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In a narrow lane of a Noida slum, the frosty winter air mingles with smoke rising from makeshift fires. Barefoot children dart between shanties patched together with plastic sheets and old tarps. A girl sits cross-legged on the frozen ground, cradling her younger sibling, her breath visible in the dim light of a flickering kerosene lamp. A man picks through a pile of trash, muttering curses at the empty tin can he hoped would feed his family tonight. Inside a hut, a mother struggles to quiet her crying infant, her hands too numb from the cold to hold the child steady.
This is the world where Chandni, lovingly called “Chandni Di,” and Dev — "Dev Bhaiyya" — once lived. Today, their memories of nights spent shivering in hunger and fear fuel their mission: to ensure no child suffers the way they once did.
Chandni had spent her childhood navigating the chaos of slum life
From selling flowers during Christmas and ragpicking to make ends meet, to enduring nights of biting cold, huddled between parked cars, her only protection against the cold. When her father passed away, the weight of survival fell squarely on her young shoulders. It was only through her encounter with NGO volunteers that she discovered her passion for helping children like herself escape a life of struggle.
“I wanted other kids to have a better life, to never feel the hunger or the cold like I did,” she reflects.
Dev’s journey had been just as grueling
From the age of 11, he lived on railway platforms, scavenging for food in dustbins and working odd jobs to survive. Dreams of stability were distant luxuries for a boy who once considered becoming a waiter the pinnacle of success. But even through the toughest times, he held on to the hope that life could be better. Not just for him, but for others like him.
“I know the pain of hunger, of feeling invisible,” Dev says. After years of scraping by, he gave up a stable career to dedicate himself entirely to uplifting slum children, believing it was his true calling.
Chandni and Dev’s paths crossed in 2015
Drawn together by their shared history of hardship and an unyielding desire to transform lives, they founded Voice of Slum (VoS), an organization born not out of convenience but conviction. “This isn’t just an organization,” says Dev, “it’s a purpose. I want these children to have what I never did: hope, warmth, and a future.” Chandni echoes his sentiment, adding, “We want to bring children from slums into the mainstream, giving them a chance at life.”
Since its inception, VoS has achieved what once seemed impossible
Over 66 lakh meals have been served, and more than 2 lakh people have received warm blankets and clothes. But the battle is far from over, especially during North India’s brutal winters, where temperatures drop as low as -2°C. “To the rest of us, winter is a season. For these children, it’s a fight for survival,” Chandni says. She recalls finding a boy on a footpath, curled up tightly in a sack, trembling as he hugged his only shield against the cold. His body had gone stiff. “When I gave him a blanket, his trembling stopped. It was as if, for the first time, he felt safe.”
Dev, too, recounts one story that still haunts him. “There was a malnourished boy whose condition became so severe that his leg had to be amputated. Two years later, he passed away, alone and forgotten. I often wonder, could we have saved him if we’d reached him sooner?”
The cold and hunger push many children into desperate decisions
The slums often force young girls into exploitation, plain and brutal. Hunger leaves them no choices. They grow up thinking that their bodies aren’t their own, that survival means enduring hands that shouldn’t touch them, words that strip them of whatever innocence they’ve managed to hold on to. “If they want to eat, they have to do this,” Chandni says, her voice strained with sadness. “Hunger—this Kalyug—makes it easy for people to take advantage. No one cares about these girls. No one protects them. Hunger makes them invisible, until someone wants to use them.”
For boys, hunger and cold often lead them down the path of crime. “When you’re starving, crime doesn’t feel like a choice—it feels like survival,” Dev explains. “I’ve seen kids steal for food or fall into gangs because it’s the only way to keep from freezing or starving. It’s not about right or wrong for them—it’s about making it through another day.” Dev pauses, reflecting on his own childhood. “I know that desperation. I’ve felt it. But if these kids have food in their stomachs, if they’re warm and cared for, they won’t need to turn to these things. They’ll have a chance to dream instead.”
Through initiatives like Feed the Slum, VoS provides hot meals and warm clothing, offering children an alternative to these harrowing paths. Each intervention is a step toward breaking cycles of poverty, desperation, and crime.
They need your support
This winter, VoS aims to feed 1,000 children every day and provide warm blankets, sweaters, and jackets to 8,000 underprivileged individuals. But the organization cannot do this alone. Every contribution, no matter how small, can change a life.
“Even a simple meal costing ₹20 can mean the world to a hungry child,” says Dev. Chandni, too, urges, “If we come together, these children won’t have to sleep hungry or face the cold with nothing but plastic sheets. When their bellies are full, and they feel safe, they dare to dream.”
Click here to donate.
EIN 20-5139364
