Responding To Images Of Children In The News: 10 Things You Can Do

Responding to Images of Children in the News: 10 Things You Can Do
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To look at the image of the child from Syria, Omran Daqneesh, pulled from the rubble, a photo taken by Mahmoud Raslan, is to recall similar photos of children, from war, from bombs, from shootings. As a child, I remember well the image of Kim Phuc, a child my age, running with burns from napalm in Vietnam. World news supplies us with images of children, helpless in the face of the horror they have just witnessed.

We feel like voyeurs, looking in on the situation, from a safe distance, with no skin off our backs. I know, though, that there are those of us who look at such photos, like this small child on a big chair, bloody, dusty, in shock, and we wonder, “What can I do? What can I do to help?”

We’ll have more moments like this.

Yet, still there are things we can do, wherever we are in the world. We too, as observers, are not helpless. We can help. We can do something for one child who is not our own, because for most of us, we want very much to love and care for our own children, bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh. We see in Omran’s dusty body our own children, and that’s what pierces us, if we actually look very long at the photo. Here are some ideas, if you, like me, were riveted and heartsick at the image of Omran.

  1. School Stuff: Buy a new backpack and school supplies for a child at a local school and deliver it to the school. You can find school supply lists on-line per school, per grade.
  2. Baby Stuff: Purchase diapers and baby supplies for a food pantry (these tend to be in low supply)
  3. Help Out: Contribute time, energy, or money to a local group like Boys and Girls Clubs of America
  4. Tutor: Tutor or befriend a child at a local school in a “Lunch Buddies” group.
  5. Mentor a Teenager: Help a high school student. Serve as a mentor for a teenager who is considering college. Help that teen navigate the decisions that are right for her/him, which can include on-line classes, community college classes, going to a university, etc. Often teens can get overwhelmed with these decisions. Help one make decisions. As a college instructor, I’m telling you, this is a valuable service, for a young person to know they have someone in their corner as they navigate their futures.
  6. Give Internationally. The options can be overwhelming. Have a charity or cause you love? Check it out at https://www.charitynavigator.org so you know how it ranks with other charities helping children. Here’s an example of a charity with specific, tangible needs: Butterfly Hospice provides palliative care to orphaned, abandoned and very sick babies and children in China is in need of sponsors for diapers, paying the nannies, or buying a crib.
  7. Go International by Literally Going International: Rev up your passport. Volunteer at http://chinaorphans.org/volunteer/
  8. Look: Keep your eyes and ears peeled for children in need in your community. Having worked as a social worker, I know adults who say, “No one ever helped me as a child, even when it was clear I needed help.” There are currently more than 400,000 children in foster care in the United States, and that is one vital way to be of help. Another is to notice the child with no winter coat, the one who never has any adults around, the one who is walking alone where she or he should not be walking alone, and to be a trusted adult for that child.
  9. Surf: My friend Gunter Nitsch was once a Prussian refugee, in WWII, and here’s his story. Surf the web and become informed on-line about the plight of refugees, how you can help, what the real issues are, where there are organizations providing real aid.
  10. Pray or Meditate or Just Get Quiet: There is a plethora of negative news. Be part of the good news that is out there, by sharing your positive energy in the world. This takes work, but you are up to the challenge. If you can be quiet even for a bit, the right action presents itself.

Do: It’s so easy to look at a photo, perhaps tear up, and then get on with our lives as if that photo did not speak to us, and stop us in our tracks. Do one thing for one child not your own. Report back if you want, or if you have further ideas. The image of one child, shell-shocked and alone can move us to tears, and to action. I hope the image of Omran Daqneesh can do just that. Today Omran’s brother Ali died from injuries sustained from the blast. We wish for Omran and his family, comfort and peace on this day of great loss.

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