In late 2007 my wife and I visited a shelter for street children about a two-hour drive from central Mumbai, India. The shelter had been featured on a documentary on TV, and with a bit of Googling we were able to make contact with a volunteer from the shelter who agreed to take us there.

And so, on a muggy Mumbai day, we drove through a city whose sights and sounds – with its Bentleys and beggars in alarming proximity - tend to simultaneously hypnotise and haunt you.

Our contact was waiting for us a short drive from the shelter.  We’d need her assistance as we navigated through side streets that led to alleyways that led to a beaten track that eventually led to an open field. And there it was - a work-in-progress building.  But the building was empty.

All the children were at school.

We were informed of the circumstances of these children, many of whom were abandoned by their parents, who were typically drug addicts or beggars. The shelter took them all in, clothed them, provided fresh meals daily and provided a roof over their heads. But more than anything else, the shelter had convinced a local school to take them in as they would any of the other less disadvantaged fee-paying children from the local neighbourhood.  Our volunteer explained to us the significance of this last achievement.  An education was the ONLY hope for these children.  By helping them to learn to read and write, the shelter was creating the hope that each child may rise to the challenge of rewriting their own destiny.

On March 25^th, Twestival - an event mobilising volunteers the world over – will seek to raise funds for education programmes in disadvantaged communities around the world. This year’s beneficiary charity is Concern Worldwide, an organisation working hard to eradicate poverty through Education.

Visit this blog, and follow us on Twitter (@TwestivalMEL) to find out how every denizen of Melbourne can contribute in cash or kind towards this global event.

Posted by @vineet1