Plan's response to chronic poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Africa's population dynamic for the next decade is reflected in the high percentage of young people. The passage of these young people into productive adulthood will be the single most important factor in determining Africa's future. Development of the human capital in this younger generation through education and training is the basis for sustainable economic growth. Increased educational levels are tied to other social indicators such as lower infant mortality and economic growth. Plan's development approach in Sub-Saharan Africa has evolved, in response to ever changing problems and opportunities, from providing relief to alleviate the immediate effect of the Sahelian drought of the early 1970s towards satisfying the basic needs of the chronically poor through designing and implementing projects of basic education, basic health services and nutrition and water and sanitation. Since the year 2000, however, Plan has concentrated on the alleviation of chronic poverty through moving away from directly designing and implementing projects towards local capacity building, partnership and facilitation. The Strategic Framework for Africa provides a framework for Plan's activities in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) for the next decade. The framework contains a thematic analysis of the current situation of African children and sets out a strategic response to chronic poverty based around investment in human capital, building relationship, developing partnerships and learning