Description

Angola is one of the poorest countries in the world despite the fact that it is one of Africa's major oil producers. The country gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and since then it has been cruelly ravaged by civil war for 27 years. The war is the main reason why Angola has one of the highest rates of poverty in the world. 68 percent of the population was below the poverty line and 15 percent in severe poverty in 2001.
Even though the war ended in 2002, there has hardly been any major improvement in Angola to help its population. Poverty is more extreme and common in rural areas where approximately 94 percent of families are poor. The houses where the people live in are just basic and health services cover only a minority of the people. Electricity, sanitation, safe drinking water is available to only about 30 percent of the people.
The civil war forced a large number of people to shift from rural areas to towns and cities. In 2002 about 35 percents still remained in the towns and cities. Most do not want to return to the poor conditions of the rural areas and continue the farming that they did there. Rural economy is at its worst. Landmines and bombs are a danger in the countryside for those who want to return and start to cultivate the land. Roads and bridges have been ruined as a result of which farmers do not have access to agricultural necessities. There is very little motivation left in the rural areas for people to return. Many of the families that were displaced during the civil war have barely survived and have been since then dependent on humanitarian help and assistance.
The three decades of internal war has pretty much crippled Angola, leading to poverty spreading widely. The very core of the nation's transportation system has been damaged as a result of which rural areas have been separated from important facilities. The health and education system has toppled leading to illness and lack of knowledge. Angola had a working irrigation system for its banana estates and sugarcane before the war, which has been ruined due to neglect and lack of money. Crops and farm animals have also been stolen or damaged. As a result of this, farming and food production has dropped.
The Central Highlands were most affected by the war. The people here are the poorest. This region is the most populated, with people living in extreme poverty. There are major gender differences in Angolan culture. Men are considered superior and are more literate than women. During the war, however, women were forced to trade to earn income. Due to migration and deaths in the war there are now more women than men. Households who are headed by women are amongst the poorest and are weaker. Without male assistance to farm and cultivate land the families that are headed by women face drastic problems to produce food which makes them even poorest and destitute.
Poverty in countries can be blamed on several different issues. Angola’s poverty is mainly due to its civil war and the length of time it lasted. On the other hand, countries like Mali, which is also among the poorest nations in the world, bases its poverty to agricultural reasons caused by climate changes, costly social services, cost of energy and a weak communication network. Sudan, another poor country in Africa, blames its poverty on slow and inadequate development, climate changes and wearing away of natural resources as well as civil war. The reason for poverty in Bangladesh, another poor nation, lies in its climatic changes and its floods. Its economic growth is being threatened by incomplete reforms in health, electricity and banking and losses in government owned projects. Ethiopia’s poverty is based on droughts, migration and disturbance caused by civil wars, undeveloped transportation system, and undeveloped production technologies. Therefore, there are both similar and different reasons for poverty between Angola and these countries.

Statistics

Angola ranks 162 out of 177 countries in the 2007 Human Development Index with 28 percent of its population living in extreme poverty and another 40 percent struggling to survive below the poverty line.

Many communities have little or no access to basic social services, while less than 50 percent of children enrolled in school.

Impact of problem on people’s lives in region

There are major gender differences in Angolan culture. Men are looked upon as the only decision-makers and women are inferior to men. Only a third of women are literate, compared to 69% of men. Often women are paid less than men for the same jobs. As a result of the civil war, women have only gained some independence. During the war, women were forced to be a part of trading as an alternative source of income. Migration and the impact of deaths in the war caused there to be more women than men in Angola. Now, women provide most of the agricultural labor force. Households led by women face severe obstacles to food production without male labor to clear and plough land. Additionally, over half the population is unemployed so therefore hunger is a threat in many areas.

In addition, children are also a weak group in Angola. About 60% of the population is now under 18 years of age. There are large numbers of orphans and displaced and refugee children, many with disabilities, who are at risk of abuse or mistreatment.

Efforts being made to combat problem

After providing essential food aid to the people of Angola for 30 years, throughout the civil war, WFP (World Food Program) is now adapting its operations in Angola. WFP is committed in helping the government support the country’s most helpless people, but the agency is now shifting from mainly food assistance to capacity development. Some key areas under discussion with the government (related to capacity development) include supporting with the design of a national school feeding program, helping to review the country’s food and nutrition policy and encouraging the government to adopt food strengthening standards using WFP’s experience and expertise.


The United Nations Development Program is the UN's global development network, sponsoring for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources. In addition, they help to build a better life for people. UNDP is present trough offices in 166 countries, working the people on their own answers to global and national development challenges.


The primary objective for IFAD (The International Fund for Agricultural Development) in post-conflict Angola is to ensure food security and help increase incomes, particularly for people living in the poorest areas of the central highlands. The organization’s programs and projects will address vulnerable groups, such as women and households guided by women, as well as young people, released soldiers and displaced people. Some development activities IFAD hopes to accomplish are to increase smallholder production of basic food crops and ensure access to services and communications such as schools, health centers, and wells for the most disadvantaged groups. They hope to do this by targeting carefully and helping rural organizations influence local and national institutions.

Actions YOU can do to solve problem

Even though Angola is not so close to us, that doesn’t mean we cannot help them. We can make a difference whether we volunteer, raise money, speak out for a specific cause (poverty in Angola), or create our very own program to help those in need. Some other things we can do are to:

• Organize a walkathon with your school and donate the money raised.

• Hold an arts and crafts sale and get our classmates to create pieces that can be sold.

• Create and sell holiday cards.

• Organize a school dance, and donate money raised from the sale of tickets.

• Hold a car wash or organize a bake sale.

• Write a letter to your school newspaper, a local newspaper or church bulletin explaining the problem of poverty in Angola.

• Organize a garage sale with friends or family, and donate the money raised from items sold.

There are many opportunities in which you can take control of to help. Get started now!