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| Thousands of children in Somalia risk dying: UNICEF | |
| 2008-02-15 | |
GENEVA - Thousands of children in war-torn Somalia risk dying from the insecurity, famine and sickness as the countryÂ’s humanitarian crisis worsens, the United Nations childrenÂ’s agency warned on Thursday.
UNICEF is asking for 10 million dollars (6.8 million euros) from the international community to provide food and medical assistance over the next few weeks to around 90,000 children who depend entirely on food aid for their survival. “We already have incidences of children dying because of outbreaks of cholera, we have high levels of malnutrition and that means people, children specifically, are dying today for lack of food,” Balslev-Olesen said. UNICEF hopes to avoid another “nightmare” scenario such as in the early 1990s, when 300,000 people died in just three months at the beginning of Somalia’s civil war, he added. Aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) last week said the international community should shoulder some of the blame for the crisis. “There has been a collective failure by the international community,” who must share some of the responsibility for the current situation, MSF Operations Director Bruno Jochum told AFP. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #20 I didn't have to Google far before finding their numbers game: In 2007, the "UNICEF United States Fund" only transferred 83% of its "Total Support and Revenue" on to UNICEF. (Source: 2007 Annual Report.) So 17% was used before the US contribution made it to the international bureaucrats. The international level can look good because they get big chunks like the $309 million (the 83%) with minimal fund-raising effort. So they can combine all those big checks and then $118 million for administrative costs. 94% of 83% is 78%. Now they don't look so good, do they? |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-02-15 20:33 |
| #19 "94% to programs" may not be giving out 94% as aid. Trust the U.N. bureaucracy to have different definitions than the norm. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-02-15 20:14 |
#18 #8: yes, Gorb, and they have children. I'm sure they're raising them in sweetness and light with unicorn dreams and bushels of qhat. I tend to hold grudges. You can help em, I won't ditto Frank... also, getting 94% of total receipts out in aid is very efficient for a charity. especially one with the initials UN in it. |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2008-02-15 19:59 |
| #17 UNICEF has been around since 1946. There are more hungry people now than ever. Like trying to find a cure for taxes, I'd say it's a failed effort. Try something else. Offer free sterilization for recipients of the AID food, that should cut down on the next crop of "Starving Orphans".(Unwanted babies) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-15 12:50 |
| #16 "For the Children" (Of course) Pay no attention to that paymaster behind the curtain passing out huge salary checks. That doesn't count. (Because by shuffling around trillions of dollars we can make it seem like a low percentage.) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-15 12:47 |
| #15 The True Translated Headline. UNICEF's been out of the headlines lately and needs to feel important, GIMME MONEY. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-15 12:30 |
| #14 it's like carbon credits...libz & rinos love 2 throw money at problems - doesn't matter if they get solved as long as the libz&rinos buy off their own silly feelings of guilt. Meh...$$ rarely ever improves a behavior...which is the big prob w/africa...the idiots there won't fix their behavior. HIV infected men having sex w/13 yr old girls - insanity. As a father I feel bad for the suffering of any child but it's not our job to try and fix africa w/our tax$$. Cut'em loose mesez & screw bono - self rightous ass. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2008-02-15 10:24 |
| #13 And this'll be the absolute last time you'll ask, right UNICEF? It's all our fault. Right, UNICEF? Right, Medecins Sans Frontieres? Bullshit. It's not our fault. Maybe when these noble Africans start fessin up that maybe, just maybe, some of these neverending situations on that pesthole continent of theirs might just be a teeny tiny bit their fault, you can come and talk to me. Until then, don't bother. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-15 09:46 |
| #12 UNICEF's total income was $1.97 BILLION in 2004, of which 94 percent went to programs. As I do the math, that's $118 million that went to "administrative" costs. If they can't cut $10 MILLION a year out of that budget to save the children of Somalia "over the next few weeks", then I sure as hell am not sending UNICEF even more money. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-02-15 09:45 |
| #11 What happened the the projected mass famine predicted by our intervention in Afghanistan? Are thousands of children in the same dire straights there and Iraq? Why the difference? Inquiring minds want to know./sarcasm off Liberals - its about feelings and appearances. It's never about actually fixing a problem if it means having to break things and dealing with a some chaos on the way to get to the underlying pathology that feeds it. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-02-15 09:20 |
| #10 k - I misunderstood your point - thx for keeping me straight :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-02-15 08:59 |
| #9 My point was pretty much like yours: Things seem the same even though they are 14 years down the road or so. They keep hopelessly passing the same torch to the next lot. They are in basically the same wretched state they were in when the US pulled out. The only thing they seem to learn are the wrong lessons. Until they see the light I don't intend to give them any more help than you do - it will just encourage them to breed more of the same. AFAIAC if they are hungry they can eat their faith. Not that there's anything wrong with their society, of course . . . . |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-02-15 08:35 |
| #8 yes, Gorb, and they have children. I'm sure they're raising them in sweetness and light with unicorn dreams and bushels of qhat. I tend to hold grudges. You can help em, I won't |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-02-15 07:52 |
| #7 No shit Sherlock, talk to the militants about that one. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-02-15 07:37 |
| #6 Child or adult, every day we get up, every night we go to sleep, we risk dying. And sooner or later we're going to lose the bet. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-02-15 07:20 |
| #5 They're adults now . . . . |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-02-15 07:03 |
| #4 those same children beating the American corpses drug through town after Black Hawk Down? F*ck em. My sympathy is all wrung out. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-02-15 06:16 |
| #3 The Somalian children "risk" dying? Well then, they should desist to engage in risky behavior! I think that the concept of risk is inherently linked to a choice. I don't think that these children have any choice in the whole matter. |
| Posted by: Spike Uniter 2008-02-15 03:59 |
| #2 UNICEF has been around since 1946. There are more hungry people now than ever. Like trying to find a cure for taxes, I'd say it's a failed effort. Try something else. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-02-15 03:46 |
| #1 And of course, the solution is more money poured into Africa. How did I know this without even reading the article? |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-02-15 01:08 |