The title is just to put in a bit of humor for the topic. But as i read Mabel's topic on African governance and help, i can't help but also reveal to you a bit more about its problems:

1) You see when we talk about Africa, definitely its not South Africa, or maybe its underprivileged community would be a group that qualifies. The main group of it we would be looking at are Ugandans, Bostwanians, Zimbabweans, Congolese, and the lot.

When we talk about underprivileged in this quarter of sub-saharan Africa, its is famine, not just lack of food or water, much less clothing.
Notice when your parents tell you some of the kids are just like hungry ghosts, where their throats are thin and their tummies bloated, and even if you feed them solid foods, they would just regurgitate all they have eaten, for they are suffering from eating disorders as a result of long periods of lack of food or unhygienic food intake.
Since most of you might not have seen some images on these really underprivileged kids, here are some that famed photographers have taken and have since pledged their lives to revealing their sufferings to ask for more direct aid to these people.


kid? or pack of bones? the effects of extreme famine


there was this rumor that the kid squatting at the back was watched by a vulture,
the creature seemingly ready to pounce once it feels its dead.


Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa are not ready to deal with these issues, why? Even after democracy is established in the region, some countries are still caught with racial and even ethnic wars, with africans of different origins fighting one another in a single country. Rebels as well as soldiers hold weapons on streets freely, and shoot whoever they like to.
Don't believe me? Just watch Black Hawk Down and u would roughly understand the gangs and mobs that come out from it.

Interestingly, these vivid violent images are taken in by gaming companies as part of their storylines, just take Farcry/Farcry 2 for example, the way in which outposts are made up of oil drums, ammo boxes and huts. These, my peeps, are for real. and when i say for real, even if they see an Asian, or a Caucasian, they won't hesitate to blackmail and extort from you, and in worse cases should you be a lady, i wouldn't go on for cases like kidnap and prostitution even for lost tourists have appeared in a number of my reports.


this looks real? the wonders CG do nowadays to games like Farcry, a good depiction of how Africa might look like around its rebel grounds.

And these aren't the only issues.

Their geographical locations would normally relate to Savannah grasslands, or in extreme cases, drought. To a large extent agricultural farming is impossible, much less finding irrigation for it. Lack of water, and the effort to dig down to more than 150m deep just to look for signs of moisture to you might be impossible, but they have done it. These wells, too, dry up fast.

The lack of technology, or nil technology, zero possible methods of survival in those kind of climates, reflect the lack of help they receive from affluent countries. Why? When aid comes in, the government, could be controlled by rebel leaders or even the government themselves would choose to have an attitudinal assumption that they can take the money and do what they want. AS a result, the money does not transfer immediately to the aid that you guys might be expecting for. U might even be surprised in such a volatile political environment, they are using your money, to construct arms and weapons for fear of a coup from other parties interested in the positions in power.

The government's reluctance, as mabel pointed out, would under-develop the nation affected, and would push it further into the abyss that 3rd world countries are increasingly facing. Imagine it as a building, as the world's richer members of societies gets more members, each member it receives could potentially contribute to more than 100 more in poverty. As the skyscrapers rise even higher, the foundations need to be more stable. Thus these countries whom are in the first world would build with the resources that are found in third world countries and buy it on cheap rates and to certain extent, own the location in the country that has these resources.
In Africa, we have tea leaves, and yes, diamonds. haha. Watch Blood Diamond and you will know what i mean.

With the many factors, does it not also reflect the way in which people deal with situations? What can possibly be a good deed served to another transforms in the end result, something that is totally contrasting to what you have wanted to do in the beginning? To save and to help people?

Every single day to them is living hell, but in a cosmopolitan city you are born in, with the ability to even chat and discuss about games, play sports freely, not being afraid of people pointing guns at you, having a simple dinner with your friends, girl/boyfriends, families, these are all little things we really tend to take for granted. Your heart matters alot in all the activities you do.

This world might be complicated, for the way we think, and we often quarrel about the simplest of ideals that do not matter as big as changing a person's life or helping the world a hand, and your personal problems definitely pale in comparison to the people that are suffering in the continent-in-discussion.

Let's cherish the moments we have. When you have your meal, remember to do a quick reflection, slow down your mind and shut it out from the hectic day, and dedicate it to the sentient being who are currently physically in harm or degrading. When you finish everyday, sit for a moment or two to reflect on your actions and mindsets, keep it positive and going, and remember the blessings you've gotten to be able to enjoy so many things you have had in your life so far.

You know let's hope in the near future, if SBM youth manages to have a big group of philantropic-like characters and adults that are passionate about social service, pool some money together and really go to these decadent states to have a look at their ever-deteoriating conditions and somehow help them in anyway you can. Then, maybe writers within our group who are talented can write about their experiences and share with people around more affluent nations, not just Singapore, and spread the word for help, and then directly render assistance to the community-in-question.

Its seldom we youths think about it and relate it back to ourselves, but kudos to Mabel, and i would love to hear the comments from everyone should there be.

signing out in the midst of report-writing,
sabhe satta suki hontu,
alvin.