AFRICA TRIP: LENS ON POVERTY

Usually, he covers Catholic schools and parishes throughout the 14 counties of the Albany Diocese (see page 9 for an example). Recently, however, his "beat" was extended, to put it mildly. Mr. Oxford traveled to Kenya for ten days as the guest of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA), which cares for needy people throughout the world.

The agreement between The Evangelist and CFCA was openly symbiotic: We would gain first-hand insights into a part of the world too often neglected; they would gain needed publicity for their charitable efforts, including the sponsorship of Kenyan children by Americans. What we didn't expect is that Mr. Oxford would return not only with hundreds of great photos but also with a mission to alert people to the crushing poverty he saw.

You can read about his trip in his own words in the center section this week. Speaking more loudly than his words, however, are his stunning photos of joyous children, wretched poverty and generous outreach by the CFCA (pages 1, 13-20 and 32).

Recently, a special United Nations envoy for the HIV/AIDS situation in Africa reported that food, education and AIDS-fighting drugs are the three top needs of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 28 million people with AIDS in that region, 53 percent are women. In the 15-24 age group, 67 percent are female. Behind those statistics are millions of children who are orphaned, deprived of normal family life and even kept from school because, as Lewis said, "their teachers are dying." AIDS is not the only problem; due to an ongoing drought, 14.4 million people in six African nations are at risk of starvation.

Assessing the situation in Africa, Pope John Paul II has warned that the horrific poverty there is pushing people toward extremism and violence. While calling on the leaders of that continent to promote democratic reform and curb corruption, he also urged the rest of the world to rethink globalization and reiterated his appeal to lenders to ease the debt burden on African nations.

Said Lewis of the U.N.: "I don't know in God's name what we're going to do about" the dire situation in Africa. We often look for one person to some mighty thing. It can be just as effective for many people to do many small things. Mr. Oxford is willing to bring a slide show about his trip to schools, parishes and other institutions with the hope that he can inspire people to do the small things that add up to great things. Give us a call (453-6688), and we'll tell you how to get in touch with him.

(10-31-02)