Life skills training of 300 girls in Mumbai slums

Dear Friends,

Warm greetings from Vacha, Mumbai .

November started with Diwali festival. There was a 3 week vacation in schools. So it was a fun filled time for girls and scope for workshops and other activities. Fairs, sports and such events were organized.  An eye camp was held in one centre for checkups and follow ups.  Some girls were found with problems for clear sight. Four were provided with glasses and 17 were given eye drops. Two health later camps were for checking level of hemoglobin and general health. The results are being checked but BMI suggests problems already. Meetings with mothers were held but price of food grains and vegetables have shot up so much ( 278 per cent in one year  according to Times of India dated November 15, 2013. This after the already inflationary prices in last 3 years.) that mere counseling will not help much. We are also negotiating for girls to have equal share in food and counseling girls to eat adequate vegetables etc. and not to observe religious fasting where they can.

 Health camps were held in three places. In one centre, mothers also came for checkups.  In all 242 girls were covered in an eye and general health camps. There were checkups for sight. Additionally, Hemoglobin count was taken and, BMI measured. Spectacles and eye drops were provided to to17 girls.  As follow up action, awareness meetings were organized with mothers and implications of low level of hemoglobin and food intakes were discussed with them. In the meantime, nutritious items are provided for one girl with health problems. The happy news to share with you this year has been that one of the participants, who was sent for early checkups because one of our team members had early surgery and is a cancer survivor now. The great thing as that she passed her final year school exams of class X with 92 per cent, a level coveted by the rich kids who are lucky to have good private tutors as well. She has entered the Science stream now and we hope to support her financially now for further studies.

A Special Day:

Your contributions have helped make our programme vibrant and exciting for girls as you must have seen in the reports. Today many girls have acquired important life skills and have started participating in community events. They are planning their future with more clarity and confidence and have learnt to take initiative and to negotiate where necessary. The process is continuous. 

We have a great chance to strengthen our position and work more intensively with vulnerable girls from poverty affected families through raising funds on Tuesday, December 3. Microsoft is giving a dollar for dollar matching grant (up to USD 1000.00 per donation) to certain chosen organizations who receive donations within 24 hours from Tuesday  12 -01 noon EST to 12 noon the next day. Please donate generously to us on Global Giving online through credit card or PayPal only and encourage your friends and others too. Your donation will double this way in volume and we will get the double benefit.

Please donate as early as possible on Dec. 3 one second after 12 noon Eastern Time in USA so that we get this double gift before the amount of USD 250,000.00 matching grant from Microsoft is exhausted.

Thanks and regards,

Sonal Shukla, Nischint Hora, Medhavinee Namjoshi