When I was little and I didn't want to finish my food, my mom would say stuff like, "Think of all the starving children in China." So I'd obey her and think of them. And then I'd bite my tongue to keep from saying, "Okay. Tell you what--make everyone happy. Send them these collard greens."

But how could I give them my excess? Fact was, starving and poverty-stricken kids were far removed. So were those suffering from malaria. Nobody I'd ever met worked with kids experiencing any of these difficulties.

Today lots of my friends do work with kids who are starving, suffering with AIDS, and in deep poverty. Affordable air travel, the Internet, and other easy forms of communication have shrunk the world, leaving fewer degrees of separation between needs and resources.

I suspect in years to come people will point to Boomers as the "me" generation, and frankly most of that criticism will be valid. But I also have to say it's easier to help now, to make a real difference spontaneously, than it was in the days when TV featured new episodes of "Hogan's Heroes."

If I want to help a truly starving child today, I can hop on the 'net and locate any number of profiles of kids who need my help. I can wire money. Or sign up to provide monthly support. Or if I want to help in person, I can drive eight hours south.

So here's what I don't get. Now that it's easier for one person to make an immediate difference, why haven't we eradicated malaria? Though we ran it out of the U.S. more than a half-century ago, it still affects nearly 500 million people yearly in the world's poorest countries. Especially in Africa. That continent is home to malaria in its most lethal mosquito-born form. We see celebrities raising money for AIDS, as well we should. But when was the last time we saw a rock star raising funds to buy mosquito nets?

In the time it took you to read this, two kids died of malaria. And it would've cost only ten bucks to prevent their deaths. That's the cost of a chemically-treated mosquito net with an effective range of a football field (meaning it could protect all family members).

It costs $12 million/year to treat malaria. It costs ten bucks per family to prevent it. (And dengue fever. And encephalitis.)

Think of the children. Yes, it's burdensome. But at least now it's easier to do something. As Bono said, it's not about charity, it's about justice. My favorite aid orgs are Samaritan's Purse and Compassion. What're yours?