A Life-Changing Day

Today we went out with the Smile Train Charity car!

Marty, Melman and I, went out to the slums with Kanaya and his driver. Kanaya is employed by the charity to explore villages and some of the poorest areas of Delhi to find children or adults with cleft lip or cleft palate related problems.  On paper this sounds easy.  In practice, this is very very difficult.  Imagine facing 40 degree heat everyday without air conditioning or a fan.  Not only this, but walking so many kilometres in the sun, through filthy slums trying to convince the poorest of poor to make the journey to the hospital.  For those individuals, it means a day not earning money, and some are even unable to pay for the journey itself.  Even those who are convinced to have the initial operation are lost to follow up afterwards, and it is up to Kanaya to visit their homes and to try and convince them to return for follow up operations and speech therapy etc.  The word is spread via leaflets and also word of mouth.

I consider myself fairly well travelled, however nothing could prepare me for the sights and smells of the slum.  Small shops lined alleyways, with small homes either alongside or behind.  Children running along the alleys in dirty clothes, with no shoes, picking food off the ground.  Water being delivered to areas of the slum by hose, and lines of people with buckets queuing to get enough water for the day.  Animals were living in people's homes - chickens, goats etc.  Tiny babies were being looked after by children under 10 years whilst their parents were at work.

I don't know how to describe what we saw that day.  The horrific living conditions, the children running around amongst faeces and animals... the list goes on and on.

The one positive thing, was Kanaya's work and commitment to this amazing cause.