Girl + Ragpicker, Humana People to People India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, November 22, 2013

The common term used to describe her profession is 'ragpicker,' although she is anything but common in my eyes. Her community lives in Gurgaon but originates from West Bengal. They live in a shantytown just a few minutes away from some of the richest communities of India. The children survive day to day by collecting and then sorting to perfection the garbage nearby.

When one drives on the roads to her location, the eyes are inundated with the propaganda on huge billboards, commercials using the language of colonialism and the familiar vision of a futuristic, utopian society. The names of the colonies being built just adjacent to her home would make Orson Welles turn incessantly in his grave, yet they are placed above her little frame for all to see.

The contrasts are incredibly cruel, yet this is her reality. Humana People to People India operates an Academy for Working Children in collaboration with Dell and Nokia. The facilities are wonderfully clean and well equipped, providing a chance at an education otherwise unavailable to her and her friends.

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Halim Ina Photography