Mother of two Amsale Hailemariam, a domestic worker who lost work because of the coronavirus, stands in her small tent in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday, June 26, 2020. Decades of progress in one of modern history's greatest achievements, the fight against extreme poverty, are now in danger of slipping away due to the coronavirus and the world could see the first global increase in extreme poverty in 22 years, further sharpening inequality.
With the virus and its restrictions, up to 100 million more people globally could fall into the bitter existence of living on just $1.90 a day, according to the World Bank. That’s “well below any reasonable conception of a life with dignity,” the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty wrote this year. And it comes on top of the 736 million people already there, half of them in just five countries: Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Congo and Bangladesh.
Amsale was newly arrived in the capital, Addis Ababa, from what is now neighboring Eritrea, her baby daughter in her arms. For her the child, Bethlehem Jafar, became a tiny symbol of the city’s rise. The high-altitude city of Addis Ababa, Africa’s diplomatic capital, became an aviation hub, and a magnet for millions of citizens seeking better lives. Some grasped the first rung of upward mobility in the hustle of the untaxed informal sector, dodging the growing number of cars in the streets that signaled the middle class.
In trying to grasp the impact of a global slide into extreme poverty, even some experts feel at a loss. From his home in Addis Ababa, Fitsum Dagmawi has heard his countrymen’s fear. As part of the World Bank survey, he is calling people across the country and asking how their lives have changed since the virus arrived.
The second round of calls saw some rebound, but employment could mean anything in a country where most work remains informal. Now some people with degrees find themselves seeking manual labor. “I have not paid my rent for two months, and I’m not sure my landlord will give me more time,” a 32-year-old father of two told the AP. “Just imagine, out of work and living with COVID. It’s very stressful.”
Before the pandemic, the bank estimated the country’s economy would grow by more than 7% this year. The current worst-case scenario shows just 2.6%.
EliasMeseret More evidence to continue ማዕድ ማጋራት
EliasMeseret Rev 19;15 Of his MOUTH is a SHARP SWORD with which to STRIKE down the NATIONS. He will RULE them with an IRON SCEPTER. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings.
EliasMeseret No, it's Nigeria that has the 'first evidence' and not just some of it; possibly, all of it.
EliasMeseret The only time the press worries about Africa, is when they are attempting to use them as Guinea pigs.
EliasMeseret You can thank me too
EliasMeseret Not in our hands only g-d.
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