CREATION OF OUR
HEARTBEATS
Planet Hope Netherlands info@planethope.nl www.planethope.nl Bank: NL94TRIO0390369705 Year V, No. 8, September 2015
This magazine reflects the daily life and expresses the opinion of the girls living in the Navodaya (New Beginning) girls home in Bangalore, India. All articles are written by the girls themselves. Happy reading!
Durga, Shivaleela, Nithya Shree, Shilpa, Rama, Vijayalakshmi G, Kavya, Rekha, Liss Maria, Kalavathi, Vijayalakshmi S, Vinitha, Pooja P, Roopa, Jennifer, Pooja G, Gangothri, Catherin, Nishchitha, Pooja K, Vidhya, Varshini, Harshitha, Ankitha, Lakshmi, Hruthika & Nithya Spoorthi
ECHO India info.echoindia@gmail.com www.echoindia.org
The Navodaya girls home is an initiative of ECHO India and Planet Hope Netherlands
The Navodaya family welcomes 8 new girls!
In the first half of 2015, 8 new girls have found a home in Navodaya: Pooja K, Vidya, Varshini, Harshitha, Ankitha, Lakshmi, Hruthika and Nithya Spoorthi. Have a closer look on page 2.
1
Welcome to the Navodaya family! In the first 6 months of this year, 8 new girls have found a home in Navodaya. A hearthy welcome to Pooja K, Vidhya, Varshini, Harshitha, Ankitha, Lakshmi, Hruthika and Nithya Spoorthi by the staff and 18 other girls! Now the Navodaya family has grown to 26 members.
Pooja K, 17 years
Vidhya, 14 years
Varshini, 13 years
Hruthika, 12 years
Harshita, 10 years
Ankitha, 8 years
Lakshmi, 8 years
Nithya Spoorthi, 8 years
Not all Navodaya girls have a sponsor parent yet. Do you want to support a girl? Please visit our website or mail us at info@planethope.nl for more information.
2
Back home for the holidays After the school year 2014-2015 had finished, all the Navodaya girls enjoyed their holidays in April and May. Nishchitha and Liss Maria share their experiences.
„Enjoyed playing with my friends and sister”
„Happy to see my parents and grandparents”
I was very happy that I went to my house for holidays. I saw my father. I am very sad that my father is sick. My father should become better. I enjoyed playing with my friends and my sister. She wants to be a doctor, I want to become a pilot.
I went to my parent’s house. I was playing and enjoying with my friends, my brother and sister. Next day I went to Kerala to visit my grandparents. I was very happy to meet the parents of my father. I also met my church father and my old friends in school.
When I am at home, I help my mother and father. My mother wakes me up and prepares food. My mother will go to work. She will come back at 5:30. On holidays she comes back at 1:30. I am very happy that I went to auntie’s house. So I did not cry when my mother came back late. I love my mother and wish her good health and wealth.
The next day I went to my other grandparent’s house. There I met my uncle, aunty and other family members. I watched a new movie and climbed trees. I was very happy there. When I came back to Bangalore I was a little sad, because I have to continue to study. But I know I have to, because I want to become a doctor (cardiologist).
Nishchitha, 12 years
3
Liss Maria, 13 years
Parents enjoy a delicious lunch, prepared by their children
Cooking with chef Roderik We were very happy to cook with chef Roderik, who came from the Netherlands to teach at the EurIndian Academy. He also spend a few days with us in Navodaya and came to teach us about cooking.
By Roopa Chef Roderik is working in a restaurant called Spirit in Rotterdam. Cooking with him was a great experience. We learned some new dishes and how to cut vegetables. We enjoyed it very much. We not only cooked for ourselves, but also for our parents who were all invited for lunch on parent’s day. We were proud that we cooked for so many people, totally more than 50! Our parents enjoyed our dishes very much. We also viewed videos of the restaurant of chef Roderik. We got new ideas how they are cooking in the Netherlands and what dishes they serve. Some Dutch dishes are very nice, but are very different from the Indian dishes. We enjoyed the cooking classes of chef Roderik and are very thankful to him.
4
Durga reflects on the newspaper article `Women swiftly climbing up the higher education ladder´
Women are reaching higher positions If we look to our world and compare the previous and present generation, we can clearly notice that the influence of women has become stronger in all areas. One of the best examples is education.
Great progress The level of the education of women in India shows a sharp rise between 2001 and 2011. Women make great progress and the growth percentage is more than that of men. The best example of this are the 10th standard and PUC results. This improvement helps women to reach higher positions in areas such as engineering, medicine, veterinary, (post) graduation and teaching.
„My advice to all parents in the world: let your children study”
Proud As a girl I feel proud of all the women’s achievements in India. So I would like to advice all parents in the world to let their children study, without any discrimination towards boys and girls. Let girls achieve something in this world like men do!
Durga 5
Stitching class: new curtains and dolls clothes By Catherine and Nithyashree Aunty Alegria came from The Netherlands to Navodaya to teach us about stitching. Stitching class was very interesting. When we started, it was very difficult. First we were trying to stitch some old clothes. After a while and much practice we were improving step by step. In the end we learned stitching some clothes for dolls like shirts, skirts and tops. We also decorated some curtains. Stitching is very important in India. We can use it in our daily lives for repairing our own clothes. So we are very thankful to aunty Alegria to teach us how to stitch.
6
Dreams can come true All Navodaya girls dream of a better future and are working hard to realise them. Kalla and Vinitha share theirs.
Kalla : have my own restaurant Kalla
Kalla
Wedream also h isWe ave space tocooking. play My to also have my We ownalso restaurant. I love outside now. Everyday Usha and Bavitha, our housemother That’s why I have the plan for opening my own and sister, organize different games outside. It is a lot of restaurant serve to and the little people, especially fun for us. Iand hope I willgood have afood house garden for mymy family in the future. It is healthy and the vegetables and for family and friends. flowers are good for the environment.
After finishing Pre-University College I will choose hotel management for higher studies. I am waiting to become a hotel management student at the EurIndian Academy. I already saw some videos on the computer about hotel management and that made me even more interested. I will surely achieve my goal. Our parents had a plan of building a new house, but in vain. But I will help them. After my studies I will give the money that I earn to my parents first, and use my salary secondly for myself and others. When I am working in the hotel management industry I will help the poor for free by giving something of my own money. I would like to serve others as much as possible.
7
Vinitha : become a professional dancer We also have space to play outside now. Everyday Usha and Bavitha, our housemother and sister, organize different Once my ambition was to become a teacher, but now games outside. It is a lot of fun for us. I hope I will have a my ambition is slowly Because being aItteacher house and little gardenchanging. for my family in the future. is and the vegetables good for I healthy will earn between 10.000and andflowers 14.000are rupees, so the I environment. cannot support my parents. Being a professional dancer
and choreographer I can earn more money. Many of my friends tell me that I am a good dancer. This encouragement gave me happiness and interest to dance as a profession. I just love dance like anything. I will have to develop my skills further. When I dance I feel very happy and free and sometimes forget my sadness. Dancing is a very special talent given to me by God, so I will utilize this in a proper way and shape my life in a different manner. In case there is a chance for me to become a choreographer I would like to teach freely to the children who are poor. I want to help them to develop their talents.
Celebrating ECHO’s 15th anniversary By Pooja G. In March we celebrated ECHO Day, that marked the 15 th anniversary. It was a very special day for us. It is the first time I have seen this celebration. Many children participated in various programs. We performed many dance acts and participated in various other activities on that special day. Each and every person who was present enjoyed it a lot.
Special place It is since 15 years that ECHO started. ECHO means Empowerment of Children and Human Rights Organisation. According to me ECHO is a very special place because all types of children live in various ECHO centres and all get equal rights to live over there. ECHO helps them to achieve something valuable in life. Proud and thankful I feel very proud to be a part of the ECHO family, especially because Fr. Antony is there with us. He is the person who is changing the lives for many children. We are very thankful for all the people who help us adding value to our lives.
Let ECHO live for ever!
8
Stand up for women and child rights! By Pooja P, Rekha and Durga India is home to the largest population of women and children in the world. In our constitution there are some fundamental duties and rights to be followed by every citizen of India. Each and every one should be aware of these duties and rights and contribute to protect all women and children. The Indian government has launched many acts like the Stop Violence against Women Act in 1993 and acts against child marriage and child labour (below 15 years a child is not allowed to work). Still these acts are not followed by every citizen in India. The laws are often violated and abused. The photo shows how many women and children are treated. No opportunity to study In India many places women and children are not treated nicely. For example many women don’t get the opportunity to study. Many times children are not able to go to school for education because the family is poor. Violence against women In some villages there is more violence against women. For example when they try to do something great, they are beaten up. Some families don’t like to get a baby girl and that is a shame. Human rights Therefore we must ensure that basic human rights are granted to all women and children in India: • • • •
The right to survival The right to protection The right to participation The right to development
Still, in India the abusement of women is daily news. This has to stop! We all have to stand up for women and child rights.
9
Some families don’t like to get a baby girl and that is a shame
Drawings by Lakshmi, Ankitha and Nithya Spoorthi
10
Our lives in Navodya By Pooja P and Rekha We would like to share our experience in ECHO Navodaya. The girls home was started on 20 May 2014. More than 1 year has passed since we moved from the former house Carmel Ghar to our new home Navodaya. In the beginning we came to Navodaya with our parents. We liked to stay here, but that time we felt also a little unhappy because it was a new place with new staff and a new atmosphere. It took us some time to settle down. Eventually everyone was glad and helpful to each other and we were able to cope up. Still we had sad feelings because we missed some of our friends. Later new girls came to Navodaya and we were happy to welcome them in our home. There were some new rules in Navodaya we were not used to, but now we are. We have a small garden now which we like very much. Here in Navodaya the staff are nice and helpful to us. We learn many things and we have improved in so many ways, for example in our studies. The most enjoyable time is watching movies, chatting with friends, making jokes and dancing. We also enjoy visiting tourist places. We were very happy to go for a daytrip to Mysore, together with some friends, the staff, aunty Karen and Isra. First we spent some time in the Mysore palace, which is really a wonderful place to stay for a while. After some time we went to the Mysore zoo, what we enjoyed very much too. We saw many different types of animals. We also visited the birds section. Wow, so many beautiful birds were there with attractive colours. Navodaya is not only for enjoyment, it is also a meaningful place where girls get education. There are 26 girls now, 1 cook, 1 teacher and 1 sister who is in charge. We go to 2 different schools and 1 college. In our new schools and college we had no friends in the beginning, so we were sad. Now that has changed for the better and we have many friends. Five girls are studying in Siddharta school (Kannada medium). Six girls are studying in SSR College. Fifteen girls are studying in St. George high school. It is a very good English medium school. Education here is very valuable. We are proud to go to school and are glad to be Georgian students. We have many extra activities in our school like talent day, St. George feast day, class day and sports day. We like to take part in all activities and enjoy it very much. Education is not only learning and writing, but also understanding and practicing it day to day. Education helps us to get a job and have a good position in society. And our schools and college are the places where we get our education. We feel lucky and proud to be here. In Navodaya we have good staff and we enjoy being with them. So we would like to thank all of them for taking care of us. Thanks too for everything to everyone who is helping us. 11
ECHO summer camp: games, sports and plays By Shilpa We started ‘Exito’ summer camp on May 1st in the ECHO centre in Kammanahalli. This summer camp is for all the children in the ECHO centres in Bangalore and Mysore.
On the first day they made five groups and organised different activities like making flags. On the second day we enjoyed a lot because we played different games. It was a good experience. On the third day we went to the nearby Jyothi high school to play sports like throw ball. We also went to a police station to experience how police is working. We saw four or five criminals there.
On the fourth day all our parents were invited. We performed different plays, dances and songs for our parents and the ECHO staff. In the evening we received prizes like a scale, pen or soap. Finally the summer camp ended. Then we had 3 weeks free to be at home with our parents.
12
Parents meeting 12 July 2015
13