Alcohol companies find new growth market in Africa

This just in from Time Magazine…

Africa has a drinking problem. It is the new darling of multinational beverage companies looking to drive profits in an increasingly booze-saturated world. The continent has the perfect emerging market conditions: a relatively small amount of commercial alcohol is being consumed; there is a rising middle class with disposable income; a huge market of young people is about to come of age…” 

Wow. Certainly upsetting, but hardly surprising.

“…amidst soaring food prices, governments are applying tax-breaks to booze, which, according to the World Health Organization, kills more people than AIDS or tuberculosis”

This article would be great to share with a high school class… Health, Social Studies, Global Issues. It clearly explains how large alcohol companies target marginalized people through advertising, and paints a darker picture of the realities of alcohol abuse.

The numbers are scary… 12% of 15-24 year-olds in Kenya are hooked on alcohol. While most of us would see this as a problem, the alcohol companies see it as an opportunity.

Costs are high to any society where alcohol is offered cheaply, advertised abundantly, and regulated loosely… but in a place like Kenya, they become even higher.

More on the alcohol problem in Kenya:

VOA News: Kenyan Officials Say Alcohol Abuse is a National Tragedy

 

More hints and tips in the classroom...

PBL Health

Hey #HealthEd teachers, here’s a link for all of the resources I shared in the PhysEdSummit and APPEC 2016 workshops. For free PD, here’s a copy of

Conflict Resolution Skits

Hey, 7th graders! It’s time for you to demonstrate all you know about communication and conflict resolution. Make sure you’ve got the key vocabulary down,

Advocacy through Art Project

Hey 7th graders! Here are the details for step one of your project. For teacher instructions, check out the details on this post for Choices

APPEC 2017

Hey gang! Here’s where I’ll be posting the links for all of our resources over the next two days. If there’s anything else you’d like

Students

Research shows that one of the main reasons teens go on the internet is to get answers to health questions they’re too embarrassed to ask