The children of Africa-in pictures.  Children from various countries of East Africa.  Touching one's heart and soul. Take a look at...and if you like to help a child in Africa through sponsorship or come to Africa and visit the children, let me know...

Health of African Children

Life in Africa is a hardship in its self, but imagine those same burdens being put on a child.  Growing up in Africa is a struggle beyond any of our imaginations.  Prosperity is an unthinkable goal and survival is the one and only concern.  There are many factors that lead to the suffering of African children.  One vital concern involves the health of these needy children.

17 million children die from malnutrition and starvation each year   

1.4 million children under the age of 15 are living with HIV 

19,000 African children die daily from easily curable diseases 

80 per cent of children under the age of 15 living with HIV are African children

                According to the Organization of African Unity, “African children have the worse life chances in the world, and the gap between the survival rates, the education and the development of Africa’s children and the children of other continents is increasing.”  So what contributes to the low survival rates of African children? One large factor is malnutrition.  Every one in three African children born suffers from malnutrition.  Malnutrition has multiple negative effects:

1)       Malnutrition robs children of vital nutrients essential to their growth.  Children victimized by malnutrition grow up stunted, sickly and weak.  On a continent that existence strives on manual labor, malnutrition makes the lives of these frail children even harder.

2)       Malnutrition also robs children of the very important iron mineral.  Well over half of sub-Saharan children under five do not have enough iron to support a healthy lifestyle.  Iron is vital to developing a child’s nervous system.  African children’s lack of iron lead to their trouble with concentration and coordination. These are crucial to their success in education. 

3)       Malnutrition deprives young African children of critical vitamins to their health.  More than half a million children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which cripples young immune systems.  Inadequate supplements of vitamin A can lower child mortality rate by more than one-fifth.