image source - Cozay.com
  • More than 500 million people are living in "absolute poverty" and more than 15 million children die of hunger every year.
  • World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the population is underfed and another third is starving.
  • Even in the United States, 46 percent of African-American children and 49 percent of Latino children are considered chronically hungry.
  • In Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, 80 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty.
  • In Ethiopia 75,000 children are now in immediate need of therapeutic feeding, and the numbers are growing.
  • In Africa, a child dies every three seconds from AIDS and extreme poverty, often before their fifth birthday.
  • In Africa, more than one billion people do not have access to clean water.
  • In Africa, every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday.
  • More than 50 percent of Africans suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera and infant diarrhea.
  • In Africa, more than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, 300 million are children. Of these 300 million children, only eight percent are victims of famine or other emergency situations. More than 90 percent are suffering long-term malnourishment and micro nutrient deficiency.
  • Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight.
  • 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water.
SHOCKING but TRUE !!

Yes friends, what you are seeing above is a sad truth of our society..must say the whole world. At one instance, everything seems to be fine but at the next instance, it makes us wonder - How and Why? We are all blessed with a great parents. We are all lucky to have a decent life, a life which is quite satisfying because we all have an easy access to basic and advanced amenities of life. But just think of those who cannot live their lives as the way we do. Think of those who are going through this global tragedy. Think of those who are dying every minute, every second. Think of those who don't have anything to eat. Think of those who don't even have an access to clean water. Think of those whose lives revolve around hunger and hope. Think of the poor at least...

Its is really a sad sad situation. Being myself from India, I know what poverty means in real sense. I have been through different facets of this so called society - from the richest to the poorest. Let me tell you one more thing about me, I hail from one of the most poorest and corrupt states of India - Bihar Well, I was not born poor. I was lucky enough to born in a family which was financially good and stable. But that was never the case with some of them who were quite close to me. Most of them were born poor and had to live from hand to mouth. Most of they had hardly anything to eat and drink. I remember whenever we used to travel to our village to our home, we made sure that we keep some sweets and extra clothes. And you know why - Because the moment we reached our home, kids from nearby homes would surround us with a hope. Those kids would just stare at us without saying a word. And we could make it out all very easily. They wanted something from us. But they never wanted to beg for it. That was something which was worth noticing. How could one ignore such innocent faces? How could one be so stone hearted ? We just hadn't any solutions to their problems apart from those sweets and some clothes. And honestly speaking, they were happy. They were happy to know that someone was there to care for them. Someone was there to think for them. Someone was there to provide a ray of hope. Someone was.....

Its been more than 50 years of our country's independence. But I feel sorry to say that condition hasn't improved still. Yes, the unequal distribution of wealth has left a grave impact which is the reason why rich get richer by the day and poor get poorer. A lot can also be blamed on corruption. Well, it not only us who are suffering. Africa, the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, seems to have suffered the most from this global tragedy. Some of the African parts like Kenya, Ethiopia and Sahara region have been worst affected. Well, there are 'n' number of reasons why a country like Africa is suffering the most when it all comes to poverty and related issues. Some of the top reasons are - War, AIDS and Famine. These three factors have brought to Africa an entirely new concept, children with no family members, no blood relatives, no extended family members. No elders to care for them, they are lost and bereft in a cruel world, and no one seems to care. Three fourths of poor people in Western and Middle Africa, mostly rural areas are dependent upon agriculture for their livelihoods. And sadly, the capacity of rural people to make a livelihood has been dramatically curtailed by warfare, and per capita food production has plummeted. Land degradation, a consequence of extensive agriculture, deforestation and overgrazing, has reached alarming levels and further threatens livelihoods. The poorest people live in isolated zones, deprived of the social safety nets and poverty reduction programs available in semi-urban and urban areas. eg. West Africa, East Africa.

Well, we have seen how poverty is taking toll on millions of lives. Its high time for people like us to show that we too care for them. Yes friends, believe me - There is no other service as noble and as great as the service done for the poor and the needy. This is why services like HEIFER INTERNATIONAL are in the news. HEIFER is an international organization which is focussed on one and only one thing - End hunger from this earth. And to be very honest, HEIFER has been very successful in its mission offlate. You can also go through their success stories here Heifer's success stories Now, its really great to see blogcatalog members and Hiefer international members partnering each other for this huge cause. As a concerned person what you can do is very simple. Just pass on the gift. Please visit this heifer gift catalog and choose the gift of your choice and just send it to your friends and ofcourse to anyone whom would you want it to send to. There are many ways to contribute infact. You can give more things by visiting the Heifer international website.

So friends, are you ready to play your part just like me? Are you ready to make some difference to the society by supporting and availing services from HEIFER INTERNATIONAL? Are you serious enough on this global issue? Can you think beyond money? Can you contribute something ? Can you just give your few hours for this huge cause? Can you be a part in making this world a better place to live in ? Can you ???????