AFRICA ETHIOPIA GELDOF
Originally uploaded by pbandj06

Hard to see or even think about but it is true and very much a reality for many all across the globe, but we will get a small glimpse at one such place where it is said that eating decomposed food helps them to stay alive.

It is called the false banana but the proper term for this plant is Ensete. There are many starving in Ethiopia that have this plant as their only means of not dying from hunger. The people eat the Ensete's root, however, the fruit itself isn't at all edible. Ethiopians do wind up burying the trunk of the false banana for 3 whole months so that it can decompose before eating, and then only a small amount of nutrients can be obtained from it. It is this false banana that is keeping many alive today in Ethiopia. It takes a long while to grow this fruit - 4 to 5 years for it to give about 40 kg of food from the root alone, therefore, if survival is based off of this fruit alone, there must be tons of these plants at all times.

                                            False Banana Tree
                                            Uploaded by debhamolsky on 6 Jan 07, 12.10AM PDT.



What happens inside of starving generations? As far as the body is concerned, there is acid build up and entire muscle breakdowns as well as organ failure. Yes it includes the heart which before it fails can possibly begin to have an irregular heartbeat. There is of course extreme sadness and pain, heartbroken families trying to feed their children and simply cannot. Innocent little babies that want to live and think that this life is normal because this is all that they have known. Lives being cut short, but they try to smile anyway.

It is heartbreaking. We need to remember that it could have been any one of us and our children. There are many ways to donate or adopt even for little money per month. This is a global shame when this has to happen anywhere in the world.

Feedthechildren.org, unicef, etc. - Find somewhere that you trust enough to donate. We can do the world good.

Making Food from False Banana
Uploaded by maddyswelt on 12 Jan 08, 11.53AM PDT.