"Born into Brothels"

Tonight, I watched "Born into Brothels". Throughout the film, I felt a stream of emotional responses that needed to be written down and shared.

First, Zana Briski is inspirational, powerful, and real. She has a heart of gold and the energy of the sun. She's brilliant and caring and creative - I don't even know her and I want to hug her.

Now onto the documentary itself.
Even though my family and I just went to India and witnessed the rampant poverty in the streets, every time I see a film or commercial depicting India, I cry. I think it is a mixture of guilt and helplessness. My life is so blessed - with the comfort of material things and the love family and friends. I have been given the chance to pursue an education, travel, and experience the world while living in a country that is nothing short of an economic superstar. And these children, prostitutes, and beggars in India have less than nothing. Not even hope for a better life. Living in a state of mind where one believes sadness and despair are all that exist and where hope is a distant dream is the most dismal thing I can think of. So I feel guilty for my fortune and pain for the misfortune of others.

Watching the film left me feeling slightly helpless too, initially. Then I started thinking about ways to fix this situation. There are so many of people living in a severely corrupt society in a busy, overcrowded, poor, uneducated area of the world. How can I do something? Am I able to make a difference? I haven’t thought of a way that I can contribute to this problem yet. I know I can donate $ or work for an NGO but I want to do something more direct. I want to see the difference I am making on a daily basis. I want something hands on. So my current goal is to seek projects that will satisfy these requirements.

I also realize that just by watching this film, I learned more about the red light district and the sex industry in India than I ever knew before. This spurred my interest in wanting to make a difference. I thought, “If this film can spur such strong emotions and reactions within me, it surely must be able to do the same if not more for others.” So, my current task is to find projects that can directly help these people (like planning a trip to India and working on site for example). In the interim, I want to make others aware of the situation highlighted in the movie. So, if you haven’t seen “Born into Brothels” yet 1) Watch it. 2) Email me and we can discuss your views. 3) Let’s brainstorm ways we can contribute to make a change.