Teen Quick Spot - Underprivileged Children

Last Friday, six teens participated in our Social action Kabbalat Shabbat Service. They each stood up and spoke about a cause that is important to them. In addition, they submitted an article for further study, which we will link to at the end of each post. We know that there is so much out there that needs help - one of the first steps is to pick a cause important to us, and then begin doing what we can to understand the issue and start taking action.

By Michele Moses:



Throughout the world, children are suffering from numerous atrocities
unimaginable to most. HIV/AIDS, poverty, war… the lost goes on. The
numbers are horrifying, stating things like half a million children
died of AIDS in 2003 alone, one in five children in developing
countries didn’t have access to safe water, and 1.2 million were
sexually trafficked.

These facts are appalling, but they are distant. This allows people to
turn away and say to themselves “It’s awful, but there is nothing I
can do for children who suffer”. This is not the case. Children are
strongly impacted by hunger and poverty in our country as well. In May
2003, 16,000 children were reported to sleep in the New York City
homeless shelter system on any given night. I had an exceptional
experience with one of these children a few years ago through work I
did with this temple. His name was Desmond, he was 7 years old, and he
lived at the I-Cahn homeless shelter. One moment that stood out to me
was when he spilled his snack on the floor. We’d brought food for all
the children and had plenty to spare. I went to gather it up, throw it
away and replace it with another but he stopped me and said “No, I
still have to eat my food at home if I spill it on the floor”. To see
this sweet little boy’s earnest face looking up at me and hear these
unfamiliar words and ideas was an extremely poignant moment for me. It
caused me to reevaluate my own life and introduced me to the joy that
it brings to help children who have been forced to endure hardship.

To learn more, click here.