From the 22nd- the 26th of Feb. we went to go visit the YMCA in Ranchi to see all the work that they do.
We had to travel over night on a train to get there... that was an experience! The seats fold down into bunks, the ride was cold and bumpy and loud! But we made it, exhausted, but there! The Y had us staying a convent, that also rents rooms out for people to stay in or for groups to stay. We had our breakfast there and then got right into the visit! We met all of the secretaries of the Ranchi Y, They were all so friendly and fun. Mr. Sangar is the head. The first day we went to the slums all day, we saw 2 schools the Y has set up for the children. The families only have to play a very small fee so that their children can go and get an education. The Y also provides the students with lunch. We saw a health clinic that Y has set up for this particular area. The students at the Y school get free check ups and medicine. Everyone else in the community only has to pay very small amounts for treatment. The most eye opening place we went to was a school that is literally set up outside, under a bridge. Cars are passing by overhead and right next to the school. This is school is for the children of the leporse from a colony the Y set up. We visited this colony also. The Y provides them with clean water and medicine so that they are not contagious and get take care of themselves. There were only a few people in the colony because when we went to visit everyone was out begging. The Y helps about 77 people with Leprosy and their families. Later we went to a vocational training school. This school taught girls and women embroidery and clothes making. Everything is done by hand! Their work was so beautiful! The girls were a lot of fun to talk to, they asked us questions about the US and we asked them about India. They told us attendance was low today because there is a festival for women. The women must fast all day and make an offering at the temple, the purpose is that if they do this, they will get a good husband. We went to the local temple to see all the women. We even made it on the news! Alison gave a short interview! That night the secretaries took us out to dinner at a hotel restaurant and had some amazing Indian food! The best was the Saffron and Pistachio ice cream.
The next day we visited 2 more vocational schools the Y set up. The first offered sewing and stitching and clothes making. The women here made beautiful rugs made form old Sarees. Typing, computer, and exam help classes where also offered. Attached was a small elementary school. The Y also offers karate, badminton and volleyball for its members. Then we went to a vocational school, it was mainly a school from KG- class 7. They are working on becoming credited and offering all the way to class 10. The children in the classes all sang us songs! This school also offers typing and stitching classes for adults. That evening the girls that had all passed their sewing classes were receiving their certificates, so they had the credentials to then go get jobs. We were the quests of honor and handed the girls the certificates. There were many girls there from our first visit. The girls were all very happy to have gotten these certificates because now they are able to go get jobs and not have to depend on anyone else. Uni-Y was also there to watch. Uni-Y is a group of YMCA college students that come together and volunteer for their local Y's.
Our last day in Ranchi we were taken to the country side to visit a tribal village that the Y is helping. We were greeted by the Y youth group. we were given Leis and their were drums ad dancing and singing. We got to learn some of the dancing! We were taken around all day and we say a small school the Y has set up for the village children. The teacher must got to the children's houses every day to bring them to school because their parents are to busy working. We sang "baby shark" to the children! We also saw a bee farm where the Y teaches the people from the village how to make honey, we got to try some, it was delicious and we got to take some home with us! We also so a women's group the Y set up. We also got to enjoy and wonderful Indian tribal lunch!
The trip to Ranchi was so amazing! The YMCAs in India have really impressed me. They are reaching out to all the different kinds if communities, the slums, the villages, students, families, and so many more people. I think it is really neat the YMCA has been able to set up school for children that would otherwise not be getting any form of education. They are really giving the people a chance to succeed. It was a short trip with so much to take in. It is incredible how so many people here are really living with absolutely nothing. I am glad there is an organizationlike the Y that is helping to make such a huge difference.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Sports Fest
Feb. 18th was sports fest!
It was kind of like a "field day" for the girls. All their parents came to watch, whichwas really exciting for them. They got to play games and visit their families and have great food all day.
The girls were split up into 4 teams, the red, yellow, green, and blue teams. All the girls participated. They had running races too see who was fastest. They had one race where the girl had to balance clay pots on their heads and make it to the finish line, there were a few broken pots. :-) There was a beauty race... the girls had to run to a table with make up and jewelry set up, race to put everything on correctly and then race to the finish line, that was was entertaining, they had make up everywhere! The little girls had to see who could find the most sequins in a bowl of rice, there was a contest to see who could get the most water transferred from bucket to bucket in a set time. Many many games! It last all afternoon. The girls had so much fun! It was great!... Especially to have this right before their final exams. Exams start next week for the girls, they are tested on information from he whole year, they must pass to move on to the next grade, so we have really been helping the girls study a lot. For sports fest, extra cooks were hired and we all had a feast! The girls got to eat with their families which they were very excited about. Sports day was a lot of fun for everyone, its great that the girls were able to have this day.
It was kind of like a "field day" for the girls. All their parents came to watch, whichwas really exciting for them. They got to play games and visit their families and have great food all day.
The girls were split up into 4 teams, the red, yellow, green, and blue teams. All the girls participated. They had running races too see who was fastest. They had one race where the girl had to balance clay pots on their heads and make it to the finish line, there were a few broken pots. :-) There was a beauty race... the girls had to run to a table with make up and jewelry set up, race to put everything on correctly and then race to the finish line, that was was entertaining, they had make up everywhere! The little girls had to see who could find the most sequins in a bowl of rice, there was a contest to see who could get the most water transferred from bucket to bucket in a set time. Many many games! It last all afternoon. The girls had so much fun! It was great!... Especially to have this right before their final exams. Exams start next week for the girls, they are tested on information from he whole year, they must pass to move on to the next grade, so we have really been helping the girls study a lot. For sports fest, extra cooks were hired and we all had a feast! The girls got to eat with their families which they were very excited about. Sports day was a lot of fun for everyone, its great that the girls were able to have this day.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Shadow
The past few days have been very busy and interesting.
Tuesday we went to visit a village that was established by the YMCA. It is a women's co-op village. The YMCA has sponsored 14 of them. These villages were each given something to help them start a business that they could make a living on and become self sustaining. All the villages are now self sustaining but the YMCA still oversees everything and makes sure the money is being used equally and paid back when loans are take out. There are about 12- 20 women involved in each village, but their fa miles are there also. We saw to villages, one harvested rice and one raised chickens. Families have used the success to start other businesses within the village. We had tea with a family that started their own tailoring business. Everyone was so friendly the whole village came out and walked around with us on our tour. We had tea and LOTs of sweets at the Woman's house that is head of the villages near where we were. While Mr. Sampon oversees everything, she is there all the time to make sure everything is running smoothly. It was a really great day. I enjoyed seeing what the YMCA has done for people. The Y is very active here in helping to create better lives for people. These women now have a way to provide for their families, and the girls we work with have been given the chance for a better education. The Y is so great!
Tuesday night we were awoken in the wee hours (10:30pm haha) Mr. Sampson and Swarnali were yelling to us from below out balcony. Mr. Sircar came and wanted us to leave with him at 5am because 114 years ago the Lord came, and he wanted us to go to the gathering. We found out the whole story when we woke up nice and early. 114 years ago there were farmers in a drought and they had been praying for rain. All of a sudden water came gushing from the ground and falling from the sky and the farmers all started speaking in different languages. So every year there is a few day, over night gathering where people go to a Church service and what ever you pray for will be answered there. It was a really neat experience to go to this gathering that is so important here and to see thousands of people at it. It was in a large tent like building. In the US they have those huge white tents for weddings and stuff, well in India they have something like that, expect its made out of bamboo and cloth, and the ground was covered with hay. We met the priests giving the sermon because they are good friends of Mr. Sircar. On the way back to Ranaghat we stopped at a place to eat. We had these friend dough bread things (but not sweet) with a curry and vegetable sauce to dip it in, it was amazing! Mr. Sircar is great, he really likes us to try the Indian food, and wants us to experience India, like going on the train and things like that. He is also great at explaining things to us and as we pass places he tells us all about them.
Yesterday when we were going to play games with the girls, there was tiniest little puppy! Tumpa had rescued him, he was outside our our gate. So small and skinny. The girls wanted to keep him as a pet, but Ramon and him did not get along. So we took him. Currently he is living on our porch, we have a cardboard box for him and he have given him water and biscuits. We are hoping that Mr. and Ms. Gomes fall in love with him, so when we leave he does not go back on the streets. Today we plan on giving him a bath, and there is a vet near by where we can get medicine for him. He is so so sweet and he loves the three of us so much! and I think Ms. Gomes like shim a lot too. He decided to name him shadow. He is black with a white belly. He loves to follow us around. Tim made a collar for him and a leash, so we can take him for walks. Hopefully we can get him healthy, he bones are sticking out everywhere. I'll put up a picture of him!
Tuesday we went to visit a village that was established by the YMCA. It is a women's co-op village. The YMCA has sponsored 14 of them. These villages were each given something to help them start a business that they could make a living on and become self sustaining. All the villages are now self sustaining but the YMCA still oversees everything and makes sure the money is being used equally and paid back when loans are take out. There are about 12- 20 women involved in each village, but their fa miles are there also. We saw to villages, one harvested rice and one raised chickens. Families have used the success to start other businesses within the village. We had tea with a family that started their own tailoring business. Everyone was so friendly the whole village came out and walked around with us on our tour. We had tea and LOTs of sweets at the Woman's house that is head of the villages near where we were. While Mr. Sampon oversees everything, she is there all the time to make sure everything is running smoothly. It was a really great day. I enjoyed seeing what the YMCA has done for people. The Y is very active here in helping to create better lives for people. These women now have a way to provide for their families, and the girls we work with have been given the chance for a better education. The Y is so great!
Tuesday night we were awoken in the wee hours (10:30pm haha) Mr. Sampson and Swarnali were yelling to us from below out balcony. Mr. Sircar came and wanted us to leave with him at 5am because 114 years ago the Lord came, and he wanted us to go to the gathering. We found out the whole story when we woke up nice and early. 114 years ago there were farmers in a drought and they had been praying for rain. All of a sudden water came gushing from the ground and falling from the sky and the farmers all started speaking in different languages. So every year there is a few day, over night gathering where people go to a Church service and what ever you pray for will be answered there. It was a really neat experience to go to this gathering that is so important here and to see thousands of people at it. It was in a large tent like building. In the US they have those huge white tents for weddings and stuff, well in India they have something like that, expect its made out of bamboo and cloth, and the ground was covered with hay. We met the priests giving the sermon because they are good friends of Mr. Sircar. On the way back to Ranaghat we stopped at a place to eat. We had these friend dough bread things (but not sweet) with a curry and vegetable sauce to dip it in, it was amazing! Mr. Sircar is great, he really likes us to try the Indian food, and wants us to experience India, like going on the train and things like that. He is also great at explaining things to us and as we pass places he tells us all about them.
Yesterday when we were going to play games with the girls, there was tiniest little puppy! Tumpa had rescued him, he was outside our our gate. So small and skinny. The girls wanted to keep him as a pet, but Ramon and him did not get along. So we took him. Currently he is living on our porch, we have a cardboard box for him and he have given him water and biscuits. We are hoping that Mr. and Ms. Gomes fall in love with him, so when we leave he does not go back on the streets. Today we plan on giving him a bath, and there is a vet near by where we can get medicine for him. He is so so sweet and he loves the three of us so much! and I think Ms. Gomes like shim a lot too. He decided to name him shadow. He is black with a white belly. He loves to follow us around. Tim made a collar for him and a leash, so we can take him for walks. Hopefully we can get him healthy, he bones are sticking out everywhere. I'll put up a picture of him!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Blanket
Tim, Alison and I noticed that when the girls get TV time they sit on this old, ripped, dirty blanket, or they take the blankets from their bed and lay then on the dusty, dirty floor. So the three of us decided that we wanted to get them a nice, big, comfortable blanket for them. A few days ago in the market we found the perfect one! (its shown below) We wanted to suprise them so we planned on laying it out infront of the TV so when they came in it would just be there. Well, there are a few girls that will skip dinner or have their dinner brought to them so they can sneak in a few extra minutes of TV. Kicking them out was difficult! We finally got them out and shut the door. Then the power went out! (which it does about twice a day here for a couple hours at a time) So we didn't know if you should wait since the girls couldn't watch TV anyway, we got lanterns and decided we should still give it to them since they were all outside the doors trying ot get in wondering what we were doing. We layed the blanket out and then let them in. They were so suprised! It was so cute! They all squeezed onto the blanket, they were so excited! We were happy knowing that we got them something useful and that they really enjoy. We also told them thay this blanket can't go outside, and that Ramon the dog is not allowed to nap on it!
We have recently seen some neat animals around! Yesterday during lunch monkeys came!! They were huge!! They were in the neighbors hard looking for food. Of course my battery was charging, so I didn't get pictures, but I think they'll be back! A bat also flew onto our porch and fell asleep in between two chairs!
The Hindi girls also had a party at school, they got all dressed up and looked absolutely beautiful! We do not see them in their nice clothes very often, or ever! So it was great to see them excited about the party and looking so stunning!
Mine and Alison's new clothes came back from the tailor! The outfits are called "Salwars" The top shirt, pants, and scarf. We each got an outfit with the tight pants and one with the baggy pants. The pants have been a little hard to get used to, very different from jeans!
The girls were VERY excited to see us in our Salwars, they said we could now be half Indian! :-)
We have recently seen some neat animals around! Yesterday during lunch monkeys came!! They were huge!! They were in the neighbors hard looking for food. Of course my battery was charging, so I didn't get pictures, but I think they'll be back! A bat also flew onto our porch and fell asleep in between two chairs!
The Hindi girls also had a party at school, they got all dressed up and looked absolutely beautiful! We do not see them in their nice clothes very often, or ever! So it was great to see them excited about the party and looking so stunning!
Mine and Alison's new clothes came back from the tailor! The outfits are called "Salwars" The top shirt, pants, and scarf. We each got an outfit with the tight pants and one with the baggy pants. The pants have been a little hard to get used to, very different from jeans!
The girls were VERY excited to see us in our Salwars, they said we could now be half Indian! :-)
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