There are many weird and wonderful things about Africa’s countries that make them unique and remarkable places. The people, the scenery, the wildlife, the activities and quite simply the culture. All these things are amazing. However, we have to be aware that there are also many issues and situations that are devastating across this vast continent. It is the developing world, after all. I have not been to every country, but I can speak for the areas I have seen. It’s easy to turn a blind eye when you hear about these issues, especially when you are quite far away from it all and living in a western society. It’s not until you actually go see for yourself that you realise how fortunate some of us really are. It gives you a greater appreciation of life itself.
Some of the devastations across many countries in Africa see people dying of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other such diseases, every single day. Many children have become orphaned because their parents have contracted these diseases and the outcomes have been fatal. There are many households headed by children because of this. Plenty of children have also contracted the diseases themselves and will not have the chance to survive.
Many people have not eaten for weeks, and if they have eaten they do not get all the nutrients required in their diets to be healthy, which leads to low immune systems, sickness, diseases and can be fatal. It is especially devastating to know that many children have to go through this. How is it that in the same world, some people are overweight and obese, yet others are starving and suffering from malnutrition? The unequal distribution of wealth does not make sense to me.
Many people don’t have a roof over their heads, or if they do, they share one tiny room with their families. Many people don't even have a bed and sleep on the floor or on a mat.
Many people have never owned a pair of shoes and have one set of clothing (if at all).
Many people have never had the chance to get an education and have no idea about many basic things.
The water supply in many areas is poor, and people in some communities have to walk for miles to fetch a bucket of water.
Poverty is devastating and something that cannot be eradicated overnight, or in a few years. It’s something that is gradual in the development process and any kind of minor or significant contribution from anyone can help the process that extra little bit. It is such a large scale so a lot of people don’t think that the little things they can do will make a difference. But it is not true. Yes you can’t help everyone, but you can help one person, or a family, or many little things that can benefit a community.
Many people in the developing world have so little, but they are still happy, in good spirits, have a good outlook on life and appreciate all the simple things. I think they could teach us a few things. We live in a world of waste, excess, selfishness and greed. So often people are not satisfied when what they have or are used to is not there anymore, instead of appreciating it when it is there. A bad day at home is not even a bad day compared to what many people have to go through. We have food on the tables, clean water running from our taps, a roof over our heads, an education and health care system, clothes on our backs, the list goes on. We have the basic necessities of life and a million other things we so often take for granted. We don’t even have to think twice about any of it because we have all these things and plenty more. We have been given the fortunate life.
After visiting Africa the last time and then being back in western society, I so often heard people say how they can’t live without their iPhone or how they need to update to a Blu-Ray player. I’d sit on the train and see people playing with all their different gadgets. The latest MP3 players, phones, cameras, laptops. All those little luxuries that many people in this world have no idea about and probably never will.
So often I see food go to waste and people not even caring because they can always buy more. Sometimes I’d wonder what I was doing here. I'm not here trying to make people feel guilty for the fortunate life they were born into, but instead just trying to raise some awareness. I live comfortably and am so grateful for it and try to enjoy it while I can, but I also can’t help but think of the ones less fortunate than myself. I could not even imagine what it would be like to not have access to such basic things. That’s why I will never send food back in a restaurant unless it’s absolutely inedible, I don’t keep updating my phone or computer to the latest design, I don’t need the latest fancy gadget on the market, I hardly go shopping for new clothes unless there’s something specific I need to buy for (which isn’t very often). There are many things I try to be mindful of and yes we do all have our little comforts and luxuries but as much as I can I do try to live modestly.
I think it’s important for people living in developed western societies to visit the third world developing countries to be made aware of exactly what is going on. The more people that know can hopefully amount to more people taking action and lending a helping hand to do their part and give something back.
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