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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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