Bethel Children on TV!
Annie was approached by a TV company who wanted to film children in a children’s home celebrating Diwali. It was broadcast on Diwali day. This was great fun and all the children had a wonderful time being on TV. Annie will send us a CD later so that we can upload a short clip to the website.
Dog Bites
There are many stray dogs in India, most of which carry Rabies. Annie is constantly worried about the children getting bitten when they return to their homes for holidays, occasional weekends etc. Recently, a child was bitten whilst on holiday at home and later died from the disease. This is a terrible terrible disease. Another child has been bitten whilst at home and Annie has taken steps to get him treated. We await updates on his progress with some anxiety. Many villagers will seek treatment from village ‘doctors’ rather than going to see a trained medic. This is due partly to financial constraints but there are also cultural traditions. We are hoping to start a fund for emergency medical care for the children in Bethel and Joy to account for such eventualities. The fund would provide treatment for the child and also payment for parents to cover loss of earnings if they need to stay with their child during treatment. Can you help? If so, please click the Donate button on the right of this page and complete the box to tell us what you have donated the money for. Alternatively, download a form from our donate pages and send it to us with a cheque. Thank you.
Navy Camp
10 children, aged 11-14, went to a naval camp at Pondicherry for 10 days. They learnt to march, clean the camp properly, wear a naval uniform, how to sail and shoot and they all received a certificate at the end. The children greatly enjoyed the experience and it may lead to careers in the future for some of them.
Diwali at Joy Home
The children celebrated Diwali at Joy Home with special events and a special meal. Diwali is an important Hindu celebration, with celebrations similar to a Christian Christmas – lights, gifts, special food and so on. Photos to follow as soon as Omega sends them onto us.
Surya Sew all Joy Children’s Uniforms
Surya, aged 18, lives permanently at Joy Home. She is in her final year of a BSc in Physics. Surya had the second highest marks in her last exams – in the entire university! We are very proud of her achievements. Surya does everything with a quiet dignity and diligence, including stitching new uniforms for all the children at Joy Home! This is no mean feat as there are 112 children at Joy. Thank you Surya.