Africa's Malawi

Watching "I am Because We Are", a documentary by Madonna about Malawi has made me think a lot about the problems in Africa and what we should do as a country to help. I am a libertarian, and not one to support government supported social programs. I watch these kind of shows or hear my liberal friends talk about the poor, the needy, the "underprivileged" (a terminology I will get back to on a later blog topic) and I find I rarely agree with the solutions proposed. I think we all agree the people need help. Malawi is the second poorest country in the world. Most of the citizens are orphans, under the age of 15, and are victims of the AIDS epidemic. It is sad to hear about all the problems this area experiences. Besides poverty and hunger, they suffer from malaria and other common diseases that are killing people just because the children play in sewage and don't know any better.

I heard many people narrating this documentary stating that the people had a fundamental right to the AIDS medication to keep them alive. If there are 25 million people who all need this medication, and that is just scratching the surface of what is needed, so we accept the responsibility of providing that medication, and all the other needs? Because if we decide to take on that responsibility it doesn't make sense that we wouldn't take on the other needs. And what about the other countries that are in need in the same way? And if we do accept the responsibility, what form does that take? Do we demand that the federal governments do something? Make them tax everyone? Tax the rich especially because they have the most and are the most "privileged"? I say no. My liberal friends...I hear them say yes, loud and clear. I don't see how we can afford it frankly. Not now, and not before our economic crisis that put is back trillions of dollars.

However I do think if we look at it a little differently (like I do) something can be done. I viewed this hour and a half film and really felt bad for these people. I wanted to do something. I know that the government throwing money at a problem doesn't fix it but I'm not Madonna and I can't adopt a Malawian child or start up an orphanage or go visit the country. So for me, writing a check to www.iambecauseweare.com or www.raisingmalawi.com might be best. It'll Probably will go to an orphanage or something.

Also reasons our federal governments should stay out: The government of Malawi doesn't believe in educating it's people about safe sex or how the disease is spread. It's considered taboo. So these people are having sex and spreading it all over the place and don't even realizing it. One case they had on the documentary was a very young mother buried her child and the tribe leader made her have sex with some random man to clean her. She didn't want to but he insisted it was tradition, and had been done for 1000's of years. I can respect tradition, but come on. They had to do it 3x the first day. Oh yeah he's married to some other woman. And nobody in the village could have sex until she got clean. Once this ordeal was over she could go back to being normal. The village leader admitted this spreads AIDS but said it was tradition. This is awful. I think some private groups/charities should go in there and set up something that empowers women. Educates them. Puts a stop to that nonsense.

So to sum up my opinion, I think private organizations and individuals should rally together and donate, build schools, hospitals, modernize the community, empower women, educate the children, educate the community about safe sex, and leave the government out of it (except for the funding they provide). If you so nothing privately except cast the vote for the government to do it for you, it won't get done.