It's quite unimaginable how in our time when high technology could invent, create, propel never before possible solutions to make life easier, more comfortable, more pleasurable, more effective, even having made it possible to travel to the moon, build cities that are self efficient and nearly everything automatic, and people are able to live longer years yet, at the same time, at this very moment, there are 10 million people in Africa facing great danger of a very painful death of starvation!
Africa, especially in and around Somalia, is suffering the worst drought in 60 years. Thousands of Somalis abandon their country to seek refuge in the neighbouring Kenya, some with young babies dying of hunger in their arms during the journey for survival, whole families crossing the desert in temperature touching 50 degrees C. The old, the weak and the starving infants just can make it. Those in the comfort and affluence of the 1st world are not reacting, doing too little or too late.
True that Somalia has been living crisis for 2 decades, but the drought that strikes Somalia this year, part of Kenya and Ethiopia too, is the most serious and merciless for 60 years. 10 million people are in serious danger of dying of famine, 400 are dead already, according to 'Service Jesuits to Refugees'. The people there very urgently need help. Ban Kimoon, general secretary of ONU (Organization of the United Nations) said only half of the 1,600 million $ estimated to front the crisis was received, and late, in the region when many lives have already tragically lost. In June alone, 54,000 Somalis abandoned their country, in direction of, mostly, to the Camp for refugees in Dadaab, in Kenya, now completely overflowing. And the food ration is hardly helping: one ration of generally energetic biscuits that supplies calories and micro-nutrients immediately, but the person has to wait 40 days for the next ration!!! To receive the 1st, they have to wait 2 weeks.
They are allocated a small square of land, no bed or mattress, no tent, no any kind of cover, not even cardboard box or plastic to make your own; nothing at all for privacy nor protection from weather or from the hyenas and other wild animals who are hungry too, and mothers constantly worried even to fall asleep in case animals come and eat their children.
The 2 camps there are the biggest in the world, but they are too small now.
Tags: starvation, somalia
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