As part of ongoing efforts to give back to our community, our colleagues in Mumbai spent an afternoon last December playing handball with 40 children from the Dharavi area, one of Asia’s biggest slums.

The match was the latest initiative in our partnership with Magic Bus, a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to serving the most marginalized children across India. Temasek has been involved with the NGO since 2012, giving monetary support and donating laptops to their youth centres.

According to a Harvard Business Review report in 2009, Dharavi was home to 700,000 people. Packed into 2.5km²   of land, it is one of the most densely populated places in the world.

The day began with a sing-along to break the ice with the children, followed closely by a quick handball practice session. Not long after, staff and children took to the pitch, putting their handball skills to work.

Playing sports can be a great unifier and leveler. Beyond engaging the children and instilling a sense of camaraderie, part of Magic Bus’s aim was to help them realize girls and boys could perform equally as well.

“It was heartening to see boys and girls being given equal opportunity in sports as well as education,” said Vibha Parikh, Office Manager of Temasek’s Mumbai office. “During our afternoon with them, the children took the initiative to break the ice and got our staff involved in the games. Their enthusiasm and energy were quite contagious.”

After a long and sweaty round of matches, our colleagues and children sat down for a hard-earned meal together, cementing a bond that prompted one of the training officers to describe the Temasek event as one where everyone “got involved like family.”

The children, too, evidently enjoyed themselves. “I liked playing with all Bhaiyya (brothers) and Didi (sisters) of Temasek. We enjoyed spending time with them,” 10-year-old Rishikesh Karande enthused. “They are so big but they are still learning. I will also get educated so that I can also work in such a big office”.