Pakistan Floods: Can you watch a baby die and not care?
September 14th 2010 17:38
I just watched a tiny baby die.
Even though I sat in my living room, safe and having eaten a meal uncontaminated, with plenty of fresh water and tea to drink, that moment hurtled me into that far away suffering in Pakistan, and I felt the shock, the sorrow and the helplessness, then, in the mother's face, a quietly suffering agony, she was told she should use some water to assist in closing the baby's eyes, still staring out from its infant death mask.
100 tiny children come to the doors of this small hospital every day, they cannot admit everyone, all they can try to do is help the distressed parents try to keep their child alive a little longer, give the baby some clean saline, some medicine, then off they go back to the makeshift shanty towns sprung up along the highways not under water. With luck, the baby will survive, unless it then contracts malaria, or gets reinfected again before it recovers.
the road from ruin
I then felt ashamed.
How dare we in Australia ignore what is happening in Pakistan! We all carped on about match fixing in their cricket team, fair enough, but nothing is now been said of the continuing disaster, where nearly twenty million people, poor people, who just make it through the year by tilling their pathetic plot of soil, to grow enough crop to feed themselves, pay back the lender, and save some seed for the next season, all that, and their homes and animals, have been washed away.
These survived total wipeout, the poor's mud huts did not.
There is nothing left in some places, except a pooling massive expanse of water, where now the bodies of animals and people pollute the water causing more deaths and mosquitoes laden with malaria are now breeding, the preparation for another wave of human suffering.
It is the under fives that are the worst hit by disease, and I just watched one of them die, a baby of just one year. These people have nothing and according to Karen Allen, from UNICEF, the foreign aid received so far, in forms of food and medicines etc, is at least 35% short of what is urgently needed right now, and overall it is 70% short of what is needed.
UNICEF's Allen also stated that the magnitude of the Pakistan flood disaster is bigger than the Asian tsunami and many other massive catastrophes of the last six years put together, and yet the West is still slow to recognize the terrible plight that twenty million people are facing, right now.
If we are happy to play cricket, in the best of times with Pakistan, then we should also be there in their time of great need, after all, that is what real friends do, don't they?
Ignoring the plight of Pakistan is only going to allow the subversive elements to get more control and influence, and give them more 'ammunition' to portray the West as a selfish, bigoted and uncaring society.
By the way, battles are won by the mightier military force, but peace is only won by the victor's compassion and generosity to the vanquished.
What would you rather live in, a world constantly at war, or one that finally follows the real path to lasting peace?
What can you do?
Donate to the Red Cross, and say it is for the Pakistan flood victims, same for the Red Crescent (the Muslim version of the Red Cross), and write and/or telephone your local Member of Parliament, or Senator, Governor, anyone who is taking tax payer money, remember, they are supposed to be working for you, so demand that they get off their collective arses and help Pakistan today!
According to stats on Wikipedia, regarding nations prepared to help and what they have promised;
Australia announced a A$35 million aid-package, as well as committing two C17 Globemaster aircraft to deliver emergency supplies and to assist relief efforts and deploying a medical task force consisting of up to 180 personnel and more than 33 tonnes of equipment.
Many other nations from the USA, to Russia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Brazil, The EU and many nations in between are donating money, medicines and food.
Some interesting individual donations mentioned in the Wikipedia article are;
Hilary Clinton donated $10, that is, ten US dollars, done so to encourage everyone to donate no matter how small...
Multi, multi BILLIONAIRES Bill and Melinda Gates donated $700,000 from their multi-billion dollar philanthropy foundation....
Angelina Jollie, rich but no way near a billionaire, donated $100,000. Seems some may find religion and politics get in the way of their pockets...
Anyway, on a nation basis, it is a good start, but they need much, much more than that.
Map author Kmhkmh released on Wikipedia creative Commons Attribution 3
MAP: The light blue is minor flooding, the middle blue is major flooding and the dark blue is extensive flooding. Some areas the water in trapped and is not subsiding, and is turning stagnant. The result will be mass deaths from disease.
If you are a true Christian, there is nothing to stand in your way of compassion, except misguided bigotry.
By the way, Christ would not turn away from someone suffering, would He?
DONATE TO UNICEF, THE RED CROSS AND THE PAKISTANI RED CRESCENT, for the sake of all our humanity...
PHOTO CREDITS:
Created at 8/27/2010 10:52 AM by Amena Aly Kamaal, for inclusion on official United Nations Pakistani emergency organization flood relief site; used here for the purposes of illustration of article and plea for assistance for the suffering, low res copies, not meant for redistribution, copyright presumed that of author Amena Aly Kamaal and/or United Nations Organization and/or UNESCO, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Comment by katyzzz
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Thanks for caring fog, it really is a more than a crying shame. Babies are so precious.
Comment by Mountain Fog
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QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks for reading and leaving a commnet.
It is tragic beyond comprehension. The government and army are doing their bit now, but were very slow to start, leaving them open to criticism for allowing the poorest to last.
But lots of assistance is coming in now thank heavens, but they will need so much more.
I see it as a imperative that we do all we can to help, if we are to call ourselves true christians, and it will also have the benefit of stopping the anarchists from getting more support.
cheers
fog
Comment by Samantha Elley
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I saw that same doco on Pakistan.
As a mother it broke my heart. I am so thankful to God every day that I can look after my kids without the concerns mothers over there have.
When the little girl died, I cried. Let's hope more people are giving.
thanks for writing your article.
Sam
Comment by Mountain Fog
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QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks for reading and commenting, I cried too, it was terrible, I have not felt that upset at seeing something on TV in ages, and it will always haunt me.
Cheers and lets hope the West etc put aside fears and differences and all pitch in.
fog