by Anuradha Bakshi | Jan 23, 2008 | fostercare
Once again we are ready to set sail on a new journey, one whose course is still uncharted but one we know will have safe and bountiful landings. As a rock pile slowly gets transformed into an island of hope, we too have decided not to wait but get going by setting up a trial foster care programme with a handful of children from both our proposed residential projects.
We feel this is necessary as it will enable us to validate what till now was a dream and also assess the problems in situ thus make the course corrections needed. This is crucial and will go a long way in helping us define the selection process for the foster care programme as its success depends on the total commitment of the parents. It will also help us determine the resources needed and test the dedication of the staff.
At present we are thinking of having 2 young adults from the special section and 4 boys for the foster care cum scholarship programme. I would also like to include our little Babli who still dreams of being a police woman but whose family is barely able to feed her!
A flat across our present office will soon be available and we hope to begin this exhilarating journey a month from now and we invite you to travel with us and share each and every moment of it with us through a blog we have simply entitled: let us begin!
It is a unique journey that we hope will enable these kids to break the circle of poverty they live in and would go an living in for long and open for them doors that till now were only for the selected few. One day these children may be doctors, engineers, honchos, artists, administrators and much else. The thought is thrilling and awe inspiring but we know this day will come!
by Anuradha Bakshi | Apr 18, 2006 | fostercare, utpal
When little Leila Fodil left her country in 1983 to seek medical care in France, all she and her family must have wished was for her to win her battle againts leukemia. When, in spite of the love and care of her foster family she lost that battle in 1985 , no one would have dreamt that little children her age living thousands of miles away would 21 years later come to know about her and have their own little school because of her!
Sorrow and loss often bring people down, but sometimes get transformed into beautiful acts of generosity and kindness that transcends language, frontiers and lands and gives true meaning to the word humane.
“All God’s angels come to us disguised” said James Russell Lowell. We just have to learn to recognise them.. little Leila Fodil was one such angel. Today pwhy will have a little home for its special children and tiny tots because Leila walked this earth.
As I write these words, I am overwhelmed by the realisation that for the last 6 years, many angels have come our way.. Manu who made pwhy happen and thus transformed the lives of so many, Utpal whose courage and sagacity has helped us walk that extra mile, Nanhe who has by his simple smile ensured that we never give up and help others like him… yes, there have been many angels that have quietly come into our lives and ensured that we set things right for our friend the God of Lesser Ones.. maybe that is his way of functioning in this day and age..
Athiti Dev Bhav (your guest maybe God) has now become a jaded tourism pitch, but if we look beyond the apparent meaning, this simple statement says it all.. angels will not wear wings or halos, they will drop by anytime and in unexpected ways.. Manu lived for many years shunned by all, yet no one would have thought that he would be the instrument for changing so many lives, Nanhe’s pain seems so unfair and yet his smile is the one that brought so many people together.. and the list goes on, in the aftermath of Leila’s loss, no one would have thought of all the smiles that would light up little faces the world over one day..!
Angel’s of our times are difficult of recognise.. it all goes back to looking with your heart as said the Fox to the little Prince . as more than creating miracles, they make you understand and rediscover yourself !
Planet why is blessed as it is a place where angels do not fear to tread!
by Anuradha Bakshi | Apr 24, 2005 | fostercare
yash is now two months old..
he came to us when he was barely 2 weeks..
the hands feeding him are not his mother’s but to him they are safe hands..
yash’s story is that of many children who are brought into the world for all the wrong reasons..
no one has thought of a lifemap for them…
they are used to fulfill selfish ends..
but yash is also an indian child who has rights, only someone has to take on the responsibility of protecting those rights…
his mother uses him to get what she needs…
in a country where options are few, maybe one should think of setting up the concept of foster homes, where a child can be safe while his parents decide what they want to do…
this is something we have been thinking of at project why.. and maybe just call it SHE (safe home extension)
in many countries just homes exist, and foster parents can earn some money while looking after children..
if one could identify a few families within the community and be the training-cum-monitoring agency, one may have a doable option..
to be continued…
