Visits to the park and beach, plenty of visitor and some generous donations have made April a memorable month at Stepping Stones
April began with a lot of children attending the Shelter and there was lot of activity and laughter. However by the end of April many of the children had left Goa for their native villages as the tourist season comes to a close and also the monsoon and cultivation season is in the offing. This month we were able to provide basic necessities to more than 625 children. Many of these have just begun attending after hearing about SS through fieldworkers and friends.
Martyn Sherman paid us a visit. He examined the feet of all the children and also identified some who needed the orthotic insoles. He has taken measurement and promised to send the same soon. he has been a great help to many of the children over the years and many children have benefited from his expertise. Samaritan gift boxes were given to some children who were absent the first time. Stepping Stones had more than its share of visitors this month. Many came and spent time with children, teaching, playing and having a great time. Helen Hazell from UK even donated a generous amount of money towards the repairs of the roof. She also supervised the work. The roof has been repaired and made ready for the monsoon. We thank all the other donors who have given their time, money and energy to put a smile on the faces of our children.
On the medical side, Floyd has returned back to us. He has completely recovered from his abdominal surgery and is now having no pain or discomfort in that region. However his eyesight is still non existent. He was taken to Pune for a specialised eye test to check if there was anything we could do to restore sight to him. He was accompanied by Narayan to Pune. It looks like his only hope is a cornea transplant.
The park and the beach visits continued this month. Most children enjoyed themselves at the beach and the others had a great time of play and fun at the park. These outings are looked forward to. Mavis as always faithfully arranges the beach visits along with the staff. Christopher the Shelter Manager also attended a week long training seminar on Accelerated Christian Education at the Shanti Niketan School. A researcher named Kishore Kumar conducted a survey of our children. He had a questionnaire and the children were more than eager to help him fill it out. The entire staff team of Stepping Stones enjoyed a day at the Hotel Goan Heritage. There they met other staff of the Trust and had a great time of interaction. The Night Shelter children were moved to Victory House for a couple of days during this time and the Shelter remained closed for a day. We have a new resident with us, Rucha. She spends the week here at SS and goes to Rainbow House for the weekends. She is the one studying to be a Bachelor of Business Administration and presently she has undertaken an internship at Turbo Cam India Ltd. at the Margao Industrial Estate.
April has been a great month at SS. Yes the weather was hot and humid and the roof over our heads was opened for repairs yet we had a great month. The children finished their exams and many have left and will return in time for school in June. This coming academic year we hope to be of assistance not only at Margao but also the surrounding villages, construction sites, beaches, markets and industrial areas. We hope to reach out to as many children as possible with the love of God.