Kamathipura- the Red Light district in Mumbai

The pain I saw this week was unbearable. I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of sorrow, poverty, and hopelessness that millions of Indians live with daily. In poverty, these people are completely helpless. There are those fortunate ones that receive help from various NGO’s all around India, but there are so many more that never get a chance for a better life. Their lives are unfairly impossible, and there is nowhere for them to go. They are stuck in poverty that fosters extreme illnesses, diseases, depression, malnourishment, and heartache.
The women at Kamathipura, which is the red light district in Mumbai, are incredibly unstable. Many of them are alcoholics, suicidal, and mentally unstable. An estimated 85% of the prostitutes have Tuberculosis, and 50% have HIV/AIDS. These women have been trafficked from Nepal, South and North India, or choose this lifestyle to provide for their families. The women, men, and children live in smaller than 5x5 rooms sharing the space with everyone around them. Babies and children sit in the same room as their mothers, only separated by a curtain while they service the clients. There are many brothels surrounding Kamathipura in Mumbai that keep younger women and children, starting at the age of 12 (and rarely, but sometimes 9 year olds) to 25. These brothels are closed to the outside world, and only the client and brothel keeper are aloud inside. The only contact these victims have to the outside world is their clients. Unless the police choose to bust the place, the women are kept hidden.
Prostitution and sex trafficking is illegal in India, and yet it is still rampant all over India. There is a police station in the middle of the red light district, and the police only handle cases that are brought forth to them. Otherwise, this infamous 14-lane prostitution community carries on daily in bright daylight. The Indian government and police force are highly corrupted, and it seems there is no way of changing these systems.
These poor people need help, and they cannot even run to their own government or police that is supposed to protect them for refuge. They have nowhere to go unless someone reaches a hand out to them. I am determined to make changes in India on the governmental level after my post-graduation, because it is extremely wrong that these people have to endure constant suffering. There are many Social Workers in India and many laws being passed against human trafficking and prostitution, but an even bigger change is needed. India’s mindset needs to change.
The government and police need to be trustworthy and reliable sources of protection, and punishment again offenses need to be more consistent. India needs to be cleaned up too. The animals need to be taken off the streets, such as cows, dogs, goats, chickens, etc. All the trash in India needs to be picked up off the ground, and a better system needs to be implemented for waste. Children need health and sex education earlier than college age, so that they are aware of hygiene, diseases, and sex and sexually transmitted infections. Laws need to be followed, especially by those who are supposed to uphold them (i.e. the government and police). The streets need to be restored and the food health standards need to be increased.
There are so many changes that need to occur in India, and it is overwhelming. I am at a loss of where to start, but I am very thankful for existing NGO’s and organizations such as UNICEF that are working towards ending poverty, prostitution, and child abuse (child labor, trafficking, and sexual abuse).

11th week in India

1st photo: Ashray, the place I work, 2nd photo: me and Sahil Kahn (a famous Bollywood actor!), 3rd photo: my new program manager, Mukesh, Ann (one of my new roommates), and me!, 4th photo: Hijra's on the street (you should look up Hijra's in India online), 5th photo: a "magic cow" who nods its head yes or no when you ask it a question, then you give the man money.

Hi everyone! This week was pretty great. Everyday, I get to work on the public bus. I leave my house around 8:30-9:00am and walk to the bus station. From there, there is a bus that comes every 15 minutes from Goregaon West that takes me to Ashray in Bandra West. I sit on the bus for 1 1/2 hours every day, and then walk 20 minutes to Ashray from the bus stop. So, when I get to work I am EXHAUSTED! I always ask for a cup of Indian Tea when I get there to wake me up. Then, I go see what the kiddos are up to. They're usually playing, drawing, and getting ready for school all at the same time. We have morning activities that we conduct for them before they go to school, like dancing, drawing, meditation/yoga, storybook reading, etc... The children are so well-behaved. After my experiences with children in the U.S., Indian children are so different. It's something about the culture here- respect is of the utmost importance here. Elders are highly respected for their wisdom, life experiences, and support. Everyone takes care of each other here, especially family.

After the afternoon children leave for school, the morning children come back and I help them study their math, English, science, life skills, history, and geography subjects. It's been difficult for me, because the Indian education system is based on memorization, which means that the children don't even learn what it is they are being taught. They simply have to memorize the information given, which is given to them in a book, and then copy the exact same thing on their exams. It's frustrating to see this kind of system, because I feel like the children would benefit so much more from an interactive classroom setting where they can talk about what they're learning with the teacher and make sure they understand everything. Additionally, in the government schools (which are free), every student passes their exams! Even if that student doesn't know anything on the test, the teacher will provide the answer for them to ensure they pass. They do this in order to keep the schools open, but it's so detrimental for the children. They move up to the next grade level every year even if they are not ready for it. I don't know what can be done about this, but it would take a number of years to change the system. But, at least the children are being provided a safe place to be every day, instead of on the streets.

Next week, I am definitely going to the TATA Institute and the Red Light Area. Look for my next post coming soon! By the way, I'll be in Colorado on Nov. 30th and back in Oregon on Dec. 8th! Wow. This trip has gone by fast, but I can't wait to see everyone!

Children affected by HIV/AIDS in Mumbai...

Mumbai- the craziest city in the world. SERIOUSLY. Everything is here- about 14 million people, Bollywood stars, the richest and the poorest, industry, opportunity, prostitution, insane pollution, etc... I arrived in Mumbai last week on the 8th of November. I was given the most amazing opportunity to work in a rescue crisis center for children affected with or by HIV/AIDS. The NGO is called, Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT), and this crisis center (called Ashray) is only one of their projects. These children are either orphans because their parents have passed away from AIDS, they are affected themselves, or their parents are so sick that they are unable to care for their children. The rescue crisis center works towards rehabilitation for the family, so that the children can again be reunited with their families. Many of these children's parents are prostitutes in the Red Light District of Mumbai and have contracted HIV/AIDS through that. These children are exposed to this lifestyle, so they too are in danger of being forced into the business of prostitution themselves.

There are about 30 children in the rescue center in Mumbai that live and attend school there. There is one "House Mother" and many employees and part-time teachers that tutor the children in their school subjects. There are two more crisis centers that are located outside of Mumbai and specifically house older children (from 12-18). One of the children in Mumbai, named Kartik, is 5 years old and has been moved there with his little brother, Muddon, who is 4 years old. They had to leave their families from Tamil Nadu, a state in Southern India, and start a brand new life in Mumbai. They only knew their mother language, Tamil, and no Hindi, Marathi, or English. They had to learn an entirely different language, meet new friends, become a part of a new family, and cope with all the pain and struggle they had been through before coming there. It was so heartbreaking to hear this, especially when Kartik came up to me the other day crying and telling me how much he missed his mom (in Hindi). He curled up in my lap and cried for 20 minutes before he calmed down. His younger brother, Muddon, always seems a little sick. I'm not sure if he is HIV+ or not, because we are not told that as teachers, but he never seems very well. He's very small and thin and has a really hard time learning his numbers 1-10 let alone the ABC's. Honestly, I want to cry every time I think about their situation. Fortunately, despite the hardship of starting a new life without their parents, they have been rescued from a situation that could have led to their death. All the children at this orphanage crisis center are wonderful, happy, and kind children. They are so loving. I cannot imagine the pain their little hearts and bodies are going through, but I am so thankful for this organization that has saved them.

This week, I am going to visit the TATA Institute of Social Sciences to check out the Social Work program there, the curriculum, and to interview a few of the professors. The Social Work students go into the field daily and work with the impoverished, the prostitutes, the orphans, etc... I also hope to visit the Red Light District some time this week with the head of the project, called Roshni (also a part of CCDT), who talks to the women about their options out of prostitution. This project helps these women, men, and kids out of this area to begin a new happy and healthy life. I am so thankful for this opportunity.

I only have two weeks left- I cannot believe it. But, I'm going to make the most out of it. I am excited to see everyone when I get home. I'll be in Colorado from Nov. 30th - Dec. 8th, and then I'll return to Portland. I start working again at Starbucks on the 10th!! I can't wait to see all my favorite customers again!!!

Photos of the last 1 1/2 months!

Halloween in India!

FYI: I WILL POST PHOTOS SOON!
My fellow interns and I decided to have a Halloween party here in India. So, we planned a party and invited over 60 people including our co-workers from CFI, neighbors, and friends from around town. Nobody had any idea what Halloween was, because it is unheard of in India. The funny thing was that everyone wanted to know the significance of Halloween, which is something I don't actually know! The holidays in India are either national holidays, like Independence Day, or religious holidays. So, the fact that Halloween is simply a holiday of fun and nothing else (at least in my experience) was confusing for them. But, we explained it best we could and actually had an awesome party! We were unable to find outfits to dress up in, as we are in a small rural town that doesn't sell any kind of costumes, so we just dressed nicely instead. Our neighbor, Prakash Upte, offered to let us have the party in the house he just built that is currently vacant! It was so kind of him to offer this, so we were very thankful. We decorated the best we could, made pb&j sandwiches and chocolate-covered cookies (two things that don't have here), and served them to all the guests. We also made the traditional Indian chai, and served potato chips and candy. One of the interns mother's actually sent a bag of plastic halloween rings that we distributed to everyone. People were so excited, and everyone wore them! A few of them came up to me at the end of the night asking for more because theirs had either broke or they just wanted more to show people. I thought it was so great, because they are so easily entertained.

Around 50 people ended up coming to the party, and we played pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, and danced. These games are actually fun games for everyone here in India, because they don't see most games as only for children. This made it so nice, because everyone participated, and we gave out prizes to all the winners. We actually ended up giving prizes to everyone at the party towards the end, because we had so many! We had bought pens, candy, bindi's, and little ganesha statues for everyone. They put their hands in the bucket and had to close their eyes when choosing their prize (to make it fair, since everyone wanted a ganesha statue).

Anyway, the party was absolutely awesome and everyone had a great time. We danced so so so much, and my legs were so sore the next day! But, I loved it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I love India!