26 replies to this topic

[Hostile]

I just wanted to take a moment to talk about a charity I run that Revora.net has endorsed.

 

Right now albinos are hunted for their body parts and something is being done about it. Our charity is attempting to educate the masses in Tanzania, Africa.

 

So we started with a compound in Buhangija, Tanzania.

 

So we fed over 100 children and added some pics for all to see.

https://www.facebook...=1&notif_t=like

 

They live in a guarded compound run by the government that provided limited resources, Our job is to augment those resources with resources of our own while withstanding corrupt politicians. It is not an easy task...

 

We currently have a chicken program on the way. We've purchased 50 chickens and 50 more coming. So they can sustain themselves and learn how to raise chickens.

 

We currently have an underwear program in place to cloth the naked.

 

We currently have a mattress, sheets, and blankets program to shelter the burdened.

 

We are doing a lot but need some help. I don't expect money from young people such as yourselves, but you can help by clicking our Google links, our twitter feeds, and look at the Facebook account. But most importantly you can look at the website and learn about the issues. Learn about albinism, and learn about what is going on.

 

I want to thank Phil for our conversation and allowing me to make http://albinocharity.org an officially recognized charity of Revora.net and for their free web hosting for this charity. I want to thank Duke_qa for making the logo free of charge. I'd like to have a banner to post on the site to link back to Revora.

 

Thank you for your attention.

 

Eric Edwards

http://albinocharity.org

[Gen.Kenobi]

Awesome stuff, Eric! It's really reconforting to see people defending such causes.

We can still have faith in humanity.

[Pasidon]

This will really be great if we have live streams and events that we set-up to have charity donations.  It's a charity that's really outside the norm and can really get attention for donations.

[Hostile]

I have been to Africa, I saw it with my own eyes. I saw the suffering. The skin splitting on their heads from the sun while sitting in a compound with no future. Albinos just sitting there waiting for tomorrow.

 

They are hunted like animals, they are put into compounds to protect them, their body parts are sold to witch doctors. Those that choose to live in the villages have groups of people with machetes come and cut off their arms and legs for the witch doctors.

 

People who see them yell "deli, deli" meaning deal. That means they are worth money. The albinos are worth money if you carve them up and sell the body parts. Now what are we gonna do about that?

[Pasidon]

Live stream.

[DIGI_Byte]

well thats abit of a miss understanding but they are being hunted

the skin splitting is from the sun mostly due to their lack of pigment in their skin that naturally helps against it
the hunting is due to a voodoo or witchcraft belief that believes that anyone who is unique or different specially albino's and by 'harvesting' from them they beleive they can do lots of things
an example would be to use albino hair and making fishing nets out of it would bless you with fish and so on

I saw a documentary on it before and one thing that i am surprised about is the sheer number of albino's and I know its not exactly a common thing but the fact it is in those numbers i saw I'm thinking something else is going on for that to happen
its not so much that you need to raise awareness about it, because its not approaching the root cause of it, and that is this superstition and beleif, unless you change that belief nothing will ever change, all you are doing is informing poeple about something that is already obvious to them

atleast your feeding and looking after the albino's but until ther eis permanent and secure accommodation for them but the real issue and problem is to change the belief of voodoo/witchcraft it will never change

[DIGI_Byte]

My solution is explain to them birth defects happen and that being albino is having a gene turn white as a minor birth defect

what you need to do is crush the 'magic' idea behind albino's, because if that happens you remove the demand to hunt and kill them
what you do is find a way of explaining it even if you have to twist the truth a little to those people just so they understand that there is nothing special about being albino
maybe show them micheal jackson? or even skin bleaching etc and show them its nothing special

and maybe give them facts on things that they use albinos for, eg fishing or curing disease

show what technology can do like medicine and other things

thats all it takes, give them an alternative for their needs/beliefs and crush their idea's that they have against albino's by proving that there is nothing special about them

[MattTheLegoman]

I agree with DIGI_Byte that teaching people is really great. You know the saying - teach a man to fish... What is it like teaching a Witch-doctor? ;p

 

But for those people who are albino, the safe place and charity is a real blessing.

 

I am really happy and proud of Revora here.

[Mathijs]

Digi, the things Hostile said are not a misunderstanding at all; these are people are savagely mutilated and murdered. There are no two ways about it. 

 

Your comments on attacking the root of the problem make sense theoretically, but practically they take a long time and during that time these kids would still be getting killed. They need immediate solutions and safety, and that is what this excellent charity is attempting to provide for them. There is no real, practical way to go up to these people and tell them their beliefs are silly. These kids needs protection first and foremost. Further change will happen as the people of these countries become more educated and less dirt poor, so they won't have the same need to cling to their spiritual beliefs as they do now. 

 

I can appreciate the 'teach a man to fish' stance on charities on some occasions, but it is not applicable here. 

[DIGI_Byte]

I know that their safety comes first and I never said that its not the primary focus, i was just pointing out that it can only do good in the area's its focused in

putting laws and sheltering them only does so much but as long as those hungry lions are outside the cage, they will always be there, that is what 'im saying
the only way around that is to show them there is nothing special about them

on the other side, you could always roll in the military like the UN and do a complete sweep of the towns and offer cash/food rewards to anyone who gives up the voodoo priests and inforce a death penalty to anyone who is confirmed to be a priest or organizes the killings because it IS organized murder, maybe not like mafia, but its still a group of people working together to commit a crime
the military could make a sting, bring in outside forces that aren't related to those networks and set up a bust because more then likely some people on the police force and in government do believe in this practice

its like religion in a sense, only with no morals or equal... who am i kidding, religion doesn't even have those
all they have to do is setup an abandoned house and use an albino person saying they moved there to get away and spread the word around while the military wait in the shadows and im talking high tech security so they can detect a group of people sneaking in at night and bust them if they have any weapons
also helicopter with thermal camera to track them down as they make a run for it

but for that to happen the UN needs to step in or some other police force or swat unit of sorts
then they should be tortured and executed for information
but most people wont agree to that last one, but remember, these are people who go out and systematically hunt humans for their limbs with no regard for life, and you would let them go with a spank on their wrist and let them tell their leaders about it all?
 

Edited by DIGI_Byte, 01 February 2013 - 03:15 AM.

[Nertea]

Digi: WHOA. That would be a gross violation of international law and the country in question's sovereignty. No only that - it wouldn't work! That's basically what they did in Afghanistan a few years ago... and how is that going, exactly?

[DIGI_Byte]

well its not an organized group like the taliban
and they arn't organized like war criminals, I imagine them closer to mexican drug dealers that bet on rooster fighting, during the day they go about their own business etc etc

it should be organised by the local government and they should ask for international help, thats what the UN is for? although we need a SWAT version of the UN
and as for that taliban prick, they got him, im not askign to carpet bomb the place, just a setup like a drug bust

it is human life they should be trying to preserve

and besides i was talkign about in the extreme, it would be nice if that could happen, but politics is lazy and to passive, to worried about treaties instead of just saying there's a problem and they need help

[Pasidon]

Psshh... Digy is fine.  One is allowed to observe in their own way.  

[OmegaBolt]

Aaaaanyway, incredible work Hostile. Not sure what I can offer as an unemployed filmmaker and the very bottom the wrung in the UK but if there is anything I can do I would like to. Maybe the people of Revora can be put to some use.

 

Also would be very nice to see some Atheist Missionaries spreading knowledge, understanding and technology instead of the religious variants that credit it all to God.

[Pasidon]

That may be hypocritical.

[Hostile]

Can you imagine how simple it is to help me? While I love the idea of poor people sending other poor people money, I also understand the strength of social networking. Push the button on the website people. I put them there for a reason. You know those shiny candy like buttons. Push them we need that.

 

We also are working on the corrupt politicians who buy the potions made by the witchdoctors. See the system is a circle. Rich people buy potions, witch doctors make potions, no one asks any questions. I am here to break that circle at my own demise if necessary.

[Pasidon]

Ok, now you lost me.

[Hostile]

Nevermind...

I almost forgot my wife set up a cafepress account and now we sell mugs for the charity.

 

http://www.cafepress...e_mug,739779924

[Pasidon]

Not a mug user, but I may be a fan of that sack pack...

[Banshee]

Their mugs are great. I still use daily the one from CnC3.net that you gave me back in 2006, Eric .