Gabon

Recent statistics show an estimated 40 percent of people are unemployed in Gabon, a tiny West African country rich in gold, manganese, ore and oil. The population as a whole is struggling and in dire need of aid. The United Nations says that between 60 and 70 percent of the population live below the poverty line, scraping by on less than US $1Gabon is a paradox that summarizes the state of many African countries rich in oil. High school graduates who dream of office jobs settle for employment in manual labor and fisherman sectors. However, as unemployment has soared in oil-rich Gabon, many now feel lucky just to have enough money to put some food on the table at the end of the day. In a good month the arduous work can net fisherman US $300.Although Gabon has a GDP more than three-times higher than the sub-Saharan average, there is rampant poverty that is glaring to politicians. Parliamentarian Laurent Nzamba summarized Gabon and other oil producing African nations in this way: "The populations of the oil producing African countries are those who suffer from the most deteriorated living conditions."Oil accounts for an estimated 50 percent of national revenue, although it has been declining in recent years to average about 265,000 barrels per day. Yet this oil revenue is not filtered down to society but instead stays at the top to fund the rich lives of government officials.

The divisions in standard of living are painfully obvious and there is skepticism that anything could change unless the 70-year-old president, Omar Bongo, leaves his power. Leaders are described to live in style, drive luxurious cars and live in big villas while the rest of the country is left in poverty.

The government is responsible for ignoring the poverty within the country. Government has thrown away the country's oil wealth on grandiose projects and in themselves. Instead of spending on healthcare and social programs, the money has been used to fund universities and hospitals which later lack the funding to maintain correctly. Gabon, a country rich in ore, mining and natural resources, has been urged to expand forestry, construction and telecommunication sectors in order to gain additional revenue. However, the need to expand other resources puts a great burden on the young population of Gabon who would need to forget about college and head straight for stable manual jobs.Gabon is in the midst of an economic crisis that starts at the top government and places huge burdens on future generations.

Gabon suffers from the grip of a president who destroyed political choice and the freedom to choose government. Since 1967 El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba has controlled the government and limited freedoms of its citizens. Members of security forces under the leadership of Omar Bongo, committed many human rights abuses in domestic law enforcement and public security. Furthermore, the saturation of government into every part of society, including economy, has lead to financial corruption. The distribution of wealth and social services was extremely uneven in recent statistics, even though the country made huge profits from its oil production.

The government has also been responsible for torturing and beating detainees in prison, where conditions are harsh and inhumane. Arbitrary arrest and detention of civilians is also rampant where infringement on privacy rights is common practice.

The situation of children and women in Gabon is atrocious. The region is frequently targeted for slave trafficking, sex trafficking, and slave labor. Women, and also non citizen Africans, are violently treated and discriminated against. However, there is a slight glimmer of hope. The participation of Gabon within the Child Rights Committee has led to a better acceptance of the importance of adopting policies in line with human and child rights issues and to create a better environment for child and women's rights.

Health care is a major concern for the population. Immunization coverage is still poor especially in rural areas where poverty and resources are worse. Because of vulnerability to measles and the hemorrhagic fever ebola that recently raged in the northern part of the country, Gabon is in need of a substantial health care system which it lacks.

The AIDS epidemic in Gabon is high and concentrated and is the leading cause of excessive death rates. 56,000 adults, ages 15-49, live with HIV. This drastic number equals 7.9% of the adult population. 3900 children were reported to have HIV in recent statistics. 20,000 new orphans were also accounted for due to deaths in HIV adults.

In order to address this staggering reality, the authorities had until recently established a national AIDS control committee, which was chaired by the Minister for Public Health. The program runs on nine objectives, which have been divided into 48 separate lines of action. Fortunately the government of Gabon has took on the initiative to be the main donor in the area of AIDS control, setting apart a budget to control the effort. As a result of a program to set up outpatient treatment centers in combination with antiretroviral treatment, voluntary testing and follow-up examinations, access to treatment has improved.

However, the inadequacy of the monitoring and evaluation system has been one of the main weaknesses of the control effort. Vulnerable populations, especially women in specific groups such as professional sex workers and refugees calls for a better understanding of the factors responsible for their vulnerability and to react with better solutions. Also, the lack of sex education and the need for safe sex education is a problem the government must tackle in order to reduce the rising number of HIV victims.

Other diseases which are a very high risk to the population include bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever which result from unsanitary food and water conditions. Malaria is also a serious problem contracted from insects most commonly mosquitos.

Gabon, a beautiful country on the western coast of Africa is burdened by deforestation, pollution, and wildlife preservation. The lush forests that cover 78% of the country are threatened by excessive logging activities.

Although Gabon's coastal forests have been destroyed, there is a reforestation program in progress which has protected the interior dense forest cover. Gabon has created two national parks and four wildlife reserves in which hunting is banned. In total, 2.7% of Gabon's land area is protected. The most prominent problem to land is pollution from Gabon's growing urban centers due to industrial and domestic contaminants. The nation's water is highly vulnerable to oil industry run off particularly in rural areas where only about 47% of the country's rural dwellers have pure drinking water. 95% of urban dwellers receive pure drinking water.

Poaching has become the biggest threat to the rich wildlife, due to population expansion and the need for protein energy sources. Recent statistics show 12 of Gabon's 190 species of mammals are endangered. Four bird species in a total of 466 are also endangered along with two types of reptiles. About 78 of Gabon's 6,000-plus plant species are threatened with extinction. Gabon has the world's largest gorilla population.

The state of education is struggling and leaving its youth behind. Recent statistics show that adult males are 70.9% literate while women fair much worse at 54.8%. In youth, 75.7% of males are literate while females are at 65.7%. Clearly, the huge gap between male and female literacy levels shows a problem that rests at the core of society that does not respect males and females equally.

Furthermore, girls are lower n literacy levels because they have a hard time staying in school compared with their male counterparts. Family responsibilities are often placed in their hands and the lack of sex education often leave girls pregnant at an early age. When they return to school, many must repeat grade levels. Recently the Forum for African Women Education has created a campaign to educate women on the importance of staying in school and in the empowerment they achieve through education.

9.6% of government spending goes towards education. With the corruption in the government and the misuse of spending, education is left behind and not dealt with as a priority.

African Young People Aids Coalition - Afyoac was founded after a number of serious internet exchange among the leading African young HIV/Aids activists. The first idea to come up with the African young peoples Aids coalition was floated during the 11th International Aids Conference, Vancouver, Canada in 1996. We therefore agreed to proceed with the discussion over the internet and market the coalition's idea in Africa. The discussion among the young people in Africa continued, the internet discussion helped the pioneers of the idea listen to diverse opinions from other young HIV/Aids activists in Africa. This in fact was important, and it helped us in comming up with a draft document focusing on the future of the coalition.

Queen of Peace International School - Queen of Peace International School is a nonprofit school organized to assist those that has no hope for education. Our sole aim is to educate the young under privileged in our society. We achieve this goal through the help of of our local and international donors.

Wildlife Conservation Society - WCS Outreach has developed an environmental education curriculum that includes classroom support and practical activities for rural schools located around National Parks in Gabon. The program emphasizes cultural values and indigenous knowledge of ecosystems. The curriculum uses the environment to teach basic educational skills (reading, writing, and math), and instill a spirit of conservation in Gabonese youth. We work closely with elders in villages, recruiting local artisans to teach with the program. We have constructed an "Eco-Museum" to introduce ecosystems, conservation, and local culture and traditions to students and eco-tourists. We are a non-profit organization for conservation and we work in protected areas (national parks and reserves) all over the world.