As the article “Just How many Children?!” on the front page of this issue reads, the number of children attending our school have doubled in just over a year. As an obvious result, it was NECESSARY for us to expand the size of our school.

Quick review—we started teaching in 2001 on the side of the road without a structure at all, then a year and a half later moved to one room rented from a local public school, early in 2004 we rented an apartment with two large rooms and one small one, and finally in December of 2004 we rented a second apartment upstairs from the first with one large room and two small rooms. For thirty to forty children the space was sufficient, but as the class list increased, the children were getting cramped in 130 square foot rooms with more than 20 students.

In February of 2006, we were lucky enough to grab the store front that shared a wall with our first apartment—two more large rooms. The landlord (who owns all three spaces) was good enough to break through the wall and build a door. We now have five good sized rooms, and three smaller rooms. The staff now has a STAFF room and were so excited to have their own space! The staff room also acts as store room, and so we have six free classrooms for 8 different groups of students. Still not ideal, but fathoms better than before!

Our 10th Bi-Annual Fundraiser on January 21, 2006 was another great success. It is always great to see long time supporters and make new friends. We almost ran out of chairs—there were over 120 people, our largest fundraiser yet! Tania brought everyone up to date regarding work in India: expansion of school, increased number of families, exams for students, additional staff—more teachers, Vinod becoming a ‘teacher’ of the younger children, one of our older sisters taking care of the KinderKids, dental check-ups and much more. One of the highlights of the evening was the announcement of a new Bursary donation which will allow our older children who have the ability to work at a college level continue their studies while still contributing to the family icome. A very special thank you to Jena from Dance Expression for dancing two traditional Indian dances to the oohs and aahs of the large crowd.

On February 24, 2006, Yoga for Today hosted a fundraising event for One!. Many volunteers were involved in organizing a ;Cultural experience of India through the eyes of One!’. Information and videos helped describe One!’s work in India. Shabina from Dance Expression graced us with a wonderful classical Mujra style dance. A saree wrapping demonstration was given. Good conversation happened while people ate the excellent food—prepared from the heart by various volunteers. The highlight of the evening was 8-year old Taya’s explanation that ONE person—even a little person—can make a big difference for ONE CHILD. (For two years in a row, Taya and her sister Harper have donated all of their clothes, toys, books, etcetera that they no longer thought they needed.)