Hero in the Urban Slums of the World

Sitting here right now, if I were to respond to the call of an earthly hero to join in a mission, it would be that of Jockin Arputham, founder and president of Slum Dwellers International. SDI is a network of global urban slum development organizations, with the goal of empowering the citizens of the world's urban slum to have a voice in the how their communities develop. Arputham's dream was to create global solidarity amongst the world's urban poor, forming a unified voice to show governmental organizations that they possess the knowledge to participate in community development, firmly believing that urban poverty will never be reduced without the cooperation of those living through it.


Arputham's community urban planning and development work on an international scale exemplifies Ignatius's notion of "good, noble deeds." Like Ignatius, he lives with "a foot off of the ground," (or in the air, I don't remember actually), traveling to urban slums around the world wherever the opportunity to affect change surfaces. His work is particularly appealing to me, as I have lately entertained the idea of pursuing urban planning based in participatory community development, urban regeneration, and cultural preservation. I also have a strong interest in foreign cultures, and would like to embark on a career that would allow me to live in countries wildly different from the one where I grew up in, and so Arputham's mission seems to align very closely with mine.

Although my mission remains vague, I strongly feel that I want to work in and with communities, having a deep understanding of their various histories and cultures, and dedicating my career to improving quality of life, increasing opportunity, preserving culture, and ensuring open access to education and artistic expression to all of its citizens. I hope to began my answer to this Call next year by making my first radical move, to the Cidade Maravilhosa itself, Rio de Janeiro, as I mentioned in my last reflection paper.