Little Mariam Khan and her sister had come home to spend time with their family in the slum of Sathe Nagar. Their parents had sent them to study and live in ‘Madrasah’, the arabic word for ‘School’. This education centre is located in Lucknow where apart from basic education children are trained in Islamic teaching. This is an option for families who are very poor but who desire a good education, food and housing for their children
Timid Mariam came on the medical van along with her older sister with an upset stomach most probably caused by intestinal worms. A lot of children in the slums get sick from “Gola“ which is essentially a cup of ice with flavoured syrups poured on top. It might seem like this is an ideal drink in such extreme heat however the extreme cold and hot combination causes respiratory problems, coughs and colds.
In addition to this, this water is usually unfiltered therefore carrying numerous disease causing germs. Kids would live off these ice pops instead of drinking a clean cup of water because it was cheaper.
