Born in the USA and Born in Africa -Where you are born, determines how you live
Where you are born will determine how you live. To whom you are born, also will determine the quality of your life, the kind of education you will receive, your health and well being and medical care during the formative years, the kind of place you will call home, the food you will eat and the bed you will sleep in. The parents you were born to and the area of the world where you are born determines your opportunities in life, determines your potential and success.
It
happened last August 28th, Benjamin, my first grandchild was
born to my son, Ryan, and his wife, Kristen. They live in a suburb
of Seattle in a brand new house with a newly decorated nursery for the little
man. He has the best insurance coverage, which will give him the best
medical care available. His parents have stocked their house with
enough things to provide for a family of five children. They even
bought a new vehicle to protect mother and child as they drive around in
their part of the world. This little Benjamin, this little man I love
will have all the help and support to succeed in life.
Had Benjamin been born in another part of the world, such as East Africa, his chance for life, opportunities available to him, his health and education would have been quite different. His life expectancy would not be 80 some years, as it is now, but half of that or even less. There would be a good chance he would never see the age of six (25% of East African children do not). Children in Africa die of things that do not affect children in the West. In fact, most of the deaths are preventable and treatable. If only there were enough money, enough medical care, enough information to educate and inform as to what parents can do. Clean water, just clean water, would eliminate a lot of childhood diseases. Mosquito netting, things that are simple, could and would make a difference regarding the lives of children.
Here in America, my grandson, unlike many children in Africa, will never get sick from drinking tap water. He will not get typhoid or other little bugs that come through the water one drinks, as long as it is from the tap or bottled water. Little Benjamin’s stomach will never become distended because of hunger and starvation; his parents have enough to feed him beyond his needs. He will have more than enough food to grow into a healthy adult and give him the energy and brain energy to study (children who do not have a proper diet have a hard time learning), play, participate in sports and sleep in a bed alone, a bed that gives him the sleep he will need, everything to help this little boy become a functioning and successful adult.
On the other hand, nothing can be taken for granted in Africa. Life is a struggle for families and especially for children. One meal a day or no meal is common for many a child in the slums of Nairobi and Kampala. Food and wood to cook it with becomes a daily prayer. Parents cry at night as they attempt to provide for their family on wages of a dollar a day.
In the West, children like Benjamin will get their share of chickenpox, mumps, the yearly cold, sniffles, upset stomach, and mostly kids here in the west will simply weather it through with the help of some medications, proper diet and loving care. On the other hand, had Benjamin been born in a little village in East Africa, doctors and nurses would have not attended to his birth. It would have happened in a hut attended to by other mothers. There would not have been the medical aftercare; there would have not been the bright nursery with toys and beds, pictures, prayers and poems but simply the daily struggle for life that most Africans face, day to day with all the little things that take children before their time.
Yes, where a child is
born tends to determine what kind of life that child will have. Benjamin
was born into the best of places where all the things are in place to make
sure he will succeed in life. He, unlike a boy in East Africa, will
not know hunger; will not know the scourge of malaria, the typhoid, river
blindness, cholera and all the other things that visit the children of Africa
and take their lives during their formative, growing up years.
The birth of my grandchild made me remember children I had met in Africa; children with dreams and hopes, who wanted to become doctors, lawyers, mayors, fathers and mothers. It also causes me to remember the parents with tears streaming down their face as they hold a suffering child in their arms. Benjamin was born in the West, he is doing well and thriving, but somewhere in Kampala, in Nairobi, a boy born on the same day as Benjamin is floating between life and death. There is no medical care, no medicines, and no money…and a shortened life…just because that little boy was born in Africa…jon
Children of Africa: Stories, pictures that touch the heart and soul. Accounts of the life of children in Africa.
Africa's Children Struggling to Survive: Life anywhere can be a struggle - but here in Africa it is about survival.
A child's Survival of the Rwanda Genocide: 1 million people in 100 days were killed -one girl's story
Peter - a boy just like me: A boy thrown away at the time of his birth -survives and thrives in spite of.
Life in a Kampala Neighborhood: Life for the average Ugandan is simply tough.
A day in a Ugandan Village: A typical day in an African Village in Uganda.
It takes a Village: The African concept to pulling together - called Harambee makes a village work.
Encounter with a Street Boy in Kenya: Meeting a street boy under unique circumstance.
Life Saving Medicine - Soap and Water: Simple soap & water can save lives.
Children born ino Slums: Born in a slum means no future - unless there is an education.
A day in a School in Africa: Students in Africa have it very different than the West.
Aids and the Children of Africa: Many children in Africa have been affected by AIDS.
Culture – Patriarchal Ways and Education of Girls: Girls are often overlooked when it comes to an education.
Born in the USA and Born in Africa -Where you are born, determines how you live:
They just keep on coming: A church for children in Kampala - Uganda-a most unique approach.
Impact your World: Volunteer in Uganda. One or two weeks that will change your life.
Child Sponsorship in Northern Uganda: Giving a life to an orphaned child in Northern Uganda.
Children - Born into slums-The Solution=Education:ducation The only doorway out of poverty is education.
Send a book to a Child in Africa: In Uganda you do not find many books for children in homes.
Start a Library in Africa for Children: Most schools do not have a decent library in Uganda
The children of the LRA: Kidnapped-brainwashed- turned into killers.
Make a difference in the Life of a Child: Visit Africa and give yourself.
African Children Photo Album: The pictures of Africa's Children tell their story.
What can I do? There are many ways you can help a child in Africa.
Daily Uganda Life-Travel Tips-Cultural Insights-Updates on Facebook.
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