Famine in East Africa: Why Does Nobody Care?

I cant keep silent over this anymore. I am angered by the current famine in East Africa taking place right now. Millions are dying and flooding over the border into Kenya for example. Families do not make the journey. Children, the weak and old die on the journey. Once in a place where help can be given, people still die as there is not enough qualifed doctors and medicines to cater for everyone. My greatest anger is for the militia groups who prevent aid being delivered within Somalia and why? In the name of relgion apparently. For crying out loud i am sure God, Allah or whatever one chooses to worship would approve of aid being given not witheld! Why cant the world get it's act together? surely NATO or whomever can organise an airlift and parachute food supplies directly to people? Or even set up mobile field hosptials across the country and tell the militas to pack it in whilst getting on with the business of saving lives. I know it can be done, but there just is not the political willpower to do so. I just find that inexcusable.
I also find it appallying that even now in the 21st century whilst we have the technology and means to feed everyone on the planet, people go without food or water or indeed both. Having been paid this weekend i have now made a donation to UNICEF UK. I know it is not much and i wish i could give much more. But at least it is something. I have also enquired about joining a local volunteer group and with the possibility of setting up a new group. That is something else i can do as well. This is something i have been thinking about for some time, but now is the time to put things into action, perhaps a few ripples in the pond can do some good. I hope this post will inspire and provoke thought amongst ATS.

I've thought this too, but it seems NATO are more interested in bombing Libya to rubble than helping out starving people.

I mentioned in another thread that I was curious how mudge aid governments have pledged as opposed to how much they have spent bombing Libya?

On Google News one of the top headlines is about the wedding of a minor member of the royal family.

Shameful really....

Edited: Just to say that it's actually not ANYWHERE shown on Google News.

Originally posted by Wirral Bagpuss
Why cant the world get it's act together?

You SERIOUSLY needed to ask that question? Try to learn more about the human race, until your opinion of it is sufficiently destroyed. Then you'll have your answer.

If you could discover oil there Obama would probably be willing to send them a big steaming pile of American style democracy and make everything better.

You are complaining, but what are you DOING?

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


If that's directed at the OP, they already explained.

It's a small gesture, but it's something.

But the question can also be fired back at you.

Originally posted by Kram09
reply to post by sonofliberty1776

 

If that's directed at the OP, they already explained.

It's a small gesture, but it's something.

But the question can also be fired back at you.

Not really. It is not my concern. I am more concerned about our problems here. Since I support ending ALL foreign aid, you should realize that I do not want the government to do anything about other countries issues. We need to fix our problems now.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


Ah...you're American.

Now it makes sense.

The country where more people have Facebook profiles than passports.

Originally posted by KaiserSoze
If you could discover oil there Obama would probably be willing to send them a big steaming pile of American style democracy and make everything better.

If you can find what over there?

www.upi.com...

Not to sound cold hearted here but this is nothing really new.
I have for 30 years now constantly heard about starving Africa.
That's the problem. The world has become to desensitized to it all.
A lot of money has gone there over the years for aid but most has gone to soldiers, rebels, etc.
Unless governments can figure a way to profit from intervention, I'm afraid things will be the way they have been for many more years.
I agree with what our technology has gotten to be there shouldn't be hungry or thirsty people anywhere in the world.
Sadly we have hungry and thirsty people right here in our own country.
Can't say when things will ever change. Hopefully soon.
Do what you can and hopefully others will follow.

Originally posted by Kram09
reply to post by sonofliberty1776

 

Ah...you're American.

Now it makes sense.

The country where more people have Facebook profiles than passports.

I have a passport and travel internationally on a monthly basis, at a minimum. I was also in the navy and traveled to 18 countries on active duty. I also toured south east Europe as a private contractor in the early to mid 90's. Most likely I have been to more countries than you have.

reply to post by Wirral Bagpuss


Amen, if they were sitting on some oil you could bet they'd get some help.

In all honesty OP I don't think people care because it doesn't really effect them directly. They don't have to see people starving and suffering, and are more concerned with what's going on at home. I care more for my family then my neighbors, my neighbors more than people in another state, and US citizens before other countries. Help at home first.

I do appreciate what you are trying to do though, and the more individuals that are inspired to contribute to the cause the better. I just don't want my govt. sending money to other countries when kids and grandmothers here are having trouble putting food on the table.

Originally posted by Grimbone

Originally posted by KaiserSoze
If you could discover oil there Obama would probably be willing to send them a big steaming pile of American style democracy and make everything better.

If you can find what over there?

www.upi.com...

That's right, and we are already in the neighborhood anyway. They are probably on the "short list" of countries that are in need of regime change.

reply to post by KaiserSoze


I do agree, they are most likely on the short list. We should be over there soon to "help" out.

Your not gonna like my opinion but I really dont care about aiding anyone in another country. We have people in this country starving and becoming homeless everyday, why should I care about people on the other side of the world that can not feed themselves?

reply to post by sonofliberty1776


I was going to ask would you consider slashing the disgracefully high U.S defense budget, but clearly as you were in the navy you're answer will be no.

Considering that you don't give a sh** about other countries, I'm surprised you'd even want to travel to any.

I look at the famine in Africa, and honestly, I'm done giving a damn. Why? I think we need to stop helping Africa because they REFUSE to help themselves. They sit in their mud huts all day and bang out a kid every nine months, and don't make any effort to learn anything that would help them. They just walk over to the Peace Corps tent 3 times a day and get their free food.

We've been sending them assistance constantly for decades. We send Peace Corps volunteers to teach them how to grow crops, build structures more advanced than dirt and water, dig wells, domesticate animals, etc. and they STILL cannot take care of themselves. The only conclusion is a complete unwillingness to learn.

We send UN troops to defend them against gangs and death squads, and they kill the UN troop for his iPod or his watch.

And you want ME to continue to care? You want me to feel bad for them? Look at every other nation on Earth, and you'll see it's only the African ones that have not advanced beyond the stone age... actually, they havn't yet even advanced into the stone age.

Africa had their chance. We tried to help, yet they refuse to put forth any effort to help themselves. Instead, they would rather starve to death on some of the most fertile farm land on the planet.

I say we just sit back and let natural selection run it's course.

reply to post by Kram09


people from England should not talk # about America.
1) you great country raped and pillaged the world from 1497 when they discovered a trade route to asia to 1914 when the first world war started.
2) ww1 and ww2 America saved your ass
3) at least the US is giving foreign aid when we are on top , unlike the British crown