Dirty Wall Project

Classic Ties	Slim Ties	Skinny Ties
Knit Ties	Bow Ties	Ascots
Pocket Squares	Tie Clips	Lapels
Cufflinks

Change Lives

Donate!

1/5

What is the Dirty Wall Project?

In the beginning (April 2009) when I considered what I thought DWP should be about and what I thought I could accomplish, I didn’t have any experience or guidance, just a small amount of funds and a desire to do something instead of nothing, which would make lives lived in poverty more comfortable. A few years and working trips later, I discovered just how naive I was and that discovery was exciting. I have realized that I can do so much more than I ever thought possible or manageable.

With the accumulated knowledge and experience I gained, DWP has been able to build long lasting projects such as the school in the Saki Naka slum community and the garden and slum beautification project completed in March 2011.

Founded by Kane Ryan in 2009

This is a never-ending journey to help poor communities with medical needs, school fees and to build projects that will benefit the communities for years to come. We ask what locals need and then employ them to help us get it done. They inspire us and help us understand cultural differences. Together we are resourceful and adaptable which enables us to work in unusual circumstances and less than ideal conditions. Besides serious stuff like school fees and medical needs, we also fund good times such as the purchase of swings for the garden area, taking kids to a movie, and making sure birthdays are celebrated with a cake and a small gift.

The Dirty Wall Project has no overhead and no salaries to pay except to the locals we employ who benefit from a job. We are volunteers in every sense of the word. Our time, travel costs, and living expenses are our donation to DWP. Every dollar donated to this project is spent entirely on filling the needs of communities in India.

Get Involved

Medical Needs

We always require funds. That’s how we get things done like taking 8 year old Roshni to the doctor when she fell ill with malaria and typhoid, or keeping Hema on kidney dialysis, or paying doctor’s fees for malnourished children and then buying them supplements and nourishing food for their moms to cook.

School Fees

Every year we pay school fees on behalf of parents who can’t pay so their kids can attend school and become literate in Marathi, Hindi or English. This will allow them a future with possibilities instead of dead-ends and endless poverty. Forty-seven kids attended school in 2013/2014 because of donations to the Dirty Wall Project. $125 will put a child in school for a year.

Large Projects

Using Dirty Wall Project funds, an area formerly used as a garbage dump was cleaned and renewed, providing jobs for locals in the community by paying them to haul garbage, rocks and tree roots. This space is now used for play, celebrations, community events or a place to sit outside of the cramped homes and laneways. (See here)

How can you help?

Raising funds is never easy but it can be fun. If you are thinking about helping the Dirty Wall Project, we can send you any information you need and we will make sure you are informed about what we do with your hard-earned funds. You can tell us what you want us to do with the money. See here for some inspiring examples about people connecting with the slum community one on one and how they (they should be they’ve) helped families with school fees, food or giving the gift of a day of play. We can involve and engage your school, your kids, you, your company, a little or a lot. A well-timed Skype meeting gives donors a chance to talk to locals and view the Saki Naka community in real time. Don’t have time to host a fundraiser? A single $5 donation goes a long way.

Walk With Us

If you really want an up close and very personal account of how your donation is being used, consider joining us in Mumbai. (If you can’t join us in person we can arrange a Skype meeting and give you a real time view of the community while having conversations with locals.) Having direct contact with those you have decided to help is profound for both parties. It’s a mutual exchange of giving and receiving with huge rewards for everyone involved.We will take you to the community where you will be introduced to families and you will be invited in for chai. There is always a chance there will be a celebration to witness or a birthday to attend. You will be involved in whatever goes on which could include trips to a hospital, home visits to assess whether help is needed, paying school fees in the Saki Naka area or taking rickshaw rides through Mumbai on errands. Wearing someone else’s shoes, despite how uncomfortable the fit might be, is sometimes the best way to comprehend what poverty feels like. Email us for details.