Poverty and Population in Africa - Essay Example

Poverty and population Poverty and population Introduction The main problem representing itself in this easy is the massive increase of Africa’s population, which has increased the poverty levels in most of the African countries. There is a certain study that was conducted by the UN recently, and it revealed that by 2100, almost half of all the population of the world’s under 18 population will be Africans. By the end of the current century, Africa’s population is expected to rise above 4.2 billion people against the current 1.1 billion today. By 2050, the number of children under 18 years in Africa may reach almost one billion. The results by the UN indicate that Africa is facing a boom in its population, which is almost quadrupling by the end of this century. The current fertility rate of African Women is at 4.7. The question arising is that if Africa is unable to feed a billion people, how then could it be in a position to feed four billion in future? This topic is important in the topic of global reproductive health since with increased population and poverty; access to high-quality hospital services may not be possible. As a result, childbearing women may suffer from various illnesses of the reproductive systems (Avery, 2014). Moreover, such impoverished women living in deplorable conditions suffer from various unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, maternal disabilities and even deaths, gender-based violence and other problems that relate to the reproductive system and unhealthy sexual behaviors. Existing Strategies to curb with population and poverty Africa needs to adopt various strategies to deal with their increased population growth and poverty. They need to have better infrastructure, education system, and health care system. This is because there is emerging fears that the increasing boom of the population is likely to deplete what is left of the flora and the fauna of such African countries (Birdsall, Kelley, & Sinding, 2011). Thus, it is important for the various strategies to be in place to ensure that poverty is reduced in some of these high population countries. One of the main strategies of poverty reduction is investing in reproductive health of women, educating them and ensuring gender equality. This ensures poverty reduction in several ways. One of them is enabling women to bear fewer children thus contributing to an upward economic mobility. Due to this, they stimulate economic development in their countries. Secondly, women are able to negotiate their reproductive health decisions with their men (Ahlburg, Kelley, & Mason, 2009). This move ensures that women can be in a position to exercise their rights leading to better decision-making roles within their families and their communities. As a result, they become productive in economic development thus benefitting all in the process. Moreover, small families ensure that per capita income is increased because families share an income among fewer individuals. In addition, if women carry lower number of pregnancies, they are able to record a lower maternal mortality plus morbidity (Sharif, 2012). Thus, they are able to gain more education and ensure that they have more economic opportunities, which leads to a better family income. As these women become more educated, they are can participate more in the provision of labor that helping in the eradication of poverty in their areas. In other instances, families with large spaced children invest easily in each of their childs future. As a result, they increase the chances of a child’s survival. Sexual and productive health is also able to curb various sexually transmitted infections. Such infections cause a large number of deaths especially among individuals in the productive ages. As a result, the ratio of the dependents to working population increases thus worsening the poverty situation. However, once sexually transmitted infections are prevented; a population is able to translate into a productive workforce improving the workforce of an economy. Moreover, the interchangeable cycle of poverty is reduced with reducing the cases of unwanted pregnancies among women. Thus, investment in reproductive health especially family planning is important in assisting women to avoid giving birth to many children that they are not able to take care of. This strategy is beneficial as evident though in some cultures, women are only supposed to cook and bear children (Cassen, 2008). Traditionally, women should be submissive thus questioning their husband’s decision to bear more children would result into domestic problems. Moreover, other women in the remote areas refuse to use family planning either because they are not educated enough about it or just ignorance. As a result, such women end up giving birth to very many children whom they cannot even fed for. Another strategy in place that would help curb poverty and increased population is investing in education and employment opportunities for all. Most individuals in developing countries lack better employment opportunities thus are unable to survive. In other countries, most of the individuals in the productive age bracket migrate to the urban centers in search of greener pastures. As a result, they end up overpopulating the urban centers and living in deplorable conditions. An example is the article given where individuals in Kibera Nairobi live in deplorable conditions. Kibera is one of the biggest slums in Kenya, and it is in Nairobi city (Rauhut, 2009). Thus, governments and other Non-governmental institutions should ensure that they create employment opportunities for all. These employment opportunities should be available everywhere even in the rural area. This would ensure that all members of such countries are productive, and they would help in developing the economic situations in their countries. Though this strategy is beneficial, it is sometimes impossible to provide job opportunities for all especially for individuals who have a high population density. Such individuals have to struggle for the limited job positions available. In other situations, individuals have to know other influential individuals who have to connect them for a certain job position. Therefore, lack of connections could result into an individual wallowing in poverty for the longest time possible. Interventions The best intervention for the problem of poverty and population growth is increasing awareness on family planning and educating individuals on how to improve their economic developments in their countries. It is evident that most women end up having many children due to ignorance about family planning. Creating awareness to them about the effects of having many children have on them and their economies should be implemented. In some instances, most of those poverty-stricken individuals give birth to multiple children inability to afford the various available methods of family planning. Though some of those methods in place are cheap, it is important to consider that most poor families survive on less than a dollar a day. That is why such families live in shacks in slum areas. Thus, rather than them using the little cash they have to look for family planning methods, they prefer to use that cash to get some food. Instances of malnourished and underfed children and women are on the rise in such areas. As a result, the government in such countries should completely subsidize the available family planning methods to these women. They should ensure that they reach out many women especially those in remote areas and offer them family planning services free. This should be in collaboration with other non-governmental organizations to ensure that the family planning methods they provide these women are of high quality to avoid various health complications from affecting them. After that, these government individuals should ensure that they provide the poverty-stricken women with some source of income say giving them a loan to start a small business in their areas. This is because; most of these women already have children that they are finding it difficult to raise. With some productive source of income, they will ensure that their family gets enough to eat. If such small businesses are well managed, then they can save up some money and at least move out of the shacks they call home. In addition, the government should be on the forefront to educate its citizens on the means of safeguarding their economic development. It should come up with various institutions where it educates its citizens especially the young people on means of creating self-employment. The young and productive people of such countries should not rely on white-collar jobs only. There are numerous means of earning a source of income. Due to the high population in such countries, employment opportunities cannot accommodate all of them. They should seek for available alternatives with appropriate guidance from the governments in their countries. Conclusion It is evident that poverty and an increased population are interrelated. This is more evident in some African countries whose projected half of the entire half of the population below 18 years is expected to be Africans by 2100. The arising problem is. If Africa is finding it difficult to feed its current one billion populations, how will it feed the projected four billion in the year 2050? Other people think that the high population recorded in Africa is likely to destroy the remain flora and fauna of the continent. There are various strategies in place that should be adopted. One of them is investing in the education and the reproductive health of women. By so doing, women will be in a position to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and giving birth to the number of children that they cannot easily take care of. As a result, such women will be in a position to take part in the labor market providing thus improving the economies of such poverty-stricken countries. Sensitizing reproductive health of women will also reduce the number of sexually transmitted diseases that are prevalent. Sexually transmitted infections such as HIV reduces the number of the productive population increasing the dependency rate of individuals. If such cases are reduced, the number of the productive population increases decreasing the dependency rate. As a result, economic development of the country is achieved. Therefore, it is important for the governments and various stakeholders in the country increase the family planning methods ensuring that it reaches more women than it is now. By so doing, women are able to become more productive, avoid only being childbearing “machines”, and become more involved in improving their economies. With double incomes in a family of fewer family members, the family is able to spend less and save more. This in turn increases the per capita income of the respective country. Women should also be in the forefront of refusing the subordination imposed on them by husbands who refuse them to use family planning methods. The women suffer most from this situations of bringing many children into this world with fewer means of catering for them. References Ahlburg, D. A., Kelley, A. C., & Mason, K. O. (2009). The impact population growth in developing countries Berlin, New York: Springer. Avery, J. (2014). Progress, Poverty and Population. New York: Routledge. Birdsall, N., Kelley, A. C., & Sinding, S. W. (2011). Population matters. New York: Oxford University Press. Cassen, R. (2008). Population and Development. New York: Transaction Publishers. Rauhut, D. (2009). Economists and poverty. New Delhi: Vedams EBOOKS. Sharif, M. (2012). Poverty Reduction. Chichester: Ashgate Publishing. Read More