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In Kenya it is the US embassy in Nairobi. I worked at USAID which is within the same compound as the US embassy. Coming to work everyday felt like going through Airport security, only this time with American Marines watching your every move.Reporting to work always involved metal detectors, and computer screening of handbag contents. Working within the compound was a surreal experience due to the presence of extreme security, I always felt like I wasn’t in Kenya. Life withinthe precinct was very different from life beyond the wall.Security drills were common and random. One minute I’d be working on something at my desk, then the next I’m crouching under my desk in the duck and cover position.Some drills included rapid evacuation. Each employee had what I call a ‘war kit’ which consisted of the nerve gas antidote, atropine, and mask. During the drills we were taught how to use the antidotes in case of a gas attack.Americans had learned their lessons from the terror attack that struck the US embassy in August 1998, killing more than 200 people.Back then the US embassy was located in downtown Nairobi. The area was chaotically busy but the embassy had enough security, or so it thought. [1]The Nairobi terror attack was also the beginning of the Osama bin Laden menace.When the embassy was rebuilt, it was done so in an out of town location which guaranteed full on security.I had fun working within the US embassy compound but I felt much more free when I was outside the compound.Footnotes[1] 20th Anniversary of the US Embassy Bombings in East Africa

Life expectancy is higher in the Democratic Republic of the Congo than in Nigeria because of Civil War and is one of the most undeniable factors affecting the life expectancy of the Congolese people. While everyone in the nation has suffered due to the conflict, the practice of child soldiers may be a reason for limited life expectancy. According to the Human Rights Watch, the Congo’s military enlisted children between twelve and twenty years old in its armed forces. The conditions for these child soldiers appear to be deplorable and leave many open to becoming victims to epidemics.The violence in the Congo has been widespread and devastating. The Congolese civil war and subsequent violence had been one of the worst humanitarian crises in world history until very recently. Dubbed “Africa’s World War” by observers, the war has claimed up to six million lives by both violent means and humanitarian failures. The Congolese people are still feeling the impacts of the war today as civil, governmental or health conditions are still unacceptably poor.The infant mortality rate is abnormally high. Despite the worldwide infant mortality rate decreasing dramatically due to an epic global effort, the infant mortality rate in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains a troubling sight. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 237,000 infants died in 2015. The neonatal deaths are extremely high in the Congo with 98,000 deaths in 2015.The maternal mortality rate is also much higher than the worldwide average. Childbirth remains a dangerous endeavor in the Congo with a maternal mortality rate of 693 deaths per 100,000 childbirths. The high maternal and child death rate is due, in large part, to the fact that “an estimated 70 percent of Congolese have little or no access to health care,” according to USAID. The lack of safe, quality health care for those most vulnerable in the Congo puts many mothers and children at risk.The Congo has a significant problem with many rare and preventable diseases. The overall lack of health care in the Democratic Republic of Congo has left millions vulnerable to many diseases that are not commonplace in the Western world. There were reports of malaria, leprosy and tuberculosis in 2015 with 1.6 million reports of malaria, over four thousand reports of leprosy and a tuberculosis death rate of 70 per 100,000 people.The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is improving. Despite these 10 facts about life expectancy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is hope. Thanks to an increase in global attention to the Congo, the environment for the Congolese people is improving. According to USAID, the Congo government has “increased its allocation for health in the overall country budget from 3.4 percent to 8.6 percent.” In addition to USAID providing health care services at “1.793 health facilities [and] serving over 12 million people,” health in the Congo has improved as mortality under five years of age has decreased. The percentage of vaccinated children has increased and the nation has been polio-free for years.There are many nonprofits and NGOs helping to improve the Congo including the International Rescue Committee. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been in the Congo since 1996 “providing emergency assistance and humanitarian aid to those affected by violence.” Even more than twenty years later, the IRC remains in the Congo “providing health care, shelter, water, sanitation and emergency supplies.” Organizations like the IRC have worked tirelessly to improve the Congo, and due to its hard work, it has aided 2.3 million people since it started working in the area.The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been quite dire. The Congolese people are in desperate need of additional support, aid and attention, but there is still hope. These 10 facts about life expectancy in the Democratic Republic of Congo should draw awareness to the Congo’s situation and possibly inspire action.Footnotes: [Democratic Republic of the Congo - Life expectancy at birth 2017] [Life Expectancy in the Democratic Republic of Congo | The Borgen Project] [Conflict Worsens Poor Conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo]

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