so here i am watching the news about niger

[Heathcliffscathy]

and crying. and seeing ds in all of the starving childrens' faces. and knowing that it isn't nature to blame but every one of us. i know i'm always doing this, but i just feel so awful about the state of the world at the moment.

the famine in niger was predicted years ago. we obviously on a governmental level haven't given a toss.

we worry about being blown up by a terrorist. we tolerate a world where people are starving to death. we wonder why people are angry and hate-filled at us at the west.

i had really good news today. we exchanged on a house ending a long process of house hunting and i can't feel anything but over indulged and despairing. and so angry.

we spend billions on slaughtering civilians in iraq. and begrudge pennies to africa.

i don't even know why i'm posting this except that i don't know what to do with myself.

no..what i am saying is..that many of the children are probably not what their parents planned! there is obviously something wrong if it has the highest birth rate in the world.
That was just an example... at least its constructive. I would never donate money unless i was positive it would end up in the right hands.

"I would rather donate things such as clothes...food... "

But that costs even MORE money to send. £10 monetary can be transferred to an account in practically any country in the world for a nominal fee. 10kg of clothes/food will probably cost AT LEAST £50 to get to most parts of the world. And a lot of the charities to which you can donate money help set them up for the LONG TERM.

£100 of Actual food/clothes only last a short period of time. £100 to buy seeds, tools and to educate someone how to farm will last them a life time.

"there is obviously something wrong if it has the highest birth rate in the world"

Why is there obviously something wrong????

but u don't actually see that happening do u? if u were sponsoring someone that could tell u and thank u for ur kind gifts thats brilliant!
i don't give money to charity at all.. but I set up a 10mile walk and bought a heart monitor and extra equipment for our local childrens hospice... thats just me though!

...apart from the famine! I mean what is wrong with having a high birth rate???

We in the west live such self-indulgent fortunate existences compared to the suffering in places like Niger.
Most African countries are in such poor economic states precisely due to the West's insitence on privatisation of their industries and unfair trade conditions.
Personally when I see starving children on TV I feel ashamed that all I have to worry about is what outfit to put DS in or what we will have for tea.......

because they are having sex and consquences...a baby that they can't feed. Who would choose to bring up a child in complete poverty?

And thats fantastic that you did that LB22! Doesn't change the fact that we need to accept responsibility on a global level. Like it or not..... what happens in the UK affects other parts of the world!

LB22 - But they CAN normally feed them!!!! It's only recently that the climate has changed.

Having lots of children isn't just a result of 'bad' family planning.

If you know that 122 children in every 1000 born will die as infants (the figures for Niger) then people have larger families to try and at least have one or two "surviving" children.

We in this country find it hard to imagine knowing that if we have just 2 children, at least one (if not both) will probably die when still very very young.

lizzylou i feel the same too! but it isn't mine or your fault and what i would like to know is where has all this money gone from live aid and live 8? i tell u what i do think was brilliant and i dont know if they still do it... was the blue peter appeals. You did a bring a buy sale and when blue peter raised enough money they would build wells so people had fresh water near their homes anyone remember?

"Who would choose to bring up a child in complete poverty?"

So on that note you believe that 2/3 of the worlds population should be denied the "right" to have children??? Because that's how many people in the world live in abject (sp) poverty!

LB22 - Of course it's not personally your fault!!! But we still need to accept some responsibility as a nation!

QoQ - Why not sterilise them!

at least 9% of Niger's population are thought to live in bonded slavery and often do not have any control over their own fertility, they are bred like livestock.

Toothache, I agree, as human beings we have a collective responsibility to help others in need...
All charities will have an element of admin costs, I bet the Children's Hospice that you raised money for still has to pay admin costs etc, LLB222!

LB22 - words fail me, they really do

Clearly you had a 'compassion gene' failure on birth

LOL - toothache - why not indeed

a lot of people here complain... i am not finacially ready to have a child blah blah blah.. but most people find that money! so do u think that all of these children are born to parents that desperatly wanted them? i think if they were given contraception a lot of them would use it so that they didn't have to face their babies dying.

we didn't pay admin costs we bought the equipment outright. I have compassion for the poor parents who have to watch their children starving to death because they cannot provide for them.

Huh???

As far as I can tell they are dying of starvation.... I don't think handing out condoms is going to help them right now!

Queen of Quotes if you have more children because you know some will die don't you think that is just being very selfish.

I share this sentiment Toothache.

well that is the problem with some aid packages, notabley US ones, there are clauses that prohibit the administration and availability of contraception to targetted countries. Brazil, for example, recently rejected a $4billion package from Bush on those grounds IIRC.

I can see both sides of this (now arguement) and the issue of women's reproductive rights and health should be up there at the top of the aid agenda as well IMO