We all deserve a decent life. A place to be together with our beloved ones. A house, a shelter, a home. A job to earn an income. A respected place in our society. Enough food and clothing, medical care when needed and education for our children.

From all the states in India, the state of Goa is changing most profoundly. Due to a strong developing tourist industry agriculture is withdrawing more and more to the background. The beautifull fluorescent paddyfields are turning into the darkbrown waters of prawnhatcheries. More and more palmgroves are deserted and left alone without care. Because the necessary water is consumed by the spacious golflinks of the tourist resorts. Youg people are not interested in their own culture and are keen to jump into the Western lifestyle and tourist bussiness, or they move to the big cities of India.

The famous beaches of Goa are more and more a scene of countless billboards advertising alcoholics, and a so called new way of life. Stinking and noisy waterscooters, and all kinds of polution.

In the mids of this the traditional beach hawkers with there fruits and little souvenirs and clothings are mere artefacts and not longer appreciated by the new kind of tourist and absolutely not at all by the owners of the luxurious beachresorts. They are beaten up by gangs of youngsters, harrased by the police, and surpressed by the villagepeople. Because they do not want them to disturb their tourists.

And because they are from a low cast no-one feels any shame to act like this against these beach hawkers. The last few years their work has become almost impossible and their income has shrunk to an absolute minimum. To those people belong Chanda and Leela, two sisters and their zeven children. They originate from a low cast family of the state of Gujarat.

Their parents migrated to the state of Goa many years ago before tourism started to develop. I have known them for more then ten years and during this period of time every year I noticed how their position became more and more distressed.Crushed between the wheels of time they struggle for themselves and their children. Together with a small group of friends we decided to support them after both their husbands died of fatal diseases.

Now the two ladies have to do the job completely on their own. Making an income, taking care of the children, organizing life in a sometimes hostile surrounding. I have a deep respect for their commitment and determination to give their children a warm home, food, and education. The coming years my determination is to provide for them the opportunity to continue the education of the children, to pay the rent of their home, to offer them the means for medical care,to offer them a decent life.