The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
Henry David Thoreau

A highway leads from Kampala, in Uganda, toward Lake Victoria. It could be any highway in most any poor country, lined with factories for mile after mile. Each morning crowds of tired men dressed in tattered clothes gather outside the factories. They have been "hired," which means they must show up every day at the factory, and sometimes they get to work, sometimes not. Having a job doesn't mean work in Uganda.

I am on a hiking expedition in this poor east African country, and my guide's brother is one of these desperate souls. On our way out of town we stop and talk with him as he waits for the gate to open. He has worked here for several months, a long time by Ugandan standards. He walks five miles to work from one of Kampala's many shantytowns. When the factory is busy he will work six days a week, 10 hours a day, for about $50 a month (25 cents and hour). Most months are not that busy. On a good day he has the ten schillings (15 cents) to buy a meager lunch of corn and beans. Most days are not that good.

Unions are not allowed in the factories. Any talk of unions will get you fired. Good-by for good. Anyone complaining about an injury or illness is also fired. The hiring lines are long when there is 40% unemployment. Agitators come easy, and go easy.

The factories are dangerous places too. Masks are not available when there is toxic dust. Protective gear is non-existent. Limbs and lives are lost, without much complaint. Complaining is hazardous to one's job. Men need work to support their families. No wonder so many turn to a life of crime. Or poaching.

There are thousands of these factories all over Africa and still these are the poorest and most underemployed nations in the world. The root cause of this misery is overpopulation, too many people and not enough jobs. Simple math.