A Thought For Africa

On a recent visit to Africa I was reminded of just how lucky most of us are. For example, please answer these questions truthfully:

1.        Do you have electricity?
2.        Do you have access to clean running water?
3.        Do you have access to medical care?
4.        Are you free from a disease that will kill you?
5.        Can you feed yourself and your family every day?
6.        Do you have warm, dry and adequate shelter?

I sincerely hope that you managed to say 'yes' six times. A lot of  people in Africa (and in poorer countries around the world) just aren't so lucky. Take South Africa for example, it is now 14 years since Apartheid was demolished. Of course, things will not get put
'right' for decades to come. It will take even longer than that if the current corruption and violence continues to flourish.

But even if there was an honest and peaceful society, there just isn't enough money to go around. Or there's not enough World Will to solve the massive problems that these people currently face.

As a result, I didn't have to look very far to find MILLIONS of people that couldn't give me a 'yes' six times. In fact, not far at all to find MILLIONS of people that couldn't give me a 'yes' just ONCE. Just think about that for one moment. What would your life be like, if you:

  Did not have electricity?
  Had to wash in and drink water that was foul and poisonous?
  Didn't have access to a doctor that you could afford?
  Were living with AIDS (like 30% (?) of all Africans)
  Couldn't feed your children (approximately 30,000 children starve to death every day, worldwide)
  Were living in a corrugated tin shack?

Look, I am just a poet. I know my efforts alone are not going to make a significant difference. That wont stop me from trying to do my bit and we are currently organizing a load of food for the starving in Zimbabwe. It's not much in the scheme of things but it will make an ENORMOUS difference to the recipients (at least
for a month or two).

Look, this newsletter is not FREE (after all). The humble price I ask is that you do SOMETHING to help. If all that SOMETHING is to think about these issues some more. That's all I ask.

(Hopefully, those thoughts will lead to action).

I know Africa can't do this on its own. These people need our help.

Of course, there's a poem on the subject….

http://www.agiftofpoetry.com/2008/02/02/oh-boy-oh-bafana-oh-africa-2/

Okay, that's about it for today. Sorry to nag you but hopefully you can see that I am quite passionate about the subject. I could go on but I'd better save some for the next edition. In the meantime, if I can help in any way, please let me know.

Until then, all the very best,

Allen Jesson
Poet
http://www.agiftofpoetry.com
Words From The Heart

Enjoy Life Tip No 14 - Help Others

That's it really. It is the path to inner contentment.

Help and give to others and expect nothing in return.

I can't think of a better feeling.  

PS And you get more back than you give - ALWAYS.

 

UPDATE:

This post received a lot of feedback from around the world. Please excuse the grammar but I have posted the comments in word for word…

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Laxmi Jeyapaul from Nairobi writes:

Dear Allen,
I can just say, I love you and  admire you for what you are trying to do. Well, I very much live in Africa, Nairobi to be precisel.Yes, the latest trouble zone.I used to think just like you when I landed here a decade ago from India.
 
For a few years,tried doing various things as I have a husband who earns for us and I could think of others. Sure, I did my bit for a some years, joined a Christian voluntary Association raised funds as long as I could through hand-made crafts (I was just a lecturer in English in India). I feel glad when I look back I did it for the sake of an orphanage run by one Mary Beckinham, whom we pledged to help for a while. Later on I found with affluent whites, blacks on the committee it became something like a social club. Eventually I withdrew from the set up.
 
What Africa badly needs is education on sex, right from age of 10 . what they do through schools is not enough as half the kids do not go to school. Only then you can see the change in HIVfigures.Secondly they need  basic compulsory education which will make them start thinking, become aware of what is happening in other govts.what they should follow to better themselves than standing with a bowl for alms, we need to empower them become strong in their own land with their own massive resources, teach them how to tap it  for themselves and grow. For all this ,political awareness is a must or they forever elect and tolerate Dictators, stay where they are letting rich grow richer at their cost as well as powerful West use them as tools.
 
I am just a house wife for sometime now but whenever I have a chance I educate people about the benefits of democratic form of govt. and abstinence as the right method to control the AIDS epidemic.
By the way, my 19 yr old daughter ,a DS with St.John from school, strongly believes as long as people soft peddle issues concerning Africans and keep handing out charity nothing is going to change.See how the struggle for democracy took an ugly shape of ethnic cleansing in Kenya, the most developed and stable country among East Africa.This is an example that the rulers establish their tribal superiorities and the neglected lot have no better ideas to fight for their democratic right than tit for tat.
I have not organised my thoughts well, please have patience when you read this and Good Luck with your endeavour, May God Bless You!
Laxmi.

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Toyin Jeremiah writes:

we ve electricity but we cannot ve it for 24 hrs.
we dont ve running access to running water.
we pay heavily on medicals.
the enviroment is poluted. we are expose to diseases
that can kill.
no. at time we go on 2 meals daily.
no.

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Ahmed Refat from Egypt writes:

hello mr Allen Jesson//I am so happy to write to you!!and I will reply on your Question thanking you about your warm feeling and good care towardes others..!!But I want to remark that I am not base picture of egyptian people from which you can not get the true!!!cause simply I am rich man!!!but I am not proud of my countery,,yes I have money which enabled me to get electericity and good water and enabled me to cured in investement hospital but I can not feel that I am living in freedom life..!!that the true ,money is not enough to feel that you are free…we loose oue ownes in election or choose!!and we have the most of our people under the poverty level,,yes if you look to egyptian you will find the poverty and deseases and dirty!!!I am as you has a kind heart and I feel pain when I see many raw of people standing to wait the bread or to get medicine advanced the dirty hospital of the bad government..but what can I do?..our government are not human they are crock and thiefe..and the people are simple and ignorant!!!! our government men can change the history of the countery and and I feel every thing around me is false and lieng!!!
but from our old history tell now I know one fact!!!that egyptian and me one of them are famous of lieng and so you find our presidenet is the best layer man on the world !!!that wordes is enough to put me in prison for more than 50 years!!!so (el_hamed lelah),which means in arabic (thanks of the god),that we are still alife))
I want to ask you if you can read arabic language or make one to translate that arabic poem to you which its uther is the best poetes in arabian history!!!
ÃãÑÊåã ÃãÑì ÈãäÚÑÌ Çááæì
Ýáã íÓÊÈíäæÇ ÇáÑÔÏ ÇáÇ ÖÍì ÇáÛÏ
ÝáãÇ ÚÕæäì æßäÊ ãäåã æÞÏ ÃÑì
ÛæÇíÊåã æÃääì áÓÊ ãåÊÏì
æåá ÃäÇ ÇáÇ ãä ÛÒíå
Ãä åì ÛæÊ ÛæíÊ æÇä ÊÑÔÏ ÛÒíÉ ÃÑÔÏ
Thank you again for you kind heart and for your cair!!!but poetery is not enough we must help those people around the world to get on their freedoms!!!ahmed!!!

 

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Kane Lasker from Bangladesh writes:

Thanks Allen. I realy feel very sad to know about Africa. I also feel
a little bit astonished to know that a citizen of a very very
developed country like you feels like this for the deprived people
(please don't mind).
Though I have electricity & others that you mantioned but do you know
where I live?
Bangladesh is my country, though it's an independent country but we
have several problems also. You must heared , Just a few days ago a
devastating cyclone  "SIDR" occured here & manymore people including
pregnent mothers died ,Thousands of Children lost their parents. What
will be their future, God knows. This is a part of our life. I can't
write like you but all these are true.
Take care .Bye…

KaneLaskar.

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KholekileTK Maneli writes

Hey Allen,

Yhooo that was touchy, I don’t know how many times I have complained for a
meal without gravy, for cold coffee, for bread without better. My GOD we
like complaining for things we have instead of appreciating everything we
have.

Thank you Allen for this one, keep on doing what you doing cause you’re
inspirering other peeps.

Keep well,

TK
Maneli

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Moses Namuseyi writes

No i dont have electricity,medicine, no running water and proper shelter.

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I wish you love, health and prosperity. All the very best, Allen