Meeting the Have-Nots

Merkato is the largest market in Africa. Addis is a very safe city, except for Merkato - which is known to be a place where tourists and Ethiopians alike get robbed. It's also a total treasure chest filled with smells, textures and wares found nowhere else on Earth.

Obviously, I was going. Left my cell phone, camera, passport and all that jazz in the hotel. Just took $400 Birr (which is like $35 US dollars). Split it up into a cargo pocket, my sportsbra and my shoe. Figured if I got robbed, I'd at least have enough money in one of the three stashes to take a taxi back to the hotel.

Sure as sunshine....

I even READ about this method of picking pockets. One teenage kid bumped into my left shoulder, and goes "excuse me, Madam." The other kid slid his hand into my right cargo pocket.

Before he could get his hands on the little bit of cash in that pocket, I grabbed his wrist like a big, mean, angry mom grabs a kids arm in the grocery store. Gave him a loud bark and a scornful scowl. I don't think he expected my resistance or my strength. Looked at me with huge eyes of terror and took off running.

I laughed it off and made my way back to the taxi pretty quickly- a litlte freaked out.

Here is the thing. If there was justice in this World, that kid would have made off with my cash. The poverty in this city is staggering. I've traveled around developing countries some, and NEVER have I seen streets filled with so many helpless kids, men and women with polio - using flip flops on their hands, dragging their legs behind them, amaiciated mothers breast feeding infants. It's capturing and it feels endless.

This is not about drug addiction, laziness or lack of initiative. This is poverty.

Lonely Planet warns to "not give street kids your money. Donate instead to one of the charities that serves them, so they are discouraged from begging." In theory, that is a very glossy idea. In reality, it's total bullshit. When a homeless 5-year old girl tells you she's hungry, what kind of monster DOESN'T give her money and a hug? Every day, I've been putting a certain amount of money in my back pocket to donate to folks.

Of course, I didn't like someone trying to steal my money. But maybe if we, countries with money, took a little better care of those without, teenage boys wouldn't need to dip into our pockets and try to help themselves.