The Last day of Najah exhibition in Abu Dhabi, it was a good event And most schools and colleges showed up. However 90% of the students and parents are after the pens, teeshirts, mugs and other materials and giveaways that are prepared by the universities to entice students and so they keep remembering the university just in case one day they would go there.
One woman who was a 100 years old and holding a size 25 body came to me asking for a teeshirt (She looked poor and her cloths were less than the standard of those that come to education fairs, but who am I to Judge) I told her that I have run out of them. She was so sad to the extent that I went to my neighbor and asked them to give her one of their teeshirts. She could barely walk! But she had bags filled with goodies that she had collected from those present at the fair. That started me thinking. Are we spending our funds on knickknack that are not necessary and instead we could give that to people that need it! There maybe many like this woman! Then she asked me for some chocolates. I didn’t have any as this time I was in a healthy diet and only took a basket of raisons that I offered to her. I almost opened my purse to give her some money but felt awkward and didn’t want her to feel bad.
Maybe we should have a place at each exhibition for those underprivileged people to come and maybe have a bite to eat, get our old stuff and some charity money. I think expo providers make so much money and having a place like that will not make a dent in their pockets but in fact may make them look good in the eyes of the public.
This incident reminded me of the food exhibition that happens in dubai once a year! Once I was there to pick up a book, it so happened that it was the afternoon of the last day. I saw things that made feel so sad. People filling their bags with the left over of the products that the exhibitors didn’t want to take back with them! I saw people fighting over a little bag of rice and some tea bags.
There is so much poverty here, while we live our lives happy we must have an open eye to notice what is going on around us and try to improve the lives of those that live with us in the same country. Many of us support overseas ventures for charity! And I know that this is cliche but I would say: “charity starts at home”