Tuesday, October 03, 2006

A dollar a day...

My apologies for not writing an original blog entry, but I’m really strapped for time right and I really think this item is a worthy substitute for my usual rambles. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6167846 It’s a radio journal exploring what it really means to “live on less than a dollar a day,” as many people do in developing countries. The story was done in Malawi, which has many similarities, statistically speaking, to Madagascar. Some of the major differences: Malawi has already suffered greatly from the AIDS epidemic – a crisis that is still on the future horizon for Madagascar; Malawi has regular famine issues but Madagascar generally doesn’t have true generalized “famine” as much as chronic hunger. What the family in the story chooses to spend their few cents would of course be different in Madagascar, as would the actual cost of the items bought, but overall, it’s a very good description of the real day-to-day struggle that is life in too many places, especially in Africa. Read, listen and enjoy!

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