Monday, January 30, 2006

LESSON IN HUMANITY

I want to tell you a more personal account of people having thier eyes wide shut to what's really going on.

My Nan (Inlaw) is 82 yrs old.
She currently lives on her own, in her own home which she manages to clean, maintain, secure herself. She is relatively healthy with only a few complaints one of which is padgents diseaes making her bones ache and weak.
In the last few years she has been admitted to hospital with severe Gall Stones, during the operation she had to be resuscitated which resulted in a neck fracture.
Within a few months she lost her son to a very invasive throat cancer, she nursed him through.
Lost her war veteran husband to a stroke.
Discovered she had Bowel Cancer, had it removed and now all clear.
Had a very bad fall smashing in her front teeth, badly bruised and battered black and blue.

Now why am i telling you this?

Family!
Her family have left her to cope with all of this on her own. They don't phone or no longer visit.
After her raising her daughters children, caring for everyone she is left to suffer quietly.

More recently there has been a few family fued for which she has been blamed although she had nothing to do with any of them and after having her Grandson repeatedly abuse her verbally she threw him out of the house. Her daughter brought her boyfriend to back her up with a premeditated fight leaving a letter behind to further upset her and the rest of the family tell her to get over it.

Her family are now gold digging, waiting for her to die to get thier share, they openly laugh about how long they have to wait. They in the past have searched her house for coins of value left by her late husband and tried to control her executive powers in regards to her will.

Now i believe at 82yrs of age you deserve some respect.

It has all come down to money.

$$$$$$$$$$

Her whole life she's worked hard, loved and given and now she needs her family the most she's alone. It disgusts me! So many families are like this.

Not only family but the local tradesmen who never show up or rip her off, the telemarketers that prey on her and the complete disregard for the elderly in the community should all be ashamed by this. Veterans Affairs have all but ceased payments for anything nessesary. They dictate when she needs new glasses, teeth, hearing aids etc. They make her sign form after form for the same rubbish each year when she has trouble doing so. Telstra charge her more for a hearing impared phone and the list goes on.

Why is this so in Australian culture?
Look at the Aboriginies who hold thier elderly in high esteem and learn from them.
The Greeks love and live family there are so many culture where the elderly are treated with respect and here in Australia where we are supposedly so proud of our multiculturalism we cannot take a lesson from such cultures.

I've rambled enough but my story is not the only one. Elderly deserve more and when we cry about in humane treatment why not look a little closer to home.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

WORLD VISION
SMILES IS A GIFT CATALOGUE THROUGH WORLD VISION WHERE YOU CAN DONATE TO THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES ALL SORTS OF THINGS. THESE ARE NOT ONLY GIFTS TO THOSE COMMUNITIES BUT ALSO YOUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS WHO RECIEVE A CARD STATING YOU HAVE DONATED ON THEIR BEHALF. WONDERFULL IDEA HELPING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. SEE BELOW.
How Smiles change lives

Smiles gifts really do change lives!
Smiles gifts really do change lives! Last year, Australians helped us deliver unique and useful gifts to thousands of children, families and communities in need, spreading smiles around the world.
Smiles Gift Catalogue update 2004 - 2005
Gifts ordered
As of 8 August 2005, our supporters have ordered $2.8 million worth of life-changing gifts:
10,742 gifts of immunisation to protect children in Tanzania from deadly diseases.
9,521 sets of 5 chickens to families in need.
8,080 goats to provide families in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe with fresh milk.
5,957 blankets to keep children warm and help ward off sickness in Bangladesh and India.
3,513 gifts of eye surgery and treatment for children in Ethiopia to help prevent or reverse blindness.
3,152 ‘veggie packs’ to help families in Angola grow their own food.
2,127 sets of 2 mosquito nets to prevent children from malaria in Rwanda.
2,106 school kits to enable children in Honduras to receive the education they deserve.
1,827 packs of emergency relief supplies to help families survive a crisis.
1,067 kits to provide traditional birth attendants with everything they need to safely deliver babies.
759 toilets to protect communities in Malawi from disease.
328 buffaloes to provide milk and plough fields for families in India.
158 gifts of surgery and hospital treatment to help children with disabilities in Chad walk.
35 areas of 100 hectares planted with trees to help with reforestation in Mongolia.
14 gifts of shelter and food for HIV/AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe.
6 wells and training to provide safe, clean drinking water for communities in Malawi.
Gifts delivered
Most of these gifts are in the process of being delivered. However, some items, such as surgery for children with disabilities, eye operations, reforestation and shelter for HIV/AIDS orphans, will take longer.
In particular, due to the generosity of our supporters’ response, it will take two years to complete the delivery of surgery for children with disabilities in Chad. Only a certain number of operations and rehabilitation programs can be performed at one time.
World Vision is committed to transparency in how our funds are used and will continue to update our supporters on the progress of delivering gifts. More detailed information about the delivery of each gift is listed below:
Immunisations: 18,810 children under 5 will be immunised in Tanzania. Local health workers have been trained and a mobile clinic supplied. Support from the Tanzanian government has reduced the costs of immunisations. Therefore, additional funds have been provided to Southern Sudan to run an immunisation and health program. In Sudan, 4,500 children and pregnant mothers will be immunised and 20 community volunteers trained in healthcare.
5 chickens: 4,000 sets of 5 chickens (20,000 chickens) have been delivered in East Timor. Due to bird flu, chickens were unable to be delivered in Cambodia. Instead, funds were transferred to Afghanistan where 2,000 sets of 5 chickens (10,000 chickens) will be delivered by 23 September 2005. Palestine has delivered the remaining 251 sets of 5 chickens (1,255 chickens).
Goats: Funds have been supplied to Bangladesh for 2,080 goats. Distribution will be complete by 30 September 2005. Zimbabwe will deliver 6,000 goats by 23 September.
Blankets: 4,407 blankets were distributed in India by 30 June 2005. 1,550 blankets will be distributed in Bangladesh by 30 September.
Eye surgery: Funds for 3,513 eye operations have been supplied to Ethiopia. Operations have begun and are expected to be completed by March 2007. This gift was planned as a two-year project.
Veggie packs: 3,152 packs are currently being delivered in Afghanistan and will be complete by 30 September 2005.
Mosquito nets: 2,217 sets of 2 mosquito nets were distributed in Rwanda by 30 July 2005.
School kits: 2,106 school kits will be distributed in Honduras by 31 August 2005.
Emergency relief supplies: Update available soon.
Traditional birth attendant kits: 1,067 kits will be purchased in Somalia.
Toilets: Funds have been supplied to Malawi for 759 toilets. They will be completed by 30 September 2005.
Buffalos: 328 buffalo were delivered in India by 30 June 2005.
Surgery for children with disabilities: Funds for surgery for 158 children with disabilities have been supplied to Chad. Operations have begun and are expected to be completed by September 2006. This gift was planned as a two-year project.
Reforestation: Update available soon.
Shelter and food for HIV/AIDS orphans: 14 shelters are currently being constructed in Zimbabwe.
Wells: Update available soon.