Each of us has faced this dilemma at least once: extend a helping hand or walk by? This question becomes particularly acute when we see people begging on the street or read heartbreaking stories on social media. Let’s figure out how to help wisely and avoid falling victim to scammers.
The Art of Recognizing Those in Need
Picture a family where parents suddenly lost their jobs, or a single mother with three children trying to make ends meet. These are the people who often find themselves in situations where they truly need help. Real need rarely shouts about itself from every corner – more often it hides behind closed doors, where people are trying their hardest to cope on their own.
Real need is usually connected with the inability to provide for basic necessities: buying enough food, paying rent, or purchasing necessary clothes for children. Often these are temporary difficulties that can be overcome with proper support.
When the Heart Asks to Help
The story of Anna, a charity foundation volunteer, is illustrative: “Once, a well-dressed woman approached me asking for money for food. Something in her eyes made me stop and talk. It turned out she had lost her job two months ago and sold almost all her valuables to feed her children. Her neat appearance was her last attempt to maintain dignity.”
How to Help Wisely
Instead of giving money to everyone indiscriminately, it’s better to choose one or two ways of helping and do it regularly. For example:
Befriend a reliable charity foundation. They check every story and know who really needs help. It’s like having a reliable friend who always advises you on how to act properly.
Become a volunteer in your local community. Personal involvement helps better understand people’s problems and see the real results of assistance.
Who to Help First
In life, we often encounter situations where our ability to help is limited. At such moments, it’s important to set priorities. Centuries of human experience suggest the following order:
- First and foremost – care for parents. If your parents are in need, they should be helped first. This is not just a moral duty but also a sensible approach – after all, no one knows their real needs better than you.
- The next priority is your children (especially those over six years old). Why this age? During this period, personality is forming, and material difficulties can particularly strongly affect a child’s development.
- Brothers and sisters. Often they best understand your life situation and can most effectively use the help.
- Then come other relatives – according to the degree of kinship.
- After relatives – neighbors. These are people who are physically close to you and whose situation you can assess with your own eyes.
- Residents of your city. By helping the local community, you improve the environment in which you live.
- And only then – helping residents of other cities and regions.
It’s important to note that this order is not a strict rule, but rather a wise guideline. In each specific case, the degree of need must be considered: sometimes a neighbor might be in such a critical situation that helping them becomes a priority over helping a distant relative.
Not All Help is Beneficial
Maria, a social worker with 15 years of experience, shares an observation: “Sometimes good intentions can harm. I’ve seen how regular handouts turned people into professional beggars, although they could work. Real help is not a crutch, but a springboard for returning to normal life.”
What to Do When Meeting Beggars on the Street?
Instead of the automatic reaction “give/don’t give,” try a new approach: offer to buy food or tell them about the nearest social assistance center. Often such help proves more valuable than loose change from your pocket.
How to Recognize Scammers
Unfortunately, people often try to profit from others’ kindness. Be wary of:
- Overly dramatic stories with constantly changing details
- Aggressive demands for help
- Refusal of any help except money
Wise Charity
Helping others is an art. As Elena, a charity foundation founder, says: “The main thing is to remember that behind every request for help is a human destiny. Sometimes it’s enough to just listen and direct the person to specialists who will help them get back on their feet.”
Helping others improves not only the lives of those we help but also our own. The main thing is to do it wisely and with an open heart, remembering that even small help can change someone’s life for the better.
