EU is neglecting Ethiopia's hungry, 14 million face death

[may18]

ADDIS ABABA, May 31 — Live Aid founder Bob Geldof accused western donors on Saturday of ''criminal negligence'' in drought-afflicted Ethiopia, saying a lack of aid had already killed tens of thousands of people.

Aid agencies estimate 14 million Ethiopians are at risk of starvation after the worst drought in almost two decades. There is no official figure of how many people have already died from drought-related causes. On the last day of a visit to the Horn of Africa country, Geldof said the situation in some areas was worse than he had witnessed in 1985, when famine in the region prompted him to organise the world's biggest rock concert to help the starving. ''It is criminal negligence that tens of thousands of Ethiopians have died due to lack of food during the current drought affecting the country,'' he told a news conference in the capital Addis Ababa. ''When millions died as a result of famine in 1985, the western world had said not again. But I came back 18 years later and I found the situation no different, it is in fact worse in some places. ''It is clear that the current drought situation in Ethiopia will develop into a famine unless enough assistance is provided,'' he said. The Irish musician and activist praised the United States, which he said has provided around 60 percent of the 1.5 million tonnes required to feed more than 14 million drought-affected people. He criticised the European Union (EU), saying its donation of about 28 percent of the aid needed was insufficient. ''Europe has got the food, if they are not capable of providing it to the needy in Ethiopia, give it to those who are capable so that the food can save lives,'' he said. ''Ethiopia is faced with a food crisis. If the EU and other donors fail to deliver the required food on time and death occurs as a result, do not say you are not warned.''

http://www.fh.org/

You can for a few pounds, donate, or sponser a child, at this site

[Normal4me]

Move to where the food is. Doesn't take a lot of common sense to figure that out now does it?

[Billy_bob_bob]

It's called "compassion fatigue". It works like this.

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Stupid Westerner: "You poor person. Let me send you some food".

(Two weeks later)

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Stupid Westerner: "Umm, OK, here's some more food. Now straighten out your country and help yourself!"

(Four weeks later)

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Stupid Westerner: "Didn't we just go through this? Alright, here's still some more food. Now fix up your mess and stop bothering me!"

(Six weeks later)

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Not so stupid Westerner: "Forget it. You're a basket case. You've exhausted my compassion, my reserves and my patience. I could care less about you at this point. In fact, you'd be doing us all a favor by dying, so die already and shut up!"
African: "Hatemonger!"

And so it goes....

[may18]

Well i think its to the US credit that they have provided the vast bulk of the aid.

Obviously more of the aid needs to be spent on helping them help themselves than just food.

Personally, i dont care if they are "stupid" 14 million deaths is a terrible tragedy

[Billy_bob_bob]

So let's bail them out yet again, and then in a few years or so we can deal with twenty or thirty million starving. Then we bail them out again, and a few years later there are fifty or sixty million starving. Do you see a pattern here?

If they are truly and completely incapable of taking care of themselves, why should we take care of them?

[AngrySpud]

"The musician and activist praised the United States."

Well, who else is gonna do it. Africa is Africa's problem, and by default, Europe's. Half the European countries had African colonies at one time or another. It should be up to Europe, not the US. Europe can purchase our grain and ship it to Africa.

[Random Access]

They need zipper locks more than they need food.

[Billy_bob_bob]

FYI I was referring to the Westerner as the "stupid" one, not the African.

[bruinbirdman]

Just as it is not in the financial interests of Jesse the Jack, Al Nottoosharpton, or Marxine Waters to ever give in one iota on the race issue, it is not in the interest of "Feed the Chilun" or any other NGO to solve or aleviate any poverty problems.

No more taxpayer bucks for foreingers' food.

yitbos

[backhoe]

Cross-link:

-"Pity About Africa..."--

[Prodigal Son]

This is almost nostalgic in a way don't you think? A return to those tender and innocent years when a celebrity being an activist merely meant they were concerned about starvation in the Third World.

*Sigh* I think I actually miss those days.

[quebecois]

Why do folks automatically dump on western nations whenever there is trouble somewhere? Why doesn't he accuse the pacific rim nations of "neglecting" ethiopia? What about the rest of africa? Are they doing anything to help ethiopia? Are the Latin American nations there doing anything?

These guilt-mongerers always come after the white middle class (I guess because history has taught them that we are gullible enough to fall for it).

[jim_trent]

I can remember back in the 1950's in grade school that they were collecting pennies for the starving in Ethiopia. And there have been many more times inbetween then and now.

Perhaps if they were not more interested in civil war, communism, and other unproductive pastimes, they would be able to feed themselves.

[xrp]

How come Ethiopia has enough money to buy tanks, planes and guns for constantly fighting Eritrea, but cannot buy food?