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Monday, March 14, 2011

Forget the poor

All right folks, I bring you my first guest post. Be nice. :o)

“This post is written for all parents who struggle to pay their children’s fees. Those who try, and make it, and even those who try and fall short, you are appreciated. Deeply. As for those who neglect the need to educate their children just know that there are a couple of obscenities going through my mind at this point in time.”

I have never been a child of the have nots. Now, don’t get me wrong I am not saying that we haven’t had our fair share of financial issues, I am saying that between my mum and my dad I have always had security. Food, shelter, clothing and education. Which to me is all one really needs growing up. I never needed to walk a million miles for water, it was always in the tap, for that I am immensely grateful. This however is the same reason I am extremely baffled when I see stories on tv of these guys who passed K.C.S(P).E and have no money to move on to the next level of education or have no means to search for it. I ask myself questions like what happened to CDF or what happened to sponsorship programs. In fact it got to a point that I was visibly angry at the amount of time that the issue came up on all the major TV stations (and at that point I started watching DVD’s).

Recently however it has come to my attention that it really isn’t as easy as it looks and I have been taking a great deal for granted. Apparently the CDF offices (you know, the ones that are meant to help with bursary) are run by the same corrupt idiots that have seen tons of maize disappear and millions of shillings hoarded behind closed doors. Tell me, how much of a conscience do you have if you keep filling your belly with beer that was bought with the money that was meant to send some poverty stricken child to a fair high school? Seriously, have you no shame whatsoever? Parents are being forced to sell of their children to make money. Fathers sell daughters to be married because they can’t afford to pay the section of school fees that says P.T.A 1000/=. Children as young as 15 are being forced to go to the streets for prostitution, now if you don’t understand how bad that is think of it this way, when I was 15 I knew sex involved a man and a woman, what they did I had no idea (and it was pretty disgusting in my head).

Truth is we let this happen. We as a society (And the society is me, you and everyone else) seem to be comfortable with this social imbalance. Whenever someone says anything we look at it like “Well, they are poor.” Probably get angry and bitch about it (like I am now). But that is it. We do not lift a finger, sign a petition, drop a coin, nothing! We just decided to le it go because you know what? Forget the poor, the disadvantaged, it is their fault, they are poor. Well, maybe they are some people who are just lazing on their bums but really when the same offices, Universities, bursaries e.t.c that we expect to help those who try to help themselves are the same offices that are shoving their faces in the dirt, something must be done. Someone must get up and speak. That is why I am particularly touched by this lady here. We have lost so much as a society, through the negative press, the media, corruption allegations, scandals and the like. All in the name of making a quick extra shilling. I really, really don’t hope that we loose our sense of humanity as well.

@woozie_m

p.s. Check out allwoman.co.ke.

tSN

6 comments:

  1. This strikes me as honest and brave in equal measure. Many people do not examine their perception of poor people and how those perceptions further entrench their maltreatment almost everywhere. Even fewer people dare to speak of it when they come to the truth of the matter. I hail the author of this.

    That said, I feel some injustices will never disappear, rotten as they are. At best, someone clever will come and dress the ugly truth up in shiny words.

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  2. Yes, this is so true! What i have discovered works for me is to take action myself either directly or through organisations that have programs to reach the people who need the help. My heart breaks.

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  3. I have been guilty of this, more than once every day of my life. *hangs head in shame*. My excuse is often I don't know how to change things, and I think sometimes sympathy is not enough, but I don't know what else to do, so you ignore the problem. Not an excuse, but a sad state of affairs.

    (ION, tSN, I am in love with nani ^^^^)

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  4. That could be so many people! SIjui @woozie_m...me...hehe...@thogii...@Antony (WHO IS NOW ON TWITTER. WHOOOOOP.)...Yule Pale...:d

    Indeed.

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  5. Too many times we just hide behind curtains of false security and assume that everybody's life is as good as ours. It isn't and we as individuals can, well, change the country one bob at a time...

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  6. Nice post.
    Touches on key issues.
    Bravo!

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