*Header Borrowed From AKDMC
The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa-- for he has so much to look forward to.
- Richard Mullin
WHAT IS EAST AFRICA?
According to World Atlas, East Africa is composed of 22 countries including, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe to name a few. This region houses more than 500 million people, multiple languages, various religions, beautiful scenery, culture, and art.
THE PEOPLE OF EAST AFRICA
No--one can return from Serengeti unchanged, for tawny lions will forever prowl our memory and great herds throng our imagination.
- George Schaller
CHALLENGES FACING EAST AFRICA
GOVERNMENT
Although the diversity in East Africa is one of the most wonderful things about this region, it can cause issues on how to handle conflicts. Within each tribe there are different beliefs and traditions that guide how each tribe handles certain situations. Along with East Africa housing multiple different groups of people, there is various government leaders due to the large amount of countries in East Africa. According to the CSIS, "East Africa is the most conflicted and poorly-governed corners of the world." A major issue that is inflating the conflict between each countries governments is that there are unbalanced benefits and growth rates, both population and economically wise. For example, Kenya's currency is appreciating while other countries in East Africa currencies are belittling.
COMPETITION FOR RESOURCES
Another large issue that strengthens the conflicts between countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania is the competition for natural resources, specifically water and forestry resources. The Nile for example, is a large water source for most of Africa. Recently, Ethiopia has had the desire to become a "middle-income country" and needs a strong source of electricity; in order to fill this need, Ethiopia has begun building a large hydroelectric dam along the Nile (BBC). This dam will impact the flow of the river which can impact fishing industries and water quality for other countries further downstream. It is not just East African countries that are being impacted, but Egypt is very concerned about the effects of the dam on the Nile, or their "life line" (BBC). As for the forestry resources, there is conflict between the national governments goal to deforest in order to grow industry and the inter communities goal to sustain the forests that fuel their traditions and lifestyle. Another additive to the disagreements over natural resources is the fight between the national trading of wood and the local trading of wood, each aiming to make the most profit.
POVERTY
Poverty is the leading problem facing East Africans and Africans as a whole. The World Bank defines anyone who lives under 1.90 dollars a day as extreme poverty. Poverty cause an influx of multiple other issues such as, hunger and malnutrition, decreased education, wars, and aid dependency. According to data from WorldHunger.org in 2016, 27.4% of Africa's population was considered extremely food insecure, and surprisingly, this number was an increase from 2014. In East Africa alone, one third of the population is undernourished. Illnesses such as Diarrhea, Anemia, and Kwashiorkor. The poverty, hunger, and unstable economies are the main reasons East Africans face one of the largest education crisis in Africa. The inability for parents to provide for their family forces many kids, especially girls, to have to work or stay at home to help out their parents. The lack of education in East Africa only contributes to the disastrous cycle of poverty. Aid dependency is another contributor to the never ending cycle of poverty. As aid is provided, in the form of food for example, local production usually falls short and becomes dis encouraged as the market demand declines. Victoria Stanford writes about how political intervention creates "political dependency" and "reduces leader accountability." This form of aid can lead to policy shifts that satisfy and follow the goals of the more developed countries that are aiming to help instead of the goals of Africa.