Today is Blog Action Day 2008 and the subject is poverty. The nature of this blog doesn't make it easy to fit the theme. Postcards are unlikely to show poverty in any form. The countries visited for the most part are the developed world, or if not, they will show developed tourist areas. Although there is poverty in the western world, it cannot be compared with poverty in developing countries where food, safe water, and shelter cannot be taken for granted.
In the end, I was pleased to find I had a card published by UNICEF in the collection.
From the UNICEF site:
Poverty threatens every human right, depriving children of the capacities they require to survive, develop and thrive. Children living in the countries highlighted on this map face some of the worst deprivations of essential goods and services: More than one third of all children are malnourished, lack basic immunizations, or are not enrolled in or attending school. In 13 countries, less than half the population has access to improved drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities.Just think of those figures. In some countries less than half the population has access to safe water and adequate sanitation. One third of all children are malnourished. That is poverty. Poverty violates the first right of over 1 billion children worldwide: the right to survival.
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A postcard with pictures of children smiling for a change. Somehow it makes me want to make more children smile. An encouraging post.
ReplyDeleteAfter just returning from vacation in Nicaragua where the poverty rate is somewhere between 80-90% and rising and they are trying to develop tourist areas instead of taking care of the people of the country, I couldn't agree more that the situation is usually brushed under the rug in developing countries and replaced by tropical images and scenery. I'm looking to go back to volunteer in the capital city, Managua, for a few weeks which has never recovered from the revolution and earthquake in the 70's.
ReplyDeleteI love the postcard with the faces of children...hope more will be done to help eradicate poverty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely postcard, although it seems some how wrong for me to use such a descriptive term when there is so much poverty in the world.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless its good to see some happy smiling faces.
I'm sort of surprised the Philippines wasn't on the list. I've had first-hand accounts of extreme poverty here, but I guess it just shows that in one way or another, we are still truly blessed, and we must be thankful for that. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you all liked the card, and I'm delighted I managed to find one that had a message of some sort, to fit the theme.
ReplyDeleteit's cool that you were able to make a blog action day post fit with your theme so well. :) and unicef is indeed one of the organizations helping to make the world a better place, which i especially appreciate since i'm from the philippines.
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