How to walk past a thousand malnourished people?

SDET said:

My wife asked me to put on my thinking cap and figure this out. We visit some really interesting places and my wife said that she has learned a lot and has nothing against the places that I take her. However, she said that what she sees is psychologically distressful. I can walk past a thousand malnourished people without batting an eye. When we were in Cucuta, Colombia my wife asked if I could buy USD 50 worth of small bills, enough to buy a bowl of soup. I said "sure". She handed those out and she said that felt better. What else might I do to take the distress out of this for my wife?

What I find interesting is that it makes her appreciate her childhood. She was at times dirt-floor poor and sometimes only ate once a day. However, she said her upbringing was wealthy compared to the Venezuelan migrants in Cucuta, Columbia.

We will be visiting Moa, Cuba next month, one of Cuba's poorest towns and I want to think of ways to accommodate my wife's sense of empathy.

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Grand Mal said:

I hate to encourage your type of tourism but my experience in Cuba is that the people don't lack necessities- food, clothing, etc.- but are grateful for bars of soap, rolls of toilet paper, that kind of thing. A couple women asked my wife about make-up but she hardly uses it.
Never saw street begging or prostitution in a Cuban town, unlike nearly every city in North America.

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SDET said:

We already have hotel sized bars of soap to give out. My wife found lipsticks on sale and bought about twenty of them. I also bringing about a dozen thumb drives to facilitate with getting "el paquete". I'm bringing two extra entry level cell phones. My wife also found lots of cute outfits on special under $10. I'm hardly able to walk 100 meters in a Cuban town without being hit up for something. I suspect it's because my appearance is like a neon light that says "tourist with money". Also, it's amazing how word gets around in a Cuban town. Cuban society demands things be done in a discreet manner. A tipoff is if an attractive, but conservatively dressed young woman striking up a conversation about how healthy she is. If she's "respectible", she will want you to take her to another province. There's also what I call "the lecture". Either she or a relative will communicate how you're expected to keep her out of trouble. That means among other things:

1) Rent her an extra room all her own at the bed and breakfast so that government inspectors don't identify her as your guest in the registry. In exchange, it's OK to make it clear that you'll be making nocturnal visits to her room.
2) When walking together, follow the "10 meter rule" so that she isn't identified as being with you
3) Have her sit in the front seat of the taxi and acknowledge in advance that the the driver will identify her as his girlfriend if questioned by the police for her fraternizing with a tourist
4) Don't discuss your arrangement with anyone

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joko104 said:

So your wife's "empathy" is giving enough money for a meal, and your empathy is giving enough money for a meal conditioned upon her entering into a criminal conspiracy to be a prostitute for you? That does not sound like empathy, but being a predator against the most desperate and vulnerable young women. Did I read your messages correctly?

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