Reality Gives - Looking Forward to 2016

Having ended 2015 with the release of our Annual Report, looking back on a year where we extended our reach to have positively impacted the lives of over 6,000 people in the communities we serve in Dharavi, January now feels a fitting time to look ahead.

We caught up with a whole host of staff and beneficiaries and asked them all one thing - 'what are your hopes and dreams for 2016?'. Here's what they had to say...

IT Teacher and Community Centre Assistant Manager, Ravi, has already realised his own dream,
he wants to help others reach there

At our Ashayen Community Centre Jyoti, the Community Centre Manager, wishes "to see more community centres in different parts of Dharavi full of youth and children, getting trained by us and following their dreams".

Colleague Ravi has similar hopes, "I want to see more and more young people coming to us. I want us to be known in every corner of Dharavi because we offer course and opportunities which a professional but free. I want to share this good education and opportunity. For myself I have no wish. I wanted to be a teacher and now I am a teacher and the Community Centre Assistant Manager. I have no wish but also, I am excited to see what comes next".

Current Youth Empowerment Students, Abid and Javed are hoping 2016 will bring with it exciting new careers. "I wish to find a job in design." Abid says, "I want to make a house for my family because right now we have very little room. My mother wishes for more and I want to make it happen". Javed has similar ambitions, "I want to be a Civil Draftsman because I love buildings – they are home and communities. I want to help build them".

IT Teacher Karthika, who herself is a graduate of the Youth Empowerment Program wants "to study more and work more so I can help more. I want to help people from here that are not as lucky as me".

Royal City School classrooms are abuzz with young hopes, dreams and possibilities

Over at Royal City School, Lakshmi our principate shared her wish to "to create more leaders from the teaching team, to empower and engage the parent community, and through aid and enhance the students progress". Kindergarten teacher, Sonali told us "it is my dream to support the poorly performing children. I want to see the students develop - especially the ones that find it hardest." Reflecting on how she will do this she continues "I will do this by personally keeping learning. Learning is never a waste. It will help myself and also others too".

Tanzil, a student at the school succinctly describes her desires for the year - "I want to dance because when I do this I am happy. And I want to learn so when I grow old I can do good work".

Varying in backgrounds, age, culture, religion and gender we were touched by the common thread running through all of these hopes and dreams. To improve oneself and in doing so, to help others. A great reminder of the common humanity which pervades the differences we all too often give too much focus and importance to.

Reality Volunteers - Why I quit my job as a fashion journalist to volunteer in the slum

When I left Paris a few months back, I only had a vague idea of what Dharavi would look like. I imagined a very dense area where thousands, millions of people lived in precarious accommodation. I thought that the streets would all be dodgy alleyways leading from one home to another. Even though I knew I was going to work in one of the biggest slum in Asia, I had no idea how big it really was. And I didn’t want to learn too much about it before going: I wanted my clichés to be shattered by experience.

Francois and our Founder Krishna Pujari

Discovering Dharavi

I was prepared to face overwhelming poverty. But what I found there was much more complex and fascinating. Just like the rest of Mumbai, Dharavi worked in a chaotic harmony: hectic traffic, overly crowded streets…to the untrained eye, it all seemed very dysfunctional. But if you stopped for a minute and looked carefully at how the cars, the pedestrians, and even the animals were moving up the roads, it looked like some sort of modern ballet, where everyone had a place and a role to play.

Much more than just a slum, Dharavi was a city in the city. And everyone seemed to be busy doing something: while some worked in plastic recycling factories, others ran little shops and restaurants, or worked in one of the main industries (tannery, pottery, bakery…). There were no beggars on the streets, but children on their way to school. There were no muggers in the alleyways, but people showering before heading to work. Where we all expect to see desperation and people struggling, I saw smiles and people making the most out of what they had. And even though a lot of them really wanted to find a way out of the slum, they all embraced life in Dharavi and what it had to offer.

Why I left my job

Some of my friends and relatives had expressed concerns about my volunteering in India. They were afraid that I would get depressed by what I would see, or that I would get sick by spending too much time in a slum. But as I leave Dharavi, I’m bringing home incredible memories, true friendships and a valuable experience working in a completely different environment.

As much as I loved my previous job and colleagues, I often felt very frustrated: writing for a fashion magazine, I didn’t have any opportunity to meet our readers and felt like I was stuck in an ivory tower, completely disconnected to reality. In Dharavi, I sat only a few meters away from the beneficiaries of Reality Gives’ programs. I was able to see the impact the NGO had on them, I was able to talk with them and I knew why I was doing all this for. With the help of the incredibly nice and devoted team I was working with, I was able to use my skills in a very different way. While I used to write about fashion designers and up-and-coming talents, I was now helping on the annual report of the NGO, designing application forms for the students and doing the layout of English lessons developed by our education and curriculum director. Inspired by how passionate my colleagues were and by the impact the NGO had on people’s lives, I worked as hard as I could, because I knew I was there for a short period of time.

A Day in Dharavi

Every morning, I would commute to the slum from the small studio apartment I was renting in Bandra – a neighborhood of Mumbai that looked like an Indian version of Brooklyn. Walking through the muddy streets of Dharavi in the morning was my favorite part of the day. I would go past old-fashioned barbershops, colorful temples, large veg stalls, and shabby restaurants. I would look at the cats gathering around the lady who sold fish, at the chicken in cages that were about to get cooked, and at the goats wandering around the streets. But what I loved the most was observing people as they were getting ready for their day. A lot of them were staring back at me: some looked amused, most of them looked intrigued. Occasionally, a man would come and ask me where I was from and what my name was. After a small chat, I would go on walking through the streets, breathing in the smell of incense and soap mixed with fresh meat, sewage and pollution.

The doorway of a house on Francois' commute to work

To reach my former office in Paris, I used to cross the Champs-Elysées walking along kiosks and luxury boutiques. In Dharavi, I had to walk behind a Hindu temple and a public washroom, and climb my way up the stairs to one of our community center. From there, I would work on my laptop, while the students on our Youth Empowerment program were studying in the next room. There were girls and boys, Muslims and Hindus, teenagers and housewives…all in the same classroom with one objective: learning as much as possible to get better life opportunities. And as they walked out of their morning English class, they would always greet me with a very sweet “Bye sir” that made me feel 10 years older.

While I used to spend 10€ on a salad for lunch in Paris, in Dharavi I would spend less than 30 cents buying delicious dosas (rice pancakes) with chutney from an Indian guy who spoke incredibly good English. I would share this with two of my adorable colleagues, in charge of the community center, who would bring chapattis and spicy veg from home. Then, after some chai, we would go back to work carefully seated under the fans.

Royal City School

Every other week or so, I tried to make time to go the Royal City School, an institution based in the northern part of Dharavi, that Reality Gives supported by training 16 teachers. There, I would sit and talk with the school support program director. We would discuss upcoming events at the school, teachers and children’s attendance, but also her passion for Alexandre Dumas. Quite often, a small child would pop his/her head in the office, smile at us, and run back in the corridor with a backpack twice his/her size. All the students wore school uniforms and looked incredibly cute. They were full of energy and actually needed to be as the school curriculum included the study of no less than three languages (Hindi, English and Marathi). After a last glance at the painted classrooms, I would leave the school and take a rickshaw home. On my way back to Bandra, I couldn’t stop smiling at the view of Mahim Bay and at the thought of what I had seen and experienced during the day. The pollution, the traffic, the noise…nothing could ruin this moment. Dharavi was a place of hope. And working there was truly incredible.

Reality Gives' Programs - A New School Year

Last Monday schools across the country opened their doors and welcomed back students from their summer holidays. Over at Royal City School, it was no different.

students paying revent attention to writing names on the front of their text books 

With four new teachers joining the staff (more on them later), there was a wonderful sense of expectation and excitement in the air at the school. We were struck by the (what must be universal) nostalgia about the promise of a new, unblemished textbook, a brand new pencil case filled with brand new stationary, and a rucksack bigger than the child wearing it. A great reminder of the common humanity we all share.

A small child. A huge rucksack. A universal symbol of childhood nostalgia.

Sitting down with the new Standard I students, we asked them how they felt about coming back to school. “GOOD!” a chorus of tiny voices replied. “There is lots of fun in learning and writing and being with my friends” 6 year old Sujana  confidently announced (who then could not stop laughing, giggling and wiggling in her seat as she posed for a photo).

Happy to be back!

The smiles, laughing, giggling and wiggling didn’t stop there. Kemal, Ayesha, Sana and Damodar our new teachers share this sense of excitement and positivity surrounding the new school year. Damodar (our first male teacher) told us, “the quality is so high and the experience being here is exciting. The other teachers are very supporting and I am excited to share and learn with the children. We can learn together”.

Parents eagerly waiting for their children at the school gates

Similarly to our other teachers, Kemal, Ayesha, Sana and Damodar grew up dreaming of being a teacher. “I remember my first teacher, Ms. Bharti”, Kemal tells us “she had such beautiful writing. From that moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher”.

With this great influx of enthusiasm, the school’s head, Lakshmi said “I feel very positive about the coming year. In the previous academic year we learnt a lot. We have implemented lots of new things and we really can’t wait to see the fruits of our labour and ultimately, benefits the students”.

Reality Gives' Programs - “Of course we will win. I'm the player of the month!”

Their interest in cricket piqued by the recent World cup, newly arrived volunteers Lydia and Eloise paid a visit to Indian Gymkhana, Matunga - home of Project Front Foot. Here's what they found...

'On our arrival at the Indian Gymkhana ground we received a warm welcome from the boys (aged between 12 and 14) who were really excited to start the practice and show their skills in front of our camera, especially as the Cricket World Cup was currently running (and at that point in time their Indian heroes were still in with a chance). As we got to know from the children, the practice is held three times a week, from 9 to 11, and matches are arranged on the weekends. 

Practising the 'forward defensive', an important part of any batsman's arsenal - as Eloise
and Lydia learned during their time over at PFF

Although we missed the usual 15 laps of jogging (phew!), we saw their warm-up program which included body, leg, back and arms stretching. Workout over and the boys were finally ready to put on their pads, helmets and take up their bats. As the coaches explained to us, some kids were practising playing off front and back foot while others worked on batting and bowling. They also gave us the chance to catch some balls.

Although we did not really know the rules of cricket it was a lovely morning and it was great to meet all the boys and coaches who are participating in this great project. We experienced a lot of smiles, enthusiasm and motivated boys.

Catching practise

Thanks a lot to everyone, who made this morning so interesting. A special thanks to the coaches, who had a lot of patience with us and our non-existent knowledge of the game. We learned a lot!'.

Reality Gives at Royal City School - “Thursday was the first day I have ever felt like I was important, and that my families’ happiness and learning mattered”

Last week Reality Gives staff, volunteers and supporters joined forces with an incredible team of India First employees, and 8ft ‘Doreamon’ and ‘Chota Bheem’ mascots (popular children’s cartoon characters), to deliver Royal City School’s first ever annual sports day.

"Our children got an annual sports day as any child should deserve to have"

With races for children from Kindergarten to Standard II and even the mums and dads competing, it proved to be an incredible experience for all involved. Reflecting on the day Letizia De Martino, Reality Gives Executive Director shared, “In our vision we say that we want to build a world where underprivileged communities have equal access to opportunities and resources. I think today we did it! Our children got an Annual Sports Day as any child should deserve to have”.

Over at the school, the children are still grinning from ear to ear - “I like it because I can run” Standard II student Vikram told us “I have never seen so much space”. Fellow Standard II student Sanjana told us, “The ground was very big and nice. I loved it. It was too huge. I loved passing the pipe (the relay) and the medals and the running” whilst her classmate Vivek told us “I didn’t win a medal. My mother did. My mother won a gold medal for running. I feel happy”.

The races weren't just for the kids!

“It was such a good experience” Sujatha, one of our senior teachers told us, “The best day. The organisation. The parents’ preparation Everything. The mothers ran so fast. ‘How do you run in a sari’ I asked one. ‘Just watch. It is no problem’ she said!”.

The day was a great example as to what can be achieved when great organisations come together. Thanks so much to India First for funding and facilitating the event!

The parents too are still abuzz with the thrill and excitement of the day. One father shared with our Quality Improvement Director, Annabelle “Thursday was the first day I have ever felt like I was important, and that my families’ happiness and learning mattered. Thank you, it is a day we will never forget”.

Thanks so much to the team of staff, volunteers and other dedicated individuals who made this day so memorable for so many. Special thanks to India First Life Insurance, without their funding, organising and boundless energy this dream event would never have come true!

To help us continue to give these children the opportunities and 

experiences they deserve, click here.