The highs and lows of slum life in India

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.

Kids just want to have fun ...and they are learning so much!

Over this past month the kids who attend our centres have enjoyed so much - way beyond the traditional ‘classroom’. They’ve been playing games, enjoying sport, dancing and celebrating 75 years of India’s independence, planting fruit trees and learning about environmental awareness as part of the Harela Festival.

Environmental awareness and the Harela Festival

Harela is a festival celebrated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and in some regions of Himachal Pradesh. This festival is celebrated on the first day of Shravan-Maas, as per the Hindu Luni-Solar calendar and marks the onset of the rainy season. At this time people pray for a good harvest and prosperity. Harela means "Day of Green", agriculture-based communities of the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh region consider it highly auspicious, as it marks the beginning of the sowing cycle in their fields. As Harela symbolises the sowing seed, it advocates conserving and saving the environment.

To celebrate this festival the team of Project Help India was approached by the Forest Department of Kotdwara to assist them on a plantation drive in the forest regions of Kotdwara. The children from the city centre and slum centre and their teachers travelled into the forest where they were heartily welcomed by Divisional Forest Officer, Sub Divisional Forest Officer and forest rangers. The Forest Officer addressed the children about the “Harela” festival and further educated them about the importance of trees and the small steps they can take to save and conserve the environment. The children with the help of forest officers planted fruit trees like mango, guava and Indian blackberry and gooseberry.

Through the training we are providing, our teachers are learning the power and importance of designing ‘hands-on’ learning experiences for their students. Our Project Help India Centres are challenging the notion that children must learn in front of a blackboard in a traditional classroom setting (educators refer to this as “chalk and talk” …Who would have thought that learning could be so much fun. It’s magic!

Muskan - skilled and confident for life ahead

Muskan is a 15-year-old girl born to a Muslim family. Her father is a daily wage worker and her mother is a housewife. Muskan is the eldest sibling and has 3 sisters and 2 brothers. Her family is too poor for the children to own a cell phone and because of this, she was unable to access online learning during the COVID pandemic, and therefore she had no choice but to stop attending school. At the end of the lockdown, she was informed by the school that she was behind in her studies and she was not permitted to return to school. Added to this Muskan’s parents could not afford the school fees for all of the siblings.

Muskan, still wanting to learn and grow, took admission in the Women’s Sewing Centre a vocational training program started for women by Project Help India. She is currently in the final month of her sewing diploma course. She feels confident that she has learnt many new skills and with ongoing guidance and mentoring from Project Help she will start a small sewing business. Muskan now keeps herself very busy making repairs to her brothers and sister’s clothes and creating new clothes for them too. Her skills have also progressed enough for her to sometimes work in her uncle’s tailoring shop.

After the COVID lockdown last year she was becoming very anxious about what was ahead for her future. She is grateful for now having an opportunity that gives her confidence for her life. Muskan thanks Project Help for assisting her in achieving her dream. Further to this, by changing Muskan’s life, her entire family has benefited in many ways too.

Keeping Them Safe (Part 3 in our Anti-Trafficking series)

Our Women’s Sewing Centre provides a six month vocational program for vulnerable young women (aged 16 to 35) from the Kotdwara slum area. Some of these women were once students at our Education Centre, and some of them are mothers of some of the kids who currently attend our slum centres. The women attend morning lessons which run for 1.5 hours, five days a week. As well as receiving sewing skills, course participants are supported and coached in starting a small business.

Perhaps what is even more important than this, the morning lessons provide the opportunity for the women to receive group counselling, guidance and support as they face the challenges of a life of poverty. As we understand their personal circumstances we are able to respond to situations to ensure for their safety and wellbeing.

Empowering women and keeping them and their children safe

Our Women’s Sewing Centre is strategically placed to keep women and children safe. Many women in the slums are targeted by traffickers because they have little or no resources to find employment. These vulnerable women are exploited in other ways too, especially when if they are young mothers. Poverty is insidious and our work breaks a vicious cycle in so many ways. Our education and small business programs give dignity, hope and purpose. This is such important work.

Thank you

We are indebted to our supporters whose generosity has funded this program. Go to ‘Muskan’s Story’ to read how your financial support has had significant impact in one young girl’s life. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Child Beggars in India - keeping these kids safe

This is the second of a series of blogs about the work of Project Help India in the area of anti-human trafficking. In our first blog we provided an overview of the work we do, this week we want to tell you specifically about anti-childhood begging. Kids who beg are most vulnerable to trafficking - the two go hand in hand and are usually run by the same crime syndicates (local mafia) - especially in the slums.

There are at least 300 000 child beggars on the streets of India, with some estimates of over half a million kids. Most of these children do not attend school. According to Cook (2019), many children are actually abducted and forced into begging.

“The statistics are alarming. According to the Indian National Human Rights Commission, up to 40,000 children are abducted every year. The whereabouts of more than 10,000 of them remain unknown. What's more, it's estimated that 300,000 children across India are drugged, beaten and made to beg every day. It's a multi-million dollar industry that's controlled by human trafficking cartels.”

Project Help India contributing to ‘Operation Mukti’

It was just this week on Wednesday 3rd August that 2 members of the Project Help team, Shalini and Arunima, attended the first of a number of planning meetings for ‘Operation Mukti’ at the Kotdwara City Police Station.

‘Operation Mukti’ is a child safety initiative conducted by the Uttarakhand Police and led by the Deputy Police Superintendent. The operation will be held in partnership with a number of government departments including the Social Welfare Department, Child Development Department, Child Welfare Committee, Department of Labour and Employment, Health Department and Child Helpline Department. Project Help India is the only non-government organisation (NGO) invited to participate.

The motto of the operation is “Support to educate a child”. The aims are to;

  • to stop child beggars.

  • promote education among the children

  • raise community awareness to prevent child beggars

  • protect vulnerable children from trafficking and other forms of exploitation

Operation Mukti will be held across a very wide region of Uttarakhand State during August and September (60 days) and it will be divided into three stages.

Stage 1: To mark out areas where children beg and work as scrap/reg pickers. Children will be identified and educated about the dangers of begging and provided with pathways for attending school as an alternative.  

Stage 2: Delivery of a community awareness program is spreading awareness in the region about child labour, child begging and how people can assist to fight this social issue

Stage 3: Implementing individual plans (IPs) designed for individual children. Risk assessments for these children will be based on their level of risk of harm, needs and personal circumstances.

At the meeting our staff, Shalini and Arunima, spoke about the mission of Project Help India specifically about our education centres and parent seminars. The many officials were grateful for our willingness to contribute and they also acknowledged the significant contribution that Project Help played during the COVID lockdown.

The Project Help India team has been asked to play a critical role in Operation Mukti, particularly in the delivery of Stages 2 and 3. At the meeting, officials from all of the departments praised the work of Project Help India and acknowledged our key role in ensuring the success and smooth running of the Operation.

Further to this, the Child Development Department asked Project Help to assist in the rehabilitation of two orphaned kids from the Dugadda region. We were then approached by an official of the Child Helpline Department to assist in the resettlement of families from the Himalayan hills who have lost their homes due to the recent heavy rain.

It is an incredible honour for Project Help India to participate in Operation Mukti, and an important responsibility that we now have to help these 2 kids and people in need.

How you can help

For us to provide the time and resources require we ask for your help that we might specifically create the role of a Project Help Child Safety Officer. We mentioned this last week. We are seeking a donation of $1500 AUS would pay the annual salary a Project Help Community Care Worker - a specific role that we would love to create to specifically develop our anti-human trafficking programs, and participations in joint venture initiatives such as Operation Mukti. Please contact us if you can help.

Thank you so much.

 

 

 

 

 

#endhumantrafficking

Globally, one in every three victims of trafficking detected is a child. The share of children among detected trafficking victims has tripled, while the share of boys has increased five times over the past 15 years. *

Today, 30th July, is World Day Against Trafficking

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery that exists in every corner of the world. Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad. Human trafficking in India is one of the largest aspects of organised crime. According to data, Divya (2020) suggests that 95% of trafficked persons in India are forced into prostitution. A Reuters study (in Habibulla 2021) estimates there are 20 million prostitutes in India - 16 million women and girls are victims of trafficking. Most remain in forced labour and debt bondage for life, unable to ever return to their home and family. COVID has exacerbated existing inequalities and made those living in poverty, especially the Dalits, even more vulnerable to significant harm and exploitation. 

For Project Help India, ‘World Day Against Trafficking’ provides us with an opportunity to share with you the important work that we do to fight this hideous crime, and to raise awareness with you.

Our work in Anti-Human Trafficking is one aspect of the ‘holistic’ nature of our mission to care for children. The main areas of vulnerability for the kids that we work with are sex trafficking, forced hard labour, forced marriage and organ harvesting. Our efforts mostly focus on education and awareness. We also work closely in partnership with the local police responding to situations specific to the children and families who attend our education centres, or who are known members of the slum communities and villages where we work. Organised crime syndicates (mafia) prey on vulnerable slum kids and they also target parents who may be unemployed, alcoholics, addicts or living in desperate circumstances. To sell your child for as little as $50 with the promise of a better life for them, can be an easy trap.

Project help works hard to keep our students safe from these people (many of whom are also ensnared in a vicious web caused by their own circumstance of poverty). This is why our staff are visible and highly engaged in community life.

What we do

  • we support and provide assistance where possible to the under resourced Uttarakhand State Police Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. The police work closely with our team to deliver school and community awareness programs and interventions to rescue missing children and young people.

  • In 2021-2022 Project Help India, with the police delivered 16 workshops in local schools and colleges

  • We estimate that 5000-6000 students attended these workshops

  • We transported the police between venues, providing refreshments and equipment such as data projectors and sound systems

  • Our teachers at our 8 Centres provide regular safety lessons to all of our students. Awareness of sensitive and scary content for children, is presented in a caring and age-appropriate way.

  • Information seminars for the parents of our students are also delivered.

  • We duly note that 16 children were rescued over the past 12 months by the Police Team in Kotdwara.

How you can help

If this is an area of social justice and advocacy that you are invested in, please let us know. Your donation to Project Help India’ can be directly used to support our Anti-Human Trafficking initiatives. Over the years, some of our supporters have asked for their donation to be specifically used to fund our school programs and to help and encourage the police team. At times we buy resources (printers, ink cartridges, paper and stationery) for the Police Unit. It would be our great pleasure to direct your donation to your requested area of impact.

Any large donation would certainly provide us with leverage to do more. Your donation of $1500 AUS would pay the annual salary a Project Help Community Care Worker - a specific role that we would love to create to specifically develop our anti-human trafficking programs. Please let us know if you would like to help. 

Our Annual Report for 2021 is pretty exciting!

2021 was significant for us as we moved forward in the breadth and depth of our projects and the level of support provided to individuals, families in the slum communities of Kotdwara, Bijnor and Chandigarh – especially in our response to the COVID pandemic in India.

We hope that you are able to take a small amount of time to read this report as we are confident that you'll be encouraged by how much has been achieved within the short space of 12 months. Link here

In 2021 we received donations and income totalling $220 911. This is an incredible amount and we are so thankful considering that in 2020 we received $149 539 and in 2019 we received $45 774. We believe that this amazing result reflects the deep compassion of our supporters as we witnessed last year the suffering in India caused by COVID, especially its impact on those living in poverty. Sadly today, we see the ongoing impact of the pandemic on many people …the poor just seem to get poorer – it’s a brutal reality and an ugly vicious cycle.

A special thanks goes to Janus Henderson Foundation for your donation of $51 000 and the MorningCrew, led by Andrew Costello (Cosi) at Radio SAFM for inspiring their listeners to donate $25 000 in just 2 weeks during the height of the lockdown in India. Thank you to everyone for your donation large or small - every dollar makes a difference. We know for a fact that your generosity has literally saved countless lives.

For those who have so generously given to the Project Help India story this year and in 2021, we can't thank you enough. You may not realise this but you are a significant part of the story of people’s lives. We 'do life' with these people and we have witnessed first-hand the difference your financial contribution has made to their circumstances, providing them with hope, dignity and love.

“At Project help India we seek to learn from the people we help and get alongside. We celebrate our differences, earning respect and building trust as we live life in community together.”

As we reflect on these many achievements, our thanks and admiration goes to two very special and inspiring people, Amit and Daisy Samuel. It is Amit and Daisy who each and every day, pour out their hearts, energy and love to their community. Their efforts and sacrifices often go unnoticed, and their work is challenging and difficult. Amit and Daisy are both incredibly well respected by the leaders of Kotdwara, they bring vision and are often called upon to provide counselling, guidance, respite and mediation. They are God’s love to this remote and often forgotten part of the world. If you would like to meet Amit and Daisy, we will be holding a Zoom supporters evening in August (invitation to come). Thank you also to our wider team of 28 staff In Kotdwara and Bijnor… you are all remarkable.

To our supporters, do not underestimate the power of your giving. Please continue to be generous because the impact on people's (especially children) present circumstances and their ultimate future is significant.

Please contact us, if you would like your donation to go towards a particular need or project that touches your heart. And please be in touch if you would like to know more.

Again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. With love and thanks, from the team at Project Help India.

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