Post by HoyaLawya on Nov 1, 2006 7:22:31 GMT -5
Information about his address yesterday at the Hilltop, and the ongoing conference.
www.accra-mail.com/mailnews.asp?id=18763
www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6V54MM?OpenDocument
www.thehoya.com/news/103106/news5.cfm
Friends, and fellow Hoyas, let me tell you that the struggle in Africa is very real and uphill.
We have a daughter serving with Peace Corps in a remote area of Mr. Annan's home country, near its border with Togo, and paid a visit this past August. It is amazing to be in that part of the world, with grinding poverty, lack of electrification, phone service, indoor plumbing and, often, no wells ("bore holes") for clean drinking water.
It's an area where an endless cycle of subsistence agrarian farming sees the indigent people lack even the "mechanization" of having a mule or oxen to help pull plows.
It's one of the few holdout areas of the world (along with parts of Sudan) where guinea worm disease has not yet been eradicated.
The Carter Center is very active on that front, trying to achieve eradication through education about water purification methods and a drive to get bore holes installed.
It's an area where malaria runs rampant. Where families often have 7 to 10 children because that's the way to improve the "odds" of seeing 3 survive to full adulthood.
Incredible.
A reminder to "do what you can" ...
Catholic Relief Services and/or World Vision (Protestant) are good investments for any charitable dollars directed for that continent. We were impressed with what they're trying to do in the face of so much need and not enough resources.
www.accra-mail.com/mailnews.asp?id=18763
www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6V54MM?OpenDocument
www.thehoya.com/news/103106/news5.cfm
Friends, and fellow Hoyas, let me tell you that the struggle in Africa is very real and uphill.
We have a daughter serving with Peace Corps in a remote area of Mr. Annan's home country, near its border with Togo, and paid a visit this past August. It is amazing to be in that part of the world, with grinding poverty, lack of electrification, phone service, indoor plumbing and, often, no wells ("bore holes") for clean drinking water.
It's an area where an endless cycle of subsistence agrarian farming sees the indigent people lack even the "mechanization" of having a mule or oxen to help pull plows.
It's one of the few holdout areas of the world (along with parts of Sudan) where guinea worm disease has not yet been eradicated.
The Carter Center is very active on that front, trying to achieve eradication through education about water purification methods and a drive to get bore holes installed.
It's an area where malaria runs rampant. Where families often have 7 to 10 children because that's the way to improve the "odds" of seeing 3 survive to full adulthood.
Incredible.
A reminder to "do what you can" ...
Catholic Relief Services and/or World Vision (Protestant) are good investments for any charitable dollars directed for that continent. We were impressed with what they're trying to do in the face of so much need and not enough resources.