I wish a wonderful Christmas morning and celebration to all!
I also wish everyone a happy Hannukah!
I also wish everyone a happy Hannukah!
| Album: 20111225 India |
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Tiffin tour, impromptu wedding invitation, Anganwadis, Blind school, etc.
I don't feel yet like I have settled in a routine yet, I can't really answer questions about 'what I do'. Looking back at a sample of activities from last week, you might get a sense of the reason why. :)
1. Raghubhai took me on his now famous 'Tiffin Tour' one morning. Pretty much from the start, he grabed my camera, so you can follow our steps in the album below as we distribute the tiffin boxes to old people who direly need it and peek in their simple homes.
2. Adrien, a French friend I met last year in Ahmedabad, came back for a few days, to attend Pryank's wedding. As Pryank knows I'm here, I also get invited. I argue that I don't have an appropriate outfit and one day is too short to chose a saari and have it ready. A fairy godmother offers to lend me one and there I am, trying on the most beautiful fabrics, to find a suitable one. On the day of the wedding, leaving behind a stained washed out kurta, I certainly feel like Cinderella, as my friend ties the Saari around me. :)
3. Neetaben, Anganwadi project coordinator, takes me on a small tour to pre-schools (anganwadis), which is an amazing way to get some first hand experience of what they are. Bolo 8 was the preschool being finished when I was there last year: I can boast that I painted the toilet door! It is great to see that kids are receiving nutritious snacks, that their weight is being followed to try and address malnutrition, that they are being taken care off during a large part of the day. The Anganwadi teachers visit a couple of homes everyday as part of their job: for instance, they inform parents when their children have a weight below norm and try to work some solution together. They also discuss absenteism and the importance of bringing the children to the preschools. Anganwadis are also a medium to access pregnant and nursing mothers, to ensure they get the medical support they need and the appropriate nutrition. Access to free delivery at the hospital, and support to actually use that service, has helped dramatically reduce the percentage of still born babies, and women dying in childbirth. Anganwadis are a national programme, and 78 of such pre-schools are run by Manav Sadhna, here in Ahmedabad.
4. Anjali takes us on a tour of Utthan, a local NGO doing amazing work with mentally challenged young people. They are supported with dignity in developping skills, which will possibly help them earn a living. The founder gives us a beautiful lesson in humanity.
5. We get the chance to visit Aura, a herbal dyeing company. We have a long discussion with the founders who share their vision for chemical dyeing usage to be reduced and replaced by their process on a large scale, minimizing soil and water pollution.
6. Fanny, Meenal and I spend 2 days at the Blind School in Gandhinagar, to help prepare and run a sports day event: discs and weight throwing, running, etc. We have a wonderful time connecting with those children and getting explanations from the teachers on their daily lives. This is the same school I spent a bit of time with last year :) For most children it is great fun to run as fast as they can, holding somebody's hand, and discover long jumping. It might now become a regular activity! (some of those kids are already playing cricket, entering competitions with other blind schools!).
phew, now I'm up to date on my blog (the sports day was yesterday). I'll keep you posted on what's next!
Much love,
Caroline
PS: so weird being in a warm country for such a long time, I can't really believe Christmas is in only 2 weeks...
1. Raghubhai took me on his now famous 'Tiffin Tour' one morning. Pretty much from the start, he grabed my camera, so you can follow our steps in the album below as we distribute the tiffin boxes to old people who direly need it and peek in their simple homes.
2. Adrien, a French friend I met last year in Ahmedabad, came back for a few days, to attend Pryank's wedding. As Pryank knows I'm here, I also get invited. I argue that I don't have an appropriate outfit and one day is too short to chose a saari and have it ready. A fairy godmother offers to lend me one and there I am, trying on the most beautiful fabrics, to find a suitable one. On the day of the wedding, leaving behind a stained washed out kurta, I certainly feel like Cinderella, as my friend ties the Saari around me. :)
3. Neetaben, Anganwadi project coordinator, takes me on a small tour to pre-schools (anganwadis), which is an amazing way to get some first hand experience of what they are. Bolo 8 was the preschool being finished when I was there last year: I can boast that I painted the toilet door! It is great to see that kids are receiving nutritious snacks, that their weight is being followed to try and address malnutrition, that they are being taken care off during a large part of the day. The Anganwadi teachers visit a couple of homes everyday as part of their job: for instance, they inform parents when their children have a weight below norm and try to work some solution together. They also discuss absenteism and the importance of bringing the children to the preschools. Anganwadis are also a medium to access pregnant and nursing mothers, to ensure they get the medical support they need and the appropriate nutrition. Access to free delivery at the hospital, and support to actually use that service, has helped dramatically reduce the percentage of still born babies, and women dying in childbirth. Anganwadis are a national programme, and 78 of such pre-schools are run by Manav Sadhna, here in Ahmedabad.
4. Anjali takes us on a tour of Utthan, a local NGO doing amazing work with mentally challenged young people. They are supported with dignity in developping skills, which will possibly help them earn a living. The founder gives us a beautiful lesson in humanity.
5. We get the chance to visit Aura, a herbal dyeing company. We have a long discussion with the founders who share their vision for chemical dyeing usage to be reduced and replaced by their process on a large scale, minimizing soil and water pollution.
6. Fanny, Meenal and I spend 2 days at the Blind School in Gandhinagar, to help prepare and run a sports day event: discs and weight throwing, running, etc. We have a wonderful time connecting with those children and getting explanations from the teachers on their daily lives. This is the same school I spent a bit of time with last year :) For most children it is great fun to run as fast as they can, holding somebody's hand, and discover long jumping. It might now become a regular activity! (some of those kids are already playing cricket, entering competitions with other blind schools!).
| Album: some activities at Manav Sadhna |
phew, now I'm up to date on my blog (the sports day was yesterday). I'll keep you posted on what's next!
Much love,
Caroline
PS: so weird being in a warm country for such a long time, I can't really believe Christmas is in only 2 weeks...
Friday, December 2, 2011
and just like that...
vieille dame cerisier
fleuri - souvenirs
de la vieillesse
old lady cherry tree
blossoms - memories
of old age
10/11/2011
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