Quoting ef <ef@somewhere.net>:
>
>
> Quoting Juliet <juliet@xxx.ca>:
>
> > ef, is it possible to set up something--a
> bank
> > account,
> > a person you trust as an intermediary--in order to
> get
> > money
> > to this family is some safe way? I would be happy to
> > give
> > money every month and I think others on fishbreath would
> be
> > too--even a small amount can make a difference--what
> > would
> > 100 bucks a month mean to this family? Enough to
> help
> > in a substantial way? That could be easily raised
> > between
> > a few people. You have a sense of the
> > situation--goddamn
> > if corporations can move huge amounts of money
> around
> > the globe, then surely some money can make it
> between
> > here and there.
juliet, thanks for your concern but for this family,
that wont work at all. for one, it would totally make
them dependent on charity... some families like
them... and oh there are so many... already are. some
treat it like a business, unfortunately.
i am attempting some help for them through different
avenues. such as i have set up something with the
pastor of the little church around the corner from
them in order for the children to learn to read and
write. the pastor is noemi, a woman, young, and she
used to be a teacher. she is very kind, and will also
be looking in on them. i have spent as much time as i
was able trying to instil this neccessity for
learning. i may have been successful... time will
tell.
also, i have sent to them an american who distributes
clothing and food, if there is a need. i mean, i
talked to him at length and he promised to go. he
already visits another family in that courtyard.
i will also be writing them letters, with a page for
each child, so as none will feel left out. this way
they will be forced to seek out noemi in order to know
what is in the letters. noemi said that she will also
be enticing them into her home with sweets and such.
now that i am back in budapest, i will be speaking to
attila, my gypsy friend here. and his wife, who is a
social worker. we.ll try to figure out more stuff.
like, if we need to get some of the children out of
there and how to do that.
i didnt tell you that the mother beats them with a
belt. the chidren ask if children are beaten in
america. i say, no. but i also say, your mother is
just tired.
she does not beat them hard... and she is very tired
all the time. too young, and she neither reads or
writes, much a child herself. she too is
undernourished.
on the bus back to budapest, i sat with a young gypsy
woman, of a caste higher than the gabor family. oh
yes, there are castes among gypsies. she wore
traditional clothing and had much gold jewellery.
plump and very pretty. she had her two little
daughters with her... they too were very pretty, and
very cared for. their mother was always looking over
to see if they needed anything... we talked for a
while. the little girls were doing well in school. she
was very proud of her children. the hungarian man
across from us also talked to her, disrespectfully i
thought. he even told a gypsy joke. doesnt that bother
you, i asked. nah, she laughed. i know who i am. i am
proud of my people. they talk like that only cause
they are jealous. heh, i gotta remember that one, i
said.
-e
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Sun Nov 18 2001 - 12:13:00 PST