Thank you for sending these! Our students are so excited to learn about new places and want to share their world with you.

I am sending the middle school photos and report and I hope you will be so surprise to see these students,they have so completely changed and looks intelligent and smart. This makes me feel proud and gives me hope of my hard work.

I really wish to make them stand and see them independent. One day they will be.

In one of the photo you can see two girls Mamta and Puja with Sukhdev, they were wearing sweater in a opposite way, Sukhdev asked them why your sweater is in opposite way they explained that it will get dirty because we have to wear same in the morning for school that is why we are wearing in wrong way. They are now much responsible.

In few photos you will see the girls are making the models of Computers. We helped them to complete them due to short time because they have to submit next day.

I would like to send the more pictures, but I hope you will all love them to see.

Now a days few boys are busy to carry road lights on Indian marriages at night time because now the marriage season is going on.

Now in this session there are 15 students to go to middles school. this is worrying matter for me…….

Again Thank you all so much!!

Rajan

For India’s ‘rat catchers,’ stigmatization undermines the self-esteem vital to learning.

‘The higher-caste students tell us that we smell bad,’ one girl said. Another added: ‘The ridicule we face prevents us from coming to school and sitting with higher-caste children.’ These girls from the hamlet of Khalispur, near the city of Varanasi, belong to the Mushara or ‘rat catcher’ community of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India.

Despite an entitlement to receive a stipend, midday meals and uniforms, few Mushara girls attend Khalispur’s government primary school. ‘We are forced to sit on the floor,’ one girl said. ‘The desks and benches in the classroom are meant for the children from the higher castes.’

Source: Global March against Child Labour

Education systems in many of the world’s poorest countries are now experiencing the aftershock of the global economic downturn.

The 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, released on 19 January, argues that the crisis could create a lost generation of children whose life chances will have been irreparably damaged by a failure to protect their right to education.

He tirelessly visits school classes in his town and talks to the students and teachers about India, Sarnath and BSS. Obviously, he does so with a lot of heart and conviction, because it has resulted in amazing funds being raised in Etne.

Last year, they raised enough money to buy BSS a school bus and this year they will contribute half the cost of the daily meals BSS provides to its 220 students.

Geir makes sure the school children in Etne understand the huge impact their support is having on the Indian students’ lives. He will visit BSS again in March to report back on the progress being made and how his community can continue to help.

BSS sends the teachers, school children and other supporters in Etne a very big and heartfelt Thank You.

A woman holds her malnourished granddaughter in this file photo taken in Mumbai July 25, 2007.REUTERS/Sima Dubey

NEW DELHI (AlertNet) – South Asian nations must promote breastfeeding and focus on better nutrition for under two-year-olds in order to reverse the worst rates of chronically undernourished children in the world, the U.N. said on Wednesday.

According to a new report by the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than half of the world’s 155 million chronically undernourished under fives are in South Asia.

The report, “Improving Child and Maternal Nutrition”, said Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan topped the list with 83 million children being fed enough or poorly fed in those five countries.

Daniel Toole, regional director for UNICEF South Asia, said in an interview traditional beliefs and practices as well as the shortage of protein-rich food for infants were mostly to blame.

“Low birth weight babies from young mothers who are forced into early marriages, women who do not exclusively breastfeed and a poor choice of food given to children from the age of six months are all factors,” said Toole by phone from Kathmandu.

Infants are often given contaminated water as a supplement to breast milk or have it mixed in their food, say experts, making them more susceptible to illnesses like diarrhoea which prevents the absorption of nutrients.

According to the report, more than 40 percent of children from each of the five countries in South Asia show signs of nutritional deficiencies such as stunting, which is linked to child mortality and chronic disease in adult life.

Toole said most South Asian governments had good nutrition policies in place, but these had not filtered down to the grassroots level.

Mobile School for Sundel selling Children at Marina Beach by Chennai Corporation scheme Education for all Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) Photo S. Thanthoni

The Hindu: India still has the largest number of illiterate adults in the world, but has made “rapid advances” in cutting down the numbers of school drop outs, a new UN report on education has said.

The Education For All-Global Monitoring Report, released here on Wednesday finds that out of the total 759 million illiterate adults in the world, India still has the highest number.

“Over half of the illiterate adults live in just four countries: Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan,” the report said, adding the progress has been “painfully slow” and threatens to obstruct the Millennium Development Goals.

It said about 72 million primary school age children and another 71 million adolescents are not at school, and on current trends, 56 million primary school age children will still be out of school in 2015, it said.

UNESCO’s top official Irina Bokova said the world body was apprehensive that the financial crisis would cause governments to scale back funding on education.

“With the world’s largest illiterate population, India has been making progress,” the report said.

While in 1985 -1994 just about half of the adults in the country were literate, now the number has gone up to two-thirds. “Since the adult population increased by 45 per cent, this marks a real advance,” it said.

Gender disparities remain deeply engrained, with 28 nations across the developing world having nine or fewer girls in school for every 10 boys.

The report said two-thirds of the total illiterate people are women.
On a positive note, it says that out-of-school numbers have fallen “driven by rapid advances in India”. In the three years to 2007, out-of-school population fell by 8 million.

“Much of the decline took place in India, which reported a fall of almost 15 million in out-of-school numbers in the two years after the 2001 launch of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (universal primary education) programme,” the report said.

It finds that with the exception of China, progress towards halving illiteracy has been “painfully slow,” which will make meeting MDG targets difficult.

“On current trends, the world will be less than halfway towards this goal by 2015. India alone will have a shortfall of some 81 million literate people,” it said.

Ms. Bokova, Executive Director of the UN body for education, warned that the present financial crisis would cause parents and governments to scale back on educating their children.

The Education For All Monitoring Global Report comes out in the backdrop of a financial crisis that is driving millions into extreme poverty. “In short it would create a lost generation… a tremendous cost to society,” she added.

“It could force governments to cut their spending on education and parents to pull their children out of school or simply not to send them,” Ms. Bokova said, at the launch of the report here at the UN headquarters.

The report also finds that low-income countries provide poor quality education and caste system obstructs education in South Asia.

Article from The Hindu | Link

To our angel Donna Peter, our most heartfelt thank you for your recent extra support that provided blankets to our students and their families. This winter has been especially cold, and your blankets helped to keep the children warm. Thank you for your ongoing support from the bottom of our hearts!

Dear Debbie, thank you for your kind contribution that allowed us to buy warm clothes for Munna, a boy we love dearly, and who desperately needed them. You can see he is so happy to have his warm clothes! Your donation will also allow us to fix Munna’s family’s water pump, bringing water back to their house.

This seemingly small act, done by a small child, shows how deep the changes are in the community. And the book she found looks like it’s in great condition!

Before coming to school, most kids didn’t realize the value of books.

Pankaj was an extraordinary and curious student who loved to draw and dreamt of becoming an artist. A bright and optimistic dreamer, Pankaj said that his plan was to become an artist, makes lots of money by selling his works, and start schools all over the country called Buddha’s Smile School. This spirit will be with all of us.

In honor of Pankaj, BSS started an art class in October called Pankaj’s Dream

“We all group of BSS pray for his soul rest in peace always. Pankaj your sweet memories and love is always memorable in our heart deeply.You are always in our thoughts. Your DREAM will be positively filled by the children of BSS (Your brothers, sisters and friends) We all miss you everyday.”

In honor of Pankaj, BSS started an art class in October called “Pankaj’s Dream” to allow more students to realize their creative powers. We hope that one day many students will become like Pankaj and Pankaj’s soul will feel at peace.

4th grade students learn electronics with BSS Prinicpal Jagdish

• BSS students learn how to swim: Swim India visited BSS this month to teach water safety. In August, they will bring BSS students to the pool!
• 4th and 5th grade students helped out at the Ganga Clean-Up event
• 4th grade students learn electronics: Prinicpal Jagdish is teaching students how to make FM radios and other small gadgets

In April, Rajan traveled with her family to San Francisco to receive the Unsung Heroes of Compassion award from Wisdom in Action, a California-based nonprofit. HH Dalai Lama was the honored guest at a reception of 500 people who came to pay respect to the 49 awardees.

As supporters and friends, we all know how incredible Rajan is. And now HH Dalai Lama has also acknowledged her—not in Sarnath where he sometimes passes right in front of BSS—but all the way in California!

In April, Rajan traveled with her family to San Francisco to receive the Unsung Heroes of Compassion award from Wisdom in Action, a California-based nonprofit. HH Dalai Lama was the honored guest at a reception of 500 people who came to pay respect to the 49 awardees. These amazing people were selected because “they have set the course of their hearts toward truth and love. In doing so, they have become beacons, lanterns, mentors, inspirations and exemplars for us all. “

HH Dalai Lama reminded the audience that just as these 49 people were doing extraordinary work, we can all do something, and we can start right now. We may not reap the fruits in our lifetimes, but we can choose to work from the heart and contribute to making and being the change we all know the world needs.

Since returning from the ceremony, Rajan says that she has never felt more peaceful. She feels that she has even more strength and energy to teach and inspire her BSS children. With the size of the task she has taken on, we know she will use this fresh vigor well.

Our deepest congratulations to you, Rajan!

The new shoes and socks were distributed before 26th of January (REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS). Some of the small children were not able to walk because they have never worn shoes and since this was their first time, they were feeling uncomfortable — but now they are habituated.

My hearty thanks with endless love to our Dear Friend Prof. Jim Duerlinger. (Last year Jim sponsored warm woollen sweaters for all the children.)

Again, thank you so much for all your kindness!!

With much love always!! Rajan