It feels so trivial
to be commenting about the horrific needs of our world
neighbors in Haiti while sitting with a hot cup of tea in a
house with adequate food in the pantry. Yet this disaster that
continues to grip our hearts and minds deserves comment. It
has forced me to rethink the small things I often take for
granted (like a hot cup of tea and adequate food in the
pantry) and to realize how I might be better involved in
helping meet the needs of those in desperate situations.
It also reminds me to understand the scope
of hunger in our world. While many of us fret over the extra
calories in our latte, hunger continue to be a worldwide
problem of "staggering proportions," according to a
position paper on the subject by the American Dietetic
Association (www.eatright.org).
According to Food for the Hungry, a
worldwide mission organization, 25,000 people die from
hunger-related causes every day. And of those, 18,000 are
children. Children who are undernourished contribute to nearly
a quarter of the health-related deaths we see on this planet,
according to the World Health Organization (www.WHO.int).
How do we help? "Strong coordination of
health services and supplies is needed to effectively treat
thousands of people injured in the January 12
earthquake," says the World Health Organization. For now
and long term, here are a few ways we can help relieve some of
the hunger and suffering in our world:
Share our resources. Relief organizations
like the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) and Samaritans
Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) need our help to continue to
provide food, supplies and workers to those in dire need.
Sponsor a child. Pregnant women and children
are the most vulnerable to the devastating lifelong effects of
malnutrition, say nutrition experts. They have the highest
nutrient needs for growth and the effects of malnutrition can
cause permanent physical and mental damage.
Organizations like Food for the Hungry (www.fh.org)
and World Vision International (www.wvi.org) rely on our
donations to provide ongoing food, clean water, clothes and
hygiene kits to children and families rocked by this
earthquake and other disasters around the world.
Support the efforts of this great country we
are privileged to live in. Reading about our military men and
women who are helping with this vast relief effort in Haiti
reminds me again why I'm thankful to be an American citizen.
Thank you.
Pray. Simplistic approaches are inadequate
to meet the overwhelming needs we see for our world neighbors.
I pray for the groups and individuals who are doing what they
can to help.
