All photographs and captions in this diary are from Daisy Carlson of Cool Hive. They are being used with her explicit permission.
The children of East Africa are shouldering the burden of drought and climate change
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For the past few weeks, most of Daily Kos has been preoccupied with news and political activism about
Occupy Wall Street. And deservedly so. At its core, this grassroots movement is about inequality and inequity in the American economic system. It has been festering for at least the past three decades (probably longer) when Reaganomics introduced "socialism for the rich 1%, predatory capitalism for 99% of Americans." Corporate welfare policies and unethical lobbying of our elected representatives has institutionalized this trend and created huge gaps in wealth and income between the haves and have-nots.
I think we all understand and appreciate the historical significance of these protests.
That said, on any given day, hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of our fellow human beings are experiencing abject misery and poverty. It is not too much of an exaggeration to assert that even in the worst of times, most Americans are better off than the overwhelming number of people in other countries, many of whom literally have nothing. The worst famine in the Horn of Africa in decades moved many of you to donate generously when boatsie organized a fundraiser a few weeks ago.
To remind all of you, this humanitarian crisis in East Africa is far from over
In East Africa, a humanitarian disaster is fast unfolding. The worst drought in 60 years means that crops have failed and livestock have perished. Poverty, climate change, and rising grain prices are combining to endanger a population already vulnerable to malnutrition and hunger-related diseases. More than 10 million people are affected across areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Multitudes are on the move, leaving their homes and walking hundreds of miles to seek food and medicine.
In a recent email exchange, Daisy Carlson described to me what she saw in East Africa when she took these stunning photographs
Photographs are a form of witness, the images allow the people to speak for themselves. A good photograph (portrait) tells the absolute truth, unfettered by words and interpretation. I feel so fortunate to have looked into the eyes of so many remarkable people. Eyes are truly windows to the soul. I always try to capture the remarkable joy they share, even in their suffering. I have found smiles in Africa in the worst of situations. That is the gift they have to share with us. No matter how much they lose, they still seem thankful for what they have. Even this one breath is worth all the risk and something to be very thankful for. Africans seem to feel lucky to be alive.
In the West, we may find more happiness when we live with a bit of that gratitude and share what we have, even if it is just a smile. A friend told me that Africa fixed him of the disease called complaining. After being there he never complained again, he wakes up and says he is thankful to have his breakfast. That may be a common experience. I am certainly much more grateful.
The photographs hopefully share this gift of life, that giving, that glint in the eye that says, I am alive and I so are you, at that moment we truly are one. This is why it is important that we continue to save lives against incredible odds, because they are worth living.
I have seen this over and over in Africa, it's amazing and something I want to be able to share with the world.
A school well saves and protects lives of students in rural East Africa, but they are few and far between
A drought-stricken waste land is no place for a child alone. This was lush grassland only a few years ago.
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In a scathing critique of colonial history and Western lifestyles, the Australian weekly Green Left summarized the causes of this crisis in terms of systemic failures
Almost 30,000 children have already died in Somalia in 90 days.
Famines in the region have become common enough for the Western media response to be cliched. Out-of-context images and sound-bites depict hopeless Africans needing Western charity yet again, and references to conflict making the situation worse depict conflict as local failing that Western intervention may be able to remedy...
One of the main causes of the famine is climate change. The Horn of Africa has always been drought-prone, but rainfall has steadily declined over the past 30 years. The region is hardly unique in experiencing the negative consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, but its responsibility for creating them has been negligible. In 2008, the average Australian was responsible for 269 times the emissions of the average Eritrean. This figure does not account for the even greater disparities in historical emissions.
Like north-east Africa, Australia has been hit by climate change: bushfires, floods and drought. However, a drought in Australia does not cause 30,000 children to die. The countries least able to cope are those with the least historical and current emissions. This is not a coincidence...
The problem of severe hunger in the Horn of Africa is a result of this toxic combination of the effects of Western military intervention, economic exploitation and climate change for which the West bears the most responsibility.
Food Aid can provide relief but it is not a long-term solution for the nutritional needs of children
Coal provides fuel but destroys habitats. Solar stoves would make a world of difference.
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Women walk miles to look for wood and water often on dangerous roads
The Maasai traditionally do not cut living wood but the drought has left them little choice if they are to survive
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The children of East Africa are asking for one and only one thing: a fair chance to succeed in life.
All children deserve an opportunity to thrive with dignity. Reducing our emissions here can support lives around the world. Cherish all our resources, use less and live more. Conserving resources protects the future of all living organisms. Living with dignity ourselves provides dignity for others.
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A couple of months ago, I wrote this diary -- An Appeal to All of Daily Kos - Here's Your Chance to Do Something Constructive. A number of you responded very positively by changing your sig lines. As mentioned in that diary, I would like more of you to do the same
Over the past few weeks, much of the news around us has not been particularly encouraging. So, you might ask, "What in the world can I do to help the situation in East Africa?" There is something that all of you can do: change (or add) your Daily Kos signature for a few weeks.
Highlighting an appeal in your signature to donate to Oxfam will publicize this urgent need to raise funds and remind others to make a donation every time you comment on Daily Kos.
Here's Another Way You Can Help
Step-by-Step Process on How to Add Your Daily Kos Signature
If you have never done so before, here is a step-by-step process through which you can easily do so:
1. When you log on to Daily Kos, click 'My Page.'
2. Next, click 'Profile.'
3. Then, click 'Edit Profile.'
4. Scroll down a bit to the section titled 'Comment Preferences' - Signature (this will be attached to your comments). Copy and paste the below in that box
href="http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1005502/42841877">48forEastAfrica - Donate to Oxfam
5. Next, you will need to add opening and closing brackets before href and after Oxfam to the above code as explained in #4. Copy the 'A' brackets before 'HREF' and after 'resume' as shown in this HTML example. Click 'Save' and you are done.
6. If you are befuddled by the above procedure, simply copy the entire code from this recent comment by OLinda. Don't forget to 'Save' it.
7. Your Daily Kos signature should look like this
48forEastAfrica - Donate to Oxfam
8. To ensure you did it correctly, type a sample comment in this diary and preview it. Right click your signature, click 'Open Link in New Tab' and it will take you to a comment by JekyllnHyde (that would be me) and a donation link for Oxfam. When making a donation, please add $.01 to your total.
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If you did not have the opportunity to do so in August, please consider making a contribution to Oxfam. Thank you.
CLICK THE BELOW LINK TO MAKE A DONATION
Donate now - Donate to Oxfam America
Remember to add $.01 to your donation so it ends up being $5.01, $20.01, $50.01, $100.01, and so on. This will enable Oxfam to keep track of all Daily Kos donations.
Please read this if you live outside the United States - to make a donation, click this link and scroll down a bit to find your country. If not listed, please Google Oxfam in your country.
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