Roxilla

Image by Peter Bennet

Let’s think about the things we can do for our fellow human beings. Not just the ones sitting next to us in our offices, or walking past us in the shop, or living next door to us – but also the ones who are living in a box down the road from us or getting wasted on glue in the inner city.

I think what stands out most to me is how poverty and lack of even this most basic needs like shelter and food deprive certain segments of the world’s population of almost every single right in the constitution. Going through the Declaration made me feel sad, because not everyone is counted as a human being in the real world.

“Today, poverty prevails as the gravest human rights challenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime….Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.”

—UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, 10 December 2006

Image by Roger Lemoyne

Until the world starts trying to make all these wrongs right again, it is our responsibility to at least start noticing the people who share our cities, towns and areas. Pretending that they don’t exist doesn’t make them go away – and there are a few ways to help without giving booze or glue money.

Here are a few ideas to get you started…

1. Check out Aquila’s post on world hunger and learn more about FreeRice.com
2. If you have some spare time and want to get involved, check out The Homestead or Big Brother Big Sister SA and make a massive difference to a child’s life
3. Buy the bergie on the corner some bread rolls or a pie and some fruit juice the next time you’re at the shops
4. You would be amazed at how far a smile, eye contact and a greeting will go – and it doesn’t cost a thing
5. Go through your cupboards and see if there’s any old clothes or blankets you don’t use anymore, and either leave it by the bins or drop it off at your nearest shelter or the nearest group of bergies you come across
6. Keep sweets or cheap snacks in your car and give those to the annoying robot bergies if you don’t want to buy whatever they’re trying to sell
7. If you see the same person every day, make an effort to find out their name – these dudes can actually make pretty damn good neighbourhood watch members, and if you’re nice to them they will look out for you
8. Not everyone is a criminal, and not every streetkid is going to rob and kill you
9. Find out what initiatives are being done in your community, whether it’s a grocery collection at work or a toy collection box at the Pick ‘n Pay
10. Remember that the people you see at the robots, on the streets and hanging around the cafe are not there for fun – they have nothing, and just because they may be smelly and hard to deal with, it doesn’t make them any less human

Image by Larry Towell

It’s a mindset, and we have slowly become desensitized to the things we see. It’s easier and less uncomfortable to not let our little worlds be affected by things we don’t like to see.

But at the end of the day, what will really change things in the world is our actions and our humanity. Racking up a good score on FreeRice.com is a great thing to do, but offering a starving person a bit of respect and a cheap meal is also important.

P.S. Yes, I know that in South Africa we celebrate Human Rights Day in March – but poverty is a world-wide issue, and every day should be Human Rights Day in my opinion.