:wasalamex,
It's nice that you care so much ukhti. I don't know how much you can do on your own...I think sometimes it needs a co-ordinated group effort.
The only solution I can think of is to get together a group of volunteers to look into what these people's needs are, go out and talk to them and find out what problems pushed them into begging. Are they mainly in need of food, clothing, shelter or medicine? Then, based on the results, the volunteer group can ask well-off people to help them with funding, and set up a service that is relevant to the needs of the people. For example, if it is mostly for food, you could use any large masjid that has a kitchen and put together meals that don't cost much to make and that you can give away at a certain time, and then send someone to let the people know about it until word gets around. I have seen this happen at the main masjid of a city I used to live in after every jum'ah prayer. I know the problem is so huge, and you would probably have to turn most of the people away at first, but with time you could recruit more volunteers, get more publicity and more donations in sha Allah.
Or if there were a lot of people needing clothing, or items for children, you could set up one team to collect secondhand items from wealthy neighbourhoods and another to distribute them among those who need them. Just an idea.
EDIT: Just re-reading the thread and seeing other problems: If you could set up such a service in the short term, you could also try and link it to local services to do with employment and education, literacy classes etc. to try and avoid people becoming dependent in sha Allah.
:salamext:
JazakAllahu khair to all the replies.
Sister, with regards to your query about the needs in this country:
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Unemployment - In South Africa, we have a youth unemployment rate that is cited at ~48%!
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HIV: We have the highest incidence of HIV world-wide, with over 5 million people infected.
I do not have the words to describe how our country has been affected by this disease - we are literally drowning : (
A typical public sector general medical ward would have admitted ~80-90% of patients who are HIV positive with another opportunistic infection on board.
Those affected are the young (20s-40s+) adults, who should be out in the working force, but are instead incapacitated by this disease, and are supported on disability grants.
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Orphans: as a result of the HIV epidemic, children are often left as orphans (having lost both parents to the virus)......resulting in thousands of 'child-headed' households.
These kids resort to begging and other forms of illegal activities, in a desperation to keep their siblings and themselves alive.
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Illegal Immigrants: we have a large number of illegal immigrants that enter the country - often fleeing from even worse circumstances in their own countries (mostly from neigbouring Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and other north african countries).
As they do not carry the required documentation, they cannot find employment - and hence live off begging and often crime.
Of late, there has been many incidents of 'Xenophobic' attacks - locals killing foreigners, who they perceive to be taking away employment from them.
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Education: Our standards of education is declining with each year.
Unfortunately, most of our beggars are not skilled at all - to be able to provide them employment opportunities.
To be able to get them off the streets, means that they need to be enrolled into a programme that can provide them with basic skills to be marketable.
This is a challenge in itself.
These are just some of the factors that is fuelling this issue.
Unfortunately, the problem is so great, and is growing each day, that there are just not enough places of shelter/ orphanages, etc to adequately cope with this problem.
I have written to 2 charity organisations, asking for input/ advice/ suggestions to our the situation of our beggars.
I am still waiting for a reply.
Personally, it weighs heavily on me.
I feel guilty for not extending my hand to someone who is begging at an intersection.
I feel guilty when I do......for I know that I am not really helping them at all (in the long run, I may even be fuelling the problem).
I wish I could take a double-decker bus.....pick up all the beggars on the road......take them to a resort.....give them a bath, clean clothes, food and some training......and then set them out again into the world to let them help themselves again.
If only it was that simple......imsad
:wasalamex
