As part of World Food Day and Blog Action Day, Red Cross Twitter Team member, Bif Naked, has contributed this post to our blog. Bif, an international recording artist and activist, has been very active in supporting the Canadian Red Cross efforts to help the Horn of Africa. Every day for the last few months she has posted something on Twitter, and often Facebook, to remind her fans of the desperate situation. Thank you for your ongoing support, Bif! Here’s what she says:
“I’m very happy to have my life in front of me, I always find it remarkable how lucky I am!
I live with a little white fluffy dog and he and I have the luxury of food, and the added blessing of choice of food, every day. I mean- we get to choose what we eat! This is an exceptional luxury.
I never forget this fact, as I peel my banana for my breakfast, and spoon out the previously-prepared rice-and-peas-homemade-dog-food for my pet. I am ever aware that even my dog eats better than most of the planet and I am so grateful for this every day. I wish I could infect my gratitude into everyone, most especially in the West, where people have so much abundance that they fail to even realize it much of the time. The humanitarian crisis of famine- particularly in the region of The Horn of Africa, is astounding and an extreme disaster that weighs heavily on my mind every day. What most people fail to realize is that this famine is actually much worse than at any other time in history, and that millions of people face death each and every day. EVERY day.
I think about this daily and am ever grateful for my own life, food, and abilities to spread awareness, spread the word, and encourage others to find gratitude in every day. Gratitude and mindfulness fuel our efforts to create dialogue and create, spread more awareness and hope for these dying families. We are so blessed, we must do our best to help and assist efforts for Horn of Africa and its people."
You can support the Canadian Red Cross efforts in the Horn of Africa by donating online at www.redcross.ca/africa