Vivian you are right in saying that Goans are similarly affected in all the other Gulf countries.
I commend you for asking what we can do for them. The truth is very little, this is a huge financial problem and the Goa Govt seems to be doing nothing. When things were good, they reaped the benefits of their large remittances, but now that they need help with subsidies, loans or benefits, the Banks, the government and relatives and friends are all going to look the other way. On a more personal level, what can be done for them? What they probably need most is empathy from village residents, relatives, members and church officials. These people will not ask for money. They know they had good times and would be willing to pay with deprivation for the time being while they find something else. What they don’t want is gloating, finger-pointing and ‘I told you so’ attitudes behind their backs. If you need to say something to them that is not encouraging, do it on their face. What activist groups must do is - advocate for them and educate the villagers where they live how we all need each other. I vividly recall someone I know well, now emigrated to Canada, feeling embittered at the cold shoulder he received from relatives in Goa when he had to return from Kuwait suddenly at the onset of the Gulf war. These were relatives who benefited from his largesse when he was on a good wicket in Kuwait. Even in his bad times, he didn’t want their money. From Qatar I had offered to pay for his airfare from Kuwait to Goa during his repatriation. He declined, but remains grateful to this day. Moral support is all they really need. Their stay in the Gulf has given them financial independence and for those who were not fortunate to achieve this, the guts to fend for themselves. If you as a person want strongly to help a financial need that you have identified, by all means do so for one person, one family. That is better than giving to a general cause that may help nobody. Roland. Toronto. > On Jun 12, 2020, at 4:07 AM, Vivian A. DSouza <[email protected]> wrote: > > It is gutwrenching painful to find out from Roland's posts, about the > situation for Goans in Dubai and presumably the other Gulf emirates.The > question therefore is - what should we as Goans do ?. Surely some of these > individuals have cooked their own goose by living beyond their means. I will > admit that in my younger days, I too was not very careful about my spending > habits.we must come up with a plan to help our desperate Goan brothers and > sisters in the Gulf countries.Any ideas from anyone ? Clearly this situation > is urgent and should appeal to our collective conscience to do something.
