The True Test of Civilization

 “A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization.” -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)

 

I’m back in Nairobi. The six weeks in the US seem like a distant memory as my work has been intensifying. The situation in Somalia continues to worsen. The figures are staggering:

•        451,000 drought-related displacements in the past 90 days (people seeking aid); 760K overall displaced.

•        Of the locations where the displaced have congregated, only about a third have water.

•        6.1 million in IPC 3&4 (serious need of assistance); 81,000 in IPC 5 (catastrophic situation)

•        Over a hundred schools closed as children and/or teachers have been displaced.

•        90% of the country’s water sources have dried up.

•        Livestock herds and crops have been decimated, likely impacting food security for years to come.

It’s hard to describe what’s going on. It’s hard to make it matter for people who would be able to share a bit of what they have for those in need. I was interviewed two days ago by ABC News and the guy asked me how I could make a compelling description for people to understand the disaster that continues to unfold in the Horn of Africa. I realize that the data can make people’s eyes glaze over. I told him that a million and a half children are suffering from acute malnutrition, many of whom are going to die. Sometimes focusing on children will get a rise out of people. But so far, with about 5% of the funding received compared to what is needed, even the idea of children needlessly suffering doesn’t seem to jar people enough to refrain from upgrading their lawnmowers or dumping money into clothes they don’t need. People don’t necessarily need to change their lifestyles, skip vacations, etc. (though cutting back on food wouldn’t hurt some people). The world would be a lot better off if people just shared a bit of their surplus, particularly the millionaires and billionaires.

It might be helpful to shed some light on what people are experiencing right now. The main concerns are starvation, dehydration, waterborne illnesses (from drinking contaminated water) and malnutrition. Measles and other diseases are also on the rise. Just to home in on one. What does dehydration look like?

Water makes up about 55 to 65% of your body. It’s a crucial ingredient in the chemistry that helps your brain think, your blood flow and your muscles move. When thirst kicks in, your body clings to all remaining moisture. As time goes by, your kidneys send less water to your bladder, darkening your urine. As you sweat less, your body temperature rises. Your blood becomes thicker and sluggish. To maintain oxygen levels, your heart rate increases. Your blood is so concentrated that the resulting decrease in blood flow makes your skin shrivel. Eventually, your blood pressure drops, making you prone to fainting. You’ve basically stopped sweating, and without this coolant, you start to overheat. Your body is having trouble maintaining blood pressure. To survive, it slows blood flow to non-vital organs, such as your kidneys and gut, causing damage. Without your kidneys filtering your blood, cellular waste quickly builds up. Your uncontrollable body temperature means your vital organs risk overheating; liver failure will probably kill you. But if conditions are mild, toxic sludge builds up in your blood and the thing that will do you in is likely to be kidney failure. It's an unpleasant way to go.

The last question the journalist asked me was to provide a final comment: if you had 15 seconds, what you would like the American audience to know about the situation in the Horn of Africa – something to stick with the viewers. I thought back to the severe drought in Somalia in 2017. I referred to something that the UN Secretary General (who I had a glass of wine with many years ago in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) said at the time. With climate change, severe droughts are unavoidable. They will come and go. However famine is preventable. Famine is the result of the lack of response to the severe drought. The path we’re on is currently leading us in the direction of famine, though we’re not there yet. If we get there, it’s on us. We could have avoided it had we responded sooner.