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CONSIDER
THIS: Africans
are dying at the rate of one every ten seconds. That amounts
to 360 AIDS-related deaths every hour, 2,640 every day, 3
million every year. Within seven years, the United Nations
estimates Africa will have more than 42 million orphans, half
of them because of AIDS.
South
Africa: According to the UN South African Human
Development Report 2000, nearly half of all South Africans
live in poverty. 18 million South Africans live below the
poverty line - the equivalent of 3 million households living
off R353 a month. Close to 30% of the Western Cape's population
lives in poverty.60% of those who speak an African first language
live in poverty, compared to 1% of whites.
AIDS:
South Africa has the largest number of people
living with HIV/AIDS in the world, as well as one of the world's
fastest-growing epidemics. Already, 1 in 4 South African women
between ages 20 and 29 are infected with the virus, and there
are an estimated 1600 new infections daily in South Africa.
In 10 years, South Africa's GDP is expected to shrink 17%.
There are currently 12 million orphans in South Africa, and
by 2010, there will be 40 million.
OIL:
Nigeria is the 5th largest exporter of oil to
the United States, and a top-ten exporter worldwide. Profits
from oil exploration have attracted the military and, rather
than being a blessing, oil is seen by many Nigerians as a
curse. In its 39 years of independence, Nigeria has been ruled
by its military for 30 years.
CONFLICT:
In the year 2000, over half the countries in Africa
and 20% of the population were affected by conflict. There
were eleven major conflicts with more than a thousand war
related deaths a year. The extent of conflict was greater
than in any other region in the world. The spread of future
conflicts continues to threaten the political and economic
stability of many nations in the subcontinent.
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