Statistics on poverty and malnutrition leading to death indicate the extent of human suffering in rural Africa. At one time, the continent exported food to other lands. Today a third of the grain in Africa’s food supply must be imported. Farming is affected by the impossibly high cost of fertilizer. Crops don’t flourish on much of the barren farmland without it. These factors contribute to the sad truth that forty percent of indigenous men, women and children don’t have enough to eat on any given day.
Tourists from all over the world spend their vacations on safari in this scenic land. They delight at the sight of a herd of antelope racing across the veldt. They eagerly photograph elephants, zebras and giraffes. Travel agencies don’t showcase any of the areas that are visually disturbing.
On a lush continent known for exotic animals and stunning scenery, babies are dying of starvation. People in developed countries waste enough food to keep an entire rural African village alive for a month. The annual death rate of children under five years of age is six million. Those shocking pictures of babies with large expressive eyes and distended stomachs are a common sight in rural Africa.
A billion people in the world subsist on the equivalent of a dollar a day. Another 2.7 billion struggle along on less than two. Compassionate people who are not necessarily wealthy themselves send donations for food as often as they can. But, it’s easy for busy individuals to forget those 300 million little ones who go to bed hungry each night.
It seems impossible that a promising sunrise and stunning sunset can grace the African skies in the face of so much human misery.
Imagine what could be accomplished if each of us would make a regular donation, no matter how small. A portion of that poverty could be alleviated. Imagine reducing the statistics representing hunger and death. Imagine putting a smile on all those pleading little faces.
Wouldn’t it make your heart happy if you were able to help?
Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gtzecosan/3110617133/
