EXPECTATIONS

It feels good to be back in Mumbai - to see all of our wonderful children learning new things. In some ways it  feels as though I never left, but in two and one half years there has been incredible change, and of course all of them have grown "two feet".

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This blog is about one of our first children, Manda. ( one of the few children with a real birthdate: 27 August 1973)

One of the most frustrating things for a 'helper' or 'teacher' is to see people with the potential to accomplish great things not reach the potential we think they could.
As a 'helper' or 'teacher' we have expectations that our work will accomplish miracles.  We will be able to inspire our children to achieve greatness. 

We must always be aware not to impose our expectations of what we think could or should be the results of our work. 
We must always recognize and applaud the 'small' changes that are made. Small changes can lead to big changes down the road.

Kanjen and her family were one of the first families of One! International.  Kanjen's children were among the first 8 children Tania taught on a mat on the side of Carter road beside the rocks bordering the Arabian Sea, in the spring of 2001.

Kanjen's children, like most of the One! children did not have any school preparation, and Tania started by teaching them how to use a pencil, the concepts of letters and numbers, and how to learn. 

The following was taken from Manda's Give-A-Child-A-Chance story in 2001.

Before Manda joined One! she was a very distant little girl and quite shy.  She didn't seem confident in herself and was greatly influenced by her older brothers.

Manda works very hard.  She writes very diligently and spends the time to get things right.  She won't give up until she understands, and accomplishes what she sets out to do.  Out of all  the children she was the first to be able to recognize and write all of the Devangari script ( the script for the national language Hindi).  She was the first to finish her workbook - much to the chagrin of her best friends.

one year later  - 

Manda is close to literacy and hopefully she can stay focused for a long -lasting education.  Manda has great potential if she keeps her determaination pointed on the positive path.  One hopes to be the helping hand to accomplish this.   

fast forward to 2010 after Manda was married and moved to village.

Manda continued to come and go, back and forth between village and Mumbai.  Every time she went to village  it wouldn't be long before Kanchen and Bhola received a phone call from her crying and clearly unhappy.  For the first few times they would run to take care of their daughter.  After that it was hard to maintain their emotions and they became slightly detached.  They wanted Manda to make a choice and a clear decision.  Family abuse is still all too common in the villages of India.

While in Mumbai Manda would regularly attend school to watch movies, hang out with her friend Reshma and help out wherever she could.  Manda has certainly matured over the last year and seems more stable.

We hope Manda can stand up for herself within the family environment and somehow stop the abuse or find the strength to leave if necessary. 

Manda gave birth to a little girl - Tejal - at the end of May 2010.  All accounts are that Manda is a good mother. She has brought her daughter to the One! school at Khar to meet her One! family.

We expected great things for Manda regarding her development. Those expectaions were not fully realized; however Manda obtained basic literacy, and learned how to cook and clean for herself and a family. We think that Manda also learned about options for change and the importance of education. We think that Manda will have great expectations of her daughter's education when the time comes, and that she will celebrate the accomplishements her daughter achieves, just as we celebrate the woman Manda has become. 

Guest Blogger - Nick Taylor

THE STORY OF PARVATI AND MALESH  

They are 6 and 16 years old and live in Bombay. Their story shook me.



In 2006, a drunk driver killed their mother, orphaning them (their father had died years before). They were separated and sent to live with different family members. The family Parvati was placed with treated her terribly; she was rarely fed and forced to live outside. Under these conditions she developed a serious case of tuberculosis which remained untreated. Once Malesh discovered her condition he promptly brought her to live with him and the family he was staying with. This new family refused to support two children, especially one who required medical attention, so Parvati and Malesh were sent into the streets of Bombay, alone.



With no money or guidance, Malesh singlehandedly cared for Parvati as her condition worsened. For over a year he fought to keep her alive, begging for food and money while they sought shelter in countless alleys, sidewalks, and slums. During this time, Parvati’s condition worsened to the point where she frequently lost consciousness as her tiny body began to fail.



One day, while they were both living on the beach under an overturned boat, a local fisherman discovered them and sent them to One! International. Tania raised the necessary medical funds through private donations and Parvati was admitted to a hospital. Upon admittance, her prognosis was grim as doctors didn’t think she would live through the week. But she did. One week turned into two; months passed, and she just got healthier and healthier until she was able to come home to the new family she and her brother had found at One! International.



Parvati stole my heart the second I met her. A happy, sprightly, little pixie with a gleaming smile who needed no introduction to climb up and into my arms. She spoke no English but with certain children you can communicate with just the right mix of jokes and gestures.



When I heard the story of her and Malesh my heart was frustrated with a kind of anger I had never felt before. I wondered how anyone could ever leave this little angel to die in the streets, and how many other countless children endured a similar fate throughout the world. When traveling in certain places, you can try to prepare for the tragedy you’re likely to witness but I never could have prepared for the despair I felt from hearing about her injustice. Its different when its someone you love.



The epic element of this story is that Malesh kept her alive on the streets for over a year, by himself, and, as a person, he is all smiles. One would think that this life would've hardened him into a loathsome mess, but he couldn’t possibly be a more genuinely sweet and wonderful person. If he doesn’t harbor any anger or hatred then how could I?



Their story struck me the way it did because it encompasses the very spectrum of humanity. Their experience definitely reflects the world’s potential for cruelty but at the same time this is really a story about kindness, compassion, and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit. The work of Tania, Marilyn, and the staff of One! is what makes these happy endings possible.



Newspaper Article in Local Paper

The following article appeared in the Oct.5 Sherwood Park News 



Sherwood Park native recently received an award for her work teaching Indian children school and life skills in Mumbai.

Sherwood Park native recently received an award for her work teaching Indian children school and life skills in Mumbai.

A Sherwood Park native recently received an award for her work with children in India at the University of Alberta's Alumni Horizon Awards.

Tania Spilchen, 31, received the award at the Winspear Centre, where she was honoured for the work that she has done with One! International.

The organization was started by Spilchen, and has started, and now operates two schools for underprivileged children in Mumbai, India, where she now lives.

"The main focus is education, and educating street children and slum children in many subjects," Spilchen said. "It's not just education. We also do health and medicine programs, and skill-building programs."

The program started when Spilchen first began living in India for a year as part of an exchange program through university 11 years ago.

"I just fell in love with the country, and was just touched," she said. "I knew I had to go back, and do what I could do. One thing led to the next, and 10 years later, this is what I do."

When Spilchen first started the organization a decade ago, she said that it was very different than it is now, as she has become desensitized to the things that used to affect her most.

"After 10 years, it's hard. When I first started, every day was a full gathering of emotions," she said.

"Every day was the anger, the love, the up and down, up and down. As the years have gone on, the damage becomes less and less, and they become a little bit more accepting of things (in India). Just to see the smiles on the children's faces, and just to have the personal satisfaction and seeing people change, and seeing people learn still makes it worth it."

Things are not always easy for Spilchen though, as the organization receives all sorts of reactions from Mumbai locals.

"It's a very varied response, all the way from: 'Wow, this is absolutely incredible. I can't believe that you are doing this, coming all the way from a different country, and coming to help my country,' all the way to: 'What the hell do you think you're doing? It's not going to make any difference anyway, and you don't belong,' so it's very varied," Spilchen said.

She doesn't let negative reactions slow her down though, and does her best to educate those who don't understand her point of view.

"If it's possible, if there is an opening for a conversation, then definitely I just say that I'm doing what I can, and that's all I can do," Spilchen said.

"One step makes a difference. One step at a time — that's sort of one of our mantras and one of our logos. One step at a time makes a difference. If everyone takes that step, if everyone makes the effort, then together it becomes significant."

Negative feedback or reactions to One! International won't slow Spilchen down, as she is often reminded of the true reason she is there, and has had good reactions from the children, who in turn manage to convince their parents of the benefits of the schooling.

She believes that once children go home to their parents with what they have learned, parents will come around.

"Children everywhere want to learn. Children everywhere are ready for a positive change, so it's been quite easy to incorporate them," she said.

"It's been much more difficult with parents. Once they see the proof of it, once they see their children can do simple things, like read bus signs and things like that, then they really start to get it, and they want to send their kids more and more."

Spilchen has volunteers from around the world helping with her two schools, which hold a combined total of between 300 and 350 children.

According to Spilchen, among the staff that works at One! International, around one-third are Canadian, and of those, between five and 10 are from Sherwood Park.

Spilchen said that India has taught her things that she never expected to learn from going there.

"Professionally, I've learned so much. I've learned how to be a manager, I've learned how to be a teacher, I've learned how to be administrative, and all that sort of stuff," she said.

"Personally, from the kids, every day they're teaching me something."

Since she first went to India, Spilchen said that she has particularly learned that life in Canada is often taken for granted.

"India itself has taught me so much — to be more relaxed, and to appreciate the moment that you're living in, rather than to be concentrating too much on the future," she said.

"We take advantage of things so much, and we don't need so much. We want, but we don't need."

On Jan. 29, a gala will be hosted in Edmonton to celebrate One! International's 10-year anniversary.

Donations can be made to the organization by e-mailing MarilynSpilchen@aol.com, or by visiting the website at www.one-international.com. [or by visiting   http://www.canadahelps.org/  ]

Spilchen has also been nominated for the CBC News' Canada's Champion of Change, as well as Avenue Magazine's Top 40 Under 40.



ben@sherwoodparknews.com

Copyright © 2010 Sherwood Park News
http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/

Recognition for Tania and One! International

We are what we think.  All that we are arises with our thoughts.  With our thoughts, we make the world.  - Buddha

Tania had a vision in 2000 during a trip to India. She thought that it was possible for one person to make a difference in the life of one person - a child.  

On Wednesday September 22, 2010, Tania's work was recognized at the University of Alberta  2010 Alumni  Recognition  Awards. The following appeared in the Program for the evening, as well as in the 'New Trail' magazine - The University of Alberta Alumni Magazine. 

Tania Spilchen, ’01 BSc, is a dedicated humanitarian making a difference by improving the quality of life of impoverished children and their families in India. She is the founder of One! International Poverty Relief, a charitable organization that helps children living in the slums of Mumbai by providing them with educational opportunities and health care. In 2001, with one mat on the side of the road, she started teaching eight students. Under her visionary leadership and commitment, One! International has grown, and it now helps more than 250 students in two year-round schools. It also provides children and their parents with access to needed medical care. In 2006, her work was recognized with a Making A Difference Award presented by Children’s Hope India.

            A smiling Tania with her well deserved Award.

On the morning of the Award Ceremony Tania was interviewed on CBC Edmonton AM. She has also been nominated for the CBC News 'Canada's Champions of Change' contest for outstanding volunteer work.
CBC Edmonton AM Podcast for 22 September 2010

Scroll down to Regional Podcasts and click on Edmonton AM
Scroll down to 22 Sept. 2010
Tania's interview is between Minutes 3:14 and 9:40


HOWEVER
Even though this award is very well deserved by Tania, and she has given 10 years of her love and commitment to the children of One!, both Tania and I know that she did not accomplish all that One! International has accomplished without:

• the Staff of the schools in India
• the Volunteers who come from all over the world to Mumbai
• the Wonderful Volunteers in Canada who give so much time & effort
• financial contributions through the Give-A-Child-A-Chance Program
• financial contributions through General Donations
• financial contributions from Other Organizations
• Gifts in Kind
• Gala Supporters
• Moral Supporters

                        
                                      This award is for all of us.