My friend and I were at a coffee shop/restaurant working on things for class. We went to that restaurant tonight because they had a special for 45R pasta ($4.50). I looked up for a couple seconds and couldn't help but notice an elderly couple sitting a couple tables down from me. The man had long hair, a straggly beard, dirty face, and a ripped shirt. The woman was disabled and in a wheel chair, with similar hygiene, and a very frail body frame. I don't want to jump to conclusions or be inconsiderate, but it appeared as if they could have been homeless. Once their food came, I noticed them eating out of one bowl of pasta quickly, as if they have not eaten for a while. I wanted to ask if they wanted another bowl of pasta, and I would pay for it, but I didn't want to offend them by assuming they were homeless or needing another bowl. Part of me wanted to ask the staff and buy a bowl anonymously, but again, I didn't want to offend them.
At this point, I had to stop working on my school work and had to look away in tears. Emotions overcame me, and I realized how many situations like this I've seen here; how many times I've seen children holding their hands out begging for another apple as I leave the school I teach out, how many times I see a women and her baby come by our house begging for food, how many times I see the same people walking up and down the Main Road asking for money, how many children I have seen holding their hands out begging for money or beating on plastic buckets hoping that a passerby will give them some money for their entertainment, how many times I've seen people dig through trashcans, how many times I've seen young children walk through the crime-ridden streets of a township, and the list goes on.
What do you truly do in those situations? There's this stigma with people who are homeless that they will use that money for drugs and alcohol. Truthfully, how many of those people who are homeless used drugs and alcohol before they were homeless? Sure, there are some. However, many become homeless through unforeseen circumstances, like family issues, eviction, etc. Once they are on the streets, the homeless often turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with their life, to 'get away' from reality even just for a few minutes. Once they are given money, they use that for more drugs and/or alcohol. It becomes a vicious cycle, because the money they initially needed for food etc. is used for drugs and alcohol. There have been studies on this that I have read, but I can't remember the names of the articles off the top of my head.
My friend and I have planned on making 'care packages' for the homeless, with essentials like granola bars, toilet paper, bottled water, hand sanitizer, etc. We were going to give them to the homeless who come by our house asking for food, but then thought about the fact that they will keep coming by to ask for more. So again, this leads to my question, what's the solution?
Sometimes I feel like studying abroad here has made me so angry at the world. I knew it would be different in South Africa, but I never expected to react with such emotions. But, I'm starting to accept the fact that being angry is not going to do anything. Rather, I have take these thoughts, emotions, and experiences and figure out how to change the world for the better. No one should ever have to live their lives like they are any less human than you and me.
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