What can we learn from friendship with the homeless?

TEDx by Olya Makar, Sant’Egidio Kiev

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

Olya Makar, from the Community of Sant'Egidio in Kiev, describes how attention, warmth and friendship transform the life of those who live on the street. Simple gestures - a smile, giving alms, remembering the name, providing food - create a bridge between "us" and "them" and allow us to enter the world of the poor. In this world, full of pain, but also of generosity, it turns out that every person, despite his living conditions, remains a human being with his dignity and his ability to generate bonds and give affection.