The news from Sudan today was very disturbing and brought back for me many, many memories. ABC-TV in NY reported in it's evening news that they expect over 100,000 men, women and children to die before year's end if enough aid and protection is not given to the 1.2 million refugees already in Darfur. The situation has been critical for a number of months.
Watching the images on tv were gut-wrenching. It brought back flashbacks of the summer I spent as an aid worker overseas. I didn't have the spiritual and emotional fortitude that it takes to watch people die. They died because we didn't have the resources to save their lives. So, instead we did the best we could (which in my book was never good enough) and saved those who were salvageable.
The gaunt faces and pleading helpless eyes are still etched in my memory as if it were yesterday. If you wish to be a part of the solution please consider volunteering or donating to local fundraising efforts or to the United Nations CARE relief agency.
There is no worse feeling in the world than that of helplessness in seeing people die due to lack of food and clean water. The Darfur tragedy is compounded by an uncaring world that is unwilling to provide resources and political pressure. It seems that unless Americans are not there to apply pressure to every tragic situation no one does anything. Where are the French, the German, the Japanese with their resources? Why aren't the oil-wealthy Arab nations doing something, anything?
Sorry, it's very hard for me to remember the feeling of holding an emaciated 3year old in my arms, that looked like a 1yr old, as he lay dying in my arms. Money is not enough to throw at this problem, people's involment in the international political process is an absolute necessity at this point.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I guess with all the news focused on Iraq, the olympics and on the convention this one is slipping by.
Posted by: Melissa at August 22, 2004 09:25 PMMy point is that US is already doing something, but why aren't others? We were at the UN just a few weeks ago seeking sanctions which the French and Germans were dragging their feet on.
I agree with Bush, we should close our bases in Europe and redeploy them in places like Africa where the environment alone can create economic and political chaos and instability. Or why not have them on our northern and southern borders rather than protecting ungrateful European nations.
Posted by: Michele at August 22, 2004 09:30 PM