
Many of us see our lives as normal.  We don’t focus very often about going to school, living in a large, comfortable house, eating whenever we are hungry or any of the other everyday things that we do virtually without thinking.  To us, these things are normal.  This is how we live our lives.  However, sometimes it is important to stop and realize that our lives are anything but normal.  In fact, the comforts and security that we are fortunate enough to have in the United States and other developed countries is by no means “normal” to the majority of the world’s population.  It is estimated that 80% of the world lives in poverty and that 80% of the world spends $10 or less a day. This level of poverty, along with regional wars, religious and racial persecution, has resulted in an epidemic of malnutrition in many parts of the world.  Approximately 12.9% of the world population is considered to be malnourished living in situations that prevent them from eating any food for days or more.  That is one out of every nine people!  How is it possible that we take any of our gifts and good fortune for granted when so much of the world is struggling simply to feed themselves?  I have been blessed to grow up in a privileged family.  We live in a $2 million house on a golf course and I am able to attend a wonderful university that costs over $40,000 a year.  I like to think that I appreciated my comfortable life, but after seeing this photo, it is clear to me that I really had little appreciation for the gap between my life and those many people throughout the world who are far less fortunate than I.  So what is it about this image that sends to me such a strong message?

The first thing I noticed in the picture were the two hands.  These hands take up the majority of the photograph.  The hands draw your attention to the point where you initially don’t notice anything else in the picture; only the hands.  So what is it that we can learn or interpret from the hands?  First, there is almost a physical response to the small size of the undernourished hand.  It is so small and feeble that, although we speculate that we are looking at a child’s hand, we question whether it can really be the hand of a human being.  The weak looking fingers and the unnaturally thin arm almost makes it look like the leg of a bird.  It makes you question how a child’s body can be so unhealthy.  It is very clear that the poor condition of the child is because the child is near death because of lack of proper nutrition.  The adult hand that holds the child’s is the hand of a well-nourished, healthy male.  This is the missionary mentioned in the title of the photograph who is visiting the area of the sick child to help in any way he can.  By holding the child’s hand, the missionary is providing comfort and support, both physically and spiritually.  But what really strikes me is the way they touch hands.  The man is extremely gentle.  He does not grip the child’s hand, but offers his hand to support the child; to hold the child’s hand in a way to can make the child feel like everything is going to be okay.  The two hands in this picture create conflicting emotions of sadness and hope.  The ability to create hope in a time and place of great sadness motivates people to act in a positive way and a feeling that if they do act, they can make an important and positive difference.

Although the child is a central figure in the picture, he or she is not the only person suffering from this horrible situation.  Others are starving as well.  As you look more broadly at the picture, you begin to notice that other people are surrounding the two central people in the picture.  You can see multiple sets of legs and shadows.  The people in the background are not wearing shoes and they are very thin.  This suggests that the suffering is wide spread and not an isolated incident.  If you were to want to make a difference, this single, little child wouldn’t be the only person affected; you would be helping many more people.  Nearly 800 million people in the world lack the nutrition necessary to live a healthy life.  The way they surround the two people holding hands also has a meaning.  It tells me they are standing united during a difficult time.  These people also require assistance, but they stand back and do not crowd the missionary.  They allow the missionary to provide some comfort to the child.  This child’s hand represents not just this one individual, but also all of the other people in the background that can be seen and not even seen.  This child represents one-ninth of the world!  This picture serves an important role by forcing people of privilege, people like me to see how imperfect the world is and how we might be able to get more involved.  If more people learn of this pandemic going on in many areas of the world, maybe they will get involved and hopefully play a role in positive changes.  The 20% of the world above the poverty line must take action and combine our resources to fight off this famine.

Another focal point of the image is the use of shadow. Everyone has a shadow coming off of them in the photo.  It serves as a symbol for the forgotten soles, starving every day. People of foreign countries are suffering from lack of simple needs.  The shadows may be forgotten, but they are not lost.  The shadows are still visible and that should tell people there is still time to turn things around.  But the shadows show another side to the picture.  It shows the people are still alive and ready to be fought for, but it won’t be easy.  The dark blackness the shadows bring show the situation they are in is a bad one.  This situation can’t be waited on any longer.  There might be hope, but if there is any chance of turning things around, the more fortunate like ourselves need to step up and help make a difference before that hope disappears forever.

Every aspect of this visual text screams “help me”!  It also suggests that help can come in very simple ways, such as a supportive hand to hold another.  Poverty is a pandemic that has been running rampant for thousands of years throughout the world, but this picture offers the simple solution.  It inspires hope.  Not only to those in need, but also to those who might not appreciate that their small contributions can make a difference.  We all have seen pictures of starving people, many of which use the faces of famished children to send messages, but those pictures often send a message of hopelessness.  This picture suggests that small gestures, whether it is a small financial donation or simply holding the hand of someone in need, can make a big difference and inspire hope in all of us. 
