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Another beautiful day in America and yet around the world in Africa things are not as they could be. Or perhaps they are exactly as they are supposed to be.
Earlier today, Ethiopia asked for over 150 thousand tons of emergency food to help feed 6 million people in urgent need of help. This kind of appeal comes around almost yearly, yet this size of request is the largest since the eighties.
The reason for the request this time is the on-going drought that is ravaging seven nations in eastern Africa. And this time, of course, the food will go directly to those who need it most: the indigent and the starving.
Well, not really. Not at all, actually.
Remember Live Aid in the 1980's? Over $2 Billion (that's right, with a B) was raised from the concerts alone, and another $25 Billion (again with a B) was raised by other countries to help curb the famines at the time. The result was less than 10% of that money actually went to food and helping those in need. Thus, every year the appeals go out, and every year we (or the rest of the world) dip into our pockets and send hope overseas. And every year, more and more hundreds of thousands die because they don't get the help they need.
One problem with Africa is partly location in that all of us wonder this: why live in a desert where it is almost impossible to grow food? The main problem, though, seems to be corruption. Of all of the countries in that great continent, there are only fifteen which could be called democracies, and of those only six are truly self-sufficient. The others, which ironically is where famine and genocide and war are a way of life, are dictatorships or 'councils' in which power over the populace is the de-facto form of government. And when you control a population's food supply, you have absolute control.
So the next time a celebrity or politician or commercial on television asks you to help, do so by asking your celebrity or politician to ensure the food or money actually gets to where it's supposed to get. Without that, we are all just giving our money to those who are actively involved in the starvation of millions for their own profit. And one more thing: those celebrities or politicians who do all of this work for the poor need to understand the problem will not go away until the corruption is defeated. Perhaps these celebrities and politicians can use their immense talents and sway to focus on that rather than continue to feed the corruption by turning a blind eye to reality. Doing something because it feels or looks good is one thing; feeding corruption is something else altogether.
As with our schools here in America, we should not give up hope. We should focus on the main problem of corruption and let our politicians and those in charge of these aid agencies know we will not continually give and give and give without realizing (or caring, perhaps) our time and money will not possibly help until the corruption is stopped.
Africa is a land where things are not as they could be. Perhaps, though, it is a land where things are as they are supposed to be.
Let's hope it will become a land where things are as they can be.
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