World Water Day

Today is World Water Day, and although I don't like to copy the work of others, I think today it may be forgiven.

Most of our One! International families have trouble getting fresh, clean drinking water.
Most of our families drink or cook with water that is not considered drinkable by Western standards.
Many of our children walk through polluted standing water that contains many diseases to get to school.
Most of our families do not have access to proper plumbing to meet their hygiene needs.
Malaria is common within our family communities.

Many would not think that Canada would have any problems with access to safe drinking water, but that is not the case.  Many of our Aboriginal communities have no better access to proper drinking water than do our Indian slum communities.
In addition to that, we were informed today on many radio broadcasts, that if we do not take proper measures to protect public access to our water, we will have increasing problems as years go by.

I will let the following quote speak for itself.



"World Water Day 2011


A message from Maude Barlow

Dear friends,

Today is World Water Day and a time to reflect on the gift of water that sustains all life on Earth. While many have access to clean safe drinking water, millions do not. We must come together this World Water Day to commit to a new relationship with water. We must conserve it, restore watersheds, protect source water from pollution – pollution must be viewed as a criminal act – and share it more equitably for all humans, for the future and for other species as well.

Modern humans see water as a great big resource for our pleasure, convenience and profit and not as the essential element of a living ecosystem that gives us all life - so we pollute it. We dump an amount of industrial and human waste into the watersheds every year equivalent to the combined weight of all humanity. We pump water from watersheds and rivers into mega cities where, if they are anywhere near the ocean, it is then dumped as waste – a major cause of rising oceans. We grow crops with flood irrigation in deserts. We poison water with mining, nuclear, fracking and tar sands production. We let water drain away from ancient rusting pipes because we have "run out of money" for public infrastructure.

The United Nations has recognized water and sanitation as a human right, which means that every government must now come up with a plan of action based on the "Obligation to Protect, Respect, and Fulfill" this right. We expect no less from the Harper government[Canada]. The United Nations must also turn its attention to water conservation and watershed restoration, and to finding ways to make water a means of peace, not conflict.

We must also declare water to be a common heritage, a public trust and a public service, and we need to support the government of Bolivia in its new move to declare that water must be protected as a public right and not allowed to be delivered on a for-profit basis by the private sector. We need water for life. Water can teach us how to live in harmony with one another and more lightly on this Earth if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.


Maude Barlow

National Chairperson, The Council of Canadians

March 22, 2011"


Let's make sure we do not add to the world water shortage.
Let's make sure we respect the life sustainability of water.
Let's do our part to protect the world's most valuable resource.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

International Women's Day celebrated it's 100th Anniversary on 8 March 2011. The very first day was celebrated on the 19th of March 1911.  My comments will be sort of in the middle of these two dates.

Since it was first celebrated Western women have gained many rights: voting rights, rights around the institution of  marriage, employment rights, reproduction rights.

Many of these changes have occurred in the last fifty years.  In the 1960's working women were expected to leave their employment when they became pregnant.  In the 1970's when I had my children, women in Canada received eight weeks unemployment insurance benefits and if they were lucky three months off work. Now, both men and women are able to take paid time from work to celebrate the birth of children and bond with them. 

"When biology no longer determines destiny, any destiny becomes possible." - Margaret Wente

"If you are a [Western] woman reading this newspaper today, you are singularly blessed.  You belong to the freest, most educated, and most affluent group of women in all of human history." - Margaret Wente, Globe And Mail, March 8, 2011.

There is no doubt that women have much to celebrate.  However, let us  not forget that women in the 'developing' world are not as lucky as we are.  And, let's not forget that, even in the western world, many crimes are centered on women; Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse.  

We need to celebrate - yes.  But, there is still much work to be done. 

In the same copy of the Globe And Mail referenced above, Stephanie Nolen tells the following story.

" Two weeks ago, in India's rural province of Rajasthan, I met low-caste girls whose mothers had defied their fathers to insist they go to school.  The girls had turned up on the dot of 9 a.m., their worn uniforms well pressed, their hair slicked down. But, they sat alone and in the dark, because they were too short to reach up and open the shutters, and their teachers had not come - because only women deign to teach in a low-caste girls school, and the teachers can't bear the sexual harassment they face when they take public transport, which is all they can afford, to get to work.  The girls sat in quiet rows with their books open, trying to sound out words, lips working, fingers sliding along the tattered pages. 
There is a universality to sexual harassment, to sexual violence, to the struggle for reproductive rights, and to the more quotidian question of how to work and care for children and older family members.  Women in the developed world see this."

The issues in the developing world for women and girls are far more intense.

One! International tries to make a difference for women and girls.  The girls are encouraged to attend the schools in the same way the boys are.  The major reason One! provides care for pre-school children, is to enable the girls to attend school, and enable the mothers in the family to work. One! also hires the older girls and mothers to do various tasks around the school.  In this way they learn work skills.


We hope that "our" girls will pass on to their children, a love of education and a belief that there are options for them beyond housekeeping and motherhood.

We believe that education is the key to change.

We hope that there will be a International Women's Day in the future that is truly international.    

BUY A BRICK - BUILD THE FUTURE

At the 10th Anniversary Gala on 29 January 2011, our theme was "Honour The Past, Live in The Present, Create The Future".


As part of the "Create The Future" section of the evening, we introduced a new program called

                                         "Buy A Brick - Build The Future".

Board and Bricks  Developed in India for the Gala

Through generous donations from people at the Gala, we were able to raise over $10,000 towards the
Goal of  $50,000.00.


BACKGROUND

Mumbai is a city of officially 15 million people, and unofficially over 20 million people. It is made up of seven small islands and land is at a premium. Its real estate values are the 5th highest in the world (next to cities like New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo).

Nallasopara is a suburb just outside the city limits. One! International currently teaches 220 children in a rented Nallasopara School, and there is scope to grow exponentially every year. With landlords exploiting tenants and not providing the required maintenance and upgrades, One! constantly struggles to balance the needs of the children, the rising costs and the need for adequate teaching space.

In 2007, One! International was renting 200 sq. ft. of teaching space in Nallasopara for approximately $15 per month. At that time it could be owned for approximately $3,000. Only 3 years later, the rent for the same 200 sq. ft was approximately $50 and it could be owned for approximately $10,000. Today, with the growing demand for poverty relief and education, One! International currently requires 1000 sq. ft. of teaching space.

Inflation is extremely high and each year prices continue to balloon. The cost of land has spun out of control – and pushed rent prices up too. One! International has chosen to act now, to build a future for the children.

With your generous assistance, in its 10th anniversary year, One! International would like to purchase 2000 sq. ft. of land and build a 1000 sq. ft. school – to meet immediate needs, and with ample room for expansion. It is estimated that the cost of the land and school will be approximately $50,000, which is the goal of One! International’s “Buy a Brick – Build the Future” Campaign.



For more information contact: Marilyn Spilchen, Manager, Finance & Administration
Email: MarilynSpilchen@aol.com Telephone: (780) 467.6254



Thank you for your support.
Together, we can create a future for the children of One! International.

Riding India's Trains: 101

We were really lucky to have two volunteers - Thaya and Marc -  with us in India for six months and five months respectively, from August to February 2011. The consistency was wonderful for the children and the organization.

One of the volunteers was Marc Valentin. When Marc left at the beginning of February 2011 he said:

 "I have to thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity.  Not only are you and Tania changing the lives of the kids, teachers and India, but you are also changing the lives of volunteers.  ..............Completely unexpected [changes] as well as learning many more diplomacy, creativity and survivor skills.  Thank you for that."

Marc also gave me permission to use an article he wrote for a travel website in 2005 on a previous trip to India.  I think everyone will find the article humorous; but for those of you who have travelled the rails in India in economy class, you will identify completely with the description.  

                         ------------------------------------------------------------

April 23, 2005

Riding India's trains: 101

By MARCEL VALENTIN -- Special to Canoe Travel


Nothing says more about India than taking one of their magnificent trains.

A legacy of the British Raj, the train system is expansive and efficient. You can set your watch by it.

The train serves two purposes in this country. The first is to ferry foreigners like me all over the country to various sites. The second is to transport Indians to the place in the country that is furthest away from their home so that they can attend a wedding.

Chatting with our fellow train travelers, everyone is going to a wedding and it's usually for someone they don't know.

"Yes, my mother-in-law's neighbour two doors down has a man who delivers milk and that man's uncle comes from the same village that his father came from and his father's father came from. Now his father's father sold a Pepsi to a taxi wallah. It is his daughter who is getting married. Would you like to come? The wedding is rather short at only four days, but I am sure that you will have a wonderful time."

Seriously, everyone is going to a wedding and complete strangers invited us to weddings of people that we and they don't know.

Now, this next subject is rather delicate and you may want to skip it. If so, then I'll say thanks for reading up to here and good bye.

However, if you are planning a trip to India and planning to take the train, then you MUST read this! You are going to have to know this. It involves a rather delicate matter and that is going to the bathroom on an Indian train.

First, let's back up a bit. We hopped on board at Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak station and departed. We chatted with fellow passengers for awhile, munched on some delicious naan that we bought at the station and sat in the train's open doors, blissfully watching the green hills roll away as we chugged through the countryside.

Well, nature eventually came a calling. When the train stopped at the next station, I got up, stretched and sauntered over to the two closets that are at the end of each car. I slowly opened the closet door and was amazed how bright it was.

I was a little pensive at first because the fixture I was most concerned about did not have the familiar American Standard or Crane logos embossed across it.

In fact, I was astonished to realize that the source of the bright light was a hole in the floor that looked down to the tracks. On either side of the hole were two stainless steel footrests that looked remarkably like the pictures of Neil Armstrong's footprint on the moon.

So, I took my one small step (trust me, it was a giant leap for me) and adjusted myself so that each foot was firmly planted. Hey! This isn't so bad after all.

After a few moments, the train lurched forwards with a big jerk (no, not me). Whoa! Okay. That's not so bad. Just a little bump in the road.

But the bumps progressively became more and more frequent. By this time, the train was picking up speed and I was relying on my shins to absorb the lateral motion of the accelerating train. As the train picked up speed, my thighs kicked into action to absorb the up and down motion. It felt very similar to riding a horse.

A small sweat broke out on my brow. Hmmm. If that one-eyed fellow could ride Sea Biscuit to victory, then I can still do this. Faster and faster. Okay. I got the hands up in front of my face for more balance.

By this time, the train was racing down the tracks at full speed. STOP THE TRAIN!!! PLEASE!!! My backside was pumping up and down like an oil well on steroids and whenever I looked behind to check on Secretariat, my eyes focused on my wallet and passport dangling out of my back pocket about to be sucked down into the bright light.

PLEASE! SHIVA, LORD OF YOGA... FIND ME A NEW POSITION! I was balling my eyes out at this time, but I was coming down the home stretch praying that the grey water swirling around in the sink would cease splashing onto me.

Finally, I crossed the finish line. Okay. Now some toilet paper and I can get out of this hellish position. Hmmmm, none beside or behind me. Is it above the sink? WHERE IS THE TOILET PAPER?!!

Well, Indian trains have none. As shocking and terrifying as that was, my heart literally froze as I came to the realization that the water tap, which was about two feet off of the floor, was not a drinking fountain. I'd have to deal with that unsettling realization later.



Next problem. Each Indian note has Mahatma Gandhi on it. He has this cherubic smile and I couldn't deface him in this way. So I tore him off a few notes and shoved him in my pocket. However, I couldn't help but think that he was saying, "All my life, I have shunned material possessions and non-violence. But you, my stupid Canadian friend, and your toilet paper... I would have you shot dead like a dog in the street."

The deed done, I gathered what was left of my pride and quickly scurried out the door and back to my seat.

My partner noticed my abnormal silence and asked, "Why are you blinking? How was it?" What else could I tell her but, "If you don't bring a roll of T.P., then it quickly becomes a pay toilet."

                                   -----------------------------------------------


Thank you Marc for your dedication to the One! children.

Thank you for sharing your story.

One! International 10th Anniversary Gala

I must first apologize for being such a tardy blogger.
The Gala took all extra time for the month of January.

I still don't have time to write - but - I thought I would share with you some of the wonderful pictures from the Gala.
Enjoy.



Honour the Past              Live in the Present                  Create the Future.

This was the theme for the evening on the actual date of the 10 year Anniversary of One! International - January 29, 2011.  We honoured the past accomplishments of One!. We had a wonderful evening in the present.  We began to create the future with our new program "Buy a Brick, Build the Future".

Tania and her papa watching the video of congratulations from the staff in India.

George presented her with the flowers. The presentation from her dad and the greetings from India were surprises. You can tell by the grin on her face, she was very pleased and happy.

Tania and a small entranced supporter - Oceanne -  watching the dances.

Taya  showing off the art contest.  All twenty of the featured art in the contest, and two paintings in the silent auction were completed by the children in India - aged 5 to 21.

Our wonderful new mom, and previous volunteer in India, emcee Amy.

She did an incredible job of keeping the audience excited.

Edwina and Norman showing off the "Buy a Brick - Build the Future" poster.

The building had over 65 bricks of various denominations ($50, $100, $500, $1000) on it by night end. (more info in a future blog)

The beautiful Erica who sang her One! Thank You song and the Chalo Chalo (Wacka Wacka) song accompanied by a video of the children in India, and some impromptu dancers in the crowd.

Three of our beautiful young volunteers.

The incredible Julie with guests Hemant and Rashmi.

Taya and Harper being interviewed about how young people in Canada can help young people in India.

Some of the young dancers of Sharara Entertainment who entertained the crowd.

A future One! supporter.

Tania and Marilyn with Jitendra (Chair of the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace)

We will be putting more pictures and videos on the web page in the near future. The Gala was a huge success. The energy in the room was electric. We were so pleased to have so many people present to share the 10 Anniversary of One! International.

SEVEN GREAT IDEAS

On January 29, 2011, One! International Poverty Relief will be celebrating it's 10th year anniversary.  We have a big Gala planned for the evening. We are very excited about the evening and celebrating the successes of the last 10 years. There will be 500 people at the Gala to honour the past 10 years of "Making a Difference" in the lives of children and their families in Mumbai, India.

This celebration would not be happening if it were not for the great idea that Tania Spilchen had in the summer of 2000.

Tania personifies the following article written by Lou Tice of The Pacific Institute. 

---------------------------------------------

              There is nothing in the world more powerful than a good idea.
               For over 30 years, I have been traveling all over the world,
               teaching people how to break through self doubt, get rid of
               unfulfilling lifestyles and achieve success.  Here are seven
               ideas that can turn you into a super-achiever, if you will
               only use them.

First, becoming your best self is a choice you make.

Second, change happens through action and the understanding

that we create our future.

Third, dwell on your strengths, use them constantly, and watch them grow.

Fourth, embracing fear is not a one-time event, but it gets easier

the more you do it.

Fifth, procrastination does not exist. 

What exists is a passive choice to do nothing.

Sixth, believe in the importance of your ideas, and your ability

to bring them into reality.

And, seventh, refuse to give up.  Persist in the face of all opposition,

every setback, and be totally, 100% committed

to bringing about the end-result you desire.



              

              
              Commitment is an incredible, potent force that will bring to you
              all sorts of resources you may have never realized were there.
              Ideas like these turn lives around.  I can't tell you how many times
              I've seen it happen to people who thought their lives were hopeless.
              Why not get rid of the thoughts that are keeping you down and
              choose thoughts to become your best self?  The most powerful
              words in the world are,
 

"I have a great idea!"

 

 

----------------------------------------

 

 

Tania had a great idea, and on January 29, 2011 we will get together - all 500 of us - to celebrate Tania's idea, the commitment of hundreds of people all over the world who believed and still believe in her idea, and the hundreds of children and families whose lives have been turned around by Tania taking the necessary actions to bring her idea into reality.

Why Do The Children of Mumbai Need Our Help

                       

                                 Every apple is a part of the orchard.    
                                                   Holly Schoenecker.


People often ask why a democratic country with a thriving economy needs help to provide education and health for its children.

On Saturday October 2, 2010 the Toronto Star newspaper devoted its entire edition to India.

The UN Development Program Gender Inequality Index has been released.

The following snippets of information have been taken from these two sources, and hopefully will give some understanding of the issues for the poor in India.

        "India[the world's largest democracy], an emerging economy, and  geopolitical giant, might overtake China economically within two decades."

        "Whatever is true of India, the exact opposite is almost always also true......Efficiency and chaos.  Secularism and sectarianism.  Wealth and poverty.  Hope and despondency.  Gandhian non-violence and murderous frenzy. Humanity and cruelty.  Exploitation and generosity.  Piety and prostitution. Dedicated indigenous NGO's and corrupt politics.
That's India."

        "[India].....has the world's largest number of poor.  About 600 million survive on less than $2 per day.  About 65 million live in slums.  About 1.75 million children die before reaching their first birthday.  Nearly 45% of children are malnourished.  About 160 million kids are not in school. "

These figures are probably low as there is a large population that is not counted in any population records.  For example, less than 5% of our children and families have any identification and thus are not counted.

India has the largest number of poor.
        "1/3 of all people in the world living without basic necessities is an Indian national."

The population of India is 1.19 billion.
This is two times the population of the United States.(645 million)
This is 20 times the Canadian population. 

India is rated #122 out of 138 countries on health issues.

India is rated #119 out of 169 countries overall in Human Development.

India is in the top 10 countries in income growth.

70% of Hindi girls marry under the age of 18.

Mumbai, India has real estate values in the top five of world cities.
Even though many residents live on less than $2 per day, some food staples are similar to those in North America.

        In 2005, 2 million, 300 thousand children aged 1 to 5 years of age died.
>60% died from: pneumonia, prematurity, low birth weight, diarrhoeal diseases, neonatal infections, birth asphyxia, and birth trauma.
Each of these major causes of death could be prevented/and/or/treated.

        Many girl babies are aborted, and/or receive less health services as there is still a high social preference for boys.

       "India is saddled with the highest burden of tuberculosis - with nearly 2 million new cases recorded in 2009." 
[above three paragraphs from The Times of India, Mumbai, Saturday, November 13, 2010]




There are other facts and information that could be shared, but I hope you have a better idea of some of the issues facing "our families" at One! International.