Training programme ends

After 10 very interesting days, the training programme for the balwadi teachers ended on Saturday.

The programme ended with a big lunch for everyone and, of course, a photo session :)

Here are all the balwadi teachers. The four women sitting on chairs in the centre were the professionals from Pratham, our collaborator for the balwadi training programme.

Sitting in the chairs in the centre are, as you know, Mumbai Smiles staff members and (extreme left) one of the balwadi coordinators and (right) a member of Saprem.

Everyone joins in for the last snap. The men sitting on the floor are other balwadi coordinators and outreach workers.

Many of the teachers said they found the workshop interesting and useful, and we hope that it will contribute to a better quality of learning for the little kids in the balwadis.

Kiddies head off to PT class

Wandering through Yashodhan school last week, we came across the cutest sight -- the babies of the school at a PT class. And, there's nothing more fun than watching teachers trying to get a bunch of tiny tots to do physical exercises. Take a look:

The teachers try to bring some order...

With some very distracted kids :)

But after many attempts, things get on track... One...

Two...

Three!

'How little it costs to make others happy...'

We end this week with word of encouragement from our visitors! See you Monday!

I was already amazed with what I had read and heard about you. Now that I have seen your work so closely, I know that one can do wonderful things with only one good idea that comes from heart.
Eva

I had visited Mumbai Smiles two years ago and I am happy that it has continued to grow and gets bigger and bigger every day. It is said that the not all journeys have a destination but the point is to help others in all possible ways. This time, the greetings go to Jaume and his whole team. Congratulations and keep it up.
Jordi

How little it costs to make others happy! With people like you it is clear that the world is a much better place. It is rewarding and an education to see the smiles of school kids. There is so much to learn from them! I hope this is just the beginning of your great project. Good luck and congratulations!
Maite

Finally I have come to Mumbai to see the projects! It is nice to see in person the evolution/progress of a desire that came from the heart. I will stand by you whenever you need me.
Belén

Thank you so much for sharing with us a small part of your life and work. Keep working with this enthusiasm and spirit.
Clara and Miren

Congratulations for your fantastic work. We are very grateful to you for sharing your work with us. Thanks a lot and keep it up.
Juliette, Albert, Glòria

Congratulations! Thank you so much for this day and for showing us a bit of your work here. I wish that you keep growing and make many more people happy. We encourage and support you and hope you continue to have this level of energy and excitement.
Xavi and Ruth

It is not just a smile or a laugh, it is much more than that. It is to give hope where there is none, it is to lead a life with dignity above all suffering. No religion or politics is capable of securing a smile in this way. The fight begins, continues and is eternal for all mankind. Congratulations on this project and I support everybody who is fighting with this spirit.
Lidia

Nehal, thank you for your kindness, patience and your smile. We’ve been to places we never imagined we would, and we could learn a bit of authentic Mumbai. We will keep you in our hearts and hope to return someday to see the progress of this great work you are doing! Keep it up!
Marc and Rocio

Thanks a lot for your patience and continuous effort. It is a wonderful experience to see the projects becoming a reality. My friend, who is your follower and collaborator, would have liked to be here. I promise to tell her my experience.
Elena

Mumbai Smiles gets its first supporters in Mexico

It’s proof that the Mumbai Smiles journey isn’t restricted by any boundaries.
The Mumbai Smiles office in Mexico – where it goes by the name Sonrisas de Bombay México – has begun to receive its first local sponsors, who are donating money to support our cause in Mumbai. Though people are mostly pledging smaller amounts and the bank process is complicated, this is a great first step, and things will only get better from here.

Many of you may know that although we have offices in Spain and Mexico, our projects are located only in Mumbai, so our activities in other countries are also arranged around this. While programmes in Spain are geared primarily towards fundraising and awareness, Mexico has different requirements.
This is because Mexico itself has a lot of poverty and issues of human rights violation. So, it makes more sense to us to work in tandem with local organisations in Mexico in a way that helps them and us. Mumbai Smiles is doing this through partnerships with non-profit organisations focused on education, health and socio-economic development in Mexico.

Mumbai Smiles Mexico will partner with the organisation in one of two ways -- a) through helping to implement a specific project that already exists b) through long-term planning, which involves designing a project based on the needs of the community.

The team in Mexico is working on arranging various partnerships, whereby Mumbai Smiles will give its support – not financial – but by donations in kind, volunteer referral, support for the dissemination of its work and projects, access to quality information in the field of development cooperation, among others.

Our happy thoughts and best wishes go out to our colleagues in Mexico, and we congratulate them for their great work!

The Roshni project is on display

The exhibition space for the Roshni project is finally ready and visitors to our office will now be able to take a look at the beautiful items made by the women of Creative Handicrafts. Those of you who have joined us later can read all about our promotional initiative here. If you like the pieces and you want to support the cause, you know who to contact.

Here's a look at the display:

Happy Raksha Bandhan!

All over India, brothers and sisters are celebrating their special bond today. Raksha Bandhan (which means 'bond of protection') is the only Hindu festival dedicated to brothers and sisters. Though more popular in Northern and Western India, the festival is marked in other regions as well, and celebrated in different ways.

The ritual involves a sister tying a ‘rakhi’ around the brother’s wrist, performing an 'aarti', putting a 'tilak' on his forehead and praying for his well-being. In return, the brother pledges to take care of her and gives her a return gift.

Today, while the rakhi tradition still holds strong, the celebrations are more unconventional. Stores are flooded with every kind of design imaginable, rakhis are now couriered to brothers, and unusual gift ideas include a gym membership or and iPod.

Times might have changed, but the significance of Raksha Bandhan hasn’t.

Art smart

The Yashodhan school students have been hard at work, not at their studies, but at perfecting their drawing skills. The students are prepping for a big state-level drawing competition that's coming up, and were busy sketching away when we met them last week.

May the most talented girl or boy win!

Catching them young :)

Last week, we had the cutest visitors come by our office. Nine-year-old Marc and his six-year-old brother Roger faithfully tagged along with their wonderful parents to see our projects.

The kids were fun and curious as kids naturally are and we think it's great that they are getting exposed to many things in the world at such a young age...

Here they are at Yashodhan school, where they met kids their own age...

Here's to more cross-cultural bonding, and come back soon, guys!

Happy Parsi New Year!

Today, Parsis all over the world are celebrating Navroze, which is the Parsi New Year. According to tradition, the present-day Parsis descend from a group of Iranian Zoroastrians who immigrated to Western India during 10th century AD.

The 10 days before Navroze are marked by prayers for the departed. The 10th day (yesterday) was Pateti, a day of repentance and reflection on the previous year. So, today, the community, including Mumbai's 8,000-strong Parsis will welcome the year with great fervour.

Enjoy!

News from Mumbai Action

Regular followers of our blog know that Mumbai Action, a website developed by Mumbai Smiles, is an information and advocacy platform for Mumbai's development sector. For those who haven't yet checked out all the wonderful stories documented on this site, here's a sneak peek:

Armed with a brush, painting a future
Vasant Solanki has been fending for himself since the age of 12. He lived off Mumbai’s streets, passed the time playing cricket and studied in a school for the handicapped, until a social worker found him. Read more.

 Have an idea? Your options are Unltd
Unltd India, a launch pad for social entrepreneurs, finds people with the ideas and skills for projects aimed at social change and gives them an eco-system of seed funding, networking and coaching and guidance. Read more.

Building blocks for the future
Mumbai Mobile Creches gives kids of migrant construction a chance at a good education. While the parents are at work all day, the children come to the centre, where they get food, shelter and, most importantly, learning. Read more.

A Mirakle worker for the deaf
Mirakle Couriers is doing what no one else thought do. The company employs the services of only deaf adults for its Mumbai-based courier operations, marrying enterprise and social cause. Read more.

Travel made meaningful

Grassroutes promotes responsible rural tourism, by developing villages as tourist destinations. For Rs 1,000 a night, city-dwellers in want of a relaxing weekend, a taste of rural life and a fresh environment to stay in, travel to villages where they are taken care of and housed by locals. Read more.

‘There’s no vision for Mumbai’
Her children would rather she indulged in gentle hobbies like other 65-year-olds, but Nayana Kathpalia is too busy trying to save Mumbai’s diminishing public spaces. She runs Citispace, a citizens’ forum that works to protect public spaces. Read more.

A necessary Point of View

Formed with the focus of giving women a voice, Point of View works on various creative media projects that draw the spotlight to women's issues. Read more. 

'My dream: education for all children'
Shaheen Mistri traded in the American dream to pursue a dream of her own – to provide an excellent education to all children. She started The Akanksha Foundation, which provides formal and non-formal education for underprivileged children. Read more.

Training programme

Yesterday was the first day of a 10-day training programme that we have organised for the teachers of our 25 new balwadis.

The point of the programme is to train the teachers in techniques of teaching and childcare so that the little children in our balwadis get the right kind of learning. The training programme will go on for 10 days, from 12noon to 5pm in the 6th floor of our office in Mumbai.

The workshop started, as always, with an inauguration ceremony.

 

The training will be done by professionals (seen in the pic below) from Pratham, an NGO that has been working towards the education of children in slums since 1994. 

 Yesterday's activities included an orientation on what the programme aims to do, and some interactive games and songs that the teachers participated in.

This interaction serves two purposes -- a) to make the teachers themselves comfortable and open to the training, and b) to show them how they, in turn, can engage with the kids in the balwadis.

 Here's to more fun learning!

Happy Independence Day!

Yesterday, August 15, was India´s Independence Day. This is the day, 63 years ago, that the British government officially handed over control of the Indian republic to its own people. To mark our country´s freedom from British rule, the Indian flag was hoisted for the first time in 1947 by India´s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, at the Red Fort in Delhi. That tradition continues till now with official Independence Day celebrations taking place in Delhi every year, boosted by enthusiastic celebrations all over the country.

Mumbai Smiles participated in the Independence Day festivities at Yashodhan school, early on Sunday morning. Here´s a glimpse of the special day:

The agenda for the morning:

Yashodhan school´s boy scouts and girl guides line up:

With the NCC cadre:

Students, teachers and parents in attendance:

Unfurling the flag:

Saluting the flag and singing the national anthem:

The special guests invited to the event:

Felicitations and speeches:

Patriotic students:

 

Students sing national songs with gusto:

While some in the audience sing along:

 

 Others give impassioned speeches:

Even the rain doesn´t dampen the mood:

To a glorious past and future achievements. Jai Hind!