Ajay: Moving on up
Tall, self-assured, Ajay is part of a new generation of Mumbai
slum dwellers. The 16-year-old and his parents were one of the
first families to be relocated to an apartment in a vertical slum.
These tower blocks are now springing up all over Mumbai in a bid to
replace all the traditional slum homes by 2015. The 20-square-metre
unit is a comparative step up from the
five-and-a-quarter-square-metre room where Ajay's parents first
lived when they migrated to Mumbai in 1989 in search of work. Their
new four-room home boasts a living/sleeping area, a kitchen with a
gas cooker and most significantly a separate, indoor washroom and
squat toilet.
Ajay certainly believes he is one of the lucky ones. "I hope
everyone will be able to live somewhere like this one day", he
says.
But even so, Ajay is not staying put. Thanks to the support of
World Vision, this is a young man who has received an education is
determined to go places.
In a recent board exam, he scored 87 per cent, putting him in
the top few per cent of candidates in the whole of Mumbai.
"When I finish school I will go to Mumbai University to study
computer engineering," he says in perfect English with the
conviction of someone who will make sure he achieves his goal.
To help other children like Ajay achieve their goals please call
0800 800 776 or go to worldvision.org.nz to sponsor a
child.