What the 7 Poorest Countries Eat Daily

I want so badly right now to be able to tell you what all I have learned about each of these countries through my research.  BUT, I think I am supposed to wait to share all of this in the month of Prayer.  I want to focus this month on Food.  I will continue to pray for each of these countries each day while I "fast" and I will give you a little history about each of these, but I am not going to share everything I have learned.  So, to see what all I have learned about these countries, and to see how they have broken my heart and touched my heart you will have to wait until the final month, which is the month of Prayer.

What countries are considered the poorest?  What do these countries eat daily?  How often a day do they get to eat?

Glad you asked!!!  :)

The 7 poorest countries in order are:
1.  Haiti
2.  Equatorial Guinea
3.  Zimbabwe
4.  Congo
5.  Swaziland
6.  Eritrea
7.  Madagascar

Haiti is by far the poorest country.  The majority of their population lives on less than $2 a day.  They eat one meal a day (and ONLY one meal!).  Typically the father/husband will work a full days worth of labor and then stop by a market or stand for rice or beans.  He will then take it home to his family and they will each divide it out accordingly.  If he does not work that day then they will not eat.  If he gets sick and is unable to work.... then they do not eat.  For widows it becomes rather difficult to feed their families.  Often times they have to do things that they do not want to do so that they can provide for their children.  It is sickening and heart breaking to hear what these women, who are single parents, have to go through to be able to feed their babies.  I can't imagine!  I also can't imagine only being able to eat rice and beans for my entire life.  These people will never be able to enjoy things that we take for granted, or things that are at our disposal.  For instance....a donut.  A small circular sugary food that most Americans love.  And they will never know what it tastes like. My daughter, who is not even 3 yet, can tell her Pa Paw that she wants a donut because she has had so many in her short life time!  And I am sure that there are adults in Haiti that don't even know what a donut is.  Is it the end of the world to not be able to eat a donut?  No.  That is not what I am saying.  But for them to not even know of all of the wonderful foods that are available across the world.  That is sad. 

Equatorial Guinea is the second poorest country in the world according to The World Bank.  They have a population of 700,000 and 76.8% of them live in poverty.  Do you know how many Americans live in poverty?  15%  That is a HUGE difference!!  Of course we have more people in our country, but the majority of our country is considered to live in wealth.  This means that 75% of Americans live lives out of poverty, and 13.2% of people from Equatorial Guinea live out of poverty.  That is a huge difference!!!  The people of Equatorial Guinea eat a lot like those in Haiti.  Whenever the husband or provider of the family is paid then they are able to purchase food for the entire family.  Their diet normally consists of bananas, rice, and cassava.  It is a little bit better than Haiti, but still nothing like what we are able to eat in the US. 

The 3rd poorest country in the world is Zimbabwe.  With a 95% unemployment rate the people are searching for some way to feed their families.  The majority of this country has no running water.  There have been massive breakouts of Cholera due to the water supply problems and the majority of these people only live to be 37 years old.  This would mean that all of my grandparents would be dead right now...and my parents.  I can't imagine being able to spend such short of a time with my loved ones.  The people of Zimbabwe normally eat kale, spinach, pumpkin, and sadza (a stiff porridge made from cornmeal).  The rich eat chicken, and the poor eat this occasionally when they have guests.

Congo.  The fourth poorest country in the world has lost 5 million people to death in the last 15 years due to violence, famine and disease.  And out of 1,000 children 111 will die before their 1st birthday.  These people go by this motto: "Today we eat.  Tomorrow we don't."  The majority of the population eats cassava, sweet potato, and imported frozen fish.  They get their protein mostly from caterpillars, locust, and termites that they are able to catch on their own.  There is a tree that is full of vitamins and minerals that is grown in Congo, but many do not know about it.  It is called the Moringa Tree, and it is consumed by eating the leaves.  Congo Helping Hands is trying to plant more of these trees in Congo and educate the Conogolese about the benefits of eating the leaves.  See the picture below, from Trees For Life,  to see the benefits of eating these leaves:

The 5th poorest country in the world is Swaziland.  Their poverty rate is 69.2%, and their life expectancy is 48 years old.  The majority of the people eat maize, rice, peanuts, and some goat meat.  This country has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world.  1 in 4 people in this country are infected.  There are drugs that are available to the people of this country that are infected with HIV/AIDS... but not enough.  And most people who actually get access to the medication often live far away so they are unable to receive each dose that their body needs.

Eritrea is the 6th poorest country in the world, and they are located along the Red Sea.  Their poverty rate is very close to that of Swaziland at 69%.  Their primary school enrollment is 33.5%, which is the 3rd lowest in the world (it is thought to be so low because the majority of the people live rurally).  Their diet consists of sorghum(a pancake-like bread that has a spicy sauce dipped with it), and porridge made of sorghum.  The people in the urban centers eat primarily Italian based foods.  Their economy is totally dependent on their agriculture.  They do not trade much with other countries so it is extremely important for them to grow their own crops and raise their own livestock.  Because of the extreme need for agriculture 75% of the people live rurally. 

And last but not least, the 7th poorest country in Madagascar.  Oh how my kids love the Madagascar movies!!!  "Polka dot, Polka dot, Afro!"  Okay, if you haven't seen these movies you have to!  They are hilarious!!  This country is located in the Indian Ocean East of Africa, and their poverty rate is 68.7%.  The people of Madagascar eat rice and kabaka (a protein dish made primarily of fish, chicken, beans or meat).  There is a wide range of fruits and vegetables available in the country, but most do not get to enjoy the diversity.  The lack of transportation makes it difficult for the people of Madagascar to have access to other fruits and vegetables.  Primarily people live in rural areas so the percentage of children that get to go to school is very small. 




So what does all of this mean to me? Well for starters it tells me that we have entirely too much food!  Also, it tells me that I should be more thankful for all of the dietary options I have as an American.  Even our poorest of poor people eat better than these other countries.  At least the people standing on the side of the street with a sign will get a couple of burgers from McDonalds.  Most of the people in these other countries will never even know what a burger, or McDonalds is.

Oh how we are so unbelievably blessed!!  Thank you Lord that we were born here in America, and help me to remember how blessed I am so I can share with others that are less fortunate!