Calgary Social Voice

Sharing ideas on social issues in and around Calgary.

Poverty Matters: 4 reasons why hope matters

June 19, 2012 · Posted In: Poverty
Poverty Matters: 4 reasons why hope matters

After 1 ½ years of living in Canada, it was no shock to hear Sundar say there are times where he feels he made the biggest mistake of his life.  Then, he recalls the real reason he came – to give his children a better life.

Every day the challenge to overcome poverty is a struggle but what gets Sundar through, like most people living in poverty, is hope.  “Hope gives you strength to believe you will live a better life and that you just need to fight each day for what it brings,” says Sundar.

Here are four reasons why hope matters to Sundar:

1.     Hope gives him strength to believe his life will get better: 

To be honest, I am here for my kids. I came to Canada because I know it is one of the best places to live in the world and I want my kids to live a better life.  Back home in Nepal, there are political and economic problems that are getting worse.

Hope gives me the strength to believe there are better opportunities for my family and gave me the strength to leave my life back in Nepal with the belief that we will live a better life here in Canada.  Hope gives me the strength to know that one day we will no longer be living in poverty.

 2.     Hope forces him to challenge himself, mentally, physically and spiritually:

Back home, I was a good accounting professional, a finance auditor with more than 20 years of experience.  I had a very good reputation, good income and life was good.  I thought coming to Canada would not be this difficult but I am having a hard time getting a professional job because my academic qualifications and experience are not recognized here.

Every day is a challenge and struggle.  We are living from paycheque to paycheque and it’s really difficult to keep a roof over our head.  I worked at Tim Hortons and am now working as a security guard.  We are living on only one income in a household with two boys and a wife in school.  We have to pay all the bills, rent, groceries and everything… it is financially very hard but  I have to keep believing that every challenge will get us one step closer to a better life.

 3.     Hope gives him courage to stay strong for his family: 

There are so many times I think, ‘what am I doing here in this country.’ Sometimes I get sad that I am not providing for my family.  I spend so many nights without sleeping.  My wife and I don’t tell our children that we are low-income and that we cannot provide.  Everything we do is for them.  In fact, we try to fulfill their needs first because we don’t want them to feel they are low-income.  We want to protect them and give them the strength they need to be successful.  Hope gives me courage to stay strong for my wife and my kids.  We have to be very courageous and positive that we can better our lives because it keeps us motivated.

4.     Because of hope, he knows one day, change will happen:

This really is a struggle.  After a 1 ½ years, we are still struggling.  We never imagined how difficult it would be because we thought our professional qualifications would be recognized, but they are not.  It’s okay though because I hope and I know that one day my qualifications will be recognized and our lives will change.  Already, so much has changed… I get to share my story of hope and show what low-income families are feeling and experiencing and what their issues, hopes and aspirations are. I believe this report from United Way of Calgary and Area, will lead to change and will help families like mine, live a better life.

I am living in poverty and yes I am struggling here in this country, but I really believe in hope – I am still here. Hope matters.

 To learn more about poverty and families living on lower incomes, check out United Way of Calgary and Area’s recently released report: From getting by to getting ahead.

How important is hope in a person’s life?    Does hope matter?  Share your thoughts with us.

Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Alison

    Thanks for sharing your perspective Sundar. It’s really powerful to hear about your family’s first hand experiences with low income, including your struggles with credential recognition and all the hope you have for the future. Your story’s a good reminder about how lucky we are to have stability and a strong economy here in Canada and how we must do more to ensure that every family can thrive. 
     

  • http://homelesseden.blogspot.ca/2012/05/leaving-eden-blog-is-effort-to.html Ryan Lengsfeld

    Mother Teresa once explained ‘The greatest poverty is to feel
    unwanted and unloved.’. For the impoverished in Calgary and indeed
    anywhere, a loss of hope is a major stumbling block in rebuilding a productive
    , happy life.

    It was not until I found myself a member amongst
    the homeless that I discovered firsthand the consequence of losing hope. Becoming ‘invisible’ added to the sense of isolation and desperation
    that already existed and steadily eroded any hope I had for the future. The gentleman who bought me a coffee and a
    sandwich as I sat on a park bench started a change in me that continues
    today.  For that short time I was no
    longer invisible… the compassion, concern and attention he showed rekindled a
    spark of hope that enabled me to return to a happy, productive life.

    ‘A kind deed can never come too soon because you
    never know when it will be to late’. 

    Yes hope matters. Without it dreams die and lives
    fade. 

    • Lucy Miller

      Thank you for sharing your story and your insight Ryan! Mother Theresa also said that even if we can’t do big things we can do small things with great love. Thank you for reminding us that every morning when we get up we make decisions about how we live our lives! We make choices every moment about how we use our personal power to change the world. Imagine a world where everyone appreciated the dignity of every other person!

      • RyanLengsfeld

        Thank you for your kind words. I am giving back what I was so freely given at ‘Leaving Eden’  found at  http://homelesseden.blogspot.ca/2012/05/leaving-eden-blog-is-effort-to.html  If you have the time or inclination please have a look.
        God Bless

  • http://twitter.com/ConnieJakab Connie Jakab

    I have a question, but I want to be careful how I word it so it doesn’t come across harsh, as that is not my intention.  Yes, I agree, hope is so important.  It keeps us going.  However, are we giving hope to people from other countries if they are not informed before moving here of living expenses and being upfront about their education not being recognized? Are we upfront about these things?  I do know 2 friends from Vancouver who moved here 7 years ago from India who were highly educated over there, were promised a life of abundance from Canadian officials who visited India.  They moved to Canada only to find they could work at Walmart.  Is this giving hope people deserve?  I would be horrified to move countries only to find out I would be living in poverty. 

    Again, this is an honest question.  I don’t know what procedures are set up for people moving here other than what my friends from India had told me

    • http://www.simpleeserene.com/ Lee Horbachewski

       It’s an important question to pose Connie.  I too don’t know the procedures, however I have heard similar stories.  I would “hope” that immigrants were given the honest truth about as many hardships and challenges they may face.
      I immigrated from Australia in 1994.  The Canadian Consulate in Sydney, Australia was very helpful in providing me great resources and support.  I hope other countries do the same.
      Lee

  • http://www.simpleeserene.com/ Lee Horbachewski

    Thank you to Sundar for sharing his truth, the struggles he has faced and continues to face.  It is a story that people immigrating from different countries should be aware of.

    I love the breakdown of hope.  I personally believe hope does matter.  For some, it is the only thing that keeps them going.  Hope gives us somewhere to go, it is like a compass of what may be.  In saying that, it’s also important to not have false hope. 

    Hope does matter.  My hope is Sundar and his family find abundance and prosperity.
    Hugs & Love
    Lee

  • Cherry

    Thank you for sharing your incredible story Sundar. Hope
    does matter and because of hope, I am in a better place now.

    I remember when I moved to Canada about 9 years ago, and how
    much my dad and I struggled to keep ourselves on float. We faced the same
    difficulties. My dad coming as a professional Civil Engineer could not get his
    credentials recognized as well as his many years of experience. I remember him
    asking himself what he was doing here. He always thought this would be a better
    place for us, for our family to develop and face better opportunities. Like in
    your country, Venezuela was also facing difficult political and economic times.
    Because of this, he was motivated everyday to keep going. He worked night
    shifts at Sears and during the day he sought resources to strengthen his
    abilities to find a better job.  He
    worked very hard, and he was extremely hopeful. He did find a better job,
    through services supported by United Way; services that helped him move forward
    and gave me the opportunities he knew he would.

    Hope means everything to me. Hope matters to people like you
    and I who came from a comfortable life, to struggling in a new country. Hope is
    what drove my dad forward into becoming the hero he now is for me. The same hero
    you will become for you kids.

  • Jaime Enachescu

    Hope is important – this why so many people like Sundar and I have come to Canada. True – there are many difficulties to overcome when you come to a new country and the first years are tough. Most of us prepare as much as we can before we come here, but there are so many things that you only learn through experience.

    Both the government, immigrant serving organizations, and professional  organziations provide information online and in consular office accross the world. There are even mentoring programs that start before people arrive in Canada. Unfortunately many immigrants are not aware of these programs; hopefully in the future all of this help will be more readily available for people before they come to Canada.

    I would like to advise Sundar to connect with immigrant serving agencies in this city that provide support in finding employment in your area of training and expertise – like the mentoring program at the CRIEC or the Networking for Success program from CCIS or the peer mentoring network at the Centre for Newcomers. These are some of the many programs that United Way, the federal, provinvial and municipal governments fund in Calgary.

    Hope is what gets us through the first tough years, and I pormise Sundar life does get better and you and your family will come to enjoy everything that Canda has to offer.

  • United Way of Calgary and Area

    Incredible comments.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your stories with us.  It is amazing how one word, hope, can have such an impact on each of our lives, every day.

  • Steph

    When I was a very young girl my mother was hospitalized. I remember how hope made a huge difference in our lives. Following her hospitalization, we lost everything. My mother was laid off from her job. She became increasingly more determined to overcome challenges – hope fueled this. I believe that my mother never lost hope – she rebuilt our lives all on her own, despite an endless battle with crippling barriers. Hope is what keeps humanity from giving up, even when it seems dark all around us.