I have been thinking recently about poverty, since it is all around me in Sudan. But one thing I have seen is a difference between slum poverty and village poverty. I mentioned this in an email to a friend:
It’s all about contrast and our sensitivity to poverty. Village
poverty is wide spread through a village. Usually, the entire village
has very little, including the elders and leaders of the community.
Village poverty is more akin to rural poverty, in that people are
usually survive through subsistence activities. It is usually no
market economy. Also, villagers are usually more spread out having
more land with which to scavenge materials like firewood, as well as,
land for their cattle to roam. Slum poverty usually occurs in pockets
within a larger city. Slums are packed and congested, and usually
without proper sanitation or water. A lack of sanitation isn’t a
problem in isolation. The diseases occur when people are congested,
bringing the lack of sanitation closer to each person. Slum poverty
might be a stones throw from a 5-star hotel. I was once in the Ritz
Carlton in Shanghai, and it overlooked a neighbourhood on the other
end of the economic scale. It wasn’t necessarily a slum, but you can
easily translate the scenario to Africa, and Asia and shift the
economic scales downward.So slum poverty akin to acute pain and village more like chronic pain.
If you stayed in villages and small towns for long enough, you become
inured to the standard of life that people “enjoy”. But in a city,
it’s easy to see the horrible conditions endured in the slums,
especially when you sleep in a nice house with guards at the door.
Your comments on this would be very appreciated. I haven’t fleshed this out completely, but it is still on my mind.
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Will think more about this and comment again later.
Cheese left you a message on her blog because she couldn’t post a comment here!
Read it here: http://www.xanga.com/cheetocheese/659823365/item.html
I guess it’s human nature to avoid and ignore our sensitivity to poverty issues, especially people who own everything within their reach. This is not because we don’t care, but because the extend of its power that is beyond scary. I’m glad you wrote about this Ben as a blunt reminder that it’s the real world and it exists.
I agree; I went to Kibera in Kenya and was totally shocked by what I saw. Even though I read about it, saw it on TV etc. Even though I’m used to being in Sudan and seeing poverty all around me all the time. This got me to tears because it’s what you say: we sleep (on a bit more then a stonesthrow away) in a nice house with guards in front! The child that we sponsor walks through streets that are covered with drunkards/glue snorters and is living in a hut with her seven brothers and sisters, father and stephmother that is not even as big as my bedroom in Malakal/Melut… It’s not that I’m not touched by the poverty in Sudan, but there it’s almost everywhere and people “cope with it in a way” because almost everyone else has to cope with it. In Kenya you only walk a few hundred metres further and you see that it can be different… Thanks for sharing! May God bless these people and may the people “who own everything within their reach” as Lisa says above – care and step over the extend of its power that is beyond scary to help them!
Dear Ben,
I just found your blog and was reading it with interest! I was in The Gambia for 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer and lived in a village. Like you described, people were much more spread out and sanitation was not as a big of an issue. However, the main city and larger towns were a totally different issue. Large crowds, cramped living conditions, random piles of garbage and concentrated smells dominated the surroundings. Although, the city had a lot of conveniences to it, I prefer village life. There is poverty, the people have nothing but they have each other.
I recently returned from The Gambia but am looking to go back abroad again. I heard about Medair and was wondering if you have volunteered with the organization before? The website says that being a committed Christian is one of the qualifications for applying to any of their vacancies. I am not Christian. Is that going to be a problem? I have a strong desire to help people. I don’t think religious affiliation should be held against someone who wants to volunteer her time and help. What do you think? I’ve been thinking about this for a while but would like to get more advice. I’ve included my email address. I look forward to hearing back from you!
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Ana
missacheung@gmail.com