Use the information and sentence starters below to help you answer the question. If you don't remember, don't worry- read below to review and write your answer.
What are two challenges facing Africa today AND how are they negatively affecting Africans?
You may use the text from the online textbook and the lesson notes, as well as the sentence starters below to help you! Use the text above and sentence starters below to help you write at least two sentences telling me about two challenges facing Africa today. Pick two, tell me about them and how they're negatively affecting Africans.
Lesson Excepts about Challenges (pick 2 to describe):
Access to Clean Water - "Only about one-sixth of Africans have access to a clean water supply for drinking, cooking and hygiene. Given its scarcity, water is often stored in people's homes, where it can become contaminated and attract mosquitoes. These mosquitos are common carriers of other diseases, including malaria. The lack of clean water also makes it difficult to irrigate (water) crops safely. This threatens both African's food supply and African efforts to export crops to other countries."
"Deforestation is the loss of forest cover that results from so many trees being removed that trees cannot grow back. In a tropical rainforest, plants hold most of the environmental nutrients. When too many trees are cleared, nutrients in the soil wash away with rain. The poor soils that remain cannot support tree growth. Once tropical rainforest is lost, it may be lost forever."
"Desertification, the change from arable land (where plants can grow) to desert, is a major problem in the Sahel, a region just south of the Sahara. Here, livestock herders have grown in numbers. Too many livestock now graze the fragile grasslands, and people have also chopped down trees for firewood. These actions combined with drought, have caused parts of the Sahel to dry out and become desert. This leaves less land for farming and grazing and increases the risk of famine (very little food)."
Political Challenges - "Many African countries became more democratic in the 1990s. But there are very few full democracies in Africa. These are where civil rights are respected and checks and balances on political power are in place...." "In many other African nations, rulers continue to try to block opposition (rivals) and hold onto power. You have learned about the Arab Spring movement in North Africa, but it failed to bring stable democracy to the region..."
Unit 6 Lesson 7 - Challenges Facing Africa Lesson Notes / Textbook chapter summary (Right-click and open in new tab, otherwise you will leave your testing tab/window!)
Your Sentence Starters
- One challenge facing Africa is...... this is negatively affecting Africans by...
- Another challenge facing Africa is.....this is negatively affecting Africans by....
- One challenge facing Africa is access to clean water. Only about one-sixth of Africans have access to a clean water supply, leading to health issues such as contaminated water and the spread of diseases like malaria. This lack of clean water also hinders agriculture and food production, impacting both individuals and the economy.
- Another challenge facing Africa is deforestation. The loss of forest cover not only affects the environment but also leads to soil erosion and nutrient depletion, making it difficult for trees to grow back. This loss of tropical rainforests can have long-lasting effects on the ecosystem and biodiversity, impacting both local communities and wildlife.