Having an exit option
I have an exit option. Pretty soon, I will be out of this community, and will return to my old life to worry about the usual problems of classes, tests, and whether I should eat lunch at Chic-fil-A or Blue Express. If I were a permanent resident of this community however, life would be a lot tougher and the problems a lot more serious.
If I were a child here in the slum, life would be very different. My parents, who would probably be working as laborers, rag pickers, or rickshaw pullers, would have a joint income of about Rs. 1500 ($40) per month. Half of this would go towards rent for the tiny 7 foot by 7 foot dingy room in which my parents, my three siblings and I live. Once I had turned six years old, none of my older family members would have stayed at home to look after me. Rather they would have all go to work, leaving me home to look after my even younger, one year old brother. A few years later, my parents may choose to send me to school. Most likely however, I’ll have to start working as a child to supplement the family income. In fact only one out of every four children here will go to a formal school.
Basic amenities like water and sanitation are huge problems here. Water has to be brought in buckets from a nearby tap and stored in our room. There are only a few common bathrooms in the entire slum and many people just go to the toilets in the open sewers or drains. A light bulb hanging from the roof and a small fan are the only electric appliances in a typical house. If a family does not have enough money to pay the electricity bill, even that privilege gets taken away.
In situations like this, it is often with the help of organizations like Prayas that basic education and facilities are provided to the children. Without such external help, the children will grow up to have families just like the previous generation and a vicious cycle would ensue.
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