Pity is an easy way to stunt learning. Someone who has had greater struggles than you have probably could tell you a lot that you could not learn otherwise. It is when we get past pity that we can really help a cause and also help ourselves. This is how selflessness can really work most effectively.
In order to really learn from the film Born into Brothels it is necessary to exercise this kind of selflessness. When we really look at these children's situation it is easy to be discouraged. In their own country of India they are considered the lowest of low, and then India is considered a third world country. Pity would drive most people to want to give money, food, or clothing to these children. This is extremely helpful but someone came into their life that really gave them what they needed.
Zana Briski is a photographer that originally had traveled to the brothel to document what was happening for the kids. Then she looked past her pity and looked for a concrete way to ensure their safety and even removal from the brothel. The first thing she did was teach them photography. Many would argue that this is an impractical skill to teach them for a multitude of reasons; they can't afford cameras, it is hard to find a job with this skill, and it requires further education that the children could not afford. I think she saw what they really needed, and that was creativity. When the children were taking pictures they had to think outside the box to get the perfect picture in the box. This is teaching them problem based learning and giving them an opportunity to grow and learn in a way they were not getting in their normal lives.
This grabbed the attention of a lot of people. The children's pictures were shown in many shows and people started to really care about their situation. This attention eventually led to the filming of this documentary and many other opportunities for the kids. The best part is that Briski worked to get the children enrolled in boarding school so they were away from their unhealthy environments and they had a chance to get a good education.
Without Briski the children most likely would have stayed in the brothels their whole lives and then bore children into the brothel and so on. Briski was able to hopefully break the chain because she really cared, she learned, and she was able to provide for them in a way that they could really use for a long time and not just to satisfy and immediate need. Many would argue that Briski learned the most in this situation, and we can learn from her as well so we can bring to light new ideas to creatively and effectively solve all the worlds’ problems!
Heiffer International does almost exactly what Briski did for the kids in India. Where she gave the kids art, which they could use to get their voices heard and, in the case of one of the boys, make a living, Heiffer International gives animals. The animals are like the photography in that they are a source of income, as well as food, which allows families to send their kids to school. I think the work of Heiffer International really exemplifies what you said about providing in the long term instead of simply working to satisfy immediate needs.
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