Shadhika Foundation’s Partner’s Conference

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At Shadhika Foundation’s first-ever Partner’s Conference, for  the women from the several Indian organizations which help  girls attain an education, the Chennai, India conference attendees  included  Buddha’s Smile School founder/director, Rajan Kaur. The participating women shared the stories of their organizations, discussed their challenges and learned more about fundraising for their work.

Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smile School reports, “This conference was helpful for me.  All the NGOs are working for women but in different ways and in many sectors with their teams. The conference helped me to learn to become a better speaker even though I am a silent woman but I am proud of the work we are doing.  I am devoted to the bright futures of over 300 children.  Every time I can learn from another person, this helps me meet our challenges at BSS.  I am happy and I believe in my work. I believe that every child’s success, girl or boy, will be fruitful for the entire community. I thank Kim and Shadhika for inviting me to be a representative of Buddha’s Smile School.”

The youngest student

20150805_094654We went to visit the Bengali refugee community in the summer of 2012 and found one of our young girl students, Tamanna taking care of her newly born sister. Their mother was badly sick. We asked Tamanna if she would return to Buddha’s Smile School but she replied she couldn’t because she needed to look after her sister. After summer vacation we had a new intake and I felt sad about Tamanna as she was a bright intelligent child who had progressing well in her studies and I didn’t want her to dropout after progressing so far.

All summer it upset me when I thought about this big loss of opportunity for Tamanna and the benefits that BSS could continue providing for her. She has such a bright future.

So I decided to allow Tamanna to bring Jasmine to Buddha’s Smile School with her. At the age of 9, Tamanna bottle fed the newly born Jasmine every three hours with complete care. Jasmine became the most fortunate and special child of BSS being raised in BSS since at the age of 6 months among 220 children. Even her name was given to her by us.

Now Jasmine is 3 yrs old. She is a happy, curious child who attends school everyday with Tamanna who is now 12 years old. Even on Sundays I am told she waits for the school bus to. Jasmine likes to write on the blackboard and we allow her freedom to go into every class. She is the happiest child and likes to color.

Jasmine is the favorite BSS child of our youngest daughter Rosy. When Rosy arrives home from school she bathes Jasmine putting fresh clothes on her and giving her milk — Jasmine often falls asleep in her arms.

Visiting student communities

Every few month or so Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smile School and her teaches visit some of the various communities their students live in. They interact with parents and seek out any issues that might cause a student to begin missing school. They also talk to families of the unschooled children who are forced to work rather than attend school and see what changes they can make.

Here are some photos from a recent visit to meet children. Many children are forced to labor or beg and are not allowed to any attend school.

 

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Save Girl Child

A performance was held at  Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Benares Hindu University (BHU)  on 2nd October 2015 at Film and Media council. Buddha’s Smile School was invited to participate by three students,  Arindam, Anurag and Bhanu of IIT, BHU, who are also working for Barefoot International. The program was organized to help Buddha’s Smile School create ties with BHU.

“The performance by BSS students was about Saving Girl Children. Girls are not respected in India and parents often feel sad when girl children are born,” Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smile School said. “Parents don’t worry about the future of girls and often do not allow them to go to school at all or simply drop their education at the age of 13 or 14 years when they are able to marry and produce children of their own. This performance was held to bring awareness and help give these girls some power and confidence and to acknowledge, like men, they also have a right to an education a bright future,” Rajan said.

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Deepak–the Tabla maestro of BSS

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Deepak, who is now 18 years old was born deaf and dumb, yet he is the heart, the hero and soul of Buddha’s Smile School. Rajan found him in 2004 when he was 6 yrs old – a very dirty, skinny boy diagnosed with Polio.

“He stole my heart,” Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smiles School said. “His parent never believed he would be able to do anything, yet today Deepak is learning to be a Tabla player and they can’t believe it,” Rajan said.

After Deepak was enrolled in BSS, he got stronger in his legs and slowly, day by day, through play and exercises instruction from Sukhdev, the sun inside Deepak rose and he not only started walking he has grown into a fine young man who has beaten his deaf and dumbness and his Polio afflictions.

Today, Deepak is a happy young man and never misses a single day at BSS. Rajan designed a special path for Deepak to enable him to stand on his own two feet and develop skills that might help him achieve some independence.

“He did not liked my choice of playing Tabla in the beginning,” Rajan said. “When he would see his Tabla teacher he would become upset and his Tabla teacher finally requested me to find another student instead of Deepak, but I insisted they stick with it, as I was confident is was good for Deepak and that he could achieve something very positive in the end.”

Eventually Deepak’s interest grew and with continuous persuasion and motivation from all at BSS he is now excited to display his Tabla playing skills to everyone.

Deepak has now performed twice in CIHTS (Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies). Soon, he will also perform at B.H.U in front of their students and celebrities who will be honoring the events. And so, one day Deepak – the Tabla maestro of BSS, may become even more famous. 🙂

Monu, Raja & Sunny.

MONU RAJA SUNNYRajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smile School met Monu, Raja and Sunny’s, family in a Sarnath beggars community in 2003. Their sister, Chanda was brutally murdered after being forced into marriage at the age of 14 years and due to the poverty the family the eldest son who was also a student of BSS was sold by his family in 2010 for INR 2000, his name is Sonu.

Rajan contacted the local Police Station but she was unable to trace Sonu’s whereabouts.

Monu who was enrolled in 2004 is now in Grade 3. Sunny is now in Grade 1 and Raja who was born in the presence of Rajan is now in L.K.G.

Both parents are alcoholics and Rajan and her teachers are finding it a tough job trying to keep them away from alcohol. At present the family lives in a small shed at the Leprosy Patient Ashram. None of the children or the parents have leprosy but are allowed to stay at the community in return for doing odd jobs like cleaning, etc. They also work temporally in few nursing homes, cleaning the wards and bathroom, etc.

Monu, Raja & Sunny are happy children and are motivated to attend Buddha’s Smile School and to make something of their lives. One day, thanks to BSS, Monu, Raja & Sunny may be able to finally break free of the awful shackles that bind them to a world of begging, alcoholism and abuse.

This is Golu’s story

GOLUWe met Golu in 2014 when she lived in the Harijan/Dalit community – a slum near Chaukaghat Railway Station, Varanasi. From a tender age Golu had been a drug addict. When Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smile School and her teachers visited that community they always found her in possession of the same form of drugs, which she would hide in her underwear. The drugs were locally made from of chewing tobacco, derivatives of opium and alcohol.

In addition to her serious addiction, her parents were not caring for her so Rajan decided she should be brought to BSS and persuaded her highly reluctant parents to let her attend.

With a lot of love and motivation Golu began to withdraw from her addictions and resume a more normal life of a child; learning and playing, combined with love and regular food — which are very important basics for children from these types of communities.

Unfortunately, Golu and her family were recently forced leave their Varanasi settlement by the Police and move 60 km away. They are hoping to be able to return as they have jobs as day labourers in Varanasi.

Right now Golu is with her family and no longer attends Buddha’s Smile School. When we last saw her she was no longer an addict. Golu is 7 years old.

Donation from the Netherlands

For the third time Buddha’s Smile School has received a donation from the Netherlands at the beginning of a new school year. This year BSS received an amount of 1.785 euro.

Thank you dear friends from the Netherlands and Lucia from Italy!

Ten More Children Need Scholarships

As you probably know, Buddha’s Smile School operates as a school for poor Dalit children. What you may not know is BSS also has 43 children who have progressed through BSS and now require individual support through their Government Primary and Middle schools years. These children are doing well and some, with your help, will end up attending University – which is an incredible achievement when you think about it

The school year began in July and we are short of funds to cover 10 of these primary and middle school students scholarship.

Thanks to all of you, we’ve raised enough to cover all but 10 of the students, but we need your help to cover the rest — we’re short just $4,000 USD.

A full-year primary or middle school scholarship is just $400 USD a year or just $33 USD a month.

Please help by making a donation to cover the costs for one of these last 10 students?