Livelihoods
Few families in Menkao have more than a tiny piece of land on which to cultivate crops, yet most households rely on rudimentary agriculture. This makes it very difficult to grow enough food and earn enough of a living to provide for their basic needs. Manioc, maize, and groundnuts are common crops, but yields are poor. This is due to less effective traditional farming techniques, poor farming tools and inputs, and a lack of fertile land. A lack of integration between animal husbandry, fruit growing, and fish farming compounds the challenge, making it increasingly difficult for parents to meet the nutritional needs of their children.
Health
There aren't enough health facilities in Menkao to provide adequate care to the community. The closest hospital is 70 km away, and people sometimes never make it there because they cannot afford the travel costs. Existing health facilities lack updated equipment and a sufficient supply of pharmaceutical products. Health workers lack proper training and are unmotivated because salaries are low. These factors severely limit parents ability to care properly for their children.
Limited access to information about HIV and AIDS means many people do not know how to protect themselves from the disease. Myths abound, and poor management of the disease means many people do not get the care they so desperately need. Often, children and other community members do not receive appropriate HIV-prevention education, which leaves them vulnerable to engaging in high-risk behaviours.
There is no screening centre in Menkao, and no system in place to identify and care for people living with HIV or AIDS. Further increasing the risk of HIV transmission is the fact that the Menkao area is located close to a main national highway. Many travelers engage in risky sexual activity, including prostitution, which in turn results in high infection rates.
Education
Children face many obstacles that keep them from getting the most from their education, including a shortage of qualified teachers. The few teachers who do work in Menkao earn less than $10 a month, and a lack of government funding means teachers often do not get paid at all, which causes low motivation and morale.
There are few schools, and they lack desks, teaching aids, toilets, and clean water. The lack of schools also leads to severe overcrowding, with the same school being used for primary students in the morning and secondary students in the afternoon. Many parents cannot afford to send their children to school, and this leads to high dropout rates, and early marriage, especially for girls.
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Only 10% of households in the Menkao community have access to safe water, which makes children and families susceptible to waterborne diseases. Women and girls also have to walk long distances to collect water. For those who are enrolled in school, this often makes them late for class, which in turn negatively affects their education.