My name is Yeoman Second Class (SS) Adam Lee Joseph Davis. I've served two years now in the United States Navy and in four days I leave my life, friends and wife behind for something alien and inexplicable.
Djibouti is the name of my new home. Located on the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on the Arabian Peninsula, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the coast of Djibouti, is Yemen.
Somalia of which was made famous by the movie Black Hawk Down, Yemen itself is famous for an event in which the USS Cole was bombed by Al Qaeda resulting in the death of dozens of Sailors.
But before my story begins let me share a little bit of information.
17 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have died of AIDS.
At least 25 million people in africa are HIV-positive.
12 million childred who have lost their parents to AIDS face a precarious future.
Despite its trove of natural resources, the yearly incomes of Africans are some of the lowest in the world. Nearly half of its people live on less than a dollar a day.
Modern Africans are arguably the most diverse people in the world. More than 3,000 unique ethnic groups are recognized in Africa.
n Africa today, you can find plants that have existed since the age of the dinosaurs.
Under-5 mortality rank | 61 |
Under-5 mortality rate, 1990 | 60 |
Under-5 mortality rate, 2005 | 68 |
Infant mortality rate (under 1), 1990 | 45 |
Infant mortality rate (under 1), 2005 | 55 |
Neonatal mortality rate, 2000 | 21 |
Total population (thousands), 2005 | 47432 |
Annual no. of births (thousands), 2005 | 1082 |
Annual no. of under-5 deaths (thousands), 2005 | 74 |
GNI per capita (US$), 2005 | 4960 |
Life expectancy at birth (years), 2005 | 46 |
Total adult literacy rate, 2000-2004* | 82 |
Net primary school enrolment/attendance (%) , 2000-2005* | 89 |
% share of household income 1994-2004*, lowest 40% | 10 |
% share of household income 1994-2004*, highest 20% |
As the end of wars in Sierra Leone, Angola, and elsewhere freed thousands of former child soldiers from active armed conflict, new conflicts in Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire drew in thousands of new child recruits, including former child soldiers from neighboring countries.
According to UNICEF statistics, 300,000 children under 18 are serving as regular soldiers, guerrilla fighters, porters, spies, sexual slaves, and even suicide commandos, in conflicts under way in over 50 nations. Over the past decade, conflicts have claimed the lives of more than 2 million children; left millions maimed or permanently disabled, 10 million with serious psychological trauma, and resulted in over 12 million children refugees. In addition, worldwide conflicts have created 1 million orphans. The health and education of even larger numbers have been affected because conflicts have destroyed crops, schools and clinics.
Name of Country | Population | U-18s as % of Population | U-18s used in Armed Conflict |
Liberia | 2,467,000 | 50 | 15,000 |
Sierra Leone | 4,428,000 | 50 | 10,000 |
Angola | 11,569,000 | 52 | 3,000 |
Mozambique | 18,265,000 | 51 | 8,000–10,000 |
Uganda | 20,791,000 | 56 | 8,000–10,000 |
Ethiopia | 60,148,000 | 53 | N/A57 |
Source: Coalition to Stop the use of Child Soldiers, 2002 | |||
That will do it for now.
