Nav-Jeevan

Newsletter December 2011

The children of Nav-Jeevan won de first price in the dance competition for schools 2011

It's been quite a while since you received the last newsletter of Nav-Jeevan. Meanwhile, the new school year is in full swing. At the beginning of the school year a long line of parents and children were waiting for admission, their faces marked by poverty and desperation. Almost all of them wanted their child in the hostel, specially the single parents. Mothers from the slums were eager for their daughters to get a place in the safety of our hostel.
Last school year we suffered from severe overcrowding in the hostel. Because of shortage of space children had to share beds. With the help of donations from the Netherlands we could construct a new floor. All dormitories have been moved to this floor and we could buy 40 new bunk beds. Not enough to allow all children. We gave priority to children of single parents, children of mothers working as 24 hours servants whose husband are drunkards and children from outside Nagpur.
Last school year we had three tribal children from Mandala, the neighbouring state which is about 500 kilometers away, 13 years old Tara and her two younger brothers. They have no mother, their father remarried and the step-mother threw the children out. The three were living in abject poverty with their grand-mother, fending for themselves by working in different homes and surviving on leftover food, given to them by their employers. Now all three are good in studies, disciplined and very good in sports. If it wasn't for Nav-Jeevan these kids did not have the remotest opportunity of getting an education or a chance in life. Tara must have spoken about Nav-Jeevan to the villagers when she was at home for the holidays because a villager brought 8 children who had nobody to take care of them. They had never been to school and spoke not a word of Hindi, only a tribal dialect. After a few months coaching in a special class they are now in regular classes with the other children.

Now there are 243 children in school with 121 in the hostel. We have 18 qualified teachers. There are 8 groups where classes are given in Hindi (classes H3 t/m H10) and 6 groups are taught in English (kindergarten and classes E1 t/m E5). English is gaining a lot of importance in India. Students knowing English have better chances of getting jobs.
Our commitment to the children will continue till they stand on their own feet, become financially independent and be able to help support their siblings and take care of the family. Nav-Jeevan will always be an important part of their lives. Nav- Jeevan is a place of peace and happiness, an 'Ashram', where no one is discriminated on the basis of his caste, class or religion.

Exhibition "India Vision 2020"

Last month a very successful exhibition VISION INDIA 2020 was organized. The exhibition focused on what life could be in the future. A model of a modern Indian village was build and a team of students, guided by two teachers, was responsible to come up with ideas how life will change. In addition, each student was involved in the preparation and presentation of a certain topic. The following pictures give an impression of the day.

Indian village in 2020

Vulcano

Sand art

Math, triangle, rectangle, ball etc.

Eco system

Breathing system

Geometry

As you can see a lot has changed in the lives of the children. We could achieve all this with your support.

We thank you and wish you on behalf of the children of Nav Jeevan Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2012.