www.rainbowprimaryschool.com
By popular demand, stories on three of the students, "my kids," are republished here in shorter form. More pictures can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/leighanne/OurStoryInPictures
1) Baleshwari, (past) leader of the Alpha Girls of 5th Standard
(far left, below)
The harsh politics of having a girl in a very conservative Hindu area is that dowry is enormous. To marry off a girl will likely put a family in debt for twenty years. As such, lots of little girl babies don't make it past their first few days in the slum. If they do survive, with somewhat considerate parents, they are still worked from sun up to sun down. The incentive is to make them into perfect little servants to give their future in-laws no trouble. Spunky girls have it rough. Baleshwari, 13 years old, is an incredibly bright girl with a lot of common sense and spunk and striking light brown eyes. Her mother tried to send her off to work when she turned 12, but she refused and even said she would call the police on her own mother. Baleshwari only wanted to go to school. She learned from the Rainbow School staff the police would throw parents in jail if they had truants at home. The Rainbow School has close connections to the "Cyberbad Police Force." It is a special police force for the high tech area, all around the Google.org office in Hyderabad. Baleshwari was lucky to have a credible force to back up her threat; most little girls are forced to work in someone's home as maids or servants by the time they turn 11. All during the 2007-2008 school year, she never missed a day of school. She came to every teacher meeting as the student representative. She was an outstanding example of the Montessori method; she worked so well trying to help her peers - some of whom came to school late and don't know how to read. Even her English skills are coming along, thanks to a volunteer group called WIM, one of the six partner organizations at the Rainbow School. WIM volunteers come every Sunday and use the school classrooms to teach spoken English. We predict Baleshwari's dowry costs are now far less, and will continue to decrease as she develops skills that will lead to a jobs like teaching. Her strength and conviction convinced her mother, an illiterate widow, to keep her in school until 12th standard. We will miss her! She just started 6th standard at our sister school, a government middle school, two miles away.
2) Venkatesh, the Artist
.JPG)
Venky is a coltish, quiet, sweet little 10 year old boy. When he was eight, he was struck by a car, a hit-and-run while he was crossing the street to go the Rainbow School. A passer-by, a real angel, immediately took him in her car to the local private hospital. At the hospital, the doctors wanted to set his bone, but the grandmother who was in charge of him took him to the Rainbow School for a second opinion. The Rainbow School staff intercepted them at the school, we immediately got him back to the hospital. The break was bad and needed surgery. The whole school pitched in and the doctor donated her time. Four hours later, he was in a full leg cast on his left leg. The doctor ordered to him to stay still. Certainly, no walking! He was so bored. We got the idea to do simple drawings. From pencils, we went to oil pastels, then painting of all kinds from paper to real canvas. After he healed up, I took him to the local gallery were we took pictures of what he liked. We printed and laminated the pictures for his future reference and he used them to death. He painted everything he saw. Now, Venky's art is all over the government buildings in Hyderabad, framed and gifted by the school staff to thank different bureaucrats for support. Our donors got original "Venky's" as well; one is in my buddy's house in San Francisco. It is much loved!
3) Eliya, a boy back from the near-dead, Cerebral Palsy
Eliya has parents that would do anything for him. His mother, Laxmi, warms up his bathwater with her precious small reserve of kerosene - bought with a government ration card. He is doted on hand and foot, but he was skin and bones when the Rainbow School staff first saw him in 2006. Eliya was born in 2003 after a difficult delivery in a rural hospital. He has very severe cerebral palsy, no chance of walking or sitting, maybe some speech someday. Of course, after the delivery experience, the last place his parents wanted to visit was a hospital. They had never seen a specialist to learn how to take care of Eliya. At the Rainbow School, we didn't know how to take care of Eliya either, but through one of our partner organizations, a free Monday morning health clinic hosted by the Lion's Club and sponsored by the government nurse program in our area, we got in touch with an amazing doctor at Nilofer Government Hospital. Right away, he started physical therapy and his mother received proper training on how to care for him. His sweet mother didn't realize he couldn't eat the food she was giving him; he would chew a mouthful of rice for a hour. Skinny doesn't begin to describe him. Today, he is actually FAT! All this parents and grandparents feed him properly mashed up food until Eliya motions STOP! stop! Telugus are like Italians, they always want to feed you. Eliya had a cushy "cadillac" stroller donated by a local expat mom, and now the kids love to push him up and down the street like a race car. Eliya is healthy, Eliya is playing, Eliya is even learning hand signs! When Eliya visits the school, he is a very special guest. The teachers complain the students love and dote on him far too much, distracting them from their classwork. His little sister just started her second year of preschool at the Rainbow School last week; his little brother starts in two more years. Through more school contacts, Laxmi got access to family planning. She decided three kids was all she wanted. She is still the best mommy in the slum.
(At the Rainbow School, special needs children of all kinds and abilities are welcomed to participate to the best of their abilities. We have three special needs students that regularly attend. We have no formal program, but the change of scene does the special needs kids a lot of good, and their mothers get a well-deserved break.)
By popular demand, stories on three of the students, "my kids," are republished here in shorter form. More pictures can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/leighanne/OurStoryInPictures
1) Baleshwari, (past) leader of the Alpha Girls of 5th Standard
(far left, below)
The harsh politics of having a girl in a very conservative Hindu area is that dowry is enormous. To marry off a girl will likely put a family in debt for twenty years. As such, lots of little girl babies don't make it past their first few days in the slum. If they do survive, with somewhat considerate parents, they are still worked from sun up to sun down. The incentive is to make them into perfect little servants to give their future in-laws no trouble. Spunky girls have it rough. Baleshwari, 13 years old, is an incredibly bright girl with a lot of common sense and spunk and striking light brown eyes. Her mother tried to send her off to work when she turned 12, but she refused and even said she would call the police on her own mother. Baleshwari only wanted to go to school. She learned from the Rainbow School staff the police would throw parents in jail if they had truants at home. The Rainbow School has close connections to the "Cyberbad Police Force." It is a special police force for the high tech area, all around the Google.org office in Hyderabad. Baleshwari was lucky to have a credible force to back up her threat; most little girls are forced to work in someone's home as maids or servants by the time they turn 11. All during the 2007-2008 school year, she never missed a day of school. She came to every teacher meeting as the student representative. She was an outstanding example of the Montessori method; she worked so well trying to help her peers - some of whom came to school late and don't know how to read. Even her English skills are coming along, thanks to a volunteer group called WIM, one of the six partner organizations at the Rainbow School. WIM volunteers come every Sunday and use the school classrooms to teach spoken English. We predict Baleshwari's dowry costs are now far less, and will continue to decrease as she develops skills that will lead to a jobs like teaching. Her strength and conviction convinced her mother, an illiterate widow, to keep her in school until 12th standard. We will miss her! She just started 6th standard at our sister school, a government middle school, two miles away.
2) Venkatesh, the Artist
.JPG)
Venky is a coltish, quiet, sweet little 10 year old boy. When he was eight, he was struck by a car, a hit-and-run while he was crossing the street to go the Rainbow School. A passer-by, a real angel, immediately took him in her car to the local private hospital. At the hospital, the doctors wanted to set his bone, but the grandmother who was in charge of him took him to the Rainbow School for a second opinion. The Rainbow School staff intercepted them at the school, we immediately got him back to the hospital. The break was bad and needed surgery. The whole school pitched in and the doctor donated her time. Four hours later, he was in a full leg cast on his left leg. The doctor ordered to him to stay still. Certainly, no walking! He was so bored. We got the idea to do simple drawings. From pencils, we went to oil pastels, then painting of all kinds from paper to real canvas. After he healed up, I took him to the local gallery were we took pictures of what he liked. We printed and laminated the pictures for his future reference and he used them to death. He painted everything he saw. Now, Venky's art is all over the government buildings in Hyderabad, framed and gifted by the school staff to thank different bureaucrats for support. Our donors got original "Venky's" as well; one is in my buddy's house in San Francisco. It is much loved!
3) Eliya, a boy back from the near-dead, Cerebral Palsy
Eliya has parents that would do anything for him. His mother, Laxmi, warms up his bathwater with her precious small reserve of kerosene - bought with a government ration card. He is doted on hand and foot, but he was skin and bones when the Rainbow School staff first saw him in 2006. Eliya was born in 2003 after a difficult delivery in a rural hospital. He has very severe cerebral palsy, no chance of walking or sitting, maybe some speech someday. Of course, after the delivery experience, the last place his parents wanted to visit was a hospital. They had never seen a specialist to learn how to take care of Eliya. At the Rainbow School, we didn't know how to take care of Eliya either, but through one of our partner organizations, a free Monday morning health clinic hosted by the Lion's Club and sponsored by the government nurse program in our area, we got in touch with an amazing doctor at Nilofer Government Hospital. Right away, he started physical therapy and his mother received proper training on how to care for him. His sweet mother didn't realize he couldn't eat the food she was giving him; he would chew a mouthful of rice for a hour. Skinny doesn't begin to describe him. Today, he is actually FAT! All this parents and grandparents feed him properly mashed up food until Eliya motions STOP! stop! Telugus are like Italians, they always want to feed you. Eliya had a cushy "cadillac" stroller donated by a local expat mom, and now the kids love to push him up and down the street like a race car. Eliya is healthy, Eliya is playing, Eliya is even learning hand signs! When Eliya visits the school, he is a very special guest. The teachers complain the students love and dote on him far too much, distracting them from their classwork. His little sister just started her second year of preschool at the Rainbow School last week; his little brother starts in two more years. Through more school contacts, Laxmi got access to family planning. She decided three kids was all she wanted. She is still the best mommy in the slum.
(At the Rainbow School, special needs children of all kinds and abilities are welcomed to participate to the best of their abilities. We have three special needs students that regularly attend. We have no formal program, but the change of scene does the special needs kids a lot of good, and their mothers get a well-deserved break.)
Nice post - cerebral palsy pictures ..Keep Posting
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cerebral palsy pictures
but after 5th class whr to make them join ,i have two servant kids dey are small kids ,they like to study so i can effort some money to make them study even my salary is very less .. so i wanna start with some where in some side of dis world so i selected ur institute .. may b ur the one u can guide me still more call me 9966180551
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