By Rose Caroline:
What do you think when you hear the word ‘Poverty’? We may use the term when we see people residing on the footpaths, when kids with tattered clothes pester us for a few coins or when people with or without disability stretch out hands in expectation of receiving something worthwhile.
Such examples are just a fraction of what poverty is. For most of us ‘Poverty’ is just the lack of basic amenities such as food, clothing and shelter, but here is what UN defines it as — Poverty can be defined as the denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in the society.
It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.
I thought long about the lifestyle of such people who are debarred of almost everything in their lives. The way they live, the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the challenges they face in their everyday life.
It’s no less than a tragedy to survive in circumstances which are completely against your livelihood.
Can we visualize ourselves to breathe in an atmosphere where we are always abused, rebuked and stigmatized? Obviously no, never. But most of these people have been going through such struggle since their birth.
How many times have we left the meal served to us on our plates, not being able to take in more? Well, there are some people who haven’t had anything since weeks and are sustaining on just water.
How many times do we shop for ourselves, entering into every big store that our eyeballs glue to? Well, there are some people, who don’t even have a proper piece of cloth to cover themselves from the rain or sun.
According to the UNICEF report, an estimated 158 million children aged 5-14years are engaged in child labor. Most of them are forced into the profession of beggary at an age when they are supposed to play and learn. What if we were forced into something that we didn’t want to indulge in? That is the plight some of our youngsters are facing.
The Government has been doing its part to decline the level of Poverty but have we done anything yet? If no, let’s do it. Bhavya Aggarwal ,18, a first year college student is deeply moved by the difficulties that affect children of her age and below. She pledges to educate the under privileged and brighten their future. Sonam Kapoor, a BPO employee wishes to make people aware of their rights and encourage them to adapt occupations that would add to their dignity. Let’s accept them and make them realize that we care.
Let’s lend our hand towards the cause and contribute in making a change. I know it’s not impossible, let us share our fortune with those who are craving for it.