Advice: Beggars

Half the population lives under the poverty line. This is particularly visible in cities.
-In rural areas, people will work hard in the fields or/and will make handcrafts.
-In urban areas, beggars are impressively numerous. Some will simply ask for money. Others, usually the kids, will clean your car window, dance or sell manufactured goods on the streets.

Source

What surprised me was not the high level of poverty. I was told how bad the situation was and I was ready for the chock. What surprised me was that people seem to find natural to beg. I am from a western country. Despite our generous welfare state, some people also have to beg in order to survive. It is considered as socially “unacceptable”. The word is a bit too strong. What I mean is that beggars are ashamed to ask for money. In India, that feeling of shame was not so strongly apparent.

What to do? Poverty is not an issue that one can solve alone… Even with the best intentions. I am not in a position to tell you what you should do. But if you decide to give away a few rupees (usually one or two), I would suggest you to do it when you LEAVE a place. By doing it before, you take the risk of attracting all the other beggars as well. And they wouldn’t find fair not to receive anything.

My opinion is that a long-term help is a lot more useful than a few rupees given here and there. I can deny that it is impressing to see people dying on the streets due to a lack of food and/or medicines. And it is such an easy option to give a bit of money. It doesn’t cost much and one can have the immediate great feeling of helping someone. Congratulations! But think a bit longer… What will happen to that exact same person the next day or the following one? Do you think it is good for him/her to depend on others on a daily basis? Can he/she have a real and normal life? There are many NGO’s working in India. As I wrote in a previous post, such organizations still lack credibility and efficient structures. Further improvements have to be made but on the long run NGO’s will make India a better place to live for millions of people… Let us give them some time… And some money…

Feel free to check their websites! Most NGO’s are specialized in one field (poverty, children, AIDS, women, human rights, corruption, drugs…). I deliberately didn’t give you any list of links. YOU are the one who knows who you want to help.

A few more words about poverty... "The World Bank's definition of the poverty line for under developed countries is US$ 1/day/person or US $365 per year. As per this definition, more than 75% of all Indians are, probably, below the poverty line. As per the Government of India, poverty line for the urban areas is Rs. 296 per month and for rural areas Rs. 276 per month." Less than Rs. 10 per day! (€1=Rs52)