Sunday, December 20, 2009
Not one of them is Cuban
UNICEF reports today that 146 million underweight children in the developing world, and that not one of them is Cuban. Indeed, UNICEF reports that Cuba is the only country in all of Latin America and the Caribbean that has eliminated severe child malnutrition.
As a reminder, there are other categories in which Cuba can claim the same distinction:
900 thousand children die every month because of poverty: not one of them is Cuban.Cuba isn't perfect, or heaven on earth. It is a society which puts people's needs first, and it shows.
200 million children in the world sleep on the streets today. None of them is Cuban.
250 million children under 13 have to work in order to survive. None of them is Cuban.
More than one million children are forced into prostitution and tens of thousands have been victims of human organ trafficking. None of them is Cuban.
25 thousand children in the world die every day of measles, malaria, diphtheria, pneumonia and malnutrition. None of them is Cuban.
By the way, to compare Cuba to another "tropical island," consider today's news from Hawaii:
Public schools in Hawaii are closed most Fridays, rats scurry across bananas in an uninspected market, and there may not be enough money to run a Congressional election.
