This book titled "Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Poverty in Polygyny African Families" unambiguously deliberates on several challenges faced mainly by large families peculiar to several African countries. Asides the issue of poverty and lack of funds to take care of the large families, this book further talks about the misconceptions and lack of adequate information and knowledge towards child bearing and family planning in general. Also, the misconceptions about gender equality in children as well as the huge expectations placed on the girl child at a tender age towards early child marriage. It is quite unfortunate that most illiterate parents who tend to bear more children they can't cater for, often depends on government, foreign aid and also charitable organizations to help take care of their children. Acts like this has painted Africa as a continent that lacks resources and depends directly or indirectly on grants and aids from humanitarian agencies. Africa, a continent rich with surplus natural and human resources as well as great ecological, economic and cultural diversity, yet still underdeveloped. Most African countries have suffered and are still suffering from corruption, military and monarch dictatorship, deep poverty, war and civil unrest. Majority of the nations UN classified as least developed are predominantly in Africa. Several development strategies have been adopted and have proven abortive to the yielding of expected results. Even though some individual are of the opinion Africa is cursed to remain in perpetual economic slavery and poverty, Africa is a continent with great potential. The mitigation of poverty in large African families can be achievable via adopting the knowledge of family planning and the acceptance of birth control. However, the religious and cultural perspective towards having large families counters the acceptance and application of family planning knowledge, that is, traditional tribes in African countries believes it is the right of the patriarchy to determine the number of spouses (wife) and offspring to have in an household, therefore disregarding the knowledge of family planning as a taboo or abomination to their culture or religion. In the ancient times of some West African countries, particularly Nigeria, a ruler or an affluent man can have more than 6 wives, some parts are reportedly to have 20 wives or more and bear more children they are unable to cater for emotionally as a father even if they are well to-do financially. Asides being affluent, the provision of amenities by the government, economic and market failure may potentially affect these families and results into several shortcomings towards child development. Evidently, extreme poverty will result into stunted development as an adult as well as limited productivity in the nearest future thereby leading to the continuous passing down of intergenerational poverty. The coping mechanism of adult parents is far wide different from that of children in extreme poverty, and peculiar to some African countries that live on less than $2 per day. Extreme poverty faced by large African families is liable to result into high mortality rate or ruin individual's potential in the nearest future. The total number of young ones in abject poverty points to the actual need to invest specifically in the primary years especially in quality education, clean water pre-natal and ante-natal care for pregnant mothers, good sanitation, early childhood development programs as well as universal healthcare. Refining these services as well as ensuring that current African childhood can way in into quality job opportunities when the time comes as the only way to disrupt and destroy the cycle of intergenerational deficiency that is common in Africa today.
About the Author: Majok Wutchok is a South Sudanese public health professional, nutritionist, researcher, author and publisher living in Perth, Western Australia. Majok holds master of public health, postgraduate diploma of public health, postgraduate diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene, bachelor of science (nutrition) and numerous continuous professional development certifications in healthcare. He is also the author of Unimaginatively Western World (short book), and Introduction to County Public Health Strategic Plan - South Sudan (operational guide book). This book talks about socioeconomic disadvantage and poverty in polygyny African large families.