Fast asleep, dreaming of a better life (MATT)

While walking back from dinner tonight, I just narrowly missed – and I mean by no more than two inches – stepping on a curled up little boy who was sleeping in the dark street. The kid, who looked no older than 1 ½ (but is probably actually 2 or 3), was literally sleeping by himself in the gutter.

Seeing the poor kid at the last second, I luckily adjusted my body as my foot was on its way down, stumbling awkwardly into the street. While the kid didn’t stir from his sleep, I sure was shaken up by the whole thing…

It’s so sad to see all of these kids on the streets, knowing that formal education is out of the question and they have essentially no real chance in life. From ages 0-3, these kids will be used as props by their mothers as the moms beg car to car in dangerous interactions. (It goes like this: The kids, who are typically naked, are held in their mothers’ arms. When the mom approaches a car, she’ll often subtlety dig her nails into the young kid’s leg or pinch his skin, eliciting a wail that the mother hopes will result in more money. It’s horrible.)


From ages 4-6 these kids will start begging on their own. I’ve had kids run barefoot next my rickshaw in heavy traffic for half a mile yelling “boss, boss – 10 Taka boss.” Reminiscent of times spent hanging out with my niece and nephews – only nowhere near as fun – I once had a kid grab my leg, slide down it and sit on my foot, then wrap his arms and legs tightly around my leg. As the kid's brothers and sisters quickly surrounded me, it became a very difficult situation to get out of...

From age 7 or so on, the kids that have survived the harsh life on the streets will have graduated to trying to sell you something, often flower necklaces or bags of who-knows-how-old popcorn. The sophistication continues into the kids’ teens, as they’ll move on to selling street maps or photocopied books. (The books I usually get offered are: Lonely Planet Bangladesh, Barack Obama’s “Dreams from my Father”/ “The Audacity of Hope,” and Khaled Hosseini's “Kite Runner.”)

Realizing my donations can only go so far in a country of 160 million people, I often set a limit for what I’ll give each day and then split up my budget into small amounts. Occasionally I’ll give a mother 100 Taka or so, which is only $1.50 but is equivalent to what a brick worker might make in an entire day. The look that flashes on a person’s face when they realize their kids will have something to eat the following day is pretty amazing…

Man, oh man. How lucky I am to have grown up in a country where opportunities abound (even in a recession) and “sleeping in the gutter” is only a figure of speech…