Heartbreaking picture...

http://us.acidcow.com/pics/20091110/iconic_photos_43.jpg

and the story behind it..
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,981431,00.html

I know this is shockingly tragic,

but I thought we tend to get so complacent in our safe, cozy everyday lives it will do us good to remember
there are people out there who struggle beyond our wildest imagination.

How unfortunate the photographer didn't somehow find in his heart the strength, the will to help this pitiful child.
Too bad we will never know why. We can only guess how his guilt over this was in part his motive behind his sad suicide.

I found this picture by accident, while surfing 'net for Colin Farrell of all things as I am sitting next to TV and his bio
was on some channel, and they were saying Colin's son has an Angelman syndrome.
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/angelman-syndrome

Since we are on the subject of Africa - but I swear I didn't start with this in mind!- if anyone ever thought
of sponsoring a child from there, may I suggest
World Vision as I believe this is quite a reliable organization
http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf

I sponsor a girl from Chad for about 6 years now. It's no bother, really.
I had the matters arranged directly from the bank, and luckily for me my girl is not very chatty,
so we don't write each other a lot - but I can if I want.
I used to write more, only lately my energy levels are so low I barely do anything.
I just send her once or twice a year school supplies and some small hair accessories and other bupkies.
It's really rewarding, and it's helping these children and their families A LOT.

I would like to also recommend this great humanitarian movie:
http://asmallact.com/
and this fund:
http://www.hildebackeducationfund.com/about-us.html

I was so touched by this movie.
It all started with this great woman, Hilde Back

In Talmud Yerushalmi it is written, “I myself found fully grown carob trees in the world; as my fathers planted for me before I was born so do I plant for those who will come after me.”
There is a retired schoolteacher living in Stockholm, Hilde Back, who may never have read that sentence, although she is Jewish.
But she has lived it.
A refugee from the Nazis whose parents were killed in Theresienstadt and Auschwitz,
she chose to contribute to a scholarship fund for elementary school children in Kenya,
sponsoring a boy named Chris Mburu.
Her simple act of generosity came full circle in ways she couldn’t have predicted.
http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/film/kenyan_child_swedish_jewish_angel

I got M after "A Small Act" - I was so chocked up while watching this movie.

Risa

Recently there was a documentry in OZ about one of our reporters who has served in Afganistan and Iraq. He is also an excellent reporter, ended up working for the Times I think. He too, is shell-shocked after serving about six years.

He has acknowledged he is now severly screwed in the head after witnessing so much horror, and is now trying to patch up his mental health with a very supportive family, luckily he has a little boy who gives him motivation to continue.

But the horror stays. I can understand the excitment and highs it must give at the time, but then to come back to the reality of our world here in Oz or US and try and reconcile what you have seen and walked away from, to coming back to a wealthy, healthy life.

There would be such a conflict of the internal knowledge that you can't change things, which would lead at the time to almost indifference in your outward attitude. Both the photographer and the reporter, obviously could manage the external indifference or seperation from what was going on at the time, but neither could rid themselves of the desire internally to do something. Narscism I guess that we as an individual, think we can make a difference in such huge problems.

We have to have people like this though if we are to have a true knowledge of what is going on in the world. We as the public though I think have to realize and comfort these people who try and show the truth, that they can't change the situations they are in - only make sure the message gets back to those in power who can.

I understand what you are saying, Marion.
You are right.

As cruel as it sounds, it is right. In certain circumstances, it is possibly even a defense mechanism
to react this way - to disengage from the situation.
And yes, we do need such information, we do need to see unspeakable things that go somewhere else in the world
so those who suffer are not invisible.

Indeed, hardly anyone wonder what it does to the one who is in the midst of it, being not merely a witness
but having to take a certain care for the picture to turn out perfect.
This one moment is very peculiar as it turn a human being into empty, image clicking machine.

I too, am convinced - being a witness to such horror sure must screw a one's head.

Risa

quite sad indeed, our what humanity is (and has always been).....

it's just brought to our attention much, much easier.