Priyanka – the voice of the slum women in Spain

In last week’s blog (https://www.mumbaismiles.org/english/BlogDetails.aspx?id=1128), you read about Priyanka’s visit to Spain and her attempt to represent the slum women of Mumbai. We take the opportunity to narrate Priyanka’s experience and how her visit made an impact!

“The first conference was organized in Madrid. 45-50 participants were present along with a translator to communicate with the audience in Spanish. I apprised them on how women in India are at a transition point, what it is to live life in a slum, the historical progress of women in India, a few stories of our SEED beneficiaries and why organizations such as Mumbai Smiles exist. The participants were very curious and wanted to know more about us and our work. They engaged me with a number of questions and were keen on understanding the major challenges that we face while implementing our projects. The second conference took place in Barcelona, here the audience comprised of a large  group of academicians. I apprised them of the same information that I shared in Madrid. Here again, the audience was very curious and intellectual. One of the best questions that I was asked pertained to managing women’s timetable since they also have to look after their household work. I was really elated to have such a good response at the both these conferences. It’s always great to have such an intellectual and participative audience that motivates you to think deeply and reflect, it helps us be innovative with our work.

A similar conference took place at the University of Tarragona, where Alexandra, General Director, Mumbai Smiles and Jaume, Founder, Mumbai Smiles; accompanied me. They both explained about SEED project in brief to the audience. Here, most of the questions were directed towards Jaume. SEED products like Ipad covers, flower arrangements, etc. were put on display. Our volunteers in Spain enthusiastically worked to sell these products.

Overall, my experience at Spain was extremely rejuvenating and adventurous. It was great to meet the Mumbai Smiles team at Spain and spend some time with them.”