Child Poverty

This weekend is my first in Pune, I decided to take a few days to relax and explore the city and also to start some reading for school. So far I am really enjoying India, as each day goes by, I start to feel more at home here. I've posted many times about the beauty and charm of India so far, but like many other places in the world, the country faces some major challenges. I've written this post several times now, finding it difficult to find the right words. The truth is it is difficult to find the words to discuss the extreme inequalities that exist here, and many other countries for that matter.  I find myself struggling to find the best way to respond to the daily encounters with children on the street. 

A few weeks back in Aurangabad, we met a group of guys on the street, and after chatting for a few minutes they asked us why we came to India to study, and the international affairs students mentioned we really wanted to see the country but also hear a non-western view on development and international relations, especially from such a diverse and complex developing country like India. One guy quickly snapped back that India is no longer a developing country, poverty is relative, we do not have poverty anymore. I didn't know how to respond at the time. However, not more than 5 minutes later I passed two blind men on the street asking for money, and a mother with a baby that were at stopped traffic asking for money, food, or something to help them get through the day. I'm not sure how these educated young men could be so blind. While India has had an amazing transformation and managed to bring millions out of poverty of the last decade, the striking contract between rich and poor is a daily struggle to come to terms with. 

Here in Pune, which is a fairly wealthy city in terms of India, with the presence of IT companies and many universities, there is still much poverty. A walk across the city is never without a young girl or boy tugging at your leg or hand asking for money or pointing to their mouth asking for food. It literally breaks my heart every time. While we have our problems in Canada, the contrasts are stark. I've been waking up with the image of a young girl that was following me for around 1km with her mother on the side of the road with a baby asking for money in my first week here. 

Even if I did have money, I'm not convinced giving it every time is the best way to act. There is pretty strong evidence that giving money to every child on the street is not only impossible, but it perpetuates a cycle of families sending children out on the street to earn money rather than being in school. Long-term this has devastating effects and perpetuates the cycle.  At the same time, there are children that are in need of immediate help. I've noticed some Indians bringing children over to food stands and buying them a meal, which I think is a great idea rather than giving out money. While this does nothing to solve the long term poverty problem, it is something. 

India does not have much of a social safety net for the disabled, and so most are left out of society with no ways of earning enough to survive. I am not sure if it is more worthwhile to give to someone who is unable to work, it feels like a terrible thing to have to choose.

 I think this has been on my mind often because of the immense disparities in India, the mercedes cars driving by slums on the side of the road with children sleeping on the road. In many other countries I remember there being much poverty, but the contrasts were not as large as they are here.

Sometime in November I am planning on spending a week in Nagpur, volunteering with an organizing helping children with diabetes, focussing on girls, live better lives and have better access to insulin. I feel like helping out in this way is more effective than handing out a few rupees on the street. 

The reason for writing this post is that I welcome any comments, tips, or what others think on the subject. There is no right answer, but I always find discussion with others is the best way to sort of thoughts and explore different ideas.