THE GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOCIAL  SITUATION OF THE  POOREST
Otfried Schrot

Part  II : The World Citizen Centers

I am now leaving the path of all great social theories in saying : let us start to fight poverty there  where need is greatest : in the slums of the big cities of the world.

What does a  human being need, sick, unemployed, lonely, homeless, helpless , alone at night in one of the slums of the big cities of the world, before it either decides to commit suicide or to listen to a whispering voice saying : “Hey, what have you got to lose on this world ?

Take a bomb tomorrow in the morning and blow yourself up at the bus-stop together with twenty other people and you will be in paradise where life is better than on planet Earth ?”

This desperate human being needs a person that is ready to listen.

In the slums of the world there must be a place where persons are waiting for desperate people who feel a need to speak and to say: “I need some help!”

Therefore I propose the establishment of “World Citizens´ Centers” at all places of the world where the need is greatest. In my vision,  a World Citizen Center is a building with staff sections and a social area for medical care,  feeding and accommodating people at least for one night. There will be a door plate above the entrance:

Before you throw a bomb, come here and tell us what your problem is!

But do not tell us lies, else you will lose our help !

There are already a lot of organizations like the “Salvation Army” taking care of  the helpless. In my vision, however, a “World Citizen Center” is a combination of all types of services  for

helpless people in all thinkable situations : representatives of the World Religions, representatives of social services, representatives of medical services, representatives of educational services assembled under one roof, ready to listen to helpless people 24 hours    per day.

At a central reception, incoming people are welcomed and asked, what their problem is.

According to the description of the problem, the central reception directs the people to the adequate points of contact in the World Citizen center where the problem of the helpless individual is analyzed.

The advisors in the different sections of the World Citizen Centers will listen to the sorrows

of the individuals , prepare a report of this conversation and forward this report to the internal staff of the World Citizen center for processing. The individual asking for help will

a)   be invited to have a meal and to  spend the rest of the night in the accommodation area of the World Citizen Center

b)   be advised as to which short term / medium term / long term solution the WCC sees for the solution of his/ her problem

c)   be advised after what period of time he/ she may show up again to be informed on the progress made in solving his/ her problem(s)

The model of the World Citizen Center will first be tested in one “slum area” of the world, for example either in Rio de Janeiro or in Calcutta. After three years the second World Citizen Center will be established in the “slum area” of another big city of the world.

The personnel of the World Citizen Centers will pick from the unemployed people searching help in the WCC´s pick those people whom they consider as qualified to man , after a period of adequate training and education , future  World Citizen centers.

The establishment of the World Citizen centers will be the first step in helping the poorest.