Nav-Jeevan

Newsletter Februari 2007

Annual report 2006

In November 2005 we had the inauguration of the new school and hostel for street children from the slums of Nagpur. You have seen the photos of this never to be forgotten day in our last newsletter.

In the beginning of 2006 we worked hard on the furnishing of the building. School desks, dinner tables and bunkbeds were made. The kitchen was furnished and we bought a school bus.

At the moment about 60 children come to school daily, 32 of them stay at the hostel. The children get a good education, medical care and three times a day a good meal. They dance, sing and play together. They are happy in their new save environment.

In the end of 2006 Nav-Jeevan had besides the volunteers, 12 paid employees:
6 teachers (3 of them also social workers)
6 other employees (caretakers and household)

A very healthy development is that the project not only depends on Stichting Nav-Jeevan Holland. In 2006 there were also donations coming from A Child's New Life Foundation from the USA. Also the people from India started to donate generously (sewing machine, geyser, television etc.)

During our visit in November 2006 we went to the slums, together with the social workers. Only a year ago, they didn't trust us when we wanted to give medication to a dangerously ill child. Now, without hesitation, they gave their permission for a hepatitis B injection. Complete trust!

Also the children are looking forward to a rose-coloured future. We asked them how Nav-Jeevan has changed their lives. Most of them answered that they are now bathing every day and they have learnt to take care of themselves. They like school because they get to learn many things and in school they can give better attention to their studies. They do not like to use bad language, quarrel or hit each other. Most of the girls would like to be teachers and the boys doctors. Almost all the little ones want to be a policeman(woman).

The Children

Ranjeeta(13)

Sunil(10)

Anil(6)

Ranjeeta, Sunil and Anil, are three very talented children. Mother died and they are not welcome anywhere. In the slums they are driven away by the husband of their eldest sister and in the village of the family of the mother there are no possibilities to support them. They send them from place to place, they were threatened. Sunil is so traumatised that he regularly hits his head against the wall. The scars are visible. We gave these children a save place to live. They go for a great future. We will help them with it.

Arti(8)

Tina(7)

Sanjit(6)

Also Arti, Tina and Sanjit are brilliant. They lived with mother and 9 children in a little slum in Raj Nagar. Last summer the youngest baby died because of a virusinfection. Also Sanjit balanced for weeks on the border of life and death. Mother begged us to keep her children with us.

Bebe(8) and Bantu(10)

Rakhi(6)

Bebe and Bantu were coming to Nav-Jeevan from the beginning. For them probably the hostel didn't come in time. They are used to chewing tabacco, stealing and begging for to long. Maybe the little Rakhi can be saved. Her twinsister died when her father felt on the baby when he was drunk. Rakhi's little upper teeth are totally gone because the tabacco her mother gave her to keep her quiet.

Subjoined you see the portraits of a number of children that are visiting Nav-Jeevan daily and/or stays in the hostel. We want to give them all a save future. We hope you will continue to support us and keep looking after them in future.

Vandena(6)..

..and Alka(8)

Shilpa(8)..

..and Rashmy(11)..

..and Yogesh(14)

Yogita

Nakul(5)

Rahul(9)..

..and Roshan(12)

Shubhan(8)..

..and Saurabh(6)

Rahul(11)..

..and Sonam(9)

Deepak(9)..

..and Vikas(7)

Durga(9)..

..and Jyoti(10)..

..and Suraj(7)

Surekha(8)..

..and Meena(11)..

..and Manisha(6)

Vishal(7)..

..and Bhawna(5)

Arthik(6)..

..and Himansha(4)

Amit(7)..

..and Sagar(5)

Monali(7)

Kajal(5)..

..and Nandini(8)

Ankit(4)..

..and Vaishaly(6)

Kamlesh(6)

Ashish(6)..

..and Ankit(4)

Pratik(4)..

..and Shankar(5)

Naushed(5)

Nikita(6)

Mahendra(5)

Komal

In the beginning of 2006 NCDO promised us again a subsidy for the construction of the second phase of the Nav-Jeevan block. This is for the ground floor of the second building. The foundation finally has to carry 4 floors (also the orphanage and the old folk's home). Costs for this phase are about € 50.000,=. Nav-Jeevan will receive € 25.000,= subsidy from the NCDO as soon as she has collected € 25.000,= by herself. This is expected in the end of February 2007. The construction has started and will be finished in August 2007.
By a generous donation of Melmdijk BV (Marius Touwen and Godert van Buren) and the doubling of this donation by Alexander Calder Arbeidsintegratie BV we simultaneously started with the construction of the third phase, the first floor on the present building. This first floor will be finished in April 2007. From that moment we are able to admit the double number of children in the school and the hostel. The bedrooms on the first floor will be replaced for classrooms and the first floor will be completely used as hostel.

• friends
• employees of Alexander Calder Arbeidsintegratie, IWA Arbeidsintegratie, AOB Compaz and Calder Holding
• Alexander Calder Arbeidsintegratie
• Melmdijk BV
• Dancestudio Inge Duyts with the beautiful performance Dance4India
• St.-Willibrord Gymnasium
• the NCDO
• Wilde Ganzen
• all others supporting us.