Give till it hurts you.

 

This is not one of those donation ads that tell you to spare what you can. 

That say ‘every little bit counts’. That preach every drop maketh the ocean. This is not an ad intended to make you feel good about pocket change.

You see, the problem is far bigger than what can be fixed by the price of two missed movie tickets or a bar night with the boys. 90 million Indians above the age of sixty are trying to survive on the streets by themselves – without adequate money, shelter or access to healthcare. Without access to love, or even hope. 

And that figure will be 120 million by the end of this year.

Imagine being hungry day after day while remembering what a full stomach feels like. Imagine sleeping on a park bench or under a flyover with only your own fading memory for company. Imagine the horror of seeing your organs fail you one by one – and the terror of realizing you’re all alone and moneyless and possibly homeless while that happens. Imagine being too weak to live but not weak enough to die. 

The ghastly thing is that you don’t even need to imagine. You just need to open your eyes and look around you. 

But once you’re done seeing, please turn your gaze inwards. Because you can make a real difference. We should know. We’re Concern India Foundation and we’ve been looking after the elderly poor for over 15 years now. We run old-age homes, nursing homes, adult daycares and hospices. And till now, we’ve helped 16,614 aged people across Delhi, Bombay, Pune, Calcutta and Chennai, age with comfort and dignity. We’ve done this with the help of many like-minded Indians. And now, we’re looking for many more.

Yes, this is a pitch for money but we’re asking you to dig deep. This ocean is too big. And to fill it will take more than just tokenism. 

Please give like your own mother were in need. Give like it were your father in the photograph above. Give till you can feel the giving. Only then – and still maybe only then – will you really be helping. 

And should you give till it hurts you, a strange funny nice thing will happen. Instead of hurting you, you will discover that giving does quite the opposite. 

Another little big way in which you can help old people help themselves, is to tear and keep this in your wallet. So that when you come across the next old person in need of assistance, we’re right there with you.

(Art courtesy my good friend and brother, Mark Flory)