by Anav Silverman
Every year, children from the slums of Mumbai, India excitedly await a delegation of Israeli volunteers who come to visit their school around August. The Israelis, mostly post-army travelers and college students, spend two weeks doing educational activities and special projects with the children as well as some painting and repairs around the school.
Heroes for Life, founded in 2013, is the Israeli NGO that organizes voluntary expeditions made up of Israeli post-army travelers to Mumbai, as well as to other poor areas in the world including Nepal and Ethiopia. “We have been sending Israeli volunteers to the same school in Mumbai for the past four years. The teachers know us, and we have watched the children grow up over time,” Gur David of Heroes for Life told TPS.
This year, Itay Itzhaki, 27, a civil engineering student at Ariel University, managed the India expedition, which was made up of 24 volunteers who spent two weeks in Santacruz, Mumbai from August 18-31. “We are all here on a volunteer basis because we believe that we can have the greatest impact in these locations,” he said.
“The people here already know us. The school principal, the staff and the students are so welcoming. And you can see the excitement in the kids’ eyes,” said Itzhaki.
“While the Israeli volunteers learn to speak a few basic words in Hindi, the classes and activities are conducted in English,” he added.
Wearing white shirts with Heroes for Life and the Israeli flag imprinted on them, the volunteers worked with some of the same children that past delegations from Heroes for Life, had worked with previously. They conducted classes on geography, math, recycling, personal hygiene and more and also painted school walls and carried out a water-recycling project.
The last project caught the attention of Indian media, which reported on the water harvesting structure that the Israeli students had created and installed for the conservation of rainwater in the Khotwadi Urdu Municipal School.
According to DNA India, the school principal, Gazal Shah, expressed appreciation of the project and the Israeli volunteers. “The school students are enjoying these practical learning activities. The conserved water will be used for watering the plants inside the school premises,” said Shah.
Itzhaki further explained that during the monsoon season, water had previously collected on the rooftop of the school and was released into the pipeline where it got wasted. The new structure helps retain the rainwater for future use.
“When I go back to studying at university this year, I will have a completely different perspective on what’s important in life,” said Itzhaki. “It does so much good to know that you’ve given to someone in such a significant way. Volunteering is an experience that opens the heart.”