Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 May - 6 June 2001 Issue No.536
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue | Previous issue | Site map

Cry the beloved continent

Egypt was the proud host of the vitally important conference on the African child this week. The unprecedented gathering, opened by First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, was an opportunity to review the deplorable conditions that the vast majority of African children currently endure: poor housing and sanitation, mediocre education and health care systems teetering on the verge of a total breakdown because of the crippling shortage of resources.

The statistics are harrowing. Some 12 million African children die of AIDS a year, malaria claims the lives of another three million, and countless others who suffer from tuberculoses, meningitis and other epidemics perish because they have no access to proper medical facilities. Drugs are expensive and hospitals and other medical facilities are few and far between. The hospitals are invariably short of the most basic medical facilities, let alone state-of-the-art equipment.

The situation of the African child is calamitous and deserves urgent attention. Time is running out. Decision-makers must make tangible improvements in the lives of African children a top priority. Policy-makers need to come up with viable solutions. As Africans, we must pool our resources and develop collective strategies that can cope with such a massive crisis. The situation cannot be tackled by states alone. Non-governmental organisations and the civil society at large must coordinate activities aimed at addressing the grave challenges facing the African child.

As Mrs Mubarak so aptly pointed out during her keynote address, we must have the courage to admit that even the tremendous efforts by governments and NGOs -- both local and foreign-based -- have scarcely made a difference. The task ahead is indeed daunting, but let us not lose faith. African children are the continent's future. Let us give them a chance.

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