I'm not writing this to depress anyone or to say that everyone lives a very materialistic life. What I am saying, is that everyone can help with this crisis just by making their voice heard. The situation in third world countries has been a passion of mine for a very long time. Yes I know that this is a very large post.
I was thinking the other day about a letter I sent out several years ago to 50 plus people. Most of them were celebrities and a few other wealthy people, Donald Trump being one of them. On this post, and in this order, I have included an article from People Magazine about the Kravinsky's, (their photo is a few pictures up) the e-mail Mr. Kravinsky sent in reply to my letter, a very small portion of the letter I sent, parts of the article I sent with the letter and some of the pictures, information about DATA, (an organization founded by Bono, singer of U2) DATA is not about giving money, it's about taking action, which is something all of us can do. ( I'm involved with DATA and it's amazing the effects that one voice can have to bring about change.) Last is info on Heifer International and the hunger site.
A picture is worth a thousand words!
We would never let this happen to our children, but what about the parents that have no control over their environment? It's inhumane.
definition- inhumane adj : lacking and reflecting lack of pity or compassion; "humans are innately inhumane; this explains much of the misery and suffering in the world."
From one of Bono's speeches,
Bono likened foreign assistance to tithing, urging the U.S. government to devote an additional one percent of the federal budget to the poor. Foreign aid is "not about charity - it's about justice," he said.
Because we don't see it every day it almost seems unreal that something like this is happening in our world. Like all of us, these children and their mothers and fathers just want a chance to live; this is not living, this is dying. If the mother of this child were to come to my home today to see how I live, I would feel so ashamed. I can't justify the possessions that I have. How would she feel seeing myself and my children with all of our unnecessary possession's when her only wish is for her family to live and be healthy. These are children Just Like Ours. They would, if they could, play, dance, learn, smile. There is only ONE difference; they were born into countries where drought, war and disease have made it impossible for them to survive without the help of others.
I do want to say that I am guilty (just as Mr. Kravinsky says in his letter) of forgetting about the pain and suffering that these children and adults go through every second of every day; little things do remind me. When Christine comes to me and tells me she wants to buy another barbie or toy that she doesn't need, I remind her that $10.00 would provide these people with life saving food and medicine. So, does she need that 24th barbie to add to her collection? Would she survive without it? But like I said, I can just as easily forget when I'm making a purchase and it's something that I absolutely do not need. I have to constantly remind myself because it's not likely that any of us will see children like the ones pictured above out on the streets in the towns and cities we live in. If I saw children and adults in this condition sitting on the sidewalks in Bellingham, I would not be able to drive on by; I don't know of anyone that would. I am also reminded when we mail our monthly sponsorship to a young girl in the Philippines. She has a younger sister that is in need of a sponsor. She isn't able to attend school because the cost is too high for her parents. It's so unfair, and my heart tells me to make that call and become her sponsor as well. I can't save the world, but I can make a difference in a child's life, we all can.
I COULD NEVER IMAGINE MY CHILDREN LIVING LIKE THIS, SO IT SHOULD BE JUST AS PAINFUL TO SEE OTHER CHILDREN THAT ARE.
Quotes from World Vision and The Hunger Site
"STARVATION IS THE WORST FORM OF PUNISHMENT"
"HE WHO SAVES ONE LIFE, IT IS AS IF HE HAS SAVED
THE ENTIRE WORLD"
"HOW CAN WE SAY THAT THERE IS PEACE WHEN SO MANY GO HUNGRY"
"POVERTY IS THE WORST FORM OF VIOLENCE"
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Article from People Magazine about the Kravinsky's
Their picture is at the top of the page
GIVING LARGE
Driven by passions as deep as their pockets, these five Americans doled out up to$150 million for their favorite causes-from poetry to a cure for cancer.
Some years back a hotshot financial planner showed up for a scheduled meeting at Zell Kravinskys address. When he saw an old Toyota parked in front of the run down porch, he fled. "Iguess he thought I was a fraud," says Kravinsky, 48. In fact, the real estate magnate possessed a $15 million fortune-but his plan was to give it to people who really needed it. "I can't wait," he says, "until there isn't a penny left." He's getting close_ This summer Kravinsky and his wife, Emily 45 a psychiatrist, donated $6.2 million to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in honor of Kravinskv's sister Adria, who died of lung cancer in 1984 at 33. The largest gift from individual donors in CDC history, it will fund research into diseases that afflict the poor.
Even C. Charles Stokes, head of the CDC Foundation, admits to being nonplussed by the couple's generosity. "It's counterintuitive," he says, that at a young age and with four kids, they're giving their wealth away." And not just in the form of checks: In October, a month after their gift to the CDC, Kravinsky gave a $ 3 million building he owned to a school for emotionally disturbed kids in his native Philadelphia. He has a simple explanation for his philanthropy: "On my deathbed, I don't want any regrets."
Reared by blue-collar parents, Kravinsky set out to be an intellectual, not a mogul. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning doctorates in Renaissance literature and rhetoric, and wound up reaching there. In 1991, after marrying Emily, Kravinsky began buying rundown houses near campus and selling them to the university.
Though he soon grew rich and ditched academia, he never changed his lifestyle. He and his family get by on $50,000 a year, from real estate rentals. They live in a modest home in a working-class neighborhood in Jenkintown, Pa., wear thrift-shop clothes and do without cable TV. The kids don't mind, says Kravinsky, whose oldest, I I-year-old )Josh, once told
him, "I don't need to be rich if it saves another child's life."
Good thing, since Dad is poised to just keep giving and giving and giving. He will donate the remaining 5 million or so to Ohio State University and the CllC for a joint health project. When that's gone, he vows, he'll make more-"and I'll give that away, too."
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This is the e-mail that Mr. Kravinsky sent in response to my letter.
Page ) of I
Subj: Your letter
Date: 3!29/03 7:46:03 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: ZHamlet@cs.com
To: JosieMM32
CC. ZHamlet@cs.com
Dear Ms. Mclntee,
Thank you for your wonderful letter. It means a lot to me that you approve of what we did in giving our money to charity and living simply. It seems that you have the same values and, like us, are instilling them in your children.
My wife Emily and I are very much concerned with the hunger, war, and AIDS in Africa. Yesterday we gave away, to a school of public health, the last portion of our wealth. Our sympathies are still provoked by articles such as the ones you sent us, but we lack means at this point in our lives to donate toward even the best causes Instead we will shepherd the gifts we've already given, watch them grow, hope to do the most we can with them, and raise our kids--as you raise yours--to take up the burden and live simply and give what's left. Like all parents, I want my kids to be better than me--just because I gave my money away doesn't mean I'm not selfish in many, many ways, but they will exceed me, I hope, and achieve the true generosity that has eluded me
In answer to your questions.
I don't think "celebrities and wealthy people" think very hard about the deaths, all around them, which their money and influence might have prevented. "When people see this how can they not help?" Well, I can only speak for myself. I avoid brotherly action on behalf of the hurt and the wanting, and sit in my house watching TV or playing chess with my computer, by simply not thinking about it too much. I should be out helping--even as I type this letter, pain and guilt surge through me--with every atom of my mind and body, and every fiber of my being. but if I'm not constantly reminded (actually, even if I am) I forget why. I am sure others do the same; we develop a way to see but not see, to look into the world for the things that we want, without seeing in the world all the things that others need. A small distance from our table as it groans under the weight of Thanksgiving dinners, sits, in shadows, a small dark child scraping a few grains from a rice bowl. We learn not to see him as we raise our glasses and toast our prosperity, unfasten our belts to relieve our bellies, and joke about the gym work-outs we have ahead of us if we're to lose what we've just put on.
Do I feel badly when I save money for my children? A bit I know I have a duty to them, but saving for their college seems a waste when so many lack necessities easily procured for a fraction of the funds that, in my kids' case, merely make the difference between the private school and the state school, both of which give fine educations. As my son told CNN (and other interviewers), if having a car in college means a kid in Guatemala hasn't the means to live, he can skip the car. So it isn't a question of my son eating or the other child eating.
--Even in that case--everyone thinks I'm nuts on this one-the argument should be made that the other kid should eat and not my own, because true charity begins, and the world changes, when we stretch beyond our own. beyond the family circle. But that dilemma never actually presents itself, because the issue is one of deciding whether my kid has superfluous luxuries or the other has the means (food, medicine. shelter, protection from war and abuse) to exist.
"How can others not feel guilty living such a materialistic life?" I don't know, but maybe guilt is the workings of a mechanism with an off-button I haven't been able to locate. I guess you haven't found it either; when we do, let's think twice before pushing it.
I will close by telling you what you've written me: I feel so blessed that there are people like you out there. Thank you for what you are doing.
Yours with great respect,
Zell Kravinsky
Saturday. March 29, 2003 America Online: JosieMM32
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A small portion of the letter I sent.
The enclosed article is from a 2002 National Geographic magazine and since then relief agencies have been doing all they can, but unless we give more, people will continue to die every minute of every day. Bono, (singer for U2) is doing some awesome work to help with the AIDS, poverty and trade crisis in Africa. My hope is that everyone will get involved.
I know that as a parent I could not bear to see my child die right before my eyes due to starvation and disease. We would never let that happen to our children, and yet mothers and fathers all over the world are watching their children die every day. A high percentage of the children that do survive will lose their parents to AIDS, leaving them without anyone to care for them.
I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child, but I do know that it should not be happening in a world where so many people have the ability to give or take action. There is no excuse for us as a nation to allow the pain and suffering to continue. I would, without a doubt, hope that people would help my family if we were unable to help ourselves. These people are powerless without the help of others.
My daughter is involved with World Vision. She has received information in the past on what your money can buy, and how you can help. For $16.00 you can buy a new t-shirt or supply 8 families in Honduras with chickens to raise and sell. For $20.00 you can get the latest CD or you can supply 240 children and mothers in Asia with vitamins. One teenage boy raised
$540.00 and it supplied 10 Brazilian children with one year of healthcare.
I was shocked to learn that for just 3 cents you can provide a family with a 12x12 inch piece of wire screen which they can then use to filter out deadly parasites and their eggs. Just 3 cents could save an entire family. We wouldn't think that a piece of screen would be so valuable to these people, but because we live in America where everything is so high tech, we don't have to worry about our water killing us. These people have never even heard of a waste water treatment plant. Everything we take for granted; clean water, transportation, medical care, laws to protect us and the means to purchase our food instead of relying on the rains to come at the right time, praying for enough of it, but not too much, so that our crops will grow. These people are fighting a losing battle.
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----Part of the article I sent ----
USLIMA Aden Abdulrahman stood by the tiny grave, gently cradling the bundle of rags that held the emaciated remains of her seven-year-old son.
Her daughter had died, also of starvation, a few days earlier and before that her mother, whom Muslima had carried on her back dur
ing a two-week, foodless trek to Baidoa, in southern Somalia.
"I have buried all my family," Muslima said. "Almost everyone from my village is
dead. I have no more tears left."
T HE TOWN OF BAIDOA was the epicenter of the disaster, the heart of the darkness.
Baidoa had been sacked in 1991 by Siad Barre's retreating army. What had been a pleasant provincial town and market center lay in ruins. When I arrived in September 1992, thousands of skeletal, rag-draped souls were wandering up and down the main street, scavenging and begging for something to eat. Tiny and large bundles of cloth lay beside the road, people dying or dead.
At one feeding center operated by an Irish
Every morning the only vehicle that could
move unescorted by guns made its rounds
through the streets of Baidoa. The truck
stopped at the orphanage, the camps, the hospital, and at abandoned houses where those who had died during the night were brought to be washed and wrapped for burial. Two here, 20 there--the corpses were piled on. The death truck collected nearly 300 each morning, thin bodies wrapped in old cloth. Many of the almost weightless children were swaddled in the sacks that arrived in Somalia full of the food they never got to eat.
"Ban•c's clansmen came and took all our animals," said Abdi Mualim Abduli, a 20year-old nomad in a camp in Mogadishu. "They even made us slaughter and cook one so they could eat it right in front of us. They beat me. They raped my mother and sister. They took our clothes, our shoes- everything."
Meanwhile, the suffering continues. On the edge of Waat, when m; any of the new arrivals had settled, I saw some children squatting around a pot, cooking a few fibrous wild seeds One boy, painfully thin and very shy, triec
to practice his uncertain English with me.
Awoul was 14. With other boys from his area, he was taken off to Ethiopia, at the age of nine, by the SPLA. He stayed there four years, receiving both education and military training, before being sent back into Sudan. But he left the SPLA and walked to his village.
"I was very happy when I found my family," Awoul said. "But then the government army came and burned our house and stole our cows. My father tried to run with the cows, but they found him and killed him. My mother, two sisters, brother, and I hid in the bush. We had 16 days' walking to reach here. I want to continue school, but how can I? When the food doesn't come, I have to go far away to collect wild fruit. And I have to look after my mother, who is sick. I am the only child who is big."
The plane finally arrived with food. Awoul and his family were given enough wheat to last four days. But for some it was too late. One group of new arrivals had lost three during the night; the body of a small child still lay next to the slumped figure of his mother. I asked about the other two.
Were they old?
"Yes," one of the survivors replied, "both of them were old. One was 35. The other was very old-almost 50."
Sitting with their faces covered to keep the flies out of their eyes, nose and mouth. This is what they think life is all about. How could they have any hope at all when their pain and suffering is so unbearable?
The AIDS pandemic has virtually wiped out an entire generation, killing more people than World Wars 1 and 11 combined. Worldwide, over 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Information about DATA and what you can do to help.
Bono (singer of U2) is doing some amazing things through his organization. DATA.org
DATA aims to raise awareness about, and spark response to the crises swamping Africa: unpayable Debts, uncontrolled spread of AIDS, and unfair Trade rules which keep Africans poor.
DATA is part of a rising tide of action by people like you to beat back these crises.
The organization was founded in 2002 by Bono, the lead singer of U2, along with Bobby Shriver and activists from the Jubilee 2000 Drop the Debt campaign. At the core of DATA's mission is a view that these issues are not about charity, but about equality and justice. What can YOU do to help fight AIDS and poverty in Africa? Lots!Here are some ideas to get started:
JOIN the DATA Action List — to stay in touch with us on where things stand; to get to know others like you who want to make a difference; and to make sure YOUR voice is counted. Sign-Up Now!
CALL/WRITE/EMAIL — your leaders to tell them that you want them to act in Africa on YOUR behalf. Click here to find out how, and check out what's hot.
LEARN more about DATA and the crises of AIDS, debt and trade in Africa. Read More.
SHARE what you've heard with your friends. Ask them to get involved and join our email list. Make sure they know that together, we can make a difference. Tell Your Friends Now!
Heifer.org is an organization that supplies animals and training to families in need. You purchase the animal / animals of your choice and the families receive the necessary training to raise them on their own. For Christmas one year we bought each of the adults that we exchange gifts with an animal in their name. I would like to do this every year because it is so difficult to buy for most of the adults we know and they already have everything they need and want. This way you know that you are not wasting money on something they can't use. My girls love looking through their catalog and choosing different animals for the adults we exchange gifts with.
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Your gift recipients will love hearing about how the gift you have made in their honor is helping families around the world. You can print a card from their site to send to each person or you can e-mail a card to them.
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This is one example of what you can buy for $20.00 through Heifer International
Geese Get Results Europeans and Asians have known it for centuries. Ducks and geese are among the most versatile and useful domestic animals. They're easy to raise; they don't require much shelter and can adapt to hot, wet or cold weather. They find a good portion of their food by themselves, and they efficiently dispose of weed seeds and gobble up insects, slugs and snails. Best of all, they're highly efficient producers of animal protein. Not only do you get eggs or meat plus feathers and down ? you get vigilant "watchdogs," too! Give Geese (+US$20.00)
More great sites to check out
Thehungersite.org If you make a purchase through the hunger site from retailers such as; Eddie Bauer, J.C. Penny's, Barnes and Noble, Office Depot, Target, and the list goes on. One cup of food will be donated for every dollar you spend. You just have to make sure that you go through the hunger site to get to the store that you are purchasing from. There are several ways to help through the hunger site and the biggest one is to click on the help feed the hungry box on their home page. You can click daily, it's free, and your are donating 1.1 cup of food each time you click. You can also click on other sites listed at the top of their home page to give at no cost to you. I guess I shouldn't say at no cost to you because it would cost you some of your time. I have the girls take turns doing it. They are on the computer daily so it's an easy way for them to help.
Worldvision.org
Christianchildrensfund.org
The Bellingham parks and rec is one of our favorites. They have programs going year round for kids as young as two up to teenagers and adults. You pre-register for each class/activity and it's a great way to explore Bellingham. They have activities ranging from gift making to a day of sailing. This activity was for 7-12 year olds. It was two hours of fun, making 6 gifts and wrapping paper for $8.00. She wants to put the wrapping paper on her wall. I hope she gives me the soap that she made for Christmas. The last activity Christine and I did was for families. We went to one of the parks to learn about the different bird species in our area. We spent the day looking at all the different birds, and the kids got to build their own bird house. I did say this is everyday stuff. Should I wait until something really exciting happens before I post more. Is this just totally boring for everyone? I know I've asked you guys before, but it's just so everyday that I feel like I'm wasting your time. If the really exciting things in life are what you would rather read about I would have maybe three posts on our blog for this year, but I wouldn't have to worry about boring anyone.
You guys have a good day. I'm off to do more everyday stuff :)
