World News

Have you ever been so hungry that your growling stomach could be heard across the room?  It happened to me once when I was giving a speech to the Kiwanis Club.  It was embarrassing but a sandwich quickly fixed the problem. Well, let me be clear, I ate it after the speech, not during the speech. 

But seriously, millions of children in the world suffer from hunger everyday. As we tackle our own problems with obesity and junk food, try to imagine an emaciated African child weighing no more than 30 pounds making her way across the bushland.  She is starving and totally exhausted.  Yet she keeps her tired body moving with a few tiny crawls at a time. As she desperately tries to reach a nearby refugee camp, a plump vulture sits silently, waiting for her to succumb to her weakened condition.  

This image was captured by the camera of photojournalist Kevin Carter. He was credited for drawing world attention to the suffering of African children that momentarily shocked the conscience of the civilized world into action.

I have never been so stunned by one picture in my entire life. I challenge anyone to look at this image and come away unaffected.  While we obsess ourselves with the latest electronic gadgets to amuse and entertain ourselves, other children like this little African girl struggle to stay alive, fighting the odds against famine, drought, and disease.

When I look at the photo of this little girl, I ask myself: Is there anything that I can do to help?  Yes, there is.  Even in very small ways, every one of us who wants to help fight the injustice can make an impact. Every episode of human anguish that explodes abruptly or unfolds quietly challenges us to answer its urgent call to action. How can we help?  We can give donations, raise funds and increase public awareness of the situation.

In the past year I have been introduced to an organization called ?Free The Children?. The primary goals of the organization are to free children from poverty and exploitation and free young people from the notion that they are powerless to help out.

Recently, my brother and I decided to hold fundraising birthday parties.  We asked our guests to make donations to Free the Children instead of bringing presents.  We raised $2400. Last month, I held a popcorn sale and raised $500. Additionally, I donated cash awards of over $1,000 from various competitions that I attended.  It feels good to be able to make a contribution towards relieving children?s misery in the third world.  Seeing the little girl in the photograph has been the turning point in my life. Her plight makes me look past my own needs. Now I am convinced that even young people can help change the world for the better. Just remember this old Jewish proverb:  ?If you save one life, it is as if you have saved the world.?