For the most part, we have a general consensus of what poverty is and what it entails. Upon coming on the trip we spent hours talking about it and preparing for what it might look virtually and outside of what we are used to.
We have been in india for about a week, and we are still shocked on a daily basis of the things we see when walking the streets, from outside the place we are staying to the sites that we are volunteering. On the sidewalk there are groups of families that seek shelter on the pavement.
A new born baby - maybe three to four-days-old lies on her mother's lap as the mother is feeding herself and another young child.
A man sleeping on the trunk of a tree without covers as flies are just passing and pausing on his body.
A woman with three kids, lying on a cart and asking passersby for change or a meal to feed her kids and herself.
Further ahead, countless older and younger men lying on a mat for some shut eye. Another ten steps, four or six for those who are tall, a group of males, young and old, bathing in an open source of water to shower, a water the color of tan with a hint of green that we, as Americans back home could not fathom stray animals or our pet to bathe or drink from.
I don't know how to articulate how it makes me feel; it makes me angry but I don't want to pity them. It makes me want to stare at them but i know how that feels. As a Black American woman I get stared at on a daily basis, sometimes more than my peers in the group who have lighter skin than me. It makes me want to take care of it but i am not sure on how to do that.
How can we effectively help our global neighbors? This is an important question because, as a golbal citizen it is our duty to give what we can when we can. That's the essence of love and of loving others. [Of course we cannot forget our own backyard, but this is about our global friends right now.]
Going back to the question, for me it is with my time, traveling 14-20 hours across the globe to give my time, for you this could be giving your time as well, or donating money, sending out your prayers, encouraging others to take a risk and giving up their afternoon or a vacation time in order to give back.
What did your mom teach you about sharing? It's caring! We can all care.
In india, lack of resources is evident on the streets -many people do not have jobs. The majority of people here lack financial capabilities, so then they lack food, shelter, BUT not family. And to support their family, some of them, usually women, turn to prostitution.
The workers at FreeSet were forced to sell their bodies in order to survive. Now they can builid security for themselves and their family.
The Fault In Our Stars... this is a book title and an up-coming motion picture. I chose this as our entry title for today because four out of the ten of us have read this book and realized how the title is in correlation with the work and what we are seeing in India. We are all start, it just so happens that we cannot shine at the same time. As humans we cannot command things, but we can command ourselves! We can not prevent someone from being poor, or unhealthy -we cannot help everyone, but everyone can help somone.
So I leave you with this quote:
"Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love?" [Fulton J. Sheen]
With love we can move montains, so why not use it to help ourselves and those in need.
Namaste to you!
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