When No One Seems to Care: The Quiet Struggle of the Poor

Let’s not just feel sorry. Let’s be the ones who show up, stand with, and serve those in need.

Have you ever had a day where you needed help and it felt like no one saw you? Where you showed up, waited, hoped—and still walked away empty-handed? For far too many people living in poverty, this isn't just a bad day. It's every day.

At Jalawelo, we have sat with people who carry this reality on their backs like a burden they never asked for. And it often starts early in the morning.

A mother wakes before sunrise, not because she’s eager for the day ahead, but because she knows she must reach the clinic before the crowd forms. She stands in line with her child, both tired and hungry, hoping to be seen by a doctor. Hours pass—one, two, then four. Eventually, she gets through. But what she receives is not healing—only a prescription for medication she cannot afford, or worse, an order to take a test that costs more than her weekly income.

She walks home, slower now. The sun is hot, but not as heavy as the weight of her thoughts. She wonders if her child will get worse. She wonders if anyone even cares.

This is the face of quiet despair.

It’s not just about the physical pain or the inconvenience. It’s about what it feels like to be invisible. To show up and be treated like your time doesn’t matter. Like your life is less valuable. Like your struggle isn’t urgent.

This is what poverty often looks like—not just material lack, but the emotional toll of constantly being overlooked. Of being told—without words—that your problems don’t matter enough for anyone to act.

Imagine how different things would be if access to quality services wasn't a privilege, but a right—if a trip to the clinic didn’t require an entire day and a miracle. If the poor were met with the same sense of urgency and dignity that others receive without question.

But here’s the truth: God cares.

And because He does, we must too.

At Jalawelo, we are not satisfied with just seeing the pain. We want to do something about it. Whether it's through education, training, or creating access to sustainable income—our mission is to break the cycle of despair by empowering people with tools, opportunities, and hope.

We believe that every person, no matter their circumstances, is made in the image of God—valuable, capable, worthy of care.

So, the next time you walk past someone waiting in line at a government office, clinic, or pharmacy—remember: they are more than a statistic. They are someone longing to be seen, heard, and helped.

And we, as changemakers, must respond—not just with sympathy, but with action.

Let us be the ones who care.