Saturday, September 13, 2008

Meditation Group Sponsors Swinhoe Street School


Baba Shuddhaanandaa started Swinhoe Street School to try to give the slum children the feeling that they are important in this world, and that there are people from their own country and other countries of the world who love them and adore their capabilities and creativity.

The children who come to Swinhoe Street School are from nearby slums in Calcutta. Their parents earn through doing menial work such as cleaning people’s homes, carriers of luggage and goods on their heads in the nearby railway station. The Swinhoe slum is situated beside the railway tracks in South of Calcutta. The road to the slum is a dark narrow lane with small shacks on the both sides. The shacks are so small that it is difficult to believe that any human being can fit into it let alone live in it.
The parents are so poor that they are unable to send their children to school. Even some of the parents force their children to go and do odd jobs to earn money for the family thereby robbing the right of the child to go to school and have a natural childhood. These children are abused daily at home. Some of the children roam the streets the whole day doing all kinds of mischievous activities. Our mission’s main role is to make them feel that they are loved.
One of the major focuses of the street schools is to fight the curse of child labor. The Mission continually educates the parents on the need for education for the children and encourages them to not just think of earning some money out of their child's labor.
The major challenge for the Mission is to first bring the children to the school and then hold their attention. To facilitate that major focus is given to the Play Way Method of education. Along with literacy they are continually encouraged to explore their innate creativity and playfulness.
The children are offered training on the practice of Hatha yoga, Meditation, Creative art, Dancing apart from literacy. The initial batches of students from this school were groomed enough to join better schools run by government and private houses. Our task was to create interest in their hearts through fun, playful education and love. Our experience says what they needed most is for somebody to say they are wonderful children of God and deserve to become worthy citizens of mother India.
The Naperville, Il Meditation Group has recently agreed to sponsor this school. Their contributions will cover a honorarium for teachers, school supplies, daily snacks for the children, and an outfit of clothing during the holiday season.
We on behalf of Lokenath Divine Life Mission in Calcutta do express our sense of gratitude and thankfulness to the Naperville Meditation Group for their generosity and love for these destitute yet smiling children of God.

2 comments:

  1. BABA SHUDDHAANANDA writes: The joy of caring and sharing is the sublime human experience. Blessed are they who come to this world to expand themselves through service to the underprivileged. God loves them for their gesture of divine love. For service to the poor is indeed love divine. Who receives the service in the hearts of the poor other than the Lord Himself? The children of Swinhoe are bubbling with energy and enthusiasm to move forward as you extend your cooperation and support from across the oceans. Thank you Meditation group members you are bringing the essence of meditation into practical reality which is unconditional love for humanity. You are blessed blessed blessed!
    Love and blessings from the core of Baba's heart.

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  2. The plight of the children, the generosity of the Naperville group, and this wondrous posting from Baba bring tears to my eyes.

    Are there still more street schools that need sponsors?

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