With the problems in Ethiopia, how could they control population?

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   MissJamieDposted 12 years ago

   Ethiopia has been in a drought for over three years, the farms are losing cattle or are simply unable to raise animals for food due to lack of water-therefore a vicious cycle of famine is taking over the country and it's citizens. I recently saw a documentary about this subject, they interviewed several mothers who had given everything they had to walk days, weeks, or even months to reach the over-populated refugee camps. Several of the mothers lost young children during their trips but had to press on to save their remaining children, and themselves. Society has long been forgotten in this part of the world, why aren't they better educated on sex and having children in these barren lands? Why is sexual activity going on when they have no money to feed the starving babies they already have? What would your solution be?

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      marymootooposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ok sorry to be a bit flipent no money and nothing to do mmm' lets have sex wether you want it or not, in many of these countries regardless of what we understand as forced sex or rape that is what happens wether the woman wants it, contraception is a joke!

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   Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

   You can hardly stop people from having sex. Maybe part of it is Western governments who won't allow any money for family planning, birth control or abortion when they are sending funds.
   
   People in poor countries have more children because they expect some to die and need also expect them to be able to earn money to support the family.
   
   You can hardly blame the population for a drought.
   
   It is such a privilidged attitude to ask those questions.

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      wildernessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That has to be a first.  I thought the West was already being blamed for the troubles of the world, but now it is our fault that people don't know how to stop having babies.  You gotta be kidding me!

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   Uninvited writer is correct. These people have for generations had loads of children, knowing most wouldn't survive to adulthood. In their culture, surviving children looked after their parents in their old age.
   
   Attitudes could be changed, but to my mind it would need a paradigm shift in the country's internal politics.
   
   Ethiopia has been receiving food aid from the West for at least the last 40 years that I know of. Droughts are a frequent occurrence, and yet the infrastructure of the country never seems to be able to build the proper irrigation systems needed.
   
   I think that is because the 'aid' money went to the wrong people.
   
   All politicians are corrupt it seems, and in third world countries even more obviously so.

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   2uesdayposted 12 years ago

   http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-develo … re-survive

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   MissJamieDposted 12 years ago

   I just think it's horribly sad what they deal with on a daily basis, and America obviously has more than it's share of societal problems. I'm not blaming anyone for anything, I'm genuinely curious as to why different cultures do the things they do. Call me ignorant, stupid, privileged, whatever you want, I realize America is the most privileged place to be in this world! My query is to what options there truly are, if any. We're fighting a war in another country in order to hopefully change their views and the way they operate, is it so far fetched to ask why we can't help other countries to adopt some new views as well? Not medicinally, but educationally? Maybe we're already doing that, I don't know that's why I wanted opinions.

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   TLMinutposted 12 years ago

   Why do people build villages and cities in places with no water? I always wonder if digging wells would work - is there water down there at all? That's one of the things I don't mind spending money on but I don't imagine there's even a water table down there in some places.

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