This Lifestyle Article is Written by:
Anita Dlamini
211510412@ukzn.ac.za
It was Mahatma Ghandi who once said: “be the change you want to see in the world” and inspired decades of confusion on how we can translate our visions into actions. One thing we can know for certain though is that the answer differs per individual. What we need to change right now is the situation in Somalia. Charity is the change I’m talking about. Charity is not just generous actions and donations to those less fortunate than you, it is changing the way we view our roles as humans rather than individuals in the bigger scheme of things. It’s about seeing the situation in Somalia for what it truly is a famine. According the United Nations six children die each day due to malnutrition, and two babies are abandoned for death due to the family’s inability to feed them. So they leave them out on open veld for death.
Those are seven futures that will never be unravelled. How did it get this bad? Well the South East parts of Africa have been experiencing drought for 60 years now however, there were scarce rains in between the seasons that helped with vegetation. However two years ago the rains dried up. The drought has left Somalia’s people dependent on the single plates of maize meal they receive from international aid. We have all seen it on TV, the children, the corpses and the need for Aid. What should bother us all is the fact that it’s so close to home. In fact they are in our own neighbourhood, our Africa. It is our own brothers and sisters desperate and displaced within their own land. Not so long ago that was our desperate tale, and when the shoe was on the other foot the whole of Africa opened its arms to us and helped where they could. We now have a chance to make a change and give what we can.
To quote the movie troy: “will our actions echo throughout the centuries will strangers hear our names long after we are gone and wonder who we were”. This is our chance to leave a lasting legacy for humanity. For more information on how you can help contact gift of the givers.
Contact Details
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290 Prince Alfred Street, Pietermaritzburg
Tel: +27 (0) 33 345 0163/ +27 (0)33 345 0175
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