Famine in Somalia

[blinkybaby]

I don't really know if this is a debate or not but I didn't really know where to post.

I've just watched a news report about the hundreds of thousands of starving people in this country and feel fucking SICK about living in this country. We are spending millions bailing out Greece when all that money could feed every single one of those starving children for months. I feel sick at myself for worrying about stupid things when these people are starving! And I feel sick at the Jeremy Kyle type generation that we have bred in this country that just doesn't give a shit about this kind of thing. We are getting on our high horses about phone-hacking when people are DYING because they don't have enough food??? Don't have enough FOOD? NO-one should have to die of that, it's just ridiculous! Yes, phone-hacking is awful but compared to this?

Not just that, it pisses me off how the adverts for Oxfam etcetera plead to people like me who could at most afford a fiver a month in donation (and that's pushing it) when they should be targeting the multi-million profit organisations like the Supermarkets etc. Morrisons supermarket for example made 11 billion pre-tax profit last year, guess how much they donated to charity? 1.5 million! I think that's something like less than 1%!

I'm really angry so I don't think I've worded this very well, forgive me.

 

[Blah11]

 

[indy and lara]

No-one should die from lack of food. Perhaps if the news looked beyond hacking it would be getting the coverage it deserves. Donated last week.

 

[robinator]

They said on CNN that women have an AVERAGE of 6 children each; to think of all those poor children starving and dying....so horrible.

 

[ShanandBoc]

I agree Blinkybaby i posted a status on fb about this the other day, and its not just Somalia either, its all over Africa

In the western world we have an over abundance of food and then elsewhere people are starving to death, its just ridiculous.

Care international has built all these new brick shelters and no one is allowed to use them until the government approves the redistribution of land. Corruption and beauracracy is their biggest enemy. Somalia has only just now let foreign aid agencies in because they believe that they are enemies of Islam.

None should have to starve in this world, we have enough food, its just not evenly distributed

And another thing so many just seem to turn a blind eye......

 

[blinkybaby]

I feel so guilty myself because I throw away food that doesn't get eaten sometimes. I feel like people in the western world don't even know they are born - I'm including myself in that as well. I've donated today but it still makes me mad that they are pleading to normal people to donate instead of the Rupert Murdoch's of this world who could really make a difference in double quick time. I know every little helps and if everyone donated a pound it would make a real difference, but what if everyone donated a pound and the rich people (say companies that earnt multi-millions) donated say 5% of their profits, what a difference that would make! I feel liek aslo the amount of Comic reliefs, Live-Aids etc that have happened, the amount of money that has been donated over the years should have completely eradicated poverty or made a huge difference at least? Where does all the money go? I feel like I'm being very naive about this and looking at it very black and white.

 

[Lightworker]

Yeah i feel abit saddened by the whole thing. I do wish we could have a system where we give more equitably to suffering countries. I feel awful when I think, some people wake up wondering which TV, car, designer outfit they are going to buy today, whereas others wake up begging God to spare their children. We need a massive, peaceful revolution in changing the way the world works.
Having said that, it seems in Somalia that while some aid is available, it is being blocked by the radical forces. It is so classic. We really need to change how the governments work as well, as that is the key factor in how countries progress (or don't progress as the case may be).
I also get annoyed at the self-importance of some people. World leaders, and govenrment ministers in these countries are all riding around in Mercedes while people cannot even afford to put food on the table. It is an angrifying situation.

 

[summer rain]

Its very sad; but in many countries you get various forces blocking aid getting in (or hijacking it for themselves); regardless of the religion of that country, its all a big power trip to them, and Al-Shabaab are not the government but a guerilla movement which literally translates as 'the youths'

 

[ShanandBoc]

I read the most disturbing news article on this yesterday

Warning: Its very upsetting.... 'Somali children abandoned on 'roads of death'
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-26/children-abandoned-in-african-drought/2810060

 

[Janidog]

It too saddens me, but unfortunately there is so much corruption in Africa that barely any aid makes it in to the country or gets taken by those that do not need it.

You look at the amount of money that was raised and sent to help the tsunami victims and Haiti and yet most of the money has gone elsewhere

 

[Lightworker]

I have been wondering about corruption and the delivery of aid though. Theoretically, you donate to an NGO who by its very definition is independent from the govt. so corruption shouldnt be an issue- unless the NGO is corrupt. I know govts can block aid like Mugabe etc or steal but not sure about corruption.

 

[blinkybaby]

So Somalia are in the grips of a terrorist government and the rest of the world does nothing. I wonder why? Natural resources rings a bell, the western world never does anything unless there's something in it for them. Makes me sick.

 

[Lightworker]

Yep thats it in a nutshell. The US openly admits to only acting in situations where they have a vested interest. I think the main problem though is that to alot people dont feel it is their responsibility- they arent Somalis so its not their problem. We need to break down barriers and recognize that we are all humans iwkim? One way is by teaching it at schools.

 

[indy and lara]

For me, it is almost irrelevant at the moment that all the money/ aid will not get there. A lot will and at the end of the day we need to step in NOW to stop the Somali people from dying. The immediate crisis needs dealt with and THEN the corruption, etc need addressed. If everyone refuses to help then people will die, end off. Money cannot stop natural disasters and this is what this was, but it can help to save people's lives.

 

[Blah11]

Makes me sick when I read letter pages in newspapers about 'give them condoms, stop giving them money' too.
Lets just sterilise them all and be done with it

 

[ShanandBoc]

What bothers me is the money we spend on wars and killing people could feed every hungry nation in the world.

 

[mrs_park]

It just isn't fair. When celebrities and sports stars are paid millions upon millions and yet people in this world don't have food to eat or water to drink

Seeing that little seven month old baby breaks my heart. My LO is a month younger and weighs more than twice as much!

 

[ShanandBoc]

It just isn't fair. When celebrities and sports stars are paid millions upon millions and yet people in this world don't have food to eat or water to drink

This too. Its shocking that people are starving when others have so much money they dont know what to do with it. What a horrible world we live in

 

[ShanandBoc]

https://www.imgonnabeyourfriend.org/

Watch this and please donate.

$15 can feed a starving child for a week

 

[Lightworker]

I am currently reading a book by Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai called the Challenge for Africa, and I agree with alot of what she says. Yes, it is essential to provide aid, as people will die otherwise, but I think, inadvertently or not, perhaps we have created an aid-dependent Africa iykwim? Perhaps we need to focus also on other avenues, eg, we need to lobby governments to stop their exploitative trade agreements, i.e no point donating to a country with one hand, while you are exploiting their resources with the other.

Also, I think the international community needs to come up with a uniform, consistent way of dealing with such issues, instead of intervening haphazardly where they see fit, they should intervene in all situations that meet given criteria. I think the world may have given up on Somalia because it has been in dire straits for so long.

Also, I think we need to focus alot on empowering us Africans, and ensuring that we make it our responsibility to fix our continent. No point in the west donating millions when we cannot manage it.

I think African parents also need to instill in their children the value of self-confidence, self-worth, integrity and community spirit. I think at the moment its a case of everyone just looking out for themselves.

Anyway, sorry for going off on one, I am just trying to illustrate that while it is unfair that there are people who are so rich, and then those that are starving and the allocation of wealth seems so inequitable, it goes deeper than that, and in attempts to help Somalia, and Africa in general, we need to have amulti-pronged approach.

You know one thing though, it amazes me at the intelligence and caring you ladies on BnB show. You never know, maybe we can start a BnB mother's movement haha, x