It is almost unbelievable how people arrive with plans, knowledge, programs. NGOs, volunteers, experts—they bring methods, instructions, sometimes even patience, as if goodwill alone could enter streets shaped by danger, scarcity, and invisible rules. Their hearts are right, but their understanding is not. And that gap can hurt as much as neglect.

In the ghetto, survival is a language learned before comfort, before choice. Children know which streets to cross, which voices to trust, which moments to stay silent. Adults read signals that outsiders cannot see. Every step, every word, every transaction carries weight that outsiders rarely imagine. To act without knowing that language is to risk harm, misunderstanding, or worse: disruption of fragile systems that keep people alive.

It is almost crazy to watch experts come to “teach” those who have survived more than they could ever imagine. Classes on communication, entrepreneurship, even basic skills, sometimes feel unnecessary, even dangerous. They arrive thinking knowledge alone is enough, but the lessons of survival are learned in ways no training manual can replicate. Risk is constant, and mistakes have immediate consequences. Every act is interpreted, weighed, and responded to, often in silence.

That does not mean guidance has no place. It does. But first, outsiders must learn. They must understand the streets, the hidden economy, the rules that protect or expose. They must witness the danger, the strategies, the unspoken negotiations of daily life. Only then can help exist without disruption, only then can intentions align with reality. Without this understanding, even the best programs risk being noise, interference, or harm.

The reality is simple, but hard: goodwill without understanding is often worse than absence. Real help begins with listening, watching, and learning. Only after that, once outsiders have absorbed the rhythm of survival, can their knowledge have meaning. Then, and only then, can aid reach the people who actually need it, without breaking what already holds them together.