Nav-Jeevan

Newsletter Januari 2005

New years wish from Iris Wilkinson

The children, staff and Managing Committee members would like you to convey our greetings and good wishes to the Friends of Nav-Jeevan Sanstha, for the coming New Year. Nav-Jeevan Project was like a dream, is turning into reality, to a large extent by the generous contribution of our friends and well-wishers in Holland.

As we watch these children blossoming, happy, regaining their childhood, looking healthier and cleaner than what they were when they first came to us tells us our labour is not lost and your money is well-spent. Our school song is "we were like drooping flowers but Nav-Jeevan has put new life into us." How true!

It's a rule with us never use the stick to discipline, children are well-behaved and best of all are happy, they come to school smiling and have built a unique relationship with their teachers, they call them didi (sister) and me aunty.

The menace of tobacco chewing which is common in the slums, we have been able to control, now we never find a child chewing tobacco. Once our school building is completed and we shift there children will have large play-ground and open space to play and run around.

They love to read books we already have a good collection of books, will add to it and hopefully will introduce them to the computer. The Dutch rhyme Annelies taught the children they still recite and feel quite tickled! The whole world is opening to these children and we are helping them with the first steps.

Once again we wish all our friends a very happy, peaceful and caring New Year.

Iris Wilkinson

Chairman Nav-Jeevan Sanstha, Nagpur

Iris Wilkinson

Retrospective view on 2004

The children of Nav-Jeevan developed a lot. In 2003 they were almost illiterate, now they can read, write and count.The meals which they get each day improved their health and by a better personal care they have less charge of all kinds of annoying diseases. The children look great in their new school uniforms.

We have approximately 30 faithful visitors. Compared to the previous year the children are on average somewhat younger. A number of children live under very piteous circumstances. Frequently there is only one parent, generally the father.
During the day the father goes out trying to earn some money and the children are left to their destiny, a number of fathers is heavy alcoholic. Some children have no parents at all, such as the brothers Mangal and Sunny. When their last parent died they stayed in the slums. They get some help from their neighbours.

Mangal (front right)

Sunny

Mangal in front of their shack in Bilji Nagar

We would like to admit more children but our rented rooms are much too small. Moreover a large number of children must be placed urgently in a hostel. We went in search of land where we could build on. We found that eventually. In July we bought a large piece of land of 2,800 square meters, costs € 30,000. The architect made a plan for a 4 floor building. The costs for the first phase, foundation and ground floor, are approximately € 50,000.

Foundation Nav-Jeevan has requested subsidy from the NCDO, the Dutch national committee for international cooperation and sustainable development. This application was remunerated with an amount of € 25,000. Meaning that after Nav-Jeevan has raised € 25,000 the NCDO will double this amount. We succeeded in raising our amount and expect soon the doubling by NCDO. The construction of the first phase will be ready at the latest on 1 September 2005. The children can then take their residence in the hostel.

At this moment we have four paid staff members: three social workers and a caretaker. As from September more people must be hired. Moreover we must also buy some means of transportation for the children who do not stay in the hostel. At present they are picked up from the different slums by a riksja driver but the new building lies in North Nagpur.

At present about 12 children go at the same time in a riksja. Behind the boys there is a complete row of small seats. They don't have to go far so this is manageable.

Houses to one side of the street in Bilji Nagar were wiped out

In the last years the roads in Nagpur were repaired and much improved. A good development but each development has its drawbacks. The streets had to be broadened but the slums of Bilji Nagar stood in the way. The street was broken up and for weeks the slum dwellers feared the worst. Children had to stay home to watch their belongings. In December the inevitable happened. The slums have been cleared.

Here the small houses stood still but meanwhile all houses on the right-hand side are wiped away

Bilji Nagar

Schooltrip

In November 2004 we visited the project. We rented a bus and together with the children made a school trip to Ramtek, a monkey temple. We also visited a nearby playing ground The children had the day of their life. Below follows a photo impression.