Toys for rich kids would change the lives of Africa`s poor kids

In the article ‘Let the rich forego toys for their kids, buy food for starving ones’ published on 20^th, July, 2011, in the New Vision (a Ugandan daily). The author, Dr. Opiyo Oloya, a Ugandan Doctor living in Toronto, urges rich families to reduce on their expenditure on Kids` toys in order to save the starving world. He says, “Here then is my simplistic proposal. Let every middle class family on the globe, in the developing and developed worlds, forgo toys for their children for the next several months, including the coming Christmas which is just five months away. In lieu of the toys, let them fork the money into a global fund for feeding starving children in Somalia and elsewhere where children are struggling to survive”. What Dr. Opiyo forgets to mention is the fact that his proposal would solve more than just starvation, but also other major problems that children in the developing world face, like lack of education and proper medication.

Over 28 million children in Africa are malnourished and most of them also lack proper education. According to the USAID 2005 report, there are 46 million school-age African children who have never stepped into a classroom, and out of the 300 million people who die of Malaria annually in Africa, 90% are children.

The $ 2.78b fortune Nintendo made last year in profits would be enough to equip several schools with reading material, and also stock drugs in the ill equipped hospitals and medical centers.

According to Dr. Opiyo, his children hardly use a particular toy for more than a week. As time goes, a better toy gets on the market, and when the new one is bought, attention is diverted from the previous. The now ‘abandoned toy’ is stored in boxes, almost brand new. Opiyo says that this habit is common in the developing world but has also sadly invaded the middle class families in the developing world. Unlike kids from the developing world who seek entertainment from the toys they make with their own hands with any metal and wood they might salvage, their developed counterparts seek entertainment from luxurious manufactured toys and watching movies. This justifies the difference in the obesity rates between the poor and rich kids. According to the American Heart Association, the number of obese children aged 6-11 has raised from a mere 4% in 1971 to 17% in 2006.

If rich families forgo toys for their children and instead give their money to help developing countries for at least five months in a year, not only would the poor African kids have food on their tables, an education, and good medication, but  the rich kids would have other means of entertainment like having regular exercises in their play grounds. This would greatly reduce the obesity rates that they suffer. This kind of sacrifice would produce a two-way benefit.

As Joy of a Child Ministry, we believe that giving is better than receiving, it releases God`s blessings onto whoever has given. Give today towards the Joy of a Child ministry, and you will be saving and bringing joy to the heart of a child.

Blog by Joseph Ochwo