BEGGARS AROUND THE WORLD

Beggars are an unfortunate reality of many third world countries, and some first-world countries too. They can be discreet, demanding, precise or persistent, depending on where in the world you are. There are those with disabilities, often purposely inflicted for the very purpose of begging, (cunning) little children with puppy dog eyes (and wily ways), and those that try to use humour to make people give them money. Ever seen a sign that said “Need money. Want to go partying”, the one about “6 wives and 20 kids to look after” or the one about “Criminology is not my major”. Also there are the sneering ones who look down on what you give them and demand more. Or follow you…and harass you until they get what they want.

There was once a beggar who came to my house every day. He would ring the doorbell persistently until he was attended to. He knew exactly what he wanted –one day, he would ask for chicken livers, the next day, a present for his daughter on her birthday and the third day, transport money to travel from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth (a city in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province). If you didn’t have what he wanted or told him to come back later, he would walk off cursing you. To be fair, he was mentally unwell.

My husband is a soft target for beggars. He can’t say no to them. This drives me crazy because giving one some money – in many countries – attracts droves more. In a matter of seconds, you could be surrounded by a crowd and unable to move. This is a genuine fear I have since it has already happened to me. He was once encountered by two female beggars in Jordan that assured him that they didn’t want money, just some food that he should buy for them from the nearby grocery store. They proceeded to buy luxury items like olives and olive oil. (They were middle-Eastern, after all). Another two women in Mumbai accosted him with the same story and proceeded to buy a whole month’s worth of groceries. In Morocco, he was jumped upon by two little girls who dumped a flower in my hands then proceeded to harass him for money. He gave them some but they continued to follow him to our hotel until I reprimanded them. In Saudi Arabia, we heard umpteen tales from people who claimed to have lost all their money there and just needed some to get back home to the South-Asian subcontinent.