With a population of one million across an area of 1.7 square kilometres (520 acres), Dharavi in Mumbai is one of Asia’s largest slums. Living conditions within the slums are overcrowded and lack basic amenities such as water and sanitation, as well as providing few facilities for education. Despite these challenges, Dharavi recycles 80 per cent of Mumbai’s plastic and is home to an industrial sector, which produces between $665 million and $1 billion of goods every year. It is one of the most entrepreneurial slums in the world.
Operating in Dharavi is Reality Gives, an organization that focuses on providing quality education to young people from underprivileged communities. Reality Gives is also active in Sanjay Colony, a slum community in New Delhi. It is a small slum built on 0.1 square kilometres (25 acres) and is home to approximately 50,000 people.
Established in 2009, Reality Gives is also the charitable arm of Reality Tours and Travel, a travel operator that provides tours throughout India. One of their signature tours is the ‘Educational Slum Tour of Dharavi’ which challenges negative stereotypes of slum communities. Reality Tours and Travel reinvests 80 per cent of all tour profits into Reality Gives.
"Through their School & Youth Programmes, Reality Gives reaches out to over 1000 young people living in the slums of Dharavi (Mumbai) and Sanjay Colony (New Delhi) every year."
Reality Gives addresses the challenges faced in both urban slum communities through the delivery of a Youth Program in two community centres, as well as a School Program in partnership with a low-income school. The Youth Program in Mumbai and New Delhi is comprised of courses in English, computer skills and special activities such as educational movie screenings and group workshops. It is aimed at young people from the age of 16 who have a basic understanding of English, who dropped out of school at an early age and subsequently struggled to find a job, as well as young women determined to enhance their status in their families.
In recognising the reasons for young people joining the Youth Program, Reality Gives also established a School Program that aims to give primary-aged students the strong foundations from which they can grow and develop into confident and empowered individuals. Women teachers are hired from the community and offered quality in-house training, empowering them to become Champion Teachers.
How can you engage with Reality Gives?
Following a 2 to 3-hour morning educational tour of Dharavi, during which you will see a wide range of activities such as pottery making, embroidery and soap making, you could participate in a family cooking or pottery class. There will also be the opportunity to interact with students and/or the local team on the Youth Program at the community centre in Dharavi. There are no age restrictions.
