this post is part of BLOG ACTION DAY
i am putting my thoughts together and will share them with you soon, but please share your thoughts, story or knowledge on poverty.
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9 comments:
Having been born and raise in a 3rd world country, I am surrounded by extreme poverty every day of my life. It stares at me at every robot and on virtually every street corner. The highways that transport me around my country are lined with squatter camps. The majority of South Africans live in absolute squaller.
I have come to realise that poverty is a mentality. It is not a condition. Yes, some are born into it but all have the choice to move beyond it. Most choose to remain within it.
Secondly I have realised that many foreigners wish to help Africa rid itself of this epidemic but what they do not realise is that what needs to change is the mentality, not the circumstances. This is where the true need is. The medicine and clothes and money and food will only last so long and then dry up as before. The mentality does not change once it has been taught to think correctly.
What saddens me is that in many ways these realities have hardened me. I do nonetheless try my utmost to relieve and assist where I can.
dear girl..waiting to read your post and i posted about it too...
how wonderful to read claire's comment about what it means to her. I'm so pleased you posted about this today, Nadia, amongst all your beautiful posts.
let me add my comment as well.
i was born in and continue to live in the philippines. poverty is all around, different degrees, different forms, but there is the common sense of pain whenever trouble strikes, such as a sickness, and the knowledge that one is helpless sinks in with utter familiarity.
i taught public school kids for a short period, and it was heartbreaking to see such smart, enthusiastic kids being swallowed up by an educational system that offered little to no hope of meaningful advancement.
i've represented clients in labor and criminal cases where they had no money to pay for court fees, or photocopying costs, or even for the commute to my school.
story after similar story piles on one after another.
but what i do admire about our culture here is how even persons in such dire circumstances find reasons to laugh on a regular basis. those who you would think have very little to smile about, smile often (i tried to capture a bit of this in my own post).
well, anyway, that's a comment from over here in manila. :)
it's great what you're doing.
for my part, i also turn to sites like freerice (rice donation), kiva (microfinance), and goodsearch (donation per search), as ways to help alleviate poverty online. i also put up their banners on my blog. :)
oh nadia--i have spent most of today writing a long winded post for blog action day. This is so lovely and to the point. I hope you'll take a few minutes 9i hope it's not too long) to read what i wrote--I hope it means something...xodeb
I really enjoyed reading the comments from Claire and Kouji Haiku about their experiences with poverty.
I posted about poverty too today, and it is really exciting to see the ways that people are contributing to this inspiring day!
i can't wait to read your thoughts on the topic. thoughtful nadia.
I've heard it is your birthday... if so... Happy Birthday! Feliz Cumpleaños!
i see others suffer while i live my fantastic life and it seems unfair to me. suffering poverty, and war, and hatred, and disease. it is overwhelming. why am i so fortunate when others have so little?
thank you for this post.
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