To what extent have organistaions been effective in tackling the issue of underdevelopment of subsaharan africa

UNICEF and Underdevelopment (Education Focus)

1. Knowledge Point: UNICEF plays a pivotal role in improving access to basic education, specifically for girls and marginalized children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
   • Explain Point: By increasing literacy levels, UNICEF helps build a more skilled workforce, which is a fundamental requirement for long-term economic growth and reducing the cycle of poverty.
   • Example: UNICEF's 'Back to School' campaign in Nigeria has helped millions of children re-enter the education system following disruptions caused by conflict.
   • Conclusion: To a great extent, UNICEF is effective in human capital development, although success is often limited by regional insecurity and lack of local government funding.

UNICEF and Underdevelopment (Child Health/Nutrition)

1. Knowledge Point: UNICEF is a lead agency in providing life-saving nutritional support to children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
   • Explain Point: Addressing malnutrition is vital because childhood stunting and health issues lead to lower productivity and higher healthcare costs in adulthood, hindering development.
   • Example: In Ethiopia, UNICEF provides 'Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food' (RUTF) to treat thousands of children during cycles of drought and food insecurity.
   • Conclusion: UNICEF is highly effective at preventing immediate mortality, but its impact on underdevelopment is sometimes mitigated by the recurring nature of climate-driven food crises.

World Health Organization (WHO) and Underdevelopment (Disease Control)

1. Knowledge Point: The WHO is responsible for coordinating international efforts to eradicate or control infectious diseases like Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Polio.
   • Explain Point: Controlling the spread of disease ensures that the working-age population remains healthy and active, which prevents the economic stagnation caused by a high 'dependency ratio' and lost labor.
   • Example: The WHO spearheaded the initiative that led to the African region being declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020.
   • Conclusion: The WHO is extremely effective in technical health interventions, though its success is often dependent on the strength of the national health infrastructure it supports.

World Health Organization (WHO) and Underdevelopment (System Strengthening)

1. Knowledge Point: The WHO works with African governments to strengthen primary health care systems and move toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
   • Explain Point: Robust health systems provide a safety net that prevents families from falling into extreme poverty due to 'out-of-pocket' medical expenses during illness.
   • Example: In Rwanda, the WHO has provided technical guidance to help the government implement a community-based health insurance scheme that covers over 90\% of the population.
   • Conclusion: While effective at a policy level, the WHO's impact is often constrained by the limited financial resources of the host nations to fully implement these systems.

Mary’s Meals and Underdevelopment (Education Incentives)

1. Knowledge Point: Mary’s Meals is a non-governmental organization that provides one daily meal in a place of education to attract chronically hungry children into the classroom.
   • Explain Point: This 'double impact' addresses immediate hunger while simultaneously incentivizing parents to send children to school rather than work, improving long-term developmental outcomes.
   • Example: In Malawi, Mary's Meals feeds over 1 million children every school day, leading to significantly higher enrollment and attendance rates.
   • Conclusion: Mary’s Meals is highly effective at a grassroots level for tackling the immediate symptoms of underdevelopment, such as hunger and illiteracy.

Mary’s Meals and Underdevelopment (Cost-Effective Sustainability)

1. Knowledge Point: Mary’s Meals utilizes a low-cost, community-led model where local volunteers prepare and serve the food using locally sourced ingredients where possible.
   • Explain Point: This model ensures that a high percentage of donations reach the children and supports the local agricultural economy, fostering community-based development rather than dependency.
   • Example: In Liberia, the organization relies on thousands of community volunteers, which keeps administrative costs low—typically spending at least 93 pence of every pound directly on their charitable activities.
   • Conclusion: The organization is very effective in terms of efficiency and community ownership, though it lacks the sheer scale and multi-sectoral reach of larger IGOs like the UN.