News1
From DFoundation
June 2009 Update
Sandeep is reunited with his family
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After more than 7 years separated from his family, Sandeep returned home . Please read more. |
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Certificate awarding
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Certificates were awarded to the woman in our vocational training programs. Please read more. |
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Soni´s treatment
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Soni 15, a student of class 8 in Universal Public School, Sarnath was seriously ill. Please read more. |
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April 2009 Update
New home constructed for Bhulani and Sandeep
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As part of our direct support program, we have been helping an elderly woman call Bhulani and a young boy called Sandeep. Please read more. |
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Recent activities
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We are pleased to inform you of our most recent activities. We have made some positive progress in several areas of our work. Please read more. |
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December 2008 Update
Rajkumari red card
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We have received great news regarding Rajkumari and her family. Please read more. |
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Introduction to Kaushambi Hope e.V
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We would like to introduce you to Kaushambi Hope e.V., the recently established German charitable organisation. This organisation has been set up to make the Kaushambi Village vision become a reality. Please read more. |
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October 2008 Update
Update on the progress of Nishas family
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After the sad passing of little Nisha, we continued to help her family. They have made excellent progress and now have hope for their future. Please read more. |
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Sandeep's rehabilitation
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Here is the story of Sandeep, his rehabilitation and hopes for the future. Please read more. |
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Children progress and the visit of Justice Malmats Kabir of the Supreme Court
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Our work in October continued well and we had good news regarding some of the patients. Also the visit of Justice Malmats Kabir gave us hope and inspiration for the future. Please read more. |
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Child Sponsorship
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Dfoundation has started a new academy in the rural district of Azamgarh in Northern India in order to deal with the lack of educational opportunities for the children in this extremely poor area. Based on an awareness program about the value of education we were able so far to convince the parents of 47 children to let their children join our academy. Please read more about this ambitious project and consider to ensure with a sponsorship that this precious opportunity for these children will not be lost due to lack of financial means. Further information and a short introduction of these 47 children can be found in the Child Sponsorship Introduction Letter. |
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French and German leaflet introducing the work of the Dfoundation
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Thanks to the efforts of our french and german friends we can now offer both a french and a german DFoundation Leaflet for download. Both versions have been translated with great skills and layout beautifully. Please contact us if you need a higher resolution version of these leaflets for professional printout. |
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Download French Dfoundation Leaflet |
Bihar flood rescue operation
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During our Bihar flood rescue operation we tried to capture some of the impressions with our video cam in order to be able to share them with you. We now uploaded two of these videos on youtube to make them available. |
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September 2008 Update
Vocational Academy now government recognized school
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Our Vocational Academy is now a government recognized school and we are eligible to run a school up to 8th class. Please click here for the latest news about our academy, pictures from the nearly finished construction work and our future plans. |
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Home for five Orphans
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Read the latest news about Roshani, the new home of the five orphans and our new plans to support children at Pampapur. |
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Reconstruction work at the Women Juvenile Home
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We were able to do some reconstruction work at the Women Juvenile Home facilities. Read about what was achieved and see some new pictures from the successful educational activity of our outstanding teachers and students. |
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First report from our relief team in Bihar
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Please click here to read the first report of our relief team which set off to Birhar on the 8th of September. The extend of the problem is so huge that it is impossible for govt. or any other agencies to provide all the necessary support. The joint effort for humanity is required.
From our side we try to contribute by starting the Rehabilitation Project of flood affected HANUMAN PATTI Village in Purnia District (Bihar). See more details about this project and a first approximate of the costs at the end of the report.
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August 2008 Update
Urgent help required for flood victims in Bihar in India
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Bihar, one of the poorest states in India, is struck by the biggest flood ever. DFoundation is planning to send a team of 12 volunteers which include a doctor, a cook and other relief workers. Please click here for more details and how you can support our well motivated volunteer team eager to help human kind. Please respond as soon as possible. |
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Urgent help needed for Roshani
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Roshani needs urgent medical treatment as initial diagnosis shows that her heart and lever are damage. Roshani is second eldest among five orphans we adopted in Panpapur. Her treatment is going on in Apollo Hospital (one of the best hospitals in Varanasi). The initial treatment costs around 25 thousand Ruppee. |
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July 2008 Update
Urgent help needed
Rajkumari Devi
Rajkumari is a widow with 3 children (1 boy and 2 girls). She is suffering from a leprosy-like disease and has lost her fingers so cannot work. We have provided occasional support to her in the past for the education of her children and other basic needs. Now we are giving her a tent to cover the roof of the hut in which she lives with her children. In the future, we plan to provide her with a tin roof if our budget permits us.
Gumnami
She was found injured on a railway track. The GRP (train police) took her to the Juvenile Home. There her wound became more severe. At present, she is getting treatment in the BHU government hospital. We are providing her with the best possible medical treatment while at the same time looking for a care organization who would take her on board. We have already filled applications with Kiran, the Mother Taresa House and some other charities; we are awaiting the respons
Ram Nagar Boys’ Juvenile Home
We have been working at the Ram Nagar Boys’ Juvenile Home for the last 2 years. At present, there are 68 boys residing at the Home. Most of these boys are in the Juvenile Home for small crimes or because their parents abandoned them.
In the process of their rehabilitation, we were able to trace the parents of 16 boys; we then provided them with the necessary legal assistance for their release. The families of these 16 boys have now taken them out of the Home.
D-Foundation is planning to adopt two boys Pappu (10 years-old) and Paras (12 years-old). They are very good at studying and would really like to receive an education. Since they have no parents, D-Foundation plans to take on legal responsibility for them.
Left: Anil staying at the D-foundation academy for last 3 months.
Right: Pappu left (12 years-old) Paras right (13 years-old); we are planning to take them to the D-foundation academy.
Another boy (Anil Kumar, age 13) is already in our academy because he does not want to stay in the Juvenile Home or go back to his parents’. Nowadays Hariom Rai, D-Foundation’s Chairman, is working personally with these boys in the Juvenile Home. Now the bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms have been greatly improved. We would be very happy if any of you is able to visit and see the difference and meet the boys at Home.
We are focusing on a training program for them including sports activities, education and their rehabilitation. We are trying to contact their parents and relatives and we were successful in finding some of them. Our next program is to start a plantation there and provide training in agricultural work.
Recently we have provided them with new cloths, bed sheets, towels, some sports kits and medical support.
Thanks for your kind support and please keep on helping us in this noble cause.
A group of boys in new cloths.
June 2008 Update
Details of the girls’ rehabilitated (released) from Jubline Home with the help of D-foundation
D-foundation is constantly working for the rehabilitation of the girls’ living in Jubline Home. D-foundation has helped many girls to go back to their home by the expert counseling with them, their families and relatives so that they can live a normal social life. In the year 2007, three girls Gunja, Lachho and Indu were sent back to their families and relatives.
Gunja (A Victim of Social Injustice)
Gunja was a resident of Gorakhpur district. Her father runs a sweet shop. Gunja married to a boy Ramesh. Their families did not accept this marriage and made them a victim of social boycott they also imposed some legal charges against them. Gunja and her husband surrender themselves in the court. Gunja was sent to Jubline Home during this process. Our counselor took this case and talked to the families of the couple to sort out the problem. Finally, their families accepted them through the mediation of D-foundation and all the legal and social issues were settled out. Gunja was sent back to her husband Ramesh on 11 Dec 2007.
Lachho Devi (A Victim of Domestic Violence)
Lachho Devi is a resident of Siddharth Nagar. Her mother worked as a house cleaner. Lachho also started working with her mother. One day her owner beat her on a minor mistake. She left the house in anger and reached Varanasi by bus without ticket. Ticket checker handed her over the police and she was sent to Jubline Home. Our counselor in Jubline Home inquired her and contacted her mother. Her mother was not ready to accept her but, after the mediation of D-foundation she agreed to take Lachho back home. Now Lachho is with her family.
Indu
Police brought Indu, a resident of Gyanpur to the Jubline Home on June 3, 2007. She skipped with a boy who left her alone at a railway station. GRP (Train police) took her to police and she was sent to Jubline Home. When our counselor knew about her she started making effort for Indu’s rehabilitation. The counselor talked to Indu’s family. But after many rounds of talk they did not agreed to take Indu back in the family. Then our counselor contacted Indu’s elder sister and took her help to convince Indu’s family. Finally Indu was accepted in her family and was released form the Jubline Home on Nov 9, 2007.
D-Foundation requires urgent support for two physically challenged individuals
Prashant Kumar
Prashant is a 20-year-old young man. His father Ghanshyam passed away five years ago and his widow mother is an unemployed housewife who stays at home. As Prashant is the eldest in his family, he is responsible for all the needs of his family. Prashant is 60% handicap so he cannot go very far on his own. D-Foundation has discussed the situation with his mother, she will continue to take care of him. The only thing he requires is a job and some training. His monthly living expenses amount to around Rs. 4000/- including medicine. D-Foundation also wishes to arrange a tricycle or tri-motorcycle specially designed for handicapped people enabling to move without the help of others. Since physically he is not very strong, he requires the motorised vehicle which costs around Rs. 45,000/-. Presently we have arranged some training with the help of a physiotherapist and a computer engineer. Prashant is very bright, he is learning fast and could prove to be a good office staff member for D-foundation in future. He urgently requires support to be more independent.
Kumari Kumkum
Kumkum is an 18-year-old 56% handicaped girl. She does not want to become a burden on her poor family. She wanted to stay at D-Foundation to work and learn computer skills. Nowadays, she is at our academy in Azamgarh. She feels very safe in our academy amongst the other girls and women. We have arranged a separate room for her. However, we need to provide her with an attached toilet (3X5), kitchen, some furniture, a gas stove, pots and electrical appliances amounting to a total cost of around Rs. 118100/-. We have already arranged some trainers for her who are providing their services on a voluntary basis. Kumkum could herself become a good teacher and trainer in computer and other technical skills. If we help her, she can be self-sufficient and work in our academy.
Please help Prashant and Kumkum live a respectable life
D-Foundation is doing its best to bring Prashant and Kumkum into main stream society by giving them computer training and teacher training with the help of a physiotherapist and some other experts. As both of them are skilled mentally and have many good qualities, in future they can prove to be very good trainers and teachers for our foundation. This is a way for them to become self-dependent and live a respectable life in society.
Please help D-foundation in the rehabilitation of this handicapped young man and woman by providing financial support. We need to build some basic infrastructure for them, including furniture (1 bed, 2 chairs, 1 table, 1 small table), electrical appliances (1 fan, bulb, tube light, wire, switch board, pipe), set of cooking pots, an attached bathroom, a kitchen, 1 stove, 1 gas cylinder, a tri-motorcycle especially designed for handicapped people.
May 2008 Update
May 30 2008 - Marriage and release of 12 of the women from the destitute center
Many of these girls had been abandoned by their own families for various cultural reasons. They have now been greeted into the families of their grooms most of whom are from farmer families. Thorough research was carried out in order to make sure all of the grooms will be able to provide for their wives and future families and that the mean are from good social and family backgrounds. The girls were all very happy finding a future and unknown support.
D-Foundation arranged for all the girls' basic needs in order to start their new lives outside and also provides training to enable then to adjust in society. During the ceremony, people gave so many gifts to them. It was a beautiful atmosphere inside the holding center which visitors are not normally allowed to visit. Attached are some of the photos, we also have a video of the event. All the girls and women in the holding center - currently almost 100 - were happy to participate in the program which gives them great hope for their own future rehabilitation into society. They are very enthusiastic to participate in D-Foundation's programs so they can learn new skills, change their habits and try to find a solution for their rehabilitation.
Organizing this event was very challenging work for us but successfully completed in the end. We received good support from government officers and their families. We provided for everyone enabling them to be involved and enjoy themselves like at a festival for 3 days.
However even though we have released 12 of them from the center, others will soon be transfered here from different destitute holding centers. When they read about the wedding event in the newspaper, they apply pressure to come to the Varanasi center. In the northern states there are thousands & thousands of girls and women living in these holding centers. No one cares about their rehabilitation. We have planned to hold a meeting with other related NGOs and discuss the problem as well as ask for support for their rehabilitation. The Government is ready to hand over the control of the Jaitpura destitute holding center to us but the problem is the running costs of the home. We need a big budget to provide the required basic infrastructure.
We would like to take this occasion to once again thank from the bottom of our hearts to all those people to have generously supported us.
The girls have written letters in Hindi to thank all of you.
Heartfelt thanks also from the D-foundation team.
March 2008 Update
Release of Women from the Jaitpura Destitute Holding Center through arranged marriage
D-Foundation is very happy to announce that 12 women will be released form the destitute holding center through arranged marriages! While this may seem like a strange concept to some of you, arranged marriage is the norm in India. It is believed that the parents wish the best for their children’s future. In this case the women in the destitute holding center are not allowed to leave the secured compound which in fact acts as a prison unless they are “claimed” by a male member of their family. As most have in fact been abandoned by their family this is not an option.
D-Foundation searches for appropriate suitors for the girls (in Varanasi, the normal marriage age is 14! It is therefore not possible usually to find suitors for the older inmates unfortunately). D-Foundation does a thorough investigation into the background of the future husbands, checking their family background to make sure they will be able to provide for their future wives and family – most of the husbands selected come from farmer families. This in itself is amazing, it means that the women are marrying into a higher cast in some ways given their current situation, which is quiet a revolution, especially in Varanasi where the case system is still strong. The men are also checked for HIV/AIDS, alcoholism and any other illnesses. D-Foundation visits the villages where the women will go to their future families and also asks the people there about the character of the men and family they will marry into.
The last marriage of 4 girls from the Center was a great success. The women they are now all very happy with their new lives and a lot of publicity was created from the wedding ceremony with high and famous official and people attending. This along with the release of the girls is the main aim. Through holding a ceremony inside the Holding Center, attention was drawn to the terrible situation of the girls and their marriage into good families helps to reduce stigma.
We are now ready to organize the marriage of 12 of the girls from the Holding center by Mid April. The date will be organized according to the Hindu calendar. A ceremony like the last time will be organized. Form the last ceremony, the situation of the destitute women received a lot of interest in the media and local communities. We will again focus on raising public and official awareness.
We are now collecting support of the marriage ceremony we give some support for starting life. The dowry system still leaves many families indebted for life when they marry of their daughters. These marriages we are organizing are also revolutionary in this sense. The government will pay 15,000Rs to each future wife. And the local community as well as officials contribute towards the dowry and marriage ceremony. D-Foundation is organizing the whole event and is now seeking support for the wedding clothes, the cost of the puja and the food and other parts of the ceremony. The total expense will be around 4300 euros.
There are thousands of girls and women in jail in Uttar Pradesh alones. It is essential to raise awareness about their plight, this marriage is really a big event for all of us and them! We wish to attract public opinion in their favour, the communities should take care of them.
Below are the 12 girls/women who will be married in April. All contributions towards their wedding would be most appreciated!
Child Labour
38 Children have been released from child labour. These children were recognized as being subjected to child labour by official NGOs and Government sources. Some of them were house servants, others performing manual and hard labour. With Government and other support the children will now be sent to school. The Government has already provided a place for their settlement and will in future provide a special school for them if there are enough children. This will enable them to receive proper attention before joining a normal school with psychological help etc.
Right now we have found a sponsor to pay for a teacher and the rent of the room; the government is providing their food. We are now looking for more support to be able to provide uniforms and books.
Academy
The Academy has been opened and there are currently 120 people attending training there. The infrastructure is available to train several more, up to 250 or 300 which is our aim so as to be able to provide more support for the local rural women and girls. When we have the sufficient budget we will increase the number of students to reach full capacity.
Vocational Training centers
The women attending our Vocation training centers have received certificates after passing an examination in their work (left). We also have a new trainer in the women’s juvenile home (center). On the right British volunteers Mich and Amber visit one of the training centers. Below: the women have been learning how to make bags from cloth and leather, there are their models. In the Women’s destitute home, the women also have fun drawing and learn about classical Indian art.
January 2008 Update
We are very happy to announce that this month D-Foundation was nominated as the best social NGO working in the Varanasi district! This month we also conducted a medical check-up at the Destitute home and employed new staff to teach there. We provided a rickshaw to a man who walked 150Km to come to our office and have provided all the necessary support for a family of five orphans. Our Academy is about to open and all the preparations are complete.
Best NGO in Varanasi Government Award
Ten days ago, D-foundation was nominated by the District Administration as the best and most honest social NGO working for destitutes and orphans in the Varanasi area. This means that the government has to seek approval from D-Foundation for any new social project it undertakes. We have also received several certificates and awards in the past. The Government has named D-Foundation as responsible for the rehabilitation of the women, children and men. While they provide only a very insufficient budget for this, we have all the government’s support in our activities. D-Foundation has been given the authorisation to check all the homes and jails such as the criminal house for children and women’s and boy’s destitute homes at anytime for human rights and general living standards. When D-Foundation asks for help from any hospital or governmental office, we receive full support. This is a wonderful achievement in our first year of operation.
Care for five orphans
At the beginning of January, a social worker brought five orphans to the D-Foundation office. We have been working to ensure accommodation, food, schooling and complete rehabilitation with the support of the government. Their father, Chotelal Patel, was a saree weaver in Mumbai. Their mother died in 2001 apparently from the TB. Suicide is also suspected - the family did not have sufficient food and it is likely that the mother could no longer continue to see the terrible suffering of her children. The family then returned to Bahara, a village in the Varanasi District where Chhotelal Patel was originally from. Without his wife’s support, however, Chhotelal was unable to provide for his four daughters and one son. Their father died on 13 December 2006, suicide is also suspected.
The five orphans with their belongings at the D-Foundation office. The orphans’ family home.
After their father’s death, the four daughters Jyoti Kumari (age 14), Roshani Kumari (age 12), Pushpa Kumari (age 10), Usha Kumari (age 6), and the son Kuldeep Kumar (age 8) came under the destitute category. The eldest daughter, Jyoti was their only source of income. To earn a living, she made artificial chains, but could not always find work. She was unable to ensure the daily needs of the family. When the orphans came to the D-Foundation office, they were all in a very critical situation. All of them wished to learn to read and write, and go to school.
Jyoti with her aunty at the aunty’s home.
The D-Foundation Team took them in at once and started assistance to find a way to provide them with proper accommodation, daily necessity and education. D-foundation investigated the case of these five orphans and found their father’s family home which is in very poor condition. We then contacted the children’s relatives and one of the aunty’s is prepared to take care of the children. D-foundation also mediated for the government to provide food ration cards and 25,000Rs to rebuild their family home and 20,000Rs for their future to be kept in a bank account in their name for after their schooling. The orphans need the support of their aunty and we are planning to build a small house for them next to her home. Just one kilometer and a half away there is a very good school which they will attend. Other relatives and the whole community has promised to support the orphans. D-Foundation will act as their guardian and pay for their food, clothes, medical and all other expenses. We will also provide them with a form of insurance so they have funds for their future lives after schooling. The orphans are happy to be able to stay near their aunty and attend school.
Jaitpura Destitute Home - Medical Check-Up
D-Foundation arranged 5 Lady Doctors to provide a full medical check up to all the women & girls staying in the Destitute Home. Since we cannot bring them out unless they have serious health problem, we asked support from the Doctors to come inside the home once every two months to check all of them. On this first visit they the main health problem the doctors noted was diseases and other small illnesses. Also the doctors gave some training in health & hygiene.
Medical check-up with 5 doctors; handicrafts and leather crafts teacher; Pushpa, the counsellor.
D-Foundation has now organised for three staff to work permanently inside the home – two full time literacy and vocational skills teachers and one part-time counsellor. There are 14 young girls (8 year to 12 years old) inside the home, we are providing them with basic education. The girls also have art and meditation classes to make their stay in the home more bearable.
Presently, there are a total of 97 women in the home. Numbers of women in the home are always changing; as D-Foundation arranges for the release and rehabilitation of the women, more women are transferred to the home from other government institutions. Six of the women are physically disabled. We are tying to sift them to the Kiran Center where they can receive appropriate care. We face so much bureaucracy when we try to carry out any help. Any way we have succeeded to bring them a smile and hope on their faces for their future. This is our main target at D-Foundation.
A New Livelihood for Ramchet
Ramchet walked 150Km to come to our office. His wife is blind and he had no money to support her and their two sons (age 11 and 7) and one daughter (age 2). Before he had 125m² of land but his brother took most of the land from him illegally. Ramchet was very upset, not knowing how he can survive and provide food for his wife and children. So he came to the D-Foundation office and asked for an old cycle Riksha which he could repair and use to earn a living. D-Foundation gave him some money and also provided a Riksha. Now he is in better condition then before; even after just a few days of working, he started to send money home to his family and sent postcards to his friends to explain his new situation.
December 2007 Update
This month our main activities have been to provide blankets and warm clothes to the homeless and destitute and to continue with the preparations for the opening of the Vocational training Academy in January 2008.
The weather in Sarnath and Varanasi is quite fresh, especially in the evenings and over night. This cold weather greatly affects the homeless - those sleeping on the streets and also the destitute women in the destitute home, some of whom have to sleep outside because of lack of space in the five bedrooms provided for the 96 inmates in the home presently. The cold can be a life threatening issue in some cases, especially when people are also facing starvation.
Download December Update as a PDF file.
Jaitpura Destitute Home - Distribution of Blankets
D. Foundation distributed blankets to each of the inmates and also provided warm clothes, jumpers and suits (Indian dress and trousers).
We have also brought two new teachers to the home to teach vocational training including leather bag making, sewing and other handicraft skills. The teachers are paid by D. Foundation
D. Foundation is renovating and furnishing a further two rooms - one for vocational training and one to be available especially for the mentally and physically challenged women and girls.
This month we supported one of the women to have her baby in hospital (bright green head scarf). We are planning to rehabilitate and release the woman and her baby. We have published advertisements/articles in newspapers in order to raise awareness about the situation of the woman and of the others in the destitute home and also to trace her family in order to mediate with them and get them to ask for her release. The woman is dumb and has another child for whom D. Foundation organised transferral to the SOS children’s school. Till now we have rehabilitated 6 children from the destitute homes with the help of SOS schools.
Homeless Street people
After successful distribution of blankets in the women’s destitute home we then asked for further support in order to provide warm blankets and clothes to the homeless who sleep on the side of the roads. We also conducted an awareness program in newspapers with an article asking for support for destitute people through donations of clothes.
100 blankets were provided to street people. D. Foundation accompanied by the Varanasi District Magistrate went at night, when people are sleeping along the road, to hand out the blankets to those who needed them most. 50 blankets were kindly donated by the Opal Hospital, the other 50 were donated by Mr. Sisirsa.
D. Foundation Vocational Training Academy
The renovation, construction, painting work and furnishing is 95% complete. We are now selecting the girls and women who will study at the Academy. Selections will be completed by the 20th January and classes will start on the 26th January – which is an auspicious day as it is Indian Independence day. We will hold an opening ceremony which we hope HH Karmapa will bless with his presence.
Photo taken three weeks ago showing academy front and nursery on right.
When it opens, the academy will have a capacity of 250 seats for girls and women. There will also be a nursery for their children with a capacity of 300. Each student will attend the academy for a minimum of two years. Each diploma course is 6 months. They will attend four courses. All will attend education and the Yoga and Meditation diploma. They will then receive counselling to help the girls decide which other two professional diploma courses are best suited to them. There will be the possibility to remain in the Academy to complete further diploma courses after the two years.
Many girls and woman have come to apply for the courses. We are now conducting interviews and visiting the applicant’s families to select those most in need. Places will be provided first to destitutes, then orphans, then handicapped families, then children and women of families affected by suicide, and finally to labour families. 82% of the seats are reserved for theses categories of people. The remaining 18% of the seats will be for normal class people. The government requested us to keep 18% for normal class people; the government may then provide some support for the academy in future.
D. Foundation has organised for 4 destitute girls to be brought there to work. As only a family member can ask for their release, we have mediated with the girls’ relatives who have agreed to take them out through the legal procedure. We will then take full responsibility for the girls – their families do not wish/ are unable to have them back. Once they are brought to the Academy they will be provided with work, accommodation and all that is necessary for establishing a life. In future many more girls and women can be brought to the academy in this way.