« October 2011 » |
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IntroductionAs the newsletter was being prepared it was great to see the children letting off steam after getting their dreaded exams out of the way. The three week Diwali break is in full swing and the children have had a non stop week of activities in the run up which culminated in a trip to the Water Park on the day itself. The worst of the monsoon has long since passed us by and we have had wonderful weather for over a month. Its great to watch the hive of activity in the tourist resorts as they are transformed in readiness for the winter season. The shacks have started to go up in earnest and the sound of carpentry and the smell of paint is all around us. So rest assured if you are preparing to visit Goa soon our Goan friends are preparing to meet you. As usual, the newsletter is available on our
website at
http://www.ChildrenWalkingTall.com/Newsletters.htm. If you have any queries or comments, then please
contact us via the website or click on this link -
http://www.childrenwalkingtall.com/Contact-Us.htm. To provide extra safety to the children we have changed or removed their names in the newsletter. |
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A word from the TrusteesAs trustees of Children Walking Tall, we have one primary duty and that is to act in the best interests of the charity at all times. This means continually reviewing the operation of the UK Charity and the relationship with the Indian Trust of the same name, ensuring that at all times we maximise our effectiveness and efficiency and the amount of help and assistance we are able to give to the poor children in the area we support. As a result of a recent review of our operation, many of you will be aware that the Charity ceased to employ Robert Lyon, whose post within the Charity became redundant, with effect from 17th September 2011. Robert was one of the two founders of Children Walking Tall in Goa. This was not an easy decision to take and we understand that many supporters will be saddened to hear the news. Robert, along with Shermina Ganatra, founded Children Walking Tall in Goa in 2004 having been moved by the plight of the poor children they had witnessed whilst on holiday. They had one main aim which was to give the poor children who the Charity came into contact with "a childhood worth remembering". Over the last seven years the Charity has certainly been able to deliver on that aim. Children Walking Tall in Goa will remain the Charity's number one priority throughout the coming years. We have spent the last six months or so planning for the future and expect to widen the focus of the Charity's work and to work in partnership with other organisations where they meet our aims and objectives and are better placed to deliver programmes on the ground than we are. Early in the New Year we will publish our strategy for the Medium Term and our Investment and Reserves policy, so that our supporters can hold us fully to account for our progress in the years to come. Many people have expressed concern about what will now happen at Mango House. We have no concerns about operations on the ground in Goa. Savita Rao, who was the accountant and administrative assistant, has been appointed Managing Trustee at Mango House. We have worked closely with her for over four and a half years and we have 100% confidence in her ability to lead Children Walking Tall in Goa in the future. It is also clear that the children love her which is also important during this time of change. We thank Robert for his tireless efforts for the children that the Charity has helped. As a result of Robert and Shermina's vision many hundreds of children's lives have been changed for the better, and with your support their legacy will carry on into the future. We remain extremely positive about the future of Children Walking Tall and will be expanding our activities over the coming year. Clearly the happiness and wellbeing of the children who we help are ultimately dependent on the support of those who donate so generously, and those who give of their time to volunteer on the ground. We hope that we can continue to depend on your support as we continue the journey which Robert and Shermina started in 2004, that existing supporters will remains friends of Children Walking Tall and that we make many more new friends. |
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News from Mango House Hi, Savita here. I’m proud and happy to give my first update on what’s
been happening with the Charity. Before doing so, however, I did just
want to say a few things. The first was to say a huge thank you for all
the help and support we receive throughout the year. None of what you
read about below would be possible without the support of donors,
volunteers and supporters. I also wanted to take the opportunity to
express a personal thank you for the kind words and good wishes I have
received over recent weeks. I am
really looking forward to meeting old friends and new at Mango House. If
you would like to visit us we are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm but
do please call in advance so I can be sure to be there to meet you. You
can find our location, directions and contact phone number at
http://www.childrenwalkingtall.com/Location.htm
Licence UpdateAs many of you will know we are still trying to renew the licence to use Mango House as a Day Centre. Following the latest Order of the Chief Secretary we filed a completely new application this month. We will update you on progress in subsequent newsletters.Support from Local SchoolWe are very pleased to report that a local school has kindly agreed to allow us to use their school rooms in the afternoons. Whilst we really want to see the children back at Mango House as soon as possible the use of the rooms at the school meanwhile means that our children are away from the slum for the afternoon and can eat lunch, study and play in a healthier and more pleasant environment. It also means that we have been able to recommence our sewing sessions which give the children a chance to learn a practical skill which will prove useful in their daily lives and may enable them to gain employment when they leave school.
CelebrationsEid and Ganesh FestivalsAugust to October is generally a quieter time after the mad rush to get the children ready and equipped for the start of the new school year in June but there have been plenty of celebrations to occupy us. Eid and Ganesh are very important festivals for Muslims and Hindus respectively. This year they fell almost at the same time and the children had a week off school to celebrate in early September.Diwali For
Hindus Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year.
Popularly known as the Festival of Lights it involves the lighting
of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good
over evil. Hindus celebrate the festival at home and in addition to
the lighting of lamps they share sweets and snacks with family and
friends. Some of the families we help return to their home villages
but many stay and celebrate at home in the slum. To celebrate Diwali
we gave each of around 80 families we support a gift of dry
provisions, a container, a healthpack and a doormat made from scraps
of cloth in our sewing classes. We’d like to thank the staff of
Quarryhill Primary School (Aberdeen) who contributed their
fundraising to the costs of the Diwali Gifts, Mr Shubha Ananth who
provided a meal and sweets again this year and Jaman Koria who
provided a Diwali lunch and sweets.
BirthdaysLastly we celebrated our children’s birthdays every month in the usual way. The children always look forward to the parties but the one at the end of September was especially nice since Rob and his Mum Pat attended and Heather and Dave Holland donated the funds to buy a huge special chocolate cake for the party in honour of their daughter Mel’s recent wedding.
Outings and ActivitiesBollywood BlockbusterApproximately 60 children visited the Inox cinema in Panjim to see the newly released Hindi movie Bodyguard. The movie has been a real Bollywood blockbuster breaking many records and the children were suitably impressed. They were also suitably impressed with the popcorn provided by a friend of Nathalie – one of our current volunteers!Sports Day From
mid September onwards all attention was focused on the quarterly exams
but once these were out of the way and the three week Diwali holidays
started activities began in earnest. The very next day our student
volunteers arranged sports day at our local field. The children had
great fun partaking in the egg and spoon, wheelbarrow and relay races
and then finished the day in their favourite way – the boys had a game
of football and the girls were treated to a manicure. You can see the
photographs on our website by clicking on this picture.Beach Trip
As we snaked our way through the country lanes canopied by palm trees and lush vegetation, passing through tiny villages the children provided the entertainment with much jovial laughter and singing. A forty minute ride and sixty children, teachers, staff and volunteers descended the bus to the beach for the start of the days activities. A safety briefing by Ali and the children were soon in their swimming costumes leaping about in the water, the older ones crashing through the waves the younger ones splashing about in the shallows. After a morning's activities a tired but very happy group of children tucked into their delicious curry relaxing and chatting animatedly on the beach. While most returned for more frolics in the sea others played games on the beach. As the soft late afternoon light fell over the beach it was time for fruit and drink and for a very contented group of children to board the bus back to Karaswada and Mango House. A wonderful day out was undoubtedly had by all! Water babies
Our Boxing Champ
Staff and Volunteers
A Welcome Addition
Christmas is Coming
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Fundraising and Donations (UK)Thank You to Everybody
Thank You to:-
We wanted to say a special thank you to the Lions Club of Mill Hill who raised funds to provide for the educational needs of 50 children for the next three years. The money was raised by holding a Mehfil night whilst Mr Jaman Koria was president. We were pleased to welcome Mr Koria and his family to Mango House recently and to have the opportunity to show them the work which we do. Mind Rewind Earlier
in the year we were contacted by a group of music collectors who were
putting together a compilation of music of they loved. As the music they
loved originated in Goa they wanted the proceeds to go to a local
charity and after a vote decided to support Children Walking Tall. Sure
enough a limited edition 2-CD set of rare psychedelic trance tracks from
the early days of the Goa trance scene was produced. The CD was made
available in early September. You can read about the CD at
http://goatranch.com/2011/08/23/mind-rewind/ although it is no
longer available since the guys did such a great job it sold out within
weeks!
Not only have we benefitted from the sales of the CD itself but donations were also collected from contributors resulting in the Charity receiving more than £4,000. We are truly grateful to everyone involved in the project including the members who had the idea to put together a compilation and to so generously give the proceeds to Children Walking Tall, to the artists who generously donated their tracks and to those contributors who committed their devotion, time and efforts to make this project happen Magsons Hymart
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WebsiteIn addition to the following photo sets we have made quite a few changes to our website in recent weeks so do take a look around Pictures
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Help UsAn appeal for photographsUnfortunately we no longer have any photographs dating from before 2010. As you can imagine having no photographic archive of the children and the work at Mango House before this time is a great loss. If you volunteered for the charity or visited between 2005 and 2010 and have some photos you are willing to let us have we would dearly love to have a copy. Please contact us at childrenwalkingtall@hotmail.com if you can share your old photos with us Airlines, Luggage and Gifts in KindFor the current season both Thomas Cook and Thomsons are giving additional free luggage on outward flights for the Charity. If you would like to take something for the Charity and you are travelling with either airline you can find an application form by clicking on this link. Once submitted we will make the request on your behalf and then notify you of the free allowance granted. You can see the kinds of items we use by clicking on this link to see type of items which are used at Mango House. We are grateful for anything given and can assure supporters that we NEVER sell anything which is given to us. Please note that many items, particularly toiletries, are cheaper in Goa although strangely enough the own brand toothbrushes which supermarkets sell are cheaper in the UK. DonationsIf you would like to make a one off donation to the Charity you can do so by clicking on this link or by posting a cheque payable to Children Walking Tall to our registered address. If you would like to restrict your donation to being spent on a particular thing then please let us know by email so that we can ensure that we comply with your wishes. You can also set up a monthly payment by following the instructions here. If a donor could spare £2 per month that would give us £24 a year. With Gift Aid added that would make £30 - which provides lunch for all of the 100 children we support or over a thousand bananas - enough for the children for a whole week. It really can make a difference. Gift AidWe have recently contacted many of our monthly supporters to ask them if they were able to complete a Gift Aid form which would enable us to claim Gift Aid on donations. This is about an additional 25% of the original donation, given at no cost to the donor. There were a small number of donors who we were unable to contact - so if you are a monthly donor and are a UK Taxpayer, please would you contact us at childrenwalkingtall@hotmail.com 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. |
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And Finally...Newsletter By EmailWe have recently added to our newsletter mailing list to include future and recent volunteers, those planning visits or bringing luggage this year, long-standing supporters and recent and monthly donors where we could identify them.
We know it can by annoying to
receive a lot of emails which you did not necessarily want, so if you
would like to unsubscribe from our newsletter please just let us know by
email to
childrenwalkingtall@hotmail.com
Many Thanks from everyone at Children Walking Tall. Contact Us
Children Walking Tall Wilsic Rd Wilsic DONCASTER DN11 9GD |
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We
would like to thank all of our supporters for the help we continue to
receive. Every single donation whether it be money, goods or time is
important to us and we aim to thank every donor for their kindness. If
you would like a mention in our newsletter too it would be great if you
could just write a small paragraph for us to include here.
We
were very pleased that Magsons Hymart based in Panjim chose to support
Children Walking Tall as part of their social responsibility project. To
raise funds they donated 5 rupees to the Charity for every 750 rupees
spent. Shortly before Diwali a party arrived not only to make a donation
of the funds raised but they also brought a van stuffed with dry goods,
clothes, books and toys collected through kiosks placed outside their
stores and by involving two local schools, Sharada Mandir, Miramar and
People’s High School, Panjim, in the project. We would like to say a
special thank you to the management of Magsons for supporting us and to
their staff who worked very hard to collect and parcel the goods.
Diwali
Morning
School
Water
Park