Slum (n.) |sləm|
- a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
- house or building unfit for human habitation.
· See DHARAVI.
There are few things that make me speechless, there are few things that make me emotional, and there are few things that make me cry. My visit to Dharavi did all of the above. Some of you may be familiar with Mumbai’s largest slum as being the setting for the Oscar winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire. However this is not a mere two-hour Hollywood film for the people living in Dharavi, this is true life. A life filled with sewage, trash, and unkempt houses at every corner. Though my description of Dharavi, a city of Mumbai built on a swamp, sounds unlivable it is now home to around 1.5 million people.
Before arriving to Dharavi, we picked up Vinod Shetty , Director of the ACORN Foundation India. ACORN Foundation is a registered charitable trust that hosts the Dharavi Project initiative. “The Dharavi Project is a multimedia project that utilizes artists and social-impact programs to change the living conditions of over 100,000, 'rag-pickers' who are segregating waste in and around the landfills of Mumbai. Its mission is to increase the welfare of rag-pickers, and give their profession a legitimate and sustainable voice in the recycling and waste-management value chain at Dharavi.”
The rag-pickers of Dharavi, including children, make their living of 100 rupees a day (the equivalent of $2US) by picking up garbage and selling dry waste to scrap dealers. Shetty explained to us that Dharavi is the largest hub for recycling in Asia. Here, nothing is considered garbage and as a result the people of Dharavi create wealth out of what we would call trash. There’s a native intelligence amongst all of the Dharavi citizens, an intelligence that allows them to survive and navigate their streets. Here the equation in everyone’s head is: plastic = rupees, paper = rupees, rupees = survival.
The majority of the people living in Dharavi are content with their living situation, they have jobs, a roof over their head, and a community around them going through the same daily battles. The priorities of the poor are something to be admired. Because when you have close to nothing and don’t have a choice, you have to make do with what you have. They have little to no representation and as a result have to vent for themselves. Consequently, work is essential to their daily lives. Shetty defined their lifestyle as a day-to-day struggle- for electricity, water, food, roads, and schools. The people here struggle for what you and I would call basic needs; needs that we are born with. It breaks your heart to think that this is what they wake up to, and to think that they are fighting for a right to survive, or as Shetty called it a right for their citizenship. The picture is grim, but it’s real, and there’s so much the government could do if they would just recognize what these people are going through.
Work is all they know, and as a result their own health is on the backburner. Those that work in the factories, use no form of protection for any part of their bodies. Children run around barefoot and they use dirty water to cleanse themselves. As an outsider looking in, with my slight background in Health and Communication I found that the people living in Dharavi are in need of health education on the topics of chemical toxins, safety, and monitoring their own health.
But with the help of ACORN Foundation and donations from others at least something is being done…not much but something. On our trip to Dharavi we not only got to see the ACORN office but also got to meet two brothers (both around the age of 10) that work there. We learned about Dharavi Rocks, a “joint project between ACORN Foundation and blueFROG” that brings the world of music to the children of Dharavi. Various artists from all over the world help by performing and putting together workshops. One of my favorite quotes by Shetty was “World music started in the streets, therefore street music must also go to the streets.” Music is that global language understood by all and most importantly music has the power to brighten up anyone’s day. The makers of Dharavi Rocks believe that “that music makes a difference. It educates, improves learning skills, self-discipline, self-confidence, encourages teamwork, improves social skills, temperament and community life.” This could be seen when meeting the two brothers at the ACORN Foundation. They sang for us and played on drums made out of recycled bottles. A moment that I will forever treasure because it just illustrates how family and music can bring sunshine to the darkest of days.
Shetty is a labor lawyer in Mumbai; he explained that he is involved in grade unions and social movements. His primary clients are formal workers. When asked the question ‘How did you get involved with the slums of Dharavi and the ACORN Foundation’ his reply was simple: “I’m a member of the Bleeding Heart Society, just like many of you I want to make the world a better place.” He continued “I found it time to also represent the informal workers and if nothing more, the smiles on children’s faces brings joy to my heart.”
Though Vinod Shetty and the ACORN foundation may not be an example of Social Entrepreneurship it is his passion and dedication to his mission that each social entrepreneur should mirror.
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