Indonesia

 This picture was taken by Salgado back in 1996. I thought the picture was adorable, but feel slightly guilty for thinking so because it is an example of the how the poor in Jakarta(Indonesia's largest city) deal with the water crisis they face. According to Salgado's observation and research "running water and drainage services are almost non-existent in working-class districts." Fourteen years later water conditions for the poor are the same.The water is contaminated by the sewage and seasonal floods that wash up garbage. For this reason tap water is unsafe to drink, wash or cook with. The filthy water is full of diseases; the most common being the deadly cholera. Unlike the rich, the poor cannot afford the neighborhood with a better water system nor to pay for water purifiers to make the water safe. Instead they are left to deal.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. New York, 2000. 362.

 --Pamphlet. "Southern Sudan: A Population in Distress"Migrations: Humanity in Transition.   Aperture. New York, 2000. 27.

Invisible Children

So I just finished going to a documentary presentation by Invisible Children on BYU campus about the war in Uganda and the effects it has on the citizens, especially children. Clicking here explains how their campaign is used to help stop the war and deal with its devastating effects. I wanted to write about it as soon as possible while my thoughts are fresh. The movie was very moving and eye-opening, yet it avoided being sappy.

Pretty much these four college-aged students travel to Africa in 2003 with their video camera and document what they found. Joseph Kony leads the Lord's Resistance Army in efforts to overthrow the Ugandan government and set a government under God. His means are kidnapping kids aged from 3-12 years old and training them to kill. That only scratches the surface. I wrote an earlier blog about Sudan that is related to the Ugandan War. If you want to learn more Google or Wikipedia it, or check out the Invisible Children website.

It makes me realize how much I really have(how many times do I need reminding?), that even my own insecurities, weaknesses, bad experiences are in no comparison to the suffering and beyond-belief lives these others have endured, in this case the Ugandan children.The problems in the world are not so far away but they are bigger than we know or understand.

Work Cited:

"Lord's Resistance Army Insurgency." Wikipedia.Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 2 Apr 2010. Web. 9 Apr 2010.

Photo. "Child Soldiers." Covertress. Blogspot. 10 Jul 2008. Web. 9 Apr. 2010


"What We Do." Invisible Children. Invisible Children Inc. 2010. Web. 9 Apr 2010.