Over the years, I have become more observant of my surroundings and the way things happen in day to day life. I have observed people working hard, putting all their life into helping not only themself but also towards helping their families. On the other hand, I have also seen people working 20 hours a day (yes, 20 hours a day) and yet struggling to make ends meet.
Let me tell you a story…
In 2000. I visited my grandparents, who at that time were living in Nairobi, Kenya. Now, for those who don’t know, Nairobi is one of the richest cities in Africa, and is a prominent financial hub in the continent. I was in the financial district one day, just taking in the sights from a high point in the city, and I noticed something… something which kinda made me sick to my core.
Here I was; standing in the middle of one of the richest cities in Africa, and I saw kids no more than 7-8 years old rummaging through bins in search of anything, I guess. One of the kids, in the group found something “edible” in the bins, and began eating it, and trying to share with the other kids in his group. This stunned me big time.
There is huge amounts of poverty in Africa, there is no doubt about it; there is huge amount of poverty within Kenya, there is no doubt about this either, but what I did not expect to see this level of poverty smack bang in the middle of such a metropolis. What I saw that day got me thinking…. I could afford most normal things, and I could afford to go away on holiday, and I could eat whatever I want…. did I deserve to be fussy on what I got? Should I have a choice on what is put in front of me compared to those kids in the centre of Nairobi?
From that day I changed my perspective in a lot of things in life. I started eating anything and everything in front of me; whenever I sit to eat, I remember those unfortunate people who will go without a meal for another day and I thank god for putting food on my plate.
On a similar note, I hate the wastage of water, I really really hate it… and let me tell you why…
Even though the earths surface is 70% covered by water, people all around the world still go without water for drinking, washing and bathing. Just imagine, going without a shower for a week…. or having the misfortune of washing yourself and your plate with the same water… if you are lucky enough… can you imagine this?
Something which I can relate to myself is, when I was 15 years old, I used to play 90 minutes of soccer in 35-40C heat in Dubai. I used to play soccer while fasting in Ramadan because of my love of soccer; after the match, I could not drink water, because it would break/invalidate my fast. I was ok with this because it was my choice to play the match; but I knew that the next 3-4 hours until I opened my fast time would pass impossibly slowly! So what of the people who do not have a choice? What about those people who have to walk tens of miles or kilometres to get water from a drying lake or river? What about those people who have access to water… but water so filthy that WE would turn away from it? What about those people who don’t have access to water at all, and are dying on a daily basis?
We as part of a responsible community have a part to play in helping these people, build the required infrastructure, so that they atleast have the minimum facilities in life. I joined twitter with a view meeting new people, and doing what I do best – bouncing thoughts and ideas. It is amazing to see how members of one of the fastest growing social media networks are working hard to organize quite a unique charity event in aid of these people.
The Twestival is organized 100% by volunteers in cities around the world and 100% of the money raised from these events will go directly to support charity: water projects. On 12 February 2009 100+ cities around the world will be hosting Twestivals which bring together Twitter communities for an evening of fun and to raise money and awareness for charity: water.
Sure, there are better ways of donating money, but such an event not only brings together random people together and helps them connect, but also promotes some level of charity, which in other circumstances would not have happened. This is the scale of involvement so far – 350 tickets in London, UK were sold within the first hour of going on sale (I got mine!). The remaining 150 tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday, at 12 noon). Each ticket costs £5. The event has proven to be highly popular in London, and followup events are already being planned. Do please check out the Twestival website, and try and attend your local event. If you cannot attend an event, then please do try and donate, even if it is 5 bucks…. surely that wouldn’t be a big deal…
Just think about the last time you were so thirsty that you would give anything for a sip of water…. then think of those who can only dream of water….. take part in this charity drive…. please Donate.
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