Monday, November 20, 2006
Universal Children's Day
Today is Universal Children’s Day as named by the United Nations. Because of the millions of children who suffer due to poverty, disease, abuse and natural disasters, we hear the call to act on behalf of the children. We understand children to be gifts from God and to be entrusted to our care. Yet, when we read that 2 million children have been sold into prostitution or 25 million children under the age of eight are refugees, we become overwhelmed and can’t imagine that we can do anything of significance. Therefore, it is exciting to hear about “Nothing but Nets”. For $10 a net can protect a family of four in Africa from malaria carrying mosquitoes. This is an interesting story about a global effort that could potentially save millions of lives of children. I hope that we can help make it happen.
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3 comments:
The idea of preventing Malaria a half a world away may not seem pressing to us here, but we are only one el Nino or la Nina of magnitude away from the possibility of a climate here on the east coast of North America that would sustain a population of Malaria bearing mosquitoes. Maybe buying nets to prevent Malaria should take a back seat to giving money to find a cure for it. If not for other children now, maybe to protect the future of our own children.
I don't think that we have an either/or situation. The nets seem like a good bandaid, but at the same time a broader approach to protecting humankind from malaria must be part of our response. I am glad the Samaritan didn't ignore the wounded man. He could have moved on to settle the social and cultural issues that were a part of this incident snd leave the man at the side of the road.
Absolutely you are correct and "right". I was only hoping to increase the sense of urgency to provide nets by foreshadowing the possibility of one day needing Samaritans close to home. I don't want me or anyone else to leave the wounded at the side of the road, but I did want to project the faces of our own children onto those who are already in the ditch so as to trigger an immediate empathy. The Samaritan did stop. He did help. But, he did not stay. Perhaps he indeed was moved to leave to go try to settle some social and cultural issues which would have been unaddressed had he stayed by the roadside in anticipation of another wounded. The wounded ye shall have with you always unless the source of affliction is found out and prevented. I am sending nets.
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