Burlesque Extravaganza!

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Dirty Wall Project has teamed up with Burlesque photographer and promoter Keith Williams (Sonicshoots.com) once again for another amazing evening of Burlesque.

Friday Sept 10th at Victoria Events Centre  local burlesque performers will rock the house for a good cause! This will be the third time this year DWP and Burlesque have teamed up to offer Victoria a great night out while raisng funds for DWP! The last Burlesque evening back in Febuary was a sellout, packing more than 200 guests into the event centre and raising enough money for DWP to build a school and community centre in the Saki Naka pipeline slum in Mumbai, India.

The evening will feature singing, comedy and dancing with all new numbers and fresh new performers debuting as well as Victoria’s Burlesque stars such as Miss Rosie Bitts!

Tickets are available online via clubzone.com or in person at  Chronicheles of Crime Bookstore 1057 Fort St.  ,Garden of Eden 1483 Douglas st, Victoria B.C.

The last two fundraising events for DWP held here in Victoria have        sold out including last weeks 1st Anniversary Dinner which helped raise over $ 10,000 for DWP projects in India.

Info:

Friday Sept 10th, Victoria Event Centre,

1415 Broad st. Victoria B.C.

Doors at 8 pm.

Tickets: $15 in advance or $18 at the door.

Available on line at clubzone.com

or

Chronichles of Crime Bookstore 1057 Fort St.

or

Garden of Eden Boutique 1483 Douglas st.

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DWP Dinner!

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DWP's Kane Ryan giving a presentation at the start of the night. pic:Keith Williams

More photos of the event will be added later today, by Snap Magazine photographer Leona Fowler.

August 29th, 2010, Victoria B.C.

To all of the wonderfully generous people that attended the Dirty Wall Project 1st Anniversary Dinner on Sunday, you made it an incredible success.

Originally the dinner was to accommodate 180 people,  but by 6:30 p.m.,  210 people filled every seat and space at the Ambrosia Centre.

The event was an eclectic mix of people from every conceivable background which made the night a truly wonderful time. For the past two weeks the entire Ryan family has been working hard to make this night possible. It was amazing for me to stand on the stage looking at 200 + people showing their support for DWP and the communities it helps on the other side of the world.

The event raised over $10,000  CAD or  464,501 Indian Rupees!

To put that in perspective,

• the school/ community centre DWP funded and built in the Saki Naka slum -  cost  $4650
• over 2400 people received free medicine/health care in DWP health camps ($2 per person) – cost $4800

I don’t know how to put in  words how amazing it is to know that people care and are willing to support the projects that DWP funds and works on in India. I’m constantly humbled by the trust you all invest in me and feel privileged to be the voice and face of all of our hard work. Together we are making amazing things happen for the people who’s lives are stuck in poverty.

Sunday’s dinner was made possible by the many people who donated their time and expertise to make the night successful.

Very generous local businesses from Victoria, Sidney and Vancouver donated auction items for the event.

The auction alone raised over $ 5000 for DWP.

Every item sold and many items sold for much more than the retail value. During the middle of the auction, a guest donated a surprise item which turned out to be the big ticket item of the night.  A three night stay on a canal barge in France, including wine & cheese. This item went for $1100!  Thanks Marc and Mary for donating this wonderful trip!

• Thanks, Roshan for your incredible support before the event, and during the evening. They laughed, they cried, they bid!
• Thank you Frances (Chronicles of Crime bookstore) for answering questions about DWP as if you had nothing better to do and for selling tickets during your busy day!!
• Thanks Joanne for contributing the Swim Club debit/credit machine which made it easier for people be a part of the auction.

Volunteers:

• Frances Thorsen
• Dr. Surinder Kumar
• Eric ” VJ Photon”
• Randy “Loungerino” & his amazing band
• Roshan Vickery
• Rick Kool
• Wendy Crowther
• Rosie Bitts
• Leona Fowler (snap magazine)
• Conor Welch
• Ray Welch
• Anthony Cormier
• Andrea Ray
• Mari Monkman
• Kevin Monkman
• Taylor Daly
• Sarah Weisz
• Roo Forsyth
• Joanne Forsythe
• Eryn Sylvester
• Jordan Brubacher
• Todd Ryan
• Cindy Ryan
• Evann Ryan
• Jennifer
• Kelly (Kilshaw Auction)
• Sharon

Businesses & individuals who donated items for the auction:

Thrifty Foods                               Roshan Vickery

Westin Bayshore                        Fort St. Cycle

Pacific Coastal Airlines          Dirty Wall Project

Langham Court Theater         Alex Naubert Designs

Not Just Pretty                             Victoria Transmission

Grand Pacific Hotel                   Dial a Geek

BC Ferries                                      Bold Moves Gym

Metchosin Eco Spa                    Helene Cyr Photography

Rad Juli Designs                         Phi Massage & Well Centre

Plenty Epicurean Pantry        Health Within

Lab Hair Salon                            Cranial sacral Therapy

Canterbury Coffee                      Sidney Natural Foods

Grant Leier (artist)                   Amber Murnane (artist)

Riplee’s  Ranch                            Shawn Shephard (artist)

Canoe Club                                    Joan Athey

Bikram Yoga Sidney                Marc Pakenham &

Dish Restaurant                        Mary Koyl (barge trip)

Room by Room                             Keith Williams (Sonicshoots)

Please continue to support these  local businesses by “thinking globally and shopping locally”.

Dirty Wall Project has two more events planned for Victoria over the next 3 weeks, info on the website tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Kane Ryan

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Saki Naka Slum

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This photo is taken from the main road as you enter the slum. The patch of earth above the pipeline will be transformed into clean public space.

With only a month left in Canada before flying back to Mumbai,  I have started to formulate the fist major project for DWP in the Saki Naka slum community.

DWP’s biggest project to date was the funding and completed construction of the free school and community centre in Saki Naka slum.

I have been in close contact with Ashley of Janvi Trust, the local Mumbaikar that makes DWP’s work in Saki Naka possible. The new school is already having a great impact on the community. Several new classes are offered in the new space, including free-spoken English classes taught by Vignesh of Discover Urjaa, and a new dance class that will begin soon called “Dance Saki Naka Dance”. This class will be for older children with a passion for dance and will be taught by a profesional a few times a week to give the children the attributes to become a dancer.

After completing the school, at the end of June,  BMC officers (local government office in charge of the pipeline that runs through the slum) offered DWP and Janvi unused land in the slum to continue to clean and improve the community. The first patch of land is to the left of the stairs as you descend into the slum from the main road. This land is currently useless and is covered in broken glass and garbage. During the monsoon, water flows over this area creating sanitation issues for the community. The second area of land is 100 mtrs to the right of the school. It’s a long narrow piece of land that is covered in garbage and human waste and remains unused by the community.

While the BMC and other government bodies forbid us to build any buildings on this land, they have given us permission to clean, beautify and relcaim this land for the community. DWP plans on not only cleaning these ares  but to make them useable green spaces, creating parks for the area’s children and gathering spots for the people of the community. For those of you that have not been to Mumbai, green space is hard to come by and rarely looked after. In a city of over 18 million people space is a premium. Slum dwellers live in tiny, cramped, hot  homes and the ability to get out of their small spaces and to sit in a clean, green space would greatly enhance the quality of living. It will also give the hundreds and hundreds of children a safe, clean place to play, instead of muddy, cramped laneways.

While helping the community gain useable land it will also help Janvi and DWP expand our sphere of influence throughout the community. Being a pipeline slum, the slum is approx 20 yards wide by a few kilometres long in either direction. Due to this long, narrow, shape there are many families that remain unaware of our projects and are unable to take advantage of our free services. By cleaning and using land farther away from the school, we will be able to hold medical camps and programs in other areas of the slum, bringing the community together.

This is no small project and may take months to complete but will create jobs and raise the standard of living for a few thousand people who live in and outside the slum.

Below, I’ve attached the e-mail sent to me by Ashley of Janvi Charitable Trust in Mumbai, outlining the cost/benefits of the project.  DWP’s upcoming Dinner Fundraiser will be raising money for this project and I hope to see you all there…P.S. During my last trip to Saki Naka, I taught many of the local kids how to use my camera. They love taking photos and are excited by the results. If anyone has an old digital camera you would like to donate to the kids of Saki Naka, or old prescription eyeglasses (much needed) please bring them to the August 29th Fundraiser in Victoria, at the Ambrosia Event Centre.

Ashley’s e-mail:

The land left to the stair-case: The work that will involve in it:

1. Clearing the heaps of Garbage and Muck.
2. Creating alternative drainage for the sewage water from the roadside shops who just leave the dirty water on the land.
3. Leveling the land and filling it with atleast 2 feet soil.
4. Building a small boundry wall on the periphery.
5. Decorative Painting of the Walls etc.
6. Plantations of Plants and Trees.
7. Installation of Fence to prevent the plants from getting damaged.
8. Installation of Benches.
9. Installation of Swings and Slides.
10. Providing a Water Tap facility and Tube-Lights.
11. Installation of a Water Purifier to provide Pure, Safe Drinking Water.
12. Building a small open study center at one end so the children can gather and study over there.
13. Providing a Facility of a Free Daily News-Paper Stand for the Community.

How will the Slum Dwellers benefit from this project?

1. Freedom from their cramped and tiny congested houses, they can relax  and rest under the spacious green cover of the Garden.
2. Children get an opportunity to play in a clean environment and get access of using Swings and Slides.
3. The elderly and weak have an easliy accessable space to unwind.
4. Residents can use the newly created Garden for their small functions and meetings.
5. A clean environment is provided to the residents, free of all the garbage and stench.
6. Diseases and illness will get reduced. Medical expenses minimised.
7. Creative workshops for Children, Women and Adults can be arranged for their benefits.
8. It will help them to change their attitude for the better towards Cleanliness, Sanitation and Environment.

The estimated cost for this Project would be around 1.8 Lakhs.

The longer patch would cost less if the BMC fixes the Broken Grills and builds the broken walls. It would then cost us around One Lakh. But if BMC does not do it then it would cost us around Two Lakhs.

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Volume 3

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Pecha Kucha's list of presenters. DWP's Kane and Cindy Ryan were added late to the list just a few days ago.

Dirty Wall Project’s Cindy and Kane Ryan have been invited to speak at Pecha Kucha’s volume 3. I had the honour of presenting at Victoria’s first ever Pecha Kucha night last year and am honoured to be asked to present again.

What is Pecha Kucha?

PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.

It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation (“chit chat”), it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds.
It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

Pecha Kucha Victoria

The 3rd Volume of PechaKucha Night Victoria will focus on yummy food…slow food, organic farms, community food groups, local food entrepreneurs, local drink entrepreneurs, local food stylists, local food photographers, urban food foresters, local chefs, local food enthusiasts, food designers…what a great way to celebrate the summer in Victoria.  We will have nibbles and sample cocktails for our guests throughout the evening.

Please join us on August 12th. 7.30pm at the Victoria Event Center, 1415 Broad Street
Tickets: $10/$8 students

–
PechaKucha Night Victoria Crew
Facebook:
PechaKucha Night Victoria
Twitter:
@PKN Victoria

Sincerley,

Kane Ryan

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Suman and Prem. Both siblings are getting stronger and healthier with each day.

August, Mumbai, India

Below is an email written by Ashley Pereira of Janvi Trust to Kane Ryan speaking of some of the last few cases DWP helped with before leaving Mumbai.

Hello Maam and Kane, 

Before I reply to your mail I would like to tell you that Prem, the malnourished boy has begun not only standing on his own but also manages to walk on his own. He has regained strength to support his body and move. His mother was very happy to see him walking. All these are the fruits of your work and efforts. Keep going strong Kane. 

I read your latest post and it brings all those memories alive. Tommorrow I will be taking Suman’s  (severly malnourished child, Nepali Immigrants) mother to the Gynacologist. I brought her medicines last week and she seems to be looking much better and not soo weak as before. Its nice to see Suman (her oldest child) has joined our Balwadi( school built by DWP) and she is attending the classes without any fuss. I have also noticed a nice change in their family. The mother and children seem to wear nice cleaned clothes unlike before. Prem (youngest child,2 yrs old.) does wave at times to me when he sees me. Their stomachs too seem to be reducing.
 
The other girl with the Urinary problem  has left for her village. Her sister told me that after taking those tablets we had purchased for her, her  condition has improved considerably. So I brought another two strips of tablets and those will be sent to her by post to her village.
 
Later I also purchased eye-drops for Kishore and David ( construction workers on the school who were given new glasses by DWP) wears those glasses for most of the time.
 
I  still have not managed to get a good teacher for our new school. Right now the lessons are being taught by a Vernaculam Kindergarden school teacher and Namrata and Sashi and sometimes I too take turns to teach the Kids in english.
 
With those plastic sheets tied at the sides no rain water enters the upper floor even though when there is a strong wind. Four tube lights and four fans have been fitted on the upper floor. I have also repaired the Music system and place it on the upper level so the kids can listen to the Nursery ryhmes.
 
Three of the hanging plants have started flowering. Looks nice and pretty.
 
Next month the BMC Health department will be keeping a Medical camp at our Balwadi. 
 
Take care and always Wishing the Very Best for you both and DWP.
 
Best Regards,
 
Ashley Pereira, Janvi Charitable Trust

Mumbai, India.

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Victoria B.C., Canada, July 2010

Between Two Worlds

After four months of hard work in the slums of Mumbai, India, I have arrived home, slightly tired, but very excited about re-connecting with family and friends and raising funds and awareness for DWP. The toughest part of being back at home is trying to explain how my trip was and how to sum up months of work in a slum in India. India is tough to describe for anyone.  Indian friends describe it best when they tell me, “anything you say about India, the opposite is equally true.” Or, “we live in a country of extreme contradictions”.

That  is how my trip was.  Confusing, amazing, frustrating, stressful, enlightening, sad and happy! DWP puts me in some very interesting and difficult situations, ones that I don’t always feel I belong in. But, I’m a human being and that is what this type of work demands. It’s about creating relationships with people and actually caring. Knocking down the walls of formality and listening to what people need. I know I will not always be in a position to help, but there is a lot to be said for just being interested in another human being’s struggle. DWP is a crazy adventure with no definitive direction other than to help people less fortunate than myself.

I run DWP in India, not like an organization, but as a person just trying to help. I have faced criticism for not going bigger and being more structured like other charitable organizations, but this is exactly why DWP works. One of my greatest accomplishments is that 90% of the people DWP helps in India have no idea that I am a charitable organization.  They just think I’m an eccentric white guy who enjoys learning about them and living in their culture, and who has money to help. Maybe they’re right and I’m OK with that.

DWP is small which enables me to help where other larger charity organizations can’t or don’t want to.  My mandate to” see a need and fill it ” enables me to meet people in need in various situations and to act immediately, without the need to call a board meeting or file paperwork. Whether it is a community or one person who needs help, I am able to give them help that day, on the spot, right now.

Less than a year ago, I travelled just to travel, to see other cultures and to see the possibilities the world had to offer.

Creating DWP has allowed me to change from a witness to someone with the ability to change, however small, the daily struggles of the poor. This is not rocket science and I started DWP with just the eagerness to get dirty and the ambition and energy to keep going.  What I want people to take from from DWP is that “you” can do this too. You just have to start.

This was my second working trip this year and I’m now just beginning my third fundraising drive. When DWP was just an idea, I received support from friends and strangers in my home city of Victoria, B.C. I was able to leave for India with $4000 of donors hard earned money with my promise to ‘see a need and fill it”.  I had no idea how I was going to make this happen but I knew I had too. Fast forward 10 months, DWP has been to India twice, helping thousands of people from Maharashtra to Rajasthan.

DWP and I survived the “not knowing” stage and I am now onto a very exciting future as a non-profit. The beautiful part of this whole adventure is that it is forever challenging and evolving, and 10 years from now things will still be changing. I really enjoy straddling two worlds and being the personal connection between countries and cultures. DWP’s work in India is incredibly challenging and one that demands an 80 work hour week, juggling field work and computer work, keeping the connection going between supporters and the community they’re helping.

Years of travel have made slipping into these two distinctly different worlds easier but never completely comfortable. As a Canadian, I’m always aware of how lucky I am to have been born in a free, democratic country with a high standard of living.  I do feel we can always assist those in the world who were not born in a developed country and struggle to make a meagre living. There are many ways to help and it doesn’t always mean giving up a comfortable life and paid work to live in a slum in India. Since starting DWP, people from around the world have offered donations, their time or their expertise in some way to help DWP fulfill the needs of the people I meet.  Every newspaper in the world is filled with stories about sadness, hate and oppression, but if the last year has taught me anything, it’s that the human spirit is amazing. Most people want to help one another and I’m forever being humbled by both the people who DWP helps and the people that make it possible.

So, to everyone who reads this blog and follows DWP’s adventures, I thank you, because without your help and support none of it would be possible.

Sincerely,

Kane Ryan

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July 20th , 2010, Victoria B.C. , Canada

The Little Things

While bricks were being loaded onto the school roof and we were searching the neighborhood for building supplies and tradesmen, and fretting over the cost of tiles, DWP was also absorbed with the everyday issues of the people who live in Saki Naka and beyond. Meetings with people desperate for help with medical needs and school fees were never ending. For every person who came to Ashley and DWP for help, there were countless others who stood in the shadows. With Ashley as our guide through the minefield of cultural sensitivity issues, we were able to help those who truly couldn’t help themselves. Sometimes we just brought the fun, added to the noise, and shared a little bit of western culture with people who only travel a few miles from their slum homes. The small things that DWP was able to contribute to enabled us to share the dailiness of the lives of the people at Saki Naka. Feeling the grip of a tiny hand as we led them into their school, waiting with people in Doctor’s offices who were nervous about medical treatments, or bringing the cake to a birthday celebration, we were able to share moments of lives as easily as sharing a much needed bottle of water with each other. These are the stories of the little things, a glimpse into the lives of those people who are so grateful for the donors who allow us to help them. Close your eyes, feel the tiny hand of a small child in yours, or imagine the old, bony hands of the women who just had cataract surgery, clasping your hands together with theirs, so appreciative they can’t convey their emotions with words. These are some of the stories……the little things that we don’t always have a chance to convey in words.

Rojer and his Ninth Birthday Party (600 INR or $14 CAD)

Rojer has a megawatt smile and is freakishly strong. He weighs maybe 50 pounds, and can carry his weight in bricks. During the building of the school, he insisted on helping by carrying construction materials to and from the site. As a thank you for all of his hard work, we wanted to help him celebrate his birthday. He waited all day for us to finish our work, constantly smiling, accepting birthday wishes from the other kids, anxious to get his party started. We purchased a chocolate layer cake from a nearby bakery, had his name written on it and dotted it with nine candles. Rojer, dressed in a brand new yellow shirt, pranced down the laneway into Sheela’s home. Loud party poppers were set off outside and children danced in the lane way, while mothers cleaned up squished cake from the cement floor. Rojer never stopped smiling.

The Cancer Patient (15,000 INR or $349 CAD)

Two men, serious, despondent, with a mission, entered the Balwadi where we meet with people who need help. We all sat in plastic tub chairs in a semi-circle. The men quietly told Ashley that they needed money for cancer surgery for a 28 year old male relative. They only had a few more days to raise money for a deposit, or the surgery wouldn’t happen. They had already raised 25,000 rupees but needed another 15,000 rupees for the operation. They described their needs methodically, with the tired, stricken expression of men who were exhausted from trying and failing to get the needed funds. Ashley looked at us, translated their story and gave us his opinion of their situation. Although DWP doesn’t usually just hand out money, preferring to be part of a project or situation, we didn’t hesitate long before deciding that giving them the money they needed was the right thing to do. The operation was a success and the young man has DWP donors to thank for extending his life and giving him some hope. The two gentlemen visitied Saki Naka after the surgery to thank us in person.

Cataract Operations (6000 INR or $139 CAD)

Sleeping under a tarp on the hard, uneven ground was not the only issue facing this lovely, quiet, reserved, subservient woman. She doesn’t know how old she is, maybe she is 55, or maybe she is 45. Her husband died and her only son refuses to look after her as he makes a meagre living from selling limes on the pavement. Her right eye with it’s milky white film was limiting her vision and causing her some pain. We made arrangements for cataract surgery for her at a private eye clinic. The doctor at the clinic reserves spaces for charity cases and is a generous, calm woman who is aware of the needs of the slum communities that surround her office. We accompanied her and another elderly woman from the slum whose eye was completely white and often just sits outside her home on a raised, webbed cot in the searing sun, to the clinic. Both women emerged after their operation, wearing thick sunglasses courtesy of the clinic, into what will be a brighter, less painful world. Although we couldn’t see their eyes for days, hidden behind the dark glasses, they never missed a chance to grab our hands between theirs and offer us a grateful smile. One other woman had her eyes tested to determine if she had the beginnings of cataracts. Thankfully, she was found to be fine.

New Glasses (1200 INR or $ 28 CAD)

Two middle aged men from the slum were also candidates for cataract surgery, however after a complete eye examination from the doctor at the clinic, it was determined that they wouldn’t benefit from a simple cataract surgery. The doctors recommended we get each of them prescription glasses to improve the eyesight they still have. DWP paid for new prescription lenses to be inserted into frames that were donated by customers of Sally Bun Cafe in Victoria, B.C. Canada. The men are impressed by their new glasses and are thankful for the opportunity to see more clearly than they have in years. They are both labourers and the glasses will allow them to work more often.

Getting Away ( 2000 INR or $46 CAD)

While DWP was in the middle of construction on the first floor of the school, we were also reconstructing the small living space (150 sq. ft.) that Suresh, Shalu and their three sons occupy which is also part of the school building. The family temporarily moved into a relative’s slum home, just down the lane way, which meant eight people would be sharing an even smaller space. Shalu wanted to attend a wedding in her village, an eight hour train ride from Mumbai. Because two families were enduring extremely cramped living conditions with no end in sight given the set-backs we encountered while building the school and their home, DWP decided to pay the return train fare for Shalu and her sons to travel to her home village for a brief stay. She was also given a small amount of money for other expenses during her trip. They returned after a brief stay to reunite with Suresh and were able to move back into their home which was almost put back together for them. The family’s living conditions improved with the new build. They still live in one room, but the ceiling is higher, two window’s have been installed to let in light and air, and a shelf has been built to hold her cook top. A two foot square space with a new blue curtain has been added to give Shalu privacy while she bathes. The family is deserving and resilient. Suresh has both AIDS and TB and the family struggles on Shalu’s small salary as an assistant at the Balwadi.

Care and Attention (1500 INR or $ 35 CAD)

Although many people who live in the slum are aware that DWP is there to assist them when needed and know to ask for help, others don’t ask, or don’t want the attention. We respect that we can’t knock on doors, push curtains aside, or ask personal questions unless we are asked to help someone. While we go about our day in the slum, we notice people who don’t come to events or celebrations or bring their children to the Balwadi. Everyday as we enter the slum from the street, we noticed a very young mother and her two small children who live in a cave-like dwelling at the top of some stairs cut into the small hill under a bridge. We make eye contact, wave, say hello, but her mood was always sombre and her children seemed listless. Recently, Kane and Ashley had the opportunity to talk to the young mother. Upon close inspection, the children seemed more than listless. They have gigantic, bulging eyes and under their dirty t-shirts, their bellies were huge and distended. The mother, who was just twenty years old, was also pregnant and said she had taken poison in an effort to abort the pregnancy. Within an hour, Ashley and Kane took the family, including the young father, to a private hospital where a doctor declared the children extremely malnourished, calcium deficient and infected with worms. The doctor was angry about their condition, but was convinced that if the medication he prescribed (protein supplements, de-worming medication and calcium supplements) was taken as directed, the children would survive and hopefully thrive. DWP paid for a three month supply of this medication as instructed. When DWP returns to Saki Naka, the children will be taken back to the doctor to assess their progress. Within a week of taking the medication, the children appeared to have some energy. The youngest child, a little boy of almost two years old, but who is half the size he should be, was breathing better and moving more than just his big eyes.The little girl, who is four, started to play near the Balwadi with other little girls within a few days of taking the medication. All we can do is hope.

The Mother (685 INR or $16 CAD)

As instructed, we took the mother to a gynecologist. Her general health was assessed and the doctor was happy to report that she was relatively healthy. However, a sonogram was required to check on the health of the unborn baby. DWP paid for the mother to have a sonogram the next day. It was determined that she was almost five months pregnant and the baby was healthy and growing, despite the desperate mother’s attempt to end the pregnancy with poison. At the sonogram clinic she was offered the choice of aborting the baby after the sonogram, but chose to continue the pregnancy. Ashley and DWP will continue to assist this young mother and her family when needed.

Try Them On (free of cost)

Generous donors from Victoria, B.C. Canada donated over 40 pairs of gently used prescription eye glasses to the people of Saki Naka. From vintage 1970′s large metal brass frames to glasses held together with a bit of tape, to fabulous, current styles of designer frames, the choices were abundant. When the box of eyewear was brought to the Balwadi, a few people tried the glasses on, mostly for fun ,but soon, as word spread, more people arrived to sort through the box, trying glasses on, looking around the room for objects to become clearer, checking out words in a newspaper, the excitement of being able to see clearly for maybe the first time building with each pair that was tried on. Within a few hours, ten people found a prescription that worked for them and left the Balwadi wearing their new glasses. Thank you to all the people who donated eyeglasses.

Teach Me (850 INR or $19.75 CAD)

DWP purchased educational English/Hindi DVD’s and books for the students and teachers to use at the Balwadi.

Needing Help (700 INR or $16.25 CAD)

A young woman stopped Kane and Ashley as they entered the slum and asked for assistance regarding her twenty year old sister who had just arrived in Saki Naka from a village north of Mumbai. The sister had taken the advice of several doctors from the area surrounding her village, but nothing could stop her involuntary urination. She arrived in Mumbai, as many people do, hoping for better medical treatment and relief from her embarrassing and uncomfortable situation. DWP paid for her visit to a gynecologist for tests, which in turn led to DWP purchasing the prescribed medication. She is currently taking the medication and hopes for a better outcome. This condition prevents this young woman from being able to leave her home for even a short period of time.

Health Camp (2000 INR or $46 CAD)

A new Marriott Hotel recently opened near the Saki Naka slum. Janvi Charitable Trust approached the head of Corporate Social Responsibility at the Marriott to ask for financial assistance with programs at the Saki Naka slum. Two employees of the Marriott came to Saki Naka to look around and have a meeting with Kane and Ashley regarding holding a health camp at the slum. Within a few days, DWP organized the event, informed the people of Saki Naka, briefed the Marriott people regarding medicine required for the day, and set up the tents, tables and chairs for the doctors. The Marriott Hotel offered volunteers to man the event, paid for two doctors to attend, and paid for the medicine which would be dispensed free to patients. 154 people from Saki Naka attended the health camp. DWP paid for the rentals of the tents, tables, and chairs.

Summing it Up

Mumbai is an enormous, sprawling city with over 55 percent of it’s inhabitants living in slums. The Saki Naka Pipeline Slum is home to thousands of people with a myriad of problems due to extreme poverty, cramped living conditions, only three squat toilets, garbage issues and an over all lack of hygiene. The problems and serious issues that confront the people of the slum inhabit every lane way and every tiny home, like drops of water finding a way into every tiny rip in the plastic tarps that cover the roofs. The renovated new school with it’s beautiful, airy, new second floor allows DWP and Janvi to meet with people who have problems, while the other part of the building is being used for classes. The addition of a second floor allows more room to hold new programs aimed at literacy, computer skills, and the possibility of using the space as a workshop to provide income for the women of the slum. The problems within any slum are endless and the living situations are daunting, but there is always room for hope and improved conditions, allowing the people in the slum to move forward and improve their lives, even marginally.

Sincerely,

Kane & Cindy Ryan

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July 2010, Munich, Germany

After an emotional departure from Mumbai, Dirty Wall Project was enroute to Munich, Germany to kick-start the fundraising drive.

Several months ago I was contacted by an old friend, Sammy Camas who I met 3 years ago in southern Argentina in the small mountain town of Bariloche.

Sammy lives in Munich, Germany and has been following DWP’s progress in India and wanted to help in any way he could. After a month or two of exchanging emails and badly connected phone calls, Sammy offered an exhibition of DWP’s photos to help raise awareness and funds to a new audience in Germany. While Sammy began spreading the word about DWP in Munich, my parents (Cindy & Todd Ryan) were busy framing new photographs for the exhibition while I was in a fierce battle with the BMC in the Saki Naka slum, trying to get permission to build a school in the community. Fast forward 2 months and the school is built, the framed photographs are in Germany and Sammy had organized a venue for the exhibition.

Arriving in Munich at six in the morning, walking through the sleek, shiny and modern airport which seemed deserted and ghostlike compared to the scene I had left only eight hours before, I couldn’t help but feel out of place.  All this changed when I saw Sammy walking towards me with a smile on his face. With hand shakes and hugs finished, we were on the train, speeding through the beautiful, lush, green countryside towards Munich.

Off the train and onto a beautifully restored racing bike of Sammy’s, we began cruising the quiet streets of Munich. After four hectic months working and commuting across Mumbai, even a busy city like Munich feels as though it is deserted. There’s no horns or cows to dodge, you just glide down the incredibly clean streets uninterrupted.

The exhibition was to be held at the cafe Hausmunik in Munich’s Rosenheimer Platz area.This funky urban cafe is run by two men, Wolfgang and Laufie. The cafe serves great coffee and has old and new vinyl records, plus beautiful creative shirts and merchandise made by independent designers from all over Munich, and now Canada. All of the groundwork and organizing for this exhibition has been done by Sammy, his lovely girlfriend Suzy, and a talented graphic designer Kirsten Langsdorf (www.kirsten-langsdorf.com). I was introduced to Wolfgang and Laufie, shown the space and given free reign to hang  DWP’s pictures. Besides the framed photographs and DWP collage pieces, Sammy, Suzy and Kirsten had been busy  producing t-shirts, bags and fliers for the opening on July 3rd.

A beautiful poster designed by Kirsten had been taped to windows in all over Munich, handed out in beer gardens and floated around the Universities in the city. It was amazing to see that people already knew about DWP’s endeavors  in Germany. T-shirts had been printed in several designs and colors in both men and women’s styles, along with cloth shopping bags. It was great to see the DWP logo in colour, and I’m excited to use the DWP image in some new and creative ways to help DWP raise funds and awareness.

The exhibition was set for July 3rd and there were several other events we had to compete with on that day. First and foremost was the German advance to the semifinal against Argentina in the World Cup. Football had completely taken over the city, black, gold and red flags hung from doorways, draped around necks and flew from speeding cars. The scene wasn’t complete  without the annoying vuvuzela beng trumpeted by spirited Germans covered in face paint. Second, was the beautiful and extremely hot weather Munich was experiencing, making a dip in the refreshing Eiser river a must for anyone with time, and even those without.

Suzy and her Swiss friend Tess, began the morning by cooking steaming pots of vegetable curry from the recipes gathered from the Saki Naka slum community.  Arriving at Hausmunik, Sammy and I set up the t-shirts, bags and photos and anxiously awaited interested people. Slowly but surely, people began to arrive  and wandered about with plates of curry and discussed DWP’s adventures. It was interesting to hear about DWP in the German language and sometimes I have to pinch myself  when I see people so interested in what DWP is doing. Despite football fever and the heat wave, over 50 people wandered through the exhibition throughout the day. For me, these days aren’t always about bringing in as much cash as possible but about spreading the word on what DWP is all about and what we’re trying to do in developing countries. Sammy was the man behind all of this and he could be heard speaking of DWP in German throughout the day. By 4 p.m. the television was turned on and the sound of vuvuzelas could be heard through the streets and on every available T.V. in Munich as the anticipation of the the day’s match grew to a feverous pitch.

During the match, I sat near the back of the room and watched as German adjectives were yelled at the T.V. As I looked at the walls of the cafe covered with photographs of DWP’s time in India, people milled about wearing DWP shirts and DWP bags hung over shoulders and sat beneath chairs I couldn’t help but smile. DWP was nothing but an idea in my head less than a year ago and to hear people speaking of it in a different language on the other side of the world is amazing and incredibly exciting for me.

The support for DWP over the last few months has been incredible and events like these inspire me and keep me energized to keep working. I want DWP to be an organization that anyone can feel that they can help. DWP relies on the help of others to continue to help people in difficult situations. I love being the personal connection between a slum in India and a community in Munich, Germany.  I want to pass on my most sincere thank you’s to Sammy, Suzy, Kirsten, Wolfgang and Laufie for their help in raising awarness and funds for DWP in Munich. Sammy has worked hard for DWP for months and it’s through his dedication and perseverence to DWP’s cause that this event was at all possible. It’s his belief in me and how he told DWP’s story to others that  brought DWP into the lives of many people in Germany.

My week in Munich served not only to help DWP but  to energize me as well. The last few months in Mumbai have been extremely stressful and this side trip has been like a mini vacation for me. Sammy and his friends welcomed me into their lives and I was able to feel at home immediately and I am cherishing the little time I spent in Munich.

There is nothing like flying into Vancouver, seeing the the snow covered mountains stained a beautiful orange from the setting sun, then the Pacific Ocean comes into view as the airplane passes over beautiful tree covered islands and beautiful B.C. welcomes me home. DWP has been a crazy adventure so far and I am so thankful that DWP allows me the chance to meet so many people. For all the discomfort and emotion that DWP encounters  while doing this type of work, there is also so much good in the world that it enables me to be a part of. People like Sammy and all the others who helped me here in Munich, all getting together to help strangers on the other side of the world is amazing…

Sincerely,

Kane Ryan

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July 2010, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Blurring The Lines

I am worlds away from the incessant heat, the chaos and the relenting noise of Mumbai. My house in Victoria sits on a lovely, clean, green, quiet street. I have access to clean water and toilet paper whenever I want it. I have a right to privacy. I can complain about noise and feel entitled to have personal space. There are numerous grocery stores nearby with all of my favourite things, and I have a credit card and money to purchase comsumer goods at my whim. I am back in Canada and I miss Mumbai.

My mission to help Kane and DWP in Mumbai, was a roller coaster of emotions, with highs and lows, underpinned by the fact that the Dirty Wall Project is seeing needs and filling them.

I arrived in the Saka Naka slum with wide-eyed optimism, an understanding of the history of service that Ashley (Janvi Charitable Trust) has given to the hundreds of people who live in this pipeline slum, and an anxious desire to help Kane deliver comfort, medical help and school sponsorships to individuals and families. I hoped to celebrate the exhausting completion of the addition of a new second floor to the small Balwadi (school).

Entering the slum for the first time, I was emotional, but resolute about my role with DWP. Kane had imparted to me his intimate knowledge about the slum, the people who live there, their problems and their living conditions. Ashley’s vision for this slum community is to give them a nurturing environment, the ability to make their lives more comfortable and  create the possibility of improving their health and their futures. Kane and Ashley worked together as a team, acutely aware of the needs of the people who lined up to ask for help with medical needs and school sponsorship. They deftly handled situations that required difficult questions and painful answers. I sat in on these meetings with parents desperate for medical care or sponsorship of their kids school fees. I wanted to release them of their misery and their unrelenting living conditions. I learned how to help, when to help, and that it is not possible to help everyone. It wasn’t long before I was gathered into the folds of this community and was able to communicate, laugh and learn valuable lessons on doing without the material possessions that we cling to in the developed world. Despite the harsh realities present in a slum community in an overcrowded, chaotic urban setting such as Mumbai, I have witnessed joy, celebrations, caring, and some contentment among the people I have come to know here. Mumbai is complicated, India is overwhelming, and there were no correct answers to my many questions.

I  had long conversations with middle-class Mumbaikers, asked questions about their lives, listened intently to their answers, tried to imagine living high above the congested streets, but having to endure the chaos everyday. I scratched my head and tried to keep my temper in check after a conversation with a very wealthy Indian man who believes in the power of the caste system to keep people in their place, and had to swallow hard after listening to an ex-pat Canadian woman, who has lived a privileged life in India for over 40 years, and who believes no one should help the underprivileged. This is a culture that has survived centuries of trial and tribulation, has over 1500 dialects, different cuisines in every part of the country, many religions, the caste system and corruption at every level.. Those who survive in the chaos that is India today have many views and live lives full of contradiction, where abundance and poverty share the same streets.While the middle-class and the wealthy of India have a desire to dance on the world stage, the millions of people livng in the slums and on the streets will never be able to buy a ticket to the show.

While witnessing the incredible work that DWP does in India, I felt the stabbing pangs of western, middle-class guilt. The people from the slum who came to say one more goodbye before I boarded a plane that would take me continents away to my comfortable life, will never cross the threshhold of the shiny airport and feel the cool air of the departure lounge, or fret when placed in the middle seat on an airplane. In Mumbai, to enter the airport, you must have a ticket to fly. I fought back tears during my trip home. I had the amazing, overwhelming experience of working with Kane and Ashley, and seeing for myself how the donations to DWP make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people. The recipients are grateful and their appreciation was profound. The mission statement of DWP, ‘to see a need and fill it’, was fulfilled many times over.

Sincerely,

Cindy Ryan

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June 27, 2010 Mumbai, India

“Wish You Were Here”

At eight a.m. Kane and I entered the slum which was already throbbing with the sound of Indian music being played at full volume on huge speakers in the garden. Everyone was awake, although some were still hanging in their doorways, not yet ready to join  in on the excitement that was building. We came with party supplies, streamers, balloons, masks, candy and donuts. Kids were already dancing in the garden to the loud music near a large speaker, and adults scurried around attending to details.

Ashley greeted us at the Balwadi and ushered us upstairs to the new second floor. He was happy, beaming even, and was anxious for us to see the what the space looked like completely cleaned up of construction debris, paint cans, and leftover tiles that had been there when we left the night before. He and Pakia, Simon and Gotia worked long hours last night to ready the space for the party and the grand opening. At the top of the stairs, at one end of the space, hung a banner that read, Janvi Charitable Trust Thanks Dirty Wall Project Foundation. It was a touching gesture on behalf of all the donors who support The Dirty Wall Project, and it made us cry.

The addition of a second floor to the original, small Balwadi (school), was started on April 8th. What should have taken only a month or so to complete, took almost three months. It has been a labour of love with Ashley and Kane at the helm, managing to make everything work, staying sane during countless setbacks and having the vision to complete the task. The result of their efforts and the donations to DWP that made it possible to build, is a space that is over 400 sq. feet,  beautiful and airy, and the pride of Saki Naka. (Most families in the Saki Naka slum live in approximately 80 sq. ft, with few or no windows.)

The celebration was, like India, unpredictable, noisy, chaotic and unpretentious. There were impossibly loud fireworks in the garden, Indian dance performances by two beautiful little girls dressed in costumes with silver bracelets glistening on tiny arms and ankles, their hair braided, pinned up and laced with jasmine, and a breakdance performance by two young boys. The music came from a cell phone hooked up to a giant speaker. Even though the music failed them at times, they danced on in front of a polite and respectful crowd of kids and adults.

When the performances were over, everyone was eager to see the new space. Indians don’t skimp on ceremonial gestures and rituals. I was ushered into a home, surrounded by women, twirled in to a glittering saree, my hair was pinned back, and a sparkly bindi dot was placed between my eyes. My flip-flops were replaced by worn, dusty, stappy, shiny sandals. When my outfit was complete, the women and I  squeezed through the narrow doorway of the home, stepped into the lane way , and walked a few meters to the Balwadi.  A red ribbon was strung across the entrance at the top of the stairs and I was thrilled to be the one to cut it. Sujata, a lively, engaging woman, approached us with an offering plate. On it was a brass holder with a wick dipped in oil and lit, food offerings and red powder. She moved the plate in a circle a few times and then fed everyone a piece of sweet. She dipped her thumb in the red powder and placed a red dot on our foreheads. The second floor of the Balwadi was now officially opened. And the party began.

Over 400 people ate samosas, donuts, pastries and candy, everyone patiently waiting their turn, lined up down the lane way, into the Balwadi and up the stairway.  The little girls had done their hair in braids, bows and ribbons. Their dresses had sequins, glitter, and frills. The boys were energized and spirited and found it hard to contain themselves. They played a ceremonial beat on large drums in a circle.  The pounding was high energy, contagious and deafening, just like India.

This project was a huge undertaking, fraught with problems, set-backs, and stress. Ashley, never without his phone, and without a need to sleep or take a break, was anxious to get this built for the community he works so hard for. Kane brought much needed energy, funding and a willingness to get dirty. The workers, who live in the slum, worked with  primitive tools. (Rocks to cut rope, metal bowls to carry sand and bricks on their heads, buckets and pulley systems rigged to bring supplies to the roof). Suresh and his children, Akash, Sumeet, and Ritik, who share a space with the school, cleaned up construction debris, climbed on to the roof to lash bamboo to the metal poles, moved sand and bricks and painted. It was a barefoot crew. Outside contractors were called in to tile, weld, and do cement work.

The new second floor will allow more classes at the Balwadi, a clean, uncluttered space to work in, a place to hold meetings, celebrations, and Ashley can run more and varied programs to offer the people who live here, but also important, the new second floor offers a view. The people of Saki Naka can climb up from their ground floor, tiny, cramped spaces for a view of their community, the roadway and the bridges. The new Janvi school uniforms were modeled by two patient little children to the delight of everyone. The vision that Ashley had for the school included uniforms and a strategy for the kids to keep learning and start moving forward.

During the evening of celebration, Kane incited the kids to be even more boisterous, if that is possible. At times there were five children hanging on his arms, sitting on his shoulders, and stepping on his feet. We now know the second floor can hold at least seventy people! Ashley grinned the entire evening. Before I could change out of my saree, there was one more ritual to complete.  The  women who graciously spent time with me teaching me how to cook, presented a plate filled with roses. In turn, each woman picked a rose and offered it to us, a sincere gesture of their thanks to DWP. These gentle rituals are an important part of Indian culture. We were honored, humbled, and slightly embarrassed by being the centre of attention. We were also presented with a garland of marigolds from the parents of children that DWP sponsored in school.  We accepted the roses, garlands and little presents that were given to us, on behalf of all the supporters and donors of the Dirty Wall Project and wished you were here to taste, smell and feel Indian hospitality and culture, and appreciate their generosity to  us.

This evening also marked the last day in Saki Naka for Kane (and me). He has worked with these amazing people for four months, and I have had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of it. It was hard to leave. We stayed until after eight p.m. reluctant to let go of the experience and the people. We started our last walk down the lane way to the main road to catch a rickshaw to the train, and we gathered people as we went. When we finally stepped into the rickshaw, Ashley accompanying  us to the train station, there were at least 25 people surrounding us, yelling good-bye. It was hard to count them with eyes filled with water.

The next day as we prepared to fly out of Mumbai, Ashley phoned us to ask us what time we would be at the airport. He arrived at the airport with 22 people from Saki Naka to see us off. This involved organizing six rickshaws, paying for them, getting everyone ready to go and arriving in time to visit with us. Kane took the boys to see the airplanes take off.  This is exciting  for kids who never get out of the Saki Naka area, and see nothing but rubble and debris, to see the shiny, glamourous airport. I sat with the women, who came in their best sarees. Suresh, Gotia and Simon gave us roses. We visited, with Ashley translating  for two hours, until we had to go. Then the women draped us with huge garlands of marigolds, roses and lilies, one for each of us. We left the hot , humid outside air and entered the airport, turning back and waving to all twenty two people lined up along the railing.

As the doors on our time in India closed we couldn’t help but feel humbled and amazed by DWP’s accomplishments over the last few months. For DWP success isn’t measured in the statistics, how many kids we put in school or how many people received care in our health camps. Having an entire community of complete strangers, without being able to speak each other’s language, become family in less than four months is truly something special. DWP doesn’t enter a community with a heavy hand, we don’t tell people how to manage, we ask them what we can do to help, knocking down the walls of formality and creating human bonds between people of different cultures. The people of Saki Naka slum never knew we were a charity but they did know we were their friends and we were there to offer a helping hand.

We wish you were all here to meet the people you support and witness the profound effect your donations have.  It is an overwhelming experience.

Dirty Wall Project is now heading to Munich, Germany where a DWP supporter is holding a exhibition of DWP photographs and fundraiser on July 3rd. From there, DWP will be back in Canada, fundraising over the next 2 months before returning to the beautiful smiles of India.

COSTS

• Labour- Over 40 locals from the Saki Naka slum and surrounding area were hired and given work throughout this project. Total -  65,900 INR or $1532 CAD ( this figure also includes lunches, tea and snacks for our workers)
• Material – Including cement, steel, sand, plumbing, electrical, paint and tiles all purchased from small local shops with in a kilometer of the school. 131,236 INR or $3052 CAD
• Opening Day – Samosas, donuts, veg pastries, sweets, balloons, streamers, fireworks – 4850 INR or $112 CAD (400 people fed and entertained)

Total Cost

• 201,986 INR or $4697 CAD.
• For this figure, Suresh and Shalu’s small home was completely redone, the existing structure was strengthened and the entire second floor was built, increasing the size of the school from 120 sq ft to 550 sq ft.

This project was extremely difficult  and one that DWP hadn’t planned on funding completely. DWP was originally going to spend about $2000 CAD as several big corporations and foundations in India had promised funding for the school. Slowly, as the bureauocratic procedure halted construction several times and the risk of building in a slum community began to scare the corporates, their promises of funding disappeared. I am very proud to say that DWP stuck with this project despite the odds stacked against us and fought for the Saki Naka slum community.

DWP is small in size but big in heart and determination just like the people it strives to help  in India.

Sincerely,

Kane and Cindy Ryan

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