In Syria, Children Eat Leaves from Trees to Fight Starvation

Starvation. It is an experience that many of us have never gone through but millions of people in the world have to go through it every day.   That is Syria in 2016. Activists in Syria reported and showed pictures of Syrians starving and  dying because of the lack of food. Pictures of an elder man with ribs protruding from his chest, lying down his back and of a child crying wearing nothing but a thin cotton pant.  These starving Syrians come from a small town called Madaya, south of Syria, bordering Lebanon. The children and older men of the town eat  soup made from leaves and grass. And if they want rice, that would cost them more than $100. Yes, dollars. More than most Americans would ever spent on a kilo of rice.  Some children have not eaten for more than seven days.

Hearing these stories should make us feel grateful to be able to live in a country where we have all the necessary. If we have a roof over our head, then we are safe. If we have enough food on our table, then we are blessed. Millions of people do not have access to a shelter and even food and they do not have a choice but to live that way as it is the way of life for them.  For most of us, we should use this opportunity to count our blessings every day and to remember that every meal that we eat is an experience that millions of people in the world do not have.