Final Statement

Like many regions around the world, sub-Saharan Africa is greatly affected by climate change, the water crisis, disease and malnutrition, hunger and poverty, and natural disasters. What separates sub-Saharan Africa, however, is its struggle to build up from an economic global co-dependence and fight these battles by itself. For many years, Africa has relied on the funds from industrialized nations to help carry it out of debt and alleviate poverty. Droughts and floods have hammered local economies in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in famines and mass evacuations. Rapid deforestation is contributing to climate change and eliminating thousands of species of plants and animals. Hundreds of people die from AIDS every day, and hundreds more from malnutrition or lack of clean water, typically children. Sanitation is lacking and curable diseases are rampant. Consistent corruption and war are resulting in thousands of refugees and millions of lost lives. Because sub-Saharan Africa relies on us for aid, it can be up to us to give them the resources and the opportunities to help rebuild sustainably and locally. We can impact governments by working with them to bring equity to rural areas and provide subsidies for farmers. We can help communities identify appropriate technology and low-scale development. In many cases, we are the reason sub-Saharan Africa continues to struggle. We can be the reason sub-Saharan Africa survives.