Hi All,

It's been a while since I posted a blog, not even sure whether I'm doing it right, but here goes.

A few days ago I got in touch with Charity Navigator a company that rates the financial health of more than 5,300 of the largest charities in America to help donors make informed giving decisions. I approached them in order to find out how to go about doing some online charity work via online marketing and they forwarded me the following article for publication. Which really got me thinking how bad the situation back in Africa is, Check out the press release below:

The folowing Press Release has been reprinted with the permission of Charity Navigator,
http://www.charitynavigator.org/, America's leading independent charity evaluator." 

Africa: In Need and In The News

Recent years have seen a flurry of celebrity-driven attention focused on the continent of Africa. Bono, Oprah, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and a host of other A-list celebrities have been in the news promoting awareness of issues such as the AIDS crisis, development aid, debt relief, and fair trade. In addition, the (PRODUCT) RED campaign uses a number of well-know celebrities to sell everything from T-shirts to iPods, with a portion of the proceeds going to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

While some may question celebrities' motivations and effectiveness in calling attention the issues facing Africans, the need is undoubtedly real. As evidenced by the key facts presented below[1], poverty and disease are devastating the lives of millions of Africans.

Life expectancy

• In the United States the average life expectancy is 77 years
• In Africa 29 countries have a life expectancy of less than 50 years, with 5 countries (Botswana, Central African Republic, Lesotho, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) experiencing life expectancies of less than 40 years.
• At 35.49 years, Botswana is the country in Africa with the shortest life expectancy at birth

Infant Mortality

• The United States has an infant mortality rate of 6.7 per 1,000 live births
• 22 African countries have infant mortality rates higher than 100 per 1,000 live births
• Sierra Leone has the highest infant mortality rate in Africa at 165.4 per 1,000 live births

HIV Prevalence

• The HIV prevalence rate among adults aged 15-49 in the United States is 0.6%
• In Africa 10 countries have an HIV prevalence rate greater that 10%
• The African country with the highest HIV prevalence rate is Swaziland , with 33.38% of the adult population infected with HIV

Literacy

• The adult literacy rate in the United States is 99%[2]
• 10 African countries report adult literacy rates of less than 30% with 2 countries ( Burkina Faso and Mali) reporting literacy rates of less than 25%
• Mali has the lowest reported adult literacy rate in Africa at only 19.04%

If you would like to do your part in lending a helping hand we recommend that you contribute directly to a charity working in Africa and are pleased to provide this interactive map of Africa to help you quickly identify highly-rated charities working on the continent.

All of the charities listed, some of which are founded in religious beliefs and others which are secular in nature, have been vetted by our analysts and have received a 4-star rating for their overall fiscal health. Together they address a variety of issues. Their programs and services include, but are not limited to, providing shelter and care to orphans, supplying clean and safe drinking water, educating children, providing medical care, and promoting job creation. Some work in multiple nations and others in just a targeted few. We hope you find this list helpful in identifying a charity working on an issue in Africa that you are compassionate about supporting.

Having a read through this just made me think about how much work we have to do, especially as an African commucnity to turn this around. Speaking as an 80's born African I can say that I am fortunate to grow up in an era where globalisation has substantially helped in bridging the gap of cultural divide especially amongst Africans by giving us the opportunity to interact and befriend people around the world. Especially Africa.

We should use this opportunities as Next Generation Africans to combine our efforts in creating a better Africa for us all!

Until Next Time!

Tags: Africa Aid Africa Charities

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