"Comic Relief money should be spent on contraception"

[myboysarecute]

What i mean is they have no choice but to live like that because they dont have stuff like us.

 

[Blah11]

this thread makes me really sad.

 

[special_kala]

this thread makes me really sad.

me too

 

[smelly07]

me three

 

[flubdub]

I once worked with somone who said she doesnt give to RND cos they should learn to stop having kids


There we are, problem solved!!

 

[Lightworker]

What an ignorant and nonsensical thing to say. I would not be opposed to donating some money towards educating the person that made that comment.

 

[Nic1107]

I think some of the money should go toward education about contraception and providing it to the people who want it. Some people are using that to suggest 'providing contraception' with a malicious intent (as in, forced sterilization or the suggestion that women are having children they can't provide for on purpose). But for women who would want to have the pill/implant/etc., it should be made available. We can look at a woman who has nothing to provide for a baby and tut when the baby dies of malnutrition... but how dare we? How can anyone look at a woman who has lost her little one- an angel mummy- and just tell her "stop having kids"? If we can save ONE women from the pain of losing a child- whether it be through education about contraception so they don't fall pregnant, or providing food and clean water for that child (and the mother) after it is born... how is that not worth it?

Sorry, that probably didn't make a lot of sense but it really winds me up when people talk about women from third world countries as if they don't feel the same pain or have the same rights, dismissing them as part of the faceless masses who are "beyond help" because of their circumstances, their location or their government.

 

[flubdub]

What an ignorant and nonsensical thing to say. I would not be opposed to donating some money towards educating the person that made that comment.

Yeah, she was foul x

 

[indy and lara]

Firstly, if you don't agree with Comic Relief then don't donate. If you don't donate then you have no reason to complain about how the money is spent because it is not your money. The 'charity begins at home' thing always amuses me. It is as if only some things are worth giving to. What things? And if it begins at home then what is acceptable to do? Surely if it begins at home then it then moves on somewhere else where the need is greater?

I sat last night and watched the story of a little girl called Esther who was nursing her dying mum while looking after her toddler sister. Her Mummy died and she talked about the fact that her heart felt as if it was breaking. She has no money for food and does not go to school. And then I looked at my own daughter who was sitting on my knee, having her milk before going to bed and being totally honest, I cried for the next 2 hours. My daughter will never have to face that and I believe that it is my duty to do whatever I can to help other people in this world. And last night what I could do was donate to RND.

Comic Relief has not solved all the problems in Africa. Of course it hasn't. Africa is a huge and diverse continent with complex problems. But the lives of millions of people have so far been improved. That is something to celebrate and be proud of being part of. We support lots of UK and local charities too. They continue to need support so have they also failed as they haven't solved all the problems here? Of courseo not.

There are children in the UK who are living in poverty and who are malnourished but nothing to the extent of the children helped by RND. In the UK, Social Services are available to step in, protect and help vulnerable children and families. There is not an equivalent in Africa.

Children are dying because they do not have clean water or food to eat. This is 2011. This should not still be happening. I will never stop trying to help.

 

[flubdub]

Firstly, if you don't agree with Comic Relief then don't donate. If you don't donate then you have no reason to complain about how the money is spent because it is not your money. The 'charity begins at home' thing always amuses me. It is as if only some things are worth giving to. What things? And if it begins at home then what is acceptable to do? Surely if it begins at home then it then moves on somewhere else where the need is greater?

I sat last night and watched the story of a little girl called Esther who was nursing her dying mum while looking after her toddler sister. Her Mummy died and she talked about the fact that her heart felt as if it was breaking. She has no money for food and does not go to school. And then I looked at my own daughter who was sitting on my knee, having her milk before going to bed and being totally honest, I cried for the next 2 hours. My daughter will never have to face that and I believe that it is my duty to do whatever I can to help other people in this world. And last night what I could do was donate to RND.

Comic Relief has not solved all the problems in Africa. Of course it hasn't. Africa is a huge and diverse continent with complex problems. But the lives of millions of people have so far been improved. That is something to celebrate and be proud of being part of. We support lots of UK and local charities too. They continue to need support so have they also failed as they haven't solved all the problems here? Of courseo not.

There are children in the UK who are living in poverty and who are malnourished but nothing to the extent of the children helped by RND. In the UK, Social Services are available to step in, protect and help vulnerable children and families. There is not an equivalent in Africa.

Children are dying because they do not have clean water or food to eat. This is 2011. This should not still be happening. I will never stop trying to help.

Every. Single. Word. Of this!

Plus, if my LO was dying of malaria, I would like to think that somebody, somewhere would spare the 5p to buy a vaccine.

 

[smelly07]

Firstly, if you don't agree with Comic Relief then don't donate. If you don't donate then you have no reason to complain about how the money is spent because it is not your money. The 'charity begins at home' thing always amuses me. It is as if only some things are worth giving to. What things? And if it begins at home then what is acceptable to do? Surely if it begins at home then it then moves on somewhere else where the need is greater?

I sat last night and watched the story of a little girl called Esther who was nursing her dying mum while looking after her toddler sister. Her Mummy died and she talked about the fact that her heart felt as if it was breaking. She has no money for food and does not go to school. And then I looked at my own daughter who was sitting on my knee, having her milk before going to bed and being totally honest, I cried for the next 2 hours. My daughter will never have to face that and I believe that it is my duty to do whatever I can to help other people in this world. And last night what I could do was donate to RND.

Comic Relief has not solved all the problems in Africa. Of course it hasn't. Africa is a huge and diverse continent with complex problems. But the lives of millions of people have so far been improved. That is something to celebrate and be proud of being part of. We support lots of UK and local charities too. They continue to need support so have they also failed as they haven't solved all the problems here? Of courseo not.

There are children in the UK who are living in poverty and who are malnourished but nothing to the extent of the children helped by RND. In the UK, Social Services are available to step in, protect and help vulnerable children and families. There is not an equivalent in Africa.

Children are dying because they do not have clean water or food to eat. This is 2011. This should not still be happening. I will never stop trying to help.

 

[Mummyplus3]

I think a greater proportion of the money should be spent on contraception, but not sterlisation. Things like the Implant last for 3 years and it a one of cost on entry and a one off cost on removal.

Young girls and Women should have this available to them untill we can slow down the birth rate in Africa then I doubt any real changes can take place, because it is just a continuos cycle of over population and not enough to go round.

If the birth rate could be cut by 20% through contraception availability there would then be some leeway to work with the bigger issues such as malnutrition, poor healthcare and no housing etc... IYSWIM?

With less people in such a dire state the money rasied will be better spent on sustainable things rather than emergancy care, so more could be spent on education, housing and medicines rather than on emergancy provisions.

I think the thing that p*sses me off the most is that a great proportion of this money is lost in admin, wages, government fees etc... So how much of this £74 million is actually going to bulid wells and houses?

 

[donna-c-86]

^^wss

 

[Lightworker]

I think you will find that the birth rate in Africa has alot of other complex contributing factors and contraception, or the lack thereof, impacts in a small way. The desire to have children, and many of them at that is rooted deeply in the culture. There are so many other issues that you have to tackle before you even get to the issue of contraception. People keep mentioning the pill and implants etc but what will these do for AIDS which is a GIGANTIC problem?

 

[Lightworker]

I think to make lowering the birth rate a fundamental aim is short-sighted. So if they all stop having babies, what will happen to the country's workforce, economy, productivity in 20-30yrs time when the adults have reached old age or died? Will we then be donating for the elderly? It is a bloomin minefield that can not be solved by stopping people from having children.

 

[blahblahblah]

At least there wasn't a large chunk removed for Terry Wogan's wages this year

I have mixed views on CR as a whole. I have put my fiver in, but I do wonder if any of that will be actually be put to good use in the long run.

Also, much as I dislike the Pope, I would like to defend him from being blamed for the spread of STIs. If people are paying so much attention to condoms being a sin - surely they'd be paying attention to rape being a sin too?

 

[highhopes19]

if people dont like comic relief then dont donate its as simple as that really

isnt it just as bad people having children over here that cant afford to have them and have to rely on the goverment for help. i know its an extreme difference in the sense that these children are sadly quite literally starving to death. but theres people in this country (quite a few who i know) that have lots of children and dont work and have no intension of doing so. but we dont suggest sterlising them do we..

 

[Mummyplus3]

I think you will find that the birth rate in Africa has alot of other complex contributing factors and contraception, or the lack thereof, impacts in a small way. The desire to have children, and many of them at that is rooted deeply in the culture. There are so many other issues that you have to tackle before you even get to the issue of contraception. People keep mentioning the pill and implants etc but what will these do for AIDS which is a GIGANTIC problem?

I completly get where you are coming from, but I'm not suggesting forcing contraception on the women there, just making it a free choice like it is here IYSWIM. i am sure that there are plenty of women that would happily have a form of contraception even if only temporaliy like the 3 yr implant to give their already born children a fighting chance at surival.

AIDS is a massive massive problem and continues to get bigger because of the amount of children born with it. Although it is only a scratch on the surface of the problems out there anyone can see how reducing the birth rate even marginally will help to solve bigger problems in the long run, but whilst we continue to mainly provide emergancy care we are not doing what needs to be done to give these people sustainable futures. IYSWIM. I firmly believe that especially because of the high rate of AIDS/rape out there that the only thing we can make a quick and positive impact on is contraception.

 

[Eve]

I am not sure about this comic relief... but if it's like world vision etc... then in a way yes. Women shouldn't be on birth control most should be sterilized. A lot of women in those poor poor countries are raped, abused etc.. and become pregnant and do not know about contraception or wouldn't be able to take it anyways. I know it sounds harsh but giving money for food isn't solving anything. A lot of places you need to be careful what is sent as others will take their things, and worse. Again, sounds harsh and I may get attacked for it, but I think sterilizing a lot of them would help end the suffering of the children... and really, no child should suffer regardless of principal or laws.

 

[Lightworker]

Mum2JK- are you actually saying we should curb their reproductive rights because they are poor? The same way the Nazis decided to sterilize sections of their society for what they believed were justifiable reasons?? And then you (ie the high and mighty rich) decide when and if they can have children? BTW the money is given to run projects that promote the empowerment of the disadvantaged so that they can gain independence.