Take Time Today to Make the World Better

There have been several times in my life when poverty has made an impact on me. I grew up poor, a child who received free lunches at school and food stamps and government issued commodities at home. We once were given free coats during winter from our local head start program. To this day my mother still cries when she talks about how much those coats meant to her. I even remember my coat. It was brown, puffy and kept me very warm in the cold, mid-western winters. My family moved from house to house, always one step ahead of the last landlord, never having a place to call home. In third grade my grandmother welcomed us back to Missouri. She baked warm bread and boiled hot soup on the stove all day long. Although it wasn't always where we lived, we at least finally had a home to return to when times got too rough.

At the age of 14 I got my first summer job. My mother helped me get a work permit and she and my father's girlfriend took turns driving me back and forth to the local fire station. At the fire station they fed me breakfast and lunch. I answered phones and made coffee for the men. I remember that I often forgot to put the coffee filter in the machine, but the men would grit their teeth and drink a few sips from their cups anyway. They treated me kindly and handled my 14 year old emotions with kid-gloves and support. They were wonderful men, and the job enabled me to buy clothes rather than wearing hand-me-downs scrounged from my grandmother's neighbors.

At 16 I moved to Oklahoma with my father. Not long after we moved, he kicked me out of the house. I had a job, but because I was still in high school it was difficult to work enough to pay rent, bills and still eat. So, I rarely ate, and at times I didn't have a place to live. If it wasn't for my friend's parents, I would have been hungry and homeless.

I thought that my life was terrible. I wallowed in misery and proclaimed that it wasn't possible for others to have it worse off than me. I had grown up without the material goods my friends had, and I was angry about every "thing" I didn't own. Even in college when I saw the new cars, or brand-name clothing friends had I was bitter. I blamed my parents, and I blamed society. I thought that it simply wasn't fair.

It wasn't until I went to Bangladesh in 2002 that I realized how lucky I had been in my life. Even through my struggles I was able to get an education. I was able to work, go to college and improve my life. I didn't really understand that others didn't always have that opportunity. Before I visited my husband's home country, I imagined Bangladesh to be like country-side living in a tropical paradise. "If people don't have food," I thought, "I'm sure they can just pick some bananas off of a tree."

When I think about how wrong and ignorant I was it pains me. It makes my stomach ache with shame.

When I stepped out of the airport into the city of Dhaka, I was immediately surrounded by a crowd of beggar children. What a sight they were. Their clothes were ragged, their bellies protruded from malnutrition, their faces were dirty, and their feet were bare. The worst part however, even worse than their starved appearance, was the combination of hope and despair I saw in their eyes. They clutched at my clothing and begged, "Taka dou! Taka! Taka!" while making eating gestures with their hands. They were asking for money for food, and there were so many of them. Just so, so many of them. It was one of the most difficult things I had ever had to face not to be able to scoop them all up in my arms and fill their stomachs with hot, nutritious food. When we got into the car I was still passing out coins. My heart breaks every time I remember the boy who ran along side the automobile as I dug in my bag for more money. He was so happy to receive what was a mere dollar to me.

During that trip I saw what being poor is. My eyes were opened to all the wonderful people and programs that were instrumental in my life, and the difference small contributions can make for others. For $90 I can buy two sheep for a woman who will use their wool to make cloth. For $25 I can make a loan a to a third-world entrepreneur through Kiva. Each month I donate $5 to the United Way which goes to provide eyeglasses for a local child in need or food for home-bound seniors.

However, I know that not everyone is able to donate money. If you are reading this blog you can make a difference simply by visiting FreeRice.com. There, you can improve your vocabulary and do good for others. For each correct definition you click on, the website donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food program. You can also choose an organization to donate your time to via Volunteer Match.

Whatever you choose to do, take time today to make the world better for someone less fortunate than yourself. If we make an effort to change ourselves (even in the smallest ways possible), the world around us will also change for the better.