Posted: 01/05/2008
Twenty children from Delhi's slums had an unforgettable day on Wednesday 30th April. A minibus delivered them to the New Zealand High Commission, and for a few hours they exchanged the narrow lanes and cramped surroundings of their slum areas for the green lawns and cool patios of the High Commissioner's residence.
The event was in recognition of a fantastically generous donation of NZ$5000 made to Asha by Mrs Caroline Anderton, Mrs Anderton is the wife of Mr Jim Anderton, New Zealand's Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Biosecurity and Fisheries. After visiting Asha and seeing its programmes in action in Mayapuri, an extremely deprived slum in a highly industrialised area of Delhi, Mrs Anderton was so impressed that she chose to make the donation and support further work.
A number of the children who visited the High Commission are from Mayapuri, an area where Asha's programmes are funded by TEARfund New Zealand. Thanks to Tearfund, the area is now equipped with computers and a computer teacher, has a well-stocked children's resource centre, and is also running a successful English Literacy programme.
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The children are an integral part of the programmes Asha run in slum areas. They work hard to educate their fellow community members on a wide range of issues including health, gender equality, and the importance of education and child rights, among others. Each child is responsible for around 20-25 houses in their "lanes" and organises sanitation drives, rallies and street plays to raise awareness within their slums. All of them know the health status of the families in their areas, and they now play an important role in Asha's recently-introduced Care for the Elderly programme. The children visit the elderly people within their lane, run errands they may have and report any illness or problems to Asha staff or volunteers.
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It was wonderful to see a group of these inspirational children rewarded for their efforts. The chance to experience an environment so different from their own was as much of a treat for them as the afternoon tea that was served, and a number of games and the chance to chat to Mrs and Mr Anderton completed the afternoon. The children were delighted with the experience, and everyone at Asha is equally happy with and encouraged by Mrs Anderton's generous donation. The money will be used to fund the running of the Child Advocacy Programme and the Computer Literacy course for the children of Ekta Vihar, a slum area in south Delhi.
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I despaired when I came to Delhi and had to live in a slum hut for shelter. I couldn't see how things would improve, but Asha's training has given me the confidence to lead others and work as a group to make changes. Now I enjoy helping other women who were once like me see how things can be so much better.
Rekha, women's group member, Zakhira
