GANESH CHATURTHI

India is a country where colorful festivals and celebrations take place throughout the year. Not a single month in the Hindu calendar is devoid of a ‘sacred’ day. One of these celebrations is the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. Ganesh is revered in India as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune, and is invoked when starting any business or journey. It is believed that this god grants his presence to his devotees for the duration of the festival. In the State of Maharashtra, the event is celebrated not only by Hindus but also Muslims, Jains and Christians.

We recently celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi at Yashodhara Shelter – children, teachers, staff and neighbors. The children made an altar with great enthusiasm and a day later, held a welcoming ceremony for Ganesh led by the Shelter’s support class teacher. For five days, every morning and every evening, the children made a pooja (offering) to Ganesh. On the sixth day, the idol was immersed in water, thus completing the celebration.

Each person or group of people celebrates the festival in their own way in accordance with their caste, culture, religious beliefs and traditions. Amid this diversity, the various celebrations unite people by strengthening their ties and relationships, as well as turning life into a joyful carnival. The feelings of unity and brotherhood are intertwined and manifested through a festive and devotional ceremony.

A needed change in CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY LAWS

The first time Suhasini fainted while she worked in the cotton fields, the farmer shouted at her for slacking. "The smell of pesticide made me feel like vomiting," says the nine-year-old. "First it gave me a bad headache. Then I felt sick and dizzy." The next time Suhasini fainted was more serious. The farmer had to take the delirious girl to the nearest hospital. Later Suhasini discovered he’d docked the cost of her medical treatment from her 15 rupee (22 cents) daily wage.

Suhasini, one of Andhra Pradesh’s 82,000 child labourers, continued to work in the fields from 6am until 6pm, day in day out, while the cotton plants were being sprayed with poisonous pesticide. She fainted several more times before her mother was taken ill with a fatal stomach ailment. When Suhasini had to go to live with her uncle, she stopped working and got the opportunity to attend school instead.

Many child labourers continue to work in the cotton fields. Despite the laws that prohibit children younger than 14 working, India is home to the largest number of the world’s working children, with estimates of around 114 million children employed. More campaigns are needed to pressurise companies into taking responsibility for their operations throughout the supply chain instead of making huge profits from cheap and readily available child labor.

Picture 1: Global Concerns Classroom

Picture 2: Child Rights for Change

Text source: www.actionaid.org.uk

FRESH HUGS

We had another visitor at Yashodhara Shelter: Fernando Munarriz of San Sebastian, Basque Country. Fernando is the Sponsor of Kishor, a seven year old child. Fernando's sister, Maria Jose, is also the Sponsor of another child at the Shelter. Fernando was making a tour around China and India and made a stop for several days in Pune as he wished to meet Kishor and establish a closer bond with him.

Fernando brought gifts for Kishor and the other children, who received them same way they welcome visitors: with enthusiasm and openness. There was no favouritism; no jealousies arose among the children since they are used to sharing their toys and even clothes with their peers. As Kishor's birthday was near, his Sponsor dove into the adventure of buying clothes at a bazaar in the city of Pune together with Eshana, our co-worker who lives at the Shelter and who knows the children’s sizes and tastes.

As regards Fernando, he got to taste and enjoy the atmosphere his godson is living in, and gave him plenty of affection and hugs. At Yashodhara, receiving and giving are in balance and lead to the wonder of sharing.

COVERING MORE GROUND

This year, Asha-Kiran is contributing to the formation of self-help groups, and to counseling and training adults of two slum communities in the Koregaon Park and Hadapsar areas.

The training consists in teaching adults how to read and write, and the counseling, in providing them information on professional courses and how to form and manage self-help groups. These initiatives aim to empower the adults of these communities in the financial realm, provide tools for them to deal with emergencies, and learn how to give each other financial support.

To perform this task effectively, our social workers contacted the Department of Urban Community Development of Pune, which develops and gives programs and courses, and awards grants to economically disadvantaged groups. We are pleased to have this organization as a partner for the improvement of the economic and working conditions of our target communities.

A group of 11 people is taking shape in the community of Koregaon Park and two groups of 11 people each in the Hadapsar community. The people in these groups have welcomed the program as they realize it will enable them to be independent in their financial activities and improve their decision-making ability for the sustainable development of their families and communities.

INDIA IS LOSING ITS GIRLS

The first population census of 2011 shows a total of one million two hundred thousand people in India and also presents a worrying fact: for every one thousand boys under 6, there are only 914 girls.

Families prefer to have sons than daughters, especially among economically disadvantaged groups.

Girls in India are still seen as a burden, ‘a bad investment’, because they have to be taken care of only to ultimately join their husband’s household. Therefore, some mothers practice selective abortions or abandon their daughters after birth. If they are born, girls generally receive less attention and healthcare than boys, have a higher level of malnutrition, and are less likely to get an education. Mortality rates are higher among girls. From a very young age, they perform household chores which may take up to eight hours daily – a time they could spend going to school.

At present, India has one of the largest imbalances between boys and girls worldwide. The lack of females could cause serious problems in Indian society according to the Population Fund of the United Nations, one of them being that a significant proportion of young men would not be able to find a partner, especially among the poor. This, in turn, could lead to an increase in violence and trafficking of girls. On the other hand, young women would be pressured to marry and have children at an early age and, therefore, would often give up their education or jobs.

Empowerment of women and the community, access to education, implementation of rights in all sectors of the population, and a system of community solidarity will be key elements in addressing this problem.

YASHODHARA: A WELCOME VISIT

Mª Angeles, a friend and Volunteer at Asha-Kiran, came to Pune to meet her sponsored child, Ravi, an 11-year-old boy from Yashodhara Shelter, and share some time and presents with him and the other children. Such meetings are as necessary and enriching for the sponsored child as they are for the Sponsor. Cinta, Asha-Kiran's friend and collaborator, also came to visit.

Before being admitted in the Shelter, Yashodhara children used to live in conditions of extreme vulnerability. They came from homes where they may have suffered physical or sexual abuse or may have been forced to work. All this seems very far away when one sees their joy, vitality and their ever-present smiles, but there have been times when their hearts have also had folds of sadness and discouragement.

With a visit from Volunteers and Sponsors, the veils of these folds seem to fall off. A visit is a gift that goes beyond mere human contact. The way that children receive love from visitors, so unexpectedly, opens the door to other ways of experiencing the world. The children seem to be healed by people who come to Yashodhara and have an influence in their many desires and activities. Any gesture, however small it may seem, encompasses many dimensions.

THANKS to Maria Angeles, Cinta, and to all those who share their hearts with children.

Eshana Alcover – live-in Volunteer at Yashodhara Shelter

SNAKES and CHILDREN

The geographical location of the campus where Yashodhara Shelter is located is an ideal habitat for snakes. Having seen snakes around the Shelter on several occasions in recent months, we decided to inform about them to the nearly two hundred children who live on the campus.

Our Project Coordinator, Aniruddha, and our Social Worker, Deepti, organized the briefing jointly with Mr. Aniruddha Joshi, who is associated with the Information Center and Security Network Department of Pune University.

We made the children aware of the danger posed by snakes through audiovisual support and a detailed explanation of the types of snakes and their characteristics, bites, how to tell by the bite if the snake is poisonous or harmless, and precautions to take to prevent snakes from nesting around the buildings on campus. They were also told about the time limit for treatment and that the campus hospital is well equipped to deal with snake bites.