I wrote a post on Compassion's blog today about Slumdog Millionaire. I meant everything I wrote in it, but to be honest, I wrote it from an emotionally detached place.
I'd encourage you to go read it before you read the rest of the this post ...
Did you read it?
What do you think about the question at the end? See, I'm really wrestling with this idea of poverty tourism. Where exactly is the line between educating ourselves about poverty and exploiting the poor?
A warning about the following video: It will break your heart. It will take guts to watch it. I truthfully have never seen a video that broke my heart so completely as this one.
I'm not posting it to be emotionally manipulative. I don't want to evoke your pity or guilt. What I want to do is help you understand what poverty looks like.
You will not see videos or photographs like this from Compassion. I didn't post this as an employee of Compassion. I posted it because it helped me to emotionally connect with the work I do every day.
If during this video your heart was broken for the poor, please don't ignore that.
Do something about it.
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1 comment:
Becky, thank you for posting this video. Although I have been involved with Compassion as a sponsor for years, a part of the Advocate Network for a few years now, traveled overseas on two sponsor trips, my heart has never been as wrenched as when watching this video. Thanks for offering this video. For me it was a reminder what poverty, in its most extreme, can look like. I thank God everyday for wonderful organizations such as Compassion and others who never give up on the "least of these" - everybody is somebody and certainly worthy of dignity and love.
Jeremy Vance
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