Reading into Madonna's adoption
Did Madonna take advantage of a man who couldn't read?
Does anyone care about literacy, and what difference does it make? There are plenty of people here at Fanshawe and other institutions of higher learning that struggle with dyslexia and other learning disabilities so that they need to find ways to compensate and learn by other means. But most people here can read, and one way or another, more people are graduating from college and become positive contributors to their communities. The percentage of college graduates here in Canada grew from 12 per cent to 16 per cent from 1991 to 2001.
But what about the rest of the world?
According to Oxfam 133 million young people can't read or write, and only about 25 per cent of developing countries have achieved universal primary school completion. Can you get by without a primary education in a developing country? Apparently, because many people manage to survive. But do they live well, and is it right?
Yohane Banda, the father of ‘Baby David', according to an Associated Press report, is a 32 year-old illiterate man. He couldn't read the documents and was under the impression that ‘adoption' meant that Madonna would care for and educate the boy just as they did in the local orphanage. The baby's mother died shortly after childbirth - a much too common occurrence in poor countries, and two of his other children died of malaria, so Papa brought his baby boy to the orphanage.
Poverty requires that people use all their energies to get food and shelter, and there is no time or energy left for learning. Not being able to read means having fewer resources for learning of better ways to do agriculture, not being able to keep records for starting a small business and being vulnerable to corrupt officials and businessmen who can read the fine print. Not being able to read means not even being able to follow the instructions for how to use a condom effectively, or to sort out the misinformation about preventing AIDS.
The story of Baby David illustrates the need for the richer countries of the world to keep the promise and work to achieve the Millenium Development Goals set in the year 2000.
1.2 billion people in the world, including David's father, live on less than a dollar-a-day. MDG number one is to cut that number in half by 2015. Goal number two is to achieve universal elementary education- meaning everyone on the planet, girls as well as boys should have access to free education through elementary school. Presently many poor or corrupt countries charge school fees when there should be enough tax income to cover these costs. The taxes go to service the debts these poor countries owe to us rich countries, or they line the pockets of corrupt officials.
How can we in North America help eliminate poverty?
First, understand that just because the poor would get more to live on doesn't mean we would get less. It means less would get wasted or funneled into the wrong pockets.
Secondly, we need to tell our governments to keep the promises we have made. Canada has already promised to give .7 per cent of the GDP in Foreign Aid. Presently Canada only gives away .38 per cent in Foreign Aid. This is a far cry from the 5 per cent and 10 per cent the major world religions suggest their adherents give to the poor. We can sign onto the Make Poverty History campaign - you can do it on the net, and write letters to your MP.
Thirdly, while we wait for corrupt countries to clean up their acts we can work with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that we trust, in order to bypass rich and greedy fingers that have access to government coffers. Learn about such NGOs as World Vision, Mennonite Central Committee, Canada Food Grains Bank, UNESCO, Care, and the 600 others that are out there. Not all NGOs have spotless records either. But search and inquire and then support with volunteer action or the first fruits of your labours, and do justice for the poor among us.
Your education costs thousands, but a few dollars will help someone else get on the first rung of the educational ladder and one step out of absolute poverty.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Does anyone care about literacy, and what difference does it make? There are plenty of people here at Fanshawe and other institutions of higher learning that struggle with dyslexia and other learning disabilities so that they need to find ways to compensate and learn by other means. But most people here can read, and one way or another, more people are graduating from college and become positive contributors to their communities. The percentage of college graduates here in Canada grew from 12 per cent to 16 per cent from 1991 to 2001.
But what about the rest of the world?
According to Oxfam 133 million young people can't read or write, and only about 25 per cent of developing countries have achieved universal primary school completion. Can you get by without a primary education in a developing country? Apparently, because many people manage to survive. But do they live well, and is it right?
Yohane Banda, the father of ‘Baby David', according to an Associated Press report, is a 32 year-old illiterate man. He couldn't read the documents and was under the impression that ‘adoption' meant that Madonna would care for and educate the boy just as they did in the local orphanage. The baby's mother died shortly after childbirth - a much too common occurrence in poor countries, and two of his other children died of malaria, so Papa brought his baby boy to the orphanage.
Poverty requires that people use all their energies to get food and shelter, and there is no time or energy left for learning. Not being able to read means having fewer resources for learning of better ways to do agriculture, not being able to keep records for starting a small business and being vulnerable to corrupt officials and businessmen who can read the fine print. Not being able to read means not even being able to follow the instructions for how to use a condom effectively, or to sort out the misinformation about preventing AIDS.
The story of Baby David illustrates the need for the richer countries of the world to keep the promise and work to achieve the Millenium Development Goals set in the year 2000.
1.2 billion people in the world, including David's father, live on less than a dollar-a-day. MDG number one is to cut that number in half by 2015. Goal number two is to achieve universal elementary education- meaning everyone on the planet, girls as well as boys should have access to free education through elementary school. Presently many poor or corrupt countries charge school fees when there should be enough tax income to cover these costs. The taxes go to service the debts these poor countries owe to us rich countries, or they line the pockets of corrupt officials.
How can we in North America help eliminate poverty?
First, understand that just because the poor would get more to live on doesn't mean we would get less. It means less would get wasted or funneled into the wrong pockets.
Secondly, we need to tell our governments to keep the promises we have made. Canada has already promised to give .7 per cent of the GDP in Foreign Aid. Presently Canada only gives away .38 per cent in Foreign Aid. This is a far cry from the 5 per cent and 10 per cent the major world religions suggest their adherents give to the poor. We can sign onto the Make Poverty History campaign - you can do it on the net, and write letters to your MP.
Thirdly, while we wait for corrupt countries to clean up their acts we can work with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that we trust, in order to bypass rich and greedy fingers that have access to government coffers. Learn about such NGOs as World Vision, Mennonite Central Committee, Canada Food Grains Bank, UNESCO, Care, and the 600 others that are out there. Not all NGOs have spotless records either. But search and inquire and then support with volunteer action or the first fruits of your labours, and do justice for the poor among us.
Your education costs thousands, but a few dollars will help someone else get on the first rung of the educational ladder and one step out of absolute poverty.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
