Beggars

We earned money by collecting charity for needy schools and orphanages overseas. My dad became a fundraiser of sorts, by getting authorization letters from small institutions (some that weren't even licensed by the government) that we showed to people when we went door-to-door asking them to donate a small sum to the institution. It was very embarrassing and I hated it, but my father would urge me to be the one to knock and walk in front of him because people would be more likely to give if they saw a little kid. They'd trust him more, and also think of the little kids who needed help.
Sometimes he woke me up at 5am to go and beg for money in front of religious places, when people were coming to or from prayers. There were times he told people we needed money because he was sick and was raising me alone. I felt so pathetic and it was so shaming. Some people would give me strange looks and I thought they were judging me, really they were judging my father for doing this, but they did nothing to stop my father from using me to make money.
Once, I sold some old coins to make money on the side of our begging. I felt a little better selling something, a bit more honorable. I charged people taxes on what they were buying, and they laughed when I added taxes to the cost. I got very upset at their laughter, and started crying, but I can laugh about it now. It is now a bittersweet memory.