ifeClassifiedsCareersServices The tragedy in Somalia While we wine and dine millions are dying of hunger While we are tanning ourselves on the beach, people are dying of hunger. While we grumble of the excessive heat; follow the news in Libya, etc. PEOPLE ARE DYING OF HUNGER. The worst is not over.PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO DIE OF HUNGER in the Horn of Africa. Information available on the site of UNHCR and UNICEF. The extent of the disaster Read these horrible statistics of shame: 1/At least 12.4 million people affected by the drought in the four countries are in "immediate, urgent need of humanitarian help." 2/The populations have lost 85% of the livestock because of the drought 3/The percentage of acute malnutrition has reached 25% in the refugee camps of Bosaso, and 23.6% in the Karkaar regionAccording to estimates, those affected include 4.8 million people in the east of Ethiopia, 3.7 million in Somalia (of which 2.8 million are in the south of the country), and an additional 3.7 million in the northeast of Kenya and, finally, 165,000 in small Djibouti. In Somalia alone 1.85 million children need help and more than 780,000 are malnourished, 640,000 of whom are in the southern areas. Of this last group, 310,000 children -- that is, almost half -- are suffering from acute malnutrition. In the whole of the Horn of Africa, 600,000 children are in immediate danger of death, as they are affected by serious malnutrition. It is estimated that every 11 weeks, 10% of the Somali population under the age of 5 dies.The camps of Dada, Kenya, shelter close to 440,000 Somali refugees, a population that is higher than that of Malta. The tragic situation caused by natural calamities is made worse by the political situation, violence and corruption. Man-made problems acerbate an already bad situation. Man can really be the worst enemy of men! There are those who exploit and benefit themselves on the disasters of others. Women are particularly targeted. Rape becomes a weapon of exploitation. The forces of order are sometimes at the vanguard as the forces of disaster. The strong presence of Islamic fundamentalists makes the situation particularly problematic for Christians. They are subjected to violence and, according to many reliable reports, are deprived of humanitarian help. Some people from the area have found their way to our shores while trying to seek a new life in Europe. They are welcomed by some but shunned by others. Perhaps if we know more about their plight we would be more welcoming and less prejudiced. Fr Joe Borg Fr Joe Borg, a well known commentator, university lecturer and winner of the Gold Award for Journalists will be blogging on general topics. see all articles by this author » Post comment Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 06:58:01 +0000
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