Besuchsbericht Caroline Florence Werner, Indien – November 2023

November 2023

A day with SANNI foundation in Delhi

Last week, I visited the new SANNI project in Delhi as part of a wider group of SANNI supporters. The project focuses on providing education to children in extreme poverty, slum clean-ups and women empowerment projects. We had the chance to see the impact of- and learn in detail about, all of the three. We were warmly welcomed by the bishop, the priests, sisters, teachers and all other staff. It was immediately evident how important our visit was to them, to proudly present the work they devote their lives to, and present the change they have achieved in just one year’s time. Yet, it was also very clear that more support was required and that there was still a long way to go to help the very least fortunate in their community.

Most impressive and heartwarming was the welcome from the children. 150+ kids were patiently waiting for our arrival. Big sparkly eyes, hugs, laughs, many handshakes and selfies were shared. Unquestionably, meeting Europeans who traveled from far away to meet them, children who have the bare minimum, made them feel extremely special. It touched many of our hearts. Besides preparing dances to impress us and dressing up nicely with the little they had available, the kids took us by their hands to walk us through their home, the slum in Neb Sarai, Delhi. The families in this slum live in unimaginable conditions in terms of space, cleanliness and safety. Yet, they showed us their kitchens (which were perfectly cleaned up) and bedrooms (which were perfectly organized). Despite not having much, they prepared for our arrival and were so incredibly proud to present their homes!

This visit put a lot of things in perspective. We met families of extreme poverty, who had no big dream for their lives like we might have, but they were happy, they smiled and they were immensely proud of what they did have, not saddened about what they did not. It was a big lesson for many of us and something to remember when back home.

Visiting the project, we saw that SANNI‘s promise is true, every single donation feeds directly back to the children and mothers in need. Not only that, the donations have a very specific purpose, with a long-term impact goal to achieve. Seeing how very little can change a whole family’s life, encouraged all of us to do more to keep helping these children and families get a better future and provide some hope for a better tomorrow. 

– Caroline Florence Werner