EL SHADDAI CHARITABLE TRUST, GOA (INDIA).

The Monsoon has set in and Goa looks green and beautiful. Sunshine is mild and the nights are cool. Colourful umbrellas are seen everywhere and evenings lead to many candle-lit dinners. Getting out of bed in the morning for a walk and jog becomes a little difficult due to the drizzle and returning home from office and school early, is a better prospect nowadays. Summer is past and our children are back from their holidays, eager to don their uniforms and backpacks for school.
Welcome

Towards the end of May the admissions to the homes, shelters and schools began in right earnest. We at El Shaddai made a commitment this year to reach out to as many children as possible and would find countless children with their parents and guardians at our doorsteps personally being interviewed by the Managing Trustee, Mr. Matthew Kurian. Orphans were given first preference and many from our Shelters have found a permanent Home in our units. We have with us, this academic year 60 new faces. Most of them are still awestruck at the love and care they receive for free. For the first time in their lives they have clean clothes, fresh looks with shoes and sandals on their feet. They now know the meaning of a refreshing bath and a full stomach. That’s love for them for the first time in their lives.

Au revoir’

Some of our older children bid adieu to El-shaddai, having lived here for many years. Parents managing themselves well and in better times, have taken their children to be with them. It is sad to see these children go as we had become attached to them; however we always believed that the best place for a child is with the parents. We wish each and every one of them good fortune and a bright future with the assurance that El Shaddai will always be there for their needs and support.

Triumphs

Children with us are enrolled in school, and proper ‘Education would ensure a good future’ for them. We have planned for individual coaching to the ones having difficulty with studies. Encouragement and support is dished out in large measures and every effort is made to ensure that proper environment is provided to facilitate studies. We are proud to announce that all our efforts have borne fruit. We have had a fantastic result this year. Our children having put their hearts and minds into their books and have come out with flying colours.

Shanti Niketan School has reopened and the children are back in the campus. The ones who had never been to a school are amazed with their nicely decorated classrooms and the new building. The Shelters and Homes are not far behind as almost all the children, except for the very small ones, attend school. It is so heart-warming to see all of them dressed in neat and clean uniforms marching off to school.

Health

The children are enjoying good health apart from the minor cuts and bruises. Due to change in weather few cases of fever were reported from the Homes and Shelters and the staff ensured that every child is treated and adequate precautions taken. Games and activities are generally keeping every one in shape.

Updates on Projects

Tremara Cottage Education Centre at Chimbel is progressing above our expectations with an average of 120 Children attending classes daily and our plans for adult literacy programme to start shortly.

Children Cottage Hospital, Assagao, The work on the project is in full swing, with the upper floor construction nearing completion.

The Ashalaya Children Development Centre (ACDC), Sikkim has been established and we look forward to its growth in anticipation. Documentation is under progress for final clearance.

Post Script

Admissions having come to a close and schools reopened, children and the staff are now settling down. Away from danger and fear, we as an organisation are committed to touch them with the love of God and share the goodness of the Almighty.

God bless you all, and see you next month!

STEPPING STONES, MARGAO.

Since the summer vacations came to a close, children started returning to our shelter at Margao, and they went through their general medical examination and formalities for admission to the Homes.

Pastor Matthew, Chris Brandon, Godfrey paid a visit to the shelter and spent quality time with the Children while two students from Mt. Carmel College began their internship at Stepping Stones, on their research programme.

Audrey Martin (UK) donated a pressure cooker thru Mavis. A few kind visitors distributed mangoes and eatables for the children in the shelter. Proper liaison with the Government schoolteachers ensured that our children were admitted in schools. A visit to Birla (Vasco) for an assessment into the prospect of putting up a Day Care Shelter is being looked into. Researcher Kishore Kumar from the Goa University visited Stepping Stones and interacted with the children.

All kudos to our field workers Mangesh and Amit who were very active in organizing games and other programs in the Slum areas as also assisted children in their studies. Activities on Medical aid, haircuts and distribution of clothes brought smiles on their faces and delight to the parents. Narayan bid goodbye to Stepping Stones as he was transferred to Victory House.

The Maintenance work is in progress. Roof repair is completed and Gas connections with pipe fittings were also replaced for proper functioning.

All of us here are earnest in our routine work on fieldwork, non-formal education, office and administrative tasks which were carried out efficiently. In spite of the vacation time in May, the number of children in June has been quite large at Stepping Stones. Some of the children were anxious and eager to go get back to school for the new academic year. Children who have been moved to the homes were also anticipating different routines, meeting with new friends and a change in life style.

“As the monsoons are here, bringing along cheers, there might be a child drenched in the cold rain waiting to be noticed, hugged and sheltered. Our Staff has been very active on the streets and in slums rescuing such children in need.”

TREMARA COTTAGE EDUCATION CENTRE: CHIMBEL

With the starting of the new academic session “Tremara Cottage Education Centre” welcomes back the children with 6 new students supplementing the joys of our cottage.Initially children enjoyed their first week by singing, playing and getting to know each other and by the end of the second week the tiny tots have also settled down.

Necessary items of stationary, toys & chairs were purchased for the school, while eye-catching charts have been displayed in the rooms. Ann and Richard (El Shaddai trustee UK) visited the cottage and took photographs of the cottage with children in their classrooms.A staff meeting was organized to discuss admissions for new students and a drawing competition for the children of Indira Nagar was organized, according to age groups.

The School celebrated Birthdays of 4 students and distributed chocolates. Prema assisted us for a week, relieved by Shobha.Through this shelter we hope to enhance the general well being and their happiness by providing them with basic education, awareness to health and hygiene, besides providing vital necessities, which will make a great difference in their lives.

We trust this year will unfold surprises and we ask the Lord to continually bless us and our supporters too.

SHEKINAH HOUSE, ASSAGAO.

The children upon return immediately got into the play mode and soon a game of football, cricket, kabaddi and carom were played. The boys found themselves in 6 major groups and that is the way they will stay for the rest of the year. 16 new faces can be seen at SH. 13 older boys were transferred to Victory House and 10 Boys have come from House of Kathleen. Mohit and Preston are the children who had gone back to their families and have rejoined. Shekinah House has a strength of 51 boys along with 5 staff and a Trainee.

School reopened during the first week of June and all the boys were cheered to attend the school, some go to formal and majority go to the SNS.

This June has been a month of new things for the boys. New sandals, new raincoats, uniforms, lunch boxes, bags and clothes have really made a positive impact on the boys.Stationery and clothes were brought and distributed to all.

Electrical work was carried out and plumbing and drainage was taken care of in view of the impending monsoon season.

The boys have come, the rains have made the surrounding cool and comfortable, the schools have reopened and we are all set to make a change in the lives of the young boys we serve. Our vision is clear and our commitment is sure. We are going to give the childhood back to the children.

The month began with the rains coming down in torrents. The schools reopened on the 5th June and it was a proud moment for all to see our children going to school Joanna visited the school along with the school children & parents. All the children were neatly dressed in spanking new uniforms, rain sandals and raincoats.

!0 new children started coming to the shelter, out of which 4 children have been given admission at Don Bosco High School.

Johnny has been transferred to Victory House, Assagao as a New House Manager. New Staff, Lavino Pereira has joined as a Assistant Manager and Shankar Azgoankar as a field worker, both doing an excellent job, helping Joanna in running the Shelter.

Joanna had a parental meeting at the shelter, for all the new school admission Children.

Our heartful thank to the French couple for donating a sum of 20 Euros towards “Loan A Goat” project.

Dhanush & Shankar have started 1st slum school at “Agar Waddo” slum Calangute.

The shelter had to undergo maintenace of the home specially with the roof which is still in progress.

A number of 1,606 children visited the shelter this month. We hope we can reach out to many more with love and care.

SHANTI NIKETAN SCHOOL, ASSAGAO.

The fresh paint, landscaping and a handsome look to the school building awaited children, as the school reopened on the 5^th of June, for the Academic year 2008-09. The Children were excited in meeting their new friends and staff. This year we have 78 new admissions and enlisted staff who have adjusted very well and are enjoying the task of imparting knowledge. We presently have a total of 242 children on the roll, supported by a staff strength of 22.

We congratulate all the students of classes 10^th and 12^th who have cleared the NIOS examination and wish them the very best in their further studies.

Activities in the school began in full swing. The Immunization camp in collaboration with The Primary Health Centre of Siolim for all the students and staff wherein DT vaccines, tetanus injections and rubella vaccine were administered to the children. The children were divided into groups (Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter & Mars) and each group has a House mistress with an assistant followed by the group captain and assistant respectively. The Houses will be having healthy competition for the year. Mock fire drill was conducted as a part of various activities, for all children and staff, to create awareness on safety and security.

The new faculty for Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) programme is in full swing since 11^th of June. New tables and chairs have been procured for the ACE preschool class and the trained staff are confident and excited to try out the “School of Tomorrow” with their protégés. A library has also been set up along with the Computer cell for the benefit of our Primary, Secondary and ACE Students.

The Landscaping of the school campus is in progress and the project has brought a beautiful facade to the School, with decorative saplings and hedges supporting the new look to the onduline roofing, replacing the slats.

We are looking forward to imparting quality education to our students and this year, to make even better changes in their lives.

We thank the volunteers who came and helped us throughout the year, for they gave a caring touch to our children’s education.

The new Academic season and the month of June were exciting for the Children and the Staff alike. We had a total of 111 children visiting the shelter during the month, of these, 54 are our regular school going children while 11 are fresh admissions.

Our night shelter children, Kissan and Sanjay Powar have been shifted to SH and HOK respectively. These children though living with their parents, had no proper shelter and living on the roadside, often facing police brutality and in extremely unhygienic conditions. Having stayed at Asha Deep for the past 5 months, improved themselves and enjoying proper childhood.

Our five year old day care child Akash Mane has been referred to Hamara School for admission into their home for street children. Akash used to live in a slum in Betim with his father, stepmother and grandmother, however due to family problems he was neglected by his parents to the extent that he went without food on many days. His grandmother would bring him to AD daily and pleaded placing him in a suitable Home. We are grateful to “Hamara School” for having provided him a secure place to grow up.

Rajbeer Paswan was referred to St. Anthony’s Convent Boys Home where he was given admission and concession on the fees. Rajbeer was placed in the boarding school as his father, due to the nature of his work (construction), is moving from place to place, making it impossible for the child to attend a regular school.

Susheela Rathod, a former day care child placed with RH in June ’07, has returned to AD this month having exited by her parents six months ago. Hungry and clad in filthy clothes, she travelled from Calangute to AD all by herself and pleaded to be accepted back to RH. She informs that her alcoholic parents were not bothered and she feared for her safety. She is now happy to be back in a safe and secure place with us.

Our regular school children were delighted to begin their new academic year at the school. It was excitement written on the faces of those going for the first time that couldn’t be missed! These children were regular at AD and having received non-formal education here, they couldn’t wait to begin school themselves.

The field workers have done an outstanding job, patiently visiting and counselling the parents on the importance of education; contribution by the teachers in preparing these children for school is also worth applauding. The staff issued free stationery received from El Shaddai to all the school going children while Sharon and Rob Kay sponsored raincoats and Linda Cant provided school bags.

The Team is now working on few more families and hopefully will be able to get their children too into school, next month.

The prize for the ‘child of the month’ was shared by Akash, Chandni and Ravina. It was a close choice, as quite a few other Children proved themselves as good.

Ramdas bid us bye as he left for Bible College. He was a very dedicated and hardworking staff and will be missed by us all.

Due to change in weather, fever was prevalent this month and we had children treated for the same. Sanjay (now shifted to HOK) was taken to the G.M.C. to complete his immunization. Generally the health and hygiene is good.

We had regular visits from the office staff and other local visitors. We are especially grateful to Mrs. Louisa Monteiro for snacks to our children, and to Diego D’costa who donated clothes and stationery.

“Thanks” to all our well-wishers, donors and to the Management, for their support. Our gratitude above all, to God Almighty who has been with us all the way. Asha Deep will continue to remain a Beacon and a hope to many street children.

VICTORY HOUSE, SALIGAO.

During the month, most of the children came back after vacation. The ones who had spent their vacation at the Homes were sure glad to see their friends back. There was a lot of sharing of sweets from home and relatives. They settled down within a couple of days and the Non formal and formal schools began on the 5^th of June, all the boys went to school.

Johnny Father, from Little Acorns was transferred to Victory House as a New House Manager. The boys were divided into 6 groups and leaders were appointed for each group. Jehowa, Haven, Holy Spirit, Angels, Jesus and Shalom are the 6 groups. Pamma 68 is the Home captain. Antho Vishal Nadar and Chandrasen Rathod are the new faces at the Home. Santhosh Rathod ID 23 who had left El Shaddai has now done his readmission and come back to us.

David cook is shifted back to V.H. At present there are total of 4 staff members to look after a total of 69 children. V.H. has 52 children and 17 children at the cottage. 4 children attend the formal school and remaining goes to Shanti Neketan School, Assagao. Some of the children have been moved from Shekinah House.

Many of the children were taken to the doctor due to various sicknesses arise from this monsoons.

Pastor Matthew and Colonel Thomas paid a visit to check the functioning and running of the home.

A couple of maintenance work was done such as painting, roofing, plumbing etc. a new Sintex water tank was also fixed to avoid any water shortages.

This month of June has been a happy one for the boys and staff as it is a month of new beginnings. The rains have also blessed us by making everything around green, clean and cool. The boys have enjoyed playing outdoor games in the showers. The new faces have adjusted and we hope this becomes a very special year for all and we as staff will do everything in our power to make it one. We are all geared up for a fresh academic year and we hope this one is even better than the last.

The Rainbow House commenced the year with 7 new children faces and unwrapped itself for the new academic year. The girls who spent their summer vacation at the House of Kathleen have moved back. They are very happy to be with their friends again and the stories from homes were narrated late into the night. Savita Naik (ID 297) who had left has rejoined El Shaddai. 10 senior children from the House of Kathleen have now settled with Rainbow House.

Shilpa Lamani, our dear child with special needs was given admission at St Xaviers Academy, Old Goa. The school going girls began their classes on the 5^th of June with 4 children attending school in Mapusa city. All the children have been distributed rain wears for the season including stationary and bags.

The roof of Rainbow House and Rainbow’s End Cottage underwent major repairs. The Rainbow House and the cottage now accommodates 60 girls, ably assisted by 5 staff members. May God continue to shower his choicest blessings for a brighter future for our children.

We are glad that all the children have returned safe and in good health now looking forward to the new season, for a positive difference in their lives.

The new faces at the House of Kathleen and a well laid out premise are now becoming familiar with older children adjusting very well with the new arrivals and made loads of friends. They are slowly beginning to trust the staff members and the reopening of the schools gives them a chance to come out and be themselves. Many of them are going to school for the first time and finding a novel thing for them. We do hope they will fare well in studies. New children have been admitted into the Home.

The children received new uniforms, rain wear, books, stationery, footwear etc and this has added to their joy. For once the new children were receiving something new in their lives. The change in weather also brought in change in their health, however we are thankful to God that there are no major health problems.

The senior girls have been shifted to the Rainbow House as they have grown up and are able to take care of themselves. We were sad to see them go as they have been with us for long but at the same time we are glad that we have taken good care of them. The other children are having fun outdoors rain permitting, else indoors, either watching TV or with some craft and art work.

We are happy for all the 50 young ones in our care. To serve them is a joy and the smiles and shouts of delight we get in return, is a great reward indeed. We pray that we are ideal models for these young minds and hope to see them grow up as responsible individuals.