What can I do for her?
I met her on the road. She was begging on the road and came to me. She breathed hardly and spoke in weak voice. She was very thin and looked like an old woman. But it was difficult to guess her age because she had black hair though she had no teeth in her mouth. She said she was an asthma patient and asked money to buy her medicine. She said further that she lives alone and the only son she had who looked after her died few months ago from a cancer. Therefore she had to beg for her living.I felt so sorry and wanted to help her. So first I treated her with food taking her to a hotel and talked with her. She said that she likes to go to an elders’ home but only problem is she has to pay for admitting to it. By then she has selected an elders’ home. So I agreed to pay to elders’ home for her and promised her to come to her in two days. Before leaving her I bought her medicine from near by pharmacy and gave it to her.
I planed the journey with my best friend. First she opposed my journey saying that area is too dangerous for a girl to go alone. However she failed to stop me and supported me searching bus routes and later calling me in every half an hour when I was traveling.
I reached her town by 12 o’clock and then took a taxi. Taxi driver knew her and started to talk with me while we were passing slums. Yes he knew lot of things about her. This is her story.
She was born there and lives there. At her young age she was a prostitute. Now she collects money to buy drugs (Heroin). She is a drug addict. Her drug addicted son died recently because of drugs. She acts as an asthma patient to cheat people. However I went to her house and she was not there. Taxi driver took me to a small shop near by to ask about her. Shop owner said that woman comes to her shop to buy cheep cigarettes.
Still I am thinking of her because I want to help her. But I don’t know how. She is not a woman who can live in an elders’ home. At her old age her only pleasure is drugs. Tell me friends, should I help her to be rehabilitated or should I give her 10 or 20 rupees if I meet her again, wishing her death soon?
Comments (2)
Over the years I have come to the conclusion that such people cannot be saved unless they make an effort to halt their downward slide themselves.
Ir is better to give them what they request, usually cash and then go on your way. This may seem a harsh statement to make, but rehabilitation is a two way process and if they wish to wallow in their misery there is nothing you can do.