18,000 Kids Starve to Death Every Day!
18,000 children die every day of hunger, U.N.
says
February 17, 2007 |
Associated Press
UNITED
NATIONS (AP) — Some 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and
malnutrition and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty
stomachs, a "terrible indictment of the world in 2007," the head of the
U.N. food agency said.
James Morris called for
students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and
governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate
hunger — especially among children.
"The little girl in Malawi
who's fed, and goes to school: 50% less likely to be HIV-positive, 50% less
likely to give birth to a low birth weight baby," he said in an interview
Friday. "Everything about her life changes for the better and it's the most
important, significant, humanitarian, political, or economic investment the
world can make in its future."
Morris, an American
businessman and former president the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, one
of the largest charitable organizations in the U.S., is stepping down as
executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program in April after five
years of leading the world's largest humanitarian organization.
He said that while the
percentage of people who are hungry and malnourished has decreased from a
fifth of the world's population to a sixth of the population, the actual
number of hungry people is growing by about 5 million people a year because
of the rising population.
"Today 850 million people
are hungry and malnourished. Over half of them are children. 18,000 children
die every single day because of hunger and malnutrition," Morris said. "This
is a shameful fact — a terrible indictment of the world in 2007, and it's an
issue that needs to be solved."
Morris said the largest
number of malnourished children are in India — more than 100 million —
followed by nearly 40 million in China.
"I'm very optimistic that
India and China are very focused on this issue," he said. "They're making
great progress — (but) need to do more. (It) needs to be a top priority."
Elsewhere, there are
probably 100 million hungry children in the rest of Asia, another 100
million in Africa where countries have fewer resources to help, and 30
million in Latin America, he said.
As Morris prepares to leave
his post, he said the two issues of greatest concern are the increasing
number of impoverished people and the "very significant, growing number of
natural disasters around the world."
According to the World
Bank, natural disasters have increased fourfold over the last 30 years, he
said. That means several billion people need instant help over the course of
a decade because of disasters such as the tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake,
or drought in southern Africa.
The response to these
disasters and conflicts such as in Sudan's Darfur region and Lebanon has
meant that most development aid has been used to save lives — not to help
communities prevent disasters and promote development through agricultural
programs, education for children and water conservation, Morris said.
The agency's biggest
operation today is in Darfur, where violence and security are major problems
and 2.5 million people have fled their homes and now live in camps.
"Our convoys are attacked
almost daily. We had a truck driver killed there at the end of last year.
Our convoys coming through Chad from Libya are always at risk. When the
African Union troops were there, that was very helpful. The U.N. troops will
be even more helpful," Morris said.
He was referring to a plan
for an AU-U.N. force to be deployed in Darfur, which is awaiting approval
from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
American diplomat Josette
Sheeran will replace Morris, who plans to head home to Indianapolis.
"I will work as hard as I
can every day of the rest of my life to see that more resources are
available to feed hungry children," Morris said.
Copyright 2007 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
END
Philippians 3:18-19, “For many
walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that
they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose
God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.”
The Reason Why You
Shouldn't Give Money to Big Charities
I am disgusted with America's charities, who
pay their executives 6-digit salaries.
Children International asks for donations of $22 per child to provide
food, medical, education and other needs. Yet, their CEO was paid
$347,381 in 2007! It is appalling to me that an organization that
stresses how far a mere $22 will go per month, pays their CEO $347,381
a year! That's just plain wrong in my opinion. Anything can be
justified, but that doesn't necessarily make it proper or ethical.
The Salvation Army isn't quite as bad,
they only paid their CEO $175,050 in
2004. No doubt, they have all
kinds of excuses to justify such outrageous salaries; but no one needs that
kind of salary, and it is certainly unbecoming of a so-called “charitable
organization.” I realize that top executives are often paid high salaries
for their fund-raising abilities and expertise; yet, it's just inconsistent
with all the plethora of ads we see begging for our donations, which might
mean “life or death to some child.” If that's the case, just think how many
more children's lives could be saved if the CEO's of these fat cat charities
were to give back 80% of their salary, God forbid, and actually have to live
on $75,000 a year! My, oh my, how would they survive?
What gets me is that a charitable organization
can actually pay their CEO $375,000 a year and still be rated by the BBB as
a great company. Not in my book! The BBB is a joke in America! Many
companies who support the BBB are given preferential treatment. In my
opinion, you can't trust information from the BBB, nor from America's big
charities.
Red Cross and United Way are even
worse. The top CEO at Red Cross pulled down a $651,957 salary
in
2003! According to Forbes, United Way's top executive made $629,950
in 2004!
Why do people support these fat cat charities?
A lot of people give money to charities to
boost their public image, feel good about themselves or to find a tax
write-off. It is a sore evil in America. While an estimated
18,000 children continue to starve to death
daily throughout the world, and others
eat bugs to survive, America's
biggest charities continue to pay their top executives outrageous salaries.
It is a false balance in God's eyes. Few people realize these days that
America's charities have become lucrative businesses.
My advice to people is to find some poor person
and give the money directly to them. There are many poor people today, and
others who have lost their jobs, or are homeless, and you can be a blessing
to them directly. And best of all, you know that 100% of the money is going
to charity, and not helping to pay someone's $600,000 salary! Really, it is
insane to pay someone that kind of money in a so-called “charity.”
Who do you think will appreciate your money
more... some fat cat charity or a struggling family who has no income?
If you DO decide to support any charity, demand
a financial report of where the donations are being spent. This way you can
see first hand where your money is going, and can make sure that you're not
buying someone a mansion in the suburbs. Don't accept a vague summary,
kindly ask for specifics. If they don't disclose such information, give
elsewhere. Honestly, too many people are abusing the system today, living
extravagantly on donations, because people don't think.
I just can't in good conscience drop my money
into a Santa Claus's bucket at Christmas time, when I know the top dog at
the Salvation Army is getting paid $175,000 a year!
I cringe when I hear ads telling people how
much their $22 a month can do to better a poor child's life, knowing that
the CEO of that charity got paid $347,381 in 2007! Yet, so many people sit
at home, staring at some picture of a child they're supporting for $22 a
month, failing to realize that the CEO of that company makes 15-TIMES
what the average American family gets paid annually. No CEO of a charitable
organization ought to be paid more than $47,381 a year, which leaves
$300,000 remaining from this guy's salary. For $22 per month, $300,000 can
help an additional 1,136 poor children! Yet, the charity appeals to
the American public, from families who are struggling financially to live on
$30,000 a year, to give $22 per month. The whole charity scene in America is
enough to make one want to go vomit.
Please stop giving to big charities and start
giving money directly to the poor.
Furthermore, most of those big charities don't
share the Gospel with the people being helped. Even the Salvation Army
is more Army than Salvation these days. When you give money directly to the
poor, you can witness to them concerning Jesus Christ, or give them a Gospel
of John. Just think how much further your money can go by giving it directly
to the poor. I am a firm believer in helping the poor, but not through some
fat cat organization that keeps back $600,000 a year for it's CEO. That's
crazy!
END
