TO GIVE OR NOT TO GIVE

Date posted: Monday 4th October 2004

It was a typical tuesday afternoon, the streets were quiet and the shops closed for the siesta time. The sun blazed down from a clear blue sky and I was sitting in a cafe having just finished my lunch. While I had been sitting there a young girl no more than 20 years old, daughter in her arms had been approaching passers by asking for money. Her daughter, no more than a toddler, played with a discarded lolly stick, her face filthy and clothes also covered in the dust and grime of the street. My heart went out to this girl and I wondered how she managed to go on knowing that each day she would awake only to beg for enough money to survive the day and make it to the next when the cycle would continue.

I felt a hopelessness to her life but at the same time I was intrigued and wanted to help. Normally I would buy some food to give as often money is spent on drugs or glue to sniff. This time however I knew I had a 10BS note in my pocket (around 70p) and having just spent 40BS on lunch it seemed little

As I left the cafe I approached her, she was now sitting on the ground, her daughter playing in the dirt nearby. I reached down pressing the folded note into her palm and whispered ""Dios te bendiga"" (God bless you). I hoped to continue on my way having eased my conscience, helped her a little and without anyone noticing. However I was to be disappointed as she jumped to her feet and screamed ""Gracias joven, GRACIAS!!"" at the top of her voice. The words echoed around the street and I could feel many pairs of eyes burning into me.

As she followed me I panicked and embarassed dived into a nearby shop to hide. I stayed there for some time watching her from behind the door. As soon as she looked away I darted for the entrance and made my getaway. I felt ridiculous. It wasn't modesty or shame that caused me to flee. I don't honestly know what I was feeling, all I know is that the whole thing felt strange and wrong. One thing I do know however and it saddens me to the core is that this young girl could be so ecstatic over such a small amount that I viewed as loose change. That did cause me to feel ashamed and even guilty at being part of a world where such inequality could exist.

So how do you give? That is the other question. To give money in the street can be complicated by the use of alcohol, solvents or simply the reaction to your (often) token gesture. You also want to avoid insulting the dignity of the person involved by giving "handouts".

Some friends of mine have been trying to help their friend who washes cars for a living by taking water from the canal alongside the road. He makes around $2 a day to support his family. Business is hard to come by and they offered to pay him to wash their car thinking they could pay over the odds and in this way help him. His reaction? "For you I will wash it for free as you are my friends"!!!!

- Article by Adam Pope (Bolivia Short-term Coordinator)...