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Sending dog food to children in Africa?

post #1 of 22
2/3/06 at 5:00pm
Thread Starter 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4664884.stm

I don't know what this woman is thinking. I read the newspaper article and saw the photo - a woman sitting with her dog with dog food - the dry kind, like kibbles or whatever you call it.

I don't blame the africans for feeling insulted, I would be insulted if I was offered dog food! This woman is saying she is sending the powder and not dog food, that was not the initial offer - she actually said she would send dog food in the first place.

Would you be insulted?
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post #2 of 22
2/3/06 at 6:15pm
It sounds like a powedered vitamin supplement. It doesn't appear to be dog food. If she had provided it under a different name maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal? I drink protein powder every day and it doesn't seem any different- then again it isn't manufactored by Iams.
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post #3 of 22
2/3/06 at 6:19pm
I was thinking at first that it was a misunderstanding at first, but when she said "I was going to offer them dog biscuits, but I decided to send the powder instead" I had to change my mind. Maybe the powder supplement is legit, but offering dog biscuits beforehand makes me sort of doubt the level of esteem (or even humanity) to which she holds her recipients.
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post #4 of 22
2/3/06 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 
esrgirl - she initially offered dog food first and changed it to the powder after people got upset. This was in the newspaper here complete with a photo of the dog food and a dog drooling over the food.
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post #5 of 22
2/4/06 at 2:13am
Maybe the dog biscuits were being offered for peoples pets out there?

I would be weary of condemming her unless I could be sure that she was offering dog food for human consumption.
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post #6 of 22
2/4/06 at 2:15am
this version of the story made more sense to me: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3555626a10,00.html
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post #7 of 22
2/4/06 at 5:09am
Personaly, if I was starving to death, I really wouldn't give a rats butt about what I am eating.
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post #8 of 22
2/4/06 at 8:23am
Very interesting articles. While sending dog food, no matter how good she thinks it is, is rude...it sounds like she has worked to reformulate the ingredients to make a high protein supplement aimed at keeping the children alive. Had she been more careful about how she presented it, she probably could have saved some lives.

And while the politicians refuse her offer of help, I bet the mothers who are watching their children starve would take a nourishing protein powder gladly. I hope they took the shipment of corn that she sent!
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post #9 of 22
2/4/06 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leto86
Personaly, if I was starving to death, I really wouldn't give a rats butt about what I am eating.
I agree fully on that.
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post #10 of 22
2/4/06 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beckiboo
Very interesting articles. While sending dog food, no matter how good she thinks it is, is rude...it sounds like she has worked to reformulate the ingredients to make a high protein supplement aimed at keeping the children alive. Had she been more careful about how she presented it, she probably could have saved some lives.

And while the politicians refuse her offer of help, I bet the mothers who are watching their children starve would take a nourishing protein powder gladly. I hope they took the shipment of corn that she sent!
I think if only she'd been a little more diplomatic about presenting this offer in the first place, now she's being condemned for trying to do a very charitable thing. And yeah, it's not the politicians who're starving of course, so what are they giving the citizens instead?
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post #11 of 22
2/4/06 at 3:26pm
A classic example of bad PR?
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post #12 of 22
2/4/06 at 7:09pm
It's great that the woman wants to help... but going with the "dog food" thing was really dumb. She could have been more delicate about it.
When people want to help in those situations, it's better to contact an organization that works on the ground and ask them what they need. They'll have a better idea of what is really needed.

I know that there are some cases (don't remember where) where starving people were sent some dry corn. Problem was, they had no water in which to cook it, so in desperation, they tried to eat it raw (therefore causing internal bleeding)

Still, the world would be much better if more people cared enough to help people in need in whichever way they can. They just need to remember that it's a good idea to take the time to figure out what will help and what wont.
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post #13 of 22
2/5/06 at 4:27am
Well, the woman got the publicity she wanted for her dog food but the poor kids didnt get any aid.

Ask the starving parents if they'd mind their kids eating the food I say.

My cats get human grade cat food as it is!
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post #14 of 22
2/9/06 at 9:01pm
mmmm...dog food....yummy...how can anyone want to trun down that!
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post #15 of 22
2/10/06 at 1:09am
I don't think it was a very good idea, not thought out very well.

In Africa a lot of cultures consider it a big insult to be labled / refered to as a dog. How do you think these parents would feel if there childeren were fed dog food? The children and the parents would likely be ostrasized by their community / tribe. It would be like sending beef jerky to Hindu's. A big cultural no-no.
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post #16 of 22
2/10/06 at 4:33am
LoL, i know lots of people who like to eat dog biscuits, infact im kind of wary when i go to peoples houses who have dogs because some of the dog biscuits dont look any different from the chocolate chips bikkies

I made friends with a Kenyan woman and she said that her country is not starving like they make it out to be on the news and advertisements, infact she is so angry by it.
The problem over there is that their governments keep all the money instead of distribuiting it to people to make the economy better..

Before we get all political.. If i was starving i couldnt care if i ate dog biscuits! i mean you can see it this way, mix dog dry food with milk and theres cereal!
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post #17 of 22
2/10/06 at 11:10am
She wasnt sending dog biscuits... she was sending a powder made out of similar ingredients.

Cultural differences or not, if your children were starving to death, would you really care or take a moral stance and refuse the food?
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post #18 of 22
2/10/06 at 11:47am
I agree with both sides, it was insensitive to offer pet food, but I don't think she meant to offend.

A very good point was made about the politicians in that country stealing the aid that is coming into that country. The United States and many other countries keep pouring aid to that country, but it doesn't ever seem to solve the problem.

This may seem insensitive of me, but I wonder if the money would be better spent evacuating the starving people from that country and leave the rich and the politicians there on their own? I personally would not want to stay somewhere that I had no opportunity to care for my family and myself.
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post #19 of 22
2/10/06 at 12:13pm
One of Africa's biggest problems is the number of cleptocracies on the continent. Where would you evacuate the people to? So many spend weeks or months trying to make it to Europe in the hopes of being able to earn a living, only to die trying, or be deported.
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post #20 of 22
2/10/06 at 12:52pm
I admit I don't have a well thought out plan, but I do know that many countries and some huge charitable organizations are pouring funds into these countries. Seems like the same funds would be better spent if we just made an offer to take them in as refugees and not just the US, but all of the countries could take some in.

It could be on a contractual basis, so that if the person didn't become self sufficient within three years their work visa would expire, and they would have to return to their country. My plan would be to give those who are able job training, and a place to stay with aid for a year or so to get them on their feet. Those who were sucessful, the host country would promise to renew their work visa's or allow them to become citizens.

There would need to be some provisions made for the severely disabled so that each country took it's share of them in as permanent charity cases.
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post #21 of 22
2/10/06 at 1:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leto86
Personaly, if I was starving to death, I really wouldn't give a rats butt about what I am eating.
This is exactly what I was thinking except was too shy to speak up since everyone else seemed to be on the same page ....

If I were starving to death I wouldn't be insulted if I were given dog food, or whatever it was she sent to them. I wouldn't complain.
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post #22 of 22
2/12/06 at 3:37pm
I heard of an organization that raised funds to send animals to poor villages in Africa. For instance, they would send a milk cow, so the kids of the village would have milk. Or a couple of chickens, so the kids would have eggs. And it wasn't haphazard, someone had thought through how to get the animals there, and teach the people how to care for them. They would also drill wells for the villages, I think. A small amount of money invested to really help people help themselves.
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