“My name is Mariam and I came to Delhi after running away from my family in Assam. When I came here, I did not have any work. I would beg and sleep on the pavement; the pavement was my home. I have faced many challenges. During the day, my time would pass in begging, finding food, and spent amidst crowds of people. At night, I would be scared because many drunken men roam around. As I was alone, I could not sleep, and would stay awake the entire night. I have experienced many such difficulties.
When the lockdown was announced, the police removed us from the streets. Since nobody was out of their homes, I could not beg and arrange food. Sometimes people would distribute food on the roads, or I would go to the food distribution centres in schools, to get food.”
— Mariam [New Delhi, India]
The Global Homelessness Action is an international digital initiative that provides people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to collectively claim their right to housing and demand urgent action from governments through video, audio, and written testimonies. Learn more at maketheshift.org/homelessnessaction.
