The worldwide recession is not only hitting the flow of money for those charities working in the United States, but also charities serving sub-Saharan Africa. As the financial crisis worsens, organizations are facing tough choices in an effort to continue desperately needed work.
“We were preparing for this crisis, but I didn't realize it was going to be as bad as it is,” explained Gemma Sisia, founder of The School of St. Jude, a school for the poor in Tanzania. “Most of our children would not eat if it were not for the meals they receive at school.” Now, those meals could disappear altogether. (www.schoolofstjude.co.tz)
“According to the World Bank, over 50 million people in low income countries, many of whom live in Africa, could be thrown back into absolute poverty -- with obvious consequences for other social ills, like sickness and infant mortality,” said the director of the International Monetary Fund. “The economic and political challenges facing Africa are clearly enormous.”
There’s clearly more at stake than IRAs and 401k accounts.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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2 comments:
It's a tough choice.. clearly many people in the US would focus only on the problems that WE have, but I think we are called to think beyond that, to care not just for our situation, but to also care for the situation abroad and, perhaps, rethink foreign aid in favor of small scale projects that are more manageable. Either way, doing nothing will only make things worse..
I appreciate your comment, ThinkingMansUhuru ..., but as I was thinking about your response, I wondered: is it really a tough choice? Should I do what I can before my 401K bottoms out, or should I provide food for a family that has none?
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