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Published: March 20th 2008
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Smiling Kids
Bethany Children's Home for Orphaned children If you were to ask us to describe to you in exact detail the impact this experience has had on us, we would be at a loss for words. There are so many things we see in this world that shock or touch us; but to become a witness to those things in real life is truly inspiring. Two weeks ago, Chris and I arrived in Muniguda, Orissa state, India. If you know you're facts about India, you'd know that Orissa is in the south and it is one of the poorest, least developed parts of India. Once you step off that train, you feel as if you've been thrown out of a time machine about 50 years ago. When Chris and I first decided to take part in a volunteer project we truly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. What we found was an experience we couldn't even have dreamed for.
The Orphanage we lived in was located in Kesinga, about 2 and a half hours from Muniguda. There is only one road that connects these small towns, and it is worse than a dirt bike track after retirement. The locals ride this road everyday on their
80 year old bicycles; dodging monkeys and cattle as if it was nobody's business. The home shelters 50 children. Half are orphans who were found in the streets with no parents or guardians. The other half are village children whose parents sent them away to go to school and get an education.
The director of Bethany Children's home is Reverand Barun Senapati. A christian man who started the orphanage six years ago. The Children wake up every morning at 5am for morning prayer where they sing and dance in the church hall. Chris and I were awoken many mornings with this loud tradition. It never really bothered us to hear their shouts of laughter and joy. They have their own dormitories; one for the girls and one for the boys. They sleep on bunk beds with nothing but a half inch piece of plywood holding them up and there are no screens to stop snakes, mosquitoes and spiders from coming in. They have never brushed their teeth in their lives and the greatest gift you can give them is taking a picture of them and showing it back on a display screen. They love it. Even after two straight weeks
of it; I'm still amazed to see the smiles that form on their faces after taking their picture. I apologize if I sound a bit too much like a world vision infomercial but trust that everything I say is true and straight from the heart. The children eat out of a collective rice pot that is larger than some bath tubs. Luckily, there are fans in the dormitories; but with the summer heat reaching high 40's, even the fan seems powerless. The children are forced to walk 40 minutes in the blistering heat to the waist deep river in order to cool off.
The town we were situated in is called Kesinga; a very small town with nothing but people in it. It is surrounded by miles of rice fields and inside of Kesinga every family has a mobile phone and a TV. It seems in India, many people struggle to find enough food to eat...but all have a TV in their house! The locals were nothing but kind and generous to us. Walking in town was never a problem because there was always an Indian with a motorbike willing to offer a ride. Cold drinks in town were 8
Chris, Barun, Joy and Benny
All of us eating dinner at the Orphanage rupees (20 cents CAN) and broadband internet doesn't exist. From 1-3pm everyday, there wouldn't be a soul on the streets due to lunch time. Life in Kesinga wasn't easy, but it was beautiful in it's culture and simplicity. We truly cherished our time spent in this little but proud town.
I won't go into detail about the itinerary of the project because there is jut too much to say and I think it best if we let the pictures speak for themselves. The work we did made a large difference in the end and the work camp was declared a success by all. We also managed to go above and beyond and buy mattresses for all 50 children at the Orphanage. This experience has opened our eyes to the poverty that exists in our world today and the power we have to help. I'll just leave the daily schedule we followed to give you an idea of how we lived without toilets, cutlery, showers, internet, and much more for the past two weeks.
Daily Schedule
9.00am Wakeup/Indian Breakfast
9.30am Work/with short breaks
1.30pm Lunch (always Chapati, Rice, Chai, Fruit)/Free time
3.30pm Game/Activity prep for children
5.00pm Playtime with
The Boys Dormitory
View From the Roof children
7.30pm Evening Prayer
8.30pm Dinner
Sincerely,
Watts and Hoag
With loving thanks to Koishiro Kai, Joy, and Benny...our fellow volunteers and team leaders
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Samuel Wilson
non-member comment
You Guys are gods!
wow... it seems like you did a lot for those kids. Im actually beyond impressed. Seems like an unforgettable experience.