Third World Poverty

Conrad’s moving cartoon of the starving Third World child in the manger evokes Jesus’ statement that those who feed the least of his brothers do it for him (Dec. 22). Response to the recent Armenian earthquake shows that people do care about others who are suffering in distant places, so why do children continue to die of starvation?

First, the crisis is a continuing one that does not make for headlines in the papers and dramatic pictures on the evening news--except at times of extreme suffering such as the Ethiopian famine a couple of years ago. But more important is the magnitude of the suffering according to the UNICEF report on the state of the world’s children, many more children die each week, every week, than died in Armenia. Private charitable aid cannot solve the problem, and such aid, important as it is, can be overwhelmed by government decisions. As Bruce points out, the Third World debt problem can wipe out even the magnificent efforts of UNICEF.

In the face on this, what can an individual do? Any action we take will seem as inadequate as the donation by a small boy of a few loaves and fishes to feed the huge multitude surrounding Jesus. But if we understand the meaning of Christmas as deeply as Conrad does, we are compelled to do what we can, and must hope that our action will be multiplied by the actions of others. One small action that we could all take is to write to President-elect George Bush and ask him to make the reduction of hunger a major goal of his “kinder and gentler” America.

PAUL C. EKLOF

Costa Mesa