African-American Voices for Africa
Listen: HIV/AIDS in Uganda and St. Francis Health Care Services
African-American Voices for Africa is a network of leaders calling for the empowerment of our African sisters and brothers by advocating for policies that eradicate hunger, poverty, and disease.
By working as partners, we allow the people of Africa to lead more prosperous, stable, and healthy lives.
How to Get Involved:
- Stay informed about development assistance, maternal and child nutrition, trade and agriculture, equal partnership, debt cancellation, and social responsibility.
- “Like” our Facebook page and connect with others who care about the well-being of people in Africa. Please leave comments under our posts.
- Write a letter to your member of Congress asking that programs be developed and implemented to support our cause.
- Engage in conversations with friends and family, raising awareness of the issues.
Tell Congress:
YES, I CARE Tell Your CBC Member:
YES, I CARE
Learn About the Issues:
LIBERIA vs. VIRGINIA: Liberia is roughly the same size as Virginia. Eighteen percent of African-Americans in Virginia live in poverty, whereas 64 percent of Liberians live in poverty. View the fact sheet
- Development Assistance:
The most effective efforts to reduce poverty are made by poor people themselves. Given the opportunity to improve their communities and provide a better life for their children, poor people take on the challenge.
DATA: development assistance by region » - Maternal and Child Nutrition:
Rising food prices and the financial crisis have led to an increase in hunger and malnutrition. The consequences of malnutrition during the 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday are long-term and irreversible.
DATA: malnutrition rates since 1980 » - Trade and Agriculture:
Trade can be a powerful tool for poverty reduction. But U.S. agriculture and trade policy has sometimes undermined African countries’ efforts to take the first step out of poverty. DATA: food production across Africa »
The African Growth and Opportunities Act
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to open their economies and build free markets. However, AGOA is set to expire in 2015.
Tariffs
Although AGOA is the most expansive of the U.S. preference programs and has played a positive role in U.S.-African relations, tariffs restrict trade in certain key agricultural commodities, including dairy, sugar, cotton, peanuts, beef, and tobacco—areas in which Africa has a comparative advantage.
Subsidies
U.S. agriculture subsidies continue to harm the agriculture sector in Africa. Given the high costs of agricultural production in Africa, these subsidies erode the benefits otherwise afforded by the duty-free provisions under AGOA.
- The African Debt Burden
Some developing countries in Africa have spent years repaying billions of dollars in loans and interest to former colonial nations. The United States could leverage support for interest-free loans and grants to governments of the poorest countries through multilateral agencies such as the International Development Agency. - Corporate/social responsibility:
We have a responsibility to enact regulatory policies that restrict corporations from business activities that harm life or the environment in Africa.
Our Partners:
Watch the PSA:
African American Voices for Africa.
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
So Send I You
For More Information:
Contact Derrick Boykin, Bread’s associate for African American leadership outreach, at derrick@bread.org. Also, listen to Rev. Boykin's reflection, Africa On the Ground.
Additional Resources:
AAVA's Letter to President Obama
Hunger and poverty among African-Americans mirrors the struggles many Africans face. However, these conditions tend to impact African nations more severely, resulting in increased disease and death.
Join us June 8-11 in Washington, D.C., for the National Gathering 
