Starvation is a serious problem for the people of Darfur.
They rely heavily on their own crops, using whatever food grows to feed
themselves and their families, but in a country where it never rains,
the food is few and far between. With no crops growing, not only can
they not feed themselves, they cannot sell these crops or exchange the
money for more food. Thus, it becomes a vicious cycle.
Until recently Darfur was a war torn country; their security threat
was great whilst they were at war with their own country - Sudan. Villagers
in Darfur have reported shocking stories to authorities of villages
being burnt to the ground, women and young girls being kidnapped and
raped, Militias torturing residences, and much needed schools and crops
being destroyed. The rain season is now beginning in Sudan and these
people are left with no homes, no clothes, no food, and no one to help
them.
Children are starving daily; they are living on the
streets as orphans, with no one to care for them. Not only are they
in mourning, they spend each cold night tucked up in a corner of the
pavement, with no one to tuck them in, no one to kiss them goodnight.
This is the daily routine for many children, some only as young as six.
Most of these children had their parents taken from them because of
the AIDS virus, a variation of HIV. Not only does the lack of crops
mean that these people are literally starving to death, even if they
are given food in aid packages from charitable countries, they cannot
trade this food and so cannot purchase medicine to treat their HIV.
This medicine would not cure the disease, but it would prolong their
lives, even if only to spend another year caring for their children.
This problem is not just being faced in Sudan, it is being faced in
every other third world country too, with 30,000 people dying from the
disease EVERY DAY. That means that literally thousands of children are
being left orphaned and homeless each and every day. How would you cope
if you were one of those children?
This problem is not a new thing, it is ongoing and has been for several
hundred years. This is evident in a poem written by British poet William
Blake. His poem 'Holy Thursday' taken from the 'Songs of Experience'
reads:
'Is this a holy thing to see,
In a rich and fruitful land:
Babes reduced to misery,
Fed with cold and usurious hand?
Is that trembling cry a song?
Can it be a song of joy?
And so many children poor?
It is a land of poverty!
And their sun does never shine,
And their fields are bleak and bare,
And their ways are filled with thorns;
It is eternal winter there.
For where'er the sun does shine,
And where'er the rain does fall -
Babe can never hunger there,
Nor poverty the mind appal.'
To me, not only does this poem reveal a side of medieval Earth previously
unknown to me, it also reveals how naive and insensitive the earth was
even back then. Do not let this happen again. We should do something
about it now. In the UK during 2005 a year long campaign is being run
by charities such as Oxfam and Save the Children to bring about the
abolishment of World Bank debt of countries such as Sudan so that people
can concentrate on bringing about a better life for these people.
Live Aid, once again run by Bob Geldof, is sending all money raised
from its campaign to Sudan. This total has reached over one million
so far. However, the campaign doesn't have to be restricted to just
the UK. America, I am calling you to arms, campaign to President Bush
for the debt to be dropped, campaign for more and better aid, and campaign
for the children. You can do this by either writing a letter directly
to the President, or by wearing a 'Make Poverty History' white band.
You can find out more information from
www.makepovertyhistory.org
where you can also obtain the white band.
America, I urge you, spread your luxury of freedom to the people of
Sudan and the rest of the third world alike, free them from torture.
