FINDING BALANCE

GALA 2013

 



The theme for the 2013 Gala was "Finding Balance". Tania Spilchen spoke of the challenges in finding balance in One! International and in our own lives. 

Not all of the speech was captured by video, so I have included some initial notes before the video link.
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Ever since I was little, my mama always said – “You have to find the balance, my dear”.  As a kid, my answer was “Yes Mom!” but then as I grew up I began to see that there was actually some truth to this!  You can’t spend too much time on school work or you get stressed out – you have to find the balance.  You can’t eat too much and you can’t eat too little – you have to find the balance.  You can’t spend too much time having fun cuz there are things that just need to get done – you have to find the balance.  You can’t only eat healthy things because then one day you are just going to have a craving and then you’ll go overboard – you have to find the balance.  The examples are endless…

Working with One! over the past 13 years, I have encountered some more great examples of the need for balance in personal life, in professional life as well as in the life of what is One!.

Staff:

Younger staff with enthusiasm.  Older staff with experience and wisdom. The children can gain so much from both elements.

Professional staff and student helpers or aides.   The younger children see the student teachers as mentors and hope for their future.

Families:

Education vs. Income.  The families struggle with wanting their children to be educated, but needing them to contribute to the family income.

Health Food vs. Cheap Food (evident here in Canada also)   It is often cheaper to buy less nutritional food then food that is healthy.

The rest of Tania’s speech was captured by video.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLONfZmLxC0

 

 

Most members of the Gala Planning Committee

 

 

Most of the evening's volunteers.

 

 

We could never have had such a successful Gala if we did not have such a wonderful group of volunteers who believe in One! International.   THANK YOU 

 

 

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Today is the day set aside worldwide to celebrate women.

Today, please remember all the women in your life and celebrate them.

Today, please think of all those women in the world who do not have reason to celebrate, nor do they have anyone to celebrate them.

Today, let's think of ways we can make the world a better place for them - a world in which they too will be celebrated.

Today, I want to share with you parts of a speech given at a memorial celebration for Damini, a young women killed in Delhi.  The speech was given by Mariam Thomas, president of the Indo-Canadian Women's Association in Edmonton Alberta on  February 15, 2013.

Today, the words of Mariam's speech should give all of us the incentive to make next years International Women's Day a more encompassing day of celebration worldwide.

Good evening to all the dignitaries and friends who have gathered here to solemnly honour not only “Damini” a daughter of India but all the daughters of the world who have been murdered by violent, horrific and absolutely heinous means
In December 2012, a 23yr old student was brutally gang raped by five men in a moving bus in the Indian capital –Delhi. Her male friend and she were beaten with an iron rod and thrown off the bus onto the road, barely conscious. A minute prior to the incident she was just another one of us, going home after watching a movie with a friend. Then suddenly she becomes the random victim of a crime so mindless and horrific.

Last week in Johannesburg, South Africa a teenager was gang raped, sliced open from her stomach to her genitals and left for dead on a construction site. Last year South Africans were shocked when village boys gang raped a 17yr old developmentally delayed young girl. The crime came to light when one of the rapists made a cell phone video of the rape and posted it on the internet. It went viral.
In Papua New Guinea, a mob stripped, tortured and bound a woman accused of witchcraft and burnt her alive in front of hundreds of witnesses.

All these cases and events have provoked outrage and anger. The gang rape in India has led to a fierce and unprecedented debate on attitudes to women. The walls of silence surrounding sex crime have cracked. It has triggered citizen’s uprising for a collective call for action. In Johannesburg, the rape and mutilation has sparked a rare outburst of anger. In Papua New Guinea, the public fiercely retaliated by stating that it was absolutely reprehensible that women, the old and the disabled are targeted for alleged sorcery or wrong and brutally murdered

Around the world, violence against women and girls is a sad daily reality.
Statistics compiled by the United Nations shows that abuse and brutality inflicted on women and children are real and increasing at an amazing rate. These numbers do not take into account victims who remain in silence for fear of reprisals.
According to the UN, in the United States of America a woman is beaten by her partner every 15 seconds. In South Africa, a woman is raped every 23 seconds. In Bangladesh, almost half of the women have suffered physical abuse at the hands of their spouse. In Canada, every six days a woman is killed by her intimate partner. Every day there are more than three hundred women and children staying in emergency shelters to escape domestic violence. In 2009, 67 women were killed by their husbands or boyfriends. In 2010, there were 582 known cases of murdered or missing aboriginal women. In just one year, 4 hundred 27,000 women aged 15 and up were reported to be victims of sexual assault.

The women who are beaten and tortured every day never signed up for this type of tyranny. They were just fighting for their lives. It’s happening everywhere and no one knows how to contain it...................

Gender based violence affects all of us. It destroys families; weakens the fabric of our society and takes a heavy toll on our communities and or economy. All women have the fundamental right to live in safety and security without fear of violence, abuse, or oppression in their relationship..............

This is a time for each one of us to stop, think and reflect. We need to do some soul searching within ourselves. Our attitudes and our mindsets towards women of different color, religion, status and position and ability need to change. We as parents, teachers, educators, need to instill in our children that everyone no matter who they are needs to be treated with respect and dignity. Conversations with our children about treating everyone with respect can start in our homes. We need to tell ourselves that we have the power to work hand in hand with each other and with agencies and organizations at the municipal, provincial and federal levels in combating these brutal tendencies. We need to initiate conversations with our provincial government and municipal council in creating a vehicle through which the voices of women can be heard, ensuring that our voices are included in the decision making process, in the development and implementation of policy pertaining to women' s health and safety

Violence against women is a powerful barrier to women’s equality and a violation of women’s human rights. It is a complex systemic problem that requires a comprehensive approach in developing a solution. Every woman is a human being who needs to be treated with dignity and respect

 

The above is shared with permission, and is taken from the February, 2013,
 Indo-Canadian Women's Association newsletter.  

"Tonight we are One!"

One! International Charity Event

Friday January 25, 2013

Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Indo-Canadian TELEGRAM February/March 2013 Winnipeg, Manitoba

"Few classroom projects have the impact that Priya Tandon’s will have – giving underprivileged children in India an opportunityto get an education and improve their lives. The Red River College student organized a fundraising dinner on Jan. 25 that raised $5,700 for One! International Poverty Relief, a Canadian charity that operates two schools in Mumbai. Contributing to the success of Tandon’s project were volunteers, sponsors and entertainers, including dancers from Manohar Performing.

Priya Tandon

 

A fundraising dinner on Jan 25 at Norwood Community Centre raised $5,700 for One! International Poverty Relief, a Canadian charity that’s striving to improve the lives of impoverished children in Mumbai by providing them with

education and other needs. What began as a project for Priya Tandon’s Creative Communications program at Red River College became a very successful event, as a diverse group of volunteers and sponsors contributed time and money to the cause. One! International is the brainchild of Tania Spilchen of Alberta. During one of her volunteer placements in Mumbai, Spilchen learned that there were far too many young children who were unable to get a formal education, the one thing they and their families wanted most.

Determined to change that, one child at a time, Spilchen returned to Canada and spoke of her mission to friends and anyone else who would listen. With the support of her family, she planned a mission to return to Mumbai and open a school for these children.

With what is still a very small budget through donations from the public sector and some grant money from her provincial government, Spilchen has successfully opened two schools, in the suburb of Khar and in Nallasopara. The schools not only provide an education but also nutritious meals, medical attention, emergency medical care and counselling for the students and parents.

Tandon had also wanted to make a difference, partly because of an experience she had when her father took her to India some years ago. It was a hot day and she had gone out with an uncle and siblings to get ice-cream. She noticed a young child looking at her eating her ice cream and learned that what Canadian children often take for granted – being able to afford ice-cream – wasn’t the case for many children in India.

The fundraising dinner, which drew about 175 supporters, was smoothly emceed by Adam West of 103.1 Virgin Radio. The program began with a beautiful classical dance rendition of a blessing done to a successful opening by Manohar Performing Arts of Canada, led by Devi Kirtan. That was followed by Winnipeg’s sitar virtuoso Joshua Stanton, accompanied by Sandhu Singh on tabla. Ten-yearold Anisha Sharma followed with a classical Indian dance piece that was so well executed that she received a standing ovation for her spirited performance.

The audience, organizers and performers took a break to have a sumptuous dinner and dessert provided by title sponsor Trevor Ahluwalia of Clay Oven. Most attendees went back for seconds, hoping their choices would still be available, and there was plenty for all to have seconds.

Following dinner, Spilchen, founder of One! International, showed the audience a video of her project in Mumbai and spoke about the work being done there.  This was followed by Tandon's story of why she got involved in this event and her heartfelt appreciation for the event sponsors and volunteers in making shtis evening possible.

Then the group "OH HASEENA!" performed vocal tunes, accompanied on tabla and harmonium, and the West Indians United band followed with western drum sets, Indian drum sets, kepboard, harmonium, khalak and percussion instruments.  the music was loud with very catchy music and beats that had the audience taping their toes and bobbing their heads to the music.  Finally thier 8 year old drummer took the stage and went into overdrive, matching beats played on the tabla with the tempo rising progressively.  The audience was on its feet, applauding this thunderous operformance, which brought the evening to a fitting end.

Dignitaries in attendance included MP Rod Bruinooge, City Councillor Devi Sharma and School Trustee Derek Dabee.

Tandon's team of volunteers included Michelle Gazze, Rich Tandon, Jocelyn Jancey Francis and Wajihah Mughai.

The success of the evening was also due to the following sponsors: Clay Oven, LiveWell Chiropractic, AVW TELAV, Royal Crest Granite, Southglen Veterinary Hospital, Tatan Hauling, Elite Lighting, Vantage Studios & Print Shop, Ballycastle Distributors, Party Stuff, Sarah and Nathan Pao of Coldwell Banker, Anita Seth of Royal Bank of Canada, the Guyanese Association of Manitob and Western Financial.

 

MORE INFO

For further information about One! International, please visit www.one-international.com or email the founder directly at Tania@one-international.com .  "

 

 

THANK YOU PRIYA

from

ONE! INTERNATIONAL

 

 

The following link links to a previous article about Priya Tandon and her plans for the fundraiser.

 

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/lance/Student-wants-unity-for-fundraiser-for-kids-187935531.html

 

 

 

and owner of

LiveWell Chiropractic Wellness Centre, and Chantal Raper, massage therapist at LiveWell.

PEARL IN THE GARBAGE DUMP

 

 

 

Did I capture your attention with that title?  It sounds like the title of a book, doesn't it?

 

It is the title of a book.  Marc Valentin, who volunteered for 5 months in India from September 2010 to February 2011 has written a book about his adventures with One! International in Mumbai, India.

 

Marc has developed a Facebook page to promote the future sales of his book.
                   Pearl in the Garbage Dump
             https://www.facebook.com/PearlinTheGarbageDump  

As Marc says on his Facebook page:

Friends, thank you so much for taking the time to support my book. A few things worth noting...

1) it is written but unpublished,
2) I am in the process of querying agents (this is more work than writing the book)
3) More content will be forthcoming (I'm joyfully overwhelmed responding to emails of support).
4) When the book does get published, half of the proceeds I collect will go back to the charity.
5) Yes, that is me on the cover. I will post the back cover in the next day or two so that you can see me when I'm scrubbed up lol
6) I really appreciate all of you. Old friends and new ones, I cannot say "thank you enough" for helping.

Thank you again,

Marc Valentin

 

  About

Whether you dream about making your own escape, are searching for your own sources of strength, or simply love to travel, your curiosity will peak...

 

Description

Longing to add meaning to his life, investment banker Marc Valentin trades the security of a fat paycheck for the uncertainty of teaching the poorest children on the planet.

Although his new colleagues guide his transition from pitching stocks on the trading floors to sweeping floors in a Mumbai schoolhouse, only Marc has the power to validate the life-changing decision. But first, he must confront the brutality of slum life, the chaos of Indian society, and an illness that eats away at his body.  Will Marc, who never gives up on anything, meet his match and lose his self-respect and possibly his life? Whether you are searching for your own sources of strength, dream about making your own escape, or simply love to travel, your curiosity will peak as Marc unveils his firsthand experience across all three. front the brutality of slum life, the chaos of Indian society, and an illness that eats away at his body. Will Marc, who never gives up on anything, meet his match and lose his self-respect and possibly his life?

Whether you are searching for your own sources of strength, dream about making your own escape, or simply love to travel, your curiosity will peak as Marc unveils his firsthand experience across all three.

front the brutality of slum life, the chaos of Indian society, and an illness that eats away at his body. Will Marc, who never gives up on anything, meet his match and lose his self-respect and possibly his life?

Whether you are searching for your own sources of strength, dream about making your own escape, or simply love to travel, your curiosity will peak as Marc unveils his firsthand experience across all three.

Besides being with my family,this dirty, broken road is my favorite place in the world.  Nowhere else on earth am I happier because as I walk up this road to my school, my students come running out from everywhere and give me hugs.

 

Not all of the volunteers, staff, students, families, and supporters who are part of the One! International world family will agree with Marc's observations and comments about the school, organization, students, families, city and country.

This is Marc's story, and it is his journey.

However, I think all of us will agree with many of the observations, and comments; see ourselves in some of the pages; laugh and cry with him in parts of his story.

Please join with me in supporting Marc's project.

One of the many games of cricket we played in the garbage dump.  



 



 

 

 

 

 



                         HOMES  IN MUMBAI


I don't believe in 'reinventing the wheel' or trying to say something better than someone who has said it so well.  In the Saturday November 24, 2012 issue of The Globe and Mail newspaper, Lisa Rochon wrote an article entitled "In Mumbai, 'monster' home has multiple meanings. I will include some of that article here for you.

Rich man, poor man: What constitutes a home in Mumbai for each is starkly, shockingly different. If you are as wealthy as you are shameless - like Mukesh Ambani, India's ultra-billionaire - home is a 27-story tower resembling a corporate American sky-scraper.........(400,000 square feet) dedicated to one family..
 

Local civic authority has vacated Mumbai, ......It turns out this epic, endless city .........has no true mayor - the title is largely ceremonial.  That means nobody to lead the charge for desperately needed running water and flush toilets for about half the population.  Nobody to advocate for more public transit (there's no subway). Nobody to champion pedestrians' rights, which currently rank at zero compared with cars". Instead, a chief administrator charged with overseeing the entire state of Maharashtra governs Mumbai.  That's a dangerous power vacuum.
Mumbai is estimated to contain more poor people than any other city in the world.  About 2.5 million of its people live on less than $13 (US) a month, according to its 2010 statistics.
But the city's slums are not centres of crime and violence like many of the cocaine-poisoned favelas of Latin America.  On the ground, the impoverished population in Mumbai scrambles to make do, often with elegance, grace and innovation.  Their homes are typically the size of a modest condominium bedroom in Canada - measuring about 10 by 10 feet - and they are impressively designed as laboratories of efficiency. Against all odds, despite the buzzing flies and uncollected trash as well as the barely functioning public schools, families inhabit their  tiny cells with stunning resistance.  ............the path leading into the dark density was narrow, often with grey water running directly outside of the curtained front doors.  Inside, however, the floors were scrubbed, even when there was a goat cohabiting with the family.  ...........
Garbage and human waste were thrown into heaps along the narrow laneways but the interiors of the single-room homes were pristine, even though several family members occupied them.........
 

...Dry goods and spices were organized into metal canisters and lined up on shelves.  Plates were kept in drying racks suspended from the wall.  A small Hindu shrine was displayed next to an electric fuse box.....who lived with her family of six in a home measuring 3 by 7 feet.  She slept indoors while the others slept outside, typically on mats or ratan beds.  "It's extremely hard during the monsoons," she said...
 

It seems impossible that government would abrogate its responsibilities of providing basic sanitation for its citizens.  But such is the harsh reality of Mumbai.  And what of civic leadership from some of the several dozen billionaires living in India, the ones profiled in the latest Forbes India magazine?.......
During my last moments in Mumbai, waiting on the tarmac for the plane to take off at sunrise, I watched as people came to life nearby ......located just beyond the international airport on the other side of a concrete wall topped by a menacing coil of barbed wire.....A boy dragged a plastic bag onto the open commons ...to see if there might be anything worth scavenging.  Several men squatted in the open, separated by a few metres, marginally apart from each other but fully visible from my plane.  Day had broken in Mumbai, a city of tormented, wondrous - neglected - humanity. 

Here are a few pictures from One!'s files.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

New School in Nallasopara

WE HAVE A NEW SCHOOL IN NALLASOPARA

Due to your fantastic support, One! International was able to build a new school in Nallasopara.

Although we were unable to purchase the land, we are incredibly pleased with our interim solution. The money you have generously donated to the Buy a brick - Build the Future Program, has allowed us to have a 6000 square feet school built to our specifications – 14 rooms, 4 toilets, fenced concrete play space, and open field.

Your funds have helped to build the school and provide the first year's rent on a 10 year lease.

The children, teachers, volunteers and families at One! in India are so proud of their new school, and the credit goes to you for making the school a beautiful reality.

We haven't let go of our dream to buy the land and own the school one day. This solution provides stability for our children and families in Nallasopara for the next 10 years, while we continue to stabilize our Indian Trust, and explore longer term planning. Even though we are not continuing with the Buy a Brick, Build the Future Program at this time - our dream for the future remains.

We hope you will be as happy as we are with this interim solution. Thank you for your donations, your time and your love for our children.

 

All ready for the ribbon cutting ceremony.


We are making changes to the web page. Continue to watch for the Opening
of the School video which will be posted soon.
www.one-international.com 
  

Smiling in the rain. A wonderful day.

SOME MINI UPDATES ON ONE! CHILDREN

For the next few blogs I thought I would give you some mini update tidbits on the One! children in India.

Hopefully this will give you a flavour for the progress the children are making, and the circumstances of their lives.
                      
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Bina is doing really well, she is attending private school as well as our school, studying with us a few hours each morning. She is still the same sweet, adoring, huggable little monkey she has always been. Her little brother Sankrish is practically a different kid than who he was last year, so much more confident and happy, but has become something of a little mischief monger. Bina is really such a darling and holds a really place in my heart, she would come in to the office almost every day when I was there and give me the biggest hug.

 

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Babli always keeps on smiling in all the class and keeps the class environment healthy. She has been more active and participative than earlier. She loves to play skipping. One amazing change she has brought in the last three months, is she never bothers about anyone teasing her and maintains good cordial relationship with all the students.

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He (Anil) told us that he is not interested in studying and likes to learn electrical work. He also goes to do wiring work with one of his friend. We told him that we will try to get him some electrician course which would help him in future to earn his livelihood.

 

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Alfiya is a smart six year old who lives in the Khar Danda area with her two older sisters and a ten month old baby sister. The family is a new addition to One!, since February of 2012.  Her parents seem caring and loving and there seems to be no discord or underlying tension. As the family is comparatively new we don’t have the entire picture or much history........... Owing to their new status we don’t have full trust in the accuracy of all the information that has been provided.  We as the One! Family will try our best to integrate them and help them adjust to us. Alfiya’s father works as a tailor and has a regular income albeit meagre. It is still an uphill struggle as the one income is stretched thin feeding so many mouths. He takes on small embroidery jobs as well to supplement the income.

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Baby Aliya was extremely malnourished when she first arrived at our door, (the beginning of March this year). That itself was a bad sign but for little Aliya there was worse news  in store. She had a bad lung infection. This became our priority and already over this short period of time we have managed to bring the infection down. It still continues to plague her and we will be monitoring her health closely, meeting her medical needs and her dietary requirements. Nourishment, a clean environment and access to medicines is the need of the day.

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Divek is all of three years old and, well, the smallest of his four member family. ........... he is adorable. Divek, his sister Diveka and his young parents are a new addition to the one! Family; February of this year.................Home to them is a five minute walk from the Khar Danda school, home, being a grand word here, is actually a shanty constructed with bamboo sticks and discarded plastic. As the saying goes the best kind of advertising is by word of mouth and it was just through that good community chatter that they found us. It takes a village to raise a child and for most of the families around Khar Danda, One! International is that village. Living in a shanty without the basic amenities that we take for granted… electricity, running water and plumbing... is a hard enough existence, but having no support or help from government or any recourse to a better life, is a harsh reality. For us at One!, we are just happy to have the opportunity to be here and provide what we can.

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 At ten years of age Mansi is an angel. Quiet, well behaved, diligent, lovable and the list goes on. Mansi lives in a far flung suburb of Mumbai called Nallasopara and as you are aware, One! has a school there. This worked out quite well for Mansi and her family. Mansi is a part of a seven member household. Her siblings include two sisters and two brothers. She is blessed with loving parents who take an active part in their children’s lives and are great role models. As with most households burdened with poverty vices find an easy in, this is thankfully not the case here and they are not plagued by any such negative influence. Mansi’s father works as a carpenter and manages to bring home around Rupees 4000 ($ 80) a month. Her mother is a housewife and keeps a clean and happy home. Both parents dote on their children. Most kids in Nallasopara attend private school, some in the mornings and some in the afternoons. We at One! have adapted to working with this system, and have morning and afternoon shifts as well. This allows the children freedom to attend our school either after or before. The private schools that operate here are mostly shams, and a way of taking away hard earned money. Most parents have no option but to enroll their children, as some education is better than none. Mansi’s parents have decided not to send her to one of these schools, they believe in the education that One! Is providing and thus, she attends our school fulltime.

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I hope you have enjoyed these little mini updates. The information comes from the Give-A-Child-A-Chance Program updates provided to the GCC sponsors.

 More next time.