Standard: SS7CG3  The students will analyze how politics in Africa impacts the standards of living.
Access to Education in Kenya and Sudan
The country of Kenya has a national literacy rate of about 85% because its government has made improving education a priority.

The government has built several schools and eliminated fees for the children who want to go to school.

Kenya spends about 7% of their national budget on education.

The literacy rate for boys in Kenya is 91%, while that for girls is 79%.

Officials have to work really hard to get many rural families to see the importance of education for girls.

The tradition is that boys need education to get better jobs and girls only need to prepare for marriage.

Early marriages are very common in rural parts of the country, and a marriage brings a dowry to the bride's family.  A dowry is money or gifts the groom and his family gives to the bride and her parent as a wedding present.

Sudan has not made quite as much progress in education as Kenya.

Sudan has been involved in a civil war for many years, and that has caused chaos for the southern and western parts of the country.

Its national literacy rate is about 61%.  Boys have a literacy rate of 72% while girls have only 50%.

The military conflict has left many rural schools in ruins.  Children living in cities have a greater chance of getting an education.

Many girls living in Sudan face the same problems as girls throughout Africa who live in rural or traditional communities.

Many parents believe allowing girls to go to school will allow them to learn bad habits.  They also believe that any money needed to send a child to  school should be spent on a son.

Daughters are often seen as needing only to prepare for marriage.  A married daughter means wealth for both families ,dowry money for the bride's family and a new worker for the household for the family of the groom.

Many girls who are allowed to go to school are sent to religious schools where they mainly study the Quran.

Distribution of Resources Used to Combat AIDS and Famine

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Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the highest HIV-AIDS infections in the world.

There are about 23 million people living in Africa with AIDS and another 1.5 million have died from the disease.

The deaths of young and middle-aged adults has left over 11 million orphans.

Some of the orphaned children are able to move in with relatives but 1000s must try to survive on their own.

Poor health care, poverty, and lack of government, as well as ignorance about the causes and prevention of the disease, contribute to the increase of AIDS cases.

The anitretroviral drugs uses to slow the progress of the disease are expensive and few people can afford the drugs.

Some see HIV/AIDS as a disease of the poor.  Ignorance has a real impact on how rapidly the disease spreads.

Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world.

Government corruption, civil unrest, and suspicion of offers to help from other countries has made Zimbabwe's problem even greater.

Political turmoil and a harsh government have created many refugees in Zimbabwe, making the health crisis even worse.

Nigeria has a relatively low rate of AIDS.  The govenment has made HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care a priority.

The government is working hard to educate the people and make treatment available.

Botswana has a high rate of infection but has also been one of the countries to respond to the disease.

The country has a sound economy due to the diamond trade and the government has provided education and prevention training for its citizens and medical care for those who are already infected.

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Famine

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Many African countries face famine today because of climate changes, political conflict which disrupts farming, poor prices for goods, disease, and poorly organized or corrupt governments.

Zimbabwe is an example of how poor government policies can lead to famine and starvation.

Angola just ended a long civil war.  Hundreds of thousands of Angolans who left the country during the war returned and food shortages quickly developed.

Sudan has experienced famine during their 20 years of civil war.  Millions of Sudanese in the southern part of the country are now dependent on international aid to avoid starvation.

Uganda has had to deal with fighting among a wide variety of armed people, including different ethnic groups, rebel forces trying to overthrow the government, armed gangs, and military factions.  Conflict disrupts agriculture and trading, making food shortages common.

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