What's Been Happening
Surprise inspection
Now that we are fully registered with the government, it is their duty to ensure that we are running correctly and in the best interests of the children. We are happy to say we have had our first surprise inspection. A group of perhaps six or seven people came to 'The Mango House', to see the work we do and the facilities we have. We had already met several of the inspection team due to visiting government facilities and other NGO's in Goa. Thankfully they all seemed very pleased with the facilities available and the care we are providing for the children. They interviewed the children and everything went very well.
It would be good to know that frequent inspections were carried out at all the children’s homes and centres throughout Goa. Unfortunately there are still many - even some of the larger, more well know homes - that are still not licensed. India as a whole is becoming more concerned and active about the needs of their children. There has been a countrywide Bill against child labour and hopefully shortly a new Bill for the whole of India will be passed that will supercede the Goa Children's Act which only covers Goa. We hope that will generate a better, safer system for the children.
Thank you again to everyone who has helped from the start of Children Walking Tall nearly three years ago.
A.G.M
Our Annual General Meeting took place in the UK last month. Robert and the English trustees spent four hours focusing on what had been achieved in the last year and how we can improve the services we provide. The biggest event this year was the much awaited opening of the Mango House. I am sure the next year will have it's own challenges. The main goal over the next year is to increase our effectiveness in the local area before extending the work we do. We currently help around 100 children on a daily basis through education, nutrition, health and by providing a safe environment for them to grow.
New Babies
A happy couple are celebrating the birth of their first baby. The mother was a little scared as she hadn't been for any checkups during her whole pregnancy, which is unfortunately very common in the slums. The family were worried when the mother was in obvious pain one evening. They gave 'The Mango House' a call. It was a Saturday evening and all the staff had gone home, so Robert with his limited Hindi went down to see the family. Luckily there is always someone around who can communicate enough to get by. The mother and father were taken to the hospital where a doctor examined her. It was thought she would need a more detailed scan which was not available at Asilo hospital so we took her down to the Goa Medical College (GMC) for the scans. In general the families never know how far gone the pregnancy is so we rarely have anything to tell the doctors. The couple's family is large so it was no problem finding someone to stay with the expectant mother overnight. A baby girl, 'Sapna' was born the next morning. Both she and the mother are doing well.
Boys will be boys...
Boys are always getting into trouble, falling out of trees, throwing stones. On three separate occasions in the same week we have had to help boys who have had knocks to the head. The first was at the slum where the boys were throwing stones; unfortunately, one boy was hit on the back of head and blood was pouring out. Thankfully, this was only a small cut; after a quick clean, everything was fine - more o. a shock than anything else. The second happened in the evening when one of the boys was at home. His brother pushed him and he fell backward, hitting his head on the corner of a table. His whole family were terrified as blood was streaming through his hair. The family applied traditional herbal medicine (turmeric) and told his brother to run to 'The Mango House'. He arrived crying and in shock at around 8pm and we rushed down to see the family. The turmeric made it hard to see what the cut was like but we cleaned the blood from his hair and calmed the family down. It looked like a deep cut so we took him to accident and emergency at Asilo hospital for a check up. Thankfully after all the turmeric paste had been removed, the cut wasn't too bad. The family was relieved and there was no need for him to be admitted. The third instance was just before school and the children were playing on a wall near The Mango House when of the boys slipped and hit his head on a stone. Lisa (one of the volunteers) is a nurse. She cleaned the area and thought that stitches would be required. As you can imagine, the children do not like receiving stitches. It needed 4 of us to hold him while the nurse at the hospital gave him 3 stitches. Thankfully all of the children are much better now. Hopefully they will be more careful in the future, although boys will be boys....
School
June was a very busy month as we were organising the children for their new school term. As well as getting all the children who attend 'The Mango House' into school, we also have a programme where we help other local children with their educational needs. Unfortunately one of the main reasons that children don't attend school is financial. Although in theory education is free and they don't have to pay school fees, for many families living in the slums, the lack of available money for school uniforms, books, shoes, bags etc means that the children cannot afford to attend school. This year, we have helped around 70 children with these items. As well as getting them into school, we follow their progress and talk regularly with the schools to try and help the children as much as possible. The children were very excited to receive their new 'goodie bags'. Most children received 2 school uniforms, school shoes, bag, raincoat, school books, pencil case with pens, pencils, colours, ruler, sharpeners, geometry sets for some children, tiffin boxes and drink containers. To help with transport, we have also created identity cards for the children who can now receive discounted travel to and from school on the local buses.
Most of the children are doing really well, although a couple have left due to their families returning to their villages. We hope they won't be away for too long, so they can return to school.
As the children have received new school bags, the old bags have not been wasted. The bags have been collected and given to two local schools so they can be handed out to other students who might otherwise not be able to afford the bags. We have a great relationship with the schools which in turn allows us to help more local children. To help the children in class we have also provided two school benches and handed out pencils and tooth brushes.
Two teachers from one of the schools our children attend came to visit the house and to give us feedback on the children's behaviour at school. They are generally pleased with all the students but said a couple needed to work harder. Having this contact is great for us as we can then concentrate more on the ones who are struggling.
Hospital Admissions
There have been several children requiring hospitalisation during the last couple of months. During June one boy was complaining of stomach pain and was admitted for two days. Just recently, a further three children have been admitted. Two of the admitted children are siblings, a brother and sister, both with similar symptoms. The elder of the two had a scorching 42.3 / 108.1 degree temperature which is life threatening. The first sets of tests came back negative for malaria and It was thought that they had typhoid fever. After a few days, the paracetamol being used to control their temperatures was having less of an effect. Since the children were not making any improvement, they were admitted to hospital for a further 5 days where malaria was finally confirmed. They are continuing with their medication and it's good to see their temperatures have returned to normal. We will keep an eye on them and make sure they get any medication they require. . Three of our volunteers (Lisa, Stuart and Oli) have a medical background; they have helped so much recently and have shown a real commitment towards the children.
The third child is having lots of tests done at the Goa Medical College; he was admitted with an extremely low haemoglobin count which was also life threatening and would have resulted in heart failure if not attended to. He was admitted for a week. For the first few days, he was in the critical care section and required a blood transfusion; later he was moved to the general area as his condition had stabilised. The doctors have requested that he return in a month to see how things have progressed and to continue a few more tests as it is still not clear what the source of the problem is.
We hope that things will now calm down and get back to normal.
Swimming
In the last month, we have encouraged the children to start swimming classes. Before being accepted to use the swimming pool, all the children require a medical check-up to make sure they can use it safely. For the first batch, Shermina organised around 10 children to start the course. The children go every afternoon for an hour. There is an Olympic sized swimming pool just 5 minutes walk down the road from The Mango House which is so convenient for the children.
None of the children had been taught before so it was a slow start but some of the older ones have particularly taken to it like ducks to water! All but two of them have progressed to the main pool and started off by swimming widths of the main pool (at the shallow end). Some still require a break and it's reassuring for them that they can put their feet down. A couple can do the full width in one go which is great to see. This week they have been 'introduced' to the deep end in traditional Indian style. This basically means being picked up one by one and thrown in. It looks dramatic and scary, which it is a little but the instructor has someone in the pool nearby to make sure it is safe for the children if they panic. It's not really the English style of teaching but it definitely seems to work. Each day one of the volunteers joins them for team spirit. Unfortunately sometimes the children are paying more attention to the volunteers than concentrating on what they're doing. All in all the children love it and hopefully it will help them in the future. Being able to swim is a very good skill to have here. To make my point, a group of volunteers went to Hampi for a break at the weekend, while there they saw two people in trouble in one of the rivers, Oli, a medical student, jumped in to try to save them but as he got closer to one he vanished under the water, the second came closer, but by the time Oli had got near enough the second one had been pulled under. Not everything ends happily, but I hope that after these swimming lessons, the children will have another skill to protect them. I would like to acknowledge Oli's bravery and am glad that he returned safely.
Birthday Parties
 We have had two birthday parties since the last newsletter. When the children come to us, they rarely celebrated their birthdays. One reason is that the families rarely know how old children are, let alone know which month or day they were born on. As we have lots of children with us now, we do a small celebration on their birthday but have one large party at the end of each month for all the children in that month. In June there were seven children celebrating their birthdays. The party day was fantastic with lots of dancing, party food, games and prizes. Each birthday child received a present and was able to have a go at blowing out the candles on their birthday cake. Happy Birthday to Anil, Parshuram, Gopi, Rukma, Shubbu, Heena and Mina!!! July's party was just as good with six children celebrating their birthdays. We played ducking for apples which was lots of fun, although perhaps next time we'll play it outside as water got everywhere, especially with the over eager boys. Of course there was lots of dancing, balloon games and the classic pass the parcel. All of it was finished off by present giving and a party dinner 'buffet' for the children. Happy birthday to Kumar, Kajal, Vital, Rookey, Prakash and Kieran.
Inverter
The start of the monsoon this year not only bought heavy rains but also strong winds, thunder and lightning. During the initial storms, we had severe problems with the electricity supply at the house and struggled to keep the children calm during the power cuts. On the stormy days the inside of the Mango House becomes very dark. We therefore decided to purchase an inverter that allows us to have some electricity even when the rest of Goa is in darkness. The inverter provides automatic battery backup for the house enabling some lights and fans to continue and a plug socket so that we can still have the music/TV on to help keep the children occupied even when the power goes.
New children at house
The Mango House can only realistically help a small number of children full time at the house. This is restricted by the size of the house and the number of staff and volunteers. We do have children who live here all year round but there are also children who come into the area and move away. We like to provide help to these as well as concentrating on the long term educational and health needs of our regulars. We have had a handful of new children accepted into the Mango House. The mornings are usually easy going as, with most of the children at school, we have only the under fives but these new comers also join in and have a chance to join in with craft, basic school lessons and playing. It’s amazing how quickly they relax and join in. When we started there was a definite divide between the different slums, but as more children come, these differences are put aside and new friendships between the children form. This makes it much easier for the new children, especially when they don't know anyone else. At present we have 49 children on our register.
Giving out clothes
 For the last couple of months, we have been distributing all our remaining clothes that visitors have kindly given during the season. Each year we try to give out all the remaining clothes at the house, because if they are stored at 'The Mango House', they can get damp and spoilt during the monsoon. During the clothes giving sessions, we probably gave out literally thousands of items of clothing throughout Goa and a few small communities just over the border in Marahastra. The format is generally the same for each outing. The volunteers spend a day sorting out the clothes into size order and placing them into separate cases for girls tops/bottoms and boys tops/bottoms. This is vital as when you reach an area, things can be a little hectic and the quicker you can give the items out, the easier the whole process is. Once the clothes are sorted, we rely on the staff and volunteers to remember the sites where they've seen since being in Goa. The ones we help are normally small communities of perhaps 10 to 15 families. We explain who we are and what we're doing on arrival and then the children gather round the van. Once the distribution starts, unsurprisingly another 15 families appear as if by magic and join the hustle ad bustle around the van. This is normally the part where it either goes well, or becomes more chaotic. Each family is so desperate to get new items that they can be over eager and start pushing. Obviously this is not what we want and it can be difficult to make them realise that there is enough for everyone. As with most things in India , you always have to push and make yourself first as I'm sure anyone from abroad has noticed if they've been quietly waiting in line to be served and then someone steals your place. Frustrating but that's what makes India, India.... Even though it can be a little intense for some volunteers (you do have to be in the right frame of mind), it is a great experience to get out and meet the children, many of whom just stay at home and play at the roadside. The smiles the volunteers receive by just giving a child a T-shirt and shorts is priceless and stays with you.
Volunteers
During the year we have a constant stream of volunteers who give up their time to help the children. Their jobs are varied from teaching, craft work, supervision, manual labour, gardening, medical assistance and helping give out clothes and resources to the slums. Most volunteers request to help during season time when the sun shines and it can be harder to find volunteers during the monsoon season. Thankfully this year has been really good and we have been covered all year, so much so that we already have all of our volunteer places filled for at least the next 10 months.
As well as celebrating the birthday this month, we also celebrated Amber's last day, Amber has been with us for the last three months and was tearful to say goodbye to the children. Many volunteers never realise how much of an impact the children will have on their lives. It can be a very emotional experience when they leave and return home.
Over the next couple of weeks we will also be saying goodbye to Harriet and Lisa who started within days of each other. We would like to thank all three for their hard work during the monsoon.
In the last month we have also had three new volunteers join us. We would like to say welcome to Oli, Stuart and Sophie. Oli and Stuart are medical students and will be taking charge of the children's health and well being while they are here. Sophie is a well travelled university lecturer who is looking after the craft activities and probably her favourite activity so far is planning the children's parties.
We would like to thank all volunteers who have made our work here easier. A special thank you to all those who have helped during Robert and Shermina's break in the UK.
Volunteer Views... (By Sophie Bardsley)
I first stumbled across Children Walking Tall’s website over a year ago in March 2006 when I was looking for a charity to volunteer for. In the end the timing wasn’t right for me but I kept in touch with what was going on at the Mango House through the newsletters and the odd email from Rob. Lots happened for Children Walking Tall during that year and it was interesting to see the development of the charity and the constant slogging against the red tape of Indian government. The couple of weeks leading up to me heading out to Goa, I’m sure I drove Rob mad with my 101 questions – what visa do I need to get?, how easy is it to find somewhere to stay?, is there anything special I need to bring with me?. But he always humoured me and put my mind at rest so that by the time I was ready to leave,, there was nothing really bothering me. As it happens, Rob was in England on his yearly break when I got to Goa and I was a little bit nervous about him not being there as all my contact up to them had been with him. But when I got there the other volunteers were so nice to me that I needn’t have worried.
After the initial ordeal of being without my bag for a whole week and only having the sweaty and very stinky clothes I got off the plane in, I settled in brilliantly. (please note – if you are taking a connecting flight in Mumbai and the dopey check in girl in England tells you that you don’t need to recheck your bag and that it will go straight to Goa , then don’t listen – because you do, you do, you do!!) It was so easy finding somewhere to stay. I arrived in Goa with no accommodation booked and the rough plan to head to a hostel. But within three or four hours of landing, Shermina had helped me find a nice three bed roomed apartment that I had all to myself for a week, until two English lads, Stuart and Oli came over and moved in with me – leaving their smelly boys smells around and leading me astray. There’s no such thing as a quiet night in in Goa. Fun just seems to have a way of finding you.
My first day at the Mango House was a bit hectic and I spent the whole day in a bit of a daze as children ran around all looking and sounding the same to me. I thought I’d never be able to tell them apart and remember all their names but after a week or two, I was fine. There’s no way you can be shy at the Mango House – the kids won’t let you!! They’re so friendly and welcoming in a way that they don’t even realise. Before you know what’s going on, there’s a child trying to climb up your leg for a hug or wanting you to count how many skips they can do. I’ve been here a month now and am loving it. Every day is different and you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes things are sad, like one of the children being ill and rushed to hospital but most of the time is spent laughing – either with or at the children. Kids are so funny.
On Friday we had a big birthday party for all the children whose birthday it was in July and I think I was more excited than the children. But we all found it so hard not to laugh at some of the dance moves the boys were pulling out – think Mr Bean meets Alan Partridge and you’re nearly there. Most of the day is spent with the children at the Mango House helping with dinners, showers and homework etc, but sometimes we go further a field to give out clothes or fruit. In my first week we loaded up the van with bags of donated clothes and went to the slums around Old Goa to give them out – it was a bit hairy at times but so rewarding. At one of the bigger slums, things got a bit overheated and we had to shut ourselves into the temple until it calmed down. Order (or some semblance of order) was eventually restored by way of a man with a big stick…….. I phoned my mum last night for the first time and she asked me whether I was enjoying it.
Put it this way…….it is Saturday – my day off – and as I write this, I have just got back from work because I wanted to go and watch the kids’ swimming lessons at the local pool. Would you get me into work at home on my day off? Would you heck!!!
Yahoo.co.uk Email Addresses
Unfortunately we are having some problems contacting people who have Yahoo.co.uk email addresses. This seems to be an issue with our main email address. If you have a Yahoo account and don't hear from us perhaps you can email again using a different email address.
Indian Postal Address
We have stopped using our Post Bag address in Calangute, if you have already sent packages they should arrive. If you would like to send parcels by post then please now send them to Children Walking Tall, "The Mango House", H.No 148/3, Near Vrundavan Hospital, Karaswada, Mapusa, Bardez, Goa, 403 526 India. |
Many children have very poor dental hygiene. For some families it is not a problem as they rarely have sugar in their diets, but some parents continually offer their children one rupee sweets that ruin their teeth. Other children eat pann, which consists of tobacco and other ingredients which are harmful for teeth and gums. We hope that we can educate the children in dental hygiene and provide assistance in getting them treated as soon as possible for the problems they have. 
