Young voices speak up for big changes We wish to bring the government’s attention to our problems
Meet Satyam and Shahnaz, slum dwellers and student leaders who believe in changing the face of urban slum dwellers in the capital
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world” and in a tiny, cramped resettlement slum of Narela in North- west Delhi, Satyam ( 12) and Shahnaz ( 14) have their sight set on creating the same. As the student leaders of Happy and Mannat club, these two children are up for a unique campaign of improving the living conditions of urban slum dwellers. These kids may not have well- built houses, clean drinking water or spacious parks to play but that does not stop them from dreaming for a better tomorrow.
NGO Humara Bachpan’s community intervention for children has encouraged children like Satyam and Shahnaz to raise their voice on issues of local governance through their own exclusive clubs. The NGO had started their first such intervention in slums and resettlement colonies of Delhi in May. It is part of their national campaign on improving the living conditions for young children in urban poverty, mobilising community members to strengthen their civic engagement in issues of slum upgrading, urban renewal and child development.
“We get together in the evenings after school,” shares Shahnaz who is an 11th grade Humanities student. “We are about 26 children, all under the age of 15. We assemble around the elevated platform under a tree in our slum and deliberate on improving the living conditions of our people. The elders are not the only ones who suffer, we being the future of the nation wish to bring the local government’s attention to our problems,” she adds.
Talking about their agenda, she shares, “We talk about simple and child- friendly components such as clean air, water, sanitation, housing, power, soil, transport and public places. We have very small houses, narrow streets and there are open areas with snakes and other insects behind the tall grasses. The drains here are not cleaned for months and we have trouble breathing because of its foul smell. Also because it overflows all the time, we can’t play in our street. So we need an open park with swing- sets and soft grass. However, it isn’t just about building parks. We also emphasise on the need for sanitation in and around our houses. We are aware that lack of sanitation leads to diseases for children.”
Satish, who is the student leader of Happy Club, quips, “Though there are public toilets in our area, they are partially built so are lying unused. The gates are also always locked as there is no water supply. So, every house has built toilets inside without proper knowledge of sewerage or waste disposal system.”
The children from these clubs also actively participate in many activities such as mapping the entire colony to create a blueprint of their locality, organising drawing compe- titions, plays, etc. on topics especially on cleanliness and santitaion in front of other slum dwellers. And to help them in this drive, two trainers, Manju and Satish, from Humara Bachpan visit their slums daily. “We try and encourage these children to speak about the problems within the basti,” says community guide Manju. “We also engage them in various events within the basti such as flag hoisting on Independence Day, plays, dances, cleanliness drives, surveying areas they inhabit and expressing themselves through art. Each of them is encouraged to illustrate his/ her ideal place to live and play. And they often come up with amazing drawings showing changes they desire in their spaces,” Shahnaz shares. “We would want to see the slum in an improved state and through Humara Bachpan we have decided to send the final draft of our local maps to the local municipal councillors to enable the building of a child- friendly environment.”