« March / April 2009 » |
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IntroductionGoa's busy tourist areas have slowly quietened as the masses of foreign tourists head back home, escaping the searing heat that has arrived early this year. The heat continues to build and a break will only arrive when the clouds burst and the monsoon hits Goa.
One of the best things about this time of year is that it's Mango season. The trees in the Mango House forest are heavy with fruit, the Jackfruit, Mango and Cashew trees are all fruiting well. Many of the cashew have already fallen but the Mango and Jackfruit are just ripening, allowing us to treat the children with fresh jackfruit (one of their favourites) and also the stunningly sweet mangoes that adorn The Mango tree (where the Mango House gets it's name). The Mango tree has had a very successful year with hundreds of mangoes lining its branches. The children bring in handfuls of fruit several times a day as they fall through ripeness, or by being knocked by the wind or our local monkey population - most of the mangoes are being made into mango juice for the children during their morning break.
Here is 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 | |
| What Can You Do? | |
| And Finally | |
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What's Been Happening
Child Bride runs to Children Walking Tall....Robert was at "The Mango House" one Sunday afternoon when after a knock at the door, he found Rachna sat on the porch, a 14 year old girl who had been married off by her family two years previously when she was only 12. She was sent back to Marahastra just like the girl in February who was mentioned in our last newsletter.
Rachna was visibly upset and explained briefly that she had run away from her husband and his family who were abusing her. She had taken the 8 hour bus journey from Maharashtra to Goa. While on the bus her heart stopped as one of her family members boarded the same bus but thankfully did not see her at the back covered in her veil.
Robert called Savita who kindly came into work and helped translate. We spoke to Rachna for half an hour, then she had a chance to clean up and was offered food. She explained that she had been starved in Maharashtra and although she had not eaten for 16 hours she was not hungry. We tried to call 1098, the Childline number but there was no answer. After trying a few more times we eventually got through, though the phone was just put down on us. After that, contact was made with Child Rights Goa who as always were a great help and always willing to put effort in for a child in need. They agreed to meet us (on a Sunday evening) at the Women and Child police station in Panjim to take a statement, but unfortunately when we got there, there were no police inspectors to talk to and so we returned the next morning.
Rachna explained to the police that she was forced by both the families to marry the boy and she was being treated badly by her husband’s family. She had tried to leave once before we heard but her mother had told her that she can live and die there. Her situation was getting worse as the family was putting more and more pressure onto her as she had not delivered a child yet. She said she was beaten and food withheld from her. Unlike many other young women in similar circumstances she was brave enough to take a stand and run away. She returned to "The Mango House" where she had previously come for day care and food.
The police requested that her mother be present for questioning, a police car went to their home in the slum but had just missed her as she had returned to her village. A message was then sent to her family to instruct her to return for questioning.
The next day the mother arrived at the police station with the village elders and also a lawyer. When questioned, the mother said that her daughter was 18 years old, although she obviously wasn't, and we also had birth proof to the contrary which was on file from when Rachna attended "The Mango House". According to our records the girl was only 14. The police were amazed by what she was saying but when her daughter arrived she stopped speaking Hindi and spoke to Rachna in her local dialect. She then said she couldn't speak in Hindi (which she had been doing for the last 20 minutes). None of the police officers could understand so continued to ask her to speak in Hindi, when she wouldn't Rachna became our translator, with the police, CRG and Savita picking out just a few words of the conversation.
Eventually the mother signed a statement and agreed that she would not take Rachna out of Goa and she would live with her in Karaswada and allow her to attend "The Mango House" each day. Rachna would have the chance to rejoin school.
Wednesday was her first, and unknowingly her last day at "The Mango House". Rachna arrived in the morning and had a fabulous day playing with her old friends and even helped Robert in the garden laying out some soil for the new grass area. It was a joy to have her back, and she returned to home at the end of the day. That evening it was a shock to get a call from the slum at 11:15pm at night saying that her mother and brother had come to the slum and bundled her into a car, and were in the process of taking her back to Maharashtra against the decision of the police. Robert drove down to the slum, but all was quiet by the time he arrived, he then went to the local police station to make a complaint. Unfortunately this took a long time and by the time the police had made a request to stop the car at the border they were probably well past. After finishing with the Police, Robert decided to drive into Maharashtra with the hope of finding them... He drove to the border and was surprised to get there before the message from the police had arrived. He continued his journey for an hour but with nobody to ask directions from and unable to read the signs that had changed into Hindi, he returned back. The next day Savita and Robert returned to the police station to see if there was anything that could be done and although the mother had written and signed a statement to say she wouldn't leave Goa, that apparently has no effect in the courts. Since then we have heard from Rachna and hope she will once again get up the courage to run away. The next time we will be less trusting of her mother who really seems to have no care for her daughter's happiness or health.
We would like to thank the Women and Child police station in Panjim, Child Rights Goa, Savita for her help and Rachna for being so brave and for choosing us.
Monkey's Having Fun We hadn't really taken into account the interest of our local monkey population when designing and making the adventure play ground in the forest area at the back of "The Mango House".
It didn't take long for the monkeys to move in when the children weren't playing. Our friendly and inquizative monkey neighbours can often be found climbing around the tree houses, through or over the bamboo tunnels, enjoying the swings and even bouncing on the trampoline. One of the larger monkeys seems especially fond of the trampoline although hasn't quite got the knack yet. The monkey seems to know that it's fun to jump on the trampoline but has yet to master the act of the rebound.
The monkey can sometimes be seen using the safety net to increase the height before jumping down on the trampoline, unfortunately it doesn't push down to jump up but adsorbs the landing (which is sensible in the forest but not very good when you're on a trampoline).
Some of the children think it's really funny to jump around once you're off the trampoline as it feels really strange when they don't bounce back so I have no idea what the monkey must make of it.
Naval Aviation Museum As a treat during the school holidays the children were taken on a trip to the Naval Aviation Museum in Vasco. As we weren't sure how long the visit would last we packed all the beach things too as Bogmallo beach is just down the road.
The bus arrived at 9am ready to take all the children, staff and volunteers. Saroja, our wonderful cook had come in early that morning and prepared lunch which was pulao rice, white bean and potato curry with mango chutney. Large containers of food were put into the bus, along with the tent, 40 litres of drinking water, towels and some games for the beach. It was a surprise trip so we quickly made sure all the children had their swimming costumes and off we went.
Vasco is about a one hour drive away so we settled down and appreciated the air that blew through the opened windows while we travelled down the main highway in Goa.
The children were quite interested to know where they were going as it was not the normal run to the beach, so we joked that we were going to the airport and taking them all England. I don't think they believed us but they were increasingly puzzled as we neared the airport. On arrival we parked up outside the museum. For most of the children it was the first time they'd seen an aeroplane up close and so we joked that it was time to get our tickets and said "this is the aeroplane that's taking you to England."
There were just enough volunteers and staff to allocate 3 children per adult. Each group went their separate way and explored the museum and aeroplanes. The museum contained lots of photos, models and items from Naval history. There were bombs, buoys, models of helicopters and planes, and manikins dressed in Naval uniforms. The children looked round but were eager to get outside to see the aeroplanes close up. There were 10 or more aeroplanes and helicopters, all of which you could only be seen from the outside, although the largest aeroplane could actually be boarded and it was possible to sit in the cockpit. The children had a fabulous time exploring but after a couple of hours their stomachs were rumbling.... So we called it a day and drove down to the beach side to have lunch.
Later, a great couple of hours were spent dipping in the sea and playing games on the beach but at 4:00pm it was time stop, enjoy an ice lolly and pack the bus before heading for home..
The trip back was much quieter with most of the children and volunteers falling asleep after an exhausting day. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers for all their help and for the children for being so well behaved.
Children's Exams Have FinishedMarch and April has been a tense time for the children as they have all had their end of year exams. We are happy to report that all but one of the children has passed and now progress to the next standard. For some of the children this means a new school as they move from 4th to 5th Standard.
It was hoped that a few of our children would be able to attend one of the best schools in Mapusa this year but competition was fierce and our applications were not helped by the attitude of the head mistress towards migrant children or a circular from the education department that recommended that schools should only accept applications if the families can provide ration cards, voting card etc which most of our children's families do not have. This advice from the education department is in direct conflict with the Goa Children's Act which states
"The State accepts the concept of zero rejection for children" No child shall therefore be denied admission to any school on any ground including.... the absence of relevant documentation..."
It is so frustrating when the government bodies themselves seem to ignore the laws that are there to protect the rights of the children.
The seven children who were moving up have now been accepted in their 2nd choice of school and we wish them all the best for their new school term.
Mayem Lake Another treat for the children was a last minute trip to Mayem Lake in North Goa. It's a picturesque lake that is inhabited by a collection of ducks and other wildlife. There are a group of pedal boats that can be hired out for half or a full hour so we split the children up into groups, one adult to three children and each group were given a pedal boat to use for an hour on the still lake.
The children loved it ans soon most of the boats were taking advantage of the slight breeze and current and taking them down the lake, unfortunately for them coming back was more difficult and after 30 minutes many of the children, staff and volunteers were flagging from the exercise. Ali, our house parent resorted to pedalling with his arms at one point... The smaller children though were taking it easy and enjoying the ride, dipping their hands in the water and enjoying the relaxation. After their hour of exercise all the children came back to dry land and spent a little time in the park before returning home to "The Mango House".
The Seasaw was harder than his head!As it is the school holidays at present we are trying to get in a few trips out while we have the chance. One of the recent trips has been to the Children's park in Panjim and just further down the coast to the Kampal playground. The children had a great day with one exception when one of the younger boys banged his head while playing on the seasaw. The boy received a really deep cut on his forehead. Thankfully, we currently have two doctors and a neural surgical nurse as volunteers so the wound was cleaned and bandaged. The cut was deep so we drove to Mapusa and he was seen by Vrundavan hospital staff. Lucy, one of the volunteer doctors was by the child's side and looked after him for the duration. He was very brave during the whole process, although cried while receiving the local anaesthetic used to numb the area and then was a little scared as the 5 stitches were put in.
A smile was brought to his face by the simple words "Do you want a chocolate for being a good boy?"
After returning to "The Mango House" he was back to his normal self and straight into the tree house where he swung from one tree house to the other without a care in the world.
Thank you to Vrundavan hospital and our volunteer doctors/nurse (Kiren, Lucy and Claire) who cared for him so well.
Baby Boom In the last few months there has been a foray of new births in the local slums, and many of these parents decide to have their babies in the slums. Actually to be brtuely honest it is a lack of support from the families themselves as it is seen as a extra hassle to spend time with them if they are admitted. Thankfully all the children have been delivered without incident. One of the youngest mothers rang us up to take her to the hospital and by the time we arrived she was already giving birth. The mother is probably only 16 or 17 years old. All of the families have asked for clothes for the babies, these are only given once we receive the birth certificates of the newborn so that the child can be properly recorded which will help in their later years. So many children in the slums are born and die with no record being maintained.
Volunteer DoctorsWe have been so lucky to have two volunteer doctors and one nurse helping us over the last month, and they have been kept busy as the children both at the house and the slum have had a wide range of problems. Some of the more strange items they have had to deal with have been a young boy who pushed a stick up his uretha which then became infected and another child who had a severly infected foot.
Some more mundain problems have included scabites, prickly heat and temperatures. One of the chidlren at "The Mango House" has had a badly bruised shin after a particularly vibrant game of football. He was taken to Dr Uma, who then reffered us to a surgeon who thought it might be an absess. Thankfully after further examination he was just given some oral antibiotics and has been recovering. We will continue to keep an eye on him.
Giving Out in the slums in Marahastra, local schools and government hospital During February, March and April we were able to give out a range of items that included baby clothes, shoes, toothbrushes and toothpaste to children in the local area and also in Marahastra. We have been very lucky to receive a large range of items, many of which are easy and useful to distribute further a field. Toothpaste and brushes are a prime example.
We were asked to check up on a girl who we had reports of being abused and so to make the situation a little easier, took along a stock of toothpaste and brushes and fruit to give out for other children in the slum. The girl was in good health and Aloysius managed to have a quick talk with her and she appeared OK, although a little subdued, so to lighten the air we got all the children in a line and provided them with their own toothbrush, toothpaste and fruit. Several of the children's teeth and gums were stained by what seemed to be paan, a local tobacco product that is chewed and often marketed to children as sweets. Hopefully the toothpaste and brushes will help their dental hygiene for a few weeks at least.
After a bit of a sort out of donated shoes we noticed we had lots of pairs of small shoes sizes (Size 1 and below) and very few size 1 to 5. As we had so many small shoes we decided to make a trip down to the slums and also a local government primary school to give the shoes out.
During march we were also able to give out baby clothes to three wards in the local government hospital. Included in the children were two sets of twin boys. All the babies were healthy and their families were grateful for the clothes we distributed. Each child received two babygrows, socks & a bib. The babies were tiny in comparison to the UK and may take several months to grow into their “newborn” babygrows! Thank you to everyone who donated the items which we gave out. |
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Website
Taxi PricesAs many of our volunteers come via Mumbai we have decided to add the Mumbai Government taxi rate on the website. Most taxi's in Mumbai use the meters which track distance/time, it's always a little confusing to work out the actual fare from this, respectable drivers show the fare card which translates the reading into a fare. For those who don't please find a sample list of Mumbai Taxi Fares on our website
Volunteer ViewsWe have had a few volunteer experiences recently which have been uploaded to the Volunteers Experiences section of the website. We always ask volunteers to put pen to paper to let new volunteers know what to expect when they arrive for their 3 month slot. If you are interested in volunteering then do please read about the ups and the downs that the volunteers face.. Here are a few comments from the most recent additions
"Things were manic and I realised you just had to get stuck in and go with the flow."
"By the end of my first week I felt like part of a huge family"
"This truly has been the richest experience of my life, and I can hand on my heart say I never thought that I would be able to feel such a sense of reward by just helping great kids get a better future!"
"Its hard to put it in to words as you truly will never experience something so amazing and rewarding!"
"The children came from disadvantaged backgrounds of Goa but arrived each day at Mango House with a smile on their face, which was contagious."
Pictures
| As a special treat for the children we took them out for the day at the Naval Aviation Museum and then onto Bogmallo Beach, both of which are close to Dabolim airport near Vasco. All in all the children loved the day, Thanks to John Cordeaux and everyone who made the trip possible through their Piano Concert last year. |
| Here are a few photos from our last minute trip to Mayem Lake in North Goa, It's a picturesque lake that is inhabitaed by a large collection of ducks and other wildlife. There are a collection of pedal boats which can be hired for an hour. |
During February, March and April we were able to give out a range of items that included baby clothes, shoes, toothbrushes and toothpaste to children in the local area and also in Marahastra. Here are just a few photos which we captrured during our visit to one of the slum villages in Marahastra. |
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Fundraising and Donations
 Sponsored Walk - The Bridges of London
Kavita Verma and her team of six will be participating in a sponsored walk over the bridges of London from Battersea Bridge to the Tower of London (11 miles).Kavita Says "A team of six dental colleagues will be crossing the bridges of London from Battersea Bridge to Tower of London, an 11 mile walk. One of the team will be singing at each bridge and raising monies from any passer by's!"
Would you like to sponsor them? If you do then please see their My Charity - Fundraising Page
RSPB Soft ToysI would like to thank Ella, Morgan and Georgia who kindly sent us two boxes of puppets and RSPB soft toy birds (that make bird sounds). The post arrved safely and the children loved using the puppets and squeezing the birds to make them tweat.
Airline MagazineWe would like to thank Emma and the Inbound Asia Magazine who kindly got in touch with us this month. Emma wanted to feature the work that we do in one of the airline magazines that will be coming out shortly. The Magazine has a variety of stories from all around Asia and Children Walking Tall will be featured in the Inbound Asia Magazine Issue 7.
Easy Search Use Easy Search and raise funds for Children Walking Tall at the same time... Just Bookmark this link (http://cwt.easysearch.org.uk/), or make it your home page. Easysearch Version 2.0 is a now 'super' search engine, which cleverly combines the strengths of several search providers together - Yahoo!, MSN Live Search, Ask.com and many more. So, when you use easysearch to search the Web, we'll track down only the most relevant and accurate results, which means you'll find what you are looking for quickly and easily every time - all in one 'easy' search!
Also are you buying insurance, apply for a bank card or just playing the national lottery? - Perhaps you can help by using one of these offers to raise even more money for Children Walking Tall
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.
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. |
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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 SponsorshipThe 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. Currently, people are donating from £2 to £40 per 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
UK Fundraising TeamBecome a member of our UK fundraising team by raising money or organising fundraising events. A good way to help is by finding something that you enjoy doing and getting people to give you money for doing it! For example, you could organise a night out, an Indian evening or just have a party. There are lots more ideas in our Online Fundraising Pack |
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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 |
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