The things no one wants to know...

I was just reminded of some statistics today. Its amazing how easily we forget.  How easy it is in America.  How blessed we are.  Just in case you forgot, in Ethiopia:

•80% of the population subsists on less than $2/day (2006)

•1 in 10 children dies before their first birthday, 1 in 6 dies before their
5th birthday (main causes: Diarrhea and pneumonia ). 1 in 16 dies from AIDS. 1
child dies every 45 seconds from malaria.

•60% of children are stunted because of malnutrition

•720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone and there are 4.6 million
total orphans now in Ethiopia

•50% of the children will never attend school

•The doctor to child ratio is 1:24,000

•94% of women still give birth at home without a trained attendant.

•Average births per woman 6.14 (2004)

•1 in 14 women dies from pregnancy-related causes, possibly higher if including
abortions.

•Percentage of females seeking abortions who are under age 18- Over 50%

I just finished reading a book titled Say You're One of Them.  The African author wrote the book to shed some light on what children in Africa have to deal with on a daily basis.  It was a tough heart-wrenching read.  It was a compilation of short stories.  The first of the stories was about a street family in Nairobi.  They had five children (and two miscarriages).  The oldest, a 12-year-old daughter, prostituted herself on the streets to pay for her younger brother, the eldest son, to go to school.  The youngest three, a set of twins and a younger baby, were ALL breast fed.  The neighbors gave them a bottle of cobbler's glue as a Christmas gift.  They used it to sniff to away the pangs of hunger.  They slept, piled on top of each other on worn out mattresses on the floor, in a cloud of insecticide that was trapped inside the mosquito net.  Another story was about an uncle who had custody of his niece and nephew because their parents were dying of AIDS.  He was going through the process of selling them into slavery, but by the time his conscious got the better of him, it was too late and the slave traders killed him.  Another story was about two little girls in Ethiopia, the best of friends, until a battle began between their religions and they could no longer see each other.  Another story was about a teenage boy who was fleeing the northern region of his country because of the battles between the Christians and Muslims.  As a Muslim, he tried to stow away on a bus full of Christians to make his way to the "safer" southern region of the country.  When the passengers noticed that his hand had been cut off (for stealing), they killed him for being Muslim.  The final story was about a family in Rwanda.  A mother, a father, a sister, a brother.  The mother and father were from two different tribes.  The two tribes were in conflict.  The father had to kill the mother in front of an audience, which included their children.

Boys sniffing glue.

This is real.  From the same area that our child will be born into.  The second most-populous continent. The area that our child's birth mother, father, siblings, cousins, grandparents, etc. will continue to live after our child comes home.  An area where the people are created in God's image.  An area where the people are our brothers and sisters in Christ.  An area that we will be connected to for the rest of our lives.  An area where the people have beautiful smiles and gorgeous chocolate skin.  Where the children and people some how find a way to be happy and content even in their poverty.  Where they are grateful for the smallest things, such as a pair of used shoes, and a flat screen TV has not even crossed their mind.  Where life is simpler, yet so much more complex.  Where children die because of diarrhea.  Where only the eldest son gets to go to school, but only if his sister sells her soul to the devil.

Children cooking

Muslims vs. Christians in Kenya