La Pobreza

“Let us not be disheartened, as though human realities made impossible the accomplishment of God’s plans” –Archbishop Oscar Romero

On Tuesday, we started talking about poverty and what it means that 40% of Honduran people live on less than $1 a day, and that 70% of Honduran people live on less than $2 a day. We did an exercise as a class, where we were given a sheet of paper that listed daily expenses for one person in Honduras: food, water, energy, personal effects, transportation, and housing. I was a member of the 40% of Hondurans that live in extreme poverty, and while trying to figure out how to spend my $1 a day, I definitely ran the gauntlet of thoughts and emotions. At first, I figured I could face it like a challenge, and try to see how I could make all the ends meet and go places in the world. It was fun trying to make things work as a group, to see if we would become better off if we went at it together. However, I quickly realized just how unlikely it was for me to actually make it somewhere in the world. All the sudden, by enlisting myself to a life of the most simplistic standards possible, I was able to survive and save 10 cents a day. As I continued to “play” the game, the game began to move into the realm of reality. I realized that the 30 cents a day bus fare listed on the paper wasn’t just a made up number for our little scenario, it was the actual price that I paid just yesterday to ride a bus in Tegucigalpa, and if a Honduran with $1 a day at her disposal needed to ride a bus, there went 30% of her income for the day. And the price of food for each day wasn’t just a made up number, but was really the bare minimum that tortillas and beans could cost in a day-to-day setting (I certainly haven’t found out to eat for 30 cents a day while I’m here). As our group tried to save money by moving all nine of us into a single house, I imagined the houses around Tegucigalpa likely forced into the same situation. I looked at the back side of the paper, and realized that with my 10 cents a day that I was able to save, in 6 or 7 years I would be able to pay for the inevitable doctor bill after getting sick from my malnourished diet. This is a stark reality for 40% of Honduras, and it is no wonder that hopelessness and selfishness sometimes begins to emerge in these situations.

The next day, we visited Nueva Suyapa, visiting the homes of those that fit in these poverty and extreme poverty situations. Those working for justice like to quote the saying that at some point when you help the poor, you need to ask yourself, “why are the poor so poor?”. I’ve always tried to put myself in this group, thinking myself superior for seeking out the root of the problem. But as I looked at these women’s houses, and heard one women explain to us that her husband was the only one working, making four dollars a day digging ditches to support himself, his wife, and 4 children, I realized that there is always the need to help the poor, regardless of whether or not we are seeking out the root of the problem.

Again, I still don’t know completely where to go from here with these thoughts. I think sometimes we just need to open our eyes, though, and actually realize what’s going on right around us and around the world. Unfortunately, reality tends to hurt to look at, making averting our gaze so much more desirable.