You know, I\u2019m not the most worldly person. I\u2019ve traveled around a bit but I generally don\u2019t keep up on the politics and news in other countries. Hell, I hardly pay attention to the news in my own country, so overall when it comes to current affairs I\u2019m a giant ignoramus. Something had me confused the other night though, and I asked my husband about it. My question was\u2026<\/p>\n
Why, when all the rest of the world seems to be donating out the hole to Africa, does nothing seem to improve? <\/p>\n
Seriously, for as long as I can remember I\u2019ve seen ads with children with bloated bellies and flies around their eyes, with their brown drinking water asking me to send money. I remember more than once when I was younger suggesting to my parents that we should adopt an African kid. I wanted to send them to school and get their letters, and maybe even meet them someday, just like the ads promised. It never happened, my parents were busy supporting me and I can\u2019t really blame them now.<\/p>\n
There are telethons, TV shows, super stars like Angelina Jolie and Madonna and endless other attempts at improving the situation there, but nothing seems to change. I don\u2019t get it. Look at American Idol with their \u2018Idol Gives Back\u2019 crap (big publicity stunt if you ask me, Idol didn\u2019t give shit\u2026 their viewers did!)\u2026 they raised like, a gazillion dollars for starving Africans! Where has it gone? What has it changed? <\/p>\n
When I asked my husband about this he had all the answers and went into them at length. Politics, and how it benefits some people to keep certain parts of Africa poor and a number of other explanations. The things he said made sense but then I can\u2019t help but wonder, why keep sending money then? There are a lot of people who truly believe in that cause but aren\u2019t they swimming upstream here? It\u2019s probably enviable that people \u2018fight the good fight\u2019 when it comes to these places, but man\u2026 there comes a time when you gotta learn to choose your battles.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, I know I sound like a heinous bitch who can\u2019t sympathize with what is going on down there, but shit\u2026 all these countries have their own starving, diseased, downtrodden people to take care of, why keep sending all the money off to somewhere that takes it all in for SO many years and doesn\u2019t seem to show any significant signs of change? <\/p>\n
Ok, yeah\u2026 help the world, be a good person and so on. Fine. I give, so does my husband but I guess we just make different choices on when and to whom.<\/p>\n
The reason I\u2019m thinking about this at the moment is because of something that has happened in the news here in the Netherlands recently. It\u2019s about five young Dutch girls who went to Africa on a working holiday organized by a Dutch charity. They were there to BUILD A SCHOOL, you know\u2026 to help the local people\u2026 and what did they get in return? They were attacked and raped by 10 local men. RAPED!!! <\/strong><\/p>\n