HUNGER
Every day, too many families across the globe struggle to feed their children a nutritious meal. In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, 821 million people—one in nine—still go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Even more—one in three—suffer from some form of malnutrition. Eradicating hunger and malnutrition, as well as food insecurity, is one of the great challenges of our time. Not only do the consequences of not enough—or the wrong—food cause suffering and poor health, they also slow progress in many other areas of development, like education and employment.
Take Action at: World Food Programme (WFP); wfp.org
POVERTY
Poverty entails the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. While global poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 2000, one in ten people in developing regions still live on less than US$1.90 a day—the internationally agreed poverty line—and millions of others live on only slightly more than this daily amount. Significant progress has been made in many countries within Eastern and Southeastern Asia, but up to 42 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to live below the poverty line.
Take Action at: ONE.org
EDUCATION
Education is an empowering right and one of the most powerful tools by which economically and socially marginalized children and adults can uplift themselves out of poverty and participate fully in society. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, and despite progress, more girls than boys still remain out of school—16 million girls will never set foot in a classroom (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)—and women account for two-thirds of the 750 million adults without basic literacy skills.
Take Action at: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; UNESCO.org
HIV/AIDS
Since the start of the epidemic in 1981, around 75 million people have become infected with HIV and around 32 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses. In 2018, there were 37.9 million people living with HIV. Found in the bodily fluids of a person who has been infected—blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk—HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. It is also spread among people who inject drugs with nonsterile needles, as well as through unscreened blood products. It can spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breast-feeding when the mother is HIV-positive.
Take Action at: UNAIDS.org
RIVER BLINDNESS
Onchocerciasis—or “river blindness”—is a parasitic disease caused by the filarial worm Onchocerca volvulus and is transmitted by repeated bites of infected blackflies (Simulium). These blackflies breed along fast-flowing rivers and streams, close to remote villages located near fertile land, where people rely on agriculture for their survival. In the human body, the adult worms produce embryonic larvae (microfilariae) that migrate to the skin and eyes and can lead to visual impairment and permanent blindness. River blindness occurs mainly in tropical areas, with more than 99 percent of infected people living in thirty-one countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Take Action at: World Health Organization (WHO); who.int
HEALTHCARE
Ensuring that all people can access the health services they need—without facing financial hardship—is key to improving the well-being of a country’s population. However, currently at least half of the world’s people cannot obtain essential health services, and eight hundred million people spend at least 10 percent of their household budget on health expenses for themselves, a sick child, or other family member. For almost one hundred million people, these out-of-pocket health expenses are high enough to push them into extreme poverty, forcing them to survive on just $1.90 or less a day (UN 2017 data).
Take Action at: World Health Organization (WHO); who.int
MATERNAL MORTALITY
According to the most recent United Nations data (2019), about one woman in the world dies every two minutes from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. A majority of them die from severe bleeding, sepsis, eclampsia, obstructed labor, and the consequences of unsafe abortions—all causes for which there are highly effective interventions. For every woman who dies, an estimated twenty or thirty encounter injuries, infections, or disabilities. Most of these deaths and injuries are entirely preventable. And the tragedy does not stop there: when mothers die, their families are much more vulnerable, and their infants are more likely to die before reaching their second birthday.
Take Action at: United Nations Population Fund; UNFPA.org
CHILD MORTALITY
Remarkable progress has been made in child survival over the past few decades, meaning that millions of children have better survival chances than in the early nineties. Despite significant progress, however, in 2018 an estimated 5.3 million children under age five died due to preventable or treatable causes such as complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis, and malaria (UNICEF 2018 data). Half of all deaths took place in Sub-Saharan Africa, and another 30 percent in Southern Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 13 children died before their fifth birthday. In high-income countries, that number was 1 in 185.
Take Action at: United Nations Children’s Fund; UNICEF.org
GENDER EQUALITY
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. While there has been progress over the last decades—more girls are going to school; fewer girls are forced into early marriage; more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership—many challenges remain: discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, and women continue to be underrepresented at all levels of society—socially, economically, and politically.
Take Action at: UNWomen.org
CHILD MARRIAGE
Child marriage is a human rights violation. Despite laws against it, the practice remains widespread: globally, one in every five girls is married before reaching age eighteen. In the least developed countries, that number doubles—40 percent of girls are married before age eighteen, and 12 percent of girls are married before age fifteen. Child marriage threatens girls’ lives and health, and limits their future prospects. Girls pressed into child marriage often become pregnant while still adolescents, increasing the risk of complications in pregnancy or childbirth. These complications are the leading cause of death worldwide among older adolescent girls.
Take Action at: GirlsNotBrides.org
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. It knows no social, economic, or national boundaries, occurring in every region, country, and culture and cutting across income, class, race, and ethnicity. Worldwide, an estimated one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. Gender-based violence takes many forms and may be physical, sexual, psychological, and economic, and it undermines the health, dignity, security, and autonomy of its victims—yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence.
Take Action at: SpotlightInitiative.org
* All content and data about the issues above is cited from the United Nations.
APPENDIX II
To celebrate the use of symbols, which are an important aspect of African culture and its languages, the book incorporates two Adinkra symbols from Ghana. African symbols are used extensively in fabrics, pottery, and architectural features to convey concepts or aphorisms.
Nyame Nwu Na Mawu
(If God dies, so shall I)
This symbol, used as a visual cue in the book to move between the adult and young narratives, represents the immortality of the human soul. Its meaning is interpreted as “as God never dies, so my soul never dies.”
Nyame Biribi Wo Soro
(God is in the heavens)
This symbol, used to anchor the African proverbs at the opening of each chapter, represents hope.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my fellow Africans, thank you for constantly reminding me what it means to be part of ubuntu. I am immensely proud to truly know that “I am because we are.” It is in this context that I titled this book I Am a Girl from Africa, as a love letter to our beloved continent. The title celebrates the spirit of Pan-Africanism and affirms the values that my Gogo taught me about the importance of African unity and solidarity. As “a girl from Africa” I am one of many, and my experiences do not reflect or represent the lived experiences of the millions of other girls from the fifty-five culturally vibrant and diverse countries that make up our beautiful African continent.
To the love of my life, my husband, Jay, thank you for your endless love and for being my rock and partner. It is truly a blessing to spend my life with you and to walk this journey together.
To my irreplaceable manager, Suzan Bymel, knowing you is one of the greatest gifts of my life. Thank you for your love and guidance and for inspiring me to dream bigger. You were the first to make me believe that this book was even possible.
Thank you to my formidable agent, Nancy Josephson, a fearless champion for diversity and inclusion. What a privilege it is to work with you, and to be a witness to the trail you blaze for women like me.
Erin Malone, you are not only a brilliant book agent, but an awesome human being. Thank you for your unrivaled energy and enthusiasm in shepherding this project from its inception.
There is no way this book would be what it is without the amazing Emily Rapp Black. E, you rule, and I am eternally grateful for your passion and invaluable guidance in making this book possible.
My Gogo always used to tell me, time and time again, “You, you ask too many questions for a child.” Now, as an adult, I still ask too many questions. To my incredible editor, Sally Howe, who is likely the most patient person in the world, thank you for your unflappable attitude as you’ve steered me patiently through this process, and of course for your faith in me.
And then there is my incomparable publisher, Nan Graham. Dearest Nan, there simply aren’t words enough to fully express my gratitude. I hope you know that the magnitude of this mukana will never be lost on me. Telling my story in a way that challenges traditional misperceptions of my beloved African continent and its people was always going to be an ambitious undertaking. I feel truly humbled for your very hands-on approach, pushing and challenging me to tell the story in its most compelling form. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and hope that the message of ubuntu in this book will inspire and motivate all of us to show compassion to each other and see ourselves as part of a collective human community. I am forever indebted to you and the entire team at Scribner.
To my role model and mentor, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, they say “you can’t be it unless you see it.” I see you, and working with you and colleagues at UN Women to advance gender equality around the world is without a doubt one of the most meaningful things I will ever do with my life. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for your endless love and support.
To my brilliant advisors, thank you for your wisdom and unwavering support: Amina J. Mohammed, Pat Mitchell, Gail Heimann, Bob Moritz, Isabelle Magyar, Cuong Do, Tina Brown, John West, Vanessa Bouquillion-Coqueret, Ronda Carnegie, Musimbi Kanyoro, David Honigmann, Susanna Schrobsdorff, and Margaret Nienaber.
I am beyond grateful to all of my former and current colleagues without whose support none of the projects would have achieved the same impact. A special thank-you to the small and mighty HeForShe team: Lauren, Sarah, Dinal, Nick, Aamina, Charlotte, Raymond, Marine, Kerry, and Edward.
My story, like so many others, is only what it is because of the unconditional love and support of my family. You each are a continuous reminder of what matters most in this world. I love you all dearly. Betty, Libby, and Ron, I bask in the glory of your love—thank you for giving me a second home and for showing me what it means to be truly loved.
And to my outstanding friends, thank you for always being there for me: Dario, Belinda, Edgar, Barbara, Brendan, Ritu, Alex, Anna, Alison, Annie, Adam, James, Miriam, Ru, Craig, Nnenna, Lillian, Stephanie, Kelly, Tessy, Luisella, Loveness, Charity.
To all of the communities around the world who opened up their doors and hearts to me, thank you for sharing your stories, joy, and sorrow with me. Your words continue to inspire me to search for more ways to create greater positive impact in this world.
Finally, I wouldn’t be here without the love of God. Thank you, Lord, for the air that I breathe and for giving meaningful purpose to my life.
More in Personal Memoirs
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Year of Yes
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
© BEHIND THE CAUSE
Elizabeth Nyamayaro is an award-winning humanitarian and former United Nations senior advisor on gender equality. Born in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth has worked at the forefront of global development for over two decades, improving the lives of underserved populations, and has held leadership roles at the World Bank, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and UN Women. Elizabeth is a political scientist by training and holds a master’s degree in politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. I Am a Girl from Africa is her first book.
ElizabethNyamayaro.com
Twitter: @enyamayaro
Instagram: @enyamayaro
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I Am a Girl from Africa Page 24