The Silent Tsunami

My family and I signed up a couple of weeks ago to sponsor a child in Africa. I felt moved by the World Vision AIDS Experience tour - I ended up being HIV-negative (you have to see the tour to understand what that means, google World Vision Experience Tour and you can do some of it online).

Her name is Clementine, and she's from Rwanda. I picked her because she is five years old, just like my daughter.

Today I received this in my gmail inbox from World Vision:

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Dear Friend,

As a result of widespread drought, skyrocketing oil prices, international economic woes and the recent Asian disasters, a worldwide food shortage has developed that is even more deadly than previously imagined.

It's being called the "silent tsunami," a quiet yet severe crisis contributing to the deaths of more than an estimated 14,000 children each day. These defenseless children die slowly — and quietly — directly from starvation or indirectly from their inability to resist common diseases.

We can't allow their faint voices to go unheard. That's why I'm writing — to tell you there IS a way that, together, we can do something about this crisis right now.

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If you've ever thought of supporting a child - it costs something like $35 a month, which is pretty easy if you decide to quit something like me - say, coffee (at least going out for coffee) - right now is a pretty good time to do it because of all the children suffering from the worldwide food shortage.

To learn more and see a video, you can go here.

I'll post a picture of Clementine when I scan her picture into my computer.