Most of us in the developed world live with some consistency. Ever noticed how, payday to payday, you can sort of settle into the routine. You get paid, you eat and sleep and travel and work, and then you get paid again.
About a quarter of the adults in the world have a regular paying job, maybe 30+ hours a week. The rest of the world folks are perhaps like the Lamalera whale chasers who depend on catching a whale every couple of months so they and their children can eat. Some years are better than others.
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| At the end of the day, poppa gives the kids a chance to play in the boat. |
In the developed countries, you'll get paid more in one day than a family makes in a month in the developing world.
Folks who fish to feed their families are being put out of business by big industry. Kind of like when Walmart started putting an end to the mom and pop businesses. Fishermen in western Africa have seen a 90% decline in pelagic fish populations due to overfishing by outsiders. It's mostly illegal. Now local folks have to work harder, sail farther, and get less.
And sometimes, our friends (right) tell us, they come home at the end of the day with nothing at all. Rich countries fishing illegally did that to them.
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| Folks here are among the world's nicest, and it's as beautiful a place as any in the world, but it's difficult to get an adequate diet for your kids. About a quarter are undernourished. |
They're doing their best to defend their territorial waters and put the illegal players out of business. We're helping with that; we work with navy and coast guard groups for training, international cooperation, and technology. There's a lot to be done and meanwhile, they've got kids to feed and keep in school.
You can lend a hand, if you like. Or better yet, you can go see for yourself. And take your kids along. It'll change the way you feel about being rich and perhaps give you some ideas for getting involved in the real world.. :)