The babies are counting on us

Babies are a big responsibility. They need to be helped with everything and fussed over 24 hours a day in the beginning. Children are very important in First Nations and often, in remote Native communities, many members of the town will assist in raising them.
We Cree welcome newborns no matter how, when or why they have come into this world. A newborn is often cared for by the parents, grand parents, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. Everyone pitches in to help out.
At times when there is only a single parent or none at all then the community finds a way to help a child. Although life is not as easy as it is in other non Native parts of Canada, First Nation people always try to provide for children.
In some parts of the world this is not possible at any level and just surviving is a constant struggle. In many parts of Africa and other third world countries, babies don't get the same chance as those born in the first world. I know by my own experience that opportunities for children in First Nations in Canada are not equal to what is available to the non-Native community. This includes adequate clean drinking water, decent accommodation, a good education and sufficient nutrition. When you think about it, we all bear a little bit of responsibility for the new generations that join us all over the world. We should take every opportunity there is to reach out and help make sure that new life is nurtured and that means that we have to make the world a better place.
Thousands of babies die every day all over the world because their families do not have access to clean and proper drinking water, enough food to eat and a warm and dry place to live. In tropical countries many babies and children are infected by malaria and dengue which are carried by mosquitoes. Something as simple as a mosquito net could have saved a baby's life.
In many countries newborns and children are the casualties of war. Most of the time these wars are being fought for money, oil and other natural resources. Governments and companies make up all kinds of excuses to carry on these wars but really it has always come down to money. History has proven time after time that it is always the most fragile that are sacrificed when it comes to the struggle for resources and the almighty dollar. Still, people fall in love, hope springs eternal and babies are born.
This week I got news that friends of mine recently became parents to baby boys. Kathryn and Marc Renaud celebrated the birth of their baby boy Benson Andrew Renaud on March 3. Andrew and Carmen Swartz had their second child Cameron Jacob Swartz on March 30. I know that these lucky baby boys will get the best possible start in life with the love and guidance of these good people.
It put a smile on my face to know that although many of my older family members and friends seem to be fading, a new generation is popping up looking toward the future. However, it makes me think that we have to be very strong and vigilant at a time in history where it seems like dark forces are trying to discredit fair, intelligent, sensitive and creative politicians, scientists, educators and free thinkers. We have to make sure that we will have a kinder, gentler and more comfortable world for all those babies that are joining us. We need to make sure that we are not fooled by those who want to make us believe that there is no global warming and that pollution does not cause it. We must stand up against those who want to return us to a day when health care was privately run, when pensions were low or did not exist at all, where the very rich controlled everything and people were more or less slaves. The babies are counting on us.www.underthenorthernsky.com