Hunger Is Africa's Natural Disaster
By Carolyn Gibb Vogel
26 November, 2005
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWidely known for being falsely accused by the Bush administration of selling uranium to Iraq to build the notoriously non-existent weapons of mass destruction, Niger is facing a genuine scandal. One-quarter of its population is facing a yearly food shortage and the government is in denial about the alarming situation.
A similar crisis is brewing among the population in Malawi, where the cycle of drought and poverty is quickly spiraling out of control. Relief workers in the country, like those in Niger, are fearful that appeals for aid will bring about only short-term relief. Recent news reports in The Washington Post and Newsweek say that while the Bush administration is providing more aid to Africa than previous administrations, it is falling far short on fulfilling its pledges.
It is amazing that so little has changed since I worked in Niger as a Peace Corps volunteer nutritionist more than 15 years ago. The global policy outlook hasn't really changed. Much is promised, but little is delivered and nothing ever really addresses the problems of persistent hunger, poverty and famine -- Africa's very own version of an ongoing Katrina.
I met many children during my time in Niger, but one stands out in my memory. Her name was Salamatou, but they called her Juma -- Friday, in the Hausa language of Niger, the day of her birth. I found her and her teenage mother waiting for a lift at the intersection of two dusty roads. At about 2 years old, Juma lay on a piece of tattered colored cloth, too emaciated even to sit up.
Pictures of children like Juma are what bring in much-needed emergency food aid to countries struggling with chronic food shortages. But does the motivation exist to turn this aid into something that could actually begin to establish food security?
As we've learned from our own Katrina, natural disasters happen. But unlike hurricanes, poverty and its resulting hunger can be prevented. In Niger and Malawi, the food supply is being stretched beyond its limits and other resources -- financial and natural -- are being overburdened by rapid population growth.
Many young girls in Niger still begin childbearing in their early teens and each woman has an average of eight children (the highest birth rate of any country in the world). Its population (14 million) is projected to nearly double by 2025 -- to 26 million. Yet access to and use of contraceptives is almost non-existent; fewer than 5 percent of married women of reproductive age use modern contraception.
Niger's plight is hardly unique. Poorly functioning government institutions and the spread of HIV, which now affects approximately 15 percent of the population, exacerbate the food shortage in Malawi. There, women have an average of almost six children and population is projected to increase from 13 million today to almost 20 million in 2025.
Across the continent, the average number of yearly food emergencies has nearly tripled since the 1980s. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the population is growing at a faster rate than in any other major world region, the number of malnourished people has increased from around 88 million in 1970 to about 200 million today.
One clear solution to slowing population growth in Africa exists: Increase access and availability of reproductive health care. When given the opportunity to determine the size of one's family, couples often choose to have fewer children. As a result, the burdens on a country's financial and natural resources decrease. Families improve their chances of avoiding poverty. More girls and young women continue their education. Women also become able to contribute to the financial well-being of their families. This money increases access to food.
Unlike so many, Juma was a lucky little girl. She was sent to a nutritional recuperation center in the nearest town. When I visited her several weeks later, Juma had doubled her weight, and when she was tickled, a faint smile would cross her lips. At the time, it seemed like a happy ending.
I've wondered over the years what became of Juma, or if she is even alive today. She'd be 18 years old and most likely a mother herself -- probably several times over. I doubt she has access to reproductive health care, and I fear she does not have enough food for herself and her children. Unless more is done to give people like Juma the information and contraceptives they need to plan and space their childbearing, the fate of her children and grandchildren is likely to be grim.
Carolyn Gibb Vogel, MPH, is a senior research associate at Population Action International and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger from 1988-1990.
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