When I Give Am I Being Kind? When I Don't Am I Being Selfish? When To Give and When Not?

To give or not to give...? Am I being kind or selfish..? Was I helpful or am I encouraging dependence and laziness?

Everyday I am confronted with the harsh reality that life can sometimes be harsh most especially to under privileged and marginalized children. Many children can be found in the streets. Roaming around very untidy with no proper clothing and proper hygiene. Poorly nourished and with little or none at all concern for their safety. Some are rude with no care of their behavior at all that they become a nuisance. They become an easy target of crimes and violence. They are every bit prone to bad habits and vices. It becomes their playground and learning institution. Instead of being in the school having a normal and quality education that every child deserves. Instead of learning how to read, write and spell, how to solve a math problem or learning science experiments there they are in the streets, BEGGING. Learning the art of begging so well. Every child has the right and deserves a happy and worry free childhood. Children deserve to enjoy and be happy just being a child. Children deserve a family who are expected to teach them good values and a happy home where they will be sheltered, cared and nurtured. And not the streets, unsafe and full of bad elements.

Unfortunately for these kids at such an early age they've been exposed to the other side of life...

I remember when I was still a child whenever I see dirty street children my parents would often tell me pointing to the children -" That is what's going to happen to you if you don't study well". For me that is already a discrimination that no child deserves. But of course it is only now that I understand it.

Even then and until now, I always feel pity for these children. Sleeping in the corner of a street with just a flatten box on their back. Rain or shine they sleep and rest wherever they can. No permanent address and always dependent on other people for their foods among their other needs.

But my questions are, is it okay to just give them money whenever they ask? And when I give am I sure that they will spend it to buy food or things that are important and useful to them? Or will they spend it in gambling or worse use it to buy alcoholic drinks and drugs? In giving, am I helping them to be better individual or am I giving them the opportunity to become worse?

Fortunately, I learned the answers to my questions from a respected church leader. Giving is our personal choice, it is of our own free will that should give us joy and fulfillment. There are many ways to help these children not only by giving them money on the streets. One way to help them is to channel our donations to charities or organizations that aims to provide support and assistance to street children. There are plenty of organizations with programs aiming to make this kids responsible and some organizations send them to school. In this way, I can be sure that what I give will go a long way and will surely give these kids a better and brighter future.

So I should not feel guilty whenever I don't give to street children begging. I am not selfish I just choose to give and help differently. I don't want children to be lazy and dependent who keeps on asking and begging. I just want to help educate and develop and raise responsible individuals.

Pictures are not mine...all pictures were taken from the internet..