unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/19/89)
Choices For Crowded Continent Of Africa
Posting Date: 09/18/89 Source: UNITEX Network, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Host: (201) 795-0733 ISSN: 1043-7932
Robin Lloyd Zimbabwe
NBC Nightly News
Thursday September 14, 1989
Africa, the second largest continent, should be rich and
prosperous, but each year more and more people crowd onto the
land that has been abused for centuries. Drought and food
shortages grow more frequent. Over population has become
African's greatest problem. Within 20 years, the population of
630 million will double, and experts fear famine will spread.
JODI JACOBSON, Worldwide Institute, says unless we solve the
problems, a catastrophe is inevitable. In a village in Kenya,
for generations village elders have promoted large families,
most women having 6 or 7 children. Some are now realizing they
will be better off with fewer children. Some African leaders
like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe are urging women to have smaller
families and a family planning program has reduced families from
6 to 5 children. The rural areas are less receptive to family
planning. FLORENCE CHIKARA, Zimbabwe National Family Planning
Council, says the biggest problem is getting the men to
appreciate the importance of family planning. People moving to
the cities find life so difficult that most can't afford
children, helping to slow the population growth. Dr. CANDICE
BRADLEY (SP), University of California, says the population will
go down, and things are already changing. Many fear the efforts
to control Africa's population may be too little, too late.
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