Delhi
Travelling with a team of people who are supporters of the NGO I work for, visiting various projects in India. The first day with this project was overwhelming. The community spirit and drive of the people who lived in the slum is almost beyond words. Lo betide any corrupt official/policeman, or just anyone who doesn't agree, gets in these women's way! I expect one challenge the (christian) team may have been grappling with over the last couple of days is the openness with which the women talk about family planning, and the methods. The ultimate awakening for any white middle class citizen. Reproductive health is a huge issue in these slums, and this is the main reason we have funded the NGO. The lane volunteers who work in the slums could tell us exactly what contraceptive the women in their lane used, I even found out what brand of condom one woman used. Hmm, I said, very good. Infertility due to STDs, too many children and not enough resources, overcrowding, loss of control over their (the women's) lives, lack of proper sanitation, healthcare and nutrition are just some of the issues these women deal with. Violence is also a huge issue in the slums, whomever we talk to seems to have some story about being beaten and scars to show for it, yet they have overcome it, have learnt that they can change their own future and are doing something about it together. They call each other 'sister and sister in law' and talk about themselves as one big family. The thing that strikes me most is their courage in taking 'collective action', and their willingness to fight every day for every small thing, the thought of that exhausts me, no safety net, and no guarantees.
