Time Line!

THE CHALLENGE

Every year, more than half a million mothers die from complications during child birth and 8.8 million children die before their fifth birthday. The vast majority of maternal and child deaths occur in the world's poorest countries. Diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and measles, which are no longer burdens in rich countries, are still the leading cause of child death worldwide. Women in sub-Saharan Africa have a one in 26 chance of dying in childbirth, compared to only one in 4,800 for women in the United States. Weak health systems are one of the biggest reasons behind this enormous gap. A lack of health care workers, clinics and equipment means many women and children don't have access to basic health services including immunizations and care for expectant mothers.

Send Donations 2:

So many individuals have been questioning where to send there donations well here it is:
PO BOX 310655 Atlanta, GA 31131-0655

Again thank you for all your support!
~Walking The Roads

We Need More shoes People...

What We're All About!

It has been brought to my attention that so many individuals LOVE the concept of my project, but are not clear on what it is I'm doing! Below you will find a briefing on what Walking The Roads is all about:

Walking The Roads For Africa is structured towards supplying individuals of poverty within the continent of Africa with a long-term sustainability of shoes. The project starts April 2009 and will continue until we as an organization have met all goals.

C. Hamilton
Executive Director

Ending Africa’s Poverty Trap

Africa’s development crisis is unique. Not only is Africa the poorest region in the world, but it was also the only major developing region with negative growth in income per capita during 1980–2000 (table 1). Some African countries grew during the 1990s, but for the most part this growth recovered ground lost during the 1980s. Moreover, Africa’s health conditions are by far the worst on the planet. The AIDS pandemic is wreaking havoc, as is the resurgence of malaria due to rising drug resistance and the lack of effective public health systems. Africa’s population continues to soar, adding ecological stresses to the economic strains. Policy-based development lending to Africa over the past twenty years, known as structural adjustment lending, did not solve the problem. A heavy debt burden is evidenced by the 155 Paris Club restructurings of African countries’ debt between 1980 and 2001, much more than for any other region. In general, Africa remains mired in poverty and debt...

By: JEFFREY D. SACHS
Columbia University and UN Millennium Project

The Pictures Speak 4 Them!

Measuring Global Poverty

Traditionally, poverty has been measured by the lack of a minimum income (or consumption level) necessary to meet basic needs. Measuring poverty on a global scale requires establishing a uniform poverty level across extremely divergent economies, which can result in only rough comparisons. The World Bank has defined the international poverty line as U.S. $1 and $2 per day in 1993 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)1, which adjusts for differences in the prices of goods and services between countries. The $1 per day level is generally used for the least developed countries, primarily African; the $2-per-day level is used for middle income economies such as those of East Asia and Latin America. By this measure, in 2005 there were 982 million people out of the developing world's 4.8 billion people living on $1 per day, while another 2.5 billion (40% of the world's population) were living on less than $2 per day2. In 2005, The poorest 40% of the world population accounted for 5% of global income. The richest 20% accounted for 75% of world income, and the richest 10% accounted for 54%.

The $1- and $2-per-day measures offer a convenient, albeit crude, way to quantify global poverty. In the last several decades, poverty research has adopted a broader, multidimensional approach, taking into account a variety of social indicators in addition to income. The UN's Human Poverty Index, for example, factors in illiteracy, malnutrition among children, early death, poor health care, and poor access to safe water. Vulnerability to famine or flooding, lack of sanitation, exposure to disease, a diet poor in nutrients, and the absence of education are as much the signs of poverty as material deprivation. Providing the poor with basic social services and infrastructure would in many cases alleviate poverty to a greater extent than simply a rise in income level.