There is almost a limit to which every person restricts him or herself to act upon a situation for his or her benefit. However, today one of situations the world faces demands an absolute removal of this limit. I refer to the devastated country of Somalia which has been struck by the biggest famine in the last 30 years. A country tired and struggling with a civil war and lack of governance has fallen to its knees and is demanding and crying for help.
We cannot refuse. We must not refuse. We should act.
It is not about helping a third world country or about the money that jiggles in our pockets. This is an attempt to save the humanity. At this hour, each step can save one life.
Some of the pictures that UN has released have caused the communities around the globe to think:
This is not a call for help. It is a call for life.
After reading and watching these documentaries one point that has stuck me the most is the negligence and lack of education in the country. Apart from the famine there are reasons the situation is so bad. The videos mention victims saying ‘When I started towards a camp in Mogadishu I had 8 children, now I have two.’ The concept of producing an offspring to the limit of one’s heart and desire has been prevalent in most part of the country especially southern Somalia. Extreme fanatics do not believe in adopting the 2 child policy or safe sex measures. The government is not doing its full part in educating the females about the use of contraceptives and other pregnancy prevention measures. Each Somali family has 6-10 children. With conditions of civil war and famines, the situations have devastated worse because of the added mouths to feed.
The need for education and a global outlook to better one’s life is missing in these areas. A woman typically produces 10 offspring amongst which 6 survive no better than dead. This is a concern that demands attention from not only African governments but also from developed nations.
However today, the most urgent need is to help these people survive
Please log on to the UNICEF site for helping a life.
Malnutrition isn't just about a lack of food but a combination of other factors like inadequate health services and unsafe water and sanitation. That's why UNICEF is also providing basic health care, safe drinking water (the charity has already delivered this to over a million people in Somalia alone!) and is also launching a massive vaccination campaign for children living in the host communities around Dadaab refugee camp in Northern Kenya. The campaign will target almost 203,000 children under five. Meanwhile in Somalia, UNICEF is aiming to immunise 2.5 million children against measles.
Start Saving Lives Today
Over the coming weeks and months, UNICEF will expand as quickly as is possible to reach more children and their families but desperately needs support from New Zealanders to make this happen. Contributions from Kiwis are already saving lives. Today, we have a chance to do even more.
Big or small, your donation will make a huge difference to a starving child. This is how your money helps:
- $19.50 provides clean water for one family
- $27.50 vaccinates 100 children against polio
- $52 can provide 75 sachets of life saving Therapeutic Food like Plumpy Nut (enough to feed one child for 25 days).
- $105 can provide 30 litres of nutrient rich Therapeutic Milk
- $530 can supply half a tonne of UNIMIX porridge to malnourished children
