HMS is a student group that started in 2004 at the UC Berkeley campus that focuses its efforts on water, sanitation, and hygienic outreach programs. Right now there are 10 of us working on our project and we are split into 2 teams; Education and Evaluation. I am part of the education team and we are putting together a pilot program that we are going to try out this summer. Our plan involves a sort of networking practice. We are pairing up with college students that HMS has worked with in the past and using them to pair up with 8th graders to establish a mentoring program. The 8th graders are then going to be mentoring 1st graders about the importance of handwashing habits. Our aim is to make an impact on behavior changes- research has shown that the best times of making those changes are at earlier ages and at the start of a new environment. After meeting with the program manager of PSI, a network of education programs in the largest slum of Asia-Darvai, they decided to school to allow us to come into their school and take on our project. Our education model is based on around the fact that it generally takes three weeks to form a new habit so we have created a program that will demonstrate to kids the importance of handwashing in a fun way to help decrease the occurrences of diarrhea, which most people commonly think of it as just a normal part of childhood. The reason why this is so important is because many students become severely dehydrated from diarrhea and miss school or even work which will have an impact on their chances to a better livelihood. Studies have shown that just by using soap for 20 seconds with non filtered water can decrease the amount of diarrheal deaths by 42-50%- so this is why we feel as if we need to make an impact in the schools we are working with.
We have all been working together to make this project work and get through obstacles along the way. One of the slum communities we have worked with, Berhampada, had a devastating fire take a toll on half the neighborhood. Some of the families we have worked with lost almost everything- even members of their family and were relocated into temporary camps where about 200 people live in one room and they must all share one or two bathrooms. It has been a real eye-opener to understand the realities these people must come to face. Since most of the land they live on is not governmentally owned, they do not get any assistance for rebuilding their life back together and are left to figure out a solution to live with. The struggle for survival is strong in many aspects of life here, life gets competitive. With only being here 2 weeks I have seen more poverty than I have ever been exposed to in my entire life- it is sad but realistic. It brings many emotions to the table that you have to come face to face with.
It has been interesting putting our plans into action- all school year our group has been meeting and trying to figure out what we want to accomplish while we were back in Berkeley but now we are here and it is quite a challenge to put it into effect. Everyday we have meetings with some head of a school or college and for the most part they have all been very helpful and excited to have us here and have given us good advice as to how to tweak our ideas to fit in an Indian education system. I've learned so much already about the politics and infrastructure of the slums, the education system, family lifestyle, and just Indian life in general. By the end of the day I find myself completely exhausted- all the new experiences, crowds of people, new environments can really be draining- but all completely worth it.
Although we have been working non-stop, we have also been enjoying our free time non stop as well. Just the other day I realized how much I have come to love Mumbai. I think it was because I am finally gaining a grasp on the completely different pace of life. At first I was so overwhelmed by the amount of people that you are always surrounded by- it has now changed my outlook on the concept of space. The apartment we live in is in the middle of a huge suburb and we have begun to make friends with some of the neighbors- the kids love to play cricket with us which is the most popular sport here in India. Our apartment is like a co-op- all 10 of us live in a 3 bedroom place and we do everything together and for each other in a very democratic manner. It also has a great rooftop area to sit down and unwind at the end of the night (as long as one of the large bats in the air doesn't land on you). Everyday a variety of funny events occur- one day the rickshaw driver (A kind of motorcycle taxi with a backseat) allowed me to drive his vehicle back to my apartment- it was so fun to drive it around! We have been able to get to see some of the nightlife of Mumbai as well and I am learning how to dance to Indian bollywood songs. Where in America it is a faux pas for a man to dance with his arms above his head, in India it is almost mandatory. We also we able to see a Bollywood film in a theater- 3 of our friends were able to translate (though I am trying to pick out some words to understand the dialog. I am very slowly picking up some Hindi.... very slowly. Hindi, however, only gets you so far because many people speak Marathi or Urdu. Its all a learning process- I love figuring out all the little cultural things of the area. The best example is the head bobble every one does to agree with you and that saying yes means shaking your head no... it gets confusing when you ask a taxi to take you somewhere and they shake their head no so you think they wont take you but then they say get in. I started going to the worlds oldest Yoga studio- it was opened 91 years ago and focuses mostly on meditation but also how to focus your life. An 85 year old man sat me down and told me some of the greatest lessons he has learned during the course of his life... it was one of those great moments you never forget about your travels. The food here is so good, it is one of my favorite parts. You can go out for such a great meal for less than $2.50. All the spices, smells, and flavors are really growing on me. There are so many street vendors selling cheap exotic foods so everyday I try to taste something new- luckily my stomach has been liking it. Last weekend a few of us took a train to Goa- it was a 12 hour train ride that quite possibly might be one of the worst conditions I've been on in public transportation ever (well besides that boat ride in the Philippines). I bought the train ticket way late and ended up being stuck 3rd class in the luggage comparmnet that was so packed that you could barely breath.
This has all been one great adventure. It has given me time to think about where I am at in my life and the direction I want to take. I am enjoying my time here and am happy to be a part of Haath Mein Sehaat and I look forward to working with them when I return to the states in the Fall. For now it is back to the planning and preparations for our next meeting. For being just a bunch of college students at Berkeley, I am really impressed at how professional we have made this program- we've even come to the point of deciding whether or not we want to become our own NGO!
Students taking part in our education prgram at SNDT college
A view from the roof of our apartment
A rainbow appearinng after a monsoon rain
One of the beautiful churches in Goa
This is an Indian beach in Goa...with cows roaming
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