I was browsing CBC earlier today and came across an
article about a ten-year old Afghan boy named Djamshid Popal who you might recall came to Canada last year after an international effort was mounted to get him here for open heart surgery. The world rejoiced with the successful operation but as it appears now, it was only the start of a long journey. The boy's health has since deteriorated and now requires more test and medicine and when
blood tests cost $20 each, I can imagine how much financial pressure their family is under.
The family's story of struggle is heart touching and with much help from the media to get the story out, its no wonder they have been able to raise $16,000 last year alone. It is a decent amount of money but probably not enough for the boy who will require more medical treatment and thus donations for many more years to come. Not to take anything away from those who donated, but I wonder how many of them have donated to other causes like World Vision or a local charity. Its clear that a donation to a charity like World Vision or Red Cross has a higher chance of saving more lives but why is it that people tend to give these charities a blind eye? Isn't hunger and heart disease both problems that have the same fatal consequences? Aren't there many families in Afghanistan and other third world countries that are also facing seemingly unsurmountable struggles? If 90% of the population faced heart problems and 10% faced hunger, will we be more willing to donate to the latter? I think it is important that when someone is facing extraordinary struggles be it heart problems or a tsunami that we dig a little deeper into our pockets but it is equally important that we not forget there are many unfortunate people out there who are suffering similarly with the same fatal consequences. So next time when you (including myself) are asked to donate, take a second and think about the importance of the charity - think about the thousands of heart touching stories that go untold and maybe you will find it in your heart to give a little without needing a compelling story from media.
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cbc charity afghanistan