Important: Global Warming Concern - Page 6

Dent · 07-23-2008, 06:46 PM

Osu!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brazilian Berseker

I'm sorry to ask, but what do you do for living? You were invited to teach in Iceland?.....Really luck, great oportunity!

I'm trying to work on financial analysis right now. I picked a very volatile time to enter the field, but when the opportunity comes knocking, it's a good idea to open the door.

Yes, very fortunate. The Icelanders treated me very well, and I learned a tremendous amount during the trip.

Osu!

**jcc** · 07-24-2008, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vapor

And speaking about Africa, the sad state of the world there is that child mortality is still very high, with the death of children under the age of 5, by preventable diseases, or basic sanitation the cause.

What you see happening there, is families will have many children, with the hope that a couple survive, knowing that many will die.

That is a reality that I have difficulties comprehending.

vapor

Osu! vapour,

Poverty, poverty, poverty, the bane of our world - when there is really more than enough to go around.

It should be so simple, but greed just stops any real progress being made - just look at the trade talks taking place at the moment...

I do sometimes wonder whether the large families you find in Africa is as you say, or just cultural, in that women are generally subservient in many of the cultures there. When women have control over their fertility, they rarely elect to have more than a couple or three children...

vapor · 07-24-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcc

Osu! vapour,

Poverty, poverty, poverty, the bane of our world - when there is really more than enough to go around.

It should be so simple, but greed just stops any real progress being made - just look at the trade talks taking place at the moment...

I do sometimes wonder whether the large families you find in Africa is as you say, or just cultural, in that women are generally subservient in many of the cultures there. When women have control over their fertility, they rarely elect to have more than a couple or three children...

Well, the inbalance in gender equality does have a factor in the outcomes of families there, no denying that.

(I deal with these issues on a daily basis...)

Speaking to one of the reps in a small African country, she stated that gathering water falls onto the shoulders (literally) of the young females in the family. They carry 20L tank of water, sometimes 5km from a safe water well to their home...that is about enough water for 2 people per day, so the larger the family, the more trips that have to be made every day. Remember these are girls that are 10, maybe 11 years old...so that 20L tank of water is about half of their body weight...

What happens if you have to spend all day, or a good deal of each day, with the task of bringing water to the house? That is right, you don't go to school...and with no education, not even the fundamental basics that we often take for granted, their lot in life is bound to menial duties and the circle of repression never ends.

For whatever reason, historical and or cultural, water is only a woman's responsiblity (throughout most of Africa).

What is making a huge difference in the lives of children, especially girls, is to have wells built in close proximity to schools...

Schools you say? Why that location?

If you have wells near schools, they become a gathering spot for the community, i.e mothers and their children...so you might as well have your children attend class...also serves as a convenient spot for health officials to administer vaccines, educate mothers on the importance of health risks, nutrtition, etc...because remember you can't exactly just hand out pamplets---since a large portion of the mothers never had the opportunity to go to school, so they don't know how to read---but the power of word of mouth is huge....

Oh, and throw in building toliets at the school, and you decrease the risk of sanitation based disease--as well as use that as an opportunity to build in education surrounding hygiene. (and it keeps girls in school once they reach puberty---with no toliet facilities, a large portion of girls quit going to school due to social stigma surrounding their periods..but have separate facilities with a fair degree of privacy, and this issue takes a back seat!)

Works pretty slick!

vapor