A lot of well-off people look at poor people with mistrust. They assume that people asking for money on the streets are delinquents or thieves on the lookout for anything they can get their hands on. But in truth, people living in poverty often turn out to be more generous and empathic than those who live comfortable lives!
An example of this is a little boy named John Thuo. He lives in Nairobi, Kenya, where like many other poor kids, he used to beg for money on the streets. John Thou used to spend his days on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya begging for money. It’s something that irritates many drivers because they assume that the beggers are most likely thieves.
However, John Thuo proved that he’s not only not a thief, but he also has a heart of gold. One day, the boy was out begging when he approached a car to ask for money. But when he looked inside, John was struck by something unusual he saw.The driver of the car was hooked up to tubes and breathing oxygen out of a tank. The woman’s name is Gladys Kamande.
She’s 32 years old, and she told John that her lungs had collapsed, causing her to be unable to breathe properly and forcing her to carry oxygen tanks with her in order to survive. John was astounded to learn that, despite his poverty, there are people in the world who are worse off than he is—they don’t even have health care.
John, overcome with emotion, offered Gladys all of the money he’d collected that day and held her hand through the window. A bystander witnessed the incident, took photos, and shared the story on the internet. Within a few days, the story had gone viral, triggering a chain of events that would forever change both John and Gladys’ lives. Thousands of donations poured in after Gladys’ story went viral. Kind strangers contributed a total of $80,000 to enable her to travel to India and receive treatment.
How is John faring? After receiving so much attention on social media, he was eventually rescued from the streets and adopted into a loving home. Nissy Wambugu, the woman who adopted him, also gave him the opportunity to begin studying! In the end, John’s act of kindness not only aided Gladys but also provided him with a mother and a home.