Meet a Top Student: Raj Kumar

Ask any of the teachers at Sandipani Muni School to tell you about their best students, and you will certainly hear them tell you about Raj Kumar. At just 12 years old, this 4th grader is one of the most dedicated and talented students SMSS has ever seen. He is quick with his studies (especially his favorite subject, English), curious to explore new things, and always helpful with the other students in his classes.

All this, while living in extreme poverty with cerebral palsy.

Raj Kumar has struggled with cerebral palsy his entire life. He was born prematurely, which caused complications with the development of his neuromuscular system. It was evident to his family and doctors early on that Raj Kumar’s body would not develop normally. He was unable to sit on his own until he was three years old, and as he grew, he found walking to be a serious challenge.

Although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, treatment with physical therapy can make Raj Kumar’s life more manageable and allow him to continue with his studies. He is going to the doctors again soon to discuss plans for ongoing care, and we’ll update you all soon about his story.

One of our teachers, Sonia, said this about Raj Kumar: "I know Raj Kumar, he is one of the best and brightest kids I have ever seen around. His enthusiasm for studies is remarkable."

Thank you!

We would like to thank one of our loyal donors, Bharat Patel, for giving $340 US to support ongoing medical care for Bhawani. When we combine this donation with the generous gifts from Sara Berggren and Nine Caroline Antiques, we are able to cover a full year of tuberculosis treatment and medication. 

Bhawani will receive medical care for one full year thanks to your donations

Thank you to all of our readers for helping spread the word about this important case so we could help Bhawani and her family. 

Video: Vivek Oberoi and Food For Life

Actor Vivek Oberoi is a supporter of Food for Life and sponsors some of our students. This video, recorded at a charity event in London in 2009, highlights some of the most important reasons to support our children, schools, and Vrindavan community. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth watching! 

Thank you to all of the supporters who make it possible for us to provide education for the children of Vrindavan, improve the environment, access to water, and health care. We couldn’t do this without you.

Experiencing the other side of FFLV

We would like to share a story with you, told by one of our FFLV classroom teachers - Sonia Chaudhary. Her personal account of experiencing hunger, thirst, and desperation gives us a glimpse into the lives of our children in Vrindavan and why we serve them.

“Yesterday was Nirjala Ekadashi, a fast in which one does not take water or food. This was the first time I was doing it. By God's grace and my parents , I had never slept hungry stomach and always had enough water to drink. But yesterday was something else. Half of the day went all right, even until 8 in the night it was tolerable. After 9, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't breathe, my pulse was getting slow and so was my heart beat, but I kept lying there thinking it would get better. 

Suddenly, it became too much to bear.  I couldn't breathe. I jumped out of bed and ran for water, prayed to Krishna and had His remnants of water. But it became worse. I was vomiting, vomited every drop of water I had taken in, I vomited about 10-12 times for about 3 hours and nothing was left in me, it was 1.00 am and I was lying exhausted on the floor. 

At that moment, I realized how it feels to starve to death, how it feels to be without water, how it feels to have no one by your side. I realized what is Food for Life.

After some time I started feeling better, I was able to breathe properly, but I knew if I don't take water, I will not be able to breathe properly again for sometime. I slept after taking some water and lemon, and this morning, even after having food, I feel weak.

Before yesterday, I did work for Food for Life and I took pride in being a part of it. But I didn't realize what is hunger, what is thirst, how feels to die for a morsel. Today, I know. 

Thank you Krishna because now I know how deeply Food for Life is affecting the lives of these children, how deep are its roots and most of all I know my purpose of being here.

For those of you who have been a part of Food for Life, helped the children and don't realize the worth of what you are doing, think again! The worth is more than earning millions. Please pass this on to as many people as you can so that they become aware and a part of this organization too.”

By sponsoring a child at one of our schools, you can ensure they won’t feel this kind of hunger or thirst again. $45 USD/month covers meals, clean drinking water, education, clothing, and more - sponsoring a girl can save her from child marriage through our Girls Fund. If you are interested in sponsorship, you can learn more about sponsoring a child in Vrindavan at our website.

We would like to thank Sonia for sharing her story. You can connect with other staff and volunteers, view pictures, and check in on what’s happening in Vrindavan now at our facebook group here.

The countdown continues...

Thank you to Nine Caroline Antiques for their generous donation of $100 toward Bhawani's treatment.

We have just $340 to go - what can you give? Every dollar will go straight toward tuberculosis medication for Bhawani, preventing it from spreading further into the community. We're close to covering a full year of care, and you can help make it happen!

Progress on the Bhawani case

We'd all like to extend a huge thank you to Sara Berggren from the US for donating $100 for Bhawani's tuberculosis treatment. This will cover more than two months of medical care!

I think if we work together, spreading the word about about Bhawani and donating what we can, we can raise more than enough money to cover her medical treatment for a whole year. The cost for 12 months of care is $540 US, and with Sara's donation we have only $440 to go. Let's do this together.

Click the yellow PayPal button on the left to donate, or send a link to this post to a friend to help us spread the word. Bhawani and her family will thank you!

An update on Bhawani - she still needs help

A few months ago, we posted a request for help on behalf of the mother of one of our students. Bhawani was diagnosed with tuberculosis four years ago and cannot afford her treatment. She has relapsed three times, and has most recently been referred to ERS Institute at Mehaula, New Delhi for further care. 

If you’re familiar with tuberculosis, you know it causes intense suffering when left untreated. Symptoms include fatigue, fever, coughing up blood, difficulty breathing, chest pain, weight loss, and night sweats. 

Tuberculosis is extremely contagious, and without treatment it kills more than 50% of it’s victims. According to the World Health Organization, a person with active but untreated tuberculosis can infect 10–15 other people per year. 

Bhavani’s treatment costs 2,000 rupees ($45 USD) per month. Let's all give what we can so she can afford her care - failing to treat her tuberculosis could result in it spreading to her children, other students at SMS, and further into the community. 

Ready to help? Please contribute to Bhavani’s tuberculosis treatment by clicking the yellow "donate" button on the left side of this page. 

Munita has her rations!

Thank you to Ineke and Rene from Dubai for covering the rest of the food rations for Munita and Shubandhu. Their donation, combined with Michael's from the US, will cover food costs for this family for an entire year!

If you would like to help with their ongoing costs, you can still give to support them in the future. The rations cost $18 USD per month.

Thank you again to everyone who helped with this case - through this blog we are making a real difference in the lives of our friends in Vrindavan.

Thank you!

Thank you to Michael McMillan from the United States for donating $100 to help provide rations for Munita and her brother Shubandhu. This will ensure these two students have enough to eat for more than five months.

We are just $115 away from feeding this family for an entire year. Please give whatever you can to help them. Thank you so much Michael!

Cleaning up and raising awareness: Recycling Festival 2011

The streets of Vrindavan are often found littered with heaps of used plastic bottles, cups, empty food packets, and other manmade wastes, collecting in the wake of the many religious visitors who come to Vrindavan on holy pilgrimage.

Residents of Vrindavan, previously accustomed to biodegradable packaging in the form of clay cups, leaf plates, and bowls, continue to toss their waste on the ground but the plastic containers in use today cannot break down. Trash collects, polluting the water supply and creating a dangerous environment for the spread of disease. This creates a serious problem for the community, but increased awareness and better options for individuals to deal with waste can make a real difference.

To take our campaign to clean up the city to the next level, FFLV hosted a Recycling Festival in celebration of Earth Day on May 4th.

The children preformed, created displays, and produced a small magazine to spread awareness about recycling throughout Vrindavan. They made musical instruments and clothing for a fashion show out of plastic bottles, old tin and cardboard boxes, old sacks, jute bags, bottle caps, dried leaves, plastic bottles, and newspaper, and used them in their performances. Groups of children sang and danced songs about protecting the planet and keeping it clean.

Three collages of old, present and future Vrindavan were made and explained by the students. Two models of old and present Vrindavan were made out of the garbage: used bottles, old boxes, tetra packs, and anything used and thrown in the streets of Vrindavan. Products from our recycling plant were for sale for the visitors. The children also wrote and printed a small magazine to create awareness. Two volunteers from Spain, Maribel and Yohanna, helped to organize the event.

By teaching students at the FFLV schools the importance of being responsible for their trash, we are able to bring awareness straight into the homes of Vrindavan residents. The children and their families see that at SMS we have recycling bins, a paper recycling plant where we send all our used paper, and our food scraps are used for compost at our organic farm. We have “clean-up” days where some of the students go and pick up trash around Vrindavan. We help people understand how easy it can be to make a difference.

Check out these pictures from the event, which was a huge success. We had many attendees, and the magazine the children produced was distributed.

Munita and Shubandhu need your help.

$18 USD will feed Munita and her brother for a month.

We need your help to feed two SMS students, Munita and Shubandhu. Read their story below, and please donate what you can to help us support them.

Munita and Shubandhu lost their parents 5 years ago, and currently live with their widowed grandmother.

To earn a living, their grandmother helps at kirtan parties in temples and private homes. Her earnings can be unpredictable, but even when kirtan parties are scheduled, she earns only an average of 600 rupees ($13 USD) per month. Of that, she has to pay 200 rupees (more than $4 USD) for rent. This leaves very little for her to support her grandchildren.

FFLV needs your help to provide Munita and Shubandhu with a monthly food ration of 800 rupees, or $18 USD. Without this ration, the children - both students at SMS - wouldn’t be able to survive.

We need just 9,600 rupees ($215 USD) total to support this family for an entire year. Let’s all give what we can. Please donate here so we can provide food rations for Munita and Shubandhu’s family. You can also click the yellow Donate button on the left to donate easily with PayPal.

Thank you!