Photo by: navint

How would you react to the art of begging?

Exiting an airport in most of the third world is a daunting chore.

First the smells hit you. As you near the door the waves of heat trigger the sweating. As you walk through the automatic sliding door someone grabs your left arm, then you’re right. Soon you are swarmed with droves of strangers, tugging at you from all directions. [Who are these people and why are they touching me?]

In the movie Slumdog Millionaire, we were shown how children are exploited for their puppy dog charm in the art of begging for the cause of crime rings. Our instinctive sympathy for children makes us, as westerners in a foreign land a great target for this slumdog marketing campaign. This is true in many cases. We are drawn to these kids’ disposition.

They use movie quotes in their sentences and have cool names like Spider Woman, which they have dubbed themselves.

In Cambodia, for example, a lot of the street kids speak perfect English, with an Australian twang. They use movie quotes in their sentences and have cool names like Spider Woman, which they have dubbed themselves.
According to the World Bank, over 1 billion people live on the salary of $1.25 per day. This sounds sad, however the good news is this wage has gone up a quarter since 2004.

Now how can we contribute to these kids lives without aiding in the delinquency of this underground industry? Here is what I usually do…

• Buy them a soda
• Get them a snack or candy from a street vendor
• Give them something from your home country

I travel a lot, and have lived in several third world nations. When I used to walk out of my flat, I would always see the same kid, Lizard. He would hang out on the Mekong, always playing with his buddies hitting empty water bottles with a stick.

Whenever he would see me he would run over and start up a conversation. I could never tell who Lizard was working for or with, but he always was discreetly looking over his shoulder when talking with me. He wanted to just be a kid, but knew he was working. Every now and then, when I was on my way to eat I would invite him to eat with me. Immediately after finishing he would always say he must go and would ask to take leftovers with him. I never gave Lizard cash.

I have seen people give pens and generic school supplies, but these kids are not at that point yet. They are trying to survive. Many of them beg saying that they must pay for school. Some cases of this statement are true, however most nations provide free education funded usually by non-governmental organizations working within the countries. The catch is many of the teachers charge for test copies or you can just buy your grade. Sadly this is the mentality these Slumdogs grow up with.

There really is no good way to reward begging and we shouldn’t condone it. We aren’t going to stop giving. We just have to think about the effects that what we give may have on our surroundings. Usually a well thought out item is better than cash or change. Try to give something immediate and consumable.

If you buy a street child a hat or shirt, it may act as a bulls eye for other kids making him a target for thievery. The best thing you can give them is just the time in your day to notice they exist.