4 pieces from four sites - summaries on international aid

Victoria
Herper, M. (2011). With Vaccines, Bill Gates Changes The World Again. Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2011/11/02/the-second-coming-of-bill-gates/

Summary: The overarching opinion of the author on the subject seems to be that Bill Gates, an advocate of humanitarian aid efforts and fighting disease, has turned away from the philanthropic ideas to the cost-cutting, monetary language that corporations often use. He mentions that Gates seems to speak only of how far they've gone towards lowering costs of vaccines, which are normally expensive to produce, rather than the humanistic and moral-based duties of himself and his goals. However, the article also follows Gates's involvement and successes in that area.

Commentary: This relates to international aid particularly strongly, due to the Gates's longtime connection with helping others, investments, developing cures, and establishing foundations all in the name of other people and causes. In many areas of the world, vaccinations are very difficult to obtain, for many reasons. Among them are: accessibility, affordability, demand, and impact on rich people - that is, how much sympathy for the sufferers does the disease generate - and thus, how much funding the research/production/distribution gets.

Victoria
Lux, Thomas. (1997). Empty Pitchforks. The Poetry Foundation, Retrieved from: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178151

Summary: This poem was based on the search term of 'poverty', and the name of this poem itself embodies an aspect of poverty, which accurately represents the emptiness and lack of most things that many people experience. He begins with a simple statement: "There was poverty before money", which implies the idea that it isn't only about how much one makes or the monetary-based society we live in - and it is present everywhere. In nearly each stanza, the author describes a "before" and an "after" aspect of poverty, or a representative piece of imagery that calls to mind a similar idea.

Commentary: The poem encompasses imagery of many of these aspects - ash, sagging, bankruptcy, hunger and debtor's prison. Ultimately, the language don't address the exact circumstances, but the feeling and general mood that comes with it. It relates further to international aid because the poem is representative of those suffering in poverty, no matter their circumstances. And that perhaps the underlying tone implies that no matter what outsiders do for those in poverty and for the poverty problem, it may continue to persist even with assistance. The poem concludes with a poignant final couplet: 

    "sopped in the final drop of gravy

you snatched from your brother’s mouth."

Victoria
Smith, Amy. (Speaker). (2006, Feb). Simple Designs to Save a Life. TedTalks. Podcast retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_smith_shares_simple_lifesaving_design

Summary: A lot of humanitarian aid efforts go towards making necessities cheap(er) and accessible for the less privileged, especially in the international world. There are those who donate to contribute mass-produced goods, and then those who invest in businesses or education or everyday lives instead - and then there are those who innovate and produce sustainable, easy, clean ideas to improve general quality of life and etc. Amy Smith is one of these, and she presents on a simple solution to reduce respiratory diseases due to cooking indoors, and its effect on children, especially - tested and implemented in parts of Haiti.

Commentary: These sorts of ideas are often crucial to the survival of the pure charity that is often given without followup or continuation - that is, it is essential to establish infrastructure in which those aided can flourish, rather than crashing and burning as soon as their aid is stopped. This TED talk is particularly important because it serves to educate the general public about the little things that people can do in order to help those far away, things that are not just donating some straight cash to an organization - rather, to participate and perhaps even invent ways to thrive. Those who need humanitarian aid are not always in such a position or do not have the materials or time to do what Amy Smith speaks about - but if her projects are successes, they will end up benefiting many.

Victoria
Subotzky, Mikhael. (2014). "Residents, Vaalkoppies." Retrieved from http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=118774

Summary: This photograph illustrates poverty in South Africa - specifically, a group of men and women sifting through a landfill that stretches out to the horizon in hills - rather reminiscent of the opening scene in WALL-E. A picture is difficult to summarize, but these people are hunched over a pile of what most would call "trash".

Commentary: To the humans in the picture, this "trash" ultimately ends up being their livelyhood, and the sea of tossed-away material almost symbolizes the ongoing futility that most in poverty experience. Unfortunately, this is a common scene in many parts of developing countries (and areas), representing the overflow of materialistic tendencies of the upper classes compared to those who must make their lives in these dumps - as well as the all-too prevalent disparities that many are not aware of or do not care about.