#BringBackOurGirls Today, on Mothers Day, my heart goes out to the mothers and families who are grieving, and I cant stop thinking: those girls deserve more. Ive seen this hashtag all week, accompanying pictures of everyone from famous celebrities to heads of state, all who are desperate to show that they care about the situation in Nigeria. What I havent seen is many people actually doing anything to learn about why this happened and how they can help. I dont believe in evil. I believe in misguided people in bad situations doing evil things. If youre wondering why violent anarchist-terrorist groups gain traction, its not because the people of Boko Haram are purely attracted to evil ideology. Its because various studies put the youth unemployment rate in Nigeria at roughly 40-50%, because more than half of the population doesnt have access to safe drinking water, because food shortages are a real and terrifying reality for many Nigerians. So many peoples eyes glaze over when they hear about violence in Africa and the Middle East because they assume it is simply endemic to that culture, but theyre wrong. Groups like Boko Haram are not composed simply of evil people, but of desperate people who have nothing left to lose and who are willing to do anything to be part of a group that promises a better future. In medicine there is a concept called preventative care that suggests we should prevent disease from happening in the first place rather than simply treat symptoms after the fact. If you truly care about these kidnapped girls, then stop simply sharing pictures of caring celebrities and start posting articles about corruption in the Nigerian military. Donate to charitable organizations like Heifer International and Kiva.org that promote sustainable economic development in Africa. And call your Congressional Representatives and ask how the U.S. federal government is going to put pressure on the government of Nigeria until this crisis is resolved. This tragedy deserves more than a simple four-word hashtag.
Posted on: Mon, 12 May 2014 05:26:11 +0000
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