Asha Deep celebrated five years in the service of the underprivileged and street children this month of April
We had expected the number of children attending the Shelter to fall down as every year most of them go to their own homes during the summer months. Nearly all the children live out of Goa and so this month on an average only about 25 children attended. The good news is the fieldwork has been so effective that more and more fresh faces are seen at the Shelter. Loukesh and Ramdas have immersed themselves in fieldwork and their efforts are bearing fruit. We are very encouraged by this and we feel that come June we will have a big number of children attending.
The staff as always has been helpful and caring towards the children and themselves. Karuna the Shelter Manager went on her annual leave and in her absence Asha Deep was managed efficiently by Yvonne, Ramdas, Loukesh and Lawrence. Lawrence has been trained by Loukesh and now cooks by himself. Loukesh on the other hand devotes more time to fieldwork and the results speak for themselves. Dadima Gaonkar as always a great help and the children simply love her to bits. Ram from Shekinah House also spent a few days cooking meals for the Shelter children.
Most of our children attending school have gone to the next grade with good marks. Three of them have topped in their classes and another three have come through just behind the leaders. We are very proud of these achievers. This also encourages other children to do better in their studies. Around ten new children have been identified for school this coming academic year and these have been trained at the Shelter all this year. We are also seeking admissions for others who are below six years of age and whose parents have given approval. Besides studies the children have been kept busy with various activities, craftwork, painting and drawing. Health of the children has been excellent this month. Apart from one case we have had no medical emergency.
Fieldwork has been very effective this month and as a result we see new children visiting and also many members of public have referred children to us. When a fieldworker visits the slums, markets or fish jetties he or she is treated with respect as people now realise the change that has come into the lives of their children due to their efforts. Loukesh and Ramdas are both involved in fieldwork and are very committed.
Asha Deep completed five years of service to the underprivileged children of our society on 23rd April. This year we had a quiet celebration with just the children being the guests that day. They took part in games and had a nice meal and had a time of togetherness. It felt like a family. That day is also the birthday of our cook Lawrence and he distributed cake and snacks to children. These five years have flashed by and we know that Asha Deep has lived up to its name and had been a lamp of hope to hundreds of children in and around the city of Panaji. We say a special thankyou to everyone who has touched us in any way. There have been numerous individuals who have contributed time and money to put a smile on the faces of our children and we are always grateful to all of you. God bless you. We hope to carry on assisting every child who is at risk and who needs our help. We hope Asha Deep truly becomes a beacon of hope to all the children and their communities.