The wretched and the beautiful

Mumbai is a study in dichotomy. One is witness to extreme wealth but also drastic poverty. And yet, it is located in a country which has the largest concentration—more than three million—of global and domestic NGOs. This gives me great hope.

During our site visits in Mumbai, we went to see an organization called AmeriCares India, which provides mobile health services to poor Indians, many of them living in slums. I had the opportunity to map one section of the Andheri slum with two other classmates and a few AmeriCares staff. Although we were told that this was not the worst slum in India, I felt so heartbroken walking down  the lanes and alleys where children were playing amidst sewage and stagnant water. We went lane-by-lane counting the number of houses so AmeriCares staff could later go back to the community and interview the slum’s residents. We also visited one of the health clinics AmeriCares had set up in a small room. I asked how often the clinic was available to residents and was told every 15 days. Even amidst my joy at the innovative way AmeriCares had brought health services to the slum, what kept running through my head was: What if a child falls sick in the interim between one and 15 days—what then?

During our mapping project, one image that really struck me was a little cooperative in the slum with relatively nicer housing units and also was significantly cleaner and well-maintained. The image was of a building and maybe 20 to 25 pairs of shoes—tiny shoes—outside as the custom is to remove your shoes before entering. It gave me great hope because I learned that this was a school, and it was a school for children in the slum.

Overall, the mapping project was an experience I think was absolutely necessary in helping me to understand the conditions in which so much of the world's population are able to live. What is beautiful about such wretchedness is there are people who are willing to devote themselves to providing services for populations living in areas that may not have access to simple life-preserving measures, and who approach the challenge humbly, innovatively, and in good spirits. Within the clinic, there were a few women and a few sick babies—it is the children that always hurts the most to see. One energetic little boy followed us up and down the lane on his little rusty tricycle, and although he was really tiny, I would almost bet that he was much older than he looked. Yet, he was energetic and curious, as all children are.

The day confirmed many conceptions I had about poverty in developing countries and how much we are unaware of how the other half lives. So I am very grateful for this experience, and I would say, in Mumbai, even in the slums, there is immense beauty.