An unpleasant encounter with a street beggar

As a kid I remember seeing signs on some streets in town (the CBD area) discouraging people from giving alms to beggars and I’d often wonder why. It only made sense to help the needy. Why shouldn’t I give a homeless child a little food or give money to destitute woman who’ll most likely waste away on the spot where she begs?” I pondered. But I heeded the advice not to give handouts and to this day never have given money, food or anything else to anyone on the streets, no matter how much I empathise with them.

However, my resolve to not give handouts was tested a few days ago, while waiting for a friend at Lusaka’s South Gate Mall. A child of about 12 approached me and asked for K1 to pay for his bus ride home. I’d heard this story before, in fact I was fairly certain this same boy had asked me for one K1 a few weeks earlier as I sat on a bus in Kulima Tower Station. Just like before, I shook my head no and waited for him to leave me alone. Only, he didn’t leave me alone for about 15 to 20 minutes. He nagged me for K1 the whole time and I considered giving it to him first out of pity and then later, just so he’d leave me alone.

As I waited for my friend to show up, I sat and ignored the boy. When that didn’t work I got up and walked away but the boy followed me. Eventually I sat back down and when it once again become too much for me, I got up and walked away. At this point the boy figured no matter how many times he called me “Auntie” and put on a sad face, he wasn’t getting even a ngwee out of me. Back turned to him as I tried to get away, the boy slapped me hard before he left me alone. That came as a total shock to me. I turned around, ready to strike back and found the boy smiling broadly at me before he made a run for it. I decided not to go after him. Aside form the fact that I had no right to hit the boy, I figured he lived a difficult life and the pleasure that came from hitting me was probably the highlight of his day, maybe even his whole month. I’d have gained nothing from hitting back and despite the wide smile on the boy’s face after hitting me, he gained nothing more than a cheap thrill that would wear off in seconds.

That little incident reminded me of my younger days when I questioned why we shouldn’t give alms to needy people on the streets. I was told that one cannot be guaranteed that beggars would use the money for something beneficial like food. For all you know, they may use it for drugs and it’s possible the boy may have been searching for money to pay for his next fix. The boy said the K1 would go towards a bus ride home but I had no way of knowing if this was really the case. He may have a home or he may live on the streets, I’ll probably never know.

I was also told that handouts encourage beggars to continue relying on others rather than make solid plans to improve their lives. If begging on the streets provided the boy who harassed me in town with the means for survival, he’d have less incentive to seek other means. The boy clearly needed help but I’m glad I didn’t give him a handout even if all he was asking for was a measly K1.

The boy may have been sent to beg on the streets by a guardian, making it a form of forced labour. Forced labour that I’d be encouraging even if my intentions were good. His guardian would continue to send him out to beg so long as he came back with money from unsuspecting do-gooders. Perhaps the boy had a sense of entitlement that lead him to believe that anyone he approaches on the street should give him whatever he asks for. My giving him the money would only have strengthened this sentiment. Whichever way I look at the situation, there is no justification to giving alms to beggars. The seemingly kind act can often do more harm than good. 

The more children and adults alike receive in handouts on the streets, the more likely they are to stay there. This doesn’t mean I no longer empathise with beggars. I now empathise with them even more but I also wonder how may of them have violent streaks. I ask myself how many of them can go from humbly pleading for money and then the next second strike you with a smile on their faces. Life on the streets is rough and will harden anyone if they’re on them long enough.

Handouts are not the answer but neither is simply ignoring the growing number of people seeking alms on our streets. The problem still exist even if we turn a blind eye. I walked away from that boy at the shopping centre satisified that I had not caved in and given him K1 and yet, I headed home feeling some guilt as I returned to my relatively comfortable middle class life.