Are "Third World" Regions Actually Starving?

Beyond what you've heard from organizations that are trying to get you to donate money to their cause (which are often keeping most of the donations), does anyone have any first hand testimony regarding starvation in third world countries? The reason it does not make sense to me, is because if I were "starving" I could literally go and eat weeds on the margins of highways and survive. Anyone with basic foraging knowledge knows that most plants are, at the very least, edible. Africa MUST have a great abundance of food in its various geographic areas. Sure, maybe not the desert, but don't live there, it's the desert (but, even the desert has food).

I think the reason we have this idea that they are all emaciated and desperate for food is:

1) cultural chauvinism; we think because they don't have bacon cheeseburgers that they're starving

2) "Charitable" organizations who are asking for donations while flashing images of emaciated children. Yet, these organizations, assuming they aren't ravenously hoarding ALL profits, are only giving fish, rather than teaching to fish.

originally posted by: cooperton

are only giving fish, rather than teaching to fish.

I'm not sure how you would measure 'starvation', but here is a visual compiling of countries with a high rate of malnutrirtion.

www.worldlifeexpectancy.com...

a reply to: cooperton

Back when I was of school age, there were big charity drives every year for starving Africans, harrowing images of pot bellied fly encrusted starving African babies with a sombre narrative imploring us to GIVE.
I left school at 16, 35 years ago, and there are still the same annual charity drives to help the same Africans, in the same places. Just the faces of the pot bellied fly encrusted starving African babies have changed.

Obviously, the charities were not just collecting in the UK, but throughout the Western world. With that in mind, try to imagine the amount collected, cumulatively, over the decades. And the result? Little if anything has changed for most of those we were trying to allegedly save. One has to wonder where all the money went, and just as importantly, where the intent to do good went as well.

In answer to the 2 points you make:

1. Arrogance dictates that those running round in loincloths and living in huts are somehow backward, primitive, godless and must be saved and brought into the 21st century. In short, they must be civilized. However, as we have seen many times in the past, it doesn't work that way. Dietary needs are different and what may seem meagre to us may be enough to sustain them.

2. You'd think with all that money raised over the years, there would be some massive changes. Problem is, most of those countries are run by western installed and supported dictators or corrupt governments. As such, foreign aid comes with strings attached, meaning resource access for western corporations. If the native people are sitting on top of those resources then they need to be moved, their welfare is of course NOT a consideration. Thus civil wars and massive displacement are a big part of the problem.

Third world people often eat the best non GMO organic foods far better than what we get. Think of the food they get in the amazon jungle and compare it to what you get at walmart.

a reply to: cooperton

You might be interested to know, as i was, that the human body is rather tasty when cooked and garnished just right.

I've seen many many starving kids in central and South America. It's a real deal. I have a hard time blaming them for not eating weeds. They are already eating things most people couldn't imagine.

First of all, want to premise this with my belief that everyone here has had enough of the harsh lessons, and that karma or harsh lessons to open our minds and hearts is not even needed, for we can all combine notes telepathically once up and out, and that healing and outreach to those in every density is possible.

However even as a child, didn't allow myself to not jump into the pain and suffering of others or glibly write someone else's horrendous life altering trauma's off, because even then I suspected that failure to understand might be met by Higher Ups giving you a chance to understand right up close and personal.

As someone who has experienced providence, and saves, over and over, with Support from above coming in at the right moment, though always living as if in a cage, with just barely enough, but not enough to make dreams come true, or develop talents in the children, and watching them grow anxious, and depressed, to the point two of my sons feel anxiety over developing a gift as if they're not allowed to. Scarsity on every level that blocks and holds souls back, instead of gifting them with every opportunity to thrive, and develop themselves and offer their gifts to the world, not their slavery, harms them permanently and they never quite bounce back. Though healing is possible, it become the main lifelong goal. Not developing yourself. No, you're whole energy is spent trying to heal and gain happiness again.

And that isn't from anything like this:


(here is a different kind of impoverishment, not just money. wouldn't matter how wealthy her family!)


(don't know where but pretty sure this was the US, heart wrenching, life altering poverty is all around you, look and learn)

These are king to us, hero's beyond belief and in the end, the IOU's to those who don't even take the time to see is mounting. I hope we can simply exchange notes.


Phillipines. Alot of these street children, and in other nations as well, disappear, are shot in the night to hide them of sight, don't want to stop that money flowing in.

a reply to: cooperton

Well allow me to tell you,from first hand experience that yes there are starving people in certain places in Africa.The money collected from the charities you talk about,end up in the bank accounts of a few people,most of whom dont care much about starving kids.And about ressources,when you have sometimes less than 10 raining days in a given year,its hard to grow anything...

originally posted by: cooperton
Sure, maybe not the desert, but don't live there, it's the desert.

They should just pack up the Volvo, fill it with gas and drive to somewhere that has more food?

2) "Charitable" organizations who are asking for donations while flashing images of emaciated children. Yet, these organizations, assuming they aren't ravenously hoarding ALL profits, are only giving fish, rather than teaching to fish.

For certain, there are organizations that take advantage of people willing to donate charity, but several are very good about getting the donations to the needy. Charity Navigator

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic

originally posted by: cooperton
Sure, maybe not the desert, but don't live there, it's the desert.

They should just pack up the Volvo, fill it with gas and drive to somewhere that has more food?

2) "Charitable" organizations who are asking for donations while flashing images of emaciated children. Yet, these organizations, assuming they aren't ravenously hoarding ALL profits, are only giving fish, rather than teaching to fish.

For certain, there are organizations that take advantage of people willing to donate charity, but several are very good about getting the donations to the needy. Charity Navigator

Just like in the grapes of wrath. Except there isn't even legal slavery waiting for them. Poor destitute people in African deserts are not wanted anywhere in Africa. So shame on them for being born huh?


I've never seen a more calloused and ignorant thread in ATS ....
But I'm relatively new here.

a reply to: cooperton

To be brutally honest and give you first hand knowledge

YES

Many "third world nations" are in fact starving. Their peoples are being brutalized. Tribal genocide is being carried out.Short sleaving still happens at times. Children are being sold for acts you do not want to begin to imagine. Man has more than one way to feed on man.

Call it cultural chauvinism if that makes sense to you. I call it man's inhumanity to even be able to ask the question.

Sam Kineson (sp) said much the same thing thing about Africa "why send them food, we should send them luggage and U-hauls". It's funny until you see people starve to death or someone sell themselves for a bottle of water.

There are charity organizations out there that support real world assistance. You have to look. The very act of spending money on television advertising defeats the purpose of keeping the money for the people. By that I mean the organizations that advertise the most are in business to make money not to actually spend money on aid.

a reply to: cooperton
www.theguardian.com...

I am from Burkina faso,the second poorest country in the world and it is not by lack of trying,or laziness or stupidity that people are starving in some places there.90% of the population rely on agriculture to feed themselves,and when the rain decide not to show up(as it often does),or when it comes too much after a long drought,causing floods like that of 2012,www.presstv.com... is impacted and thus famine and what not.....

originally posted by: wildapache
a reply to: cooperton

Well allow me to tell you,from first hand experience that yes there are starving people in certain places in Africa.The money collected from the charities you talk about,end up in the bank accounts of a few people,most of whom dont care much about starving kids.And about ressources,when you have sometimes less than 10 raining days in a given year,its hard to grow anything...

Absolutely, these charities are the biggest scum, to deceive good people who feel sad for others misery!

those bastards use people's suffer and pain for marketing and wealth

Places like Ethiopia and Somalia have seen vast improvements in the condition of its people mostly thanks to outside aid. However, others places the suffer new droughts, wars or other problems create new places with problems. And no you can live off of weeds, and you bet everything that can eaten for miles has been. Of course when you have you vehicles, shoes or energy you are not going far. Not mention that most of these situations are caused by conflicts making moving a deadly proposition. I have seen so bad stuff in Africa, I know it has gotten better but, still problems persist.

a reply to: cooperton

Have you ever been to a third world country or are you just shooting from the hip??
While I do agree that we don't know where the money goes sometimes....people are indeed starving and need food.

a reply to: DrumsRfun

Also water so many kids dies from drinking dirty water because it is all they have .
Oh and OP go and see the world and you will see starvation and poverty. We are so so lucky man.

a reply to: cooperton

To be blunt, a lot of the charities are scams. They never give details on why specific people are starving and won't even tell who is starving.

Many times, the people they claim they're helping are in refugee camps. These people were recently forced from their towns due to wars or "uprisings" the charity's home country funded! I'm not joking. Their government or defense contractors will back a rebel group or opposition factor in a conflict. That faction makes gains on the ground. Then the charities jump in and ask citizens of that same rich country to donate for the cleanup. And they're not obligated to spend that money in a specific place, so there's no guarantee the money will help those refugees anyway. (Surely you've seen the charities now asking for donations for Syrians & Yemenis?)

The Ethiopian famine of a few decades ago is another example. Ethiopia had a war with Eritrea, which won its independence in that war. Egypt was backing Eritrea's rebels. There was a drought in Ethiopia and more than a million civilians died form starvation. But how could Ethiopia have a drought when more than 80% of the water that makes it into the Nile River rains on Ethiopia?

Well, Egypt & the UK had 2 colonial era deals where Egypt gets nearly all water usage from the Nile. Ethiopia couldn't even legally set up irrigation dams or do rainwater collection schemes, even though they weren't even part of the colonial era deals. Otherwise there would be war. So more than a million Ethiopians died in that famine. Yet none of the charities mentioned this when they were soliciting donations for starving Ethiopian kids.

Happy ending: Ethiopia is economically & militarily strong enough now to begin building dams, & is rapidly developing its infrastructure. One such dam, the G.E.R.D., has the potential to completely transform Ethiopia (so no more charity drives for starving Ethiopian kids!). However, Egypt's former President Morsi threatened war if the dam was built. Egypt's current President is working with Ethiopia so the dam won't be a problem for either country.

It's great to "teach a man to fish" instead of giving them a fish, assuming there are any fish to catch.