Importance of Helping the Less privileged in the Society
One aspect about humanity which helps us to coexist peacefully is the need to help the under-privileged people in the society. These groups include the sick, the aged, the physically-challenged, the poor, the homeless, the orphaned, the displaced etc. we should always try to uplift their standards through various initiatives so that they too can try to lead a decent life. It is our duty as a community to do so because it helps us to lead a more purposeful life.
These are some of the insights that social workers possess. I’m a social worker and through my career, I’ve worked with various NGOs and other organization within the community which seek to address the plight of the less-privileged members of our community. At one time, I was working as a social worker in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya and I was really touched by the conditions that the refugees had to adhere to.
The organization that I was working to sought to promote better education to the refugees, but despite their efforts, much still needed to be done. I must admit that the organization always tried its best, but having to constrain its efforts on a tight budget meant ignoring some aspects. This always pained me but there was nothing much that I could do about it.
A Cycling trip to Raise Funds to help the Poor Access Quality Education
However, in 2013 while I was on leave, a rare opportunity presented itself. A colleague who previously used to be a social worker too, but had to quit because he always wanted to be a clergyman approached me with a unique idea of raising cash to help the under-privileged in the society. He wanted me to team up with another clergyman in biking for charity for such group of people. At first, the idea sounded a bit odd given that the cycling experience was to start in Kenya and end in South Africa, when it would coincide with a planned fund drive to raise money for the same course.
I wasn’t good in bikes. Actually, I couldn’t remember the last time that I cycled; it must have been when I was a kid. What I found really strange was the facts that the whole trip was to take about six to nine weeks. I didn’t know if I would have the energy to keep cycling during all this period. Therefore, I declined the offer.
However, that evening, I decided to evaluate the whole idea. As much as I thought that it would be impossible, I found myself getting interested in the cycling experience if at all it would help raise funds to help the poor. As a social worker and a person who had participated in various volunteer and charity projects, maybe biking to raise money for a good cause was also something wonderful. I looked at all the factors involved and I concluded that I would be part of the program.
The following day I called my colleague and talked to him about my change of mind. He was glad that I had finally accepted. We took about seven more weeks planning everything and also setting websites where well wishers would donate. We ensured that everything was in place according to our arrangements and then set of cycling.
During this time, we also tried to get ourselves fit by exercising, jogging and participating on other workouts as well as get accustomed in cycling. We also sought to familiarize ourselves with traffic rules in various countries and learn about the terrain that we would be taking. Also the period was used in processing the necessary documents that we would be needed at various territorial boundaries to enter the next country.
Understanding the Plight of Others helps us Find Better Ways of Helping Them
We started sometimes in mid May when we set off. It was exciting on the first few days, but soon I became much fatigued. It seemed that I wasn’t ready for the journey even though I had decided to be part of it. However, the company of my colleagues kept me on the road. They always sought to inspire me through the journey. We were ever there for each other. Each day we would evaluate our progress and at times check on the contributions that we were receiving. We also had to popularize our course on social media and other platforms so that we could receive donations to support our course.
Finally, we made it to South Africa on the 7th week. I couldn’t belief it when we finally crossed to the country. We managed to be in Cape Town two weeks before the fund drive. For those two weeks, I spent the first resting and the next I enjoyed biking through the town just to sight-see. Basically, the experience was an awesome and it gave me more insight about the importance of helping the less-privileged in the society.
