 We figure we can have the greatest impact by focusing on one country at a time and have selected to focus on Liberia, a small country in West Africa with with enormous needs. Liberia only recently emerged from 14 years of civil war which left it a collapsed state: 80% unemployment; extreme poverty with average earnings of $1 a day; no electricity, landlines; running water; or sewage system. According to a recent CDC report, a necessary starting point in rebuilding the country is to provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Improving water quality is therefore our first line of attack.
Country Stats
Life expectancy: 44.7 years (USA: 77.9)
Under-5 child mortality: 235/1,000 live births (USA: 7/1,000)
HIV prevalence, ages 15-49: [2.0 - 5.0]% (USA: [0.4 - 1.0]%)
Physicians per 100,000 people: 3 (USA: 256)
People undernourished: 50% (USA: 0%)
People with access to safe drinking water: 61% (USA: 100%)
Adult literacy: 51.9% (USA: 99%)
Annual income, one way to look at it (GDP per capita, PPP US$): Not available (USA: $41,890)
Annual income, another way to look at it (GDP per capita): $167 (USA: $41,890)
People living on less than $1 a day: Not available (USA: 0%)
(HIV prevalence statistics, UNAIDS. All other statistics, 2007/2008 Human Development Report, UND |
