The child is nature’s way of giving the world another chance.
Anonymous
|
|
Diwali
We had a very nice Diwali celebration with the children and their families. We were lucky on the day that we celebrated, as every One! Child was present and the majority of the parents were also able to celebrate with us.
We gifted each of the children with new clothes, clicked lots and lots of pictures, and ate lots and lots of blessed Diwali sweets.
Let’s hope that the Gods are on all of our sides, especially One!’s, in the new year to come!!!
|
|
|
Re-Building & Taking 5 Steps Further
|
|
Well, any time there is change, there are bound to be negative and positive reactions. And One! International is definitely no exception to this rule!
The two and a half months that I (Tania) was not in Mumbai with the children were hard. Since One! Is still new, the volunteer base is not extensive. So to make up for this, Pallavi Metkari worked like a dog!!!!
She was on her own most of the time and desperately tried to keep up the children’s enthusiasm and drive to learn. Almost 20 kids and one woman - ay ya yay!!!!!!!
She kept the attention of the majority
of the children to attend class. They
learned the hindi, english and maths that she was teaching, but she found it very tough to get the children to attend the school lectures for the remaining of the day. Attendance slowly fell lower and lower at school. Being alone she was not able to go on fieldtrips every weekend and the rewards (bribes?) were not enough for the children.
When I arrived back, we slowly worked at getting the children excited again.
|
|
Within five weeks it has worked...and surpassed! Today itself there were 22 children sitting with us for class - some just drawing on their slates, others reading and writing Hindi, and others doing two digit subtraction with carry!
Class participation has been more than consistent, having at least 15 children in class.
Most exciting is that we have kept all of the older children excited about learning and going on fieldtrips and participating with One! and smiling about life!
The parents have been incredibly supportive. They arrange for our needs and even sit in on class to keep the children in line - but more often than not, to learn themselves!
Due to the Diwali school break (like North American Christmas vacation), the children have not yet started back at school.
This is vital, and hopefully the roadblocks are not unbreakable.
A little rebuilding but we have taken at least 5 more steps ahead!
|
|
|
One!’s New Home!!!
|
|
Mumbai has one of the highest real estate values in the world - comparable to that of New York and Hong Kong. The same size apartment in downtown Edmonton would be at least twice if not three times the price in downtown Mumbai.
Another problem: deposit is not just two months, it is one lakh ($3330) or 11 months advance rent!
Wow! That’s a fair amount of cash.
|
|
One! would not have been able to get a place if it were not for the generous
donation of Ms. Francine Bauer of Switzerland and many other angels of One!. Thank You’s can not be said enough!
November 8th 2001, One! International moved into a one bedroom apartment that thankfully came fully furnished!
|
|
|
