When most of us think of panhandlers or the homeless, we often think of the hundreds of thousands of displaced army veterans. Others think of the down and out, while some believe they're convicts and drug addicts.
Philani Dladla isn't your average homeless man, although his story begins quite similar to most. After moving to Johannesburg, South Africa, he had a difficult time finding work and began to do drugs.
“I left my job and couldn’t afford rent anymore – I lost everything," Philani said. He began living on the streets.
However, he took a different approach to panhandling.
"I noticed how many beggars there were getting money for nothing on street corners," he said. "I thought I could be different and actually give people something worthwhile – like a book or book review – in exchange for money.”
So he started selling books on the street for the equivalent of 1 dollar, each coming with a detailed review. A reading deficit isn't just an issue in South Africa; here in America a boy begged his mailman for junk mail because he couldn't afford books to read.
While Philani was able to spread literacy and help others, he didn't expect the books would heal him. Philani was able to cure himself of addiction by reading self-help books.
“With some self-motivation and a lot of self-help books, I made the decision to stop taking drugs," he said. "I started using the money I got from selling books to buy everyone soup and bread everyday instead of spending that money on drugs. Seeing their smiles motivated me to keep using the little I had to spread happiness. From that point on, I knew I never wanted to go back to being a drug addict.”
See how Philani helped himself get off the street by helping others and starting his own literacy foundation!
Please SHARE if you hope Philani's selflessness rubs off on more people!
