Sunday, October 27, 2013

Being Part of the Solution to World Poverty in a Simple Way



We in the developed world are living in a time where many items that did not even exist decades ago, are considered needs, not luxuries. We feel constrained to provide them to our growing children because "everyone else has them." We want our children to "fit in." We feel the need to "keep up with the Joneses" and to "run the rat race." Even those of us who may have low incomes often receive "entitlements" or other help that assists us in moving in or near to middle-class living. The things that I'm talking about that have become, in the eyes of many, needs, consist of technological gadgets. I'm talking about computers, cell phones, iPods, iPads, tablets, and other gadgets that were unheard-of decades ago. Computers? Many of us have laptops, even if just for basic Internet services. Most of us have cell phones. Even many low-income people use what are inaccurately called "Obamaphones." (This was a service started, I believe, under Former President Bill Clinton and funds come from extra billing to users). My own daughter said the other day, "All the other kids have iPhones!" To which Daddy and Mom said, "No they don't. There are many of your friends who don't have iPhones." Purchasing an iPhone is outside of the means of our family, anyway. But this is another story!

The pic above shows what is all-too typical of the pitiful living conditions of those families and individuals who live and suffer in developing countries. These many, many people have probably never seen a computer or a cell phone, let alone more "fancy" gadgets such as iPods , iPads, Tablets, or the link. That image is not pretty or comfortable but it represents what billions of impoverished people in the developing word suffer daily and contantly. You may have no doubt seen images of starving children with extremely thin limbs and unnaturally bloated bellies. I have seen them. The media ought to cover these kind of situations but doing so makes for poor entertainment, it's depressing and uncomfortable and their ratings would plummet. Plus, there is the cost of travel and many of these countries would put journalists at risk because they tend to be or have "hot spots" with harsh governments. But because we are closed off from what is going on in so many of these countries and areas of the world, it's easy to be uninformed as to what is going on and to the extent it all is going on.



When I was growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1960's and 1970's, starving children were often used by adults to get children to eat foods full of nutrition that we did not like. Since I always was (and am) a very picky eater, adults often admonished me, "Eat all the food on your plate; think of all the starving children who won't get any food to eat today" or "Eat your vegetables; starving kids would like to have broccoli or spinach." These kind of admonitions are well-intentioned, but starving children are not helped by what we eat or by our not wasting our food. Cleaning one's plate has been proved to be counterproductive to appetite and weight management; we should not waste anything based on the sheer fact that these things are given to us to be used, NOT squandered. We are familiar with the concepts of relative poverty vs. absolute poverty, and that the poverty of those in developing countries on the continents of South America, Asia and Africa fall in the category of absolute poverty. No, I'm not minimizing the abject poverty, and numerous other sufferings that so many in the developed world are experiencing, and who need our help. Charity "begins at home," after all. The focus of this post is on our responsibility to those on the other side of the world. Yes, we need to take care of our families first and others "in our backyard" first. Yet we may not realize that it doesn't cost much to help fight poverty on the other side of the world.



You have no doubt seen numerous appeals and ads, whether on TV, internet or other media, about child sponsorship. Some fine child sponsorship nonprofits seek to fight world poverty through child sponsorship. You know how it works: They partner with sponsors who provide sponsored children with basic needs for food, clothing, shelter and education. Families and communities are often helped. You who are reading this may already sponsor a child or even more. If you do, I thank you! And I'm sure that the child and his/her family do, too! What is unigue about a child sponsorship nonprofit like Compassion International? I think you need to just check and see for yourself. Don't take my word for it! The monthly amount of $38 is not too pricy and means that you may have to give up a Diet Pepsi habit or a few trips to Burger King. It may mean cutting expenses in other ways. Something to think about. You can find out more by going right here.

All images are courtesy of Compassion International.

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