Wednesday 12/16 - Child Labor Exists..
Today I was scheduled to go visit the child labor Pratham programs. For some reason, I confused that with Vocational Pratham programs in my mind. Although I kept hearing child labor, I continued to think about vocation programs. Boy was I in for a shock! I was on my way to a landfill!! We had hired a driver to take us out to Sanjay Nagar , Govandi. This is on the east side of Mumbai. As we set out on our day, we continued our morning ritual of going to the Hindu temple on the adjacent street to the hotel. At the temple we
prayed to deities for their blessings. On the way out we took holy water into our palm, sipped a very small amount, and quickly ran our hand over our heads leaving the water on our hair. We also took rock candy as prasad(food blessed by God). After the temple, we would go to the local street vendor and get a mini cup of chai. In India, the size of the chai is very small (the size of a fluoride cup). The chai costs about 25 rupees (apprx 50 cents). The chaiwala takes milk from a plastic pouch and pours it into a large caldron. The chai is very hot.
So back to Govandi. On the way there we learn about the life of our 'diver'. He has been driving the taxi since 1986. He said in all his life, he has only been to Govandi once. We took Highway 3 out to Govandi. It was a confusing ride. There was so much to see, and so much to hear. We also had to stop and ask for directions many times. In Mumbai, there are not many street signs. People associate places with things they see on the way, like the man who sells the pineapple. We saw a large landfill upon our arrival. The first thing my dad asks is if this is the landfill from the popular movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'. We are told that the landfill was in Bandra. This one is identical. We meet with the Pratham area coordinator, who I consider a social worker. Everyone in the community seemed to know her, and respect her. Pratham aspires to give women confidence to do good work for the community and bring income into their household. So as we enter the streets in the community, the taxi has trouble getting through the narrow gravel streets. The streets are full of very poor people. Some people don't have clothes. There is chaos everywhere. No one is groomed. There are small children holding babies. There are school age children roaming the streets. The streets smell of rotten odors. As we drive past an area full of garbage, there are many insects circling the bags, yet someone is rummaging through it. I was told, in hopes of finding food. The area looks primitive. The buildings are short one story connected like townhomes, and each looks like over 5 people live inside the dark interiors. We look like celebrities to these people. First, we have a taxi. I presume these people may have only seen a handful of taxis in their lives. Next, I have a camera. I am not sure if too many people understood the technology. At our first stop, the Pratham lady took us to a
small building where we went up some steep stairs to find a small class of students learning. These students are getting a supplement course in addition to going to a government school. They come before or after school. The students range in age. The teachers have completed school locally. Next, she takes us to the building next door. They pay 4000 rupees to rent each location (approx $100). The second teacher explained that outside of teaching all day, she does home visits with a fellow volunteer. Together they question parents and ask them why the child did not come to school. Pratham teachers are paid nominal salaries. This class is a supplement to the local BMC (government) school. The Govandi BMC school has no structure. Kids sit on the ground. Some areas have no roof. Next, we went to a class next to the 'dumping' (landfill). The students that come to this makeshift school have left dumping, or in
some cases the kids still go to the dumping prior to getting to school. These kids go into the Pratham program and each April to June Pratham works on enrolling them in the BMC school. The kids were interviewed about working in dumping. They would not speak. They must be camera shy or in denial. There were about 20 kids ranging in
age.
From there we walked out and onto the nearby dumping ground outskirts. There were children leaving carrying items from the dumping. There were more kids collecting. Some were playing. A few kids asked to take their photo. I took it without a flash and they were mad that I did not take a photo. Good observation. We continued to walk along the outside of the landfill and soon we could see the BMC office. They have an office onsite to review the weight of the incoming dump trucks. I could see kids in the landfill. I could see kids walking the area near the landfill, and this was during the school day. We also spotted Pratham kids, which they identify by their GlaxoSmithKline bookbags. The Pratham coordinator began to ask why they were not at school. As we walked back to the Pratham school site we were approached by an officer. He asked if we had been taking photos. The Pratham coordinator pleaded that we were not. Her colleague asked us to keep walking away. We left the Pratham
coordinator behind us. She is brave. She told them that we were there to teach at Pratham and were just walking as a 'time pass'. She was able to calm him down and he let her go. In those moments, my heart was beating fast. I realized that my camera was going to get taken away. I am so thankful we left unharmed. I was terrified. We quickly walked out and went back to the taxi. We took the car to another area. We passed mini cement trucks that were actually trucks built to move water. There were long lines at the trucks. People were carrying many jugs of water. Some people hung the water from their bike and walked the bike. I heard that people walk hours to get to the water truck. There is no water in Govandi. Somebody brings a
jug of water to Pratham locations. Each class gets a jug. This is used to drink water, use for the bathroom, and to wash hands. We approach a wide street where there is room to park the car without blocking. We enter a small open room in a small building. This was a Muslim class. This area is 90 % muslim. We were greeted with As-Salam Alaikum. There were 2 attendance books. One had 51 student
enrolled. The other book had 'khabi khabi' (sometimes) students. There were 28 students that sometimes come to class. All the kids had come out of dumping.
After visiting the class, we walk in between two buildings into what looks like an alley. Goats and dogs pass by. Babies walk around with no clothes. Kids play. A woman squats in her neon green sari over a covered metal pot on a fire made of wood. The ground is covered with garbage. The homes look like shacks. We get to the landfill. This is when the most fascinating facts were told. Kids go up and down digging for glass, plastic etc to sell to nearby vendors. The landfill is so large and deep that kids get buried. Everyday a new body is discovered. As BMC dump trucks come, kids get excited, and since the driver just spins and dumps, sometimes they run over the kids. The entire landfill is monitored by the government. There is a lot of corruption. Pratham works around it, and works with the government. They have a strong relationship. We watched a few people leave enter and leave the landfill. Several kids had school uniforms on. We saw two young kids carrying materials out on their heads, and their mother walked behind them, carrying nothing. These are the parents that don't understand the importance of education. The Pratham coordinator invited us to go into the landfill. I was excited. I know this sounds crazy, but it felt like an inside look at their life. As we entered, I noticed it did not smell. Normally you can smell a landfill from miles. I could not smell any foul odors. Looking down at the garbage, it was so mangled that I could make out what anything was. We walked over a little bridge of garbage. Basically one wrong move and you would fall into a ditch of garbage... Luckily I made it across. We walked up the hill into the landfill. We saw small
children picking up trash. In the distance I could see more kids with the school uniform on. We were told that people come from neighborhoods from miles away to collect and get money and go back home.
Today I had such a unique experience. I cannot believe life exists and continues each day in this old community. It was moving. It touched my heart. I am so proud of Pratham and how they are executing their mission on such a scale in a community that really needs hope. I continued to wonder who the role models were for these young children. Gandhi is a popular hero in India. Aside from Gandhi, I wonder if they have anyone they admire and what they desire to be when they grow up. From what I could see, the kids take life one day at a time. I know each of them has big things in store for them, especially with the aid of Pratham and now with the economy flourishing. I hope non governmental organizations come to provide healthcare aid to this Govandi community next. After spending days in landfills, the children are prone to various ailments, diseases, and toxic pollution.
Later into my trip, I will find this newspaper article on Tuesday, December 29th titled ‘Thirst For Water Leading to Polio’. The byline reads: Desperate Govandi residents dig illegal wells, drink water swarming with deadly polio and hepatitis viruses. Unbelievable!
prayed to deities for their blessings. On the way out we took holy water into our palm, sipped a very small amount, and quickly ran our hand over our heads leaving the water on our hair. We also took rock candy as prasad(food blessed by God). After the temple, we would go to the local street vendor and get a mini cup of chai. In India, the size of the chai is very small (the size of a fluoride cup). The chai costs about 25 rupees (apprx 50 cents). The chaiwala takes milk from a plastic pouch and pours it into a large caldron. The chai is very hot.
So back to Govandi. On the way there we learn about the life of our 'diver'. He has been driving the taxi since 1986. He said in all his life, he has only been to Govandi once. We took Highway 3 out to Govandi. It was a confusing ride. There was so much to see, and so much to hear. We also had to stop and ask for directions many times. In Mumbai, there are not many street signs. People associate places with things they see on the way, like the man who sells the pineapple. We saw a large landfill upon our arrival. The first thing my dad asks is if this is the landfill from the popular movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'. We are told that the landfill was in Bandra. This one is identical. We meet with the Pratham area coordinator, who I consider a social worker. Everyone in the community seemed to know her, and respect her. Pratham aspires to give women confidence to do good work for the community and bring income into their household. So as we enter the streets in the community, the taxi has trouble getting through the narrow gravel streets. The streets are full of very poor people. Some people don't have clothes. There is chaos everywhere. No one is groomed. There are small children holding babies. There are school age children roaming the streets. The streets smell of rotten odors. As we drive past an area full of garbage, there are many insects circling the bags, yet someone is rummaging through it. I was told, in hopes of finding food. The area looks primitive. The buildings are short one story connected like townhomes, and each looks like over 5 people live inside the dark interiors. We look like celebrities to these people. First, we have a taxi. I presume these people may have only seen a handful of taxis in their lives. Next, I have a camera. I am not sure if too many people understood the technology. At our first stop, the Pratham lady took us to a
small building where we went up some steep stairs to find a small class of students learning. These students are getting a supplement course in addition to going to a government school. They come before or after school. The students range in age. The teachers have completed school locally. Next, she takes us to the building next door. They pay 4000 rupees to rent each location (approx $100). The second teacher explained that outside of teaching all day, she does home visits with a fellow volunteer. Together they question parents and ask them why the child did not come to school. Pratham teachers are paid nominal salaries. This class is a supplement to the local BMC (government) school. The Govandi BMC school has no structure. Kids sit on the ground. Some areas have no roof. Next, we went to a class next to the 'dumping' (landfill). The students that come to this makeshift school have left dumping, or in
some cases the kids still go to the dumping prior to getting to school. These kids go into the Pratham program and each April to June Pratham works on enrolling them in the BMC school. The kids were interviewed about working in dumping. They would not speak. They must be camera shy or in denial. There were about 20 kids ranging in
age.
From there we walked out and onto the nearby dumping ground outskirts. There were children leaving carrying items from the dumping. There were more kids collecting. Some were playing. A few kids asked to take their photo. I took it without a flash and they were mad that I did not take a photo. Good observation. We continued to walk along the outside of the landfill and soon we could see the BMC office. They have an office onsite to review the weight of the incoming dump trucks. I could see kids in the landfill. I could see kids walking the area near the landfill, and this was during the school day. We also spotted Pratham kids, which they identify by their GlaxoSmithKline bookbags. The Pratham coordinator began to ask why they were not at school. As we walked back to the Pratham school site we were approached by an officer. He asked if we had been taking photos. The Pratham coordinator pleaded that we were not. Her colleague asked us to keep walking away. We left the Pratham
coordinator behind us. She is brave. She told them that we were there to teach at Pratham and were just walking as a 'time pass'. She was able to calm him down and he let her go. In those moments, my heart was beating fast. I realized that my camera was going to get taken away. I am so thankful we left unharmed. I was terrified. We quickly walked out and went back to the taxi. We took the car to another area. We passed mini cement trucks that were actually trucks built to move water. There were long lines at the trucks. People were carrying many jugs of water. Some people hung the water from their bike and walked the bike. I heard that people walk hours to get to the water truck. There is no water in Govandi. Somebody brings a
jug of water to Pratham locations. Each class gets a jug. This is used to drink water, use for the bathroom, and to wash hands. We approach a wide street where there is room to park the car without blocking. We enter a small open room in a small building. This was a Muslim class. This area is 90 % muslim. We were greeted with As-Salam Alaikum. There were 2 attendance books. One had 51 student
enrolled. The other book had 'khabi khabi' (sometimes) students. There were 28 students that sometimes come to class. All the kids had come out of dumping.
After visiting the class, we walk in between two buildings into what looks like an alley. Goats and dogs pass by. Babies walk around with no clothes. Kids play. A woman squats in her neon green sari over a covered metal pot on a fire made of wood. The ground is covered with garbage. The homes look like shacks. We get to the landfill. This is when the most fascinating facts were told. Kids go up and down digging for glass, plastic etc to sell to nearby vendors. The landfill is so large and deep that kids get buried. Everyday a new body is discovered. As BMC dump trucks come, kids get excited, and since the driver just spins and dumps, sometimes they run over the kids. The entire landfill is monitored by the government. There is a lot of corruption. Pratham works around it, and works with the government. They have a strong relationship. We watched a few people leave enter and leave the landfill. Several kids had school uniforms on. We saw two young kids carrying materials out on their heads, and their mother walked behind them, carrying nothing. These are the parents that don't understand the importance of education. The Pratham coordinator invited us to go into the landfill. I was excited. I know this sounds crazy, but it felt like an inside look at their life. As we entered, I noticed it did not smell. Normally you can smell a landfill from miles. I could not smell any foul odors. Looking down at the garbage, it was so mangled that I could make out what anything was. We walked over a little bridge of garbage. Basically one wrong move and you would fall into a ditch of garbage... Luckily I made it across. We walked up the hill into the landfill. We saw small
children picking up trash. In the distance I could see more kids with the school uniform on. We were told that people come from neighborhoods from miles away to collect and get money and go back home.
Today I had such a unique experience. I cannot believe life exists and continues each day in this old community. It was moving. It touched my heart. I am so proud of Pratham and how they are executing their mission on such a scale in a community that really needs hope. I continued to wonder who the role models were for these young children. Gandhi is a popular hero in India. Aside from Gandhi, I wonder if they have anyone they admire and what they desire to be when they grow up. From what I could see, the kids take life one day at a time. I know each of them has big things in store for them, especially with the aid of Pratham and now with the economy flourishing. I hope non governmental organizations come to provide healthcare aid to this Govandi community next. After spending days in landfills, the children are prone to various ailments, diseases, and toxic pollution.
Later into my trip, I will find this newspaper article on Tuesday, December 29th titled ‘Thirst For Water Leading to Polio’. The byline reads: Desperate Govandi residents dig illegal wells, drink water swarming with deadly polio and hepatitis viruses. Unbelievable!
Hope you managed to cure the many ills you noted