, progress was insufficient to reach MDG 4 globally and in many regions. Currently, 79 countries have an under 5 mortality rate above 25, and 47 of them will not meet the proposed SDG target of 25 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030 if they continue their current trends in reducing under-5 mortality. Among these 47 countries, 34 are in sub-Saharan Africa. The acceleration needed to reach the goals in those 47 countries is substantial – 30 countries must at least double their current rate of reduction, and 11 of those 30 countries must at least triple their current rate of reduction.
Wide gaps in child mortality across sub-groups or areas within countries have been documented, warranting a call for an equity-focused approach to reducing child mortality. Children are at greater risk of dying before age 5 if they are born in rural areas, poor households, or to a mother denied basic education.
More than half of under-5 child deaths are due to diseases that are preventable and treatable through simple, affordable interventions. Strengthening health systems to provide such interventions to all children will save many young lives.
Malnourished children, particularly those with severe acute malnutrition, have a higher risk of death from common childhood illness such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, and malaria. Nutrition-related factors contribute to about 45% of deaths in children under 5 years of age.
2011 Global Hunger Index - Facts and Findings: Sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Of the ten countries with the highest levels of hunger, and of the ten whose scores have actually increased since 1990, nine are in Sub-Saharan Africa in both cases.
- Of the ten countries that most improved their GHI scores since 1990, none are in Sub-Saharan Africa, but Ghana cut its score by more than 50 percent, the only country in the region to do so.
- High hunger levels in Sub-Saharan Africa are due to high child mortality rates and a significant proportion of people who lack sufficient calories. Low government effectiveness, conflict, political instability, and high rates of HIV/AIDS are also among the factors that contribute to high hunger levels.
- In 2005, less than one-fourth of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa met the Millennium Development Goal target for gender parity in primary and secondary school enrollment rates. (Source: 2008 Global Gender Gap Index)
- Reducing gender gaps in both schooling and control of agricultural resources in Sub-Saharan Africa could have the potential to increase agricultural productivity by 10–20 percent.
East Africa
- Rwanda, Djibouti, Tanzania, and Kenya all have “alarming” levels of hunger with GHI scores of 25.4, 22.9, 21.2, and 20.2, respectively.
- With a GHI score of 14.8, Uganda’s hunger level is considered “serious.”
- Ethiopia has made significant progress in reducing hunger since 1990, with its GHI score falling from 43.5 to 30.8. In contrast, Kenya has not made any progress.
- Rwanda has the highest child mortality rate in the region (18.1 percent), followed by Burundi (18 percent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (16.1), Uganda (13), Djibouti (12.7), Kenya (12.1), Ethiopia (11.9), and Tanzania (11.6.). Eritrea has the lowest rate, at 7 percent.
- Burundi has the highest prevalence of underweight in children at 35 percent, followed closely by Ethiopia and Eritrea, at 34.6 and 34.5 percent, respectively, and then the DRC (25.1), Djibouti (24), Rwanda (18), Tanzania (16.7), Kenya (16.5), and Uganda (16.4).
- With regard to the proportion of the population who are undernourished, Uganda performs the best by far, with a rate of 15 percent. The DRC and Eritrea have the worst scores (76 and 68 percent, respectively), followed by Burundi (63), Ethiopia (46), Rwanda (40), Tanzania (35), and Djibouti and Kenya, each at 32 percent.
A child dies every three seconds from AIDS and extreme poverty, often before their fifth birthday.
More than one billion people do not have access to clean water. (global)
Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday. (sources: UNICEF, WHO
More than 50 percent of Africans suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera and infant diarrhea.
(source: World Health Org.)
In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: WHO)
About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: United Nations)
About 65% (nearly 2/3) of the world's HIV-positive population live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women most Affected. (source: UNAIDS)
Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight. (source: UNICEF)
Between 12 and 16 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. (source: World Vision)
Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive in sub - Saharan Africa. (source: Avert )
43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. (source: UNICEF)
Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. (African Union: Poverty in Africa statistics)
64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation. (source: UNICEF)
POVERTY NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY - FIGHT POVERTY AND HUNGER
“ I know poverty because poverty was there before I was born and it has become part of life like the blood through my veins. Poverty is not going empty for a single day and getting something to eat the next day. Poverty is going empty with no hope for the future. Poverty is getting nobody to feel your pain and poverty is when your dreams go in vain because nobody is there to help you. Poverty is watching your mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters die in pain and in sorrow just because they couldn't get something to eat. Poverty is hearing your grandmothers and grandfathers cry out to death to come take them because they are tired of this world. Poverty is watching your own children and grandchildren die in your arms but there is nothing you can do. Poverty is watching your children and grandchildren share tears in their deepest sleep. Poverty is suffering from HIV/AIDS and dying a shameful death but nobody seems to care".  " Poverty is when you hide your face and wish nobody could see you just because you feel less than a human being. Poverty is when you dream of bread and fish you never see in the day light. Poverty is when people accuse you and prosecute you for no fault of yours but who is there to say some for you? Poverty is when the hopes of your fathers and grandfathers just vanish within a blink of an eye. I know poverty and I know poverty just like I know my father's name. Poverty never sleeps. Poverty works all day and night. Poverty never takes a holiday" (One Poor African)
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ABOUT 15 MILLION HIV/AIDS ORPHANS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Life was simple and beautiful in the villages of Africa. Children, Grandparents, Parents, Uncles and Aunts all lived together peacefully in extended family systems. While mothers and fathers are in the farm working, Grandparents remain at home taking care of their grandchildren. While the children play in the sand, grandparents mostly sit quietly under trees nearby sometimes with friends and watch their grandchildren play. While fathers clear thick bushes making way for new farms, mothers mostly gather foodstuffs to be brought home. Such was life in African villages. However, war, diseases, extreme poverty and famine have brought to Africa an entirely new concept. Most children are left alone in this cruel world with no parents, no grandparents, no siblings, and no blood relatives at all to take care of them . Most children have lost their parents to the deadly HIV/AIDS. Others have lost their parents to war and their grandparents, to extreme poverty. facts: poverty and hunger in Africa
Children have lost their parents. Parents have lost their children and the poor grandparents have lost their sons and daughters to war, poverty and to the deadly HIV/AIDS. Grandparents love and protect their grandchildren but grandparents do not have the strength to clear thick bushes and make new farms so with the parents gone (dead), the grandparents with their grandchildren are left with nothing but extreme poverty and hunger.
Help now! help fight poverty and hunger in Africa! facts:poverty in Africa
In addition to war, HIV and famine, malaria continues to kill children in record numbers especially in Sub-saharan Africa. Meanwhile a mosquito net costs less than $1. Poverty in Africa: diseases: malaria: Facts - child poverty in Africa
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HIV AND POVERTY HAVE THE FACES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
POVERTY IN AFRICA: FACTS - HUNGER AND HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA
"As a consequence of the AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa," one report stated, "it is estimated that more than 18 million people have died to date, of which over 3 million were children. Additionally, more than 25 million adults are currently infected which will result in the continued increase in the number of orphaned children. To date, more than 15 million children have already been orphaned as a result of the epidemic. Another 1 million children are currently infected with the disease."Help fight child poverty in Africa.
"As a consequence of the AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa," one report stated, "it is estimated that more than 18 million people have died to date, of which over 3 million were children. Additionally, more than 25 million adults are currently infected which will result in the continued increase in the number of orphaned children. To date, more than 15 million children have already been orphaned as a result of the epidemic. Another 1 million children are currently infected with the disease." Help fight child poverty in Africa. Help save Africa
RURAL POVERTY IN AFRICA: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA
The majority (about three-fourth) of the poor population in Western and Central Africa (about 100million people) are poor subsistence farmers who live in villages and farm just to feed themselves and their families. They depend mostly on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, about one in every five of these people live in a country affected by warfare. War destroys families and farms leaving most people with nothing at all but extreme poverty and starvation. Famine follows wars in most cases in Africa. poverty in Africa
In conflict-torn countries such as Angola, Burundi, Mozambique, Liberia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Congo, Sierra Leon, and Uganda, the capacity of rural people to make a livelihood has been dramatically curtailed by warfare, and per capita food production has plummeted.
LACK OF GOOD DRINKING WATER A MAJOR PROBLEM IN AFRICA
Lack of good drinking water is a major problem in almost all African villages especially in desert countries like Niger, Sudan and Mali. Water is very scarce and lack of good drinking water is a major problem in Ethiopia and surrounding countries where most people and farm animals share same water sources. Children walk miles upon miles everyday to nearby streams to fetch water.
Although there are many rivers and streams in the Western, Central, and Southern parts of Africa, good drinking water is a major problem in these areas. Most of the water sources in these areas are infested with water related diseases such as bilharzia, sleeping sickness, river blindness, guinea worm disease ( guinea worm disease is a major problem in Northern Ghana. 2010) and ofcourse malaria. Besides these, diseases such cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and pneumonia continue to kill children in record numbers.
Poverty never takes a holiday. Help now! Help fight poverty in Africa.
"Africa was poor, Africa is poor and Africa will continue to be poor if we the Africans are not ready to change Africa. Africa will remain poor if Africans are not ready to make Africa rich. There is poverty in Africa and there is hunger everywhere on the continent of Africa. HIV/AIDs continues to kill Africans in record numbers. Africa is poor and there is no doubt Africa is poor. The question is not why Africa is poor but may be how we can make Africa rich. What we can do as individuals or groups to help change Africa.
There is poverty in Africa but Africa has almost all it takes to be the richest continent on earth. The major problem facing Africa today is corruption and poor leadership. There are greedy people in Africa including our leaders who don't care about their poor mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.
Some people are too greedy and that is why Africa remains poor. People are killing their own brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers just to make money. People didn't care about yesterday and people don't even care about tomorrow. All they care about is money and money and that is why Africa remains poor.
All African leaders I know are corrupt in one way or the other. They come as saints and leave as devils.. An African president of a country is a president for a few selected people. An African president is a president for only the educated and a president for only those in the higher class. An African president sees no poverty. An African president sees no hunger. An African president sees no HIV. An African president knows no orphan.
An African president shows no mercy. An African presidents sees only money and money and nothing but money.. Not just the African president but the African prime minister, the African governor, the African Doctor, the African Judge, the African lawyer, the African King, and even some of the African Pastors. And that is why Africa is still poor and that is why Africa continues to wallow in poverty..."
One poor African
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Learning to Live!
As poverty and disease claim more lives, education may be the cure
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SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA -- The number of children enrolled in primary schools throughout African countries is among the lowest in the world. Limited funds and a lack of resources -- combined with a lack of adequate numbers of teachers, properly equipped classrooms, and not enough learning materials -- have created an environment that has made educating young children throughout many African countries a nearly impossible task.
“The pursuit of universal access to education places enormous stress on already burdened education systems in Africa,” a recent U.S. government report states. “Recruiting, training, and supporting enough teachers to provide quality learning can be particularly challenging.”
Girls in Africa have been particularly affected by the education situation. In Africa, girls account for 55 percent of the approximately 40 million primary school-aged children who are not enrolled in school. “Most children don’t even start attending school until they are around 7 to 10 years of age, and traditionally, only boys have been routinely educated,” one observer noted.
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“African culture and tradition has seen no reason to educate girls, just to have them marry and care for the home and children of their husband. This has been a serious obstacle to bring even just primary education to all the children.” But things are changing.
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“The incentive to learn to read and write is now coming
through projects where people, mostly women, can set up business and learn literacy and numeracy as the need arises,” a U.N. official noted. Experience is showing that when reading and writing are linked to people’s everyday needs, success is guaranteed
“Open Heart Orphanage Ministry is implementing
educational programs and opportunities to Ugandan's orphans
“Time and time again, we have seen how education has
changed one generation after another . . . in many cases enabling people to become as self-sufficient as their environment allows. That is what really changes the face of Africa!”
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Education for Life!
Results showing life-saving value of education
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SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA -- In this region of Africa, it is estimated that 40 million children are receiving no education at all -- nearly half of all those of school age. It is predicted that this figure could rise to 60 million by the year 2015, if enrollment rates continue to fall. Because of the need for classrooms, teachers and educational materials, funding is urgently needed. But finding the necessary money will be difficult.
Since many African children have to work, they do not have the time to attend school. As a result, it is predicted that many African countries will need to double their spending on education and more affluent countries will need to more than match that amount in financial assistance to get every child into a classroom.
“With the number of orphans on the rise, those who are the‘bread-winners’ for many family units are children themselves,” explains PR. Hassan Mubiru of Open Heart Orphanage Ministry.
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“These boys and girls cannot go to school because they must work every day to find food for their siblings. It is a situation which many people in the developed countries cannot understand or fathom, but it is a reality for the children of Africa.”
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In one out of four African countries, a United Nations report states, half of the children enrolled in the last year of primary school do not pursue their studies the following year. In another 25% of countries, only one in three pupils at the end of primary school moves on to secondary education.
“If children receive financial help -- with money school fees, clothing, food, water, shelter -- basic necessities,” Fr. Lynch explained, “then they return to school. They want education -- but what can they do when they are hungry?”
Recent findings by the United Nations support this. In Madagascar, when school fees such as tuition and book fees were removed, primary school enrollment rates surged to 98 percent. Now, 89 percent of the nation’s primary-aged children are enrolled in primary school. The number of students completing primary school has climbed from 47
percent to 60 percent.
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| “With increased support from those of us living in more developed nations such as the U.S. and European countries, we could see a dramatic change in the future of Africa. Children there are no different than anywhere else; they want education -- they want to be together in an learning environment. But they also need food, clothing and shelter.
We can make a difference in the Lives of Children on an entire continent—for generations to come
We know what needs to be done.”
Poverty in Africa
Millions still struggling for basics: food, water, & shelter
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EAST AFRICA -- As Western countries continue to focus on the needs of men, women and children trapped in the web of Africa’s poverty, more and more people are asking what it means to be poor?
For those who are struggling to survive in dozens of nations across the African continent, being poor means being hungry. Poverty means a lack of shelter. It means being sick and not having the money needed to see a doctor. Being poor means not being able to pay the school fees required for a formal education -- and therefore, not knowing how to read or write. Being poor means not having a job -- and so being fearful of the future . . . being forced to live one day at a time, searching through garbage to find another bite of food each day.
For those who are parents in Africa -- men and women who must care for children as well as themselves -- being poor means constantly being worried. Too many parents in Africa know the loss of a child to illness brought about by unclean water. They are poor -- and powerless, lacking representation in government and being forced to live without freedom.
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“Each of us is called to be a mouthpiece for those who cannot speak for themselves,” explains Open Heart Orphanage Director, Pr. Hassan Mubiru. “ In Psalm 34, it is written ‘The Lord hears the cry of the poor.’Without a doubt, it is our responsibility as fellow human beings to ‘cry out’ as well as take action on behalf of the men, women and children who do not have food to eat or adequate shelter, access to education or health. it is through us that the Lord will provide for those in nedd."
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Poor and Alone
Poverty in Africa continues to claim lives !
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SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA -- According to a recent United Nations’ report, “30,000 children die each day due to poverty. They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.” On an average about 210,000 children are dying each week, or just under 11 million children under five years of age, each year. It is a tragedy beyond understanding or comprehension! And for the most part, the majority of these deaths will occur in Africa.
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| Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world. In much of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, harsh environmental conditions make difficult living even more treacherous. Dry and barren land covers large expanses of this region. As the poor try to survive through farming and other subsistence practices, they exhaust the land, using up the soil nutrients needed to grow crops. |
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Political instability and wars have also contributed to the depth of Africa’s poverty. As a result of these wars as well as the famine and drought that have plagued the continent, the number of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa grew from 217 million in 1987 to more than 300 million in 1998.
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“We have to be a little outraged that there are over billion people living in extreme poverty in the world,” a recent advisor to the United Nations recently stated. “The problem in Africa isn’t a lack of will. It isn’t a lack of desire to live. It’s the poverty trap!”
“Our team have witnessed it first-hand for more since we began “We have seen what poverty does to one generation after another. When the poverty cycle -- or trap -- is not broken, it will continue to claim lives. If a parent is not educated, then he or she cannot earn money to provide education for their children. And so the cycle continues. It is our sincere hope that our work to provide education-- as well as the basic necessities of life -- will help families break free from the poverty that is killing them.
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