I read a blog post tonight about giving to beggars in India. The writer said that if you give them food instead of money, they will sell it back to shopkeepers to money. If you give them a banana, you need to peel it or they’ll sell it for the cash.
You know what? Once you’re at a place where you want to help people, if they ask you for money, give them money. Don’t give them the banana. Poor people are not stupid. They’re just poor. They know what their needs are better than you do. Respect that.
I know there are reasons – drug addiction, cultural pressure, poor organizational skills – that people will act against their own self interest. None of that is easily analyzed in the time it takes to give to a beggar on the street. Most of the time, people know what they need. If you are engaged in an act of charity, give that to them, not what you think they ought to need.
Street corner giving is not about sustainability, development, or creating long-term change. Instead, it’s a recognition of our common humanity, of the crap shoot that decides who gives and who receives. It’s reaching out to those who ask because it’s not our place to judge.
It’s really pretty unlikely that you are a donor instead of a beggar because you’re smarter, stronger, or wiser. Probably, you just got lucky and were born in the developed world, and the 20-year old in front of you knows more about street survival than you could ever imagine. Keep your banana to yourself, and hand over the cash.
“Street corner giving is not about sustainability, development, or creating long-term change. Instead, it’s a recognition of our common humanity . . .”
Thanks for this wisdom. I don’t ever recall seeing this observation before. When I read it, I could feel a real sense of “Yes, that’s the truth” in response.
Url: http://catchthevision.wordpress.com
Thanks. After I’d written the post, i realized that was probably the most important sentence in the whole thing.
Here‘s another interesting article on the issue of helping street children, suggesting alternatives to giving them money.
Hey I like the honesty of this post and the slant.
I hadn’t heard a counterpoint before and this is refreshing.
It’s so funny that I just read a post from a friend of mine who runs an NGO to stop child trafficking in Cambodia (http://www.riverkidsproject.org/) who posted this:
“There’s these two little kids, 8 and 9, at Riverkids, who have been skipping school to beg money from foreigners and collect garbage. English lessons have enabled one to relay with great pride (told to the social worker and teacher by him) ‘I can go to a foreigner and say ‘Please, sir, can I have one dollar,’ and they give me TWO!’
Seriously: DON’T GIVE MONEY TO STREET KIDS. EVER. Buy ’em a meal they eat on the spot. If they hassle you at a restaurant, tell the waiter you’ll pay for their meal and let them choose what they want. If you’re out and about, get a canned fruit or soy milk drink. If you’re going somewhere you’ll be hassled, then stock up on things like whistles, chewing gum, yo-yos – small playable items. But not money.
We considered almost seriously giving them a ‘lucky’ t-shirt for his begging that would say in English “I should be at an NGO school, but I’m skipping to beg. Don’t give me money!” but instead, we’re piloting our very own sweatshop {they are doing cottage industry crafts and allowing the kids to work a small number of hours}.”
Maybe it’s the difference between an 8 year old and a 20 year old? I’ve always felt more comfortable giving food than money (not going to the extent of unpeeling the banana), just because, especially with young people, I’m always afraid that the money won’t even go to THEM but to whoever they’re begging for.
The difference to me is the difference between children and adults. Adults don’t have somewhere else they are supposed to be. I actually have a strong personal policy against giving to children because I dislike turning children into sources of income.