How to make a difference on Christmas Day

It's uncomfortable reading for Christmas Day whilst surrounded by family and friends in a warm and safe environment, but I highly recommend visiting Medecins Sans Frontieres' list of the ten most important humanitarian crises of 2008.

As ever, childhood malnutrition features in the list:

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there are 178 million children suffering from undernutrition across the globe. All told, malnutrition contributes to 3.5 to 5 million deaths in children under five each year.

...as does Zimbabwe:

The first months of 2008 marked a period of further economic meltdown and political violence throughout Zimbabwe. While the country has been in crisis for years, the situation deteriorated to ever more alarming levels, with inflation of 231 million percent, shortages of essential goods, repression of opposition supporters, and additional restrictions on humanitarian organizations in the lead up to contested elections in June.

The crisis was especially troubling for the country’s estimated two million people living with HIV/AIDS. According to the United Nations, life expectancy in Zimbabwe has plummeted to just 34 years of age because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As a result of the crisis, many people undergoing treatment were forced to skip meals, unable to afford bus fares to clinics, or were simply too afraid to leave their homes.

Another shameful situation is the rise in HIV/Tuberculosis co-infection:

Every year, tuberculosis (TB) kills about 1.7 million people and 9 million develop active disease. TB is on the rise in countries with high HIV rates, particularly in southern Africa, which has the highest rates of HIV. Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death for people living with HIV/AIDS, and in the past 15 years, new TB cases have tripled in countries with high HIV prevalence. People living with HIV/AIDS are up to 50 times more likely to develop active TB in a given year compared with HIV-negative individuals, and roughly a third of the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide are infected with latent TB. Yet, in 2006 less than one percent of people living with HIV/AIDS were screened for TB.

If this makes you upset or depressed, remember, you can do something about this.

Supporting one of these charities through regular monthly donations will make a difference to the lives of many, many other people around the world:

• Medecins Sans Frontieres
• Oxfam
• International Committee of the Red Cross

Merry Christmas!