Visit to La Limonada

The first day in La Limonada! The slum was just how I imagined it to be, vast area covered by small houses; some made of brick and some of metal sheets. The landscape is similar to that of a trench; the houses are located at the inner border of the trench. A small creek flows from the top to the bottom of the ravine and acts as a natural garbage disposal for all those living there. I have been in ‘dharavi’, the slum portrayed in the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ The two slums might look similar from the outside but are actually very different from within. The stigma attached to the community of La Limonada prevents its people from obtaining any job outside therefore most of the people are left with nothing to do. Left with no work they get involved in gangs. In fact, La Limonada is divided into number of sectors each ruled by a certain gang. As if everyone knows, people living in one sector will dare not enter another one and vice versa. ‘Dharavi’ has no such stigma attached to it and its people enjoy much more benefits than those of La Limonada. ‘Dharavi’ is an industry, with warehouses, machines, hardware shops etc within itself.

You might be thinking that La Limonada is a very dangerous place to be and you dare not be there. Well that is what I thought before going there. Today I met Tita, the lady who is spearheading the NGO Lemonade International and has already established two schools in different sectors of La Limonada. Honestly, I haven’t met such a selfless person before. She goes to La Limonada every day and works hard to let all the people living there know that even though the Government has disowned them, there is hope. A kind lady at heart always smiling and enjoying herself in whatever she does. Similarly I met Inna, a girl from Ukraine who has been here for the past 4 months helping Tita. It amazes me how selflessly people dedicate themselves towards helping others. Giving donations is easy but the real task lies in going in yourself and helping out personally.

The gangs in La Limonada are very much active. However, amidst all these tensions “the Muchachos”, a gang of young boys, work in a carpentry workshop in one of the schools. At first I was a little afraid meeting them, but once I got to know them I realized that they do not want to be a gang. Like everyone else they too want comfortable lives. I helped them carry two wooden bookshelves they had made at the workshop and were able to sell. They seem to care for one another and Tita’s team. They appreciate that people are helping them to lead better lives.

The most important undertaking of the school is the education of young children. Once the children are well-educated as the years go by the gangs will not have any substitutes to fill in and La Limonada will be a safer place to live. Today I learnt numbers in Spanish, flipping through my phrase book of course, and teaching the children at the school. In the end I was rewarded with a warm hug by them, it was priceless.

Walking through the small lanes of La Limonada gave me more perspective into how the people lived there. They had nowhere else to go. The streets comprise many small shops selling food articles, cigarettes, fruits etc. It is as if the ghetto is sustaining itself; no assistance from the outside. Few houses did have motorbikes, I was very happy to see the local Indian bike ‘Bajaj Pulsar’ running across the street of La Limonada.

One day in La Limonada and I am overwhelmed as well as satisfied. Meeting new people, interacting with former gang members, painting balloons on the school walls, teaching children numbers in Spanish, walking through the streets of the ghetto and observing the local people’s day-to-day lives. I am at home now but the picture of La Limonada and all those working for its upliftment doesn’t seem to escape my mind.