Recently, UNICEF held a social experiment where they had a 6-year-old girl, Anna, dress both homeless and put together and go on the streets in Tbilisi, Georgia. Through this experiment, they found out that the girl was treated well when she was dressed well but, on the other hand, people were cruel to her and ignored her when she was dressed as if she were homeless. It got so bad that they had to stop the experiment due to people that were saying awful things to the little girl.
The video of the social experiment was trending on Facebook as well as Twitter along with the hashtag #FightUnfair. With about 150 million children in the world today that are homeless, UNICEF is trying to make a point that it is time to pay attention and fight what's unfair. This video shows how prejudiced people can be towards children if they are homeless. In a growing world where poverty is growing along with it, it is imperative to understand the importance of helping those who need it. The children on the streets don't choose to look or dress the way they do, so why do people feel the need to be mean to them?
With nowhere to live and not enough money for meals, these kids are dying of starvation, malnutrition and many diseases from living on the streets. As a community where an act of charity is just seen as something done by the rich, people forget that a simple gesture of kindness goes a long way, no matter how much or how little wealth one might have.
This video provides an eye opening message that a social hierarchy isn’t just present in adults, but also in children. People, whether they realize it or not, are kinder to children that they believe are from a well put together family, but they’re relentless to those who don’t have enough money and care to have proper clothes to keep them warm. It truly is unfair to the children who really need help that they aren't provided any because of what they look like or what they wear on the streets.
In an age where technology is our best friend and people barely look up from their phone screens when walking outside, it is important to stop and look around and help those in need, whether it be through giving them attention, food, money or even just a smile. Not only does this help those in need, but it sends a powerful message to the youth as well, showing them the value of kindness. “Change starts when you choose to care.” This is the message UNICEF is projecting through this video. Don’t wait for it to happen, make it happen. Fight unfair.
To find out more about how you can help the millions of children in need, go to www.unicef.org today.
