« January / February 2009 » |
|
IntroductionThe new year has definitely been a busy one, so I will get straight into it and let you catch up on the events below. Before I start I would like to thank everyone for their continued support and I hope that you enjoy reading this month's newsletter. If you have any queries or comments, then please contact us via the website http://www.childrenwalkingtall.com/Contact-Us.htm. To provide extra safety to the children we have changed or removed their names in this and all future newsletters.
| Introduction | |
| What's Been Happening | |
| Website | |
| Fundraising | |
| Future Plans | |
| What Can You Do? | |
| And Finally | |
|
|
|
|
What's Been Happening
Married at 12 to an abusive husbandOne of the children who attended The Mango House was married when she was only 12, just over a year ago. She was taken out of "The Mango House" and taken back to her village in Marahastra for the wedding, the whole family left and we thought this might be the last we would see of her. A year later her family returned, but she was still in Marahastra with her husband.
There were a couple of reports of her being beaten up by her 'husband'. We got in touch with her mother and asked if she would be willing to come with us to take her out of this abusive and illegal union. Her mother was thankfully as eager as us to 'rescue' her daughter from a life of abuse. We set of early one Saturday and headed off into Marahastra. Aloysius (Our Indian House Parent/Social Worker) and Rob were accompanied by the girls mother, elder brother and friend who knew where she was living. It took around 4 hours driving to reach the village. We arrived around 11 in the morning and found her small corrugated hut. She looked better than we had thought but was eager to get away. Unfortunately her surrogate family were less keen and our planned quick exit was not possible. As the mother spoke in their local language we encouraged the girl to come to the van but as we wasted time talking, more and more family/villagers came to prevent our exit. In the end about 30 villagers were there, preventing the girl and us from leaving, and after 30 minutes the police were called.
A policeman arrived on a motor bike and wanted Robert to come with him to the police station. He didn't seem interested in anyone else, perhaps it's because Robert stuck out as the only white person in miles... Robert politely said he would follow with the others in the van and we drove the short distance to the police station. Once there, we were shown into see the Police Inspector who said we were being charged with kidnapping which came as a little bit of a surprise as we were with her legal guardian and she was a minor. We explained this but the local officers had no interest. The inspector said she was married and that was it (even though the legal age for marriage is 18 and we had her birth proof saying she was only 13). Both Aloysius and Robert were threatened with the kidnapping charge and would be required to wait for the courts to open on Monday. The police were quite eager for us to forget all this hassle and just leave the girl with her abusive husband. We stood our ground and said that if that's what it takes then 'so be it'.... The police officer then wanted to speak to Aloysius alone and try and convince him to let it go and no charges would be brought against him, but we still did not budge. After this another officer said we would just have to pay a fine, which was quickly replied to with a confident 'No!'...
After a lot of talking (3 hours or more) the police eventually realised they could not bully or intimidate us so they wanted us to sign a statement written by the locals in Kannada, Aloysius speaks many languages but could not read Kannada. As the police wanted us to sign something we could not read, another confident 'No' was the reply...
In the end we were let go and we even managed to keep the girl with us and return to Goa. After such a hard day it was a joy and a relief to be able to bring the girl back to Goa with her family. We had been away for nearly 12 hours as we dropped them off at home.
Since then both the girl and her sister have started back at "The Mango House". After being away for a year, the girl is being taught sewing and catching up on her studies and will return to school in June, her sister was accepted back in school straight away and is now there every morning and coming to the house in the afternoon. It has now been a month and the difference is amazing! She returned a hollow shell and now her childhood has been returned. Robert would like to make a special thank you to her mother for supporting us and wanting the best for her daughter and to Aloysius for all his help in some difficult circumstances.
Since then we have heard that the husband's family still wants her back and has asked the family to give 5000 Rs/- or they will come and take her back. This threat was taken seriously and a petition was made to the local police station. where Robert was interviewed and also her mother, the mothers statement was then taken. An emergency contact number was given in case of need.. We would like to thank the police sub inspector at Mapusa for all his help and understanding in the matter.
Savitri (Name Changed), A child inside. - By JenniferI met Savitri 2 days after she was "rescued" by Robert & Ali. I could not believe that she was only 13 years old. I remember feeling very wary around her, she carried a bit of an attitude and wouldn't even look at any of the volunteers. Savitri does not attend school, so in the mornings she is the eldest child in the house. While I was playing on the tree swing one morning Savitri was sitting watching as the smaller children all waited for their turn. I asked Savitri to join but she didn't seem keen. Once i went on the swing and showed that anyone could do it she sheepishly gave it a go! I think she was terrified at first and came out with a large scream followed by a burst of laughter! As I pushed she continued to giggle and laugh, she had the most amazing smile on her face and for the first time since meeting Savitri she looked like a 13yr old child!
 I have been really touched by Savitri, she has had to deal with more physical, mental & emotional challenges in life than I have at the age of 27! I feel honored that Savitri has made a friend in me and wants to spend time around me. One afternoon I was varnishing the bamboo and she wanted to join in. Savitri spoke no English so it was difficult to have any kind of conversation, through lots of actions and some translation from the other children we made a deal - Savitri would teach me Hindi & I would teach her English so somewhere along the line we would be able to understand each other!
>After only 3 weeks I cannot believe the difference in her, she has a constant smile on her face & interacts really well with the other children. Through the work of Children Walking Tall they have given Savitri a second chance of a childhood, if they had not taken this risk to get involved in Savitri's situation I don't know what the future may have held for. Currently her future is looking hopeful, if Savitri continues to attend The Mango House she will be able to rejoin the local school in June and continue with her education. I will do whatever I can during my time at Children Walking Tall to help prepare Savitri for this. We have started to do basic Maths & English which she really enjoys. I've also been trying to teach Savitri how to ride a bike but it seems to be proving harder than the English!!
This is only one child that Children Walking Tall has helped and are continuing to help, in situations like this the staff have a huge amount of commitment to the children & their families. Robert & his team do an amazing job and all work so hard, for most of them it's more than just a job....it's their life!
Medical
T.B.We are happy to say that both the boys who were diagnosed with T.B. have finished their course of medicine and have been given the all clear by the Goa Medical College. They were seen during a recent inspection by the Local Health Officer and put onto a government course of Anti T.B. medication.
LeprosyRecently, we thought we might have another case of Leprosy in one of our slums. A girl had a very similar injury to her brothers, who was earlier diagnosed with Leprosy. We took her and her family to see a Leprosy specialist and thankfully she has been given the all clear. Both families that have been diagnosed with leprosy have been on a government course highlighting special requirements for the treatment and after care of leprosy so they can be rehabilitated effectively to reduce the effects of the disease.
We would like to thank everyone involved, especially the local health officer at Mapusa Urban Health Centre for all their help with both the T.B. and Leprosy patients.
Skin Problems The New Year has seen a significant rise in temperature in the state. February has seen the hottest temperatures for many years. This has continued into April and might be one of the reasons for the increased number of skin problems the children have suffered from.
Dr Uma (A skin specialist in Panjim), has kindly seen 10 or more children during the last few weeks. The problems have included Scabies, Impetigo, fungal infections, bacterial infection and more... One of the young girls had around 30 to 40 boils on her hand which all had to be drained and treated, another girl had lesions on her face and body which was effectively treated with antibiotics and cream. A boy had large wounds on his legs. Hopefully that will be it for a while, we'll just have to wait and see.
Selfish BehaviorOne of the main problems with the families we help is their selfish behavior, this has been taught through generations as a way of survival but is so frustrating when you are trying to help and hoping they will see the benefits of helping each other. A prime example recently has involved two young women who have both been expecting babies.
The family of one of the girls rang us up to take her to hospital as it was her first baby. We went down to collect her and drove her to the local government hospital in Mapusa. Accompanying the expectant lady was her mother, aunt, uncle and husband. The mother requested for Robert to stay to help smooth over things with the doctors as most don't do all the follow ups required and the doctors can be a little judgmental, probably rightly so...
As this would be her first baby she was admitted. She was only 7 months along and in a lot of pain, she spent 4 or 5 days in hospital. During this time her mother stayed with her, but really was not happy to do so. This caused friction between the two families as neither family wanted to take responsibility for the young mother-to-be.
A few days later the same two families were fighting in the slum, blaming each other for anything and everything and no one wanted to take the responsibility for either of their actions. What makes the situation a little more complicated is the fact that the father has two wives. Robert and Ali were there one night till midnight trying to calm the situation after the father was found trying to beat his other wife with bamboo sticks, Robert at one stage having to physically restrain the father. Our main concern is for the children who always get in the middle of things, but thankfully everything was quiet for the rest of the night.
Another lady a couple of weeks later went into labor and Ali got the call so rushed down to take her to hospital at around 7am. When he arrived at the slum nothing happened as neither family were even willing to go to hospital with her, so in the end Ali returned to The Mango House and later that morning the expectant mother gave birth in the slum to a healthy baby girl.
It can be so frustrating. Do we help and encourage this selfish behavior by taking the responsibility away from them, or do we try and persuade them to support each other? Unfortunately people usually want to take the easiest option, there are other charities that also encourage this by seeing a problem and fixing it, which only compounds the behavior.
We just hope that we can educate the children who come to The Mango House and show them that working as a team and being compassionate is a good strategy.
Mapusa Carnival by Jane The Carnival season in Goa began on 22nd February in the capital Panjim and visits numerous towns along the way. The 24th February was the date for Mapusa Carnival. When we found out about the date all the staff and volunteers alike felt it would be a great experience for some of the older children, although probably too much for the younger ones as we had been warned it would be a long walk and a very long day.
Once the application form was collected we had only 2 days to prepare a float and fancy dress! After much discussion the theme was decided upon…. The jungle !!!!!!! The preparation was great fun and everyone pulled together. With the amazing drawings from Ester (volunteer) we produced a full canvas of many painted animals and the “Children Walking Tall” logo , which covered the charity vehicle. A lot of greenery was collected and with a roof full of bamboo leaves and of course our large cuddly snake the van was completed.
Eight of the older children joined in and had a very limited time to produce their costumes, however they all looked great. We made Grass skirts for the warriors, Cannibals, Tiger and of course some beautiful jungle princesses. The day arrived and we had to be at the start for 1.00pm. With lunch being served early and everyone pulling together we were there on time and ready to register. Luckily we were parked under a tree as the heat was even melting the face paints. We had a few hours before the precession began, so took the children in small groups to look at the other floats. They were amasing from Dinosaurs to full size Elephants. The atmosphere was hotting up and all the participants were laughing and joking and taking photos with the children. The carnival did not get started until about 4.30pm but we all had a great time and kept ourselves amused.
Tummy’s were starting to rumble so the volunteers felt that an ice cream was in order for all concerned. The ice cream seller thought all his birthdays had arrived at once when we ordered 16 Ice Creams…..
Eventually everyone started to move and the carnival was a go! Nothing had prepared us for the crowds of people watching. Mapusa is normally a very busy large market town. The traffic is non stop and a centre for most bus and train journeys both to the South of Goa and Mumbai. The carnival spirit had well and truly taken over. All the market was closed and replaced by a sea of people watching each float as it passed. The children followed the jungle float and danced non stop for the full 3 hour journey, shaking hands with the other children in the crowd. At some points even some of them were a little shy, but with a little reassurance soon became themselves again and loved the whole experience.
We would like to thank Ali, the Volunteers and the children for making it such a great event.
Our Bamboo Garden The Mango House garden has been taking shape over the last few months. It all started before Christmas as Alex started work on the "Mango Tree House", the main tree house around the base of our Mango Tree. Before Alex left he extended this to a 2nd platform which was connected by a rope and bamboo bridge. The new year has seen a couple more handy volunteers (Matt and Guy) who have now added two more bamboo structures which connect with each other. Matt and Guy have spent so much time and effort sanding, drilling, varnishing and creating a magnificent child friendly and imaginative play structure for the kids. Obviously all the equipment needs to be thoroughly tested to make sure it's safe for the children so you might even see the staff and volunteers on it! :o).
As Matt comes to the end of his time at the charity he is busily finishing off the roof and final touches. The last addition is a small zip line that runs down one side of the Garden. It still needs a few tweaks but we hope it will all be finished shortly.
As well as the Bamboo structure we would like to say a huge thank you to Darren, Carol and everyone from St Thomas More College who were kind enough to arrange a 12ft trampoline for the garden. It's only been here a few days and the children have gone wild for it. All we can hear are cheers and laughter as the children bounce around.
Our Favorite Hindu Festival - Holi Holi, the Hindu festival of colour has always been one of our favorite holidays at The Mango House. This might have something to do with the order of business on this special day. It involved, powder paint, water bombs, lots of children and a little bit of madness! :)
For those who don't know, Holi is usually associated with huge powder paint fights where you try and cover everyone else without getting covered yourself. Obviously when you run a children's charity, you have no chance! The children take pure delight in covering every inch of you in a multitude of colours.
This year we had about 16kg of powder paint which we packaged and distributed to the children. It's a great day for great photos although with paint and water bombs flying it's never the safest time for your precious digital cameras. This year the charities camera was covered by a rubber medical glove which kept most of it clean. We managed to get some great photos, some of which have been added to the website.
After a mad morning at both of the slums we returned back to The Mango House, scrubbed ourselves clean (well we tried) and then the children arrived just before one to have lunch and to finish the day as normal. Thank you to all the volunteers and visitors who joined in with the celebration and I hope you enjoyed it as much as the children and staff did.
Yoga Lessons for the childrenWe would like to thank Psalm Isadora, Mateo Daniel and Nianna Rose for their help, time and refreshments that they kindly offered the children during the Yoga classes they provided earlier this year. The children went every day for nearly two weeks and had an intensive course of Yoga. |
|
|
|
Website
Taxi PricesAirport taxi prices have been listed on our website for quite some time, and many visitors have found them useful. We have now added taxi price lists for Thivim and Margao railway stations. Lots of our volunteers arrive by train and it's always good to know what you're likely to be charged when arriving in Goa for the first time. Please follow the link to see our New List of Taxi Prices for the Airport, Thivim and Margao.
Phone India for 0.5p per minute!Have you ever wanted to phone us in India but were afraid of the cost? Worry no more! - Those great guys at OurFavouritecompanies.com have been kind enough to allow us to use a section of their list on our website. The cheapest rate at the moment is just 0.5p per minute! These offers can change daily so do keep an eye on our website, Add it to your favorites and find it easily when you want to call.
To call us, simply dial one of the access numbers, follow the instructions and then dial 0091 9822 124 802 and get through to our Goa office. But please remember that we're five and a half hours in front of UK time! :o)
Pictures
Well everyone at Children Walking Tall has been madly busy putting on events for the children to get involved with. The volunteers and staff have really gone to great lengths recently, and I would like to thank them all. Today was special as it was the Hindu's festival of Colour (Holi). This gave the children, the bigger children (staff and volunteers) and pretty much everyone a chance to be children again... Just think of an explosion in a powder paint factory.. (pretty much sums it up). Here are a few photos that we took during the day...
And the 2nd Set Holi (Festival of Colour!) #2 |
| A huge thank you goes out to Aloysius and the volunteers who took charge and organised a fantastic day. The volunteers created a stunning 'outfit' for the CWT van and painted it with a jungle/animal theme. We tied on the giant snake which was left by HMS Illustrious last year and dressed the children up in various costumes for the parade. The children, volunteers and staff loved the day although it was a very, very long and shattering day for all. Our van was fitted with a stomping sound system which was completely drowned out by some of the huge speakers from the dance floats in front. It was still a great day and although small our entry was perfectly formed! |
| A group of visitors were kind enough to bring face paints and balloons for the children. They spent the afternoon entertaining the children by creating balloon animals and face painting the children. |
|
|
|
|
Fundraising and Donations
Condolences
We would extend our condolences to the family and friends of Chirag Patel whose father passed away recently. Chirag suggested donations could be made to Children Walking Tall instead of buying flowers for the funeral, as his father was always helping those less fortunate, and hoped his passing could be the start of something new for the children we help.
EBay For Charity We have registered with MissionFish to allow us to receive donations from eBay sales. You can now sell an item on eBay and donate from 10% to 100% of the final sale price to support our work with street children in India. All you have to do is set up an account; find all those items that are tucked away under your bed and sell them on ebay.
Visit Ebay for charity (Children Walking Tall) for more information
If you have something to sell, and want to support Children Walking Tall at the same time, then please add us to receive a portion of the selling price.
VisitorsThe New Year has seen an increase in the number of visitors to Goa and The Mango House. We would like to thank them all for taking time out of their holidays to come and see us and hope that they enjoyed seeing the work we do.
Thank You to Everybody We would like to thank everybody who has helped to raise funds and awareness over the last two months. It is becoming increasingly difficult to write details about all the donations we receive due to the amount of work involved. If you are kind enough to arrange an event for Children Walking Tall and would like your event to be included in the newsletter, then please write a small paragraph about how the event went and who was involved and email it to us. The newsletters are very time consuming to put together so this would be a great help to us and allow more time to be spent helping the children. |
|
|
|
Future Plans
School HolidaysAs all of the children will have finished school by the middle of April it's a great chance to treat them to lots of trips. The volunteers are starting to organise a few and if anyone has any ideas then do let us know.
New School Year The next couple of months will see us hard at work preparing for the new school year. We hope that most of the children will return to school for another year and we'll hopefully have a good selection of new children ready to start school. |
|
|
|
What Can You Do?
Add a Link to our website Do you have your own website, blog or have a say on a company website? If the answer is yes then please add a link to Children Walking Tall. We have a collection of links that you can use, or if you want something designed for an offer, 5% goes to charity, or £1 for every order goes to charity then do let us know and we will make a link that fits your website.
Monthly Sponsorship The charity has grown so much since it started, making it more important than ever to keep a solid base to work from. With this in mind, we are looking for people to give monthly donations so that a core fund can be relied on each month. This money would help towards feeding the children each day by providing a morning snack, a main meal for lunch, and a second snack in the afternoon. It would also help provide vitamins, health care and allow money to be set aside to pay rent, electricity and the water bills every month.
For more Information : http://www.ChildrenWalkingTall.com/Donations.htm
Spread The WordAn easy way to help Children Walking Tall is to just spread the word - just let more people know about what we do! If you've received this newsletter by email, then simply forward it to your friends; otherwise send a link to our website, as this and our older newsletters are always available on our website www.ChildrenWalkingTall.com |
|
|
| |
And Finally...
Newsletter By EmailIf you would like to receive these monthly newsletters by email please Contact Us. Please put the subject “Join Newsletter” so that we can add your address to the mailing list. Send us the email address you wish the newsletter to go to. If you have received this email by mistake, or wish to cancel your monthly newsletter then please let us know by Email with the subject “Cancel Newsletter” Many Thanks from everyone at Children Walking Tall.
Contact Us Children Walking Tall,
'The Mango House',
H.No 148/3,
Near Vrundavan Hospital,
Karaswada, Mapusa
,Bardez, Goa
Web : www.ChildrenWalkingTall.com
Tel : (0091) 9822 124 802 |
|
|
|
Face Paints and Balloons
