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4.7.2008

HAPPY SECOND ANNIVERSARY BAAL DAN!    |    Comments
Baal Dan Charities celebrates its second anniversary today! In the last two years thanks to the support of people all over the world, we have helped over 2,000 children. People from America, the UK, Italy, Ireland, Australia, Japan and many other places have given to Baal Dan to help children in need in India.

I am constantly surprised by the outpouring of support and prayers that I receive from people who visit Baaldan.com and are touched by the work that we do. Nothing is the same in my life since I started Baal Dan. I think I have received much more than I have given through meeting some amazing people and spending time with some of the most beautiful children on earth.

As I reflect on the lessons I have learned in the last two years, one that stands out would be that people are full of surprises. A single Mum who can barely make ends meet, makes a donation to help children so faraway. A child in Dallas goes around her bedroom collecting toys and treasures to send to a child in Calcutta. A businessman and his wife keeps articles he finds about Mother Teresa and other inspirational charities and mails them to me once in a while. A boss and a client who need me allow me to go to India to make a difference demonstrating grace that I can never repay. And, my own family tirelessly supports me with help, encouragement and constant and unfailing faith in this purpose of my life. People are surprising.

The last two years have been a gift from God. A writer friend I have was talking about someone he knows who is struggling right now, and said, "She is looking to find her Baal Dan in life..." I hope you can all find what I have found in the last 2 years thanks to God and the faith of many, many people.

Let's make this year great!

2.1.2008

THANKS BLUE MESA AND CUERVO!    |    Comments
Thank you so much to Blue Mesa Northpark and Cuervo Tequila for sponsoring a great dinner last night for Baal Dan. The turnout was great and I would also like to thank my friends from The Richards Group who came out to support Baal Dan: Alma, Aivy, Marie, Amanda and Sarah!
I have been busy with work lately but will have more exciting news to share about Baal Dan in the coming weeks so please stay tuned!

1.3.2008

NBC SPOTLIGHT STORY ON BAAL DAN    |    Comments
Click here to view the story!

Click here to read the article.

1.1.2008

BAAL DAN TO BE FEATURED ON NBC NEWS    |    Comments
Tune in to see the first ever news story on Baal Dan! The story will air in Dallas/Fort Worth on January 3rd at 4 pm and again on January 6th at 8 am. It will also be part of a half hour special on January 26.

Click here to see the NBC blog about Baal Dan.

Thank you to Reginald Hardwick at NBC for this great opportunity for Baal Dan to gain more awareness in Dallas/Fort Worth and to Liz and Jim Baron at Blue Mesa for all their support.

12.31.2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR!    |    Comments
On the eve of 2008, I have been recalling just how much I have had to be thankful for in 2007. Surrounded by the love and protection of my family and friends, I have been able to grow Baal Dan and reach out to more children in need. I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and I hope that 2008 will bring many more blessings. There are new photos posted on the "Who we help" section of the website, and I wanted to say the biggest thank you of all to my brother Neil, who has spent the last week of his holidays glued to the computer helping to sort the thousands of photos I took, label them and update the website. This is not an easy task and Neil has worked so hard to present Baal Dan's work in India. Happy 2008 everyone!

12.21.2007

HOME SWEET HOME    |    Comments
Hi Everyone,
I am back in Dallas, Texas safe and sound albeit tired, rundown and recovering from being sick. I know it has been a while since my last blog update, and for that I apologize. This was caused by a combination of factors: lack of Internet access at some of the places I stayed towards the end of my trip, and getting pretty sick the last 10 days. I had a throat and chest infection followed by a serious case of food poisoning!

Thank you to everyone who took care of me in Delhi and Bombay - I am very much loved and there were many, many people who called, emailed, visited and nurtured me when I was sick. Now that I am back in Dallas and going over the hundreds of photos of the trip and receipts of all the things I bought it seems very surreal. Part of my heart is with the children in India, but at the same time it feels so good to be back home too. I missed my family very much and I think I do need a holiday now!

I have gotten a few reports from my various project on the kids and how they are enjoying the things that Baal Dan was able to provide. I am looking forward to hearing how Christmas morning is in Calcutta for the 340 children who will receive the individual Baal Dan Christmas Bundles full of toys and other goodies. I wish I could be there to see their faces.

TO everyone that has been reading the blog, emailing me and sending me love and prayers - THANK YOU! This was a very successful mission trip for Baal Dan and your support means more to me than you know.

Also, a very special thank you to Stan Richards and the entire Richards Group - truly the most generous agency in the world! I was sad to miss the end of year stairwell and it meant so much to me to have everyone at TRG know just how much they helped children so far away. I look forward to seeing everyone back at the agency next week when I return to work.

As I left the Loreto school for the last time and I started to cry because I knew I would miss the children so much, Puja, (an 18-year old Rainbow, who has been living at Loreto for over 10 years), said to me, "Don't cry. Just come back!" And that is my Christmas wish for 2007.
Love, Tanya

12.5.2007

THANK YOU    |    Comments
Hi everyone. Thank you so much to everyone who voted and stayed up late to make sure that Baal Dan won the Search Kindly poll. I really appreciate your efforts and this is a great way for us to raise funds through the Internet.

I also wanted to let you know that I have posted several new blog posts below with updates on the Railway Boys of Sealdah and Parivaar. Please scroll down and you will see the updates.

My time in Calcutta has come to an end and I have just arrived in Delhi. It was hard to say goodbye to the children, but I know I will see them again one day.

I have found one great project in Delhi that helps 60 street children (age 4-14) here called Faith Foundation and Baal Dan will be providing a "Winter Clothes" package for each child. Each package will have a blanket, sweater, muffler and shoes. In addition we will be using some money for vitamin C and supplements for the kids as well. There is so much need in another parts of India, and I want to use my time in India to find the best projects that need help. Faith Foundation was started by a woman from Calcutta who spent 7 years volunteering at Mother Teresa's projects. I will provide more information on this in the end of year report. Thank you again to everyone who helped me in Calcutta and please scroll down to read more updates!

12.4.2007

STUDENT CHAPTER BANQUET    |    Comments
The Baal Dan Student Chapter at UT Austin recently held another very successful event - The 1st Annual Baal Danquet, A cultural showcase with Indian food and performances. The event was held on campus and featured performances by: Texas Bhangra, Hum A Capella, Nritya Sangam, and Sunjay Devarajan.

Thank you to all the members who helped make this even such a big success!! Click here to view photos.

12.4.2007

THE RAILWAY BOYS STOLE MY HEART    |    Comments
It sounds like the title of a country song, but when I visited the CiniAsha railway boys of Sealdah station yesterday, I think I left my heart with them. The boys were so cute and naughty and high energy. It was hilarious as they proudly showed me the brand new (and thank goodness spotlessly clean) toilet that Baal Dan provided! I told them that it had better stay nice and clean, and they promised to keep it that way. We played a game of “carom” and despite their tips and guidance I lost big-time (I am so hopeless at games) and they would just shake their heads at me as I would make one wrong move after another!

At one point, a cell phone started ringing and I noticed a few boys dancing to the beat of the cell phone ring tune. I asked if they had a radio and was told that it broke a while ago, so Baal Dan will provide 3 small FM radios for them to play in the shelter because they love to dance and sing.

There are two shelters at the train station. One for older kids, and one for younger kids which makes a lot more sense and is safer for the kids who live at the train station. The younger boys were so cute, and they had just had showers and were busy clamoring in front of the mirror to comb their hair, and put on moisturizer – wow - boys are so much more vain than girls! Then they showed me how they have “prayer time”. Basically they all sit in rows cross-legged with the hand folded in their lap. They close their eyes, take a few deep breaths and sit very still for 5 whole minutes. These boys are aged 3-7 so this was very impressive that they can stay so quiet. After that they sang me a song and I did not want to leave them at all.

While I was at the shelter I talked to their counselor who explained the different types of therapy and rehabilitation they provide for these very vulnerable children. Some of these boys are orphans, some are runaways, some have been abused physically and sexually, some have been forced to take drugs and others have been abandoned. Each case is unique, but the goal of the railway shelter is to be the first point of contact for the child, and to slowly earn the child’s trust and then move the child into a Halfway House in the city area and then into school and a routine. This process can take months depending on the child and some do runaway again. However with program improvements and some infrastructure development and staffing CiniAsha is making great improvements in the care it is able to provide.

I noticed that the children were wearing tattered clothes and I asked if Baal Dan could provide clothes for them. The answer was surprising. Apparently when the boys are given new clothes they keep them packed up very carefully and don’t want to wear them or “spoil them”. Because they are not used to having anything new, they feel shy and uncomfortable using the brand new clothes, despite the counselors gently talking to them and explaining that they can use the clothes.

Thank you so much to Veena and the counselors for spending so much time with me and also to the sweet railway boys. I will come back and I will never forget them.

12.4.2007

HALFWAY HOUSE KARATE    |    Comments
I spent some time watching the CiniAsha Halfway House girls do karate and show me their moves. The girls have a different physical activity every day to help their emotions and get out their frustration as part of their rehabilitation. Some of these girls are orphans, but some have been victims of abuse or are runaways.

The littlest one was 4 and she was so funny to watch doing karate, because she had so much gusto, that anytime she tried to do a karate kick or move she would launch her whole body into the move and topple over. Anytime she did lunges to the side she would end up on her bum!

Baal Dan provided these girls with underwear, soap, shampoo, detergent, some toys and other essentials.

12.4.2007

LORETO UPDATE    |    Comments
I got an update from sweet Sohani – the student that I feature in the Loreto video from last year who talks about how Loreto takes in street children. Sohani said that in the past year, the kids are doing really well and used all the stuff that Baal Dan provided. She told me that the children did remember me, even the little ones, and throughout the year they would ask where the "fair girl with black hair in a ponytail" was which made me feel really good, because I think of them and miss them so much during the year. I know I will have to say goodbye to them soon, and that is going to be very hard for me.

Yesterday I gave the Loreto babies soft toys – monkeys with long arms that had Velcro so they could be fastened to their backs or arms. The kids LOVED the monkeys so much (thanks Aparna for the bargaining on the street for those soft toys) and were so excited! I also gave out some sweets and played with the kids for a little while. Thanks again to volunteer Rachel for all your help with the lists and books.

12.4.2007

ST. VINCENT’S GIRLS    |    Comments
I spent the evening with 40 girls from the St. Vincent’s Home and had a great time. Baal Dan provided the girls with sports stuff (basketballs, soccer balls, skipping ropes) and if the girls are very good, there will be lots more surprises for them on Christmas morning!

Thanks also to Aparna and Brandon for thoughtfully selecting the things that the girls need most – they looked so happy with everything and I know they will be thrilled when Christmas comes. Thank you also to Sister Mary George and Mother Superior for being so kind to me and letting me show up late all the time! (The traffic is so bad, I always end up at St. Vincents in the evening!)

12.4.2007

PEACEFUL PARIVAAR    |    Comments
"The whole aim of life is to continuously grow and to manifest the possibilities in each one of us." Mr. Vinayak Lohani on the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

I visited one of my projects, Parivaar (means "family" in Hindi) where there are 275 children. This project is run as an ashram and based on the teachings of service of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. As I spent the day learning about the different aspects of Parivaar and their approach to the care of the children they have, I was not only impressed but I learnt so much as well.

One of the first things that Parivaar does is to remove the label of "under-privileged" or "destitute" from their children. They simply refer to the children at Parivaar as children. Mr. Vinayak who runs Parivaar explained, "When you remove the label of 'destitute' you stop the child thinking that they cannot come up in the world." The children compete with each other in the school work and sports, just as any other children would and succeed based on their own hard work and merit. This gives them confidence in their own abilities and also based on the fact that each soul is potentially divine and has unlimited potential.

Of all the orphanages I have visited, Parivaar has a serenity and peacefulness that has to be seen to be believed. About 30 km outside of Calcutta, Parivaar is nestled away in a country area down a winding road, backed by acres of greenery and land. There are lots of palm trees, farm animals and even a small pond with fish and the orphanage and school itself is all bare simplicity, clean and neat and above all – calm.

My soul literally felt nurtured as I spent some time at Parivaar, not just because I was inspired by the many quotes and teachings of Swami Vivekananda on the walls but because I could also see that the children were very well cared for, clean and studious too. Even the children’s diet has been specially formulated by a nutritionist and has lots of variety (not something you see at most orphanages who feed the kids the same thing every day). I ate lunch at Parivaar and the food was simple, nutritious and tasty.

Also, Parivaar has a nurse on staff 24-hours a day and when a child first comes in, the child is given a full medical examination with 16 blood and medical tests to evaluate the child’s health. Parivaar also has group medical insurance (again, something that is not often done at orphanages) ensuring that in emergencies the children can get the care they need and the orphanage does not have to face high medical bills. (On a side note, the nurse took care of me too that day! I had lots of mosquito bites and was feeling a little feverish and ill and the nurse gave me some medicine and cream to help me feel better, which I did thanks to her tender care!)

The children at Parivaar come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some are orphans, some have only one parent alive who is very poor, others may have been given up by their families or removed from the home due to abuse. The other great thing about Parivaar is that all the children in one family are admitted – therefore no siblings get separated, because as Mr. Vinayak said, “Why should only one child in a poor family have a chance to succeed and not the other siblings?” In fact, Parivaar has lots of siblings including a family of 4 sisters.

Parivaar has so many very bright kids. One example is an extremely bright student, Shubham, who at 14 has already won several chess competitions, scores high in maths and science and is an accomplished artist. He is even so responsible that he is the “manager” of his dorm and even attends monthly staff meetings to discuss dorm management issues and needs! I have no doubt he will go very far in whatever he chooses to do.

I am so happy to say that thanks to all of you, Baal Dan provided 275 sweaters, 30 cots (wooden beds for the kids to sleep on), lockers (metal stackable lockers for the children’s belongings) and in the near future we will be providing 2 water filters for Parivaar. Every dorm in Parivaar has water filters to ensure that the children are protected from water-borne disease and infections.

This trip for me has been such an intense and wonderful experience. I have learnt so much, and sometimes things have been really hard to face, to do, and accomplish. India is so complex. There is so much going on all the time that it can be overwhelming. But at Parivaar I could breathe. I could rest in the energy of purity and goodness and I felt that these children will succeed in life.

"Don’t look back. Look forward with infinite energy, infinite enthusiasm, infinite daring, and infinite patience – then alone can great deeds be accomplished." – Swami Vivekananda.

Thank you Mr. Vinayak, Mr. Saha and the team at Parivaar for all the wonderful work you do for the children.

11.29.2007

UPDATE FROM INDIA    |    Comments
Hi everyone. The email has been down where I am staying and my days have been really long so I have not had time to come to a cyber cafe. In the last few days, alot has been accomplished for Baal Dan. I used a room kindly lent to me by the Loreto School as my home base and large amouts of deliveries have been made. In the meantime, Loreto volunteers (absolute angels) Rachel, Carol, Nadia and Moya helped me unpack everything, count all the goods, make batches by age group of child and then by project and then we all began the painstaking, back-aching process of making over 280 individual bundles for each and every child.

Each bundle contains some toys (by age group), toilteries, stationary (pens, crayons, pencils) and other goodies. We also made bundles and lists for each and every project that goods are going to so there is absolute transparency in terms of where all the things we bought end up. Mother Teresa said, "Do small things with great love." In the past few days, I have seen how much love and joy there can be in doing the smallest of tasks - like counting out and sorting over 2000 pairs of underwear, or labeling bags for each child. This for me is what Baal Dan is about. I was getting excited just imaging the kids opening up each bundle! I also have to say that at times I was brought to tears (of joy) as yet another delivery would show up of say, 5000 bars of soap, or 200,000 sachets of shampoo.

Compared to last year I have been able to double the amount of stuff purchased and I have to say it is pretty impressive. We filled a classroom from floor to ceiling and the inside area too. We had five deliveries brought over in buses or trucks and so many people were a part of this whole process. From my driver Dennis, to the project managers working on lists, to Aparna and Brandon shopping and continuing to stay in touch, to the cute Irish Belvedere High School guys who helped me carry stuff up two flights of stairs to the home base, to Rachel, Carol, Nadia, Moya, Mrs. Marcely, Theresa and countless others who helped - this has been a very busy week. The best moment I had was when we packed a small open-bed truck/lorry to the brim with blankets, sheets, washing powder, soap, clothes, underwear, food and countless other items to be taken to the children at New Life, New Hope. Thank you again to everyone that gave money to Baal Dan. When I send the final list of purchases I hope you will be proud to see how far your money went here in Calcutta.

Thank you to everyone that helped me especially Rachel and Carol who have worked so hard for Baal Dan and the children.

Oh by the way, because all this delivering and sorting was going on at the school we had lots of excited little spies and vistors (the kids) peering through windows and sneaking into where we had all the stuff to have a peak. Two babies - Priyanka and Ria even camped outside the door for a full half hour just waiting to see if they could sneak inside! Needless to say their faces just lit up when they saw the boxes of toys and goodies! I had to tell them - "go, go now - you will see all of this soon enough!" :-)

11.26.2007

VOTE FOR BAAL DAN ON SEARCH KINDLY!    |    Comments
Baal Dan is on the poll for Charity of the Month for December at SearchKindly.org! Voting ends this Sunday (Dec 2), so please vote as much as you can this week!

Searchkindly.org is a site with a google search page that makes money off of advertisements on the website. Each month, all the money that is made is donated towards one particular charity (the winner of the voting poll). If we win this poll, it means that we receive all money raised on the Search Kindly website in December ($500-$1000).

11.25.2007

THANK YOU APARNA AND BRANDON!!    |    Comments
Thank you so much to Aparna Lal and Brandon Wulz for volunteering for the Baal Dan 2007 Mission Trip. I was so impressed by the absolute unconditional love and respect you showed the kids. You were both so generous, kind and loving to all the children and this touched me the most. The kids loved you so much too which was evident from how easily and quickly they bonded with you both.

The “renegade feeding” was great, and I am so happy you both got to experience that, and I will also never forget our Bengali dinner with the creepy whole fish and prawn being brought to the table!

Apu – I will never forget seeing you giving out the cookies to the New Hope kids and how loving and you were to the kids as well as your relentless, tireless bargaining and budgeting, “Fudu & Gudu”, you telling off the other blanket guy and the mosquitoes in the damn toiletry shop. I will also never forget the Birla and Kalighat pujas and you feeding me pineapple slices while I was negotiating the school bags price!

Brandon a.k.a David Beckham – I will never forget how all the girls loved you so much, our competition for who gets Priyanka, how Ria ate every single thing in sight and “bellies”. I know we will never forget The Puke Bus!

Thank you both for helping to make this trip so successful for me, for all your hard work shopping and bargaining for the children. You did not just take care of the children, you both took care of me and really nurtured me too. You also both seemed to always be feeding me as well! I felt SO happy and relaxed on this trip and you both had everything to do with that. For what you have given the children, Baal Dan and me – may God bless you a thousand times over. And may you also be blessed with 10 daughters and may they all marry well :-)

I miss you both already!!

11.25.2007

GETTING THERE IS ALL THE FUN, RIGHT?    |    Comments
A small yellow school bus is rattling down a dusty road. There are 75 kids and 5 adults crammed into this 40-seater bus which is slowly ambling its way down a dirty road filled with potholes in the middle of nowhere. There are kids crammed into the aisle and each kid has at least one another kid on their lap. The kids are all singing loudly (and I mean Very Loudly) Hindi pop songs. I am crammed in the front seat with Nadia (a volunteer) and we each have a kid on our lap and at least 3 children piled at my feet sitting on the steps of the bus. The children are all in their best dresses and everyone on the bus is sweating profusely. I have no idea where we are going, how long it will take and what is supposed to happen today. Earlier that week I asked if I could take the Loreto Rainbow street kids on a fun outing and was told, “Don’t worry Miss. Tanya, you just come to the school in the morning and we will arrange EVERYTHING for you and the children.”

Everyone is laughing and as we narrowly miss other cars, rickshaws, bicycles and cows. At one point Brandon asks someone, "How much further?" The answer: "Only Ten Minutes!" Ah yes, in IST (Indian Stretchable Time) this means at least another 40 minutes. At this point, some kid yells, "Plastic - Plastic!!", and a well-prepared older Rainbow kid pulls out a small plastic bag which is passed quickly over heads and seats getting to the child who requested it just in time for her to puke into it. And then suddenly there are more calls for “Plastic! Plastic!” the bags start circulating, and pretty soon more and more kids on the bus are throwing up one by one. Finally “Our Puke Bus” as Brandon affectionately called it, finally comes to a sudden halt outside an unassuming little park.

The doors of the bus burst open and we all tumbled and squeezed our way out – sweaty - drained and smelling like… well… But then the kids squealed in delight as they saw the “amusement park” and immediately scattered in all directions to start playing. Brandon and I surveyed the area dubiously. By American standards this “amusement park” is probably a bit bigger than your average Dallas apartment-complex playground complete with one rickety swing set, a rusted merry-go-round circa 1930, a slide, a “tower” with stairs, and a small pond (complete with murky green water) and paddling boat. We drove for over an hour to get to this? But for these kids this could have been The Magic Kingdom.

As soon as we got there, someone asked me if I had arranged snacks for the children. “Well, no,” I replied, “I was told that Everything would be arranged. Can’t we just buy something here for the kids?” I said shifting into Account Exec mode. “Oh, no Didi (sister) – there are no snacks here. We must go and get some. Please come now!” said a smiling Rainbow 18-year old Rainbow girl pulling me away from the playground. I reluctantly left the kids and got back on the P.B. in search of snacks. I asked if there was anything close by and the driver said, “Yes, yes – there is a market only Ten Minutes away.”

Almost two hours later I returned with soft drinks, chips and cookies which were purchased from 6 shops in a small village that had about 6 shops. (I was shopping for 150 kids in total) and to buy 150 snacks from small stalls in this little village (and village is a BIG word to use for this place) is a story I will never tell.

By the time I got back, Brandon looked exhausted and asked me why I had been gone for so long. He had been playing with the kids nonstop. Then he says, “Well, you were gone so long you even missed the kids eating their snacks.” Ah yes – snacks were indeed provided for the kids after all.

The rest of the day we played, we sang, and the kids slurped up chai served in little plastic cups and we had so much fun. We went “boating” (again I use the term loosely) and both Brandon and I got a workout pushing the kids around on the creaking, rusted, in-need-of-WD140-merry-go-round (the kids called it hullabaloo). I sang every nursery rhyme I knew, played chase and numerous other games and by the time 5 pm rolled around Brandon and I were covered in dirt, sweat and we were exhausted. Brandon said to me, “I don’t think I have ever been this dirty before.” To which I replied “Welcome to Calcutta!”

It was a fantastic day and I have so many great memories. Little Priyanka trying on Brandon’s sunglasses and shoes and flirting with him. The older girls asking me if I was 19 (yippee) and for the first time in a long time, I spent an entire day (minus the 2-hour shopping trip) playing all day long. It was getting dark when we got back on the bus to leave and unbelievably it seemed like there was even less air and space in the P.B. than in the morning. We all smelled awful but luckily there were no more puking incidents on the bus ride home. However… the girls did sing Very Loudly nonstop for the entire ride – the loudest kid I think was sitting directly behind my head. They sang everything from Hindi pop to the Hare Krishna mantra to Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on…” One girl fell asleep on my lap for the entire ride and when she finally woke up I had drool all over me.

Brandon and I got off Puke Bus at New Market area - Very Happy, Very Tired and Very Dirty. My first stop was to a small shop on the street to buy a kurta top and skirt to change into immediately!! I have so much that happens in each day on these mission trips, but as long as live I think I will never forget that bus ride!

11.23.2007

BIG BAGRI SHOPPING DAY    |    Comments
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I have spent the last two days giving thanks for many things. For everyone who gave even one dollar to Baal Dan, and for every child that I have been able to help here in India.

Yesterday, Aparna, Brandon and I started our day at the Loreto School. I was having 50 blankets delivered that we had to count, check to make sure they were in good condition and pay for. As well, I had over 3000 pieces of underwear (panties, vests, socks etc.) delivered to the school that also needed to be counted and paid for. Aparna and Brandon also got to spend some time playing with the Rainbow street children who were still recovering from their big night of excitement for their school concert.

After that, the three of us, along with Mrs. Marceline and 3 helpers piled into my car and a school bus lent to us by Loreto School to go to a giant chaotic wholesale market called "Bagri Market". Aparna and I tackled buying toiletries (over 2000 soaps, shampoo sachets etc.) while Brandon went in search of toys. At one point he called me from the 5th floor of a building that I did not even know existed to tell me that he had found some great deals. Aparna was again showing her fanstatic bargaining skills, and made sure that all the vendors gave us a great price.

After morning of shopping, we came back with: toiletries, umbrellas, school bags, basketballs and other sports stuff, lots of toys, boy's shirts and countless other items. From the market, we had a very late lunch, and then got to do another renegade feeding program giving out 40 boxes of chinese fried rice with chicken and bags of chocolate cookies.

I think Aparna and Brandon were amazed by the experience of giving food out on the streets but also a little surprised by how many kids rushed to us and how they clamoured and grabbed for the food. Brandon asked me why I just don't do more renegade feeding programs because clearly these little street children are hungry and need the food. I explained that part of it was my own time and resources, but also just feeding these street kids does not do much to help to "teach them how to fish" or create a better future for them. These children are known street dwellers and their mothers might have 5 or 6 kids.

They don't go to school and probably never will, so they too might stay on the street. Every case is complicated and unique but I do want to address the issue of hunger and feeding programs with my dream of building a soup kitchen for children one day. But at the same time I want to invest in programs where these extremely poor children and orphans are actually in the care of someone responsible and are also going to school. School is what will change their future.

Anyway, much to think about...
Today we take the Loreto kids on a special outing :-)

11.22.2007

SHOP TILL YOU DROP    |    Comments
After the scare of possible strikes and riots in Calcutta and the army coming into town, the whole situation calmed down very quickly and life was back to normal yesterday. Some schools remained closed which created an advantage for us in that the traffic was pretty light as Aparna and I made our way to Wellington Square market to buy sweaters, woolen vests, track suit sets (hoodies and track pants) and blankets for the children. This part of Calcutta is lined with stalls with many sellers who come from Tibet and Nepal to sell their woolen clothes in Cal at the start of Winter.

Aparna's impeccable Hindi and great bargaining skills came in very handy as she patiently bargained, cajoled and convinced each vendor to bring down the price, throw in an extra discount here and there and she even got one vendor to deliver the blankets straight to the Loreto school! The shopping was hard work but very pleasant and I got an extra blessing. One vendor - a 20-something Tibetan man called Fudu and his assistant Gudu had a great selection of high quality children's sweaters and track suit sets. When we saw the labels, we learned that the purchase of these clothes would also directly benefit Tibetan refugees. The Tibetan issue is one that is very, very close to my heart. I have studied Buddhism since the age of 13, have visited several Buddhist temples and read Tibetan texts and in 2005 just before leaving NYC for my sabbatical in India, had the great honor of seeing the Dalai Lama in NYC at a special mass held at Unity Church on Riverside. Fudu said he would also refer me to an orphanage in Simla which helps Tibetan children.

After shopping, another volunteer, Brandon Wulz arrived in Calcutta. Brandon is from Dallas, but currently works in Hyderabad. Both Aparna and Brandon have paid all their own travel expenses and taken vacation days to come and help Baal Dan this year.
After a quick lunch in New Market, Aparna spotted a shop selling track pants and after painstaking bargaining and recounting our purchase several times and getting lost on the way back to the car (my fault - sorry) we had really completed a successful day's shopping.

Then it was off to the Netaji Stadium to watch a show put on by the children of Loreto in celebration of their 150th anniversary. The kids were so cute and we saw an amazing display of traditional Indian dances from all parts of India, colors and singing.

After that, I took a chance and called St. Vincent's Home for Girls to try to schedule a visit. I asked if we could come and see the girls right then and the Sister agreed even though it was after 6.30 pm. We visited the little home for 37 girls aged 8-18 connected to a church and were very impressed. The girls follow a strict routine each day waking at 5 am, going to Mass and then off to school. The girls are extremely smart, well educated and one even spoke 7 languages! The Sister asked for a small list of things (mosquito nets, school bags, underwear) and was very kind to let us visit so late. While I talked to the Sisters, Aparna and Brandon had a great time talking to the girls.

I realized how much I needed help this trip and how lucky I am to have Aparna and Brandon with me. Thank you!!
I have to go now to begin our BIG BAGRI SHOPPING DAY...

11.21.2007

NEW LIGHT IN CALCUTTA    |    Comments
This morning I met with a Calcutta documentary film maker, Sunil Lucas who has made many films in partnership with NGO's. Sunil specializes in "social issues communication" and I learnt so much from the stories he told of his over 20 years of experience in covering and highlighting various social issues in India. Did you know the country with the highest child suicide rate in the world is Japan, followed by India? And the highest child suicide rate in India is in Calcutta. There are so many issues affecting children here including: child trafficking, child abuse, suicide and child labor.

After meeting with Sunil, we made our way to see a project called 'New Light, New Hope' run by Brother Xavier, Missionaries of the World. Aparna Lal, a childhood friend of mine from Dubai accompanied me as she will be spending the next few days with me to volunteer for Baal Dan. I was also accompanied by a local volunteer, Shruti and as we made our way to this project we encountered serious traffic jams as the roads were closed. In a neighboring street, a serious riot broke out and roads started to close. Pretty soon I was getting text messages and calls from people in Calcutta asking me my exact location and telling me to be careful as violence was breaking out in the city. We were in standstill traffic for over an hour (all the cars had turned their engines off and were bumper to bumper) as we heard more reports of the roads being blocked off. My trusty driver Dennis, then managed to reverse down the road we were on, and Aparna even jumped out of the car to ask the other cars to let us through. Finally Dennis did a 3-point turn almost on the pavement and we got on to a side street. Another hour and a half later we finally made it to the New Life project.

What we went through was well worth the harrowing day, because we saw a home for 200 children from the Red Light area in Calcutta that have been taken in by Brother Xavier. He told us that the children of prostitutes grow up in unimaginable conditions, and often witness abuse and are victims of abuse and molestation as well. He decided to start a night shelter where children of prostitutes could be kept out of harm's way and over the years and many dangerous situations, even when he himself was threatened by dangerous people, he was able to slowly take in more children. Today New Life has 5 small homes for children and 130 of these kids are even going to school.

Brother Xavier starts by taking in these kids and for the first 3 months they are given an "orientation course". They are taught basic hygiene, how to bathe, use a toilet, use a mosquito net, eat properly and are given bridging courses in English and Bengali. They are then moved into one of the small homes the project has and are sent to English or Bengali schools as soon as possible. They are even provided with tutoring on a one to one level. As soon as we entered one of the homes we were greeted by a few very cute and very affectionate little 6 year olds. I was struck by how gentle and loving the kids were and how serene they seemed.

Having visited and evaluated more than 30 projects since starting Baal Dan, I have learned to recognize very quickly how well children are cared for in an orphanage. These kids were clearly well settled and very much at ease. There were twin girls, Sita and Gita, who are 18-months old and the youngest of the kids. Gita was sleeping in a little wooden bunk bed, while Sita toddled around fussing and wanting to be held. The other children were playing around in a start of what will be the next site for a house on the project's property and the rest of the kids were sitting at a long table under a tin roof being tutored in English and Maths.

We spent the whole afternoon at this place playing with kids, giving out the cookies and sweets I bought yesterday and Aparna and Shruti were in their element with the children. I literally lost track of time completely because I was so engrossed with the children and learning more about them from Brother Xavier. When I finally realized that the kids must be getting tired and we should go it was almost 4 pm. We reluctantly said goodbye and walked over to where our car was parked near the boy's home. As we drove away we all commented on the purity of Brother Xavier and how we all felt that the children were so loving and affectionate.

When I meet people like Brother Xavier and I spend time with children like this who have gone through so much trauma and abuse and can still be loving and kind and gentle - I am humbled. I was in the presence of angels today and I felt very small and blessed to witness what I did. When I asked what was needed most for the kids, Brother asked for simple things like toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and blankets. Thank God for Baal Dan that I am able to meet people like this in the world and do such small things for them.

11.20.2007

THE SHOPPING HAS BEGUN...    |    Comments
Today I spent the morning doing the first round of shopping for the kids. First on my list was biscuits/cookies for the children. I bought several bags of cookies today and other snack foods. The average price per bag of about 20 large sugar cookies was 20 rupees - about 50 cents. I also bought some candies, caramels and I found some very fun, small chocolates in the shape of Nemo (Finding Nemo) for only 2 rupees each. After some haggling, I even got a great discount! I also bought some warm undershirts/vests for the girls at Shishu Bhavan Orphanage as the weather is getting colder and some hankies too (these are used more than Kleenex here). I am still finalizing the lists from a few of the orphanages, but will do a bit of shopping every day before I get a big bus to do the major purchases of blankets, toiletries, toys and clothing which will be really fun! More later this week...

11.19.2007

FEEDING LOTS OF KIDS    |    Comments
Hi everyone! The Internet has been down this week at the place where I am staying and I have realized how dependent I am on email and Google! Anyway, in the short time that I have online this morning, here is a quick update.

On Sunday, I met two children that Baal Dan is sponoring education for, Roselin (8) and Rayallen (12). There was a church clothing distribution program and the kids came to see me. We spent some time together and I learnt more about their lives. Roselin's father had been in the tea trade business and was laid off and could not find work in the same line, so had to switch to being a driver. The family is very poor and was almost on the brink of destitution when an organization called "CAISS" stepped in to provide aid. CAISS approached me for help to sponsor Roselin, and for $250 I am able to provide her school fees, uniforms, food and expenses for a full year. Her father had tears in his eyes as he thanked me and Baal Dan and said that he could not stand it if he had to pull his daughter out of school because he was unemployed and he was so grateful for the sponsorship. Roselin is a straight A student and is getting straight A's. Her favorite subject is Maths, and she wants to be a teacher for poor children one day. After I spent some time with the kids, I went home and rested for a while as my first week had really been busy.

Yesterday, I went the best orphanage I have ever seen called Future Hope for 160 boys. It is run by a British man called Tim Landridge and he has created an innovative, progressive and high quality home for the boys. I spent the morning with the kids and they took me on a tour of this special place. I will write more about it in the future, but yesterday I was very entertained by the boys. (So far this trip I have been mostly with girls) and the boys were great fun, BIG flirts and I had so much fun with them. Two little boys grabbed me by the hand and they took me on the tour of the place showing me everything, including a giant teddy bear that someone had donated which lay squashed and looked more like a "teddy bear mattress" now! The kids are thriving and happy and I left on such a high from being there - and also very tired as the boys demanded alot of attention!

I also did my first "renegade" Baal Dan soup kitchen. Two volunteers from WFCS/St. James helped me buy 40 small boxes of milk, and 40 small boxes of chicken biryani (mixed chicken, rice, potato). We then made small Baal Dan bundles of the milk and rice in black plastic bags and kept them in the trunk of my car. At around 5 pm, we drove into a very poor and slight unsafe area and went onto the streets where there are alot of street dwellers (families who make their homes on the pavement) and started talking to the street kids. At first I just filmed the area and the kids started to gather round us and some of their mothers. Once we had a group of about 30 kids we took them across the road to where the car was and made them form a line (they were actually very well behaved and sweet). Then one by one, we handed them the Baal Dan bundle of food and explained that it was for their "khanna" (food) and they were very thrilled. A few of them wanted food to take back for their parents, but we did not bring enough and I wanted to make sure each child had a meal first. A crowd did start to form around us, and it was getting dark, so we quickly packed up the car and then went to another street close to the church and gave out the remainder of the meals.

To feed 40 kids in this way only cost 2150 rupees (about $56) which was amazing and well worth it. I saw some incredibly sad things including a few babies sleeping on the pavement, half naked, sick and painfully thin. Babies as young as 5 months old. I just did not know what to do. I wanted to pick them up off the street, but these street children do have parents (even though they are so poor) so all I am able to do is to provide aid on the spot.

There is so much need here. And although the street kids are happy and playful despite living in such poverty, they are vey malnourished and suffer from neglect and abuse too. I think I am going to try this "renegade feeding" program again in another area, (and please don't worry, because I am not by myself and was well protected by the local volunteers who came with me). This week I have two volunteers arriving and the big shopping will begin. I am not sure when I will have online access again, so thank you for all your well wishes and please pray for the children.

11.17.2007

A DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET    |    Comments
This morning I went to Mother Teresa's orphanage, Shishu Bhavan to see my girls, Duli and Isha. We had a great time together and I got them some shoes, sweaters, bangles and a wristwatch (one pink and one red) as they are almost 10 years old now and should have their own watch.
Then, I went to St. James Church where Baal Dan sponsored a pilot "soup kitchen" style feeding program for 150 slum children. We provided: rice, dahl, chicken curry, chutney, a plastic plate and cup they could take home, ice cream and a small toy. I led the kids in a "dance" (I love to dance) before the meal was served to some crazy Indian pop music which they loved and it was the best experience of my life to be able to see these children have a good meal. The kids there were as young as babies through to about 8 years old and some were painfully thin, some had no clothes on at all (had I known they were in this bad condition I would have provided clothes today as well today).

The entire feeding program was organized by the Women's Fellowship of St. James (WFCS) and they did all the catering, shopping and organizing for this. They did an amazing job - especially Lynnette Dean, whom I have to thank for making my dream and vision of Baal Dan come to fruition today. I can't wait to share the photos and videos of the feeding program. My heart was so full. The children were so calm and well behaved and they all wanted to share their food. They are so generous. So many of them refused to be served rice, asking that the child sitting next to them be given more than they were. Generosity like this cannot be taught. It is in the soul, and these kids deeply affected me today.

I want to do more of these feeding programs. For the 150 kids we fed today, there were probably at least 600 more in the same area that also need aid.

Don't know when the next update will be but hopefully the Internet will get fixed soon. (For those of you who have emailed me, I am doing just fine, and still have a cough but otherwise managing. Besides, after today, I think I am on an all time hi). Lots of love to all of you. Thank you to everyone who has given to Baal Dan - today you would have been so proud of what you have done.

11.17.2007

LOTS TO TELL BUT NOT ENOUGH TIME...    |    Comments
I am writing this update from an Internet cafe as the internet is down in the place where I am staying. The cyclone did not hit Calcutta, but unfortunately did hit Bangladesh doing some damage.

I spent the morning yesterday at Loreto School and met all the kids we sponsored for school fees. They are all in kindergarten or grade 1 and they were really cute. The teacher explained to me that the children have no idea they are "being sponsored" in order to preserve their equality in class. She said that no child should be made to feel different just because they may come from a poor background, which is absolutely true.

After that I visited a beautiful small school/orphanage for 40 street children in the Tollygunge area of Calcutta. Girls aged from 4 to 14 live in an attic area connected to a church and the children are cared for by an order of Franciscan nuns. I spent a few hours there making a list of needs for kids. They need milk, fruit and some blankets. When I saw where they slept - on straw mats on a cement floor, I almost cried. We will get proper mattresses for these kids, as no child should have to sleep in such conditions.

Finally, I met with the head of CiniAsha - an Indian NGO who I worked with last year to help the Railway Children and Halfway House for Girls. This year we went over the list of needs, and Baal Dan will be paying for the installation of a brand new toilet/latrine and sink in the Railway Boy's Shelter. I had wanted to do this since last year, but now have the time to get organized and see to the proper installation of these things. In addition Baal Dan will give underwear, food and toys to these 100 kids.

It was a long day but I accomplished a lot and can't wait to do the major shopping for the kids.

11.15.2007

CYCLONE CALCUTTA    |    Comments
No, I am not referring to my arrival - Calcutta is under a cyclone warning which is expected to hit tonight. Today there was heavy rain and winds, and traffic was probably the worst I experienced in my whole life. Not only did traffic stop this morning for a motorocade for a visiting official, but I literally was in the car for almost two hours while traffic did not move. Interestingly enough, my car was stuck immediately adjacent to a beautiful church called "Saint Teresa of Avila Church" and there was a statue of Mother Teresa in the front holding a child. A small back room in this very church was the first place where Mother Teresa first started her charity work.

Today I visited Loreto Rainbow School and met with Sister Cyril and the staff. There are 300 street children living at the school full time, and another 400 children that are so impoverished that the school feeds them everyday. I got to the school just when the kids were coming down for lunch and because it was raining it was really chaotic but a lot of fun too. For those of you who have heard me talk about baby Priyanka in my Baal Dan presentations, I got to see her, but she was exhausted from her morning at school and was curled up in the corner of a small porch area on a little mat napping peacefully (oblivious to the chaos of 700 kids around her). I took a photo but have no way to post them right now, but she is still as cute as ever and all the kids have grown so much in the past year.
One of the social workers for the Rainbow kids came up to me and said, "Tanya guess what? The medicines you gave us last year are still being used and we have not finished them all yet - thank you so much!" Amazing - given that a year's supply of medicines for 700 kids cost less than $300 US and has lasted more than a year!
I will be back at the Loreto in the coming days as that will be my base for doing the purchasing and bundling of goods for the kids. I also have a really, really cool fun outing/extravaganza planned for the children this year (last year was the zoo trip) which I will write about later.
This afternoon, I visited another project for street children that I am evaluating, and spent some time with a volunteer, Shruti (22), who helped me last year, who told me of 40 children in a slum town near Calcutta that are in desperate need of help. In fact, I was told that these kids are literally starving to death and I am trying to figure out some ways to get them the help that they need. These kids are so destitute that the only food they are eating is from garbage piles eating things like rotting banana peels. It makes me so upset to hear about children in this situation and I will update you on what I am able to do, but I feel blessed knowing that I will be able to provide them with aid thanks to Baal Dan.
With the cyclone approaching, I am not sure how tomorrow will pan out, but I will be back at Loreto to meet the 16 children I have sponsored with school fees, as well as the visiting another project for street children that I will be evaluating.
BTW Groupers - parallels exist in every city... I saw a sign for "SMU" a university in Calcutta, but it was the "Sikkim Manipal University" and at one of the street kids projects there was a mural for kids with a giant painted red airplane called "SkyQueen" :-)
**Another note - the exchange rate this year is sadly much worse than last year. Now $1 = 38 rupees - vs 43 rupees last year.

11.14.2007

CHILDREN'S DAY IN CALCUTTA    |    Comments
I forgot that yesterday - November 14 - in India was National Children's Day (a perfect day to start the Baal Dan work) and when I went to Shishu Bhavan orphanage most of the kids were on an excursion at a park, so I will go back again this week. I was informed that all of the kids I worked with in 2005 have been adopted (Yay Seattle Crew - Lisa, Diane, and Liz!) and although there are 250 kids in the orphanage currently, in the last year over 100 children were adopted which is fantastic news. Yesterday I also met with volunteers from the Art of Living Foundation that are hoping to help me on this trip. They were telling me about some very poor rural/tribal schools that need help which I will do more research on. The jet lag hit me last night, but then I was wide awake from midnight to this morning! Today I need to get a cell phone, visit Loreto School and another project that I am looking at supporting. The weather here is pretty nice, but the traffic is awful! A 2 km trip can take an hour because of traffic. I also had my first meeting on IST (Indian Standard Time a.k.a. people will be up to an hour late for meetings) which was frustrating but just a fact of life here. More later...

11.14.2007

IN CALCUTTA    |    Comments
I arrived safely in Calcutta a few hours ago. Thank you to everyone who emailed or called me before I left to wish me well for this trip. I really appreciate all the love and support I receive for Baal Dan. After two days of flying I am feeling a little tired but i am so happy to be here. What a year it has been. After all the hard work, the fundraising and planning, I am back in Calcutta. It still feels surreal that I am here and doing what I am doing. Two years ago when I arrived in Calcutta for the first time to volunteer at Mother Teresa's orphanage, I could never have even imagined that I would one day do something like Baal Dan. Today I will get a cell phone, and my first stop will be where I started - Mother House - the resting place of Mother Teresa to say prayers and pay my respects to this beautiful Saint, and then of course I will stop in at Mother Teresa's orphanage Shishu Bhavan Orphanage to check in on the children. After that I will make a schedule and set up meetings (like a good account person) and then begin. Thank you again to everyone and I will update this blog as often as possible. A big Namaste to the Skybus team - thank you Judy and Carmen for your thoughtful care package and the Johnson, Snell and Antos Families for everything you have done for Baal Dan and the kids.

11.12.2007

VOTE FOR BAAL DAN ON SEARCH KINDLY    |    Comments
Baal Dan has once again been nominated to be the charity of the month on SearchKindly.org. Please visit the website and vote for Baal Dan!

Baal Dan will be on the voting ballot for the remainder of this week and again during the last week of the month. If we win the final poll, all money raised on SearchKindly in December will be donated to Baal Dan!

11.8.2007

CHILDREN SHARING ACROSS THE WORLD    |    Comments
For the second year in a row, sweet little Hudson and Scout Johnson have prepared small gift bags and donated the contents of their piggy banks to help babies and children in Calcutta. Goody bags stuffed full of childhood treasures like stickers, badges, small dolls, hair bobbles, yo-yo's, tiaras and countless other toys. Last year when I gave out the toys to some of the children at the Loreto school they started asking me about Hudson and Scout and even kissed the photos of the girls as a thank you. It was truly magical to see how two children in Dallas, Texas were able to touch the lives of children so faraway in Calcutta, India. I can't wait to give out these toys again, and I can't even express how blessed I am have to have friends like Ed and Tina Johnson and their beautiful daughters in my life supporting Baal Dan.

10.26.2007

THANK YOU GREENWOOD HILLS ELEMENTARY    |    Comments
Thank you to Laura Simon and the kids in her 4th grade class for hosting me at their school today. The kids are learning about making a difference and are excited about helping children in India and I had a great time answering all their questions about the children in India.
Click here to view the photos!

10.24.2007

THANK YOU SUZY, JIM & BLUE MESA    |    Comments
Thank you to Suzy and Jim Schwartz and Jim and Liz Baron for hosting a fabulous and successful fundraiser last night at Blue Mesa, Addison at Village on the Parkway. Almost 40 people attended and were served complimentary drinks and appetizers before Suzy made a short introduction about Baal Dan. I then presented my vision and mission with Baal Dan and told a few stories about my experience working at an orphanage. Then, Jim Baron, the owner of Blue Mesa who actually lived in India for 6 months made a beautiful speech about Baal Dan and the work for the children, and said that it did not matter that this was for children in India, it mattered that it was for children, and it was a very pure mission. Afterwards we had lots of time to meet all the guests and everyone was so kind, supportive and generous. I also want to thank Tiffany Zimmerman and Charles Ribaudo for helping at the event, and also to Linda and David Charney who came out again with some friends to support Baal Dan. Everyone's positive energy, trust and support of Baal Dan will indeed carry me into a successful mission trip for 2007!
Click here to view the photos!

10.4.2007

THANK YOU BUKHARA GRILLE!    |    Comments
Thank you to Bukhara Grille Restaurant, and Linda and David Charney for hosting a wonderful fundraiser last night. Over 65 people enjoyed a delicious buffet of Indian food and got a chance to learn more about Baal Dan. David talked about why he was inspired to help Baal Dan, his own experience in India, and how wonderful the people in India were to him. I talked about my story of the "$50" that started Baal Dan, and I read a quote from last week's Newsweek issue dedicated to the issue of global poverty. People think that poverty is an overwhelming issue to deal with, but there are ways to change the world. Simple ways. Bill Gates said, "The easiest way to decrease infant mortality is to keep babies warm and dry." This is in fact the simple ethos behind Baal Dan. By providing these impoverished children with the simple things they need like blankets, cough medicine or clean underwear, we can stop infections, improve their quality of life and give them a chance at survival.

The evening was so much fun and the food was fantastic. To those of you looking for a great Indian restaurant - please go to Bukhara Grille, Richardson, and mention Baal Dan. Thank you also to Rita Shroff, Peter Stettner, Charles Ribaudo and my parents for helping out at the event. Photos will be posted soon!

9.9.2007

SUPPORT BAAL DAN ON FACEBOOK    |    Comments
Baal Dan has been added as a "cause" on facebook. Show your support by joining our cause, recruiting/inviting others to join, or by making a donation directly on facebook.
This is a great opportunity to help spread the word about Baal Dan, so please help us out!
Click here to view the facebook page.

8.16.2007

THANK YOU SARAH AND MARK    |    Comments
I was so touched when Sarah Morin and Mark Geyer gave a donation to Baal Dan in honor of their wedding which was held on May 18, 2007 in Houston, Texas. Sarah has also helped children in need overseas, and from the first time I met her, she was genuinely committed to helping Baal Dan. Thank you Sarah and Mark for making Baal Dan a part of your big day. When your love can touch others, even children as faraway as in Calcutta, it must be very special. God bless you always!

Click here to see photos!

8.5.2007

BAAL DAN SUMMER INTERNS    |    Comments
This Summer, 21 interns at The Richards Group, in Dallas did a three-week team project on how they would use advertising to raise $1 million for Baal Dan.
Two teams presented on Friday, July 20, to a panel of agency judges and Baal Dan Board members.
The day was a lot of fun and both teams came up with fantastic ideas for Baal Dan. Also participating were "alums" from last year's Baal Dan intern group.

Congratulations to the winning team, "Dal Nam":
Bryan Au-Young
Sarah Crotty
Hannah Davis
Jamie Freeman
Elizabeth Holbrook
Amanda Montgomery
Blair Paterson
Courtney Phillips
Halley Ralls
Shelby Rawlings

And also to runner-up team, "AdVocacy":
Kristin Englehart
Jennifer Kalinowski
Greg Share
Catherine Cobb
Aivy Nguyen
Erin Leigh Cross
Tim Forman
Dylan Frederick
Keven Behboody
Mary Beth Terrell
Jordan Trigilio

Also, thanks to Charles Ribaudo, Jim Young, Allison Horton, Sean Jecko, David Rowe and Cory Davies for judging. As well as alums, Chelsea Hughes, Paige Phillips, Ryan Higgins, Brian Stout, Tiffani Kiger and Zac Pritchett. Thanks to all that participated and to the interns for their energy and enthusiasm.

8.3.2007

THANK YOU COLLIN!!    |    Comments
Thank you to everyone who voted on Whoneedsmymoney.com. Baal Dan won with the highest number of votes, and will receive a donation of $1,230 from Collin who started this amazing site. Thank you Collin for your generosity, and thank you Jordan for finding this opportunity for Baal Dan!

7.11.2007

WE NEED YOUR VOTES!    |    Comments
A great opportunity for the Baal Dan has surfaced and you have a
chance to help achieve it. A very generous man has decided to start a viral blog and donate a growing sum of money to the best, most voted-on cause. Click here to vote now!

This link will take you to the direct site where you can read the background and vote for the story. The "contest" description is on the right of the page.

Voting is simple, and takes only seconds.
Here's how it works:

Once you have read the story, or are ready to vote, look for the 5 yellow stars just under the "Baal Dan Charities..." title at the top.

Rate the story by clicking on the amount of stars you feel necessary and this will automatically add your vote. The more votes and higher the star-rating, the more chance we have to receive this donation and better such a great cause!

Voting closes July 31st, so please, visit the site and vote to help out. Go even further and send it to as many people as possible.

Thank you for your time and support, and to Jordan Trigilio for
uncovering this great way to raise money for Baal Dan using the power of the Internet and viral marketing!

Dhanyavaad = Thank you

6.26.2007

HELPING KIDS IN NEED    |    Comments
My friend Brandon recently relocated from Dallas to take a job in India. He has already been making strides to help the many children in need in his new Indian hometown of Hyderabad. I am so proud of the work he is doing, and also to see how big companies like Deloitte & Touche support employees who want to make a difference in the community. If you work at a company that might be looking for a way to make a difference to kids in need, and give their employees a chance to volunteer their time, please let me know. As you can see from Brandon's blog, even one day can make a difference not just to the kids - but to the people who get to help them as well. Well done Brandon, and I will see you in India!

6.12.2007

A WEEK OF EVENTS    |    Comments
This week, I presented Baal Dan at the Rotary Club of East Dallas, the Rotary Club of Plano West and The Network of Indian Professionals Mix N'Mingle. It was a great week of fundraising and building awareness in the Dallas community. By far the most interesting question I was asked about Baal Dan was, "Do you plan to do Baal Dan all your life." My answer was of course, "Yes." As long as there are children in need, and children facing inequities in this world, I will try my best to help them.

Click here to view photos from the NetIP presentation.

5.24.2007

NET-IP HOSTS BAAL DAN EVENT    |    Comments
The Network of Indian Professionals-Dallas (NetIP-Dallas) is an organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. Their June Mix ‘n Mingle event will benefit Baal Dan, and will be held at Metro Grill (4425 N Central Expressway,
Dallas, TX 75205) on June 8 at 8.30 pm.
For details go to: http://www.netip-dallas.org or email rita@netip-dallas.org
No RSVP necessary
$5 suggested donation (members and non-members)
To volunteer at the Baal Dan booth at the event, email tanya@baaldan.com

5.2.2007

OUR CHILDREN IN NEED IN DALLAS    |    Comments
I started Baal Dan to help children in need, no matter where they were from. This week, I was so happy because I got to spend just a little bit of time with some amazing little kids in Dallas. Charles and I had the honor of going to the Mi Escuelita Preschool to read to the "Class Five" kids. I read a story called “Miss Moo Goes To the Zoo” which the kids loved as they had just been to the Dallas Zoo. Charles read a story called “The Giving Tree”. Mi Escuelita Preschool is an early childhood program dedicated to teaching English and developing early learning skills to at-risk children of all cultures for preparation toward a successful school experience. It is located in Dallas on Maple Avenue, and the school is really doing amazing work to help kids at risk right here in Dallas. You can visit: www.miescuelita.org for more information on the wonderful work this school is doing. Dhanyavaad to Roshani for organizing this visit.

5.2.2007

THANK YOU TO MAGNOLIA    |    Comments
This weekend, a group of volunteers and I had a booth at the Magnolia Cinema to promote Baal Dan. Thanks to everyone that stopped by. We got great feedback on the movie, "After the Wedding" and sold some Baal Dan t-shirts. Dhanyavaad: My parents, Charles, Nisha, Michelle and Karthi for helping out!

4.24.2007

FILM ABOUT STREET CHILDREN NOW SHOWING!    |    Comments
"After the Wedding" was nominated for several awards including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and is currently showing at The Magnolia Theater in Dallas. It is a movie in which the main character runs an orphanage in India, with vivid and touching scenes of street children and they life they have. Baal Dan will have a booth at the theater this weekend at various show times this weekend (April 28-29) to raise awareness about the plight of street children in the world and the work we do. It was very emotional for me to watch this movie and see the street kids. For those of you that wonder what the kids are like, this movie does a fantastic job of showing how the children are. Check out this great movie and see more of the street children that Baal Dan was created to help.
If you are interested in volunteering at the booth this weekend, email tanya@baaldan.com as soon as possible – Help would be most welcome!

About the movie:
Far from home, Jacob (Casino Royale villain, Mads Mikkelsen), runs a struggling orphanage in one India’s poorest regions. Desperate to save the orphanage from closure, he returns to Denmark to meet Jorgen (Rolf Lassgard) a wealthy businessman and potential benefactor. Jorgen offers Jacob a seemingly innocent invitation to attend his daughter’s wedding. What appears to be nothing more than a friendly gesture sets in motion an increasingly devastating series of surprises, revelations, and confessions that will forever change their lives. Sweeping, yet entirely intimate, AFTER THE WEDDING is a shattering portrait of a family struggling with the fragility of life and the search for connection, healing, and forgiveness.

Information:
Magnolia Theatre
Movie Main Website
Showtimes: 12:00 noon, 2:40 pm, 5:10 pm, 7:50 pm, 10:20 pm
Landmark Magnolia Theatre located at West Village, 3699 McKinney Avenue, Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75204, 214-764-9106

4.10.2007

HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY BAAL DAN!    |    Comments
On April 7, 2007, I celebrated Baal Dan's first anniversary in a very meaningful way. My friends, Gita and Manish got married in Dallas in a beautiful traditional Hindu ceremony on April 7. They chose to give a contribution to Baal Dan in honor of their wedding and guests. Each guest at the reception had a small placecard about Baal Dan at their table. In one year, I could not have imagined that Baal Dan would receive so much love and support, and I want to thank Gita and Manish so much for honoring me with this gift on Baal Dan's one year anniversary. God bless you both always.

4.5.2007

UT DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT    |    Comments
The Baal Dan student chapter at UT recently held a dodgeball tournament as another fundraising event. There were 22 teams that competed in the event (about 150 people at the event altogether!), some teams representing other student organizations, and others just consisting of a group of friends. Everybody had a lot of fun, and the winners and runner ups also received prizes. The student chapter plans on making this an annual event, and will hopefully have even more teams participating next year!
Click here to view photos from the event!

4.1.2007

WASHINGTON DC AWARDS    |    Comments
"Bring peace to the world by bringing peace to yourself." A quote from His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation. I attended the national reception on Wednesday, March 28, and was so impressed and awed by the work that that Art of Living does in the world to uplift human values. Going to the Kennedy Center was so exciting for me, as this was my first time to visit Washington DC. There was a VIP reception beforehand where special guests included Senators and Committee members of the US Government. During the event there were speeches (some impromptu from Senators) that lauded the work that Sri Sri has done to make this world a better place. I spent the next day sightseeing and learning more about the history of this great country. My favorite memory from this week: getting the chance to meditate with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the Kennedy Center - the energy of the room and that night was so beautiful, and I feel blessed to have been given that opportunity.
Click here to view photos.

4.1.2007

BAAL DAN WINS SEARCH KINDLY POLL    |    Comments
A huge Dhanyavaad to all those of you who voted to help Baal Dan become the charity of the month on SearchKindly.org. So many of you emailed me to say that you had been voting every 8 hours, and I am so grateful for your enthusiasm and support. I now ask you to do one more thing: make SearchKindly.org your home page (which raises $3 a month) to help raise money for Baal Dan throughout April. At the end of the month, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Baal Dan by Search Kindly.

Thank you again to everyone who stayed up late last night to vote before midnight! I really appreciate it.

3.27.2007

BAAL DAN STUDENT CHAPTER FUNDRAISER    |    Comments
Click here to view the photos from the recent fundraiser held by Baal Dan Charities-Student Chapter at The University of Texas at Austin's annual 40 Acres Fest. The members sold bubble tea and applied mehndi (henna tattoos) to raise money for Baal Dan. 40 Acres Fest is an annual event on the UT campus that features various booths created by student organizations, music, and other activities.

3.26.2007

ART OF LIVING AWARD VIDEOS    |    Comments
Click here to view the videos from the Art of Living Silver Jubilee event where Tanya, founder of Baal Dan, won the Sri-Sri Ravi Shankar Award for Uplifting Human Values.

3.25.2007

A BEAUTIFUL QUOTE    |    Comments
Someone who donated online recently sent me a beautiful quote from India: "Manava Sevaye Madhava Seva" - "Helping Man is like Helping God". She sent this to me when she donated, and I wanted to share this beautiful thought. I am so blessed with Baal Dan to come across such generous and remarkable people.

3.22.2007

DONATION DINNERS    |    Comments
On Tuesday, March 21st, my friend David Charney hosted a fundraising dinner for Baal Dan. He invited almost 30 of his friends and contacts to a buffet dinner at a new Indian restaurant called Flavors, on Beltline Road in Addison. Everyone paid a set price for the buffet and a donation of $10 or more went to Baal Dan. I got to talk to everyone about Baal Dan and my projects in India and upcoming project in South Africa, and had so much fun meeting new people in Dallas. There were even a couple of kids who came! The dinner was a great success and I want to thank David Charney for his time and efforts in organizing this for me, and Rita Shroff and Nikhil Mehdiratta from Net-Ip for helping me at the event. Thank you also to Flavors for the wonderful dinner!
If you are interested in hosting a dinner then please let me know.
It is an easy way to spread the word about Baal Dan and meet new people.

3.22.2007

ROTARY SPREADS THE WORD    |    Comments
Raj and I made a presentation to the Rotary Club of Carrollton Farmer's Branch. There were almost 70 people in attendance and the lunchtime presentation was about 35 minutes long. There was an excellent response from the Club and they are going to look into how they might support Baal Dan.
In addition, they donated a book to the Carrollton Farmer’s Branch Library in my name as a thank you for taking the time to present to them, which was lovely. I want to thank Dr. Charles McAdams for remembering me from a presentation I gave last year and inviting me to his Club!

3.15.2007

HEROES OF HUMANITY AWARD 03.14.07    |    Comments
Last night was a very special milestone for Baal Dan. The awards ceremony was held at the Irving Arts Center and I want to thank all the people that took the time to come out for the evening. My parents, brother Neil, Nisha Madhani and her Mum, Charles Ribaudo and Jim Young from Jambo, and Susan Goss and Klaire Hensley from The Richards Group. I also want to thanks Karyl Frick and Dean Hensley for attending.
But big thanks goes to Raj Narayanan who gave a wonderful speech about me and Baal Dan's work. I just can't thank Raj enough for all he has done for me - he is truly a blessing in my life.

Bill Wallace, who was the Master of Ceremonies for the event said wonderful things about Baal Dan and actually called me back up to the podium to tell the story about the $50 that got me started on this path. In addition, the past President of the Art of Living Foundation, John Osborne, gave a wonderful Keynote address about the values of the organization and service. He even used an example about Mother Teresa and how she required her novices to answer two questions before they committed to serving the poor. The first was: Do I love the poor? And the second: Do I feel that it is my privilege to be in a position to love and serve the poor. There was even a very powerful guided meditation. The thing I loved most about winning this award, was that it all about human values and was rooted in spirituality. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said: "The only true security that can be found in this world lies in giving love..." and I know that it is my love for street children and orphans that motivates me with Baal Dan.

Thank you again to everyone that came to the awards ceremony and to The Art of Living Foundation for this great honor. Click here to view photos from the event.

3.8.2007

VOTE FOR BAAL DAN ON SEARCHKINDLY.ORG    |    Comments
Searchkindly.org is a site with a google search page that makes money off of advertisements on the website. Each month, all the money that is made is donated towards one particular charity. Right now there is a poll for which charity should be selected for April - so please visit http://searchkindly.org and vote for Baal Dan! You can vote once every 8 hours, and if you make it your homepage you can also help raise a lot of money for a good cause no matter which charity is selected in the end.

3.4.2007

AUDREY HEPBURN'S DRESS    |    Comments
I have always loved Audrey Hepburn, and I thought it was so touching that the proceeds from the auction of her famous black dress from the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" would go to benefit a school in Calcutta.
Audrey Hepburn dedicated the later part of her life to work for Unicef.
You can read more at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17382705/

3.3.2007

A SPECIAL AWARD FOR BAAL DAN    |    Comments
I was just informed that I have won an award for "Sri-Sri Ravi Shankar Award For Uplifting Human Values". Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation (AOLF), an international nonprofit educational, charitable, and humanitarian organization which operates in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. If you have time, I would be honored if you could attend the awards ceremony below in Irving. There will also be another awards ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on March 28, which I am very excited about.

OPEN INVITATION
It is with great pleasure that we invite you to attend the Art of Living Foundation's "Silver Jubilee" event at the Irving Art Center on Wednesday March 14th , 2007 at 7:00PM.
To mark the occasion of 25 years of service to humanity, The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) has launched a nationwide initiative for a Violence-Free, Stress-Free America. Believing in the motto:"Serve society by strengthening the individual. Build a better world by building better people."
The AOLF will be presenting the following members of the Dallas community with the Sri-Sri Ravi Shankar Award for Uplifting Human Values:

- Bob Hopkins, founder of PAVE and Philanthropy World Magazine
- Tanya Pinto, founder of Baal Dan, a non profit organization which helps orphans
- Police Corporal, Charles Young, winner of several commendations and outstanding local volunteer

Tickets are free; however seats are reserved so please RSVP to dallas@us.artofliving.org

Click the links below to view the invitations and to read more about Art of the Living.
  Art of Living Silver Jubilee Celebration in Dallas
  Campaign for a Violence-Free and Stress-Free America, Washington
  Founder of the Art of the Living Foundation

3.2.2007

HOMELESS CHILDREN    |    Comments
Recently someone asked me why I don’t use the term, "homeless" to describe the children I help. To be honest, I’m not sure why I never have. Clearly, these children are homeless, but I think what people need to understand is that these kids fall into three categories:
* Children ON the Street: Forming the largest category, these are children who might have family, but are destitute and survive by begging or working.
* Children OF the Street: These children are a group who have chosen the street as their home and it is there that they seek shelter.
* Abandoned Children: These children are entirely on their own, not only for material survival but also psychologically.
Whether a child is a "street child" or "homeless" or an orphan all means the same thing – these are children that do not have adequate access to things that we consider to be basic to survival – food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education. And these are the children I most want to help.

2.8.2007

BIKRAM YOGA AND BAAL DAN    |    Comments
Bikram Yoga Dallas has committed to raising funds for Baal Dan this year by encouraging their students to participate in a 60 Day Challenge and getting their friends and family to support them by donating money to Baal Dan. Karen Buckner who runs the studio has been very interested in helping Baal Dan grow and she really has a sincere interest in helping orphans and street children. I believe in all types of yoga and have practiced yoga for many years. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" which means to unite. The practice of yoga is intended to unite oneself with God. There are many different forms of yoga. In America, we are most familiar with Hatha Yoga - the physical practice of yoga that helps to purify the body and spirit. There is also Karma Yoga, the yoga of action or work - often dedicated to working on a cause higher than oneself. I often begin a yoga class by dedicating my practice for the benefit of others, or to some specific wish I have for others. This is how hatha yoga and karma yoga come together - ultimately to dedicate one's efforts to the Divine. I am so blessed to have the support of Bikram Yoga Dallas and I am honored that their students and teachers have decided to dedicate and enlarge the efforts of their yoga practice for the benefit of Baal Dan - uniting their hatha and karma yoga practice. Thank you very much to all the students participating in the 60 Day Challenge and know that your yoga will benefit children in India and Africa that are very much in need.

2.7.2007

RETURN ON INVESTMENT    |    Comments
Charles and I were talking about how we can evaluate the work that Baal Dan is doing. From a business perspective, the Return on Investment (ROI) you get from Baal Dan is pretty compelling for a number of reasons. For example with the money I raised last year, I was able to help 1,500 children, and buy so much because of the favorable exchange rate in India. I could not have done anything on that scale here in the US. In addition, the market need is so much greater in India, where there is such a large base of people living in poverty. In my two weeks in India, I personally saw over 2,000 orphans and street children. And these are children that will most likely never be adopted. The need is so great, and the cost of giving aid is fairly low. With the Baal Dan model of buying food and goods that are needed and investing in schools and organizations that care for street children, I can see a way to slowly break the cycle of poverty with food and education. That in itself is a pretty big ROI.

2.7.2007

QUICK UPDATE    |    Comments
I know it has been a while since the last blog post, but I have been busy making plans for 2007. So far, this year, we formed a Chapter at UT Austin, a group on Facebook and I am trying to enlist as many people as possible to begin penny collections for Baal Dan. If you have any questions or are interested in helping out please let me know. I have not yet decided when the next mission trip will be, but much will depend on my own work schedule. Right now, I am focused on getting plans in place for the year regarding distributions and fundraising. Please email me if you have any questions. Dhanyavaad!

1.5.2007

THANKS TO ROTARY ADDISON    |    Comments
Thank you so much to Rotary Addison, and President Fritzie Roop for once again allowing me to talk about Baal Dan at the weekly club meeting. I was able to share results from the trip, some of the things I learned and how my goals for 2007.
Thank you so much to Rotary Addison for their warm welcome, and supporting me with Baal Dan.

1.3.2007

BAAL DAN ON YOU TUBE    |    Comments
The videos that are in the 2006 Results section are also now on You Tube! Please forward them onto as many people as possible to spread the word about Baal Dan's work.

12.30.2006

THE BIGGEST DHANYAVAAD OF ALL    |    Comments
You will probably notice that Baaldan.com is updated now with photos, stories, videos and results from my recent trip to Calcutta. All the video editing and production, as well as the site updates were done in their entirety by my brother Neil (22) and Nisha (22). Neil is a student at UT Austin, and Nisha is a recent Radio, TV and Film School Grad also from UT. Since I came back from Calcutta just under two weeks ago, they have taken care of going through hours of footage, hundreds of photos and all my stories to put together what I think is a wonderful presentation of what this trip achieved. Being in advertising and working on creative production, I have to say that Neil and Nisha did an outstanding job on the site and I love how Nisha captured the sweetness and spirit of the children in the videos. I thank you both with all my heart and God bless you always and forever.

12.28.2006

GANDHI STILL INSPIRES    |    Comments
This inspiring ad won the EPICA award for the best ad.

12.18.2006

BACK IN DALLAS    |    Comments
I am back in Dallas and have the jet lag. I will post photos as soon as I can. Thank you to all those of you who have given me such a warm welcome back. It is good to be home!

12.10.2006

LEAVING CALCUTTA    |    Comments
Today I spent my last day in Calcutta with the kids I worked with last year at Shishu Bhavan orphanage. We played in the little park, sang songs and I got to spend some time with each one of them individually which meant alot to me. Then, I went to Mother House and had some quiet time for reflection at Mother Teresa's tomb. She said, "Let there be kindness in your eyes and in your heart," and so many other wise things. This time in Calcutta has really been a whirlwind of activity and non-stop work. Today, my last day was strangely quiet. Raj left last night and really all I had to do today was pack and get ready for my next stop, Bombay, the city where I was born. I did not leave without visiting my favorite shop, "Oxford Bookshop" and of course have a conversation with a few little street boys who will risk their lives following tourists across Park Street for some sweets or money. One little scamp held my hand as I crossed the street chattering away about how he wanted some money in exchange for some chewing gum! So... did I accomplish what I wanted to? Yes and no. Yes, because what was only an idea in my mind 8 months ago, to raise a little money to buy some things for street kids did indeed manifest into something more. No, because there is much more that I want to do and that can be done for these children. I am off to Bombay to visit family and perhaps an NGO or two, and then will make my way back to the USA. I'm not sure how often I will update this blog during the next few days of travel but for those of you that have taken the time to read about Baal Dan, Dhanyavaad!

12.9.2006

ZOO DAY    |    Comments
This morning we arrived at the big street school to take 100 children to the Calcutta Alipore Zoo. Raj and I were told to be at the school by 10 am, and we showed up at 9.30 am. But there was no sign of the kids or the bus we had arranged. After waiting a while, a teenage girl who works in the school office started chatting to me. She asked me, "Why are you here Didi?" So I explained that I was taking some of the kids to the zoo. And she said, "But Didi, the kids and the bus left already for the zoo." A few calls later and the bus (plus the kids) returned to pick Raj and I up! The bus was a pretty big "tour bus" and the kids were very well behaved as the driver blared Hindi techno music at full blast the entire 40 minute drive to the zoo. After giving each kid a small Baal Dan stamp on their wrist (nightclub style) which they loved, Raj bought the 100 tickets and got all of us into the zoo. The first thing we did was find a patch of grass, and I sang a few songs with the kids and asked them what their favorite animals were. Then we gave them each a banana and an orange to eat. Once they were done eating, we walked in a big group to the flamingoes lake which they loved and then made our way to the big cats.

There were about 8 adults including two volunteers from Rotaract that showed up, but it was still pretty hard to keep track of 100 kids. As Raj said, at any given time we had "a hundred kids, plus or minus five". The kids scattered in all directions pretty quickly and I tried not to get too worried about them. The teacher from the school said, "Don't worry - they need us and love us, they won't loose us." Which made me feel better - I guess! My favorite part of the day was when we saw the lion's den, and the littlest one in the school, Priyanka, who is 2 started shouting, "Lion... Lion... Wake up!" at the top of her voice. The lion who had been dozing eventually did raise its head to look around as little fearless Priyanka continued to call out to him. Priyanka was left on the doorstep of the school in the middle of the night when she was about 4 months old. This little orphan in her bright sundress and straw hat is the pudgy little darling of the school and she is everyone's baby. She is spoiled rotten by everyone and she chattered non-stop the entire day saying, "Dekie, Dekie" to everything, which means "look at this".

After visiting every exhibit (except the bear cage which scared everyone including me) we found our little patch of grass again and gave the kids all a piece of cake. Finally a Rotaract volunteer led the kids in a game and we let them play for a little while. One of the teachers asked me very nicely, "please could the children stay and play as they never really get to leave the school", and it again dawned on me that a trip to the zoo is really one of the biggest events in these kids' lives. We finally climbed on board the bus and most of us snoozed on the journey back to the school.

For 100 kids from the street, I have to tell you how amazed I was at the children's behavior. They never raised their voices, stayed with their buddies, and were better behaved than most kids I have seen (especially the naughty one's in Australia). They had such a look of peace and contentment on their faces and they seemed truly happy. These kids have the most amazing eyes. When you look in their eyes, you see that they are old souls, wise to the world with inner strength that is hard as steel. Yet, they are still babies who want affection, to hold your hand or offer you a bite of whatever they are eating. Sometimes they would just run up and give me a hug or hold my leg and then runaway. I love these babies so much and today was really for me what I want Baal Dan to be about. To feed the bodies, minds and souls of these children. To give food, but also to give them a chance to be kids and wake up a lion or two.

12.8.2006

BUNDLING    |    Comments
I am so exhausted. Today, I went to the street school which had given me the use of a large classroom to do all the bundling of the things I bought. The classroom was filled along the permieter with several hundred boxes. Pencils, toothbrushes, soaps, toy cars, and the other thousands of things we were able to buy. In addition, a crate-load of over 2100 pieces of underwear, socks and vests were delivered as well as 600 heavy wool blankets. The plan was that I was supposed to be met by a college group of volunteers in the morning to help me do the sorting and bundling. Not one person showed up, except a lovely Irish lady called Perpetua who has been a volunteer at the school for the last few months. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement as I had expected at least 7 people to show up. I've learned though in the last few weeks that here, the "say/do" ratio here is not so good.

So, Perpetua, Mrs. Marcely, another teacher from the school, and I worked all day assembling by hand over 300 bundles for each street child at the school. (There are almost a thousand children here though...). Each bundle had: a soap, toothbrush, tooth powder, book, pencil, eraser, crayon set, simple toy, t-shirt, handkerchief and shampoo sachet. Basics for us I know, but this will be their Christmas gift this year. Puts things in perspective, doesn't it? When a child cherishes a bar of soap for their very own. Anyway, we spent the morning bundling, while Raj sorted out the medicine and food distributions and paperwork.

We worked until 4pm and then took a break to do a small presentation to the children. About 100 of them assembled in the little school courtyard and I told them that people in America faraway care for them and have sent them these gifts. Then I presented each child with a little care bundle. I got lots of "thank you Auntie's", "thank you Didi" (big sister) and plenty of hugs and kisses. Then I presented Sister Cyril with two special bundles. The two ziploc bags assembled for me from two kids in Dallas,who collected little treasures (stickers, dolls, toys) from their own rooms for the kids in Calcutta. I told the sister that for each week, whomever has been the best child can have a treat from the bag, and if a new child comes in from the street they can have a treat as well. After the presentation the kids sang a song and we gave them each a toffee which got the loudest and rowdiest round of applause by far. After that, Raj and I rushed across town to another NGO which takes care of street children in a halfway house and a railway platform and presented them with blankets, medicines, t-shirts and a special selection of toys for the kids at the railway that really stole our hearts.

Today, I think we did more than ever could have been expected of 4 people (Raj, Perpetua, Mrs. Marcely and Sister Cyril), and how we got it done, I will never know. The shopping, braving the crowds, bargaining, getting goods, bundling and handing the things to the kids has been extremely intense and physically taxing. I had a fever of over 100 most of the day and a bad cough (due to the pollution) and Raj has also been unwell. But, I am glad I went through this experience and did all of this myself with Raj's help because I have learned more than I possibly could have imagined. To all the people that gave even $1, I can't wait to show you how much I was able to do with it here in Calcutta. I will hold the memory of being in that room filled with things in my heart forever and I will never forget how it felt to give each child a small bundle of things most people would never imagine would be considered a treasure. We gave "small things with great love", and we showed these kids that they are cared for - and that they are loved very much.

12.7.2006

ONLY HUMAN    |    Comments
I have not been very well the last few days with the fever and today I could not go to the market to do the last of the shopping. Raj went with a couple of helpers from the street school and got some toys for the kids including: balls, dolls, cars and "ABC" board games. We also placed an order for LOTS of underwear and socks. I only have tomorrow to do the bundling and distribution and Saturday to spend with the kids, so time has really run out. I feel at this point, very, very tired. This trip has been tough for a number of reasons - the environment, delays, crowds, strikes, illness and the general "organized chaos" that pervades every aspect of life in India. I think I have done as much as I physically could have on this trip and I have learnt alot. I have to thank Raj too for being such a trooper as he too has not been feeling too well on this trip. Calcutta is a tough place, that is for sure.

12.6.2006

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK...    |    Comments
The problem with trying to do anything here is that you need a minimum of two hours to do even simple things. Plus, you have to go to about 10 different places to get each thing (there is no one stop shopping here). I am exhausted and quickly running out of time. The two days I lost because of the "bund" and my travel delays have pushed my schedule to the limit. Today was another frustrating day of dealing with the traffic and trying to check some things off the list (girl's t-shirts). Then we attended a Rotary meeting at 6 pm to discuss some long term sustainable projects. I am bracing myself for tomorrow - the final shopping day, at what is one of the world's busiest, smelliest and craziest wholesale markets. And, no - there will be no photos of this shopping expedition because there is barely enough room to walk through the mass of people at this place, let alone trying to take a photo. I keep thinking of the U2 song, "Beautiful Day", because that is how I feel being here - especially the line about being stuck in traffic.

12.5.2006

BUND DAY    |    Comments
Today there is another strike day or "bund" so everything in the city is shut down. I am feeling a little run down, so I am going to use this day to catch up on some rest as I have been on-the-go for days now. (Congratulations to Sae and Andy Coulston on the arrival of sweet baby Miku!)

12.4.2006

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS...    |    Comments
I am exhausted, but today was a first for me. I filled a bus (a real bus) jam-packed (seats, floor, ceiling) with things for the kids. Blankets, pencils, soap, toothbrushes and tooth powder (they don't use toothpaste often). It was a long day and frustrating at times due to the traffic jams, pollution and general chaos, but the vision I had for Baal Dan is happening. More shopping to go...

12.3.2006

CHILDREN WITHOUT A CHILDHOOD    |    Comments
This morning I interviewed a few families who are being assisted by a small non-pr