Going Global

On Talk Tuesday, we talked about the global community and the idea of clean drinking water for everyone on Earth. Let’s look at some astounding statistics in our neighborhood.

2 Million: Number of children who die each year from diseases which could have been prevented with inexpensive vaccines currently sitting on the shelves of doctor’s offices, in briefcases of drug vendors and in warehouses worldwide.

A little boy at one of the refugee camps in Goma.

Refugee

5 Million: Number of people leaving in refugee camps. Many do not have even basic shelter. What do refugees look like? >>>

11 Million: Number of children who will die before their 5th birthday. Need some perspective? This would be all of the children under 5 who live in the United Kingdom, Germany and France…all of them dying this year.

40 Million: Number of people living with HIV/AIDS

1 Billion: Number of people who do not have access to clean, potable water. What little they may have access to is contaminated or grey water.

1.08 Billion: Number of people who live on less then $1 per day. In your country, the poverty level offers how much per day?

2.6 Billion: Number of people living without basic sanitation. No indoor plumbing. No outhouse. No water fountain. No sink for dishes. No bathtub. No shower. No soap. No deodorant. How long would you last?

Think about this…

If you loaded up one hundred 747 jets full, and crashed them. Every day for a year. That would be over 16,000,000 people. It would be the equivalent:

  • Hunger kills 9,125,000
  • HIV/AIDS kills 2,900,000
  • Pneumonia kills 2,000,000
  • Diarrhea kills 1,600,000
  • Malaria kills 1,000,000

Counting the Seconds

Ticking Clock

Tick Tock

Every 3.5 seconds…someone dies of hunger.

Every 11 seconds…someone dies of AIDS.

Every 15 seconds…a child dies of a waterborne illness.

Already Holding The Keys

Every year, enough food is produced to feed everyone on the planet. Deaths from hunger are completely unnecessary, as are those from waterborne illnesses.

Common Denominator

What do all of these have in common? Poverty.

What can I do?

Acknowledge this is our world. Everyone matters when we start talking about changing these statistics. You, Mate, Quaint, Slacker, Gossip, your family, boss, colleagues and friends…each one of you can make a difference.

Stop procrastinating. How many people died while you were reading this page? Count the seconds. Can you put off helping any longer?

Pick one. Choose an organization who is helping in an area which interests you. Whether you choose one which operates locally, nationally or globally, pick at least one.

Do something. Get involved in what your organization does.

  • Raise awareness.
  • Talk to others.
  • Donate money.
  • Volunteer. (Donate time.)
  • Let your company do work for free. (Donate services or goods.)
  • Donate supplies.
  • Help with logistics for delivery.
  • Educate. (Donate knowledge.)
  • Organize.
  • Petition.
  • Lobby.
  • Recruit. (People, professionals, legislators, children)
  • Support research.

There are billions of needs, and the help is desperately needed. Visiting a branch of any organization will give you ideas for some of the most obvious ways you can help. Ask someone what else you can do. Help.

Join others.

Every Bit Helps

You do not have to bear all of the weight yourself. Join forces with millions of others who, like you, think these statistics are unconscionable. Together, you can eat the elephant.

~~~~~~~~~~

Have you talked to your children about these global issues? Which global agencies do you support? How have you made a difference in the global community? Which organizations should be avoided for reasons of fraud? Can you make a difference?

~~~~~~~~~~


(c) Ann Marie Dwyer 2012
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18 Comments

  1. Yes, or so I thougth until reading this post. Your mind is a machine.

    Reply
    • You probably are, but we are bailing the ocean with a saccharine spoon. For me the hardest parts is ferreting out an organization to trust to do what it claims. My investigative skills have been very sharpened over the years.

      Reply
  2. Done voluntary work for three years for our local community and saw first hand how people suffered in poverty, living on the fringes of the legal just to survive – and that’s in a so-called wealthy country.

    I’ve given to many charities when I could spare the cash only to be told most of my donations would have gone to Administration costs – NOT to the people who needed it…

    God Bless!

    Prenin.

    Reply
    • That is what I just mentioned to Lorre. The hardest part of donating is knowing WHERE to donate so your money will be used appropriately or how you wish it to be. My sad discovery: Smaller does not mean less (administrative) waste.

      Reply
  3. Yes I agree Red every little helps but unfortunately at the end of the day it is just a drop in the ocean and the many thousands, indeed millions of deprived and extremely needy people that are hungry and dying of unnecessary diseases and starvation are the same people from forty years ago and counting.

    It is a never-ending circle of shame and governments around the globe are not doing enough to cancel out this sickening dilemma. In reality stock piles of food and medication are thrown away, out-of-date provisions and materials that could be put to good use, but no they are not handed out to the local population that live rough on the streets, and definitely not offered to those starving millions in countries where they are desperately hungry and in need of basic drugs to keep their children alive, such inexpensive medications that would benefit the disadvantaged.

    You know it is a case of out of sight, out of mind and although there are many aid agencies and helping hands throughout the world, it is still not enough to scratch the surface of the dreadful loss of life of those poor peoples in a world that seems to have forgotten them.

    Have a very nice rest of evening Red 🙂

    Reply
    • I forgot to add…

      Androgoth XXx

      Reply
    • I just told Lorre something similar to your first paragraph. The bare facts are hard to swallow and in some cases to wrap the brain ’round. For those of us helping, sometimes the most important thing we can do is ferret out the bad organizations and recruit others to add their saccharine spoon to the bailing effort.

      There is more afoot with Feed America as to ending some of the wastefulness of expiring food stores, but truly there needs to be more recognition with manufacturers. As to the meds, *sigh* some days, I really really really hate my government.

      Red.

      Reply
  4. Each one reach one – that is an evangelism slogan, but it works for this too. Maybe we can’t stop poverty altogether. Even Jesus said “the poor you always have with you”, but each one can do something. My parents taught me to help those who needed it – whatever that need was, and my husband and I remain open to do so, whether it is through money or other types of giving. But, it is a person’s choice as to what they do or do not do. There is certainly a LOT of needless waste in this country.

    Reply
    • This reminds me I need to do a post on charitable recycling. Thanks for the reminder, Angie. Red.

      Reply
  5. Yes, we have talked about this with our kids and been involved. I have written about it a few times on my blog. We sponsor a child with Compassion International, at Christmas we gave to help efforts to support the famine relief in the horn of Africa (instead of gifts for family). We have also been involved with CAMA services and their relief efforts. it is one person at a time. If each of us did something, it would make a huge difference. I know I am making a difference in the life of our girl and I am looking for ways to do more.

    We went to Africa a few years ago. While there I was struck with the amount of people who die from Malaria and AIDS. Just sad…really sad.

    Reply
    • The malaria issue is one I will never be OK with on any level. We have far too many pesticides to conceive of a mosquito borne plague in this day and age. What is the percentage of relief from Compassionate International? I have not investigated them.

      Most I have looked at have about a 26% return rate, which I cannot abide. Seventy-four cents of ever dollar going toward administrative and advertising costs is unacceptable to me. Likewise, there are a good portion of those agencies who do nothing more than awareness. I am not paying someone a penny to print pamphlets and never set foot on the helpful ground. Red.

      Reply
  6. My donation is knowledge. I was astounded when I researched an article about Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” a few years ago only to discover that misleading ‘facts’ and a political agenda led to the banning of DDT, condemning millions to die of malaria just when malaria was under control. I should re-publish that article soon.

    John

    Reply
    • Yes, you should. I was just commenting to Derek about how disgusting it is to have a mosquito-borne plague in this day and age. Good thing our government is still using DDT, even if they refuse to admit it publicly. Shameful they are refusing to allow its export, even charitably, to other nations.
      Red.

      Reply
  7. Many people use the excuse of not being able to help due to their own financial difficulties. Donating your time costs nothing, helps many, and the amount of time taken is well worth it! You benefit by helping others no doubt about it!

    Reply
    • So true, Christy. One of the best things I have helped with is a construction project the local youth do here each year. They go in crews to the homes of disadvantaged/disabled people and do repairs. The projects I helped on were ones where they did some upgrades to the local park. When I cannot give money, I do not mind giving time. Even if it means one terrific sunburn 😉 Red.

      Reply
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