I live in Lima, Peru, a city which is home to extreme poverty. Due to the huge inequality and bad distribution of the country, about 8 million peruvians remain poor. I am extremely lucky and privileged to live in the bubble. Outside this bubble, there is extreme poverty, pain, injustice, hunger, and plenty of suffering. The saddest thing is that all of this is right around the corner, surrounding the bubble I live in, and shamefully, we tend to ignore it. We are so comfortable inside our bubble that we prefer to not even look outside and avoid any interactions outside of it. Although there are millions of hands stretching to us, begging for our help, many times we are too selfish and unaware to stretch back our hands and reach to help them.
This weekend I went to Pamplona Alta with Bridges, a non-profit organization that reconciles society with charity by creating solutions and helping people make a real difference. Although I had slept 4 hours and I woke up feeling tired and sick, I decided to go. Even though my sleepiness is very strong and many times it convinces me to stay longer in bed, or to avoid certain activities, I was able to gather strength and get up. I definitely didn’t regret this decision and I am glad I took it as it was an amazing experience.
My morning consisted in climbing up hundreds of stairs and rocks, socializing with the kind community in Pamplona Alta, collecting rocks with buckets, creating a human chain to pass the buckets back and forth, carrying bags and buckets of sand and cement, creating cement mix, working in teamwork, and finally creating stairs for the single mothers in Pamplona Alta. It was extremely productive and very exhausting! It was incredible how everyone was willing to help and how all of us (the bridges team and the community there) were putting all of our efforts to reach the same objective. The positive vibes that were transmitted and the powerful bonds and connections that were formed were extraordinary. It was exceedingly gratifying to watch the bliss and gratitude in the resident’s faces. When we were done, I went down the hundreds of stairs until we finally got to the buses. My legs couldn’t stop shaking due to the physical effort I had put in, but the satisfaction and fulfillment I felt were much higher, so nothing else really mattered.
Although building stairs for these people will not lift them out of poverty, it is a huge step and a huge initiative. I am aware that by visiting these people a few hours on saturdays and building stairs for them or painting their homes won’t beat poverty, but at least I am stepping out of my bubble and creating an impact on many families. This experience did not only allow me to make a real difference, but it also allowed me to open my eyes and reflect. Not only it made me appreciate all that I have and become aware of how fortunate I am, but I was also able to burst the bubble I live in, and realize what surrounds me and be part of it, at least for a while.
I encourage everyone living in the same bubble I live in to do the same thing. Burst the bubble. Go out there and help those who are stretching their hands to you, make a real difference. The satisfaction and gratitude you will feel after will definitely pay off for any efforts and sacrifices you decide to make.
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” ~ John Holmes