Poverty In Delhi

The one aspect of India we are still getting used to is the rampant poverty. India is home to over 400 million people living on less than USD 1.25/day. This is a third of the country's population. The contrast between rich and poor is so obvious. On one side of the street you may see palatial apartments, while on the other side people live in makeshift houses on the sidewalk. The American Embassy School is across the street from a slum dwelling so we get exposed to life in poverty on a daily basis. One morning I went on a photo shoot at this slum to get a glimpse of the amazing spirit of those who live in poverty.

We recently learned about an organization called "Magic Bus" in South Delhi that trains local mentors to work with children from impoverished communities to teach them important lessons about health and hygiene and empowers them to further their education and help them break the poverty cycle. All learning is experiential, taking place through the medium of sports.

Akash and I observed a local program and we were amazed at the excitement of the children who participated. 

Akash got in on the fun and engaged in sports play with the precious children. 

At the end of the session the mentors sat down with the children to teach them the importance of washing their hands frequently. The children listened attentively and promised that they would oblige. We were excited to see an organization work at such a grass roots level to empower change.