After
spending twenty four hours swallowing the culture shocks, we were beginning to
notice more of the real India. On day
two, we were met, not only, by cultural but also substantial economic
contrasts. Throughout New Delhi, the streets are packed with beggars and poor
people, and despite having learned all this in school, experiencing it first
hand was overwhelming. We had barely set foot outside our hotel, before we were
approached by a begging mother with a crying baby on her arm. Being a wealthy
tourist, the natural reaction would be to simply give our money to this
desperate woman and her alarmingly skinny baby. But would it help?
(billede fra nettet)
Mafioso
In fact, most of the beggars are simple workers
that are “owned” by Mafioso-like bosses, whom these beggar’s lives depend on.
Therefore, this act of charity is not fulfilling its goal. And even for the
beggars that aren’t controlled from above, money for a single meal wouldn’t
help them get a job, a home or get off the streets. What does help these poor
people and their children is proper education and a safe environment, which is
exactly what the voluntary charity project “Project WHY” provides. Visiting
this project was our main purpose of the day.
Project WHY
As mentioned
“Project WHY” is a charity project depending solely on financial contributions
and voluntary workers. Their goal is to achieve a more educated India, and they
focus primarily on the extremely poor people from the slum. They teach the slum
children in special schools situated in the slum areas where the children live,
as opposed to the public schools outside the slum, which makes this project
unique. During our visit, we met the founder of the project, Anou, and some of
the children, varying in age from two to fifteen years old. We played with the kids
and were truly amazed by their grateful smiles and desire to learn. Anou
herself was also a source of inspiration in her committed drive to educate
these poor children and create opportunities in their otherwise predetermined
lives. Opportunities that we cannot create for the beggars by giving them
money.
No caste system
Unfortunately,
“Project WHY” is an initiative limited by lack of resources, because as Anou
says: “There is no caste system in India, there is only rich and poor which are
divided by an unbreakable wall.” She thinks that the problem of the poverty
situation lies in the fact that the rich see poverty as an incomprehensible burden,
which is easier to ignore than to handle. But to her, being able to change one life is an accomplishment in itself.
When we got
back to the hotel, we were both mentally and physically exhausted from
experiencing the extreme poverty. Seeing these people fighting for their lives
has worked as a real eye-opener for us. But it’s a relief to know, that amazing
projects like this exist, and many of us already consider returning to India to
volunteer at “Project WHY”. Therefore: no, do not give your money to the beggars
in the street, donate them to charity projects with a sustainable vision.
Andreas E og Martin
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