Rarely does one hear good news on the topic of children in extreme poverty. Last week, however, there was reason to be hopeful. For the first time in more than 50 years, the estimated number of deaths for children under the age of five fell below 10 million per year.
Millions of children dying for lack of clean water, food and cheap medicine may be a strange reality for many people in a relatively wealthy society such as the Cayman Islands. However, this really is the world we live in. Too many Caymanians don’t know or don’t care about this ongoing tragedy. Hiding behind clichés such as ‘charity begins at home’ or simply tuning out the misery of suffering children is unacceptable for our country if we wish to think of ourselves as good people.
For children born into severe poverty, so little can do so much. Every day, for example, thousands of babies die simply because they do not have access to vaccines that cost mere pennies to us. UNICEF is on the front line of saving children’s lives and should be credited most of all for this encouraging news.
Why doesn’t the Cayman Islands Government make an annual grant to UNICEF? However small it would save lives. However small it would make the clear statement that the Cayman Islands has compassion and understands its connection to the world.
Of course we have challenges here. Of course everything is not perfect here. It never will be. In the meantime, suffering children beyond our shores need pennies in order to live.
Yes, it is good news that there is a significant downward trend in global child deaths. The bad news, however, is that more than nine million are still dying each year. No matter how isolated some of us may feel, living on one of our three islands, we belong to this world. No one in the Cayman Islands should blind themselves to the horror of more than nine million children dying needless deaths every year. We can help; therefore, we should.
Write your representatives today and tell them that you would be proud to know that your government cares about the world’s poorest children.
UNICEF’s website (www.unicef.org) is equipped to accept online credit card donations.
Related Videos
