Its 7:30pm, the weather is so cold(-10C) and we are waiting at a popular Tim Hotters downtown Toronto, for Paster Joe to come lead us on a "sandwitch handout" to homeless people on the streets of Canada. THE HOMELESS ON THE STREET OF CANADA?!!!!! Did I just say that?
Yes,its so cold out there,we walking, street by street, led by paster Joe and my feets and hands are so cold to freezing point with burning sensation. We walk to these homeless people who sleeps on the streets in the cold handing down sandwitches and my eyes are moved to tears!!! People wraped in sheets of rubber and blankets, sleeping on card boards out there in the cold. after 1 hour of walking, I can barely walk, my feets hurts, my coat is not helping, neither is my hand gloves doing me any good, yet people out there have to put up 24/7 with the cold, not knowing where the worth is going to come or the next sandwitch guys are going to pass by!!!
I stop by for a moment to interact with one of the homeless and all he ever needed was a look in the eyes to make him feel some worth, a chat to make him feel loved and cared for. A hand shake to make him feel stronge!! One of them had the inscription, "God created us the same but 'we' have created differences"
Is this the Canada that I have heard of? the Canada of rich people who own fancy cars,computers, phones, Tablets and of that? Is this the canada that caters for its own that no one is left behind to suffer like those on the streets? Is this the canada young people like my age in Ghana wants to badly to visit and will do all the "sakawa" to get the money and documents that they need to travel to? COULD THIS BE THE UNTOLD STORY?
Well, the cold was so severe I had to take shelter at a restaurant close by and enback on a "routine dance move" to shake off the cold!!! Then I ask myself: How many dance moves thus these homeless people have to in a day to keep warm? How many sandwitches can we handover to them to give them enough energy to fight this hash weather? How long can Paster Joe keep mobilising people to help out with handing out sandwitches? we can all be the source to warmth to these homeless people who live right at our door steps!!! Let just say 'Dorothy's sister who lives right here needs our attention too.............
Thanks Sylvester to share that. I often think that we should also look at poverty in our countries. I hope you will bring that message back to Ghana to give a little more nuance of what is Canada.
ReplyDeleteGreat capture of your reaction. Would love to hear how your friends react when you get back to Ghana. Be safe!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this story and your thoughts. It was great meeting you at the conference.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post Sylvester! Thank you for sharing your perspective and impressions during your visit. I think that people are left behing in every country and it is particularly interesting to read a Ghanian perspective of Canada's challenges!
ReplyDelete- Heather, Queen's EWB Chapter
Hey Sylvester!
ReplyDeleteWell spoken! Looking forward to chatting about this more when you're back in Black Star country!
Thanks for sharing Sylvester. This perspective was what I was trying to share with my host family in Ghana but it was so difficult to paint the picture. Your articulation here does a perfect job though. Safe journey and I wish you all the best.
ReplyDelete- Dena Ghoneim (EWB University of Calgary)
"Dorothy's sister who lives right here needs our attention too" Wow, amazingly captured, I could never have said that better. Amazing how it takes a foreigner to so easily witness the tensions we live with. I hope you guys had a fantastic time here, and saw a lot that you can bring back home to the boys and girls who want to leave their home for this place. All the best.
ReplyDeleteBailey (EWB McGill and Ghana Jf 2011)