Credit NBC Nightly News and Brian Williams. Amidst continued bickering and brinkmanship in Washington over the billions of dollars we frivolously spend each year, the most-watched evening newscast has managed to consistently devote time to the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa. A video archive, along with a list of organizations in need of donations, can be found on the Nightly website.
It’s a terribly human story. Heartbreaking. And it moves people to action. Except it’s summer – people aren’t as attuned to the news of the day, and donations have been slow to roll in.
I chose to give to two organizations. UNICEF is operating feeding centers and drilling wells on the Somali-Kenyan border. The World Food Programme is using aircraft to reach victims of the famine in isolated portions of Somalia, far from the camps set up by most international aid organizations.
This is no attempt to toot my own horn – it is an endorsement of the operations of these two aid organizations. Donate a few dollars to one if you can.