The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Interesting post Woodson. I'm actually at this moment finishing a documentary for UNICEF that relates to the theme childhood under threat. The film is about Swaziland, currently the number one AIDS affected country in the world with about 50,000 orphaned children out of a total population of one million.

Before you come down hard on UNICEF I can tell you that it's one of the few UN agencies that deserves credit for actually doing something right. The UN has a reputation of being corrupt, beurocratic, and inefficient, and while I agree that that does exist in the UN, UNICEF is a unique exception to that.

I've seen first hand and shot and edited films covering their work, and while I won't give money I've more than done my part to reverse the plague.

I don't think the report is political, but it is social. And there are things you can do. It's easy to say, phuck it, not my problem, to call it a corrupt organization, but that doesn't change the situation.

The reality on the ground is very grim and the last time I shot here it almost drove me crazy. You don't have to do anything at all, and there's no pressure to, but even taking a local interest in community work can be very fulfilling.

An unexpected result from this experience has been that it's made me look at fictional storytelling differently. We put a lot of emphasis on technical know how, but I think character is really important for filmmaking. Sorry if this sounds preachy. I know the reality of where the statistics spring from and it pisses me off to no end that statistics overshadow what is happening. The films I've worked on get past the statistics and put a human face to percentages.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Looks like my little bit of political incorrectness sparked quite an interesting conversation. I don't want to sound like I want to take the credit for it though - it was probably bound to happen anyway.

I'd like to comment on what someone said: It's a social issue more than political. It's numbers and statistics that move it to the political arena. One suffering child is one too many. X% statistics (of anything, not just child poverty), when cited in a social context, is a direct attack on your vote and your pocket. IMHO.

I was also thinking last night - and this should probably be another thread altogether - about what someone said about dinner parties and such. I know we are, above all, DVXUsers here, of all stripes and interests - video professionals, aspiring filmmakers, amateurs, lurkers. It's the DVX we are primarily interested in.

BUT!

We all intend to do something with the DVX. I have absolutely nothing against any ethical use of DVX, be it a music video, a wedding, a political satire, a documentary, or just shooting memories for your family. The point is that whatever we do, it says something about who we are and what we are trying to do. Woodson is a compassionate person who wants to help kids, and I can see him doing a documentary on the subject.

I am a passionate person whose people have twice in the last century fallen the victim of totalitarian regimes (Nazi & Communism), partially because of lofty rhetoric about social equality, bright future, eradication of this or that social ill.

While I respect Woodson's (and anyone else's) right to determine how they want to contribute to make the world a better place, I reserve the same right for myself. If that means that we wouldn't have much to talk about at a dinner table, well, such is life.

So - I believe most of us are here because we care of SOMETHING (otherwise we wouldn't make movies), and you can't separate a person from their passion. Reasonable and arguable differences of opinion are always better than nodding heads in unison.

End of rant.

Have a great day, and may you have good light for whatever it is you are shooting with the DVX! :)

Jerry
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

There are two things that irk me here.

1) There is no political or social grop that has not touted "it's for the children" to further their own agenda. Left wing, right wing, whatever. (I concern myself with the airplane in the middle.) Most of these organizations are bureaucratic nightmares that are so top-heavy they seem to be ready to fall over. Are there organizations that help kids? Absolutely. Should you do your part? Sure. But it's up to you to decide what you are obligated to do. Not some politicoreligiousadministrative lackey who is spouting skewed and self-serving statistics.

2) Canada and the US are two of the few places in the world where people living in "poverty" have cable tv and a microwave.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

1) There is no political or social grop that has not touted "it's for the children" to further their own agenda. Left wing, right wing, whatever.
Click to expand...

UNICEF stands for United Nations Children's Fund, and it isn't touting for the children, its whole existence is based on the wellbeing of children. Not trying to stoke any flames, in fact I think we agree that the bureocracy of charities and those late night ads featuring "Ndugu" are playing on people's sympathies and loose wallets.

I felt compelled to respond to this post because I'm close to the material. There are some really amazing people working to improve things and they're aware that the umbrella of bureocracy can sometimes handcuff and hamper their efforts.

But I'll say again that no one is obligated to give to any organizations. When I look at the post again it seems a little inappropriate for DVXuser. Ehhh..anyway.

End transmission.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

I have no doubt about the intentions of the majority of the people actually doing the work. The catch 22 is that to achieve the kinds of goals that a group like UNICEF sets for itself, it needs to be very large. That leads to both corruption and inefficiency. I don't know much about UNICEF, specifically. I Imagine they have done many great things for the children of the world. I just tend to be sceptical about how many pennies of the dollar I donate wind up where they tell me it's for. (Again, speaking generally about charities, not UNICEF)
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

The whole point of Woodson's post is about doing what you can to help children in need.  And furthermore--a little reminder that even in our rich developed countries, there are still children in need.  There are a lot of ways to get involved in your community and if you're looking to maximize the potential of any charitable contributions, I find the Charity Navigator site to be invaluable.  You can see how much is spent on administrative and fundraising expenses and how much money goes toward actual charitable programs.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Please, let's not start debating the effectiveness of the UN and UN organizations.  It's become a partisan subject and I don't think it's in the spirit of the original topic.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Looks like a good resource, Barry. Who paid for the web site? ;D (sorry I couldn't resist).

Doing what we can... that's relative. In fifteenth century, you could buy 'odpustek' (forgiveness for your sins?) from the Catholic church. It sparked the first protestant wars in Bohemia in early 1400s.

Today, we buy our forgiveness by contributing to charities. Those who really want to do something are out in the field doing it - like Isaac and people he works with.

Which puts me in a bad position, I guess :-[.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

I don't think suggesting that people should question where their money goes is partisan.  And I doubt that anyone on this site doesn't understand that children all over the world need help.  It's always a good thing to have that brought to our attention though.  I just believe that throwing money at a random charity to ease your own conscience is a a disservice.  You should know who is getting the money.  That's not political.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Wow. Very intersting stuff, you all had good points.

Isaac, I would love to see the film you shot for UNICEF when it's done. Barry thank you for that link.

like I say .. All I want is to help as much as I can.. so that children can maybe get a chance at a better childhood. We are children only once. I would love to go to those suffering countries where these children are going through this and help in their communities, but right now I am not able to, so I want to donate money and maybe change few children's lifes. In the future when I am settled I would love to go to those poor countires and help those kids.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Good stuff. Keep infecting people, Wood...
Maybe you can't go, but someone can...
Maybe even someone in your neighborhood. It's like the butterfly effect minus Ashton Kutcher. There are so many ways to give, you know? You could spend time with a kid who's not poor, talk to that kid, be a positive role model in that kid who could later go on and make serious strides toward ending the hunger problem...
We can't underestimate the global impact we can have right in our own backyard. And I like what people have said about films...
We can't forget our responsibility as media makers. What if you have a unicef poster in one of your scenes? We're visual people, and the power of suggestion is strong. What about a WorldVision magazine lying on a coffeetable somewhere in a scene...I think we have more power than we know.
 
Re: The State of the World's Children Under Threat

Good points all.  

I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I have a way that I can make a difference in a few peoples lives.  What my wife and I do when we go to Peru, is take friends and they have to take two suitcases full of clothes and shoes.  We then give it all to kids and people in her town.  

We have organized our first mission trip to Peru for next June.  I hope to do a documentary about it.  I have a nephew and a brother -in- law who are doctors in Peru.  Our church will be purchasing enough medicines where we can go into several towns and hold medical missions and treat several thousand children, who don't usually get good medical care.  

We have helped my niece start a kindergarten for poor children that we support on our own.  We provide materials to help them learn some English, along with other subjects, and food so they can have two good meals, breakfast and lunch.  There are about 15 children that go.  It something I have always wanted to do, without meeting my wife I would have never been to this.  It is one of the most rewarding things to do.  

The cost for the food to feed those kids is about $60.00 a month.  It is a drop in a bucket compared to the things I have wasted money on in the past.  This what we do, this our way to help make the world a little better.  We don't give to any other organizations except the Children's Miracle Network.  That's just us, but many give and that is good.  
 
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