News
The Clarion \ Feb. 1, 2008
U.S aiding world liunger crisis
by Rhea Frederick
Copy Editor
They starve and are drowning
in pain, fear and panic. Their
lack of food makes it difficuh
to function in an already hostile
lifestyle. They can’t work, and
when they can’t work, they are
unable to make money, and
without money, they are
incapable of purchasing food
and food supplies. Then, they
become sick with incurable
diseases and unable to support
their families financially or
environmentally. The domino
effect swarms their nations, and
they are left helpless.
Some 850 million people in
countries all around the world
suffer from starvation every
day, and people wonder if they
are being helped or if aid
efforts are making any
difference whatsoever. I’ve
heard complaints about how
much money the United States
is not putting towards foreign
aid, specifically aid related to
world hunger, but I’ve never
heard praise about the amount
of aid contributed to foreign
countries by the United States.
According to the director of
the Food for Peace Program in
the U.S. Agency for
International Development
(USAID), the U.S. is the
“number I food aid donor in
the world.” No other country
contributes as much food or
money as the United States
does towards foreign aid in
hunger Not only that, but we
also contribute money right out
of their own pockets to world
hunger
The USAID has “fed more
than 3 billion people on 150
countries since its creation in
1954.” The USAID has also
contributed more than $ I billion
annually to Sub-Saharan
Africa. They ship “40,000
metric tons of food
commodities such as peas,
beans, lentils, cornmeal,
vegetable oil, and wheat to
more than 35 countries on a
weekly basis.” So obviously
enough, the USAID is very
helpful in aid to foreign
countries.
In 2006, the House passed a
$21.3 billion fiscal 2007 foreign
aid spending bill. $2.5 billion
was given to offer aid in Israel;
$1.8 billion was aided towards
Egypt and $450 million was
given to Sudan. Other
countries such as Iraq,
Afghanistan and Jordan, the
Palestinian nations, Latin
America and the former
republics of the Soviet Union
were also aided with money and
food from the United States.
So now that I have informed
you of all the aid given towards
world hunger by the United
States in the past couple of
years, take some time to think
about it, and quit complaining
about what we don’t do for the
rest of the world. Instead, be
thankful that the U. S. is able to
do as much as we have thus
far
STAND raises awareness about Darfur
by Nina Willis
Contributor
STAND is a wonderful
congregation of students who
are adamant about making a
difference in the Darfur
conflict. Dar&r is a region in
the Sudan, where
unfortunately a modem day
Nazi like regime is taking
place. Genocide has claimed
over 400,000 innocent lives
of men, women, and
children. For those of you
who are not familiar with the
club’s acronymic title,
STAND means Student’s
Taking Action Now - Darfur.
The members of the STAND
have made many passionate
pleas to students on campus
and the Brevard community
to join in the fight. Those
pleas have fallen on deaf ears
and busy bodies. On a
Wednesday afternoon, I was
allowed to interview STAND
secretary/treasurer Carrie
Ann Bowen. Carrie informed
me at a recent club meeting
that due to the success of their
program, Door-to-Door —
Dar&r, the attendance at that
very meeting was nearly triple
of the average attendance.
Door-to-Door — Darfur is a
new and creative way for
STAND to invite the residents
of Beam, and in the future
Green and the Village, to
meetings. The members of
STAND baked cookies and
went door-to-door handing
out cookies and flyers,
inviting everyone they met to
come and eat dinner and
discuss ideas at the meeting.
The amount of people that
showed up at the meeting
was 15. I was surprised by
that fact, but according to
Carrie many people are not
familiar with what is
happening in Darfur. Brevard
and other local STAND
chapters have made a
commitment to attend the
Regional STAND Conference
2008 at UNC- Chapel Hill.
This event was created to
help the STAND chapters
develop new ways to inform
people about Darfur and
become better acquainted
with different chapters. So
far? students have registered
to attend the conference,
including myself The cost of
attending this weekend
conference is $25 and
spending money for your
personal needs. Our chaplain,
Shelly Webb, has agreed to
drive us to the campus and
spend the weekend with
STAND. The conference is
held on a weekend in
February on the 22nd through
the 24th. It consists of
inspiring documentaries,
meets with various STAND
chapters, the advocacy
campaign, and wonderful
speakers. Our STAND club
gets to spend the weekend in
the dorms, as well as out and
about, with other Chapel Hill
STAND members. If you’re
interested in our STAND
chapter contact Carrie at
bowenca@brevard.edu. Or if
you would like to learn more
about STAND nationally or
register for the conference,
visit this website:
WWW, standnow. org. The
maximum capacity for the
trip is 12 students so hurry if
you want to be a part of this
amazing reform for peace.