First day in the Slum

Dear All,
It was our 4th day today, first day visiting the Zakhira Slum. After a very bumpy ride through the chaotic roads of Old Delhi we arrived safety at the Asha Clinic of Zakhira where the staff greeted us with petals. First off we started with an introduction to the Women in the Women's group of the Slum then gradually being introduced to the different Class's of Boys while the Girl's were at Morning school. After getting acquainted with everyone the team split into two groups, one of which went of a tour of the Slum while the others entertained the Boy's with drawing.

Tour- (Rosie) The tour evoked many different emotions in each member of the team as it was a very surreal experience. Despite the fact that Zakhira is a mainly Muslim slum we were still encouraged to pray for the people's specific needs. The people were living in tiny one room huts which often housed 5 or more people sleeping in a single bed amongst all their possessions. For many people, this tiny space was a working area as well as a living area. Asha have helped them to get 2 good working water pumps with one on the way as well as machinery to help them make the conditions of the Slum better for it's community. Overall i thoroughly enjoyed praying for the people of the Slum because my prayers felt a lot more real and desperately needed as well as experiencing the conditions and connecting with the people of a Slum through translation and smiles. I hope we make a bigger difference by the end of the week.
Working with the Children- (Holly) Throughout the day we got to meet boys and girls from the age of 6 through to 19 year old college students. The children really enjoyed learning our names, drawing and playing games with us. They also got a dance class from Rosie and got to hear Kay-Marie's wonderful singing. We also got to witness some of their skills such as Henna tattooing and dancing.
We are really looking forward to building relationships with the children and the Asha staff whilst helping them in practical ways by painting murals on the walls of the Asha clinic and helping them practice their English throughout the rest of the week.

Love Holly and Rosie