On Poverty

There are many people, old and young, begging for money and food on the streets here—more in Varanasi than in any other city we’ve visited so far. While I've seen homelessness in New York, here there are whole families living on the streets and in Varanasi there seems to be many more people, babies carrying babies, asking for food and money. We were told specifically not to give money to beggars because once one person gives, out will pour a crowd of people begging. Of course, there are many poor people who do not beg but work. The streets are filled with rickshaw pullers, fruit sellers, barbers, brick workers, small shop owners, etc. The crowds here are endless. The numbers are inconceivable. Rather than give these children money or food on the street, I would rent a bus or 100 buses and load them with families and bring them to schools and shelters like the Asha Deep Vidyashram—a non-profit school for underprivileged children (http://asha-deep.com). But, for every amazing organization that helps a few hundred children and their families, there are thousands more who remain without help. Still, places like Asha Deep are encouraging. This school children out of the slums and into the classroom with teachers who can care about them. For many of these children, because of the circumstance in which they were born, they grow up too fast. Some are chewing tobacco leaves (or betel nut) and gambling by the time they are seven years old. Some come from abusive families. Poverty is extreme. Many of the families cannot afford school fees. The fee at Asha Deep is. 20 Rupees ($.50) a month for Kindergarten-1 and goes up to 30 Rupees ($.75) in 2^nd-8^th. 

Me and Shiva