Awareness...seems so easy to say that a lack of this is something we [in the developing world] need to tackle. 

In the west, if you walked past someone with Microcephaly some people might look and then turn away, others may even stop and stare...but everyone would understand that this person had a deformity which was purely medically based. Whether a complete stranger or a loved one, you would definitely understand that this person requires assistance and care, and irrespective of their condition they have the right to be treated with respect.

But here, the same person is dressed up and made to perform like a monkey on the streets, begging for money. Awareness may help people to understand why he looks the way he does, and why he doesnt act like a normal person. Bystanders may even feel a sense of remorse for the fact that he isnt receiving the necessary care. But would that be enough, would awareness of his situation help him. Maybe...but the family who peddles him around everyday, would that help them make a better living, help in putting a roof over their heads or food in their stomachs....most probably not!  

Its so easy to judge people and their situations, as i had done. It was so easy for me to drive by so disapprovingly at the way he was being treated. But that doesnt make life for him and his family any easier. There are so many reasons for why people do what they do, and we cant always expect that we are in a position to understand the situation. Nor can we expect that the solutions are so easy as well. We as a nation are not kind to our disabled, we really dont understand what is happening to them or how to help them. And as long as we remain an underdeveloped economy, we will never have the resources to help them...irrespective of all the knowledge and awareness.