November 21, 2013
Child Poverty: Difference Between Africa and America
By Peter Opa
This article is about the fundamental differences in how child poverty is viewed in the U.S. and SubSaharan Africa. It provides the information needed for anti-poverty activists to make the case that what is
considered poverty in America is nothing compared to the dehumanizing condition that children have had
to endure in Africa
As an advocate for the orphans and other less fortunate children in my African village, one of the
comments I often get during my presentations is this: "But there are poor communities and children here
in America, too". Yes, there are poor kids in America, no doubt. However, what passes for poverty in
America is nothing compared to the life-and-death situations in African villages.
Starting with the basics, the poorest of the poorest child in America has the basic necessities of life, i.e.,
food, clean water, and cloth. No kid in America has to walk for miles to get water. The poorest home in
America has clean, running water in their house, and no child in America is in danger of dying from a
water-borne disease.
That is a major difference!
To shed more light on the day-and-night difference between child poverty in America and Africa, I want to
share the stories of two people--real life stories of girls whose families I've come to know personally.
Zansi was a promising young girl who wanted to become a doctor. She was at the top of her class in the
local elementary school. But after losing both parents at age 9, she dropped out of school because of
hunger. Tose was 6 years old when her father died from HIV / AIDS. Unable to provide for Tose and her
two siblings by herself, the mother withdrew her from school and "leased" her as domestic labor to a
wealthy family. Instead of school, the 6 year-old started working as housemaid for food and a salary to
help her siblings.
Sadly, the fate of Zansi and Tose is a common thread running through the stories of many children, not
only in my village of Adjara, but all over Africa.
Of course America is not a paradise. American parents have to work--and they do work hard--to provide
for their children. However, the level of prosperity in America is so high that 6-year olds don't have to
drop out of school to work for a living.
Having lived in America for years, I've seen some of the low-income communities. But never have I seen
an American child walk around naked, or go to school without shoes. On the other hand, majority of
children in my village have to go to school in barefoot.
That is another difference!
According to a Unicef report on the BBC, 33% of children (one child in three) are subjected to child labor
in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the Republic of Benin, for example, "numerous children are victims of
trafficking, labor or sexual exploitation, mainly in markets, quarries or fields", according to a UN News
report.
America may not be a perfect place, but American children are not forced into child marriage because of
privation. It is a crime in America to subject a 6-year old to domestic labor. In Africa, it is a matter of
survival.
That is a significant difference!
In America, government programs like WIC and Food Stamps serve as a safety net for poor children to get
basic nutrition, not to mention the support from churches and local charities.
Unfortunately, the opposite is the case in Africa. Everything that cannot be allowed to happen to a child
in America happens to children in Africa. They beg for food. They go to bed hungry. They starve to
death. They drop out of school to fend for themselves. I can name dozens of children who are starving
in my village; who are smart, but who are forced to drop out of school because of hunger.
The America that I know has children's hospitals everywhere. Even children from poor families are
guaranteed basic medical treatment. They don't have to die from preventable diseases. In my
hometown, on the other hand, countless numbers of children have died from easily preventable diseases
for lack of medical facilities.
So, what exactly does "There are poor children in America, too" really mean? To find out, I studied the
reports of three prominent children's organizations: Children Defense Fund, Save the Children, and
Columbia University's National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). Here is the takeaway: Child
poverty in America is basically about meeting a higher standard of living--a fight for better quality of food,
education, environment, playground, etc.
That is not what child poverty means in my village.
disease, illiteracy, abuse, and death.
Where I come from, child poverty means hunger,
However, there is hope. The hope lies in us African immigrants going back to help the villages we left
behind. This author is doing just that and he asks for your help.
Peter Opa is director of The Ajara Project.