January 31, 2006

Shared moments

I recently felt a little useless in Vizianagaram, even though I, like everyone else, was swamped with work. I felt somewhat removed from the cause I was supporting; perhaps I was too involved in the paperwork...

Then, like a miracle, my motivation returned. What led to this change? It was our chance encounter with two children watching over some buffalo along the road as we drove back from another village.

I watched them work and saw the rags they wore, the dirt on their faces, the scratches covering their legs. But I also saw their eyes light up when we talked to them about school. The younger boy stood on tip toe, put his head through the window, and said, “Yes, yes, I want to go to school.”

This encounter changed their lives. They never imagined that two weeks later they would be sitting in a classroom, eating three full meals a day, and wearing nice clothes. And their parents never dreamed that strangers would come to offer their children an education for free, in a place called the Rainbow Centre.

Why did we meet these two boys in particular? Why were they on the path we chose to travel? Was it chance or destiny? I honestly don’t know. What I do know, however, is that I have the opportunity to witness miracles and am convinced CCI changes some children’s lives.

Isarrao, the younger boy, is so tiny, yet he acted so tough at the beginning, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Today, he is always right beside us, waiting for a hug or a smile. When we see the children’s eyes sparkle at the sight of new clothes and faces light up with a smile, or when we see them rise at 4:00 a.m. on their own initiative to prepare for exams, our desire to continue fighting against child labour is very strong.

Without really deciding or planning to, it turns out we are doing zootherapy. Cindy found a very nice dog that needed love and affection, same as all the children at the Centre. In India, displays of affection and tenderness are very rare, and as a result, the children aren’t accustomed to being touched and cuddled. And dogs are even less accustomed!!! To the children’s surprise, Cindy patted the dog without getting bitten, so they naturally wanted to do the same thing. We are now teaching them how to be affectionate (these children who never received any). They are very clumsy with the dog, but luckily he’s patient!

All children everywhere go through similar stages in their lives, and it’s reassuring to know that our children are completely normal (although it requires us to adapt to the situation sometimes). Ah yes, a girl and a boy, both about 14 years old, make eyes at each other and always find a way to study together. Of course, compared to what we are used to in the West, these flirtations are very innocent! It’s cute to observe, but we are nonetheless going to include sex education and pregnancy as part of our teachings very soon!!

We are currently working very hard to raise awareness in the community to women’s rights in India. We decided on this initiative because several of the boys at the Centre refuse to help the girls with household chores. To develop a sense of responsibility in the children, we ask them to participate in activities and help with the cleaning and cooking. Unfortunately, several boys refuse to do jobs that they consider degrading and reserved for women. Naturally, we have had many discussions explaining that women and men are equal...in every respect! But how do we change a mentality that is shared by the adults in the community? We have a lot of work to do in this regard, and the next meeting with the parents will deal with women’s rights in India.

The parents greatly appreciated our education sessions on hygiene, birth control and Aids. They didn’t know they could get new needles for only one Rs and that multiple births could negatively affect their health, especially if the woman is too young or too old. The approach we use to argue against early marriages is that childbirth can be difficult for a young girl whose body isn’t ready for it, and that as a result, she could become seriously ill—which translates into extra expenses for doctors and medication. One parent said he didn’t have time for personal hygiene because he had to work to earn a living. The nurse simply replied that if he looked after his health, he wouldn’t have to buy medication.

During the time we were identifying children in need, we realized that most of the parents were in debt because of health problems (medication, doctor fees, or surgery). So, education is a good way to reduce poverty!

It is gratifying to see just how much the village leaders participate in the project. So far, they have all helped us identify children in their villages. I get the impression that as the project grows, they trust us more. However, we have to remain cautious, as they often refer children who don’t even work. As a result, we have changed our strategy. We now speak directly to the children and ask them to talk about their work. We ask simple questions such as, “What do you do during the day?” “Do you work?” and “At what time do you start?” etc. The interviews last longer (it took us two hours to identify four children), but this approach allows us to pick out the children who don’t need our help, i.e. two of the children referred to us spent their days playing on the beach!

The construction of the new building is advancing quickly. The tools are prehistoric, but the workers are efficient. In a few weeks, the Rainbow Centre will have 60 children.

That's the news!
See you soon!
Roxana

Roxana Robin
General Director of the CCI

all
the news