Until the recent drought and famine hit the news, very little was being discussed in the United States regarding Somalia beyond the occasional pirate attack. Few people had ever heard about or understood the depth of violence and poverty that the country had been enduring for decades. Even now it is difficult for many of us to grasp the magnitude of what the Somali people are enduring as a result of clan wars, Al-Shabaab terrorism and now the current famine. The lack of a stable government amplifies the problems created by these issues and the only way that hundreds of thousands of lives can be saved is through outside help.
Over four million people have been affected by the drought and famine in East Africa. This is over half of the country’s entire population. Cholera and measles are sweeping through refugee camps scattered about the region, preying on a population with weakened immune systems and widespread malnourishment. Analysts expect that the coming rainfall in autumn will only worsen conditions and result in equally severe water-borne diseases, like malaria and typhoid.
Such conditions are eerily similar to what Somalia faced in the early 1990s. However, a key difference between now and then was the willingness of the world to provide assistance. The region was given huge amounts of food and aid through the guidance of an American-led operation that was coordinated with the United Nations and hundreds of thousands of lives were saved. The scale of today’s famine is much larger than it was in the 1990s, so what is going happen to these millions of people if they do not receive similar support?
Since 2001, the United States has spent over a trillion dollars on the “fight for freedom” in Iraq and Afghanistan. In just the last year alone, over a billion dollars have been spent by the U.S. and NATO allies to bring down the “tyranny” in Libya. Without spurring a discussion about the questionable foreign policies of the U.S., I use these examples in order to raise the question of national priorities – or, human priorities. Helping Somalia has no hidden agenda. If these people do not receive aid, they will die. It is that simple. They will starve. They will succumb to disease. They will suffer.
I request everyone to do something – anything – to help the Somali people. Funds are already being raised here at NEIU. You can learn more at: www.neiu.edu/~jsclub. This particular cause is raising money for the Doctors Without Borders effort in Somalia that is working against both disease and hunger. Donations are being accepted online all month and will be finalized on Nov. 29 with a closing bake sale in the Student Union. However, even if you can’t donate at NEIU, you can donate to the Red Cross. Donate to Action Against Hunger. Call or write a Congress member and explain that supporting Somalia is important to you. Do something, Somalia genuinely and truly needs our help.