Life in the slums is tough and no one deserves to live in the squalor and miserable conditions that we have observed and experienced firsthand on the numerous occasions that we have visited over the past 10 years. Yet where there are people there is community, with laughter, smiles, mischievous kids playing games on the street, friends chatting, men fixing a broken motor bike, and a sense of people coming together to help and care for each other …not to mention a cow or pig wandering through the middle of it all. The place is raw - with moments of misery and joy going hand in hand. One moment you are overcome by the stench of sewerage, the next you are tempted by the aromas of a street vendor boiling sugary sweets or firing up a delicious curry. Every moment is a bombardment of the senses.
For Project Help India, the people we help and work alongside are known as the Dalits or the ‘untouchables’ - they live all across India - victims of the caste system, marginalised and vulnerable. We dream of a better life for them. We choose to advocate and fight for them. ‘Project Help India’ is all about friendship, learning and growing with each other. As we get to know these beautiful people, we also learn about ourselves. And as we bring love, hope, dignity and purpose to their lives and circumstances, our lives are changed and we too, become better people.
Project help India is making meaningful impact in these people’s lives and in the slum communities. The generosity of our supporters makes all of this possible, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
The photos below represent some of the highs and lows over the past few weeks.
We mourned the death of 14 year old Aman, a student at our Kotdwara Disability Centre. He died of illness related to being immunocompromised. We are thankful for the 4 years that we could bring love and happiness to this beautiful boy’s life. If it wasn’t for our Disability Centre he would never have left his home.
Our Bijnor school kids decided that they wanted to clean some of the local streets
Our Bijnor students also initiated a community anti-drugs rally.
Some of our staff have been meeting regularly with the local police as part of Operation Mukti – to rescue kids from begging and get them into schools.
