The Dharavi Project in Mumbai is an initiative of the ACORN Foundation (India), and is a registered charitable trust. The Dharavi Project is a multimedia project that utilizes artists and social-impact programs to change the living conditions of over 100,000, 'rag-pickers' who are segregating waste in and around the landfills of Mumbai. Its mission is to increase the welfare of rag-pickers, and give their profession a legitimate and sustainable voice in the recycling and waste-management value chain at Dharavi.
The 8000 tons of waste generated daily by the city cannot be entirely picked up by the municipal corporation, and the gap is filled by Mumbai's rag-pickers who pick up the tons of garbage littering the streets. For this work they are not paid by the city and the city does not recognize them as a workforce. These thousands of children women and youth earn a living by selling the dry waste to scrap dealers, and most of the rag-pickers make barely 75-100 rupees a day.

The Dharavi Project has been working with the community of rag-pickers in the slums of Dharavi, and hopes to give them the credit they deserve as green collar workers who are cleaning our vibrant but messy city. The hard labour of Mumbai's rag-pickers has ensured a place for Dharavi as one of the largest recycling hubs in Asia.

Vinod Shetty is the Director of the Dharavi Project, and he is an advocate practicing at the Mumbai High Court. He has been working on communal harmony, environmental protection and human rights for a number of years. And he has also been the delegation leader for the Indo-Pakistan Seeds of Peace program.