See this little girl. She's dying from malnutrition in Darfur, Sudan. We don't know her name but it is not Madeleine McCann. No one wears yellow wristbands for her. No video films of her plight are screened at huge sporting events like the F.A. Cup Final. She was brought to the Doctors Without Borders feeding clinic in al-Junaynah, Western Darfur. David Beckham has not made a TV appeal for her and no one has pledged thousands of pounds to assist her cause. She is like the unknown warriors for whom flames burn around the world. She is just as important as Madeleine McCann and there are thousands of other little girls and boys like her around the world - anonymous children who die of starvation or diarrhoea, warfare or abuse. Her father is not a cardiologist and her mother is not a general practitioner. This little girl's story will never really be told - never filling columns in crappy tabloid newspapers. I salute Oxfam and all the other charities that are working hard for the good of these forgotten children. I hope that when the £3million reward for Madeleine is not claimed that those who pledged it will instead donate it to Oxfam or another charity working to heal the terrors of Darfur. Sure we all want Madeleine to get home safe but let's not forget these other kids. As I say, they are just as important.21 May 2007
Darfur
See this little girl. She's dying from malnutrition in Darfur, Sudan. We don't know her name but it is not Madeleine McCann. No one wears yellow wristbands for her. No video films of her plight are screened at huge sporting events like the F.A. Cup Final. She was brought to the Doctors Without Borders feeding clinic in al-Junaynah, Western Darfur. David Beckham has not made a TV appeal for her and no one has pledged thousands of pounds to assist her cause. She is like the unknown warriors for whom flames burn around the world. She is just as important as Madeleine McCann and there are thousands of other little girls and boys like her around the world - anonymous children who die of starvation or diarrhoea, warfare or abuse. Her father is not a cardiologist and her mother is not a general practitioner. This little girl's story will never really be told - never filling columns in crappy tabloid newspapers. I salute Oxfam and all the other charities that are working hard for the good of these forgotten children. I hope that when the £3million reward for Madeleine is not claimed that those who pledged it will instead donate it to Oxfam or another charity working to heal the terrors of Darfur. Sure we all want Madeleine to get home safe but let's not forget these other kids. As I say, they are just as important.
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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.
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Well that woke me up this morning. My answer - "absolutely".
ReplyDeleteto true i agree with you jep
ReplyDeleteRight between the eyes YP. Even a nod to the thousands of kids who apparently go missing on our own doorstep according to the police missing persons website, many of whom remain so, would be a chink in the clouds of the current rather disquieting mood, not to mention the children who have had their lives destroyed by our own government's actions in foreign countries.
ReplyDeleteYou said it YP - The situation in Darfur is another disgraceful situation to add to an ever-lengthening list of failures by humankind.
ReplyDeleteI friend of mine had her small daughter come home from school in some fear asking 'am I going to be kidnapped mummy?' after the school announced a special 'madeleine day'.
ReplyDeleteA friend of a friend who is a social worker said that if madeleines's parents, who left her alone to go out for the evening remember, had been on a council estate the whole power of the authorities would have come down on them like a ton of bricks. Because they are wealthy we are all supposed to drop every thing and weep and wail for them.
Good job, York. Perhaps we should send Angelina Jolie to Darfur to meet that little girl. Despite the sarcasm, wouldn't it be nice if more of those who CAN, WOULD? For those of us who can only BARELY (help out, that is), it's infuriating when the media makes a mockory of world needs.
ReplyDeleteGot to agree with you YP. Good post.
ReplyDeletewell said, everything is so safe and sanitised here. so many people in the UK think of nothing but themselves, the ME Culture headed by the celebrity culture.
ReplyDeleteAnother country, Congo sound horrific as well, where's the celebs? where's the world leaders? Where's the UN?
Yep, you're right again (although I hate to admit it ...)
ReplyDeleteCRYSTAL JIGSAW, JULIE, ARTHUR CLEWLEY, ANDY, ANONYMOUS, FRIDAY, MUDDYBOOTS, GREYBEARD LOON, MUTTERINGS AND MEANDERINGS - Well I think we are all pretty much in agreement then! Thanks for taking the time to respond. Dontcha sometimes wish you could travel to somewhere like Darfur, collect a couple of traumatised malnourished orphans and bring them back to the western world for life - warm beds, regular meals, safety. Just to save two. We couldn't save them all, not as world politics, climate change and population growth are now but two children ... to give them a chance, a place to dream...
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed, YP.
ReplyDeletePity the masses of this nation don't seem to care, the harsh fact is that most people here are not oblivious to this, they just cant relate to anything not on their doorstep. Well put though random blogger I found on an image search.
ReplyDelete