Welcome Spring!

Last week Mumbai celebrated the arrival of Spring in the festival Holi, one of the most beautiful and traditional holdays in the Hindú calender. Hence, our lovely Indian city was filled with colored dust and happiness to recieve to new season.

Holi anounces the arrival of Spring – the season of hope and new beginnings. It is a wonderful sight, a huge amount of color – crimson, red, pink, orange, purple, yellow and green. This day people throw dust of every color. It is done in the memory of the amusment Krishna had playing and singing songs.

Welcome Spring!

They Made Us Feel At Home

Today we wanted to dedicate the post to something writing by Arancha, a friend of ours who came to see us for a few days and who also runs and organization in India.

I want to dedicate a few lines to our friend: Bombay Smiles, who invited us to visit their projects last weekend in Mumbai and made as feel at home. We offer them our deepest congratulations for the immense work that they are doing. For our small NGO, they are a clear example to follow. In a bit less than five years, Jaume Sanllorente and his team at Bombay Smiles have been able to help more than 5,000 people from the most disadvantaged casts in Indian society in Mumbai, especially the children.

This weekend we have had the opportunity to visit two of their projects: The Yashodhan School located in the Shashtri slum in Nagir, where the NGO covers the salaries of the teachers, allowing more than 700 children to continue their education; and their project entitled: “Nutritional Supplementation,” through which Bombay Smiles teaches families from various slums how to best feed their children in order to improve their immune systems, lower their risk of infections and build healthy and hygienic habits. And this is only two of their projects.

The NGO currently has projects for the rehabilitation of leprosy patients, no more nor less than 113 nursery schools in the rural zones of Mumbai, as well as its education centers and the Karuna Orphanage. I invite you to help them continue their “peaceful fight against poverty.”

Thanks Ana and Shila for sharing your projects, experiences and knowledge with us! And thanks Jaume for all of your work in this country.

Arancha
http://www.meraparivarorg.blogspot.com/

But Carnival Is Over!

Although Carnival has already passed (and, moreover, isn’t generally celebrated in India), some of the children in the balwadis chose to make masks for various reasons. Thus, recently we have been able to see some of the children in the balwadis wearing their works with pride.
We didn´t want to miss the opportunity to show you some photos of their masks and satisfaction.

;-) Soon we will show you some pictures from Hola, one of the most beautiful and fun Indian festivals to welcome Spring…

Photos: Ana Andrés (Sonrisas de Bombay)

A Day at a Nursery School

Today we want to show you some photos from a normal day in one of the 100 balwadis (nursery schools) that Bombay Smiles and the local organization New Life have supported over the last year. Here, the pictures are from the balwadis in the most peripheral slum zone of Mumbia.

Welcome to the Balwadi

Once the students have entered the classrooms, Project Coordinator Jacob Serrao and his wife return to the offices where the monitor the balwadis.

Kamal Manshukani's surprise visit to one of the balwadis.

The teacher and her helper watch the students as they do their first math problems.

A serious moment...

The students review the names of fruits and vegetables (from the poster hanging on the wall).

The teacher is now going over the days of the month.

Before the children eat, Kamal Manshukani takes attendence.

The classroom has been decked out to celebrate one of the student's birthdays

Time to sing! And as they sang so well... no glass broke :)

This is one of Bombay Smile’s 100 balwadis (nursery schools) that, thanks to your help, educates more than 3,000 children in the most poverty-stricken areas of Bombay, giving them hope and the possibility of a future with liberty.

Photos: Ana Andrés (Sonrisas de Bombay)

Candies!

As in every part of the world, if the children are really “fans” of anything –it’s candy. Hence, there was no other way that we could thank them for their effort to prepare themselves so, so well for their first “tests”… ;-)

Photographs: Ana Andrés (Sonrisas de Bombay)

The God of Respect

These images correspond to a morning in the Yashodhan school. As always, after singing the National Anthem, they proceeded to pray to greet the day and ask it to go well. The photographs (a girl whose hands are in the Muslim prayer position and another in the position of Hinduism) illustrate perfectly one of the basic premises of Bombay Smiles: respect for every religion. Bombay Smiles, which is secular, totally and absolutely respects the beliefs and faith of every community that we help, whether it is Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jainist or any other Indian religion. Bombay is 81% Hindu, 12% Muslim, 3% Christian, 1.9% Sikhs, 2.5% Jainist, a small percent Parsee (deeply rooted in Bombay) and other minority religions.We will always help regardless of one’s religion and will never impose one on them.

Photographs: Juan Pelegrín

Food Delivery

Once again, Bombay Smiels has delivered food and different types of help to the leper colony in northern Bombay. Kamal Manshukani, responsible for projects in Bombay, was in charge of the April delivery, in which numerous members of our organization participated.
Next we will show you a few of the pictures from that day:

In place of the founder of Bombay Smiles, Kamal Manshukani sends a message of hope to the communities of this place in a short speech.

There were large lines all morning

Kamal Manshukani speaks with Jacob Serrao, director of the counterpart New Life, with which Bombay Smiles coordinates projects for the balwadis.

The people who live in these zones are untouchables and living in unhealthy conditions. Day by day, thanks to your support, we can bring new hope to these communities in Bombay.

Rice, wheat, oil… numerous families from this zone can eat for several more months.

Various moments of the delivery...

Fotographs: Bombay Smiles

The visit, for a person who doesn’t know the reality of this city, is truly gratifying and revealing about the situation in Bombay. I had a lot of fun with the children and I still have the desire to listen to some teacher talk about his work and the development of the children. Moreover, I really want to visit your other projects. Thanks again and I hope that I can come back soon.

David

Once again I was left delighted and impressed by your knowing what to do for those who need it most. I will always fondly remember you’re visitor reception, the “culoinquieto,” Ana and her brilliant art of leading the Indians in their daily lounging. Thank you, Jaume, for your advice and consideration for those who are beginning in this great madness.

Pablo, with a lot a lot of affection. February 2009

Considering my critical vision of NGOs, I consider your work a drop in the ocean, I have to recognize that the contribution of Bombay Smiles provides hope to the unfortunate people who need it more than anyone else: inhabitants of the slum neighborhoods, orphans and lepers. I hope that your work is very successful. So much so that in the future your work isn’t necessary in India.

Zigor Aldama

Today’s visit has been revealing, emotional, happy and full of hope. I have enjoyed sharing a little bit of your work, which has allowed me to understand how generosity and enthusiasm can help us to create a caring society with those who need it most. I thank you enormously for the opportunity that you have offered me so that we can get to know each other better and so that I can start helping in your work. A big hug,

Pilar

The work that you do here is very impressive. It has been a great time experience to able to see your projects for ourselves and spend some time with these children, who, because of the way that they live, smile every time they see you. Thank you so much for your attention and for sharing the day with us.
Sincerely,

Monica Alemán and Anna Caball

It has been a great pleasure to attend a class with the children of Bombay Smiles and Ana! God blesses you for the immense work that you do!

Alejandra

I was surprised, we remembered each other after so much time. Continue working!
Kisses to everyone,

Tere, conchita, Pilar, Magadalena y Montserrat

Returning to Bombay and returning to see what you are doing in Bombay Smiles, has made the long trip worth it. Continue, you’re project is unstoppable.

Giovanni

It is necessary to do what is appropriate, and that is what we see in your projects, and this is what brings change through growth, and this is what we must all mutually contribute. It is fantastic that you have found a way to channel and awaken our fraternal ability for equality and a future for everyone. Congratulations! And thanks to Ana, for helping us to better understand

this reality.

Antonio, Diego and Juan

Yesterday we visited two nurseries and this morning Yashodan School. In both projects I had the sensation of seeing a project with so many possibilities, with so many things that you can do! Today, in the leprosy project, I was impressed by the ingenuity of the methods, and what a joy to see people so prepared, that know so much of what they were doing. People who only needed support so that they could continue growing. I think that coming from Calcuta it is easier to understand the reality of what you are doing. Moreover, I highly value the work that you have accomplished there. CONGRATULATIONS, especially for the daily work that cannot be seen nor visited, but that without this work, the rest would not be possible.

And THANK YOU for the welcome and care that you have given me in these two days,

María

Photographs: Ana Andrés (Sonrisas de Bombay)

A Morning at Yashodhan

With a doubt, Yoshodhan School is at the heart of Bombay Smiles. Every day the students that attend this school, set deep in the extensive slum of Shashtri Nager (Thane), are more diligent and studious. The Yashodhan School is, in the ocean of slums in the northern suburbs of Bombay, a ray of light for the futures of the least advantaged sectors around this huge city in India.
Today we are sharing with you a few pictures from a normal morning in this school that, thanks to our help, continues to spread hope…

Every morning a precious rangoli made from rice powder welcomes the students, professors and visitors. It is placed just below a plaque commemorating the inauguration of the new floor of the building two years ago. This new floor allowed the school to double the amount of students.

The oldest students sing the National Hymn of India: “Jana Gana Mana.” Singing it every morning before school is obligatory at every school in the country.

I did my homework! It went really well!

Girls, flirtations in front of the camera, huh? It's time for class to start!

Ana Andrés, responsible for the Department of Visits, continues to concentrate on teaching them how to make paper boats.

Boys! Sit down so class can start!

And and a few hour later... Recess!

Ana Andrés meets with some professors…

Other teachers use the tranquility of recess to grade some papers!

Silence! Time for class to start again!

Photographs: Sonrisas de Bombay