As many of you know I'm here in India with a group called HELP International.
We work with partners within the country with an end goal of fighting poverty and empowering people.
Today we visited with a non-profit organization called the MV Foundation.
Basically they work to find children who are not in schools because they were forced to drop out.
Mostly these children had stop school because they had been sold into indentured servitude or simply to help support their family.
The MV Foundation finds these children, and puts them in a bridge school to catch them up to the other children their age.
After they catch up they are put in public schools to further their education.
The ones who have parents really want them to get an education and better themselves so they can have a different life than the ones their parents led.
The foundation has five bridge schools. Five for girls and five for boys.
We visited a girl's school and I can honestly say those girls were a joy to be around.
They have been through more hardships than I can even imagine yet they could not stop smiling.
They also fed us lunch while we were there.
I thought I'd show you exactly what I've been eating and will be eating consistently for the next few months.
This...along with rice has to be eaten with your hands.
They don't use utensils and you have to use your right hand to do everything.
The left hand is traditionally used for everything unsanitary (yes- it is as bad as you are thinking)
So naturally it's considered pretty offensive to use your left hand for anything.
It takes concentration, but I'm getting pretty good at eating rice with one hand!
These girls live at the school and all their belongings fit in one of these boxes.
What if you had to fit all your worldly possessions in one of these?
Even in the heat and humidity and the language barrier these girls were so happy!
We taught them how to say "I love you" in english and in sign language
The flower I'm holding is from one of the girls.
She came up to me and said I love you after learning how in English...then she handed me the flower.
She held my hand the rest of the time we were there
This is their library.
We brought books for them that we had collected in America.
Such a great experience.
I'm excited to work with this organization more in the future...they want our help creating manuels for duplicating their system in other countries for other NGOs.
Amazing?
I thought so too.
Love,
A
I'm a friend of Elora's, but just wanted to say how great I think it is you are doing something like this!! I had two daughters who went to China (different times) to teach English, and it was a wonderful experience for both of them. How great to see how another part of the world lives!! Good work.
ReplyDeleteThank you both! I know a few people who have gone to teach English as well and I know they had a great experience too...Thanks so much for following...hopefully we can do some work for good here!
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