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March 10, 2005
I beg of you: don't give to the beggars
It is raining gatos y perros in Aguas Calientes--this is wet season in the rain forest after all, and it rains very hard here. Fortunately we had a good view of Machu Picchu this morning, but I want to write first about my annoyance with people who give money to beggars, of which Peru has no shortage.
Today a little urchin in colorful attire ran down the mountain from Machu Picchu yelling "adios" to the tour bus as it descended at each switchback. He then boarded the bus and asked for tips. The tourists were enthralled at how "precious" and "cute" the urchin was and generously donated. It is common for such "precious" kids to make so much money that they drop out of school and become full-time beggars. They can easily make more than their parents and end up forced by the parents not to go to school in order to beg. If 20 people on the bus gave a dollar each, the urchin earned $20 for a half-hour's work, or $40/hr, a fortune by local standards.
The same people who gave generously to the "cute" urchin deplore child labor (which this is) and think kids should be in school, but their donations belie their convictions. If people want to support the poor in places like Peru, they should donate to any of the reputable non-religious charities that operate here. Encouraging kiddie begging is not a way to help either the beggar or the larger society.
Posted by adrianjo at March 10, 2005 04:08 PM
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