A Holy Experience

We arrived to one of Maitri’s ashrams in the holy city of Vrindavan and were welcomed by rows of widows sitting cross legged, waiting for their food. 

Immediately after taking off our shoes, we served the widows a lunch consisting of; dal, roti, sabzi, rice and one banana. Maitri employee Ameen sampled the food and thought is was sustaining and hearty!

The widows living in Maitri’s ashram are also given calcium, iron and zinc supplements and are seen by a doctor every week.
  

By providing care to this ignored population, Maitri has been able to restore dignity and hope to destitute widows

Through the eyes of Maitri, we have seen the joys that arise from serving.   

Maitrigram

Each afternoon around 3, I hear the sound of laughter and shuffling as the children of Maitrigram arrive for 2 hours of after school tutoring in math, English, and Hindi.  The giggles soon subside as their teachers  begin.  Rarely have I seen a classroom in the US as well behaved and ready to learn as these children, especially for 2 extra school hours!!

Continuing education is so important, especially to the children of the local slums.  Education brings progress and empowerment, something Maitri stresses in their mission and vision.  To encourage attendance, Maitri also offers 10 of its 20 deserving students a scholarship of Rs. 6000/- each annually so they don't drop out to work, hindering them from future educational opportunities.

The first time I went down to meet the kids, I tutored a little girl in English.  After writing out the alphabet I started to teach her the sound that each letter makes.  For instance, A- ah, B- buh, etc... She followed me pretty well but I wasn't sure if she was catching on to what I was teaching her.  I then decided to write out a word and sound it out, C-A-T.  She repeated after me but I still didn't think she understood what she was sounding.  I then pointed to the word and said, "meow" which she repeated.  Besides being the cutest thing EVER, I think I taught her that C-A-T spells meow.

Beyond the tutorial center for math, English and Hindi, Maitri also offers skills and vocational training to women and children in the surrounding slums of Ekta Vihar.  I had the opportunity to tour the building and meet 2 of the 25 students currently enrolled and taught by Mrs. Prabha and Mrs. Rabat.  The girls were so sweet and excited to show us what they were working on.  Both were elegant and intelligent young women whom I am sure, with the training they are receiving at Maitri, will be successful! 

The sign outside of the school

 Measuring and cutting material

 

This young lady asked me to teach her some English.  Turns out, she helped me improve my Hindi!

Students and students!  Such a great experience!  

 Maitri really is making a difference with Maitrigram.  Can't wait to go back!!

Parliament and Teacher Appreciation Day

On Tuesday, September 6, Maitri took the interns to visit parliament. It was a whirlwind experience! We left at 10:00 am from Maitri's office to reach parliament and go through security in time to attend the 11:00 session. We went through numerous security checkpoints before we made it to the final checkpoint only to find out we were approximately two minutes too late! We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the parliament cafeteria (which is actually quite yummy!) and then continued in our efforts to enter parliament. We finally got in at about 12:00 noon and the session ended within about 15 minutes. The entire time we were in the room, there was screaming and shouting. Even though we had headphones that helped to translate the conversation to English, it was very difficult to understand everything that was going on. It was an incredible experience, nonetheless! Maitri provides many incredible opportunities for their interns to experience the political, social, and emotional aspects of the diverse Indian culture.

Happy Teacher Day!!!

Tuesday ended with a celebration for Teacher's day! The children of Maitrigram, the children's tutorial center, prepared a nice presentation to show their appreciation for the leaders of Maitri - Winnie Ma'am and the General, Sonal, and Mr. Jolly Sir. It was a sweet presentation! Some of the children recited beautiful poems in hindi and then other groups of students prepared dances to well-known bollywood songs. It was quite the show! Maitri provides a good creative outlet for children at Maitrigram, generally ages 4-16. It was so sweet to see the children's genuine gratitude to Winnie and the General, Sonal, and Jolly Sir. 

What a beautiful celebration!

Intern, Sarah Patton, with maitrigram child, Shalu

The after dance party!