With not even security for their houses, or equal rights to trials, how are citizens in Annawadi supposed to pursue happiness?
Annawadi, an undercity in Mumbai made famous by Katherine Boo's nonfiction book Behind the Beautiful Forevers, contains no 'children'. From an early age, children are often trained in their parents' work as a hope that, if something tragic happens to their parents, they might be able to survive.
Numerous problems threaten the lives of the Annawadi people. These include:
- Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria, and Dengue Fever, among other diseases
- A Lack of Clean Jobs leading to the scavenging of garbage to recycle
- Inequality in the Face of the Law due to social status or the religious differences between Muslims and Hindus
- Uncertainty about their home situation, as the Mumbai government plans to raze Annawadi to build more luxury hotels for tourists
How are all of these wrongs allowed to occur? Many of them are interconnected; alcoholism, for example, is now thought to trigger a resistance in the bacteria causing tuberculosis to antibiotics that doctors prescribe. Corruption in the governmental system allows doctors to bribe officials to ignore their practices, leading them sometimes to distribute an insufficient prescription of antibiotics. This practice, designed to save money, actually also leads to TB resistance to antibiotics.
So how to help?
There is a first step to every change. If Annawadi citizens are to receive the benefits from projects done by organizations like WorldVision or the Bill Gates Foundation, corruption needs to be disentangled from the Mumbai government. This is the eventual goal.
However, the first step is to raise awareness. It is possible that revealing the wrongs of the Mumbai government will shame the Indian government into monitoring their procedures more effectively.
You can help! Remember, Annawadi takes this saying literally: One man's trash is another man's treasure. Let's help give them treasure without the disease and inequality.
