Yesterday
I took a city tour given by former street kids, sponsored by a great
organization, called the Salaam Balaak Trust. This is our guide, Tariq, who
loves Justin Bieber, hence the hairstyle. He has just turned eighteen and has
been living in one of the care homes run by this organization. He ran away from
an abusive home situation in Uttar Pradesh at a young age (his father beat his
mother every day and when he lost all the family's money gambling and drinking,
the abuse spread to the children). He got a bus to New Delhi and slept on the
street or in the train station, where he was regularly beaten by the police
(sleeping on the street is illegal). He made some money from rag-picking
(collecting rubbish from between the railway tracks and selling it to sleazy
trash processors, who sell it to recycling centers. Whatever he earned had to
be spent every day, though, because any left-over cash would be stolen from his
pockets when he slept.
Eventually
Tariq was convinced to visit one of the drop-in centers run by this NGO. The
street kids don't trust the police or adults, so getting them in the door is
tough. At the drop-in center, they can have some clean clothes and food and
take some reading and writing classes. They can watch tv one hour a week. If
they want a second hour, they have to take more classes. If they want to watch
tv every day, they have to agree to move into one of the NGO's care homes and
go to school. They ate helping thousands of kids, girls and boys.
Tariq
has just turned eighteen and is about to take his exams. He hopes to apply for
a scholarship next year to go to university in America. He would love to be
assigned Alaska!!!
He
gives these tours to improve his communication skills.
I
learned so much on this tour and got to meet the kids at a drop-in center and
also at one of the care homes, where they were anxious to show off their
artwork.
The
photo shows Tariq in front of a wall, like many in this very poor part of the
city, with beautiful tiles all along the walls portraying gods (Hindu gods,
Jesus Christ, Sai Baba, a Muslim mosque). Any idea why these tiles are there?
These walls had all been being used as toilets, but now they cannot be, since
no one will desecrate a wall being watched over by the gods!
This is the famous Lotus Temple, the center for the Bahai faith in India. It was quite a long walk to get here, but it was quite beautiful. The temple was surrounded by many hectares of lawns and lush gardens. I wasn't prepared to see more tourists than at the Taj Mahal, though. The place was packed. There were many rules, too, with guards blowing whistles and barking commands at us as we filed in for the one mile walk from the entrance to te temple. Stay to the left. Leave your shoes here. Wait here. Now walk. Now stop. Single file. Single file.
The Bahai seek to create a place for people of all religions and all cultured can come together to pray. It was very peaceful inside the temple. (you weren't allowed to talk)
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Yet more Mughal architecture! |
Ok, so like most every friendly conversation in India, this one must also must eventually lead up to a request for money.
Yesterday and today I've spent time at the Naz Foundation (India) Trust. This is an amazingly run NGO here in Delhi, dealing with HIV and AIDS. In addition to the other programs they operate, they run a care home (orphanage) for children with HIV.
I met with the founder and Executive Director of the organization, a powerhouse of a woman, named Anjali Gopalan. Everywhere I've gone in India, I've met someone who knows Anjali and raves about what good work she is doing.
I was very impressed to see the facilities at the care home. This is a clean, bright, colorful, happy place where the kids live, study, play, get great nutrition and regular medical care and lots of love. The children (41 right now) attend classes every day at the various schools in the neighborhood. They also get tutoring back at the care home to assure that they do well at school. There is a doctor and nurse on staff, with nutrition experts and round-the-clock staff and volunteers, caring for the needs of the children.
I so enjoyed spending time with the kids. I think the best testimony of the success of this program is not just that the children are healthy, well dressed, well fed, and clean, but that they are so happy. There is clearly a great deal of love in this home and they have created a great big family inside this care home.
In addition to living children, Anjali also loves dogs, so there are five dogs living at the care home and the children love interacting with them. There was even a two-legged puppy living on the second floor that was terrified of adults, but adored the children. Once a day, the kitchen staff even prepares a big meal for all the dogs in the neighborhood. (What did I tell you about the importance of creating good dog karma?)
I feel so fortunate to have had a chance to meet with these kids and spend some time with them. On my first visit, we were all a bit shy with each other, but when I went back today, they did a dance performance for me, and clearly loved showing off. They were real hams, especially when I pulled out my camera! (They were not actually hams, since many of them are vegetarian, but you know what I mean.)
After the dancing, I went to another location to visit their drop-in center for HIV-positive gay men. This was also an amazing place, with men on all levels of sexual spectrum, having a comfortable place to come and hang out, see a doctor, dance, socialize, have a facial, have their unwanted facial hair removed by threading, and maybe even laugh at the funny American guy in the dhoti.
In addition to all the amazing work Anjali is doing with HIV/AIDS, she has also been very influential in leading the fight in the courts regarding the repeal of Section 377 of the penal code, which had made homosexuality a criminal offense (actually it criminalizes sexual activity "against the order of nature.") Because of her political connections and her stellar reputation in the field of HIV and AIDS, she was able to stand up and fight this injustice, while many gay men and women were afraid to come forward and take a stand. This judgement is now being appealed in the Supreme Court, and once again Anjali is there, fighting.
So the real reason for this message is that the Naz Foundation needs your help. You are rich. (Trust me, if you'd seen what I've seen in the past two months, you'd understand that you are RICH!) So PLEASE, go to the Naz Foundation web site,
Look at what they are doing and DONATE.
PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE.
नमस्त
