Elisa Visits Mumbai Smiles

A trip to India was something Elisa had been planning for a while. Having read Jaume’s book Sonrisas de Bombay, she was looking forward to visiting the Mumbai Smiles Foundation office and seeing the work being performed by the foundation. Sadly, while on a trip to Varanasi in India, Elisa sprained her leg and was forced to walk with the help of crutches. However, that did not stop her from making her planned trip to our office.

On her arrival, we first visited the Govandi area, where one of Mumbai Smiles’s pre-school housed the children who were street children who lived off the many footpaths and road-side of the Mumbai streets.

Her visit cheered up the children as it also helped Elisa forget the pain from her troubled foot for a while.

On returning to the office, Elisa took lunch with the Mumbai Smiles team. On learning that it was prepared by the community women Elisa appreciated the efforts put in by the ladies to support their families and also thanked Mumbai Smiles for helping a noble cause.

Post lunch, we visited the slums in Powai area. En-route Elisa could witness the stark contrast where on the one side there are costliest real-estate and office spaces in the city; while on the other side you see abundant slums. While visiting the slums we met one of the pre-school student’s mother at their house.

The approach road to the house was through a narrow lane which was barely more than feet wide. Elisa was appalled to see the small single room abode housing 5 members of a family and the abject poverty in which these families were living where it was suffocating even to stand for a few moments. This was the situation of most families living in this area.

Elisa was grateful for showing the various projects being run by Mumbai Smiles offering a helping hand to the under privileged population of Mumbai. We wish her good luck and good healthy and a quick recovery.

Gracias Elisa for visiting!!