Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 17:01:37 +0200
<http://www.tesfanews.net/poverty-on-the-streets-of-addis-ababa/> Poverty
on the Streets of Addis Ababa
Posted on 04 September 2014.
By
<http://www.bainesreport.org/2014/09/poverty-on-the-streets-of-addis-ababa/>
Meredith Maulsby,
POVERTY can easily be seen throughout the capital of Ethiopia, but nowhere
is it more evident than when you pass a beggar on the street. Beggars are
everywhere in Addis Ababa, and they represent a vast range of demographics.
There are men, women, children of all ages and conditions- some with their
mothers, some without, and the severely disabled.
Older children, rather than begging, try to sell you gum or clean your
shoes, while the younger children walk in front of you asking for money or
food, not leaving you until they spot another person to ask. The women are
often with young children, sometimes babies, and usually with more than one.
I was once walking down the street and a young child no older than 2 or 3
who was being held by his mother made the signal they all make to ask for
food or money while calling me sister. I thought this child probably learned
this signal before he even learned how to speak. Women are often seen
grilling corn on the sidewalk on a small grill to sell to people passing by.
I have been told the severely disabled have most likely suffered from
stunting, polio or the war. I have seen men with disfigured legs so mangled
that they can not walk but instead drag themselves down the sidewalk. Others
are in wheelchairs and unable to walk. And this city is not easy for the
disabled. The sidewalks, where they exist, are not always flat and not
always paved. There are also often giant holes in the middle of the sidewalk
or loose concrete slabs covering gutters. On the main roads, near where I'm
staying there are tarps and blankets off to the side of the road where where
the beggars must sleep or live.
It is a very difficult scene to walk through. You want to help them all and
give everyone a little bit of money or food. But there are so many it would
be nearly impossible to give to them all. We have been told to not give to
beggars because once you give to one you will be surrounded by others. When
people do give money to beggars it is often very small bills or coins that
will not go very far.
I have often wondered how much money they actually receive. Perhaps it would
be beneficial to do more in depth look at why these people became beggars
and where they come from. After a cursory search for research and reports on
beggars in Addis Ababa, I found very little. There is a study on the
disabled beggars and a report focusing on children. There is a documentary
that follows two women who come to the capital from a rural town and become
beggars in order to raise money for their family when climate change creates
a food shortage.
Both the government of Ethiopia and large NGO's, like USAID and the UN, are
working to stop the "cycle of poverty." There are major health and nutrition
projects being implemented all over the country, but these are long-term
projectsn that do not address the immediate needs of people on the streets.
Short term solutions such as creating shelters or centers for the disabled
and homeless could allow beggars more opportunities for housing but could
also generate income potential through workshops and other skill development
programs.
streets of addabis
(image/jpeg attachment: image001.jpg)