Here are some jaw-dropping facts about

the city of Durban,
the province of KwaZulu Natal
and the country of South Africa:

• Durban, located in the province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN), is an immense city of about 4 million people.
• It is a diverse city made up of approximately

70% black Africans
20% Asian Indians
10% European whites ancestry

• KwaZulu Natal has the most people of all the provinces in South Africa – 10 million! It’s the 3rd smallest in area, but with the most amount of people. It’s the second most densely populated – Gauteng, where Johannesburg is located, is the most densely populated.
• Highest under 5 years old mortality rate out of all provinces in South Africa- 93 out of every 1000 children die each year*
• Highest rate of malnutrition for children under 5 years old –  10.1 out of every 1000 children weigh below 60% of their expected weight*
• KZN has the lowest life expectancy in South Africa – 43 years old*
• 16% of the population are living with HIV/AIDS – which is about 1.56 million people*
• 5.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa*
• 22.5 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Sahara Africa and 25% of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Sahara Africa live in South Africa!
• 3.5 million people go hungry each day in KZN!!**

Aren’t those facts enough to stir your heart?

*Statistics from South African Survey 2007/2008 published by South African Institute of Race Relations.
**Mercury newspaper, August 2009

If YOU would want me to know one thing about Africa, what would it be?