10/31
I now what it feels like to be Santa Claus. Actually, Santa Claus is a gross understatement based on the experience I had today.
In the desert surrounding Kabul at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, thousands of people live in poor, depressing refugee camps. The camp I visited today is home to more than 500 families, all scrapping to get by. They have little food, no running water and their cloths are ripped and dirty. Malaria is a huge problem. So is the oncoming winter weather. Last year, this camp lost six children to the freezing cold temperatures.
Our convoy of ten vehicles and two trucks delivered cloths, blankets, toys and food to the camp. If you’ve ever seen sharks swarm a fresh kill, it was sort of like that. Each member of the military had backpacks stuffed with goodies, and as each pack was opened, the children attacked. There was no orderly distribution. They grabbed anything and everything they could get their hands on. They’d even fight over a pair of shoes, usually with one pair being split between two people. But one shoe apiece is more than what they had before we arrived.
One of them even made off with my expensive Blackhawk backpack. But can you blame them? These people have nothing.
What saddens my heart the most are the children who are the same age as my own kids; 3 and 5 years old. The children here have so little and Kathryn and Charlie have everything. They’re royalty compared to these refugees. One little boy (pictured above) was so small he was trampled by the mob, walking away empty handed. I picked him up, wiped away his tears and carried him to my secret stash. All I could give him was a stuffed Pooh Bear and a candy bar, but it made him happy. If I was given the opportunity to adopt the kid on the spot, I would have done it.
Sadly, we were only allowed to stay 45 minutes for security reason.
I despise Angelina Jolie and Madonna because I think they've only adopted refuee children for publicity reasons. But after experiencing this refugee camp today, any home, even Madonna's, is better than this place.
I now what it feels like to be Santa Claus. Actually, Santa Claus is a gross understatement based on the experience I had today.
In the desert surrounding Kabul at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, thousands of people live in poor, depressing refugee camps. The camp I visited today is home to more than 500 families, all scrapping to get by. They have little food, no running water and their cloths are ripped and dirty. Malaria is a huge problem. So is the oncoming winter weather. Last year, this camp lost six children to the freezing cold temperatures.
Our convoy of ten vehicles and two trucks delivered cloths, blankets, toys and food to the camp. If you’ve ever seen sharks swarm a fresh kill, it was sort of like that. Each member of the military had backpacks stuffed with goodies, and as each pack was opened, the children attacked. There was no orderly distribution. They grabbed anything and everything they could get their hands on. They’d even fight over a pair of shoes, usually with one pair being split between two people. But one shoe apiece is more than what they had before we arrived.
One of them even made off with my expensive Blackhawk backpack. But can you blame them? These people have nothing.
What saddens my heart the most are the children who are the same age as my own kids; 3 and 5 years old. The children here have so little and Kathryn and Charlie have everything. They’re royalty compared to these refugees. One little boy (pictured above) was so small he was trampled by the mob, walking away empty handed. I picked him up, wiped away his tears and carried him to my secret stash. All I could give him was a stuffed Pooh Bear and a candy bar, but it made him happy. If I was given the opportunity to adopt the kid on the spot, I would have done it.
Sadly, we were only allowed to stay 45 minutes for security reason.
I despise Angelina Jolie and Madonna because I think they've only adopted refuee children for publicity reasons. But after experiencing this refugee camp today, any home, even Madonna's, is better than this place.
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