The Poverty Merry-Go-Round

I have been living in Central for nearly five years now and, while I have been here, I have attempted to spend time with and understand the local people. It has been a crazy journey that has taken me to places as far off the grid as I think it is possible to get.

In the process, I have come to believe that we, as Western people, need to re-define poverty. I will write more about that later, but lets just say that things are not always what they seem.
Right now, I just want to highlight the poverty I am seeing in Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

This is home to the Ngboe Indians. They live on the out islands here and are very good at living an off-the-grid, holistic lifestyle. However, they recently have been exposed to TV, cell phones, and the internet with, I think, devastating effects.

Exposure to what I would like to call bling bling, has created a drive to leave their old way of life and try to embrace a much more materialistic way of living. Most of these people grew up on fincas, or farms, in these islands. They know how to fish and garden and raise animals and forage in the forest, which is filled with fresh fruits and medicinal plants here. BUT they are leaving the farms.

When they get into town, they have to find jobs to support themselves, and jobs are few and far between. Consequently, they live on very little, or zero, money and end up living in unbelievable squalor.

I had an interesting conversation with some new friends yesterday about this problem. One girl suggested that a solution would be to make farming "cool" again. I think she was absolutely right. There is a big movement in the states to go back to a more simple, grounded way of living. Organic gardens are springing up everywhere and people are trying to figure out how to live off the grid.

So the first world is moving to the third and the third to the first.

And here, we though we had everything. Our cars, our big houses, our multiple TVs and computers and our fancy clothes have not brought us the peace of mind we are looking for. And round the circle goes.

Is it possible for us to get off this crazy merry-go-round and find a more authentic, settled way of living?

I think so.....

Getting out of my comfort zone...
laura

Please check out our FULL WEBSITE at www.PovertyProjectInternational.com

Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/povertyprojectinternational/

If you want to chat, you can email us at povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com

Or if you want to help us out and DONATE, you can go to PAYPAL and send your donation to povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com All donations are tax deductible.

Live is an adventure, Live it!

Comments

Why I Am Here: The Beauty in the Poor Places

I don't write about myself very often, but this time I just want to share a little bit. I want to tell you why I am here. I have been in Central America for five years now. I came on vacation and never went home. Something happened to me that is hard to explain. I walked streets I wasn't sure were safe. I went places I wasn't sure I would come back from. I got really far out of my comfort zone. And in the most unlikely places, I found life. Now I understand why Jesus ate with the prostitutes and drunkards. Why he went to the lost and the broken. They are actually cool people! You cannot imagine how amazing it was to hear their stories, to feel their pain and share their joy, to meet their families and get to know their names. I wish I could explain to you the beauty I see. I wish I could take the feeling that swells inside me and put it in your heart. I am without words, and so I try to convey in pictures the depth I see in their eyes the joy in the e

Good Bye For Now, Ubaldino. We Miss You

We lost a young man. His name was Ubaldino and he was 20. He was an orhpan who was left on the streets when he was about 12 with a 2 year old brother to care for. And he had a terrible skin disease. It is so hard to understand why some are born into this world to undergo such suffering. Ubaldino could not work because his condition. He knew he could not have a girl friend, which is heartbreaking to me, to think that you could never know that basic kind of love. We bought zinc for the roof of his house. before that, the rain poured in. We bought blankets and pillows for his bed because he had none. We bought clothing for him and for his little brother and food for their table. But it wasn't enough. This is difficult for me. I cared for a young man that no one would hug because of the way he looked. He came running across the street to me yelling, Mommy! everytime he was me. Sometimes I was frustrated with him because he wanted money to out minutes on his cell phone and I

The Secrets of Happiness and How to Happify Your Life with Happy Food

Maria with a guanabana ripe off the tree. Panama Tell me please: What are SECRETS OF HAPPINESS? According to the Happy Planet Index , Costa Rica is the #1 Happiest Place on Earth! I love this quote from the study: People living in Costa Rica have higher well being than the residents of many rich nations including the USA and the UK, and live longer than people in the USA. Panama has repeatedly been the NUMBER ONE SPOT to retire overseas according to International Living. Check out this quote: Internatio nal Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index is hitting the presses. And in the top spot: Panama. I should say: Panama again . Because this tiny powerhouse has topped this index more times than any other country. And this year, International Living is going over the top promoting Mexico as the up and coming best place to retire saying: The U.S.’s southern neighbor consistently makes International Living’s list of the 5 top countrie

Poverty Project International Stories

Search This Blog