Raju, the Seed
The Rag pickers’ Slum is situated in the middle of Sangam Vihar(New Delhi, India) popularly known as the largest unauthorized colony of Asia, which is home for close to two million people. It is affected with all the problems related with poverty. Over 20% of the kids from Rag Pickers’ slum do not see their 5th birthday and every child burdened with doing something to help the family in their struggle for survival. With all these going on there were few children who were different. Raju was one among them, who was a part of the Hope Child Development Program.
Raju was one of the most cheerful children in the rag pickers slum, Sangam Vihar,
It was 11th May, 2008 Sunday morning at 8.00 that Raju started vomiting and as it was a Sunday, none of our field Staff visited that place as we were all busy with the church services. And because the Rag Pickers slum is about 2 miles form the church, there was no information for any of us. What made it even more difficult was that Raju was battling for life from 8am till 5.00 pm and Raju’s father was waiting for the contractor who normally buys the rags from the Rag Pickers. The entire money Raju’s father needed was just Rs.50 (little over a Dollar). Raju’s familyAs he did not have the money he was waiting for the contractor. As it was a holiday the contractor came only at 5.00.pm.As soon as he got the money, the father rushed to the hospital with the child to the nearby hospital. With all the rush, it took aver half an hour for the father to get the child to the hospital It was already too late and the doctors declared, Raju brought dead…
Only the next day we came to know about it and we rushed to the place and they have already cremated the child. And the mother also was food poisoned and she was not able to see the dead body of her only son Raju. As they were very poor, they even did never take a picture of Raju in the last 8 years of his life. The mother was weeping and sobbing as we reached there and she cried, I accept the fact that my son is dead, but I just want to see Raju one more time. Can you please show my son one more time??? We had no idea of taking Raju’s picture in the past.
In the month of April, the kids from the Rag Pickers’ slum came to the main center in Kalkaji. As they were leaving, Joicy my wife was led by the Holy Spirit to rush to the bus which was above to leave to get couple of pictures. And both the pictures she took were focusing on Raju. We developed that and gave to Raju’s mom who hugged that picture and cried like a little child. They still keep that picture so carefully and gazes at the same time to time.
Raju wanted to be the first one to study in the new building that was built and dedicated for the Rag pickers slum kids. His name was the first that was enrolled; But Raju had become the seed that many Rajus in the Rag Pickers’ slum can live. Now we have 300 kids registered with the Mission of Mercy and there are many hundreds of Rajus waiting to find hope and life through MOM in the midst poverty and death.
On behalf of the kids and their parents, we the
