While we wine and dine millions are dying of hunger
While we are tanning ourselves on the beach, people are dying of hunger.
While we grumble of the excessive heat; squabble about the non-controversies that plague us; curse high prices in restaurants; complain about Arriva; opine that water and electricity bills are too expensive, follow the news in Libya, etc. PEOPLE ARE DYING OF HUNGER.
They have been dying of hunger for quite some time. Pope Benedict addressed the subject on consecutive Sundays in June and July. He made a strong appeal to the international community to urgently help the drought-stricken Horn of Africa.
"Innumerable people are fleeing from that tremendous famine in search of food and assistance. I hope the international community will increase its efforts to quickly send aid to our sorely tested brothers and sisters, among them many children. Our solidarity and the concrete assistance of all people of good will should not be lacking."
The worst is not over.
PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO DIE OF HUNGER in the Horn of Africa.
"Let's not commit the error of thinking that the worst is over," warned the spokesman of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Adrian Edwards. Experts in the field say that the situation will not improve at least until January!
I think that I am more than justified to deviate from local matters to draw my readers' attention to this humanitarian disaster. In this piece I will be using material from the contribution of Paul De Maeyer in Zenit.org, August 26, titled "In the 3rd Millennium, How Can People Still Be Dying of Hunger?" I also use information available on the site of UNHCR and UNICEF.
The extent of the disaster
Read these horrible statistics of shame:
At least 12.4 million people affected by the drought in the four countries are in "immediate, urgent need of humanitarian help." The populations have lost 85% of the livestock because of the droughtThe percentage of acute malnutrition has reached 25% in the refugee camps of Bosaso, and 23.6% in the Karkaar regionAccording to estimates, those affected include 4.8 million people in the east of Ethiopia, 3.7 million in Somalia (of which 2.8 million are in the south of the country), and an additional 3.7 million in the northeast of Kenya and, finally, 165,000 in small Djibouti.
In Somalia alone 1.85 million children need help and more than 780,000 are malnourished, 640,000 of whom are in the southern areas. Of this last group, 310,000 children -- that is, almost half -- are suffering from acute malnutrition. In the whole of the Horn of Africa, 600,000 children are in immediate danger of death, as they are affected by serious malnutrition.
It is estimated that every 11 weeks, 10% of the Somali population under the age of 5 dies.The camps of Dada, Kenya, shelter close to 440,000 Somali refugees, a population that is higher than that of Malta.
The tragic situation caused by natural calamities is made worse by the political situation, violence and corruption. Man-made problems acerbate an already bad situation. Man can really be the worst enemy of men! There are those who exploit and benefit themselves on the disasters of others. Women are particularly targeted. Rape becomes a weapon of exploitation. The forces of order are sometimes at the vanguard as the forces of disaster.
The strong presence of Islamic fundamentalists makes the situation particularly problematic for Christians. They are subjected to violence and, according to many reliable reports, are deprived of humanitarian help.
Some people from the area have found their way to our shores while trying to seek a new life in Europe. They are welcomed by some but shunned by others.
Perhaps if we know more about their plight we would be more welcoming and less prejudiced.