@FitMom – Teaching in inner city schools – that is a job that has to be difficult, and yet rewarding at the same time. Helping just one student to make the right choices, a powerful experience. Thanks for sharing your journey FitMom!

I taught in the inner city schools for almost ten years and I heard many stories about the poverty that my students lived in. I just tried to focus on the student. Love them and care for them while at school.

FitMoms last blog post..Love Cycling? Take your kids, too!

You are very amazing. Know that, because you’re making a positive difference as you move into the world. And there are those (including myself) who really FEEL it and soak up the sweet truth of it.

This is a story beyond words for me. All I can say is keep listening to that beautiful heart of yours. You are shining brighter than you realize. And it is only people like you who make a difference. What a gift you give your children. Hugs to you, Robin

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@Rummuser – I sometimes think things seem bad here for people when I see a homeless person on the street, or someone begging for money. But you remind me that there are many places in the world which suffer much more than where I am from. Continue to be a light to those in need…

Slowly, but steadily, we are solving this problem, quite a bit of which is due to the liberalization of our economy and some fantastic work done by NGOs.

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@Robin – That’s the key – doing what we’re good at. Different ways to help for different people.

@Michelle – Teachers can make all the difference in helping our children reach their full potential. So, that is important. What’s also important is that your daughter is seeing people daily who are not as well off as she is. And this is good for her to realize that not everyone has what she has. That’s a great life lesson, her friends, no matter what their economic status…

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@Evita – What we hear about on the news is poverty on very high levels. The “big” and really bad stuff. And yet, on a lower level, this goes on very close to home – no matter where home is. And that really is a great place to start… Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation.

@Kelly – Kelly, thank you for sharing your own personal story here. See, it’s through real life stories like this, of people we know, that really make this seem more “real”. That it’s not out “there” and we can just forget about it. It’s real people, doing the best they can sometimes, to get back on their feet. I can tell that your childhood has left you with a very compassionate heart – and that’s a wonderful gift. And, dignity is another great point. We all want to hold onto our dignity. So, that means – in our efforts to help others – it’s also very important that we not take anyone’s dignity away – but work to raise them up. Again, thank you so much Kelly, for sharing your journey. You are a living light in this world…

Mindful Mimis last blog post..Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness – G.B. Shaw

I was poor as a kid. Not in the starving way because I’m not sure any non-indigenous Australian starves. The indigenous, I am ashamed to say I am less sure. But we had to juggle bills and go without, and I would shop for food with a calculator when I was 13 years old, dragging my 8 year old brother around behind me. We once moved into a house where all we owned was a stereo, a guitar, clothes, a few toys and a table. Sounds bizarre, and looking back it was quite funny. But the Salvation Army were the ones to fit our home with beds and basics and my grandmother gave us this ancient fridge. We relied on the charity of family and the government then and it was a shameful way to live. I swore that when I was older I’d have lots of money, but I would always give to others like the Salvation Army had given to me.

I had the chance to realize my dreams and make whatever life I wanted for myself. And I have given back both of my money and my time. I have worked soup kitchens and worked with street kids, and the stories of how people end up in this tragic situation are sometimes ridiculously simple (mental disease, no family and falling through the cracks in the system) and other times, too horrible to describe. But everyone wants to keep their dignity and if they don’t, isn’t that also a tragedy? Imagine what has happened to them in their life that they have no dignity.

Thanks for sharing your story, Lance and for highlighting the truth that we can live in our nice suburban bubble and pretend that the rest of our country is just like us, when in reality our lives are poles apart.

Kelly