Monday, January 17, 2005

(Read post below this one first...)

If you read my previous post first, this will make more sense...
These facts are unbelievable.
  • 1 billion people cannot satisfy even their elementary needs
  • Among the 4.5 billion residents of the developing countries, a third have no access to drinkable water and one fifth have no use of sanitary and medical services
  • 2.4 billion people are without access to basic sanitation
  • 24 million people are living with HIV/AIDS
  • There are 854 million illiterate adults, 543 million of them women
  • One in five children spend less than five years in any form of schooling
  • 120 million people live on less than one dollar a day
  • 11 million children under the age of five are dying annually from preventable diseases
  • In Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Burundi, Niger, and Sierra Leone the life expectancy ages are 43, 46, 39, 40, 45, and 38 respectively - just think, statistically, how many of you would be orphaned? How many of you would be "middle aged"?

I could go on and on with stats.

Here's the kicker...

  • The three richest men on the globe have private assets bigger than the combined national product of the 48 poorest countries!
  • The fortune of the fifteen richest persons exceeds the total product of the whole of sub-Saharan Africa!
  • Less than 4% of the personal wealth of the 225 richest people would suffice to offer all the poor of the world access to elementary medical and educational amenities, as well as adequate nutrition.

Does this make you angry? It makes me angry... Why doesn't anything change???

Because we and others don't want to give up our comfy lives to save millions of people.

posted by Jennifer at 11:20 PM

1 Comments:

Blogger Rach said...

Hear Hear!! It is true and it drives me nuts. Even with this Tsunami business...people are opening their pockets now that a huge devestation has occurred but tons of other things go on EVERY DAY and we turn a cheek to it. It surprises me, even at work today, I see selfishness with money. We are raising money for Tsunami relief and we ask every customer if they want to donate a dollar, and people say no, even though I know they have more than a thousand dollars sitting one their OneCard that won't get used up in about two years. Why not give more than once?? You could save lives with that money!! We need to set an example to these people and give until we can't give anything anymore. The quote at the Shack today had an interesting point "Blessed are those who give without remembering..."

12:58 AM

 

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