Hungry Children Everywhere!

One of the things that struck me most about India was how many people are begging for money. There are fewer in Bangladesh and they are less aggressive (well other than that little Scrimangal girl) but they are still present. Now, I have a pity/ hate relationship with these kids. First of all, we don't give them money because they always stop you at traffic lights and then if you give them money others flock and you will never be able to leave until they have taken all you have on you. This is has been my experience. It starts out as heart breaking, you really feel sorry for the kids and want to help but usually don't. I can't feed millions of people even in Bangladesh. Then slowly you start getting annoyed because they are everywhere and always bothering me for money. Then you feel guilty for getting annoyed. Then you get annoyed for feeling guilty about just wanting to go about my day. But then you feel even guiltier because its not really their fault that their mothers can't feed them. And it just continues to spiral downwards between guilty and annoyance and anger until you can't take it and hip check a child into oncoming traffic because all you really want to do is get a bite to eat before you have to get to a meeting and there is a little boy running under foot getting in your way. Then you feel guilty and can't eat lunch which then you feel guilty about because there are starving kids outside that would love to eat that food. Then you begin to feel hopeless and BRAC makes you feel better with demonstration of their Ultra-poor grant program.


Addition: It two three weeks, a million begging children, and six blocks but they finally wore me down. I gave two taka each to two boys yesterday. Thats about a quarter of a penny each.