A friend was saying how upsetting it was to see pictures of
starving children in charity appeals. "I just can't bear to
look," she said. "What can any of us do, anyway?" So whenever
images of malnourished children appeared on television or
newspapers or in the mail, she flicked channels, turned the
page, or threw the mail in the trash. "It breaks my heart," she
said. "But I can't take the whole world on my shoulders."
So, best to do nothing then? "Sure," she said. "We can't change
a thing so why try?"
The problems of the developing world can seem overwhelming at
times. Drought, famine, wars and disease come in unrelenting
waves. Just when one set of problems seems to be easing - slam -
another humanitarian crisis erupts. An earthquake. A harvest
failure. A war. The focus changes but not the victims. These are
so often the most vulnerable children. They are sick, starving,
without shelter, clean water or hope. It is easy to turn away
and say, "How terrible. But it's not my problem."
If we have any claim to humanity, however, it is our problem. It
is everyone's responsibility - you can save children and change
the world.
According to UNICEF, at least 80 percent of the world's
population lives on less than $10 a day. In parts of Africa,
that figure drops to just $1 a day. Nearly half the world's 2.2
billion children live in poverty. Of those, 24,000 die each day
because of sickness or starvation. In some of the poorest
countries, one in five children dies before age 5.
We in the West are much more fortunate. Few of us have ever
known real hunger or deprivation. We have our own sorrows and
difficulties, but, thank God, we (and our children) more often
than not have food, clean water, shelter and medicine.
We know an important part of Christian faith is to care for the
needy. As it says in the New Testament: "If anyone has material
possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not
love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth" (John
3:17-18, NIV).
Also, in this "global village" of ours, don't we have a
collective responsibility to support those most in need? At the
first Human Solidarity Day in December 2006, U.N. officials
pointed out that not only should everyone be joining together to
help the poorest people but we should also find ways to break
the poverty cycle.
Crucially, every little bit helps. Every cent adds up. Every
action spreads a little ripple. Every prayer is heard. We can
each act as advocates for those little ones without a voice. We
can demand more effective political action. We can learn more
about the causes of world poverty and how it is best addressed.
We can donate, raise funds, and support both our church groups
and international support groups. We can make a very real
difference to an individual child through child sponsorship. A
child can be fed, made well and educated through our personal
efforts.
And we can tell others within our sphere of influence that child
poverty isn't someone else's problem. It's ours, too. And we can
make a difference.
About the author:
The author is a freelance journalist whocomments regularly on
issues concerning child poverty and the efforts of Christian
charities to <a
href="http://www.compassion.com/child-development/save-children.h
tm">save children</a>. She also sponsors a child.
........................................................................................................................................................................
Wisdom Nest Primary school depends on your timely support in order to keep these needy children in school. You are welcome to make a donation of you choosing and we say thank you in advance for you kindness. Please donate now:
EMF Web FormFollow us on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment