Recently God has been breaking my heart over Africa, and laying it heavy on my heart. Some statistics about Africa for you (courtesy of National Geographic)…

  • Percentage of worlds total landmass: 20
  • Population: 900 million, 14% world total
  • Number of languages spoken: over 2000
  • Number of democratic governments: 19, of a total of 53 nations
  • Average income: 50% of Africans live on less than $1 a day
  • Average life expectancy: 46 in sub-Saharan Africa, 67 in North Africa.
  • Infant mortality rates: 102 per 1000 in sub-Saharan Africa, 33 per 1000 in North Africa.
  • Most common cause of death: AIDS

And you know, I just cant understand it. The following stats about HIV/AIDS break my heart…

  • Number of people worldwide with HIV: 40 million
  • Number in sub-Saharan Africa: 26 million
  • Number of people in sub-Saharan Africa contracting HIV daily: 8,500
  • Number dying of AIDS daily: 6,300
  • Number South Africans needing ARV drugs to prevent progression of illness & death: 983,000
  • Number receiving medication: 117,00
  • Annual cost of three-drug, generic ARV regimen per patient in Africa: $650
  • Cost per patient for ARV drugs in the US: $10,000

How can there be such pain and suffering caused by a PREVENTABLE disease? How can it cost so much more to provide treatment for the same disease in the US (and probably the UK and Ireland too, I dont know the stats), than it costs in Africa? If we cut down the costs here, couldnt we treat many more Africans? How can we let them die like this?? I dont understand it at all. I have to do something. I’m searching for some way to contribute to this great continent.