As I was traveling through a rural village in northern Uganda on one of my weekend trips, we passed by many dirt and straw huts on the side of the road. Some were clustered in what appeared to be small villages, while others were separated by a distance of at least a few kilometers. The huts appeared to be very well constructed. The walls and floors were made of strongly packed earth. I often saw women sweeping out their floors through their front doors, which were constructed of either wood or metal. The roofs were made of intricately woven straw, layered over many times to prevent the roof from leaking water in to the hut during rainy season. The area outside the huts were cleared and often had a few chairs or benches, as well as a central fire pit over which some type of pot was simmering. There were cleared patches of land near the huts where there appeared to be small farms/gardens, carefully tended by their owners. Overall, I was quite impressed with the construction and functionality of the homes and small villages.
At the same time I was thinking this, one of my fellow travelers said "People don't really live in those huts, do they? I mean, there is no supermarket nearby." I wanted to say, 'You're joking, right?" But, unlike my usual self, I controlled myself (barely).
This traveler was a very well-intentioned individual. She had grown up in the United States, attending college, medical school, and was now finishing a fellowship at a great learning institution. Needless to say, she is very educated. She had traveled to Uganda to volunteer at the local hospital and to teach the medical students and residents. She had never before been outside of the United States in her lifetime. After realizing this, I had to step back, calm myself down, and try to understand that, like so many of those who are privileged to live their lives in the United States, she really had no idea how the rest of the world lived.
I usually use my blog to talk about everyday life where I am traveling. I try to be witty and, overall, entertaining. (Or at least I like to think that I am, so please don't burst my bubble...) Though I do like to throw in random facts about the locations I have visited, my goal is not to sound like a textbook or a newspaper article. My goal is to sound like me. But here is the one point in my blog where I am going to stand on my soapbox. If you don't want to listen, close the website and tune in for my next blog. But the comment that my fellow traveler said really lit a spark in me, and I realized that many, many people living in the United States (and other developed countries) have no idea what goes on outside their borders, in the rest of the world. So here is my attempt (though by all means, not exhaustive) to shed just a tiny ray of light on the actual situation...
According to the World Bank, almost half of the world's population (more than 3 billion people) live in poverty, which is defined as living on less than $2.50 per day. More than 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty, defined as less than $1.25 per day. If you can't calculate that in your head, that equates to a yearly income of either $912.50 or $456.25, depending on whether you live in "just poverty" versus extreme poverty, respectively (and assuming that you work 365 days per year, without any days off). For those who go to Starbucks every morning and spend $5.10 on their grande triple espresso mocha (or whatever, I don't drink coffee), think next time that you could be spending someone's weekly wages on a single cup of coffee...
And if you are asking, "Well what about the other half? Surely we can't be the only ones living well," here are a few more facts. According to the World Bank, approximately 80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day. That equate to an annual income (assuming working 365 days per year) of $3650. What percentage of the US population lives on that amount? None.
More than one billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNCEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. But how can a child die of poverty, you might ask? Easy. Poverty means not enough money to buy adequate food, resulting in malnutrition and failure to thrive. This puts children at increased risk of severe, life-threatening infections. Without proper nutrition, their bodies cannot fight off these infections, resulting in death. Poverty means insufficient funds or resources to consume clean water or dispose of waste. So children drink stream or river water, which is full of pollutants and human waste, giving rise to deadly gastrointestinal infections and dehydration. Poverty means no money at the end of the day to take the sick child for medical care, where they might (just might) have a chance of survival.
A few statistics to back this up in case you still aren't convinced: 870 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat. More than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water. 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Over 2 million children die every year due to preventable diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia, illnesses which don't even cause much worry in the developed world.
As part of my time here at Mulago Hospital, I have had a chance to look at the "mortuary books," the books where they list all of the deaths within a specific unit or clinic. I have also been working in the Acute Care Unit (ACU), which is essentially the pediatric emergency department, for the past two weeks and have experienced, first hand, the effects of poverty on children's lives and deaths. The death rate here is astronomical. They have more children die in the ACU on a daily basis than most EDs in the US see die in a 2-3 month span of time. And what are these children dying from? Not from crazy, tropical diseases without cure. They are dying from preventable diseases: malaria (prevented by bed nets), pneumonia, measles, tetanus (vaccine preventable), dehydration (prevented by clean water source, adequate sanitation, and vaccines), and HIV (which can be well-controlled with medication). Where is the justice in that?
I don't have the answers to solve this problem. If I did, I'm sure I would be famous. But knowing and educating is half the battle. Public awareness is so important, as this is the spark that lights the fire to encourage governments and NGOs to do something about these situations. This is not meant to be a guilt ploy or to make anyone feel bad. This is simply a "I thought you should know" post. Please, if you can afford it, continue to enjoy your Starbucks. But don't just chug it down for your caffeine rush in the morning. Savor every sip, knowing that you are lucky enough to live in a place where you can live comfortably, receive adequate medical care, drink clean water, and know where your next meal is coming from...
At the same time I was thinking this, one of my fellow travelers said "People don't really live in those huts, do they? I mean, there is no supermarket nearby." I wanted to say, 'You're joking, right?" But, unlike my usual self, I controlled myself (barely).
This traveler was a very well-intentioned individual. She had grown up in the United States, attending college, medical school, and was now finishing a fellowship at a great learning institution. Needless to say, she is very educated. She had traveled to Uganda to volunteer at the local hospital and to teach the medical students and residents. She had never before been outside of the United States in her lifetime. After realizing this, I had to step back, calm myself down, and try to understand that, like so many of those who are privileged to live their lives in the United States, she really had no idea how the rest of the world lived.
I usually use my blog to talk about everyday life where I am traveling. I try to be witty and, overall, entertaining. (Or at least I like to think that I am, so please don't burst my bubble...) Though I do like to throw in random facts about the locations I have visited, my goal is not to sound like a textbook or a newspaper article. My goal is to sound like me. But here is the one point in my blog where I am going to stand on my soapbox. If you don't want to listen, close the website and tune in for my next blog. But the comment that my fellow traveler said really lit a spark in me, and I realized that many, many people living in the United States (and other developed countries) have no idea what goes on outside their borders, in the rest of the world. So here is my attempt (though by all means, not exhaustive) to shed just a tiny ray of light on the actual situation...
According to the World Bank, almost half of the world's population (more than 3 billion people) live in poverty, which is defined as living on less than $2.50 per day. More than 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty, defined as less than $1.25 per day. If you can't calculate that in your head, that equates to a yearly income of either $912.50 or $456.25, depending on whether you live in "just poverty" versus extreme poverty, respectively (and assuming that you work 365 days per year, without any days off). For those who go to Starbucks every morning and spend $5.10 on their grande triple espresso mocha (or whatever, I don't drink coffee), think next time that you could be spending someone's weekly wages on a single cup of coffee...
And if you are asking, "Well what about the other half? Surely we can't be the only ones living well," here are a few more facts. According to the World Bank, approximately 80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day. That equate to an annual income (assuming working 365 days per year) of $3650. What percentage of the US population lives on that amount? None.
More than one billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNCEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. But how can a child die of poverty, you might ask? Easy. Poverty means not enough money to buy adequate food, resulting in malnutrition and failure to thrive. This puts children at increased risk of severe, life-threatening infections. Without proper nutrition, their bodies cannot fight off these infections, resulting in death. Poverty means insufficient funds or resources to consume clean water or dispose of waste. So children drink stream or river water, which is full of pollutants and human waste, giving rise to deadly gastrointestinal infections and dehydration. Poverty means no money at the end of the day to take the sick child for medical care, where they might (just might) have a chance of survival.
A few statistics to back this up in case you still aren't convinced: 870 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat. More than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water. 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Over 2 million children die every year due to preventable diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia, illnesses which don't even cause much worry in the developed world.
As part of my time here at Mulago Hospital, I have had a chance to look at the "mortuary books," the books where they list all of the deaths within a specific unit or clinic. I have also been working in the Acute Care Unit (ACU), which is essentially the pediatric emergency department, for the past two weeks and have experienced, first hand, the effects of poverty on children's lives and deaths. The death rate here is astronomical. They have more children die in the ACU on a daily basis than most EDs in the US see die in a 2-3 month span of time. And what are these children dying from? Not from crazy, tropical diseases without cure. They are dying from preventable diseases: malaria (prevented by bed nets), pneumonia, measles, tetanus (vaccine preventable), dehydration (prevented by clean water source, adequate sanitation, and vaccines), and HIV (which can be well-controlled with medication). Where is the justice in that?
I don't have the answers to solve this problem. If I did, I'm sure I would be famous. But knowing and educating is half the battle. Public awareness is so important, as this is the spark that lights the fire to encourage governments and NGOs to do something about these situations. This is not meant to be a guilt ploy or to make anyone feel bad. This is simply a "I thought you should know" post. Please, if you can afford it, continue to enjoy your Starbucks. But don't just chug it down for your caffeine rush in the morning. Savor every sip, knowing that you are lucky enough to live in a place where you can live comfortably, receive adequate medical care, drink clean water, and know where your next meal is coming from...
Very well said, Libby. I so admire what you've done in Uganda.
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