RELIEF PROJECTS India

Article on the Status of the Girl Child in India

2012-02-04T15:49:00.000+05:30

The following article appeared in today's edition of the New Indian Express newspaper.

Neglecting girl child a shame to India’s past

The New Indian Express
04 Feb 2012
That the badge of being ancient civilisations cannot always be worn with pride by India and China is evident from the finding of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs that even in the 21st century the female infant mortality rate in these two countries is higher than that of the male infant mortality rate. Not only that, this dubious distinction was ‘achieved’ when the figures were compared with 148 other countries. What is distressing about such statistics is that not only has the advent of the modern, supposedly more enlightened, age failed to improve the condition of girls, but has even caused a worsening as the falling male-female ratio in India shows.

Female foeticide is a main reason for the skewed ratio which can have damaging social consequences. Yet, the fact that it is the well-to-do who indulge in this patent illegality shows how little awareness there is even among the educated classes of either the moral or the social imperatives. Such brazenness is even more shocking than the desperate acts of the poor who often kill their infant girls or abandon them because they look upon the female child as a financial burden. As the continuing instances of dowry deaths have shown, laws are not a solution to the deep-rooted problem, which is related to a traditional bias against women who are expected to remain subservient to their fathers in childhood, husbands in their youth and sons in old age.

If the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostics Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act has not been a notable success, the reason is the hidden social sanction for preventing the birth of a girl child. Hence, the mushrooming of illegal clinics where sex determination tests are done. In addition to further strengthening the punishment for families opting for such tests, it is the overall uplift of the status of women that can save the girl in the womb and ensure her well-being in later life.

School Uniforms for Creche Students

2012-01-27T09:51:00.000+05:30

After some discussion on whether or not the expense was justified, we all agreed that school uniforms would be very beneficial for the self-esteem of the children, and their sense of self-worth. The uniforms were stitched by some ladies in the local villages who know tailoring which gave them some work and added income. We think they all look lovely!

Awareness Programs for Village Teenage Girls

2012-01-16T18:20:00.001+05:30

We have started regular monthly awareness meetings for teenage girls from local villages. The program consists of games and activies, interspersed with awareness talks on relevant issues, such as hygiene, nutrition, (in India, anemia is the 2nd most common cause of maternal deaths accounting for 19% of total maternal deaths,*) female infanticide, education, aids awareness etc. These meetings have been very well attended with between 60-100 girls regularly participating. They are starting to open up also about the problems they see in their villages, even citing prostitution as a problem, along with high dowries, lack of respect for women etc.
For Pongal (the Harvest festival of South India, which is a big celebration,) the girls also enjoyed dance competitions and displayed a lot of talent. We hope you enjoy the photos below of our meetings.
*'Nutritional Status of Rural Pregnant Women' by
L.H. Madhavi, H.K.G. Singh,Department of Community Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Khaja Banda Nawaz Institute of Medical Science,Gulbarga-585105 (Karnataka)
Click on an image to see a larger version.

Christmas Gift Giving!

2011-12-15T14:43:00.000+05:30

Give A Chrismas Gift to a Needy Person.
Here are some gift ideas:
1. Father Tony has identified 16 exceptionally poor elderly people in the villages where we are working. He would like to gift the women (13) with a sari, which we can get for Rs.150 per sari, (about £3.00) and the men with a lungi, costing about Rs.125 per piece. Also, we can get them some warm bed covers for the cooler winter evenings for Rs.100 per cover ($2.00.)
2. Educational Items for Little Darlings, Creches or future school: We have a list of suggestions here along with Indian internet stores where these items can be purchased.

Volunteers

2011-11-29T21:29:00.000+05:30

We've been blessed with some wonderful volunteers from Australia recently. Many thanks to Judith, Shioban, Kim and Leanne, for your wonderful help and love for the babies and children.

Progress in Reading

2011-11-18T13:26:00.000+05:30

Suleka and the other older 'Little Darlings' are making excellent progress in their reading skills.

Construction begins on the RPI centre for health and education.

2011-10-06T12:00:00.001+05:30

The first priority was a gate and boundary to safe-guard building supplies. This is almost finished, and then we will start on the main building.

Celebrating Elder's Day at the Mercy Home

2011-10-05T16:49:00.001+05:30

Elder's Day provided an opportunity to have a grand celebration--not only for the elderly residents, but also to inaugurate the new quarters for the sick elderly, and to celebrate the birthdays of Danny (turning 4) and Darshana (turning 3.) We hope you enjoy these video clips and photos of the happy celebration.

Dany and Darshana perform for the elderly:

The Little Darlings performance:

Suleka and Rani sing 'Happy Birthday' to Dany and Darshana

The carers of the babies and 'Lil Darlings' do a cultural performance for the elderly.

The elderly also gave a performance, and then were handed little gifts.

Bathroom renovation for Lil' Darlings

2011-09-11T15:56:00.001+05:30

New child's size "Indian" toilet and new shower area. We have also put in a Western-style toilet for the physically challenged children who cannot use the Indian style one.

Bathroom time at a village creche. Sponsorship needed for toilets.

2011-08-07T09:37:00.001+05:30

Here you see the village children at a creche going to the front yard for their bathroom time, as there are no toilets. Read how you can sponsor toilets here.

Starting work in one more creche and new supplies.

2011-08-07T09:14:00.003+05:30

Thank you to Susee Group, Madurai for donating these supplies for a creche. We have been able to start working in one more creche, in Edyapatti, thanks to these supplies.

BEFORE: The creche only had the following items for 30 children before.

AFTER: Some of the lovely educational items donated by Susee.

A cheery 'hello' from some tuition students.

2011-07-25T21:40:00.002+05:30

These are some of the tuition students from the new group we have started at Ediyapatti, near Usilampatti.

Creche Program Launched

2011-06-30T15:17:00.000+05:30

With the start of the new school year here, we decided to start working right away in two villages creches. We still don't have all the needed sponsorship for renovations and educational items, but we decided to start with what we have, since the creche had no educational items or teaching at all. Here are a few photos of the children enjoying some action rhymes, construction blocks and colouring!

Clipo Received

2011-06-16T18:06:00.001+05:30

We received this lovely box of Clipo for the Little Darlings from an internet store. The name of the sender was not provided, but we send many thanks to our anonymous donor. The children will love this toy.

Excursion for summer students

2011-06-14T07:57:00.000+05:30

SHE staff took the students who faithfully attended the summer English classes on a fun excursion to Vagai Dam. As you can see, they all enjoyed themselves.

Summer English classes

2011-06-09T09:34:00.001+05:30

Summer school holidays take place in May in India. So SHE staff organised some English language classes for the tuition students. Emphasis was placed on learning through games and fun activities--after all, the children were taking their holiday time to attend these classes. The attendees all made lots of progress in their English-speaking skills.

Some Little Darlings Activities

2011-05-29T12:09:00.009+05:30

Enjoying musical chairs. We repeated the last rounds a few times so everyone could have a chance to win!
Below, Danny proudly shows his writing.

Packages

2011-04-29T18:53:00.000+05:30

We have received two new packages: www.reliefprojects.org/Packages_recd

Prime Minister asks for national campaign to fight infanticide and feticide.

2011-04-23T20:15:00.000+05:30

The provisional Census figures, released last month, show that the child sex ratio in India has declined to 914 females per 1,000 males — the lowest since Independence. "Terming practice of female feticide and infanticide in many parts of the country a 'national shame', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday expressed the need to have a national campaign to counter this bias ...Referring to the figure, the PM said improving this ratio is not merely a question of stricter compliance with the existing laws. 'What's more important is how we view and value the girl child in our society,' he said. " Courtesy Times of India

Follow this link to read about RPI's SHE program which was launched last year to fight infanticide and feticide, raise the status of females, and improve the health and well-being of mothers and disadvantaged children.
The SHE Program

Latest arrival at the Mercy Home.

2011-04-22T08:32:00.000+05:30

It is very very unlikely this little boy will be adopted because of his missing hand, so he may well join the Little Darlings in a year or so.

Gift from Antti and packages from Leena Gustafson

2011-04-13T08:33:00.002+05:30

Thank you to Antti and children for the playdough we received for the Little Darlings. They will have lots of fun with it. Please thank your children for their kind greeting also.

And many thanks Leena Gustafson for the fives packages of baby textiles we received, I think on behalf of Vaaka and Lutheran Congregation of Myanamaki mission group.

Volunteers

2011-03-21T11:11:00.005+05:30

Karen from Australia is currently volunteering at the Mercy Home and being a super big help with the babies. Last month, Heidi, also from Australia, was a great help in the nursery. (The baby she was holding has since been adopted by a lovely family!)

Finger-painting fun with 'Lil Darlings.'

2011-03-19T11:48:00.003+05:30

Lots of fun for all but decidedly messy!

Self-help group meeting

2011-03-17T18:47:00.006+05:30

Here are some photos of one of the meetings of our local self-help group set up by SHE. Each woman pays a small amount into a common account each month. When they reach about $200 they then become eligble for an interest free loan from a local bank. The women can then take a loan to be invested. One lady wants to buy 2 goats to start a flock; another one wants to take advantage of a free tailoring course being offered and then take a loan to buy a sewing machine. We hope this initiative will improve the income of these desperately poor families.

Bottle Contact

2011-03-13T19:22:00.002+05:30

Yesterday we went to visit a local manufacturer of a well-known brand of baby bottles and he agreed to sell us baby bottles at cost price, which represents a big saving. Thank you to 'Princy India' for their willingness to help and to Samir for your donation which covered the first purchase.

Pretty flowers

2011-03-13T19:19:00.002+05:30

Here are some of the pretty artificial flowers that the senior citizens are making.

Activities for the elderly

2011-03-12T19:07:00.010+05:30

The elderly residents of the Mercy Home have now started some craft activities to keep them occupied. (For those of you who don't know this, the Home also rescues abandoned old folk and currently houses 31 old people.)The women are making lovely artificial flowers and the men are making little bags from old newspapers which are used here by the medical shops.

More packages received

2011-03-10T11:55:00.001+05:30

The 'packages received' page on the website has been updated.

Smiles from the Lil' Darlings

2011-02-25T08:42:00.012+05:30

Enjoying a new toy.

2011-02-25T08:30:00.002+05:30

A review 2010 accomplishments in Little Darlings toddler group and SHE programme

2011-02-14T22:19:00.006+05:30

We have compiled a list of our progress with the Little Darlings and SHE programme during 2010. We hope you will enjoy reading. Many thanks to all who have assisted in sponsoring these programmes.
RPI Year-End Review

New toddler bedroom

2011-02-12T10:26:00.020+05:30

Here are some pictures of the toddler bedroom. The toddlers used to sleep on mats on the floor, but inevitably rolled off the mats onto the bare tiles, and then caught cold. Susanna brought some cuddle toys back from England and gave each toddler one as a present which they keep on their bed. Bottom right → Afternoon naptime.

Toy Drive for these needy children.

2011-02-12T08:01:00.000+05:30

We are starting a new programme to help village nursery schools, such as the one below. Please follow this link to read all about it: Nursery School Renewal Programme

New Packages Received

2011-02-09T17:00:00.002+05:30

The packages received page has been updated with packages received since the New Year. Many thanks to all!

New supplies

2011-01-28T17:54:00.003+05:30

A few of the many supplies that Jesse and Susanna were able to bring back from England, where they spent Chrismas and New Year with their family. These are for the Mercy Home and future schools. Thanks to family and charity shops!

One of the evening tuition groups

2011-01-16T04:26:00.003+05:30

These tuitions provide a place for these very poor children to do their homework, with supervised help.

Latest packages received

2011-01-10T15:01:00.001+05:30

Here are the latest received packages: December packages

Photos from the Childrens Day activities.

2011-01-05T12:41:00.005+05:30

These are our tuition students who participated in games, competitions and fun activities for Children's Day. Each group had prepared a special presentation also--dance, song or poem.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-20T19:01:00.001+05:30

At RPI we want to take this time to thank our wonderful friends and supporters for your help, interest and concern over the past year.

Special time with Suleka

2010-12-17T09:33:00.007+05:30

New Pyjamas

2010-12-12T11:27:00.004+05:30

The toddlers have been keeping nice and warm during the cool, monsoon evenings in these cosy pyjamas sent by Outi.

New Packages

2010-12-12T11:11:00.003+05:30

Details of the latest packages received at the Mercy Home are posted on our website:
http://www.reliefprojects.org/Packages_recd.html
Again, many thanks for these wonderful items. We sometimes reflect and remember the days when the babies were wrapped in torn saris, when we first started working at the Mercy Home. You all have helped transform that.

New Report in Times of India on Gender Imbalance in India

2010-11-29T06:20:00.001+05:30

Purchasing Brides!
HANDIGARH: Haryana, reeling under a skewed sex ratio, is faced with yet another startling fact – an NGO has found that girls are being "bought" and brought to Haryana from 20 states across the country. The state's sex ratio stands at 837 in the 0-6 years age group, its lowest in the last five years and second only to Punjab.

Read more: In Haryana, get a bride for Rs 1,000 from Bihar - The Times of India

Typo!

2010-11-23T07:38:00.002+05:30

In the entry below, we initially posted that 85 students were benefiting from tuitions. That should have been 850. (We lost a '0'!)

New Evening Tuitions

2010-11-22T20:07:00.003+05:30

The SHE programme has been organising evening tuitions for disadvantaged village children in six villages, with a total of about 850 children benefiting. We have now started tuitions in a seventh village, thanks to the sponsorship of a local businessman.

Children's Day

2010-11-14T19:34:00.019+05:30

Today was National Children's Day in India, so we had lots of fun celebrating with the toddlers. The carers enjoyed dressing them up and the children enjoyed dancing and action songs. Their beautiful dresses have all been donated by local families. We also did activities with our tuition students from nearby villages (99 kids in all. Photos coming soon!)

PHOTOS: 1. Suleka, Manju and Darshana performing their action song.
2. Beautiful Manju.
3. Group (from back left) - Melvina, Suleka, Manju, Darshana, Pushpa Raj, Induja
4. Melvina has only learned to walk recently, but she loves dancing.

More Packages

2010-11-11T19:13:00.006+05:30

We received more packages at the Mercy Home from many wonderful friends and supporters. Details are on our website:
http://www.reliefprojects.org/Packages_recd.html

Dowry Murders and Torture in India

2010-11-08T10:37:00.004+05:30

Last week, the following article appeared in the Times of India newspaper:
NEW DELHI: Shaken by the large number of women being killed for dowry, the Supreme Court said Indian society has become sick. "The hallmark of a healthy society is the respect it shows to women. Indian society has become a sick society. This is evident from the large number of cases coming up in this court and also in almost all courts in the country in which young women are being killed by their husbands or by their in-laws by pouring kerosene on them and setting them on fire or by hanging/strangulating them," an anguished bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra said in a recent judgment.

"What is the level of civilization of a society in which a large number of women are treated in this horrendous and barbaric manner? What has our society become," asked the Bench before upholding life term for the husband and mother-in-law of a woman killed for dowry.

The bench had a point. Data compiled for 2008 by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that there were 8,172 dowry deaths in the country . (RPI comment: The actual statistics are probably much higher as many deaths go unreported or are reported as suicides.)

Read more: Our society has become sick: SC on dowry deaths The Times of India

Please read about the RPI SHE programme that is aimed at improving the status and treatment of women and female children. An integral part of our programme is college presentations where we present a powerpoint on relevant social and moral issues, and discuss these issues with the young students.

Photo copyright © Ron Harmon: In-laws or husbands will frequently pour acid on a wife's face in an attempt to force her family to pay more dowry.

Babies leaving for adoption

2010-10-27T16:11:00.009+05:30

These babies are dressed in special pretty dresses to go to join their new adoptive parents, and begin what we hope will be a new, happier life.

Alistair will be leaving us

2010-10-23T10:09:00.003+05:30

A few months ago, a couple came forward saying they were 3-year-old Alistair's parents and asking to take him. The courts have examined their claim and finally approved it so he will be leaving us in the next few days. We are all going to miss him and there have been a few moist eyes amongst the staff. We are all hoping his parents will take good care of him. The Mercy Home director will be giving them a little talk about the fact that they abandoned him for 3 years, and challenging them to be good parents.

New Packages of Supplies

2010-10-13T18:59:00.006+05:30

Recently quite a few packages have arrived at the Mercy Home.
A complete list of the packages can be found at: http://www.reliefprojects.org/Packages_recd.html
On the left, Suleka is wearing a pretty dress that arrived in one of the packages. On the right is a wonderful set of 'Peter and Jane' readers which we will use to teach the older toddlers to read.

Asika and Sujita Adopted!

2010-10-09T08:39:00.008+05:30

We are so happy that these two toddlers, both of whom are 2 years old, have finally been adopted by good families who are happy to have them. We miss them but wish them and their new families a happy, loving life together.

More Renovations

2010-10-02T14:59:00.005+05:30

Some of the dormitories for the senior citizens have been renovated. (Thanks again to Claretian supporters in Spain.)

Before.... and after

2010-09-30T11:04:00.005+05:30

There are new photos of the toddlers on our website. Enjoy!
New Little Darlings Photos

TV Report

2010-09-20T07:25:00.003+05:30

SBS TV Channel in Australia did a very good new article on our work at the Mercy Home and on the problem of unwanted female babies. The show can be watched on their internet site:
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/600752/n/Mercy-Mission

Divining for water

2010-09-16T20:17:00.007+05:30

First the man walks around with a magnet on a string. When it starts swinging wildly, that indicates the presence of water. Then he checks with a coconut!! The coconut wobbles and even falls off his hand over the same spot where he thinks there's water. Jesse wanted to try! And all the neighbours came to watch the fun.

Land Purchase

2010-09-15T21:45:00.006+05:30

Here is a view across the land that was purchased for RPI for a new SHE centre, to promote the health and welfare of mothers and children, especially female and physically challenged children. The centre will also be involved in the fight against female infanticide and foeticide. The land is located near Usilampatti, which is the heart of the infanticide belt in this part of Tamil Nadu.

Generator room.

2010-09-10T15:30:00.003+05:30

Thanks to Brandon, the small generator for the nursery has been moved from under the stairs, where the diesel fumes blew right into the nursery. It is now housed in a specially built room on the roof.

Renovating the shower rooms for the elderly.

2010-09-10T15:26:00.003+05:30

Thanks to the generosity of friends of the Claretians in Spain, the bathrooms for the elderly have had a 'face lift' and are vastly improved from the dilapidated and moldy state they were in. Tiling is underway in their bedrooms too, but sponsorship is still needed for a room for the dying.

Toddler Progress

2010-09-06T08:24:00.025+05:30

The toddlers are making lots of good progress. Asika is now walking, the quieter ones like Manchu and Rani are much happier, and they are learning lots. They love their flash cards and have already learned, fruits, vegetables, wild and domestic animals and transport. They even know the flags of Asia. "What is this?" asks Jennifer, "Bhutan, or India, or Japan" reply excited little voices. Glen Doman was right--toddlers love to learn and can learn anything presented to them in a fun manner.

Good News

2010-08-22T17:13:00.004+05:30

A friend of ours is sending the x-rays of Suleka's leg to a specialist in the USA. This doctor is part of a team of doctors who visit India once a year to perform specialist operations. We do not yet know if it is possible to do anything for her condition but we are thankful to be able to get expert advice. (For those who are new to this blog, Suleka is a beautiful 3-year old girl at the Mercy Home who was born with a thigh bone missing in one leg.)

New Babies

2010-08-08T18:33:00.002+05:30

Over the past few weeks, 7 babies have gone for adoption, and 8 new ones have arrived. Surprisingly, we received 4 boys--from unwed mothers.
Here is the new baby who was brought one month ago by the sad mummy below:

Evening walk

2010-08-03T20:31:00.004+05:30

We always enjoy accompanying the toddlers for their evening walk. And we are encouraged to see how much English they have learned! Here is Jesse with his little friends.

Sad face of a mummy who gave away her baby

2010-07-28T07:20:00.002+05:30

This sad woman came to the Mercy Home straight from the hospital with her husband and mother-in-law and father-in-law, to give away her 3rd daughter, newly-born. They were obviously trying for a boy. What must she be feeling? Tears for the baby she will never hold again, probably tears of bitterness and condemnation too that she has not produced a boy. Often the decision to give the baby away, (or kill it) is made by the husband and/or in-laws, who pressure or coerce the mother to part with her child. We could only comfort her that her baby would be well cared for, and try to encourage the family that their other two daughters can be a blessing.

In Tamil Nadu, there is a saying, the second or third daughter is the baby born for the burial pit. God help the attitude towards girls to change in this country--and for the financially crippling practice of dowry to stop once and for all.

50 million females missing!

2010-07-16T09:19:00.003+05:30

Some revealing statistics:

* According to a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) up to 50 million girls and women have gone missing from India’ s population over the last two decades.

* In Tamil Nadu, statistics indicate total shortfall of about 13,000 daughters per year. Approximately 67% due to pre-birth deficit (ie. selective abortion of females, known as foeticide) and 33% due to infanticide, and neglect.

Happy Birthday Suleka!

2010-07-11T21:32:00.003+05:30

Celebrating Suleka's third birthday.

Meet Induja

2010-07-03T07:02:00.003+05:30

Induja is a lovely baby, but with her disability it is unlikely she will be chosen for adoption. She's a potential future member of our 'Little Darlings' group.

Visit our website:www.relief projects.org

Having Fun!

2010-06-24T07:12:00.001+05:30

Jesse has fun with Asika.

The pretty dresses sent by Hilkka

2010-06-22T20:53:00.003+05:30

Sujita, Manju and Dasharna 'model' their pretty, new dresses!

Weekend at the Mercy Home with Minna

2010-06-21T18:31:00.007+05:30

We had a wonderful weekend at the Mercy Home with Minna and also Melissa, a friend of hers who came to help with the babies. As well as enjoying time with the toddlers and babies, we also were able to check on any needs for the nursery and toddlers, (updated needs list coming soon.) Also, with the nursery upgrade now almost completed, we are turning our attention to the needs of the elderly residents. They do have some outstanding and urgent needs, especially the infirm elderly residents. More on that coming soon.

Minna feeding little Nivedan

Opening one of the packages received from our wonderful Finnish friends.

Melissa has some special time with Celsi

Sweet Dreams

2010-06-19T06:55:00.005+05:30

Little Aksika fast asleep (on one of the comfy new pillows sewn by Minna.)
Latest news flash: Aksika has just been adopted by a good family!
(Click on any of the images on this blog to see a larger version.)

Anusha growing well

2010-06-14T19:57:00.007+05:30

Little Anusha, who arrived about 2 months ago, is making good progress.

New TV for the toddlers

2010-06-06T20:23:00.006+05:30

Many thanks to the friends of the Mercy Home who raised the money for this TV. It will be a wonderful tool for teaching them English.

The children were absolutely enthralled!

Latest arrivals at the Mercy Home

2010-05-31T18:33:00.008+05:30

Four new babies arrived at the Mercy Home over the past 6 weeks. Here they are:

Little Alpana was only 1.5 kg. when she arrived. Now at one month old she is already 2 1/2 kg.

An abandoned baby boy, Nivedan, who was brought to the Home by an old lady.

Roshil, at 6 weeks, is a healthy 4 1/2 kg. He was found abandoned by an old man. He is almost certainly from an unwed mother since he is a boy.

Abinaya is a Mercy Home baby who was sent for adoption, but her adoptive parents discovered she is mentally retarded and sent her back. She will be sent to a special home.

New Supplies for the Mercy Home

2010-05-25T19:08:00.009+05:30

Yesterday, we picked up several bags of supplies for the Mercy Home from Minna. These include about 50 summer blankets for the babies, sewn by Minna and Daniela, toys, clothes, and toddler pillows and pillow cases, sewn by Minna. We will add these to the supplies we brought back from England and drive them all down to Madurai.

Little Darlings Inauguration

2010-05-22T21:50:00.014+05:30

On April 4th, Katrina Kaif flew down from Mumbai to inaugurate the new 'Little Darlings' toddler wing, which she is helping to sponsor. As a result The Times of India printed an article about the programme, and NDTV aired a news feature the following day. (This post is a little late as we have only just started this blog. So we are backtracking on some recent news to get you a bit up-to-date!)