We're confronted by it daily here, and it is so much different than the young woman asking me to buy a roast chicken in the Cub parking lot on Lake Street in Minneapolis. That I can do.
But here it hits you so much harder, and often. Today on my way back from some errands, a young teenage girl was sitting on the sidewalk, clearly not where she really lives. She was alone. She jumped up when she saw me and started asking me for money. Usually, I carry biscuits (crackers), but didn't have any with me, and often after you've given them food, they still persist for money anyway. I kept walking, the pain and self hate growing inside. The internal battle that happens everytime. I think of Jesus and his teachings, or, even just from listening to my brother talk about these things, and all I want to do is get rid of everything I own and give it to the poor. But, the last thing I want is to give to a begging ring, or be a part of exploiting this girl. The tour guide yesterday at Dharavi talked about how slum people are all employed, and the street people choose to live that way, that they would rather just beg than work. That there would be jobs for them if they wanted, but, that they can often get more from the begging rings. But then this involves exploiting children, or injuries inflicted on people to look more pathetic and needy. I wondered how much truth their is in those statements. But it scares me enough to not want to ever give money.
Why have I been given such a privileged life? Every step away, and every step she follows, for three blocks, breaks my heart, over and over again. Because regardless of who put her on that street, she is still a young woman, whether trapped by circumstance, or there by choice, that is in need, and I have so much more than I will ever need. I say a prayer for her, and finish my walk home.
I know I will never have the answer for this. But I do know that after living here, I will never complain about money again.
Rachel
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Visit to Dharavi
For those of you who don't know, Dharavi is the largest slum in all of Asia, and it is a 10 minute rickshaw ride away from our apartment.
A little background: the land was originally a marsh. Builders threw their construction waste into the marsh, eventually making it solid enough for people to start living on top (this is as far back as the late 1800's). Now, over 1 million people reside in the 1.7 square kilometer area. The land is actually quite valuable (situated between the highest priced living neighborhood and the highest priced commercial area in Mumbai).
There is an NGO that runs tours through Dharavi. Their hope is to dispel the negative connotation that people have of a "slum". There are legal and illegal slums. Dharavi is a legal slum, where the land is owned by the government, rented by the people.
There is a surprising number of industry, mostly involving recycling (plastics, leather, aluminum, paint cans, cooking oil cans), but also in textiles (luggage, clothes, pottery). There are a couple schools, mosques, churches, temples, even a bakery. They have running water, and even some of the higher end apartments have AC and satellite TV.
They stress the focus on community and peace. It is one of the safest places in Mumbai. If the community finds out you are a criminal in anyway, you would get forced out. The people are very proud to be from Dharavi, and love their community very much.
As we walked through, many of the children were super excited to say hello or practice their English with us. One teenage girl even had our friend Twyla hold a baby. In that same group, a younger girl insisted I share her bag of cheetos (how did she know I love those?) An older woman came up to us, with her hands in the prayer position, touched her chin and forehead and bowed. It was clear this is a loving community.
And yet, walking around, there was plenty to make you not want to drop everything and move in. It was extremely dirty. Open sewers, dead pieces of rats, standing water, trash, chemicals. Most of the living areas are so crammed, walking through the extremely narrow alleyways is dark and wet. Some of the industry there is not exactly health or environmentally friendly (melting down aluminum and plastic, the workers don't wear masks or protective gear and the fumes flow right into the air). The chemicals and waste flow right into the river (the smell is indescribable) which flows out to the ocean (no wonder there is a 7 mile dead zone around Mumbai).
There is talk of demolishing Dharavi, clean up the area, build high rises for the residents. What's the right answer? The living conditions are tough. And yet, the people are happy, hardworking, and love their community. The industry there employs thousands of people. Those exact living conditions have created that special shared human experience. And that would be a tragedy if lost.
Picture taking is not allowed, but, if you really want to see the ins and outs of Dharavi, our friends Matt and Drew shared with us a documentary called "Slumming It" by Kevin McCloud. It does a much better job of showing the extremes of this place. There really is no good way to write about it, but, I hope I've shared a little of it with you.
Rachel
A little background: the land was originally a marsh. Builders threw their construction waste into the marsh, eventually making it solid enough for people to start living on top (this is as far back as the late 1800's). Now, over 1 million people reside in the 1.7 square kilometer area. The land is actually quite valuable (situated between the highest priced living neighborhood and the highest priced commercial area in Mumbai).
There is an NGO that runs tours through Dharavi. Their hope is to dispel the negative connotation that people have of a "slum". There are legal and illegal slums. Dharavi is a legal slum, where the land is owned by the government, rented by the people.
There is a surprising number of industry, mostly involving recycling (plastics, leather, aluminum, paint cans, cooking oil cans), but also in textiles (luggage, clothes, pottery). There are a couple schools, mosques, churches, temples, even a bakery. They have running water, and even some of the higher end apartments have AC and satellite TV.
They stress the focus on community and peace. It is one of the safest places in Mumbai. If the community finds out you are a criminal in anyway, you would get forced out. The people are very proud to be from Dharavi, and love their community very much.
As we walked through, many of the children were super excited to say hello or practice their English with us. One teenage girl even had our friend Twyla hold a baby. In that same group, a younger girl insisted I share her bag of cheetos (how did she know I love those?) An older woman came up to us, with her hands in the prayer position, touched her chin and forehead and bowed. It was clear this is a loving community.
And yet, walking around, there was plenty to make you not want to drop everything and move in. It was extremely dirty. Open sewers, dead pieces of rats, standing water, trash, chemicals. Most of the living areas are so crammed, walking through the extremely narrow alleyways is dark and wet. Some of the industry there is not exactly health or environmentally friendly (melting down aluminum and plastic, the workers don't wear masks or protective gear and the fumes flow right into the air). The chemicals and waste flow right into the river (the smell is indescribable) which flows out to the ocean (no wonder there is a 7 mile dead zone around Mumbai).
There is talk of demolishing Dharavi, clean up the area, build high rises for the residents. What's the right answer? The living conditions are tough. And yet, the people are happy, hardworking, and love their community. The industry there employs thousands of people. Those exact living conditions have created that special shared human experience. And that would be a tragedy if lost.
Picture taking is not allowed, but, if you really want to see the ins and outs of Dharavi, our friends Matt and Drew shared with us a documentary called "Slumming It" by Kevin McCloud. It does a much better job of showing the extremes of this place. There really is no good way to write about it, but, I hope I've shared a little of it with you.
Rachel
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