East African crisis

[FryattFox]

As mentioned at a previous date in some long forgotten argument, there is a crisis in East Africa and it is a long way from getting any better, despite the reduced news coverage as they 'bore' of the story.

East Africa Crisis Appeal

More than 10 million people in East Africa are facing a devastating lack of food and water. Families have faced persistent drought for many years – but the situation is now critical. 2011 has been the driest year for 60 years.

Without crops growing and with food prices soaring, families across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are struggling to feed their families. Thousands of children and pregnant women are suffering from severe malnourishment.

After recently returning from the region, World Vision UK’s Chief Executive, Justin Byworth, has said, "Children are still dying. I've never seen anything on this scale before."

[video=youtube_share;3zDNG3AA0-0]http://youtu.be/3zDNG3AA0-0[/video]

I know that there are hundreds of worthy causes out there, but I passionately believe that more needs to be done about this. Just listening and watching what is happening out there as we moan about trivial crap really does put things into perspective. If you're interesting in helping, I have supported World Vision for many years and believe that they are a fantastic charity

• £32 would feed a family for three weeks
• £45 would provide enough nutrition boosting supplements for the 8-week course needed for one child
• £65 would provide a family with clean drinking water for a month
• £138 would provide a family with a milking cow to replace ones that have died in the drought

 

[SJN-Fox]

How much would it cost to stop them bringing more children into a world that they know can't support them?

 

[SwedeFox]

How much would it cost to stop them bringing more children into a world that they know can't support them?

What do you mean? There's enough food for everyone.

 

[Macky]

How much would it cost to stop them bringing more children into a world that they know can't support them?

There's more than enough resources for every human on the planet. They also have a very high infant mortality rate, so need to have large families in order for there to be a chance that there will be any of them still alive to care for them in their old age.

 

[SJN-Fox]

What do you mean? There's enough food for everyone.

So where's the problem then?

 

[Macky]

So where's the problem then?

The problem is geopolitics.

 

[H T B]

Whilst I do have sympathy for their plight, I think enough aid, in fact too much, get's sent abroad.

This country is not in the best of shape and could do with some of the aid being sent abroad to help our own hospitals, police, armed forces et all.

If I hear one more multimillionaire actor/popstar/footballer etc tell me to put my hand in my pocket to help save the starving millions, I'll tell them the same. Where's your feckin money?

 

[Feriol]

Whilst I do have sympathy for their plight, I think enough aid, in fact too much, get's sent abroad.

This country is not in the best of shape and could do with some of the aid being sent abroad to help our own hospitals, police, armed forces et all.

This is exactly the problem, too many people in the world think that them having to be put on a hospital waiting list is a bigger deal than people dying for the sake of food and clean water. The gulf between our 'problems' and theirs is massive.

If I hear one more multimillionaire actor/popstar/footballer etc tell me to put my hand in my pocket to help save the starving millions, I'll tell them the same. Where's your feckin money?

To be fair many contribute a greater proportion of their income than i (and i suspect many others) ever have.

 

[SwedeFox]

So where's the problem then?

So your solution to the starvation problem, when quite a significant part of the food in the West is simply thrown away because we're not hungry, is to ask the starving people to stop reproducing? That's interesting.

I will try that organization Feriol, I sent a small donation to Unicef via text last month and they've called me about three times since - I'm not sure that's the best way to get people to give more.

 

[spionfox]

Whilst I do have sympathy for their plight, I think enough aid, in fact too much, get's sent abroad.

The money that does go abroad should be used for what it was donated for - i.e. for humanitarian reasons.

It shouldn't be syphoned off into some dictators back pocket.

 

[Mawsley]

Personally, I feel that if the solution to a global problem is sending money to a fundamentalist Christian organisation that earns 2.6 Billion per annum and pays it's corporate staff huge salaries then the entire question is as ****ed up as the situation is purports to resolve.

 

[FryattFox]

The money that does go abroad should be used for what it was donated for - i.e. for humanitarian reasons.

It shouldn't be syphoned off into some dictators back pocket.

I can't say that this doesn't happen, but if you support the right organisiations then I believe that it is quite unlikely. Plus, it's an awful reason not to support charities.

 

[FryattFox]

Whilst I do have sympathy for their plight, I think enough aid, in fact too much, get's sent abroad.

This country is not in the best of shape and could do with some of the aid being sent abroad to help our own hospitals, police, armed forces et all.

If I hear one more multimillionaire actor/popstar/footballer etc tell me to put my hand in my pocket to help save the starving millions, I'll tell them the same. Where's your feckin money?

As replied to below, this is a completely selfish argument (imo). To compare the issues faced in the western world to those faced by many Africans on a daily basis is ludicrous. I don't know if you have ever been fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to travel to Africa and see it first hand, but I think that it would certainly put things into perspective. Given your comments I'd assume not, but I'd be interested to know otherwise?

Don't get me wrong, some of the issues faced by people in this country are heart-breaking and I wouldn't expect anyone to go through the issues that some people suffer with in our own country. But this is a clear minority compared to the numbers and scale of the African crisis. And in my experience, it's people who do nothing for people in this country that use this argument; they just think that they shouldn't give money to a distant cause when there are single mothers who are struggling down the road. My question would be surely we can help both?

This is exactly the problem, too many people in the world think that them having to be put on a hospital waiting list is a bigger deal than people dying for the sake of food and clean water. The gulf between our 'problems' and theirs is massive.

 

[FryattFox]

Personally, I feel that if the solution to a global problem is sending money to a fundamentalist Christian organisation that earns 2.6 Billion per annum and pays it's corporate staff huge salaries then the entire question is as ****ed up as the situation is purports to resolve.

Possibly.

But if they are the best solution and the most assured way of getting money to the people that need it most, then that's a compromise that I'm willing to make.

If it's the Christianity that's holding you back, there are plenty of other great charities out there, such as WaterAid and Save The Children, although to be perfectly honest I am not sure what religious beliefs, if any, these follow. Is it really that much of an issue to you?

And surely it's the highly paid corporate staff that allow the charities to raise such huge amounts? Again, not ideal, but better than nothing, or the alternative of the existence of a high number of badly organised organisations [/naiveity]

 

[spionfox]

I can't say that this doesn't happen, but if you support the right organisiations then I believe that it is quite unlikely. Plus, it's an awful reason not to support charities.

At no point did I suggest NOT supporting charities.

I agree with your implication that some organisations are better than others.

 

[FryattFox]

At no point did I suggest NOT supporting charities.

I agree with your implication that some organisations are better than others.

Apologies. That wasn't necessarily aimed at you; I've just heard it used as an argument in the past.

 

[RHYDAL]

No thanks, I gave at the offfice.

 

[Darth Vodka]

I give every day

it's called income tax

 

[fitz]

I will try that organization Feriol, I sent a small donation to Unicef via text last month and they've called me about three times since - I'm not sure that's the best way to get people to give more.

A familiar tale. I used to have a DD set up to give to charity monthly, I cancelled it as I was being called every ****ing month to give more. Several others I know have cancelled for the same thing.

 

[Han]

A familiar tale. I used to have a DD set up to give to charity monthly, I cancelled it as I was being called every ****ing month to give more. Several others I know have cancelled for the same thing.

The charities that do his sort of thing use up a rediculous percentage of the donations to cover their own costs.