Salaam Baalak Trust – Walk In The Shoes of Street Kids

A friend of mine shared this YouTube clip by Coco-Cola and I am compelled to share it with all of you. In celebration of its 125th birthday on May 8th, 2011, Coca-Cola launched an awesome “Where will happiness strike next?” campaign.

They converted trucks and buses into Coca-Cola delivery vehicles that dispense doses of “happiness” on the streets of Canada, Istanbul, England, Mongolia, Africa, the Netherlands etc. Well, you get the idea.

If you are thinking that this is the marketing campaign of a multi-million dollar organization and they have the budget and the clout to pull something like this off, you are absolutely right. But, it is also the simple idea of this campaign – to spread some happiness and make someone’s day, whether they are family, friends or strangers that resonates with me.

While visiting Delhi, India this Christmas holiday, my kids and I joined the Salaam Baalak Trust for a walking tour to understand the plight of the street kids in India. We had been warned by many well-meaning friends not to give money to the kids (and for good reasons too, we found out later).

We had already decided to make a small donation to the non-profit organization, but we also wanted to bring something for the children. So, we brought simple toys like kazoo or toys we’ve accumulated from McDonald’s for them. The smiles and reception we received in response to these toys were more than rewarding. Click here to read about our walk and what we learned about the street kids of India.

Read more about our travels in India: