had visited once before on a cross-cultural/Missions trip in high school. On my first trip, we were involved in a building project & interacting with the people in a small town tucked away in the hills. I was struck by how generous and lively the Jamaican people were and how lavish my life back home seemed. On my return trip to Jamaica I became one of the tourists, living lavishly, while people in the hills just a stone's throw away lived without power, working hard (if they could get a job) and living on simple provisions. As we drove through the hillsides on a minibus tour, I saw Jamaica through new eyes. The eyes of a soon-to-be mother. I noticed the women, especially those who were pregnant or with babes in arms. Young, malnourished, the burden of running a household and bringing in what money they could. I remember considering my unborn child & contrasting the life she would have with the destiny of those young children. They did not get a choice who their parents would be, where they would live, the health & nutritional challenges they would have, the many other opportunities they wouldn't get. There is such inequity in the world. Many anti-poverty groups have demonstrated that there is enough money and food globally that no one needs to live in poverty. (Do I hear echoes of socialism?) In September 2000, the 189 countries of the United Nations unanimously agreed to “spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty,” specifically hunger and the “major diseases that afflict humanity.” At Poverty.com it outlines how 22 of the world's most developed countries have pledged to give 0.7% of their national income in international aid (or $195 billion a year) to end poverty worldwide. So far, only 5 countries have achieved this goal. Canada is way down on the list, not even having a pledge to reach the 0.7% goal (or 70 cents for every $100). The 2009 stats show that Canada only contributes 0.3% (or a pathetic 30 cents for every $100). Given that it's election time, it is an opportunity for Canadians to make international aid an issue. Talk to your local candidates and find out who supports increased international aid. We didn't get to choose our fortunate circumstances, but we can choose to share what we have and have a say in who makes those decisions on a national level.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Day Twenty: (The Half-Way Point!) Chalk Another One In the Socialist Column!
So once again, I have not posted on a day I was supposed to. I've been down with a stomach bug for 4 days! It seems unfair since my girls both had it for 12 hours (kept me up at night then woke up raring to go the next morning!) The journey through lent inevitably leads us to Grace. We may work hard & have the best intentions but we always seem to come up short. Lately, I've been considering how fortunate my children are. They didn't do anything to deserve to be born into a family with a roof over their head in a wealthy country full of opportunities for them. When I was pregnant with my first daughter we traveled to Jamaica for a family holiday. This was actually my second trip to Jamaica, I 
had visited once before on a cross-cultural/Missions trip in high school. On my first trip, we were involved in a building project & interacting with the people in a small town tucked away in the hills. I was struck by how generous and lively the Jamaican people were and how lavish my life back home seemed. On my return trip to Jamaica I became one of the tourists, living lavishly, while people in the hills just a stone's throw away lived without power, working hard (if they could get a job) and living on simple provisions. As we drove through the hillsides on a minibus tour, I saw Jamaica through new eyes. The eyes of a soon-to-be mother. I noticed the women, especially those who were pregnant or with babes in arms. Young, malnourished, the burden of running a household and bringing in what money they could. I remember considering my unborn child & contrasting the life she would have with the destiny of those young children. They did not get a choice who their parents would be, where they would live, the health & nutritional challenges they would have, the many other opportunities they wouldn't get. There is such inequity in the world. Many anti-poverty groups have demonstrated that there is enough money and food globally that no one needs to live in poverty. (Do I hear echoes of socialism?) In September 2000, the 189 countries of the United Nations unanimously agreed to “spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty,” specifically hunger and the “major diseases that afflict humanity.” At Poverty.com it outlines how 22 of the world's most developed countries have pledged to give 0.7% of their national income in international aid (or $195 billion a year) to end poverty worldwide. So far, only 5 countries have achieved this goal. Canada is way down on the list, not even having a pledge to reach the 0.7% goal (or 70 cents for every $100). The 2009 stats show that Canada only contributes 0.3% (or a pathetic 30 cents for every $100). Given that it's election time, it is an opportunity for Canadians to make international aid an issue. Talk to your local candidates and find out who supports increased international aid. We didn't get to choose our fortunate circumstances, but we can choose to share what we have and have a say in who makes those decisions on a national level.
had visited once before on a cross-cultural/Missions trip in high school. On my first trip, we were involved in a building project & interacting with the people in a small town tucked away in the hills. I was struck by how generous and lively the Jamaican people were and how lavish my life back home seemed. On my return trip to Jamaica I became one of the tourists, living lavishly, while people in the hills just a stone's throw away lived without power, working hard (if they could get a job) and living on simple provisions. As we drove through the hillsides on a minibus tour, I saw Jamaica through new eyes. The eyes of a soon-to-be mother. I noticed the women, especially those who were pregnant or with babes in arms. Young, malnourished, the burden of running a household and bringing in what money they could. I remember considering my unborn child & contrasting the life she would have with the destiny of those young children. They did not get a choice who their parents would be, where they would live, the health & nutritional challenges they would have, the many other opportunities they wouldn't get. There is such inequity in the world. Many anti-poverty groups have demonstrated that there is enough money and food globally that no one needs to live in poverty. (Do I hear echoes of socialism?) In September 2000, the 189 countries of the United Nations unanimously agreed to “spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty,” specifically hunger and the “major diseases that afflict humanity.” At Poverty.com it outlines how 22 of the world's most developed countries have pledged to give 0.7% of their national income in international aid (or $195 billion a year) to end poverty worldwide. So far, only 5 countries have achieved this goal. Canada is way down on the list, not even having a pledge to reach the 0.7% goal (or 70 cents for every $100). The 2009 stats show that Canada only contributes 0.3% (or a pathetic 30 cents for every $100). Given that it's election time, it is an opportunity for Canadians to make international aid an issue. Talk to your local candidates and find out who supports increased international aid. We didn't get to choose our fortunate circumstances, but we can choose to share what we have and have a say in who makes those decisions on a national level.
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