***This is a scheduled post, using facts from globalissues.org.***
I want you to take a moment to read this, to answer the questions truthfully to yourself, and think about the facts. Although this isn't completely up-to-date, the general point remains.
Consider both yourself and the people you know, and what you/they have said or though recently...
Complained about having to go to school? In 2005, about 72 million primary school age children in the developing world were not enrolled in school. Before you think they're lucky- this means that 72 million primary school age children were less likely to be able to read, write or do basic sums, making the future jobs available to them extremely limited. 72 million primary school age children who's futures were narrowed before they had a chance to widen.
By the year 2000, it would have taken less than 1% of the yearly worldwide weapon expenditure to put every child into school. This didn't happen.
Annoyed because you don't have enough money to buy the latest technology or fashions? When these figures were released, at least 80% of humanity was living on less than around £6.57 a day. Almost half the worldwide population (at the time, over three billion people) were living on under £1.64 a day. A randomly selected pair of Abercrombie jeans costs £78. Using those two figures, over three billion people could live for almost 50 days- using the money spent on one pair of jeans.
To add to this, UNICEF said that, at the time, 22,000 children were dying every day due to poverty. Over a year, that amounts to 7,810,000 deaths due to poverty. That's the London O2 arena filled 390.5 times.
Think that you had an underprivileged childhood because you didn't live a celebrity lifestyle? Of 2.2 billion children estimated in these figures, 1.9 billion were living in the developing world. Of these, 1 in 5 didn't have access to safe water and 1 in 7 had no access to health services. 1 in 3 didn't live in adequate shelter.
That's not a childhood.
Finally, in 1998, $8 billion was spent on cosmetics worldwide- when an estimated $6 billion could have provided basic education for everyone in developing countries. The amount spent on cigarettes purely in Europe could have provided basic education, water, sanitation, basic health/nutrition and reproductive health for women for all in developing countries- with $5 billion leftover.
I could go on, and on, and on. But if that hasn't made you think, I don't know what will.