"Please Support Me!"

Four days ago, as I drove into town, the taxi in front of me slowed to a stop and flipped on his hazard lights. All traffic stopped. Then I noticed a man, with a briefcase strapped to his back, crawling on his hands and knees across the road. He had flip flops on his hands like you would for your feet. Without a wheelchair, this was his only means of getting from one side of the road to the other.

I’ve seen others crawling but this seemed different. Usually, these folks go unnoticed. But all the cars stopped and waited. What’s his story?

What about the scores of other handicapped people we see on the side of the road with their hands out, as they say, “please support me?”

Yesterday, at one intersection, I was approached by a very old woman in a wheelchair. My guess is she weighed about 60 lbs. Moments later, a blind woman with a young man approached the car.

At another intersection, there is a woman with no foot, hobbling along with a big stick as a crutch. There’s a young nursing mom with baby on her breast and three younger children working the line of cars. There’s a mom with a baby with a tremendously large head (maybe hydrocephalus). It is SHOCKING.

When we first arrived in January, we saw very few begging on the streets but with two very strict Covid lockdowns, more people have become desperate.

We’ve especially seen an uptick in kids on the streets. Selling and begging. Sadly, Uganda is one of five countries in the world where kids still aren’t back to school. Covid cases are low and all neighboring nations have dropped most if not all Covid restrictions. Kids here have turned to selling and begging on the streets.

At many traffic intersections in the main part of town or in the areas where more expats, diplomats and upper income Ugandans live, there are swarms of kids (some as young at 5) alone or in groups selling sponges, bananas, school books or chewing gum. Today a young man offered me a puppy. They come right up to your window with their toes slipped under your car and offer their goods. They press their hands and face on your window. When you say “no” they then move right into, “please auntie, won’t you support me?” Or “I’m hungry.... I’m thirsty.” They are always quick to notice a half empty water bottle in your car.

Lately, if you say “no” we’ve had young kids (especially boys) pound on our windows.

How do you respond?

What would Jesus do?

The advice we’ve received is to not give handouts (especially to children) as they are usually corralled by some sort of handler or pimp. Anything they would receive would not go to supporting them. For adults, it’s the same people every day, and if you give a handout once, you’ll become a soft target and build expectations that you will provide “support” every time you sit at that intersection.

There are no government safety nets. Many people right now are really desperate. But is just giving money the answer? A friend gives small bags of rice. But she runs out all the time and creates expectations from those she meets.

And what about the crawling man? He was NOT asking for a hand out. My guess is that he was a student at the technical college on that street. He looked well dressed. Carried a nice book bag and other than crawling, seemed determined in his journey. What support did he have that others do not? Certainly not enough to buy a wheelchair but he still pressed on.

I confess to becoming a bit numb to all of it.

But again, what would Jesus do?

A few months ago, on a particularly warm day, I was sitting in my air-conditioned car at an intersection in a part of town I don’t know well. I was on a hill. Two older women were walking up the hill towards the cars and asking for support at each vehicle. “No.” “No.” “No.” One woman was struggling with the heat and as she was about 10 feet from the front on my car I shook my head, “no.” She saw me and immediately put her head down, slumped her shoulders and turned away to head back down the hill. She was likely younger than me but looked so old. She wasn’t angry, just totally dejected. Nothing in her posture was aimed to make me feel guilty. She just seemed so discouraged. My heart broke.

As I drove next to her on the way through the intersection, I slipped a 2000 schilling bill into her hand. About 60 cents. She grabbed my hand with both of hers. There were tears in her eyes.

Give us wisdom Jesus. Give us discernment. How do we respond? How should we steward our resources to the service of those around us?

Jesus, how would you have us care for the “least of these?”