How SIFAT Changed My Life

Imagine you’re driving down a road and arrive at a red light. As you glance to your right, you see a woman standing there with a sign that reads, “Without work, anything will help”. Do you stop and give the spare change in your purse? Do you look the other way? Poverty is a difficulty that affects numerous families not only in the United States, but around the world. Jeannette Walls shows in her memoir, The Glass Castle, which describes her hardships as a child, that some poverty-stricken families chose to remain silent, afraid of the embarrassment they feel they’d face, or in denial of their situation. Despite the various drawbacks that weighed down the families hopes of survival, it only lit a fire in Jeannette to become a strong woman who appreciates what she has, knowing it could all disappear in an instant.

We have all seen the poor or homeless people on the streets. They look cold and lonely. We don't really think about what their life is really about. But have you ever realized that most of them had a good life before they became poor or homeless. The book Almost Home by Joan Bauer goes over this, that the people who are less fortunate are still people and that they had a good life too. This and many other good lessons are gone over in this book.

One of the best decisions I made my junior year was joining Interact Club. Around Christmas time, everyone in Interact fundraises money by selling candy bars. This money goes to the Christmas clearing Council to help buy Christmas gifts for families in need at Waukesha North. We actually got to go shopping before Christmas and pick out the gifts for the families with the money we raised. This was very humbling for me because they didn't ask for much. All they really wanted was a pair of socks and a t-shirt. Nothing big, nothing fancy. The thought of people not getting gifts on Christmas really never occurred to me until then. I've been so fortunate that I have never had that situation at home, but now I realize that many others do. And that

Poverty is and has been an issue for the majority of human history but that lack of resource and struggle to live where one could even be excused for being selfish is where miracles of humanitarianism and empathy for each others pain is shown. The loss of a family member especially the largest wage earner leads to potential starvation and a sense of hopelessness. In the case of Francie Nolan and her brother Neeley, a close friend of their

In my junior year of high school, I took a class called “Bigger Than You”, which allowed us students to create a non profit organization. The group I was part of founded and ran a non profit organization to provide relief to leprosy victims and orphans in India. We named our organization, “Touch the Untouchables” to symbolize the status of leprosy victims throughout the third world. They are not viewed as people at all, they are largely shunned by their communities. Leprosy victims are a forgotten people, so we took advantage of our great opportunity to provide some much needed aid to them. It was a sobering experience. Connecting myself to the lives of the impoverished lifted the veil shrouding my middle class existence from the adversity

There are many things in our lives that we take for granted, such as food and clothing that are not accessible to a big portion of the population. This surplus of things that most of us have can easily be given to people who are in dire need of them. Personally, I had an abundance of clothes from when I was younger. They were things I was never going to wear again and were simply being stored, unused. Knowing that, I decided to donate the clothes to an organization that will then donate it to people who need it. My contribution was going to help someone out there in need and that felt significant. Food is also something that a lot of people do not have access to. From my peers, I notice that a

In January I went to a seminar that was filled with tons of people. The area consisted of smiling faces that greeted everyone at the door, notebooks in hand, and a sense of passion cascading from every voice heard within the crowd. A stage in the front of the room, and tables with chairs set up for the extensive note taking on self-improvement and success. The pencils scribbling frantically on paper about to be heard once it had begun. These individuals were from all walks of life, poor, wealthy, short, tall, old and young, however, we all had something in common. We were all dreamers. We all were there because we were not content with what life had meagerly put out for us. We wanted more than the average, we weren’t average, which was why

Growing up in one of the most poverty ridden regions in the United States, you don’t realize how bad your situation is until you get older. I first realized my situation when I was 9 years old, it was Christmas morning. I eagerly rushed to my parent's room door, ready to pounce onto my father's chest as I did most mornings. Only this time it felt different, instead of my parents matching my innocent and playful energy I was met with a locked door and the sound of my mother's sorrow.

When I was a lot younger, walking to school seemed like a walk through the destitute walk of hunger and suffering. More often than not, I felt obligated to give something to these people having Undeserved experiences. As I walked, neatly dressed with ironed clothes, polished shoes, and white socks, I would see kids just like me who were supposed to be in school thinking about being doctors and lawyers but instead, found themselves selling so they can take care of their family's basic needs—My mother passed through similar experiences so I could really relate to their suffering having often heard about how demoralizing and painstaking these experiences can be to kids especially when they see their mates living a better life. I was passionate

Being raised in a developing country taught me to appreciate everything I had pretty early on. Underprivileged was never a word that crossed my mind. I lived modestly in a decent sized home with four vehicles, all the toys my heart desired, and a big close-knit family. Unfortunately, all around me I witnessed the harsh realities of what life could be. Homeless people scattered the streets everywhere around me. Traffic laws weren't obeyed, it was as if no laws existed because the majority didn’t appear to follow them. there was no structure. There aren't as many rules in third world countries, at least not enforced, but they're one of the most conservative places I know. Yet I never realized that our way of living wasn't exactly commonplace until

(Indent) Throughout time there has always been the rich and the poor. There have been numerous ways that people have helped the less fortunate. But even though billions have been spent on helping out the poor, there are still many people who go to sleep without shelter, the proper medical attention, proper education, and basic human rights. I have always seen this as an issue that is not a huge priority in everyone’s minds. We all go on with our lives working taking care of people close to us and keeping ourselves busy with movies, games, etc. But we never stop and think about the people who aren’t as fortunate as us. There have always been many people who wanted to help, but what they're really doing, is mostly just talking. In my generation,

The everyday for you may be only ever be a dream for another.People all over take everything they have for granted. Many don’t see the hurt and pain others(the needy) are in and the carelessness those others are given by the greedy.The ones with nothing are looked upon as outsiders, as if they are invisible to society. They are not only looked down upon, but pitied.

In class, we participated in an activity on privilege where each time a phrase applies to us, we take a candy. Then, if any phrase does not apply to us, we would have to give back two candies. The activity was in silence, so we were able to look at each other’s candies as the amounts change when we either take or give back. I got seven candy at the end, and this average amount surprised me. That was when I realized I am more privileged than I thought I am. Some people got more than ten, which considered a high number. Yet some of us got about one or two. Each time I see my classmates put back their candies, a question rushed through my mind asking, “How difficult it must be for my friends to experience that?” I concluded that those events often make you stronger, since ‘what doesn't kill you make you stronger'. It was not shame that I experienced each time I had to put back the candies, rather, it was a sense of “expertise", as if I have experienced, learned, and grown through those challenges. It was not a sense of proudness that I experienced either, but rather, an acceptance to life and its hardships.

I’ve been given everything that I need to be successful in life thus far. When I was young, I didn’t realize things were different for others. Growing up in an affluent community, you are often shielded from the reality that is life for many people. I think about the the immigrant families and the struggles they face every day and I’m grateful. I think about not being hungry and wondering where and when I will get my next meal and I’m grateful. I think about living in a house with both parents who are educated and working and I’m grateful. I’m also grateful that they have allowed me to travel and see that things ARE different. People all over the world and just six miles away struggle for their existence daily...I don’t, and I am grateful. I also understand that I am not better than others, I am just in a different situation, and for that, I feel grateful and

As I set out along Interstate 40, I was engulfed in affluence: a group of rich white kids from the suburbs had iPhones which cost more than the average person’s monthly salary in rural Appalachia. I have always been aware of the opportunities I have been awarded, but on the long ride to my destination, I finally realized that this lifestyle had been getting to everyone. The group’s goal for the week was to befriend and assist the impoverished people in Appalachia, yet how could this be achieved if we were constantly under the influence of technology, a divisive force which our friends in Appalachia were not always fortunate enough to possess. As the cellular service died down upon entering the mountain region, we began to become immersed in the beautiful panoramic Appalachian mountains rather than the one-dimensional world of electronics. Everyone now had the mindset needed to actively participate in the work we had set out on: bettering the livelihoods of impoverished families in Avery County, NC through needed home improvements.