gsh feed mar 2011

12
GSH Feed a quarterly newsletter of Good Shepherd Homes What’s inside... Giving for a cause...pg 3 Children of Conflict ... pg 4 Meet Shailesh... pg 6 Christmas: A Time to Celebrate. .. pg 8 GSH Snapshots ... pg 9 KIDS TALK ... pg 10 For private circulation only Spring 2011 | Issue 26 Every one is worth it ! Main Feature

Upload: prabhu-sethuraman

Post on 19-Jan-2015

775 views

Category:

Documents


2 download

DESCRIPTION

 

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Gsh feed mar 2011

GSH Feeda quarterly newsletter of Good Shepherd Homes

What’s inside...Giving for a cause...pg 3Children of Conflict ... pg 4Meet Shailesh... pg 6Christmas: A Time to Celebrate... pg 8GSH Snapshots ... pg 9KIDS TALK ... pg 10

For private circulation only Spring 2011 | Issue 26

Every one is worth it !

Main Feature

Page 2: Gsh feed mar 2011

2 | GSH Feed

B

E

G

I

N

N

I

N

G

S

It is almost 15 years since weopened the doors in Talegaonto 10 screaming children inJune 1996. Four of us had beenworking for weeks to get twohouses ready, one for the boysand one for the girls. Vessels,mattresses (no beds yet) andclothes had to be bought,agreements had to be signed,monies had to be raised, and atthe same time we kept in closetouch with the children thatwere due to join us.

Over the next few issues, I willbe looking back to how westarted in India. Many of youmay have never heard the storybefore, and it is a story worthtelling. To do that, though, Ihave to go back to the CzechRepublic, where I was based inthe early nineties.

I had moved to Czech with asmall ROFC team in 1991 forMission work. We had planted anumber of congregations anda Bible school. On a coldNovember Monday in 1993, Iopened my eyes around 7.30am and heard ‘five days’ in myspirit. When God speaks to us,we always have the choice. Dowe, or do we not? Many timesbefore, I had felt impressed tofast. Often I followed throughwith it, and sometimes Iprocrastinated. This time,although my week was packed,

I heeded without delay.

The fast itself wasuneventful. On the Friday

night, I had all my favorite foodslined up on the kitchen counterhours before I was to close thefast. I woke up quite late thenext morning, and soondetected a change in my heart.The connection, the umbillicallink I had felt for the last threeyears with the Czech Republic,had vanished. Not only that,but in its place was anothercountry, and that country wasIndia. I sat down, feeling amixture of bemusement andexcitement, with the realisationthat my life henceforth wouldnever look the same again.

The week after, I copied a mapfrom a mini atlas whichbelonged to one of ourstudents, and put it over mybed. I memorized the cities,studied the few features I coulddiscern, and dreamed of India.These were the days before theinternet, and very littleinformation was available onthe Sub-Continent in the Czechbook shops. Looking back nowto those last pre-web days, it strikes me how cut off wereally were. Neither was Igetting a lot of fine print fromthe Lord. The only thing Heever told me over the next 11months was, that I was going to‘feed the hungry’.

In the summer of 1994 I heardthrough my friends Todd Levinand Joel Baker, that Steve

Ryder, the ROFC MissionDirector, was heading to Indiafor a series of meetings. Thiswas my time, and I knew it. Iclosed my activities down, saida series of tearful goodbyes tomy friends and loved ones, andflew out of Europe for the firsttime in my life.

I had a pick-up from the airportand was driven over to myhotel. The images I had seen allmy life on the news, on moviescreens and photographs, werenow playing in 3D before myeyes. I felt like bending downand touching the road toreinforce my senses. I stood outon the open road in front of thehotel the next morningwatching a man push afruitcart up the hill whilst 2bullocks carted their load in theother direction down the dustyroad. The honking noise oftraffic merged in my head withthe dry dustpan heat of thesouthern plains and the smellof red-brown spiced earth.

A telephone call snapped mefrom my living daydream. Myfriend Steve would be unableto make the trip out to India ashis visa was not yet back fromthe embassy. Here I was then,without either plan, address, ordestination. I was feeling sick,frazzled, jet lagged, and right athome. 

Gerard Van Der Vegt, our Founder/Director, isoriginally from Holland. In 1996 he started GSH witha few fellow enthusiasts, and presently divides histime between India and the UK.

EDITORIAL

Page 3: Gsh feed mar 2011

Giving for a cause

When 5 untouchables weremurdered for the carcass of a socalled holy cow in Jaijjar, Haryana,India in 2002, this terrible act wassupported by a statement of thevice president of the Vishwa HinduParishad that as per Hindu structure,the life of a cow is more importantthan the life of an untouchable. Asabsurd as this sounds,untouchability, although abolishedin article 17 of the IndianConstitution 1956 - is still the prey ofthe green-eyed “caste” monster.

Today, the punishment for caste-based discrimination is rarelyimplemented because thoseresponsible for law enforcement areoften upper castes who arethemselves biased by caste.Those outside the caste systemsuffer social, religious, political andeconomic oppression and by theirvery nature are seen as worthless

and a blot on India’s growinginternational power status. At the bottom of the pile are thestreet children. They are the lowestof the pitiful low. Abused by theupper castes, abused by theoutcastes and abused by each other.

Living on the street is difficultenough and scavenging for food isincredibly tough but when eventhose in authority, i.e. the police,have nothing but contempt for theirunbearable predicament, it isimpossible for us to imagine orunderstand their inequitablecircumstances.

With over 18 million street childrenin India, Good Shepherd Homescannot change Indian castediscrimination or indeedrevolutionize political or socialstructures to bring freedom forthese disadvantaged children. What

it can do and is doing is giving ahope for a few at a time. The greaterthe desire and passion that peoplehave to give for the GSH work, thegreater the prospects of achievingthe GSH vision of bringing 10,000children off the streets.

The Ode at the beginning of thisarticle is a perfect example of ourcalling to be “serious” in our giving.Giving in prayer, giving in moneyand giving in time. And with God’sgrowing army of GSH supporters,there is no limit to what we canachieve together.

Ian Brizell

Ian andYvonne Brizellare tirelesspromotors andfundraisers forGSH. In 2006

they were in Pune for a visit, butordinarily they make their homein Wales in a house calledWhitfield, named after therevivalist George Whitfield whoonce preached on that very spot!

If anybody would like to fundraise for GSH, then please contact usfor a FREE 24 page “A to Z of 101 Fundraising Ideas” booklet.

Good Shepherd HomesP.O. Box 163,

Ashford Kent,TN-23 9BD

United Kingdom

[email protected]

GSH Feed | 3

For street children, survival is a skilland a necessity but not a right.

Their destiny depends on their own strength of character

and how they cope withall that life hurls at them.

“What, giving again?”,I asked in dismay.

“And must I keep givingand giving away?”

“Oh no”, said the angel - piercing me through.

“Just give till the Fatherstops giving to you”.

Page 4: Gsh feed mar 2011

4 | GSH Feed

Violence and civil unrest are not anew phenomena in India. Ever since Independence, differentfactions of the Indian society havebeen campaigning for rights andfreedom. This often leads tosituations of unrest; especially when protests and clashes between government and civilgroups take an ugly turn.

The result of civil unrest is neverpleasant: destruction of public and private property, individualsbeing wounded or even killed and a sense of division and angerthat affects every sphere of life.

While much is written and talkedabout the loss of life and propertydue to such violence, not much isrecorded about the effect onchildren in these circumstances.

Children become mute spectatorsof strife and bloodshed and have nochoice but to deal with the impactof what they have witnessed for therest of their lives.

Chaos in Kashmir

For the children of Kashmir, life hasbecome synonymous with fear.Kashmir used to be one of the maintourist attractions of India. For those of uson the outside, Kashmir reminds us ofbeautiful snow capped mountains andhouse boats cruising on the rivers. Yet,Kashmir has been a centre of India-Pakistani violence and terrorism. Withdemands for independence fromfactions outside and within Kashmir, theunrest in the northern state has beenlongstanding.  And the result is ageneration scarred with guns andbombs.

Children get deeply affected when theywitness violence and abuse on peoplearound them. They suffer frompsychological torture because of thedeath of their family in conflict and oftenhave to migrate outside the state toescape the horrors of combat.

Conflicting central Indian states

While Kashmir has been reeling under itsown conflict, the other states are not freefrom aggression.  Bihar and Jharkhand,central Indian states are among those hitby the Maoist revolution. The Maoistsbegan their revolution in 1967 andfollow the communist ideology ofestablishing a new social class withouteconomical or class distinctions. Whileany positive outcome from this

Saduf Atlaf, 13,hails  from Karnahvillage in Kupwara (Kashmir). She wasplaying with her brother in theverandah of her house when a shelllanded and sliced off her leg. Herbrother’s foot had been cut and hermother’s stomach had been slit open.Both of them died in the attack. Sadufjust has recurring nightmares of shellsraining around her.

16-year-old Taufeeq Hussain, a Class Xstudent alternates between being veryangry and very depressed. He lives in asmall house in downtown Srinagar’sAlamgiri Bazaar and strays through itsbylanes as if trying to find a way out ofthe maze. “I start crying and can’t stopwhen I think of life around me. Whatfuture do I have here?’’ he asks pointingto bunkers and shops with shutters halfdown. For those who are orphaned,they have to earn their own bread andend up working; adding to the growingnumber of child labourers in thecountry. (Harinder Baweja www.india-today.com/itoday.

Occasionally, we make space in the GSH feed to look at the bigger picture. In this issue, we focus onone of the issues that feed into the Indian street children’s situation: civil unrest.

MAIN FEATURE

Page 5: Gsh feed mar 2011

GSH Feed | 5

revolution is still pending, the negativeimpact is widespread. One such setbackis the huge blow to school-goingchildren. The Maoists attack schoolbuildings as they are symbols ofgovernment structure in rural areas. Thesecurity forces on the other hand occupyschool buildings to fight against theMaoists. The ones who suffer are thechildren for whom the local school hasbecome a battlefield rather than a placeof study.

As one father of three children, whoseschool in Jharkhand was attacked inJune 2009 puts it , “You can see the situation. The Naxalites(Maoists) have blown up the school …since the buildings are damaged thereare no classes. So my children are notgoing to school. I am not able to sendmy children to study outside of thevillage. We are poor people. We live inthe forest. We till the land to earn ourlivelihood. [Now, my children] do not doanything. They play around thevillage… grazing cattle and doing likethat…. Those who are able to send theirchildren out of the village have sent theirchildren to study in other villages. Butpoor people like us cannot send ourchildren to study out of the village.About 200 people cannot afford to sendtheir children to study. Those who arenot able, how can they send?”  

The result of this on going conflict isthat more and more children drop outof school. The few who can still make itwitness police brutality on their schoolcampuses which has turned educationinto a horrifying experience.

A school committee member for aschool in Bihar, half of which is occupiedby the police states: “Sometimes the policebring culprits [to the school campus], andwhen these culprits enter the police startbeating them, and when this happens allthe children run to go and see what ishappening. This is one way that thestandard of education is going down...Every time these police bring the culprits,they do all their actions in the schoolground, in the field. Both the boys and thegirls go and watch.” 

If education is the primary tool forhuman development, what hope dochildren have without it? The result ofthese conflicts is a rise in school drop-outs, and a fresh labour force withoutqualifications or future prospects .(Sabotaged Schooling, 2009 HumanRights Watch)

Oppression in Orissa

The communal riots that hit Kandhamal,Orissa were reported in this newsletter inthe 2008 GSH Winter Feed. Almost 36%of those affected were below the ageof 18. These young people were bothphysically and psychologically brokenbecause of the violence inflicted on theChristian community in that region.Almost all children whose families wereaffected fled the place and migrated toother states. Those who lost familymembers are still hard to trace and it isfeared that many abandonedchildren were caught in the oppressivestreet culture of India, adding to thenumber of destitute children survivingon the streets.

Over two years of the entire process ofrelief and rehabilitation after riots,Kandhamal’s children remained silentspectators. They were totally left out ofadministrative or judicial decisions.Nobody asked their views; nor weretheir voices heard. No mental healthservices or programmes wereconducted by the districtadministration or state government forthe affected children either(www.countercurrents.org)

Who will answer for the incalcuble loss oflife and opportunity? How are childrenwho were reared on violence integratedinto society? Are we not raising an angrygeneration, scathed and jaded by thebrutalities of riot and conflict? Forchildren who have been displaced fromtheir natural environment, the streetoften becomes a second home. Forcedto migrate to new cities, kids escapingfrom difficult situations form an easyprey for child trafficking and child labour.

It has also been reported that childrenwho have witnessed violence are moreprone to develop criminal tendenciesthemselves. Children suffer from thesame similar human rights violations asadults, but their needs are often ignoredbecause of ignorance or complacency.  

Organisations like Good ShepherdHomes work on the streets of India toidentify children from difficultbackgrounds and take them off thestreets. While we are not directlyinvolved in the rehabilitation ofchildren affected by political and civilunrest, we do exercise influence inreaching out to abandoned childrenand preventing them from livingdestitute lives on the streets. The streetharbours children from numerousbackgrounds- but the common designbehind every story is one of sorrow,poverty, violence and loss. It is our aimto reach out to children who have beenvictims of unjust circumstances, and beto them a lifeline and a beacon of light.

Javed – 17 years old, when asked whathe would do if given three wishes: “Iwould wish for every Indian to beeducated. I would wish that every childreceives a lot of love from their parents.And in the future I want moreorganisations to take care of boys andgirls without parents, to never let themfeel the loss. I want them to help thesechildren build a future for themselves (If IWere Rain: Celebrating the Spirit of India’sDisadvantaged Urban Child, AYouthreach Initiative,2003)

Krupa Sethuraman works with GSH as the Communications Manager. Having done her Masters in SocialWork, she has been working in the area of child rights for the last 4 years and joined GSH in May 2008.

Page 6: Gsh feed mar 2011

6 | GSH Feed

2011: 20 year old Shailesh is apleasure to interact with. Behindthe shy smile and quietdemeanour is a confident youngman who dreams of standing onhis own feet and being a blessingto people around. At present he ispursuing his Bachelors inTheology and will complete hisfirst year by March 2011. As I sitdown to talk to him, words comefreely giving us a glimpse of hishopes and desires for the future.

Why did you decide to pursue aBachelors in Thelogy (Bth)?After completing my 10th grade, Itook some time off to think ofwhat I wanted to do in life. Iworked in a bakery to earn somemoney. During this break I gave aserious thought to my future andwhen this opportunity to do a Bthcame up, I jumped at it. I want tospend my life being a blessing toothers, just as I have been blest.

How long is your Bth course?Its’ a four year long coursefollowed by one year ofinternship. I already went througha pre –bth training where westudy an introduction to the Bible.

How has your experience been sofar?I enjoy the course. We are busythrough out the day and I enjoy

what I am learning. Our daybegins at eight in themorning where students leadwith a devotion. Most often Iam asked to translate the

devotion into hindi. We haveclasses from morning till

afternoon, followedby a time ofpersonal study inthe library.Evenings are freefor us to play

football, badminton or whateversport we want. We continue withour personal studies after dinnerbefore we hit our beds. Presentlywe are on a one month break andare required to intern for thisperiod.

So where have you interned thispast month?Well, the first two weeks I workedamongst villages in Gujarat wherewe studied the background ofchurches. It was intensive fieldministry and quite an eye opener.The next weeks I staffed with GSHand took a course with thechildren.

What kind of course?We underwent some training onhow to take ministry with childrenand we were given manuals withtopics that are of interest to kids. Idid that with the kids. There are24 lessons and I tried to completemost of it while I was there. It’sgood to be back at GSH more as astaff rather than a ward. I’m ableto relate openly with those whoare under my care.

And have been on any otherinternships this past year?Yes I did intern with a Bible schoolin Pune during my Summer break.I studied there for one month andwas exposed to training onpreaching which I found veryhelpful.

Looking ahead, what would youlike to do once you complete yourBth?I would like to pursue my Mastersin divinity. Following which I hopeto become a Pastor and startministering on my own. It s a longroad ahead and I’m going to takeit step by step.

The 90’s: Shailesh’s story is not verydifferent from the lives of childrenbrought up on the streets. He livedwith his parents and younger brotherin a small hut by the railway stationat Mumbai. Poverty, struggle forsurvival and street violence had allbecome a part of daily living.Shailesh’s father sold goods off ahandcart to earn a living. Though heearned a decent sum of money, hespent most of it on alcohol. Often hewould come home drunk and beatup his wife and children. In course oftime, Shailesh’s mother too turned toalcohol to escape the drudgery shewas forced to face.

Shailesh and his younger brotherdidn’t have much of an option. Theyturned to the streets to beg and themoney they collected was wasted ongambling. For the brothers street lifehad toughened them up and taughtthem to look out for themselves.When their mother passed away dueto excessive intake of alcohol, lifebecame all the more grim for them.

It was in 1997 that a social workeridentified Shailesh and his brother.She spoke to their father and referredthem to GSH. When GSH got to knowabout the brothers’ situation wedecided to take them in as theirfather was unable to care for themand the brothers were exposed tostreet life without any access toeducation. Shailesh was 8 years oldwhen he came into GSH and hisoverall health was quite poor due tolack of adequate nourishment.

Meet Shailesh

Page 7: Gsh feed mar 2011

GSH Feed | 7

India’s povertyIndia is a countrywhere a billionpeople live. Thereare people ofdifferent cultures,languages,religions,castes… and

they all live inunity.But when faced with poverty, no

one helps. They neglect each other. Povertyis the main problem in India. Many poorpeople (especially children) live in slumareas. Due to their illiterate parents, today’schildren have to face poverty. Many childrenhave a will to study but because of povertythey are not able to do it. Parents play a vitalrole in the child’s life. If the child’s ancestorsare beggars then that culture is followed bythe following generations. They are notwilling to earn, study and live a good life. Itis said that if one is addicted to drugs, henever changes himself and is addicted tothe habit to consume. It is like that withpoor. If we bathe a pig it will go back to eatdirty things and live in dirty places. So thepoor are also addicted to their poverty.

If we try and educate the people and givethem the opportunity to come up in life,then poverty will vanish from our country.In our locality poor people are hated. Not allpoor people are bad. Some poor people aregood by attitude. But because of badconditions they are forced to steal andbecome criminals. Due to bad conditions,parents send their children to beg andchildren drink alcohol or consume drugswith the money they get through begging.Because of poverty, some people are greedyfor money. And this greed makes them doall kinds of unwanted things.  Like parentsforcing their children to sleep with strangersfor money. They do it because they don’thave any other choice to earn.  The numberof prostitutes are increasingbecause of poverty. People do it toearn a living.

A short essay on poverty in India- through the eyes of one of our teenagers.

If you are born in povertyIt is good.But if you die in povertyIt is shameful.If you are born in povertyDon’t feel shameHave faith that everyoneWill know your name

28 February 2011Times of India

Page 8: Gsh feed mar 2011

8 | GSH Feed

It has been said that Christmas is theseason that engages the whole world in aconspiracy of love. It is with great joy thatwe at GSH willingly participated in thisconspiracy and the annual Christmascelebration held on the 19th of Decemberwas witness to that very spirit.

The Christmas celebrations held every yearin the month of December is most lookedforward to by all the kids and the staff. Thechildren practice their choreographies andskits for days before the actual programand eagerly await the opportunity toshowcase their talents and skills. This is alsoone of the few events when the childrenfrom all our branches (Pune, Nashik,Malavali, Talegaon) come together andbring in the festive cheer. Both staff andkids dress up in their best and look forwardto an evening of music, humour and gifts.

This year too the story was not verydifferent. The children began their practicea couple of weeks before the event. On theD-day, everyone was on time, dressed intheir very best. The venue for the programwas an open lawn of a hotel in Taleagon

and the cold winter chill had everyonebring out their warm winter wear.However, nothing could dampen theexcitement of coming together as onefamily. All over the place, friends weremeeting up with each other and sharingstories and jokes of days gone by.

The official MC for the program was one ofour older girls Rebecca and she wasaccompanied by a couple of puppets whokept the audience in splits throughout theevening. Our chief guests for the eveningwere Pastors Peter and Jayashree Sliway ofVineyard Workers Church, Pune. PastorsPeter and Jayashree Silway have beenassociated with GSH since 1999 and everyyear they participate in our Christmascelebrations along with their daughterSandra and few members of their church.In his address to the children Pastor Peterreminded them that while each child isexcited to receive Christmas gifts, it is Jesuswho is the real gift of the season. As is theircustom, Pastors Peter and Jayashreedistributed gifts to each child at the end ofthe program.

The children too brought out meaningfulmessages with each performance. Thechoreographies and skits were colourfulpresentations as the children had dressedup for their roles. The humour brought outthrough some of the skits kept theaudience well entertained while themessage behind each skit was conveyedin a though provoking manner. All in all itwas a wholesome evening which endedwith some delicious dinner sponsored bythe Vineyard Workers Church.

We are grateful to Pastors Peter andJayashree Siwlay and the Vineyard Workerschurch for their love and involvement withGSH, because of which we are able to havethis Christmas celebration every year.

Christmas: A Time to Celebrate

Page 9: Gsh feed mar 2011

GSH Feed | 9

Abseilfor FREEinto Devil’s Gorge!

ABSEIL FOR THE THRILL OF IT!Abseil into the 150ft DEVIL'SGORGE for thrills you won'tforget. After a short traininglesson, you will abseil downthe 75º slope known as‘THE SLIDE’. You then have theoption to repeat ‘THE SLIDE’ ortake up the BIG Challenge and abseil the 120ft ‘OVERHANG’—a nerve-racking, free-hangabseil with no body contact with the rock!

SATURDAY 21st May, 2011Loggerheads Country Parkon the A494, between Mold and Ruthin

01244 545360*Good Shepherd Homes is a Christian charity that is dedicated to helping msome of India's 18 million street children. Founded in 1996, Good Shepherd Homes seeks to feed, clothe, educate and home some of the 240,000 children in Mumbai and Pune who call the street their home.

Registered charity no. 1067773

Age 14+Under 18's MUST havewritten parental permission

ABSEIL FOR FREE!This charity abseil won’t cost you anything!The only thing you will need to do to take part is raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship forGood Shepherd Homes*.Raise over £100 and receive a free souvenir.There is a prize for the top fundraiser.

GSH SNAPSHOTSEnd of school termThe beginning of the new year sawschools re-open after theChristmas break. With finalexaminations just a month awaythe children are busy completingtheir notes and preparing for

exams. This year 8 of our children are appearing for their 10th gradeboard exams. This is a crucial year in the Indian School system as howthey fare in these exams will determine the course of higher collegeeducation for each child. We covet your prayers for all our childrenand especially our eight older students as they work through thisimportant phase in their life.

Guests who visitedGSH has had some visitors in this past month. Dr Rashmi, a practicingpediatrician from the UK visited us in the month of December. Shespent time at all our homes and conducted medical tests on eachchild to evaluate their overall health. She was fairly happy with thephysical and mental health of each child and suggested some addedsupplements for their growth. We are also grateful to Dr. Rashmi forsponsoring the 2010-2011 academic fees of one of our kids Jaya,whois pursuing her graduate degree in Nursing.

We also had a 9 member Australian team from City Church visit us inJanuary. They spent time with the children at the Talegaon home andhad a good time teaching the kids songs, games and sharingtestimonies

Summer CampThe children are gearing up for a summer camp tobe organised by the Kings Meadway Church, UK.The camp will be organised from the 23rd to the26th of May and will be held at the PanditaRamabai Mukti Mission, Khedgaon, Pune. Theexpenses towards the camp will be supported bythe Kings Meadway Church and we are grateful fortheir involvement and support towards GSH. Wetrust that the camp will be a great blessing for thosewho will attend it.

More VisitorsA team from Streams of Mercy, USA visited usrecently on the 23rd of March- where they taughtour teenagers the art of jewellery making. Theafternoon proved to be an exciting learningopportunity for our teenagers. We hope to networkwith the Streams of Mercy in the future andparticipate in their ‘Alabaster Project’ where we cansend across jewellery made by our teenagers to theUSA and raise awareness about the cause of GSH.

A team of 3 members headed by Tim Hickmanfrom the UK will also be visiting the GSH NashikHome in the month of April. They had visited us lastyear and had installed solar panels for the home. Onthis visit they will supervise the maintenance of thesolar panels and will also work on modifying ourelectrical systems to make it more child friendly. Wethank God for all those who put in their time andeffort to help support the work of Good ShepherdHomes!

Page 10: Gsh feed mar 2011

KIDS Talk

Akshay

Every child has his own hobby like drawing, painting,

playing indoor games, playing musical instruments,

swimming etc. I too have a hobby and that is to read

books. I enjoy reading story books very much.

My favourite story book is called ‘Grandpa Tales’.

Reading books gives me much knowledge and

also some entertainment. When ever I am free

I spend time reading. My favourite moral story

is ‘’TIT FOR TAT’’ . Reading books gives me

information about India’s history like

background about the Taj Mahal, Pratapgad

Fort, Ajanta caves and the Charmainar. Reading

books also helps me to de stress . It relaxes my

mind and improves my language skill.

Chaitrali

Each person has their own hobby. Watching T.V, drawing,

reading, playing, singing, swimming etc. are some of the many

hobbies people have.I also have a hobby and that is to travel. I like to travel and

enjoy going for picnics. I also like to visit historical places. I

especially enjoy watching nature and nature’s beauty makes

me forget everything else. I enjoy watching the blue sky, high

mountains, green trees, rivers, flowers and birds. When I

observe nature I envy the beauty around me. I like to visit historical places as I learn more about our past

through these places. I also like to visit villages as I learn

much about our culture and tradition through these places. I

find traveling to be an enjoyable and learning experience.

In this Issue, some of our children have written short essays on what their hobbies are. Our hobbies are

crucial to our personalities and help mould our characters. For our children, their hobbies are not only a

way to spend their free time but it adds to their creative and learning experience. Below are some of the

hobbies that our children would like to share with you:

10 | GSH Feed

Page 11: Gsh feed mar 2011

Monica

I like many things like drawing, craft and sports. I like

observing nature especially the trees, flowers,

animals, birds and I find nature’s beauty to be very

unique. The colour in them, the greenery, the silvery

blue sky. Oh! that’s fantastic!I like drawing because

we can imagine many things and bring them alive when

we draw or paint.

In school we play basket ball and athletics .When I

come first in athletics I feel happy. There are other

games like kho-kho, kabbadi and hide and seek which

I enjoy playing. I like to participate in interschool

matches and that keeps me active and fit.

In craft we can make many things. I like to make

different handmade articles like pots, collages etc. I

find craft work interesting and

creative.

Saurabh

My hobby is drawing. I like to do art work very much.

If I don’t have any work or if I feel like drawing I sit

in one corner of my bed and take all the required

materials to draw. Drawing has now become my daily

routine and almost all my drawing books are filled with

beautiful paintings. I save all my drawing books. Earlier

I liked to draw natural scenery but now I can draw

almost anything i.e. freehand, faces of men, abstract

designs etc. At present I am trying to learn how to

draw sketches. When I sit to draw I apply my full

concentration to it. I am trying to improve my drawing

because I want to become the best artist.

GSH Feed | 11

Page 12: Gsh feed mar 2011

This charity is exclusively funded byfreewill, gifts and contributionswithout government sponsorshipor funding. We appreciate yourcontinued support in our mission toreach out to India’s homelesschildren.

For your queries contact us at:

Email: [email protected]@gsh.org.in

Phone: 0800-2988090+919822323282

Web: www.gsh.org.in

For more information of ourministry, contact:

Good Shepherd Homes Communications DepartmentF3 Eastern CourtB.T. Kavade RoadGhorpadi , Pune -411001India

For support in Australia, contact: Good Shepherd HomesThe Vision CentreP. O. Box 823, Woodridge 4114Queensland, Australia

For support in UK and Europe,contact:Good Shepherd HomesP. O. Box 163, AshfordKent, TN-23 9BDUnited Kingdom

For support in USA, contact:Good Shepherd HomesP. O. Box 17527, PittsburghPA 15235USA

GSH FEED is a quarterlynewsletter of GOOD SHEPHERDHOMES, India, a registeredcharitable trustReg# MAH-13021

Editorial Team :Gerard Vandervegt,Krupa Sethuraman

Designer :Christina G Koshy

Cover Photograph : Jordan Mary

Printed & Published by:GSH CommunicationsDepartment, India

Printed in India

We are embarking on more building work, and needthe money to feed and educate the newadmissions!

There are a number of ways in which you can getinvolved with GSH. A few suggestions:

Introduce GSH to your school. Whether you’re aparent, teacher or student, you could introduce usto your charity department. GSH can come to yourschool for a presentation, chapel time or lesson, wehave a 20 minute video for schools, and lots ofonline lesson plans!

Organise a fundraiser for GSH. Coffee mornings,Lunches, Home groups; these can be very effectiveplatforms for getting people involved in childsponsorship and support. Get in touch with us for afree GSH Power Point Presentation, video, postersand leaflets.

Introduce GSH to a friend, family member ofcollegue! Email us for free leaflets!

Speak to your pastor or church leader about GSH.We’d love to do a presentation in your church.

We can not do it without your help, it’s that simple.Email us on [email protected] us on 0800 2988090

Help us reach more children!