PEACE DAY AT SCHOOLS

On January 30^th, children join the celebration of Peace and Non-violence through educational activities in the schools that commemorate the day when Mahatma Gandhi was murdered.

Gandhi was one of the 19^th century men who gave shape to the 20^th century. Vigorously non-violent himself, Gandhi personified one of the main catalysts of Indian Independence.

Asha-Kiran joins the remembrance of this day by citing his words:

“All quarrels arise from wanting to force others to adopt one’s point of view. I profoundly believe that nothing lasting can be built from violence. As long as man doesn’t place himself, of his own free will, in the last rank among his human brethren, he will not be saved.”

SOWING SEEDS OF SOLIDARITY II

Thankful for the response of the students from Huelin High School in Malaga, we wish to share with you some of the thoughts and feelings that the activity carried out by Asha-Kiran brought forth in them.

Gemma Martín González – 11th grade

I liked the lecture because it was an eye opener – you see how children in other countries haven’t been as lucky as yourself, they haven’t been able to go to school, they have no toys, they haven’t enjoyed their childhood. Then you realize how this type of organizations, no matter how small they are, do all they can, and even though they know they won’t be able to change the world, the children’s smiles, no matter how few they are, are enough to justify all their efforts.

Patricia Aragó Mateos – 11th grade

When I saw the children in the video, at school and smiling, it caught my attention because they were happy to be going to school, which is something unusual in our society.

Mª Dolores Ciudad – 11th grade

As Uttam, the President of the Foundation would say: “It isn’t charity, it’s justice. We have absolutely everything, but they don’t have either the opportunities or the means for living in decent conditions. We must fix that – it’s up to us”.

Yevpenij Pancyrev – 12th grade

We can’t live like we live now, having everything while other people in poor countries don’t have basic things or food. It’s horrible. We have to change, but this change is difficult for our countries because we don’t want to give away our goods, our money…

Pablo Jesús Lozano Carmona – 12th grade
It was really shocking because you know that poverty exists in the world, but if someone who has lived through it tells you about his experience, it makes you think more. We saw pictures of poor children in India, and some of them were hard to see. All this makes you feel like a privileged person who doesn’t take advantage of all he has.

Cristina Artero Abalos – 12th grade

The talk helped me to become more aware of the problems that other countries have, and how much they need the help that we can give them, even if it’s not much. All together we can do a lot and pitch in to improve their quality of life.

Aurora Caracuel Barrientos – 12th grade

Since the day of the talk, I appreciate even more all the things I have at home even though I often don’t like them. However, now I think about those children and I’m very grateful for my lifestyle.

Sara Martín Alonso – 12th grade

I like the point of view that the Foundation has – not to make people dependant on them, but give them an alternative way, just expand their possibilities and not force them to think like us. I think people should be more interested in ‘being’ and not so obsessed with ‘having’. People often forget what life means and they just let it go on.

SOWING SEEDS OF SOLIDARITY

Solidarity Day with Fundación Asha-Kiran and Uttam’s meeting with the students from IES HUELIN High School in Malaga.

Huelin High School in Malaga started its Solidarity Program together with Fundación Asha-Kiran. The objective of this program is to make students acquainted with the work of several NGOs as shown by their founders and volunteers.

Fundación Asha-Kiran was chosen to inaugurate and launch this program. Our objective was to have students, teachers, parents and non-teaching staff take part in the activity, and to disseminate the social work of Asha-Kiran.

For three days, all the students from grades 7th through 12th saw the Photography Exhibit of children in India and visited Asha-Kiran’s Solidarity Bazaar. Likewise, the board of directors, teachers and other staff came to buy items from the bazaar and see the photographs. Some students donated toys, puzzles and coloring pencils. The 8th grade students were the ones in charge of making Asha-Kiran signs and notice boards placed at the entrance; the 9th grade students drew a carpet and several OM’s to greet Uttam on January 15th.

Some students from the 11th grade made a welcome sign, others made drawings which they later gave to Uttam, and the rest wrote messages to the children from Yashodhara Shelter Home and the Day Care Centers. The messages will be sent to India so that the children can read them.


The activities reached their climax on January 15, when Uttam met the students from 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades, as well as the teachers. During four hours, he spoke about the Foundation and children in India, and answered many questions from all who came to the auditorium at different times to listen and to see the pictures and a brief show about INDIA and ASHA-KIRAN. During recess, chai tea and pappadums were served to Uttam and the teaching staff.

More than 300 hundred students came to the auditorium during that time. After meeting Uttam and hearing him speak about the work of the Foundation, none of us remained indifferent. We were filled with India; our hearts beat closer to this country, its culture and, above all, its children.


It was a festive and moving day, and an opportunity for reflection. In short, a wonderful and unforgettable day because of what the students received: the possibility of getting to know the way other people live.

We urge teachers to join this initiative in their schools. Children and youngsters are able, like no one else, to begin vibrating in tune with solidarity and to begin working together with a Foundation that devotes its work to children.

Children living on ‘this side’ of the world who lend their support to children living on ‘the other side’, so that they may also have similar opportunities in life.

Bright-eyed children in India who, in spite of having limited means, teach western children the great message of living with acceptance and hope and of wishing to grow against all odds.

Children interacting with one another to share and to enrich each other.

THANK YOU UTTAM, THANK YOU ASHA-KIRAN.

Remedios Montoro and Mª Ángeles Arráez (Malaga)

ASHA-KIRAN'S NEWSLETTER

We have started a quarterly newsletter with the aim of improving our communication with our partners, sponsors, donors, and all who are interested in the social work of
Asha-Kiran. This way, we wish you to be part of the steps that ‘our’ children take towards a present and a future with better possibilities, and of the social initiatives we launch in order to make their journey easier.

Every three months, we will tell you about Asha-Kiran’s actions, projects, plans and objectives, and, of course, about the activities and progress of the children our work is destined to, and whose lives you contribute to enrich. We hope it will please you to keep up to date with all that happens to them, and with what we strive to continue attaining together.

ART AND SELF-EXPRESSION

Looking for ways in which our children’s creative and artistic spark may materialize in shapes and movement, two Volunteers travelled from Spain to Pune on Christmas vacation to give dance and art workshops to the young beneficiaries of our Projects.

Ester Rodríguez’ workshop (oriental dance teacher) took place at Yashodhara Shelter Home and consisted of

-holistic exercises with movement, music, situations, images, emotions, communication and creativity;

- the search for the children’s own body identity and their own way of dancing;

- various interpretation and communication games;

learning choreographies from their own country, and rehearsing, in small groups, other dance routines thought up by the children themselves.

Layla D’Angelo, an artist who enjoys sharing art with children, offered the children from Yashodhara and the Day Care Centers arts and crafts as tools to generate self-confidence and to develop inventiveness, spontaneity and an intimate language with colors and shapes. She also combined the exploration of manual arts with the teaching of the English language, the knowledge of which widens the possibilities of India’s disadvantaged children.

Through drawing, painting, clay-modeling and mobile-making, Layla let the children search, in a natural way, for individuality and that which is special in them, leaving personal judgments aside.

Both workshops were a great success among girls and boys, who had lots of fun with these ways of self-expression. We thank our Volunteers for their dedicated participation.

GRATITUDE

Click on the image to enlarge it.

HAPPY 2010