K.P. Yohannan, in his powerful book, No Longer A Slumdog, seeks to help the people of Asia. He makes a striking comparison between life in America and the slums of developing countries: “After a risky home delivery on the dirt floor of the family shack, you were dried off with a dirty rag or an old newspaper…Your home was made of tarpaulin sheets held up by bamboo sticks. It was pretty crowded with your whole family living in less than 100 square feet of space. The shack was right next to a railroad track, and every 10 minutes a train would come roaring through. Sleep was difficult under these conditions.”
“When you were born, you were already malnourished. The little milk your mother was able to give couldn’t do much to ensure your growth. You might also suffer night-blindness from Vitamin A deficiency. Soon your mom had to resume her day job of cleaning streets with a hand-broom and washing other people’s clothes, because when she didn’t work, the family didn’t eat. So you were left in care of an older sibling.”
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