Bengaluru is filled with wonderful organizations working to find ways to improve life in the city. Today, I'm going to talk about one of my favorite non-governmental organizations in Bengaluru: AnuLife.
During our first week, our class visited the Janakiram Layout, a slum in Bengaluru beside a railroad track. There, we found AnuLife, an organization aiming to both provide work for poor mothers and help recycle waste. Like many slums in Bengaluru, Janakiram was rundown. The roads in the slum were not paved at all. Vehicles driving through would whip up the dirt, making the air dusty. Some areas on the ground were muddy. The most alarming sight were the heaps of waste in different corners of the slum. There I would find goats and dogs scavenging the piles.
But despite the bleak environment, the people there seemed to be in high spirits--especially the kids. There was a strong sense of community and family. Among our class, there was a distinct feeling that we were definitely outsiders. I feel like an outsider most of the time in India (for obvious reasons) but here it was abundantly clear. We had walked on to their turf.
This was my impression before we got to AnuLife. But when we arrived, we were pleased to find a group of women eager to get us involved with the incredible work they do.
