The Mumbai West community programme
Nearly a quarter of the Mumbai population (formerly known as
Bombay) lives in slums. The Mumbai West community development
programme encompasses 26 slum areas and reaches more than 90,870
people. World Vision's partnership with Mumbai West started in 1997
and is envisaged to come to completion in September 2012, as the
community is now almost fully equipped with the resources and
skills to take ownership of its own development. In the past year,
significant improvements were made in the areas of education and
economic development.
Issues covered: Economic development,
education and child well-being
Updates on World Vision's work
Education and child well-being
- Through World Vision children's clubs, children and young
people have the opportunity to come together to learn and play. In
the past year, children who dropped out of school were identified
at these clubs and referred for support. Community-based
organisations worked with child protection units, the children and
their parents to help these children return to mainstream
education.
- 250 working children were identified and have been supported
either to return to school or enrol in vocational training so they
can become self-reliant and participate in their community's
development.
Economic development
- 423 self-help savings groups are now functioning in the area,
involving 4230 women and young people in small business
development. Group members can apply for fair-interest loans and
are also supported with training and access to markets to sell
their produce and wares.
- 1100 school students participated in an advocacy event by
sending post cards to the finance minister requesting that
sufficient provision is made in national and state budgets for
child education and health.
The Mumbai West community is in the sixteenth year of its
development journey with World Vision.
Life on
the ground in Mumbai West
Lives transformed in the slums
Chanda Devi Rajbur, 39, has become a
respected seamstress in her community, and now earns enough money
to send her children to school.
The Mumbai West communities are being equipped to become
increasingly self-reliant. An encouraging story is that of Chanda
Devi Rajbur, 39, who changed from a semi-literate mother into a
thriving businesswoman. Chanda, her construction labourer husband
and their 14 children migrated to the slums of Mumbai West in 1996.
The family struggled and Chanda, in particular, found slum life
overwhelming - until a World Vision staff member visited the
family. Chanda joined a self-help savings group and received
training in sewing and business skills. With the income she earned
from making garments on a borrowed sewing machine, Chanda bought
her own sewing machine. She has since become a respected seamstress
and earns enough to afford an education for all her children. Her
eyes filled with tears when she said she had never dreamt her
children would be able to attend school and college. Chanda has
also become an active community member, motivating other woman to
develop their skills.
India at a glance
India is the world's second most populous country and the
seventh largest country by area. Since the I980s, India has been
making unprecedented progress in its own history, but there are
still wide disparities in access to healthcare, education and
infrastructure. The number of poor living below NZ$2 a day has
increased from 421 million in 1981 to 456 million in 2005.
