We were quite a spectacle as we walked down the dusty road through the automobile parts market on our way to the Hut slum, home to over 6,000 people who live in utter poverty. The people were rounded up from the streets of Chennai by the authorities and relocated to a run down zoo area. They live in tiny rented thatched huts littered with tons of garbage. We turned down the dirt path through the hut slum, and headed for the one room preschool directed by our dear friend Daisy. Her heart broke for the children of that slum, victims of rape and every kind of abuse during the day, so she came up with an answer – to start a preschool for kids right in the heart of the slum.
The preschool cares for 18 children each day. This wonderful program prepares them for school and protects them from the predators that abound in the slum. At the preschool the R&R; staff teach the kids, feed them a hot meal and extend love and kindness to each one. For many of these little kids it is the only meal they will get today.
Check back later today for a report on the Medical Clinic in this slum – part 2 of day 1 in Chennai…
What an amazing journey!
