NIGERIA-by Paula Heras

Nigeria

Today, when I went shopping I realized that with the money that I was spending for something as basic and simple as a pair of shoes, I would be able to support an entire family in Nigeria, Africa, for approximately two months.

 

The average salary of a Nigerian is around 40 to 50 euros. With that money not only do Nigerians have trouble supporting themselves, furthermore, they encounter great difficulty on a day to day basis providing basic needs for their families and the ones they love most. They have to pay for their houses, water, electricity and other essentials and the salary given does not pay for a lifestyle which the majority of my classmates and I enjoy.  Having been born in Madrid, I have  never felt uneasy or troubled in a serious manner, however safety and other nessesities do not come easy to those living in the country of Nigeria. I personally feel sorry for the people living in Nigeria. They are not given the same opportunities as I, and are not able to see the world in a positive light. The citizens of Nigeria are not given a choice and are left poverty stricken without any other option. I want the best for these people and I believe they deserve something better such as the schooling Jesus Maria is offering.

It´s so unfair that 93 out of 1000 children are dying in Nigeria because their parents don´t have enough money to support them or because they passed away because of the lack of food and the severity of hunger throughout the country. Sometimes we don´t realize that we have so many things to be thankful for, that we have so many things that we actually don´t need, too many clothes in the closet that we never wear. We are wasteful and as a whole need to reach out to areas similar to Nigeria and lend a helping hand to those in need. The Spanish population tends to be wasteful along with others such as america's. Millions of euros of food are thrown out each year, but in order for world hunger to seize, changes resulting in progress need to occur.  Someone or some group needs to get the ball rolling and change the outlook on poverty and turn the negative into positive.

Nevertheless we are always complaining and saying that we want new mobile phones or that we need more clothes. As a whole we need to  stop with this attitude and focus primarily on the things truly in need. Jesús Maria is up for the challenge and is working to provide love and affection along with food and supplies to Nigeria.

On the other hand it has been scientically studied that the people that live in the poorest continents, the country of Nigeria in the continent of Africa for example, are amongst the happiest places in the world.

Why is that?

Simple, they dont focus on what they can´t have, but rather on what they do. They are always smiling because they are thankful for something as simple as being alive,  they are not focused on being materialistic, clothes, money, or even food, but rather on love, friendship and hope.

I wish we all were that way, the world would most definitely be a better place.