The Quest to End Poverty

Maya Varma, 5th Grade
Cupertino CA
Challenger School Almaden

The world faces many problems today, like global warming, pollution, destruction of our environment, and many more. Fixing these problems would take the effort of many people together. If I could solve one of these problems, I would end poverty. When people do not have enough food to eat, they cannot be expected to help solve other problems. Without basic necessities in life like food, clothing and shelter they cannot be productive. Now, people are losing their jobs and houses. This problem is going to increase in magnitude in the coming days.

Ever since I can remember, my parents have told me to only ask for things I need instead of what I want. I had always pondered about the true meaning of this. After all, I “needed” a Wii game system because my friend had one. But I only understood what my parents meant on my last trip to India.

When my plane landed at the Mumbai airport, I happily jumped out and rushed into the airport. After waiting for a long time amidst a crowd of people, we found our baggage and climbed into the waiting taxi. The first thing I noticed were the swarmed streets with cars honking their horns every few seconds. The noise was deafening. I was amused by the cacophony around. Then, as my gaze shifted to the sidewalks, the smile faded off my face. I saw a family sitting on the streets with torn clothes and a shaggy blanket asking for money. As we traveled further into the city, I caught sight of a few more beggars. When we stopped at a traffic light, a woman with a little baby came to our car to ask for money. More children around my age or younger came by asking for money and selling the few things they owned. I then realized that even though India had a lot of big buildings and rich people, there were a lot of very poor people too. I decided then, that I would help in whatever way I can.

That trip changed my life. I do not take anything for granted anymore, since I finally realized that I was lucky to go to a good school, have a nice home and food to eat. Rather than brood over not getting a Wii, I decided to donate money for needy causes. So for my tenth birthday, I asked my friends to give me money instead of gifts, and made a deal with my parents to match the money I raised. I raised $570 and donated it to a local charity. Two more of my friends who had come to my birthday did the same – one of them gave money to the China earthquake and the other to a shelter for homeless people. I then realized that I had influenced my friends and they in fact, must have influenced other friends and we all together must have made a difference even if it’s very small. I plan on continuing to solve our world problems starting first by helping the poor, at my home making sure that I recycle, reuse, and reduce and also in my neighborhood and community. Taking public transport on at least a few days of every month would reduce our pollution levels and also give us our much needed exercise. We can also prevent animal cruelty by treating our pets well and allowing the wild animals to be free rather than destroy their habitat or confine them in cages.

It takes many people to create a change in the world, but one person can make a big difference. Because, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” So
let us start with ourselves.