This is a more serious post. I am being told by all our Burkanabe family and my friend who is living in Ouaga that there is a very drastic food shortage right now in Burkina.
I am being told that the reason is the very high oil prices. So if anyone doesn't understand inflation since it has been so long since it was a problem in the US, I will help put it into perspective.
The average Burkanabe family earns $300-$500 yearly. A 50lb bag of rice that used to be $25.00 is now about $30.00. Corn has been high for a few years, and cooking oil is now about 25% higher. However, wages are not increasing.
This means great hardship for those folks who already struggle just to feed their families.
Because of the scarcity there are reports of merchants using fillers and additives to stretch their meager supplies and not all are safe.
This means soaps and toothpastes, etc are also running very, very expensive.
Refrigerated items are not available at all. That means all dairy and probably eggs for those folks who don't keep chickens. There are some reserve stocks of irradiated milk that are still available. (Must be something like the old condensed milk from my childhood)
All this means that anyone who does have a little may also be a target for theft. I am thinking about the last box we sent that was shanghaied before it made it to Grandma's postal box. All reports are that it cleared customs, but it never made it to the postal box. It was sheets, towels and soap.
We really take things for granted here in the US. Yes, America has a few problems, BUT we have no idea or appreciation for the daily struggles that go on for most of the world just to eat and keep a roof over their heads. There is no time for contemplating your navel when you work from dawn till dusk just to produce basics of life.
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