It makes me sad to see such brutal realities being twisted and manipulated and exploited until they are entirely devoid of meaning. The whole "starving children in Africa" thing has been turned into a horrible cliche used to emotionally goad Westerners into donating to various charities (whose efficacy varies -_-). (In fact, when my sister traveled to refugee areas in Uganda, she refused to take pictures of or with anyone she didn't get to personally know first. Just her way of combating the "pretty white girl with random impoverished African kids" trope.) As we can see, it's gotten to the point where many are driven away from donating to aid by all the shameless guilt-tripping that has been going on for years.
Yet world hunger and global poverty still ravage entire populations to an obscene extent, here in the 21st century. I can't ignore that, and because of who I am (I'm kind of a melancholy, empathetic type), it disturbs me to my core. I've resolved to search beyond the numbing pictures and explore the realities, the problems, and the possible solutions to the pressing questions of global development and progress. It's a fascinating and relevant topic, as it turns out. Yes, there is, as you would expect, a lot of depressing news about the unmet needs of desperate millions around the world, but total disillusionment means failing to recognize the enormous potential for improvement offered by government policies, UN initiatives, international law, grassroots organizations, local reform, and even *gasp!* foreign aid. The key to real results is rethinking many of our current fruitless efforts. With smart strategies like targeted aid, assessment and analysis, and comprehensive approaches (such as the encompassing issue of women's empowerment), much of the unspeakable suffering can be stopped. Not all of it, of course, but I've always been of the opinion that less suffering is always preferable to more.
Yet world hunger and global poverty still ravage entire populations to an obscene extent, here in the 21st century. I can't ignore that, and because of who I am (I'm kind of a melancholy, empathetic type), it disturbs me to my core. I've resolved to search beyond the numbing pictures and explore the realities, the problems, and the possible solutions to the pressing questions of global development and progress. It's a fascinating and relevant topic, as it turns out. Yes, there is, as you would expect, a lot of depressing news about the unmet needs of desperate millions around the world, but total disillusionment means failing to recognize the enormous potential for improvement offered by government policies, UN initiatives, international law, grassroots organizations, local reform, and even *gasp!* foreign aid. The key to real results is rethinking many of our current fruitless efforts. With smart strategies like targeted aid, assessment and analysis, and comprehensive approaches (such as the encompassing issue of women's empowerment), much of the unspeakable suffering can be stopped. Not all of it, of course, but I've always been of the opinion that less suffering is always preferable to more.
