SPORTS DAY

Thursday November 18, 2010 was One!International Sports Day.

The Nallasopara children were bused down to meet the Khar children; the field at St. Andrew's was rented; games were decided on; children were assigned to "Houses"; a meal was arranged for after the games; bananas and biscuits were purchased for snack; all was ready.

What a great day.  The children responded enthusiastically to the new challenges of Limbo and Line Ball Throw, as well as the old favourites of Sack Race and Long Jump.

One of the highlights was the Wheelbarrow race between the staff and volunteers, and of course the always necessary cricket game.



The Rabbit Race 





Rohit (blind) doing the Balance a Frisbee on the Head Race.



Limbo - one of the very best



Bean Bag Throw



The Sack Race 



Nutrition Snack Break 



Tania Didi Bowling for the Cricket Game - apparently not that well.



Ready for the Ball



Wow - Good form

A great time was had by all.

One of Our First Families @ ONE!

                                         To Teach is to Learn Twice.       

                                                                   -    Joseph Joubert

One of Our First Families:  Rekha, Raju, Rajeshree, Bhajeshree,  Nitin,
and                                                                   

                                                         Nitesh

I remember my second trip to India, the first after One! International became a reality.


Tania had rented a school room in the local municipal school near the temporary houses.  The houses were on the side of Carter Road between the road and the sea.


At that time Nitin was a baby.  Tania had hired Rekha to keep the school clean.  This job entailed sweeping the floor and taking the garbage out. I watched her for a few days push the dirt and papers around on the floor, making little real difference.  One day I got down on the floor and started to clean up the papers and garbage under the desks and in the corners.  That seemed to have an effect and her efforts were a little more energetic for the next few days.


Each time I visited Mumbai on subsequent trips Rekha's performance was better and better and she started to take on more responsible tasks.


Now I am not going to say that Rekha is now perfect - but the improvement and growth is quite phenomenal.  She still has her bad days when she doesn't show up for work, or the days she shows up a bit "under the influence", but these days are less frequent.


The biggest change is the pride she has in doing a good job. Now, she not only sweeps up all the garbage on the floor, she gets into the corners and under the furniture and then washes the floor completely.  She takes pride in cooking good nutritious meals for the children and staff.  Her children are doing well at their studies - she is a good role model for them.


Rekha and her family have come a long way from the days on Carter Road. 

Lessons on Non Violence

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.

                                                                  - David Friedman

Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.

                                                                - Bob Talbert


The two schools in India, teach non violence and have a zero tolerance regarding physical violence of any kind.

Any incident that does occur is used for teaching.

The other day two of our "little" girls (about 10 years old) were lectured.

Kajol became annoyed - we do not know why - and hit Payal.  Payal hit Kajol back.  Since Payal is stronger than Kajol, Kajol was the one who was crying.

Payal is the type of child who faces life head on.  Down she came to the office to see Tania Didi. She proceeded to explain that Kajol had hit her, and ............. "What am I supposed to do Didi?"

The perfect opportunity for a lesson.

Of course, Kajol also came down to the office - along with all of her siblings for support - to tell her story. 

Another opportunity for a lesson.

It certainly was Payal's day for altercations.  In the afternoon, the girls were outside playing skipping rope.  Radha got a little too close while Payal was skipping, and was hit by the rope.  Even before Radha had a chance to complain, Payal was in the office.

"This is sthe way it is Didi.  When I'm skipping, people should stand back.  They shouldn't come too close and get hit.  It's not my fault Didi if they do."

One must admit - there certainly is some logic there. 



CHANGES FROM FEBRUARY 2008

 Monday November 1, 2010 was Teachers Day for the One! Professional staff and the Client staff of both schools. Exams were the week before and everyone was breathing a sigh of relief.

Discussions centered on: preparations for the annual concert for parents and friends of One!, to be held on November 21, 2010, Sports Day taking place on Thursday November 18, the annual "out of town" trip to Gujarat this year on December 12-15, 2010, and the new school semester starting November 23, 2010

At the end of the meeting Tania asked me to share my thoughts about the changes I see from my previous trip in February 2008.

Wow, were do I start and how do I cover everything?
I will do what I can.

• There are certainly more children. There are more staff, both professional and client staff.
• There has been an incredible amount of organization in all areas of the organization in India.
• Curriculum is developed in most areas.  One of the current volunteers is developing curriculum for Physical Education as well.
• The office is well organized and resources readily accessible for the staff.
• The books have been catalogued
• Through generous donations from the American School here in Mumbai, white boards have replaced almost all of the chalk boards.  They are cleaner and healthier.
• There is excellent involvement in discussions from most staff.  This will increase as new staff feel more comfortable and realize that serious consideration is given to their comments and suggestions.
• Teachers are learning "how to teach" in different ways than the rote teaching which is common in India.
• Tania sets a great example for encouraging involvement by all staff.
• The senior staff of Vinita, Mahendra, Vijay, and Chitra provide excellent role models for work ethic and the promotion of the "One! International Family" which we believe in.
• The Saturday field trip was well organized and the children very well behaved.
• The 'junior' client staff are incredible for their for their age.  They are very grown up; they take their responsibilities very seriously and work very had.  They provide incredible role models for the younger children.
• The client moms have grown so much in their knowledge and work ethic.

As one of the volunteer's said:  "Everyone welcomes new people.  Everyone respects each other.  Everyone is committed to the valuable work being done."



The children love to learn and they are creating a different future for themselves and the next generation.



One! International is on Facebook

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Web: http://www.one-international.com/    
 

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DIWALI WISHES & The THANK YOU song

On the Hindi festival of Diwali, it seemed appropriate to say Thank You for all the blessings we have had in the past year, and to remember how truly  fortunate most of us really are.

Several years ago Erica Viegas, from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, went to Mumbai to volunteer with One! International. Erica's family have connections to Mumbai and to India, but she wanted to see "the other side" of India.

As most volunteers do, Erica fell in love with the children.

In addition to other professional activities, Erica has been pursuing a career as a musician.  When she returned to Canada she put pen to paper and composed a song to describe her thoughts and feelings about her volunteer experience.

Below - with Erica's permission - please find the words to the song, and the link to Erica's web page where you can listen to the song.

THANK YOU

Children everywhere are beautiful

With or Without shoes on their feet

People everywhere are trying to live life the best they can

Whether or not there's food to eat.

And what is it that exempts me from reality surrounding this life

What is it that protects me from the world outside?

I am one of those, a lucky person I suppose

Who had a chance and had a life...the gift of being free

But I'm the privileged one of dozens more where I come from

Who live in tattered situations

Don't know each day what they'll be facing

And I want to Thank You wherever you are.

People everywhere are searching

Just trying to find some light

And there are souls everywhere wondering

Just how to make things right

And what is it that exempts me from reality surrounding this life

What is it that protects me from the world outside?

I am one of those, a lucky person I suppose

Who had a chance and had a life...the gift of being free

But, I'm the privileged one of dozens more where I come from

Who live in tattered situations

Don't know each day what they'll be facing

And I want to Thank You wherever you are.

http://www.ericaviegas.com

I would like to wish all of you a very Joyous Diwali and a very healthy and prosperous New Year.