You can do something right now to stop your fellow-humans from dying. So why don't you? Why don't I? Around a tenth of humanity have food-related problems. Of these 0.7bn, 45m need help right now. The United Nations' World Food Programme is ready to help those people and online giving lets us send funds without delay from our phone, tablets and computers.
There is plenty of spare money in the world. We spend billions on luxuries such as confectionery, tourism, gambling, entertainment and alcoholic drinks. So why do we put our comfort and enjoyment before our starving brothers' and sisters' needs? Here are some excuses/reasons:
- aid-money doesn't reach the poor
- my hard-earned money belongs to me and no-one else has any right to it
- I need my luxuries to keep me happy and sane
- poverty is a political problem which must be solved by politicians
- famine is the fault of the nations' governments, and the people of those countries need to pressure their rulers to solve that problem
- destitution is inevitable; a fact of life
- let richer people set an example and maybe I'll follow
- I already give to overseas aid through my taxes.