In light of the current national emergency of a cholera endemic, people are dying quickly. A local friend shared with me the number of students who passed away in her university class just last week – 5. The cholera treatment centers and hospitals are under-staffed and under-resourced. The infected populations are not able to access health care in time and without proper rehydration salts and antibiotics, they can die within 24 hours. This is an illness that is completely preventable and completely treatable – so why is it continuing to worsen? Why is the death rate continuing to rise? Our response is that the populations of communities here in Mozambique are so vulnerable to begin with; it is just another disaster to become victim to. Proper sanitation and clean water is only accessible to 50% of the Mozambiquan population. That translates to one of every two people in this country does not have access to clean water - half of an entire country population. Look at the person next to you – it would be them without clean water. Or worse, it could be you. It is unbelievable. Is clean water not a basic human need? None of us can live without it; yet thousands do every day. And then they die. This should not be happening. Clean hygiene and sanitation practices would quickly decrease the amount of cholera infected patients instantly; access to clean water would save the lives of hundreds who are currently dying from this preventative illness.
Cholera isn’t the only reason for death over here. The greatest cause by numbers is HIV/AIDS, followed my food insecurity, leading to malnutrition and starvation. The vulnerability of the communities increases the mortality rate of emergencies such as cholera and drought and floods. It increases the number of “necrologias” I receive on a daily basis. You can pray for the people of Mozambique.
“Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world round me;
And with tomorrow begins another,
Why am I allowed two?”
-GK Chesterton.
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world round me;
And with tomorrow begins another,
Why am I allowed two?”
-GK Chesterton.
3 comments:
oh my gosh, that sounds so difficult. i can't imagine 5 students in one university class dying in one week. unbelievable.
hugs.
Craziness! What a different world from which we know.
it is, quite simply, horrible. how easily we take everything in our life for granted, and forget that others don't have that privilege (to forget).
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