Project Brief
Games 4 Good is looking to support Stepping Stone Charitable Trust’s Street Children, Education and Food Program in Mumbai’s most impoverished areas. These communities face extreme poverty, overcrowding, and limited access to basic services. This initiative aims to provide nutritious meals to vulnerable children, ensuring they have access to sustenance and support, empowering them to build healthier lives and envision a brighter future.
Location: Mumbai, India
Funds Needed: $550
The Need
Mumbai, a city of over 21 million people with a population density of around 32,000 per square kilometre, is known as India’s financial capital and a beacon of opportunity. Each day, hundreds of migrants arrive, seeking a better life. However, high housing costs and scarce resources force many to live in overcrowded slums or on the streets. The resulting conditions are harsh: poverty, limited access to basic services, and an environment where children face exposure to begging, crime, and violence.
Many families, particularly mothers and young girls, struggle to find stable employment, sometimes resorting to dangerous or exploitative activities, including the flesh trade. Men, facing limited job prospects, may turn to gambling, crime, or inactivity, perpetuating cycles of poverty and neglect. Street children suffer immensely, growing up with minimal protection and opportunities, which exacerbates the cycle of hardship.
The need for targeted intervention became evident when Edith Rodricks, the visionary behind this project, witnessed children fighting over scraps and recognized the importance of engaging with these marginalised youth.
The Solution
Stepping Stone’s Project Hope Feeding Programme provides nutritious meals every Sunday, ensuring that vulnerable children receive essential nourishment. Each meal includes protein-rich foods, rice, and/or Indian flatbreads, served with dignity, locally sourced plates, and clean drinking water. These gatherings serve as more than just a meal; they are an opportunity for the team to identify at-risk children, assess their needs, and shield them from anti-social influences, which can sometimes come from trusted figures within their community.
During the feeding events, the team conduct songs, interactive games, and storytelling sessions that teach important life lessons such as respect, honour, and the significance of education. These activities are conducted in the local language, with basic English words incorporated to support early learning.
The Opportunity
Sponsoring a programme of a month's feeding provides over 240 meals to children; allowing them to have nutritious food, promoting better health and participation in weekly activities. Additionally, some feeding days include free or subsidised doctor visits and medical appointments to support the children’s health needs.
The feeding programme lays the foundation for broader support initiatives, including education and family wellness projects. Donors and sponsors are invited to contribute to these supplementary efforts, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability. The programme’s success can be seen in Rehman’s story. Through the feeding programme, Rehman and his siblings gained access to education through sponsorship to attend a boarding school. Today, Rehman has completed a diploma in Mechatronics Engineering and works for a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad. His journey highlights how targeted, compassionate interventions can catalyse profound change, inspiring other families to seek opportunities for a better future.
Join us in supporting Project Hope’s feeding programme and make a transformational difference in the lives of Mumbai’s most vulnerable children.
