Figmentations

The other day, I caught the end of a news report on Somalia, and then later in the day came across the same topic in an interview asking the following questions:  “Will giving money to Somalia really help? Or, is that just the easy way for us to wash our hands of the situation?”

Since I regrettably hadn’t been following the issues of the Somali Crisis, I decided it was time to do some link jumping to see what I could find out about this Crisis.

As usual the first headline I came across was criticism about how the crisis was being addressed.  The headline read:  ”Aid Groups are misleading the public on Somalia” along with a  later statement that  “greater honesty about human blame is slowing the response“.

I could have easily stopped there and been satisfied with that, but for some reason I dug deeper.  I do enjoy seeing where the clues unexpectedly take me sometimes.  Here, I wasn’t disappointed and I’m truly glad that I looked beyond the headlines.

In my sleuthing around, I finally starting catching up on what I should have already known,  that Somalia was just one part of the Famine in the Horn of Africa.  I also realized three things about the different articles and commentaries I found about the Crisis:

1. As much as the internet empowers and spreads messages quickly, we need for people to be listening and seeking out those messages.   What a helpless feeling it must be to be empowered, yet to still feel that your voice isn’t able to take flight.  We’ve got the humanitarian and superstar performer, Bono, of U2 fame, being interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper.  Both are humanitarians of immense integrity and aren’t asking for money, but instead  merely requesting 180,000 signatures to petition World Leaders to act on creating a safe passageway for aid to reach those in need.  The Interview was posted on August 10^th, and as of Sept 11^th, the petition goal was still not not quite reached, though respectably at 98%. A sobering situation. (Update:  I see now that they keep up-ing the goal.)
2. Next I realized, that even when we do get that opportunity to communicate our message, what message will we choose to put out there? Are we informed enough to hit the right priorities?  Are we addressing the real problem(s) and solution(s)?  Are we debating the right issue(s)?  Are we helping or hurting the cause?  What point are we trying to make?  Can we effectively change the message as priorities evolve with the situation?
3. As I “googled” for more information on the Somalia Crisis, I started piecing together a more complete story.  It wasn’t hard to find, I just needed to make the effort to look for it.  I found that just as money is only part of the solution, I realized how soundbites and headlines only communicate certain part of the messages about a situation, too.  To see the entire picture, we need to assemble all of the puzzle’s pieces.

For those of you not in the know, here are some of the facts that give a more complete picture of the Famine and the needs:

• Somalia is essentially the epicenter of the Famine in the Horn of Africa, with Somolia representing about 3+ million people out of the 12+ million people in the region.
• While drought is a natural disaster, famine is man-made.  Not only is the drought exacerbating the food and water shortages, but the 20year civil war is preventing Humanitarian Aid, for which funding is available, to get through to those most in need.
• The crisis goes beyond simply providing food and water.  It also includes: providing  medical care for disease and malnutrition;  money to overcome unaffordable food price inflation; a means to earn a livelihood amid drought-stricken fields with crops and lifestock that need a season to regrow.
• The reality is that the solution isn’t based on money alone.  This has become a Humanitarian Crisis because there still isn’t a solution in place to create a safe passageway for aid to get to those most severly affected.
• The situation has gotten worse, thus increasing the need for additional aid. And, the situation will continue to worsen as time passes if left unaddressed.  Beyond addressing the immediate needs, there is also the longer term need of  risk reduction, recovery and resilience, as well as mitigation and response actions.

To briefly paraphrase the CNN Bono interview, in Bono’s words:  “We mustn’t let the complexity of the situation absolve us from responsibility to act. That’s really the message. … Create a safe passage for aid. … This is a defining moment for us and there’s lots to distract us. …”

Is there really one headline that can capture the whole picture?  Not really.  But, there is one headline that matters most.  It is the headline that catches your attention to hook you to the issue and to spur you to take action.  Above is the headline that did it for me.  Which will do it for you?

Life is short.  All lives matter.  How can I use what I have in me to do more?  That’s always the question for me.  What is it for you?

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How to Take Action Now on the Horn of Africa Famine :

• Sign Act One Dot Org’s  Petition to World Leaders
• View Suggestions at World Humanitarian Day’s “Take Action on Horn of Africa”

Get Inspired by the following Videos:

• Watch: Anderson Cooper’s Interview with Bono and Kna’an
• View Official Video of: World Humanitarian Day 2011 – ‘If I Could Change’ ft. Ziggy Marley
• View or Download: Save The Children’s Urgent Appeal Exclusive Download of  ”I’m Gonna Be Your Friend” by Bob Marley