Rupa's Vrindavan Diary

Thank you!

Kush needs an operation

Monika needs medical care

FFLV New Year Gift Festival: 5 dollars, thousands of smiles.

New Year's gifts for 4800 street kids in India

You can unlock the potential of India’s most oppressed girls, but where are they going to use it?

Thank You!

Thank You!

Sunita’s success story

Thank You!

Educate 75 Girls in India

Global Giving’s Girl Effect Challenge

Sunita's spinal surgery

India still has highest newborn death rate

Thank you Cheryl Giusti

Usha: Young Mother with Anaemia

Update on Raj Kumar

Thank You!

Thanks You!

Manisha needs surgery

Meet a Top Student: Raj Kumar

Thank you!

Video: Vivek Oberoi and Food For Life

Experiencing the other side of FFLV

The countdown continues...

Progress on the Bhawani case

An update on Bhawani - she still needs help

Munita has her rations!

Thank you!

Cleaning up and raising awareness: Recycling Festival 2011

Munita and Shubandhu need your help.

Lack of manpower, we hope to be back on very soon.

NO Country for little girls.

Giving

Thank You!

43% of underage married girls suffer marital violence: Survey

Thank You!

Thank You!

Jamuna's Heart Surgery

How to feed every poor Indian for the next ten years

Girl's child a curse to the family!!

Better to die than to live suffering, crude but true!

Thank You!

Thank You!

Electricity India

Accident on Christmas Eve

Thank You!

Tuberculosis Patient - Bhawani

New Year Gift Festival Appeal

Thank You!

Sonu's Leg

The Girl Effect

How Women Can Save the Planet

Thank You!

Children Endangered by Inheritance Battle

Thank You!

A Special Case

Thank You

India is a poor super power: Arundhati Roy

Bachelor´s degree for Laxman

Thank You!

Children of Cancer Patient Need Scholarship

Thank you!

Nandalal

Money Rules!

Thank You!

Thank You!

Man sells daughter in open auction

Thank You!

Poonam Meets Vivek Oberoi and Sushmita Sen

Thank you!

Poonam is Recovering!

The poorest of the poor!

Poonam's Operation Successful

Thank you!

Urgent Operation Needed for Poonam

Poonam is Home but Needs Surgery

Thank You!

Poonam's Latest News

Sukhvir's Update

Update on Poonam

Thank You!

Thank you!

Thank You!

Thank You

Thank you!

Fourth Grader in Critical Condition

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Please help Sukhvir regain his health

India's wealthiest are the least generous

Sorry state of affair

Thank you Raktambara das

Narayan has gone as he was wishing for.

Updates on Narayan

2012-01-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

We would like to thank our generous friend Bharat Patel for donating to the following cases:

$150 to Kush's operation
$250 to Monika's medical care
AND an additional $100 to a medical emergency walk-in case, in which the patient needed money immediately for a blood transfusion.

This total $500.00 was immensely helpful, and our community is grateful for his donation. Thanks Mr. Patel!

2012-01-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

9 year old Kush, the son of Usha, needs your help.

Kush is suffering from urinary issues which are causing pain, irritation, swelling, and difficulty controlling his bladder. The 9 year old has struggled with discomfort for two years, but the pain has become much more severe in the past few months.

He is now facing difficulty in going to toilet and urination, he is unable to control his bladder, and urinates on the bed often. If the irritation and swelling in the penis is not treated, the problem might soon block the urination entirely which can be poisonous to the body.

His mother, Usha, is a cleaning staff at Sandipani muni school, supporting her family with with her wages as the father has left the family. They consulted Ram Krishna Mission hospital in the area, and they recommended a small operation that can solve the problem for only Rs 8000 ($155 USD). This fee also includes his medicines and other nutritional care.

We only need to raise $155 USD to fund his operation. Please donate what you can via paypal using the yellow button to the right. Thank you!

2012-01-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

15 year old Monika fell down from the roof of her house one month ago.

She has been taken to several free hospitals, as the father is a rikshaw driver and could not afford much, but all of them recommend going to a paid hospital in Agra soon. The free hospitals could not deal with the treatment due to its complexity and their lack of resources.

Fluid is collecting in Monika's abdomen, though thankfully no fractures have been found in her body. A recent ultrasound showed a bag inside the abdominal cavity, the left kidney is bigger than the right in ultrasound, and she is also anemic. She has difficulty urinating due to pain.

Monika was discharged from the hospital but again shows the symptoms of swelling and vomiting. The trip and treatment in Agra required 50,000 to 60,000 rupees ($950-1,400 USD).

Please help us with her case by donating using the yellow paypall button on this page.

2011-12-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

It's this time of the year again!

You still have time to participate in one of our most special events - the New Year Gift Festival.

With your help, we have organized and provided New Year gift packs for Vrindavan's poorest children for the past fifteen years. We started with just 200 gift packs in 1997, increasing our scope over the years to reach more than 4,800 gift packs last year.

During the FFLV New Year Gift Festival (NYGF) festive period, giving is on everyone's mind. From the contributions of volunteers and donors around the world, we assemble packs filled with school supplies and gifts to distribute to children in the rural villages surrounding Vrindavan.

It is only five dollars per gift pack, and we need your help to make the event a success.

Please send in your contribution today and spread the news to your friends and family. We are confident we can do it again this year. Many of these children have never seen a gift in their lives, and you could be the fortunate soul to gift them a big smile.

You can donate via Paypal here or at Global Giving. Thank you!

2011-12-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

Every year, Food for Life Vrindvan raises funds to give thousands of desperately poor children in the area around Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh some basic necessities that will help keep them warm and healthy through India's cold winter months and provide a little bit of joy. For just $10, you can give two children something to smile about by providing each with a schoolbag that contains tooth paste and tooth brush, a wool cap and scarf, a jar of Vaseline, some sweet treats and small toys. To donate follow the link : New Year Gifts

or click here

2011-12-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/breaking-caste/you-can-unlock-the-potential-of-indias-most-oppressed-girls-but-where-are-they-going-to-use-it/article2266592/page6/

2011-11-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

Join us in thanking some of our loyal friends and new donors for their generous gifts this week!

Thanks to the donation of $360 by Rene & Ineke Zondag, Raj Kumar can attend one full year of physiotherapy. We'll update you in the future about his progress.

We would also like to thank our friend Bharat Patel for another generous donation of $160 for young mother Usha's case.

2011-10-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

We would like to extend a very sincere thank you to our friend Bharat Patel for his generous donation of rs 15000 ($310 USD) for Sunita's emergency spinal surgery.

We still need to collect rs 60000 ($1,235 USD) for her care. Please pass the word on to your friends and family about her case. Every day that passes without further treatment is another day Sunita spends in pain. Let's get this child the treatment she needs.

2011-10-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

“Biting my nails, when I sat there, waiting for my turn, watching the players from other countries, with posh standards and all facilities, my heart pumped faster. And then I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and remembered my time at the school, my friends, my family, my coach… and then I thought... if I can do it there... I can do it anywhere!”

- Sunita

And she did it! This is a success story of one of our school girls Sunita, who won a Silver in an international Karate Championship, where five different countries participated. It was like a dream come true... a dream that she was allowed to dream at FFLV.

“If I was not at FFLV, I would have got married by now.”
- Sunita

Thank you to you all friends and supporters of FFLV who made this happen for her. Now is time to give a chance to other girls who will, otherwise, never get a chance to tap their talents. These girls have so much potential!

FFLV is always finding new ways to benefit these girls. Our current plan is the Global Giving Competition that we are participating in. We can win this competition if we have maximum number of donors. We just ask you to donate $10.00 and encourage your friends to do the same. We will be automatic winners if we are in the top 6 organizations. We will get a share in the $80,000, which is the prize money and also a chance to be displayed on the Girl Effect website for one complete year!

Donating is very easy. You can pay by paypal, cheque, credit card, or a gift card here.

If you are a USA citizen you can also donate by sending a simple text from your mobile phone. Simply type GIVE 8803 to 80088 to donate $10 to Prevent Child Marriage, Educate 75 Girls in India. Message and data rates may apply. Only works for US mobile phones.

To keep yourself updated on where we stand, please follow this link.

2011-10-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank the organization “Una Scuola in Himalaya – Amici di Photoksar” for their generous donation of 310,00 Euro for Sunita's surgery.

We still need to collect 75,000 rs ($1,500 USD) to cover the cost of her next operation: placing a shunt to remove fluid from the brain. We will keep you updated on her recovery, but in the meantime we ask that you please donate whatever you can to help cover the cost of her treatment. You can use the yellow Donate button on this page to easily contribute to her care. Please also let your friends and family know about her case.

2011-10-21T05:38:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of FFLV, I have a great news for you!!. Please share with all your friends that if they simply Text GIVE 8803 to 80088, they donate $10 towards our project Prevent Child Marriage. Donating towards this noble cause was never easier!!! Educate 75 Girls in India. Only works for US mobile phones. Here is a chance to make some real difference with the small donation. It is the number of donors and not the amount that makes the difference. If we win the challenge it opens doors of opportunity for hundreds of other poor girls. Please share this with all your friends. Let us all join hands to make it happen!!! To know more, click here:

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/prevent-child-marriage-send-75-girls-to-school-in-india/

2011-10-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

We need your help with a great opportunity for our girls!

FFLV has been chosen to compete in Global Giving’s Girl Effect Challenge. Funded by the Nike Foundation and many other large well-known donors, The Girl Effect has been raising awareness around the world over the past two years about the importance of investing in girl's education and the potential this has to change the developing world. It has attracted thousands of followers.

From today until November 15th, FFLV will be appealing to donors, supporters and friends to make a small donation to our project through the Girl Effect Challenge web page on Global Giving. We will be competing with 59 other girl-focused projects to attract the highest number of individual donors to support our project. The six that have the most donors by November 15 will be featured on the Girl Effect Fund's Global Giving fundraising page for all of 2012 and will get a grant of about $80,000 from the fund next year.

I know our work is important to you so please help us become one of the winners! You can do so by going to our project page and making a small donation ($17 minimum) and then telling ten of your friends about it and asking them to do the same!

When you donate, you are helping the school in more than one way: Your donation will help us financially and counts as a vote for FFLV in the challenge. The publicity and funds we'll receive if we win will enable us to help even more girls next year and beyond!

If you want to follow the competition and track our progress, please join our Facebook group.

To learn more about the Girl Effect, watch this great video.

We’re excited to be participating in the Challenge. With the help of friends like you, we can win it for our girls in Vrindavan!

2011-09-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Baby Sunita Debnath was born by caesarean section, after 2 long days of labour, on the 11th of August 2011. Her father and mother are Vikash Debnath and Beloka Debnatha from Mayapur in Nadia district. Vikash is a small scale seller of toiletries in the village and Beloka looks after the children.

Baby Sunita was born with part of the spinal column in a sack outside her body which appears as a large growth on the lower back. She has suffered immense pain from birth. She did have some antibiotic cover in the hospital but her parents were given no instruction to keep the swelling covered or clean, essential to protect from infection even in a normal environment.In the meantime Sunita's father, Vikash, took her to Kolkata to see a neurosurgeon. The doctor would not say anything until an MRI had been done. One devotee had a contact whose relative owns and runs a diagnostic centre in Kolkata and they agreed to do the MRI and charge only 50% of the normal charge. The results of the MRI showed that Sunita was an excellent candidate for surgery with a strong chance for good recovery as there was only a very small amount of spinal cord in the swelling. Gauranga Simha Prabhu then set about raising money for Sunita's operation.

After a series of up and down trips to Kolkata and a lot of confusion caused by various doctors Sunita's back eventually became infected and she was admitted as an emergency case on the 15th of September. The surgery was performed on the 17th of September and it went well. You can see from the photo how much the swelling has reduced. She was released from hospital on the 27th of September and is now back home.

Gauranga Simha and his wife collected a fair amount of the money for the operation - R61,000/- so far - the bulk coming from South Africa and Italy, with smaller contributions from Russia and Mayapur. The balance - R25,000/-- he borrowed from various places so that money needs to be returned.

Sunita will also require a further operation to place a shunt in order to remove fluid from the brain. This will take place after approximately one week. So far we have been unable to get an exact estimation for that operation as the brain surgeon is out of station. We will keep you posted as soon as we find out exactly how much it will be but it seems it will be in the region of R50,000/-. We request all the readers to donate generously for Sunita. We will keep you updated on her recovery.

2011-09-12T04:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Marc Stern for his generous donation of $20.00 towards Raj Kumar's case. We really appreciate your help.

2011-09-10T04:16:00.000-07:00

We want to thank our friend Marie Shaft for her generous donation of $50.00 towards Raj Kumar's case and $50.00 towards Usha's treatment. We really appreciate you help and will keep you posted on this.

2011-09-09T03:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you to our friend Vijay Patel for his kind donation of $28.00 USD towards Usha's case. We appreciate your help and will keep you updated on this.

2011-09-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

This recent article posted to the Times of India sheds light on a continuing issue faced by the country: high infant mortality rates.

While we should celebrate the amazing 33% drop in total annual newborn deaths in India from 4.6 million to 3.3 million in the last 10 years, India still has more newborn deaths per year than any country worldwide.

The work we do (with your help) to provide basic healthcare and support to families in Vrindavan is crucial to keeping these mortality rates down.

Some interesting facts from the study:

Newborns account for 41% of all child deaths.
Each year 3.3 million babies die in the first four weeks of life, despite proven, cost-effective interventions that could save them. Solutions are simple as keeping newborns warm, clean and properly breastfed can keep them alive.
The three leading causes of newborn death – preterm delivery, asphyxia and severe infections – are preventable with proper care.
The first four weeks of life — the neonatal period — carries one of the highest risks of death of any four-week period in the human lifespan.
Only five countries account for more than half of the world's 3.3 million newborn deaths – India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Please read the article we link to above for complete details. We are so grateful for your continued support!

2011-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Thank you again to our friend Sara Berggren for her kind donation of $100 towards Usha's case. We will keep you updated on her treatment and recovery.

2011-09-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

We would like to gratefully acknowledge the kind and generous donation of $50 US from Cheryl Giusti towards Raj Kumar's care. These funds will help Raj Kumar to continue his monthly physiotherapy treatment and improve his health condition.

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

25 year old Usha, mother of three, needs medicine to treat her anaemia.

"She is very worried about her young sons' future... and she desperately wants to get better for them."

Usha is 25 years old and the mother of three childen - 8-year-old twin boys and also a 5-year-old boy. She supports herself and her sons from her meagre income making tulsi bead necklaces. The father, who was a widower when he married Usha and also has other children from his previous marriage, does not support the family financially - in fact he is a burden on them, because on the rare occassions he decides to visit, he demands money.

Years of hard work and malnutrition have weakened Usha, and she has been experiencing different symptoms of ill health including severe breathing and stomach problems. She finally visited a hospital and was diagnosed with anaemia. She also needs blood transfusion and is now looking for a donor matching her blood group - if she fails to find one, she will also be charged for the cost of the blood.

Unable to turn to anybody else, Usha approached us for help. She is very worried about her young sons' future, since they are completely dependent on her for financial and emotional support, and she desperately wants to get better for them. We hope that one of our volunteers working at the school will be able to donate her own blood to facilitate Usha's treatment, but the cost of check-ups, medicine and
hospital stay still needs to be covered. We would be grateful for any contribution towards her treatment.

She needs at least Rs 3000 ($65 USD) every month for medicine, tests, and blood, and her treatment will continue for 6 months, bringing the total cost is around Rs 18000 ($390). We know that with the generous contributions from just a few readers and friends we can easily make her medicine available to her. Let's help this young mother recover.

2011-08-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we posted about one of our top students, Raj Kumar. He has visited several doctors and is currently undergoing physiotherapy and taking medicines for his treatment.

We are happy to report that he is doing very well! His continued care will cost Rs 5000.00 every month, or $110 USD. If you are able to contribute to help make this possible, please visit our donation page. With continued access to medicines and physiotherapy, Raj Kumar will be able to continue his studies at our school. Please do what you can to help.

2011-08-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you to our friend Sara Berggren for her generous donation of $100, and to Shreena and Mukesh Pattni for their donation of Rs. 7000.00 ($150) for Manisha's care. We'll keep you posted on her treatment and recovery!

2011-07-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank Bharat Patel for the generous donation of $160 US toward Raj Kumar's care. He is currently undergoing physiotherapy and is doing quite well. The funds donated to support his case make it possible for him to continue treatment and attendance at school.

2011-07-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, during the Diwali festival, Manisha and her family were playing with fireworks as part of the celebrations. The sparks ignited a leaky gas bottle from their gas stove, and the bottle exploded, burning their entire house to the ground. In the chaos, Manisha, her mother, and sibling all suffered burns, with Manisha’s being the most severe. The two children were immediately brought to the Safdarjung hospital in New Delhi, where they stayed to receive treatment and recover for two months. Years later, Manisha is still suffering - and since her father passed away a few months ago due to a heart attack, her family can’t take care of her medical needs alone.

We have found a plastic surgeon (Dr. Anurag Jain) who has agreed to conduct surgery on Manisha for free. However, we still need your help to cover the costs of her medicine, dressings, and hospital stay. The doctor will come to Rama Krsna Mission in a couple weeks, and we need to raise 20,000 rupees (about $450 USD) for her before then.

Please give what you can to help us bring Manisha, who is just 11 years old, to full recovery. You can donate by clicking the yellow Donate button to the left.

2011-06-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

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."

2011-06-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

$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!

2011-05-16T06:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and supporters, we are so sorry that we have not been able to maintain our blog properly, we do have many medical cases but unfortunately we do not have anyone helping with the management of it all. I will try to get back to normal life as soon as possible, for the time being please bear with us and wish us that we find the right person to manage our blog.

2011-05-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

MORENA, India – The room is large and airy, the stone floors clean and cool — a welcome respite from the afternoon sun. Until your eyes take in the horror that it holds. Ten severely malnourished children — nine of them girls.

The starving girls in this hospital ward include a 21-month-old with arms and legs the size of twigs and an emaciated 1-year-old with huge, vacant eyes. Without urgent medical care, most will not live to see their next birthday.

They point to a painful reality revealed in India's most recent census: Despite a booming economy and big cities full of luxury cars and glittering malls, the country is failing its girls.

Early results show India has 914 girls under age 6 for every 1,000 boys. A decade ago, many were horrified when the ratio was 927 to 1,000.

The discrimination happens through abortions of female fetuses and sheer neglect of young girls, despite years of high-profile campaigns to address the issue. So serious is the problem that it's illegal for medical personnel to reveal the gender of an unborn fetus, although evidence suggests the ban is widely circumvented.

"My mother-in-law says a boy is necessary," says Sanju, holding her severely malnourished 9-month-old daughter in her lap in the hospital. The woman, who goes by one name, doesn't admit to deliberately starving the girl but only shrugs her own thin shoulders when asked why her daughter is so sick.

She will try again for a son in a year or two, she says.

Part of the reason Indians favor sons is the enormous expense in marrying off girls. Families often go into debt arranging marriages and paying elaborate dowries. A boy, on the other hand, will one day bring home a bride and dowry. Hindu custom also dictates that only sons can light their parents' funeral pyres.

But it's not simply that girls are more expensive for impoverished families. The census data shows that the worst offenders are the relatively wealthy northern states of Punjab and Haryana.

In Morena, a sun-baked, largely rural district in the heart of India, the numbers are especially grim. This census showed that only 825 girls for every 1,000 boys in the district made it to their sixth birthdays, down from an already troubling 829 a decade ago.

Though abortion is allowed in India, the country banned revealing the gender of unborn fetuses in 1994 in an attempt to halt sex-selective abortions. Every few years, federal and state governments announce new incentives — from free meals to free education — to encourage people to take care of their girls.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110504/ap_on_re_as/as_india_no_country_for_little_girls

2011-03-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

from Khalil Gibran's The Prophet

Then said a rich man, "Speak to us of Giving."
And he answered:
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, thirst that is unquenchable?
There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.
Though the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.
It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;
And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving
And is there aught you would withhold?
All you have shall some day be given;
Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'.
You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving."
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from you.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream.
And what desert greater shall there be than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving?
And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed?
See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.
And you receivers - and you are all receivers - assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.
Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings;
For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father.

2011-03-17T02:50:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Sara Berggren for contributing 137 USD for Jamuna!
We still have quite a way to go, but this is a great help...

2011-03-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

When Delhi-based researcher Shruti Chaudhry visited a village in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh to study migration, she stumbled upon two darker secrets of India's family life. Talking to women in Chabutra village, she learned that most women got married when they were 14 to 16 years old. But that was not all.

"A husband of one of the women we talked to later told us that his wife had given wrong information, which he wanted corrected. He added that he had soundly thrashed her for this," said a troubled Shruti.

Adolescent marriage and domestic violence are two widely prevalent but unacknowledged practices. Recent studies on the married life of adolescent girls reveal a chilling link between the two. Anita Raj of Boston University School of Public Health, involved in several such studies said that adolescent marriage appears to be directly correlated with increased violence at home: emotional, physical and sexual, practiced both by the husband and the in-laws. It is unabated even during pregnancy and motherhood. And, most sobering of all, female children born to under-age mothers suffer from higher risks of dying before they reach their fifth birthday.

Raj led a study, published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, of over 10,000 married women aged 20 to 24 years which showed that 43% of under-age married women said they had been subject to marital violence, while 24% of adult-married women reported such events. Severe, life-threatening violence was experienced by 16% of under-age married women compared to 6% of adult married women.

In another study of young mothers from a low-income locality in Mumbai, Raj found that physical and non-physical abuse by husbands and in-laws continued during pregnancy and while nursing new-borns.

"I get up at 3 or 4 a.m. to get water. After that, I make breakfast and prepare a lunch box for my father-in-law and sister-in-law. I make a separate lunch for my mother-in-law, wash clothes and clean the house. I had to do my work whether I was pregnant or not. No one helped me," said a 16-year-old mother quoted in Raj's study. The study documents hair-raising accounts of denial of food and healthcare, beatings, forced drudgery, by the marital household. It showed that violence by other family members was more likely when husbands were violent towards the wife.

A study by Jay Silverman of Harvard School of Public Health, Anita Raj and others has shown that under-age marriage led to higher infant and child mortality rates of daughters and not sons compared to women who were married in adulthood.

Another study of married women in five Indian states by Delhi's Population Council and Mumbai's International Institute of Population Studies showed that under-age married women got less autonomy and were less likely to express opinions on domestic issues. Importantly, under-age mothers were significantly less likely to have had their first delivery in a health facility.

Although the proportion of girls married off in the 15 to 19 year age group has declined from 56% in 1971 to about 27% in 2006, it still means that over 1.5 crore girls are thus married. And, 16% of the age group, that is about 2.4 lakh women had already become mothers or were pregnant, according to the National Family & Health Survey-3.

Raj says that these issues are compromising the health and development of the country as a whole. But she is optimistic. "Fortunately recent movements in public health in the country have recognized these issues as needing to be addressed," she says.

2011-03-07T21:33:00.001-08:00

Big thanks to Bala for contributing 200 USD towards Jamuna's treatment. We still have a long way to go...

2011-01-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Suzie for contributing 50 USD for Jamuna's treatment!

2011-01-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Jamuna has had heart problems for the last fifteen years, but lately they have become severe and she needs to get surgery as soon as possible. She is uneducated, the wife of a cook, but her husband is willing to work as hard as possible to pay her medical bills. Even so, it would be impossible for him to cover the cost of this surgery and the associated medicines without aid.

The family will need 75,000 rupees (1,645 dollars) from us in order to make sure Jamuna gets the heart surgery and medicine she needs to survive and lead a healthy life.

Food for Life Vrindavan is very pleased to help families like Jamuna's, who are trying as much as possible to help themselves.

2011-01-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

The Adarsh housing scandal, the corruption involving the preparations for the Commonwealth Games, and the mother of all scams - the 2G Scam - the magnitude of India's corruption story is mind-boggling. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has said that the Indian exchequer has lost anywhere between $22 billion and $45 billion in the 2G Scam - an amount which could have fed every destitute Indian for the next 10 years

2011-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

VELLORE: A father of three murdered his two daughters by drowning them in a well in a village near Vellore on Tuesday morning. Later, confessing to the crime, the leather worker said he did it because he did not have the means to raise them although he had spared his four-month-old son.
One girl was three and one two years old, he just throw them in a well.

Read more: Vellore dad drowns 2 girls, says he's no means to raise them - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Vellore-dad-drowns-2-girls-says-hes-no-means-to-raise-them-/articleshow/7272547.cms#ixzz1B3x317TA

2011-01-12T05:07:00.000-08:00

This is a sad day for us, as the school has been closed for the last 10 days due to cold, I must add the Government forces us to keep the school clsed!
The children are on their own, today we heard that Vandana (girl on my left in the photo) has died. She was at the construction site with her mam where she works and while playing near a tank of water she fell into it, they discovered the body only after 2 hours. I was very sorry for her, but then I thought, actually I am sorry because we do not have her anymore, she used to come running to me every morning, she was maybe 4 years old, she has been in our kindergarten since she was six months. Then I thought, actually for her is a liberation, she has died in Vrindavan which is very auspicious and she will not have to suffer. Yes suffer, if you are a girl here you suffer at every stage of your life and until the end.

2011-01-11T23:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Raktambara dasa and Mukhya devi dasi for contributing 35 Euro (2,055 Rs.) for Lachi's treatment.

2011-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

Anonymous-D has just sent $50 (2,250 Rs.) for Lachi's care. I will soon post an update of his condition and cost of surgery. Stay tuned!

2011-01-11T17:45:00.001-08:00

One area where this is desperately needed is access to electricity. In the age of the iPad, it’s easy to forget that roughly a quarter of the world’s population — about a billion and a half people (pdf) — still lack electricity. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it takes a severe toll on economic life, education and health. It’s estimated that two million people die prematurely each year as a result of pulmonary diseases caused by the indoor burning of fuels for cooking and light. Close to half are children who die of pneumonia.

In vast stretches of the developing world, after the sun sets, everything goes dark. In sub-Saharan Africa, about 70 percent of the population lack electricity. However, no country has more citizens living without power than India, where more than 400 million people, the vast majority of them villagers, have no electricity. The place that remains most in darkness is Bihar, India’s poorest state, which has more than 80 million people, 85 percent of whom live in households with no grid connection. Because Bihar has nowhere near the capacity to meet its current power demands, even those few with connections receive electricity sporadically and often at odd hours, like between 3:00 a.m and 6:00 a.m., when it is of little use.

2010-12-31T00:32:00.000-08:00

Forty year old Lachi was hit by a bus this Christmas Eve, while driving home from Mathura on his motorbike. Although he was hit from behind and knocked off his bike, somehow by some great fortune he survived. His right leg is broken in two places and he got 22 stitches in his head. The local doctor referred him to the hospital in Agra.

In Agra he underwent one surgery which cost 80,000 rupees (1,784 USD), but the surgery was not done properly and he will have to undergo a second surgery in Mathura. Now Food for Life Vrindavan is supervising his case and we hope this surgery will be a success. Now the hospital charges are about 2,000 rupees a day apart from the surgery charges, so it is hard to project the final cost at this time.

For now we need at least 20,000 rupees (446 USD) to cover his hospital stay. I will update this story with the surgery charges added in once we know the final amount.

Lachi is a "village-style" construction worker (meaning he carries bricks on his head, mixes cement by hand, etc, for about two dollars per day!). He is also mentally disabled and has four children to provide for. Let's help him!

2010-12-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Dejan Kocic for coming forward to sponsor Bhawani's entire treatment. Thank you!

2010-12-28T03:34:00.000-08:00

Thirty six year old Bhawani is the mother of three children and the wife of a rickshaw puller. She has tuberculosis, but with no money to spare she has been unable to seek treatment. Treatment will cost about 15,000 rupees (335 USD) over the course of nine months. This treatment will likely make the difference between life and death for her, so we really hope we will be able to help her!

2010-12-16T06:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

It is again the festive season and a time for reflection, for giving, and for gratitude for what we have.

This is the time when FFLV starts our marathon preparation for the New Year Gift Festival. This Gift Festival is in its 14th year! Since the beginning, thousands of very poor children have been receiving gifts of items on the first of January.

These presents come in a gift bag and are things that most of these children would otherwise never have a chance to have and enjoy. Last year we distributed 4,000 gift packs, and that was despite the fact that it was a very difficult year financially for everyone. This year, with the help of you and your friends, we hope we can do a bit better.

Let’s try to give these poor Vrindavan children smiles of hope and joy this holiday season.
On our website you will also find a link for the same slide show in Keynote for Mac users and as a PDF. www.fflvrindavan.org/NYGF2011

Donations can be given easily via Paypal. Or, you can send a check to our local office in your own country. A list of their addresses is available from our website: www.fflvrindavan.org/contact

2010-11-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to announce that Sri Sudarshan Sharma has immediately come forward to finance Sonu's full treatment. THANK YOU!

2010-11-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Sixteen year old Sonu was sitting on the side of the road when a tractor ran over his leg. His mother died of typhoid last year. His father has since remarried and forced Sonu out of the house to earn his own living. Now Sonu lives with his uncle.

After the accident, Sonu's uncle spent his entire savings of 15,000 rupees from his own pocket for his treatment. Now there is no money left and Sonu still needs urgent care. The rods in his leg must be removed, and he will need a few months worth of medication. His remaining treatment is estimated to cost about 5000 rupees (110 USD).

2010-11-08T03:16:00.000-08:00

Please take a moment to view this video by The Girl Effect. This will give you some idea of the challenges our girls are facing.

http://www.girleffect.org/video

2010-10-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lawrence M. Krauss

Empowering young women through education will help reduce overpopulation in areas that cannot support it and avoid extremism in the children they raise

The International Energy Agency predicts that fossil fuels will continue to meet the bulk of rising energy demand for decades to come, but they are currently responsible for 60% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. So, managing CO2 emissions from coal, oil and natural gas is crucial in tackling climate change.
Which steps do you think should be prioritized when reducing emissions from fossil fuels? (Check all that apply)

At six billion plus today, the earth’s human population will reach more than nine billion by 2050, according to estimates. If this many people consume energy at the current rate in the developed world, the planet will need more than double the amount of power it consumes today. But energy is just one issue that humankind will have to tackle to create a sustainable future. The root cause of the looming energy problem—and the key to easing environmental, economic and religious tensions while improving public health—is to address the unending, and unequal, growth of the human population. And the one proven way to reduce fertility rates is to empower young women by educating them.

High fertility rates in areas of the developing world that can least cope put tremendous pressure on freshwater and sanitation needs and fuel economic and religious tensions. In response, these countries ramp up their energy production via the only means available to them based on their resources—means that tend to either pollute the environment or contribute to global warming.

For instance, India, Somalia and Sudan have large positive birth rates. The latter two countries struggle to provide adequate food and water resources, and India increased its energy consumption by almost 50 percent between 1992 and 2001. (In contrast, Japan, France and Russia have negative birth rates, and the U.S. is slightly positive.) Indeed, a United Nations study published in August reported that Asia currently does not have the means to feed the extra 1.5 billion expected to live on that continent by 2050.

Empirical work indicating that providing schooling for women and girls will address these problems includes study after study showing that educated women have fewer children, are wealthier and are less likely to accept fundamentalist extremism. If we want a safer world, we should consider the utility of spending dollars on educating young people as an alternative to troops and weapons.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan today the Taliban have created thousands of madrassas, where children from poor families with no access to education can receive food and what passes for learning (but what is in fact quite the opposite). At the same time, they restrict access to education for women. In Gaza vulnerable young people are recruited early on to religious extremist training camps. I am not naive enough to believe that building schools and providing access to safe and secure environments for learning will alone solve our problems—we will need to create economic opportunities as well.

Moreover, in paternalistic societies where women have few rights, effecting change will be an uphill battle. For example, the government we are now supporting with troops and infrastructure in Afghanistan has recently passed legislation that food can be withheld from women who do not have sex with their husband and that women cannot go out of the house without their husband’s permission. In countries of this sort that now receive significant support from us, we need to make the empowerment of women a higher priority. As difficult and slow as the process might be, the education of women in such countries is a necessary first step to giving them the opportunity and motivation to begin to control their own destiny.

The long-term goal of reducing poverty, religious fundamentalism and overpopulation will be impossible to reach until we free women around the world from the enslavement of ignorance. More fundamental is the fact that education is a basic human right that has been systematically denied too many women for too long.

2010-10-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Anonymous for contributing Rs.2,600 (59USD) to help the children endangered by an inheritance battle. Only Rs.7,400 (168USD) to go.

2010-10-08T06:21:00.001-07:00

These children's grandmother passed away recently and left some money and property behind. However, their father's younger brother transferred all the property into his own name and then accused the children's father of stealing some of the inheritance money and jewelry. Now the police are after him and he may be incarcerated. A lawyer, who spoke with the children's mother, says there is a good opportunity for them to win this case if they act immediately. The cost of the case will total about Rs.10,000 ($225), a hefty sum for this very poor family. But they direly need to do this, in order to keep the family's only breadwinner out of jail.

2010-10-07T02:42:00.001-07:00

We would like to extend a very special thanks to Dean from Scotland for sponsoring Aman's treatment.

We will have an update on Aman's progress shortly.

2010-10-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

Eight month old Aman was born without the ability to defecate normally. At birth, doctors cut into his digestive tract and created a passage for fecal matter to pass through his side. To correct this and allow Aman to pass stool normally, he will be undergoing surgery with the only specialist in the region. The cost of surgery and related expenses is estimated to be about Rs.40,000 (900USD). His family lives behind a tea shop and is far too poor to afford his surgery. Any help you can offer will be extremely helpful.

2010-10-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to Anonymous for contributing Rs.7,000 for Laxman's scholarship.

2010-10-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Eminent writer and social activist Arundhati Roy on Saturday alleged India is witnessing a war within itself since independence and is actually a poor super power. “Since the country gained independence there have been wars against tribals, dalits and others in several parts of the country leading to violation of human rights,” she said.

“Now people are struggling for human rights more than justice,” Roy told a conference “Attack on Life, Liberty and Democratic Rights by the State” in Jaipur.

“Cases of police atrocities on dalits and tribals are increasing,” she said terming Indian as a “poor super power”.

“Our elite say we are a super power. Twenty five per cent of country’s total wealth is with a hundred people and they say it is development.

“Tribal land is being acquired for industrialisation and the voice of tribals is suppressed if they protest. Is it a development?” asked Roy.

“When we talk of poor nations African countries are on top. But, the fact is that eight Indian states together account for more poor people than in 26 African nations, “ she said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-is-a-poor-super-power-Arundhati-Roy/Article1-607438.aspx

2010-09-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Second youngest in a family of five orphans, Laxman hopes to educate himself to support his siblings. Since his parents died a few years ago, Laxman and his brothers and sisters have been living at their uncle´s house where they have to pay their own cost of living.

Laxman has successfully completed the first year of his Bachelor of Administration degree and is ready to begin his second year. He needs our help to pay the Rs.7,000 for tuition, fees and books for the whole year.

Many people from the lowest economic sector in India do not understand the importance of higher education. Laxman does, and is ready to work hard to complete his B.A. to support his family. This makes him a more than worthy candidate in our sight, and I hope we can help him.

2010-09-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

Our friend and supporter Sara Berggren has volunteered to cover the entire cost of Kapil and Bhanu-Pratap's sponsorship. Thank you, Sara!

2010-09-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

These two little boys are Kapil and Bhanu-Pratap. Till now they've been attending a local Vrindavan school (not SMS), in the second and first grades, respectively. However, they might have to drop out if we don't help them.

Their father is a construction worker who, unfortunately, suffers from cancer of the mouth. His health condition makes every workday a struggle for him, and some days he has to stay home and rest. With seven children to support it's impossible for him to fulfill his family's needs. His wife also does hard labor as a construction assitant, but her salary is quite low.

His only hope is to educate his children, so they can help support the family when they are older. But right now, Kapil's family is barely able to come up with money for food and rent for their single room every month.

Just Rs.10,000 (216 USD) will keep Kapil and Bhanu-Pratap in school by providing them with tuition, fees, books and uniforms for the coming school session.

2010-09-09T01:36:00.000-07:00

Very special thanks to a very special "Anonymous" for giving Rs.5000 for Nandalal's treatment!

2010-09-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It is time to introduce you to the next person who needs your help to live a better life.

Nandlal is a 39 year old husband and father of five young children. He works as a rikshaw puller while his wife is a homemaker. Nandlal has been suffering from a painful hernia for two years. Despite the pain, Nandlal pulls his rikshaw every day to try to make money to support the needs of his family. His earnings are meagre, and he's been unable to save any money, let alone the 5000 rupees (108 USD) needed to treat his health concerns.

If we can arrange for treatment of his hernia, Nandlal will be able to work longer and earn more money to give his children a better chance at life.

2010-08-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

The Union Cabinet has cleared a 300 percent salary hike for Members of Parliament, from current Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000. Not only this, the perks given to MPs have also been doubled. But the “minimal” hike has completely failed to appease our dear MPs, who sought Rs 80,001 salary per month as recommended by a parliamentary committee.

Money rules! It does, certainly. Politics has become a huge money-making business in India. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the number of crorepati MPs has increased from 156 in 2004 to 315 in 2009.

The non-governmental organisation further noted in its report that the average worth of assets of an MP in the Lower House has increased from Rs 1.86 crore to Rs 5.33 crore in the last five years. How does the bank balance of our politicians go up when the living conditions of the poor and the common man continue to go down?

Just compare and contrast: There are more poor people in eight Indian states (421 million in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) than in the 26 poorest African countries combined (410 million). The statistics were revealed with the help of a new measure called the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which was developed and applied by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with UNDP support.

In 2009, Vandana Shiva of NGO Navdanya had said that India has emerged as the world’s capital of hunger with 214 million hungry people.

More than 70% of India’s under-five children are anaemic.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences noted last year that two out of three of India’s 1.1 billion people still live and work in rural areas and as many as 1,50,000 debt-hit farmers have killed themselves in the past decade.

According to UNICEF, 665 million Indians don’t have access to toilets, so they defecate in public.http://www.zeenews.com/news649898.html

2010-08-17T00:41:00.001-07:00

Special thanks to Jayaraman Gopalan for donation 51 USD for Poonam's recovery.

2010-08-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Krishnaa Devi for raising £200 (314 USD) for Poonam's treatment, and to Anubhava & Mukunda for contributing 100 Euros (130 USD). We've now reached our goal for Poonam, and are ready to help the next person in need. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping Poonam in your prayers. We'll continue to keep you informed of her situation as she continues her journey through recovery.

2010-08-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

TNN, Aug 12, 2010, 02.41am IST

KADAPA: In a shocking incident, a man sold his six-year-old daughter in an open auction in Kadapa district on Wednesday in his desperation to buy liquor.

Krishnaiah, 40, a daily wage labourer, of Lakkireddypalle in Rayachoti constituency sold his daughter to one Mohd Basha for Rs 1,000 in Ramapuram. With the news spreading like wild fire, police entered the scene and rescued the girl.

It all started when Krishnaiah, a drunkard, went to a liquor shop in the morning but the shop owner denied him liquor since he has incurred a heavy debt. In dire need, the man took his daughter to nearby Ramapuram and put her up for sale. The bid started at Rs 300 ($6.40).

Finally, Bhasha paid Rs 1,000 ($23) and took the girl along with him. But the cops got wind of the shocking news and caught hold of Krishnaiah. They beat him up. Fearing that the police would arrest him, Bhasha left the girl on the street and fled from the spot.

Meanwhile, the police took Krishnaiah into custody. A case was registered.

2010-08-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Chiam Shine for giving $100 towards Poonam's case. Only $256 left to go!

2010-08-06T23:34:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week Vivek Oberoi and Sushmita Sen visited Sandipani Muni School in Vrindavan. During the visit they met Poonam in our Kikinagla Medical Center. They were touched by her story, and gave her lots of much-needed encouragement and affection.

For more images of Vivekji and Sushmitaji at Food for Life Vrindavan, please click here: http://www.fflvrindavan.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=15180

2010-07-27T01:09:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Dr. Zeenat, for being so kind in helping Amit throughout our communication with him. The good doctor has recently sent us $400 for Poonam's treatment and $200 for Amit. Due to Dr. Zeenat's kindness, we will not be taking further donations for Amit at this time.

For Poonam - we still need $356USD/Rs.16,627 to cover the cost of her treatment before we can help anyone else!

2010-07-13T03:53:00.000-07:00

Wonderful news for everyone who has been praying for Poonam and keeping track of her progress. The feeding tube is gone and she is eating normally. More importantly, she is fully concious, talking and smiling, studying and writing. Her right arm is still paralysed, but the doctor assures us it is not permanent. Although her right hand will gradually regain more and more dexterity, she is already trying to write with her left hand. She is in great spirits, eager to play and learn. Special thanks to K. and B., our wonderful volunteers who have started working with Poonam to help her catch up on her studies.

Poonam's total bills came to Rs.86,000, of which Rs.50,673 has already been sponsored.

We still must raise the last Rs.35,327 before we can help anyone else. We have several cases waiting, so if we can erase this debt it will be a great blessing to the next person in line.

2010-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

LONDON: Eight Indian states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, together account for more poor people than the 26 poorest African nations combined , a new ‘‘ multidimensional’ ’ measure of global poverty has said.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was developed and applied by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) with UNDP support and will feature in the forthcoming 20th anniversary edition of the UNDP Human Development Report due late October.

The MPI, which supplants the Human Poverty Index, assesses a range of critical factors or ‘‘ deprivations’ ’ at the household level: from education to health outcomes to assets and services.

An analysis by MPI creators reveals that there are more ‘MPI poor’ people in eight Indian states (420 million in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh , Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) than in the 26 poorest African countries combined (410 million).
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/8-Indian-states-poorer-than-Africas-26-poorest/articleshow/6161307.cms

2010-06-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Poonam's orthopedic operation yesterday was successful. The surgeon who performed the operation said if we had waited longer we might not have been able to save her leg. The surgeon even donated one bottle of his own blood for Poonam.

The surgery was done free of charge by an anonymous surgeon, but we still must provide for associated charges, follow-ups, medication, etc.

We still need $650 (Rs.30,000) to cover Poonam's expenses so she can continue to progess towards recovery.

2010-06-18T03:15:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Bharat Patel for contributing $750 towards Poonam's treatment.

We still need $650 (Rs.30,000) to cover expenses for her upcoming surgery.

2010-06-18T02:33:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

FFLV's Dr Sanjay Pisharodi (Shyama Vallabha Das) has examined Poonam and says:

Her neurological condition will take a few months to resolve. Meanwhile if something is not done to fix the fracture of her thigh, she will be maimed for life. I spoke to my friend who is an orthopedic surgeon qualified from the USA... [who] said that he will be able to do it. He will waive his operating charges and also arrange for a cheaper room. Still the expense will come to Rs.35,000. Add to that the follow ups and medicines, it will be approx Rs.50,000.

Her father, a bus driver, simply does not have the money to pay the Rs.30,000 from the previous surgery plus 50,000 for the upcoming orthopedic surgery: a total of Rs.80,000 or $1,750 USD.

Our beloved friends Mary Sydlewski, Michael McMillan, and "Anonymous," have already contributed $350, bringing the total needed to $1,400.

This little girl, whom we first thought might not pull through, is fighting with everything she has to hang on to life. But she needs your help.

2010-06-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Poonam was released from the hospital early last week, and we sent one of our doctors to see her. He wrote:

"The orthopedic operation should be done asap. We should get the cost from a surgeon. The brain hemorrhage will resolve spontaneously in few months. We should consult a neurologist once in a
month to get opinion. The catheter must be removed and home made diapers should be used.
She is slowly improving."

The overall news is good as we were all afraid she might not survive. We will keep you updated on her wellbeing, and the cost of the surgery as soon as we find out.

2010-06-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

Heartfelt thanks to Mary Sydlewski for giving $100 towards Poonam's treatment.

2010-06-02T03:14:00.000-07:00

The latest news on Poonam, who fell from the roof last month, is severe yet promising. At the moment Poonam is sleepy, but wakes up periodically, looks around and cries - which means she has some awareness of her surroundings, though she is not speaking yet.

Poonam's left femur is fractured, and will require surgery, which should occur after ten days. Unfortunately her head is injured and swollen. Some blood is present in the parieto/temporal lobe of the left cerebral hemisphere. The blood should become liquid and be absorbed by the body, but it will leave a scar on the gray matter, an epileptic focus.

She is no longer on a drip, and she is taking anti-epileptic drugs and antibiotics. She is being fed through a nasogasatic drain. She also has hemiparesia of the right sign, meaning her right side is paralysed, her arm being more affected than her leg.

Expenses are estimated at 20,000 rupees or $430 USD.

2010-05-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

After his recent examination at our FFLV Medical Center, Sukhvir was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. 400 mL of pus was drained from his liver over the course of three days. He is now feeling much better. He now has an ultrasound and a blood test to take before commencing with the rest of his treatment. Thanks to everyone who has come forward to help Sukhvir. Let's all hope his treatment continues to go well.

2010-05-26T03:14:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

Poonam, one of our SMS students, recently fell from the roof of her home in Vrindavan. Doctors say Poonam's condition is improving. She has partially regained consciousness and sometimes mumbles broken phrases to her parents and visitors.

Doctors say Poonam may need surgery to drain blood from her cranium. However, surgery cannot be performed till the swelling of the brain is reduced. Luckily, the swelling is indeed going down.

Thanks to everybody for your prayers and please continue to keep little Poonam and her family in your thoughts and hearts.

2010-05-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Michael McMillan for contributing $150 for the treatment of Poonam!

2010-05-22T22:30:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Anonymous for contributing $100 for the treatment of Poonam!

2010-05-19T03:50:00.000-07:00

Heartfelt thanks to Bharat Patel for contributing $250 towards Amit's surgery.

2010-05-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Vera Gridasova for the generous gift of $50 towards the treatment of Sukhvir. Thank you!

2010-05-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Swati and Harish for their generous gift of $51 towards the treatment of Sukhvir. Thank you!

2010-05-17T03:27:00.000-07:00

Young Poonam is in critical condition today after a fall from the roof of her home in Vrindavan. Since the fall she's remained unconscious, with a fractured leg and internal injury to the head. Her distraught family are with her in the emergency room in Agra. Poonam's classmates in Sandipani Muni School's fourth grade are asking you all to please pray for their beloved friend.

Doctors estimate a minimum of Rs.50,000 ($1,111 USD) for Poonam's treatment. We will keep you updated with more news about Poonam as it arises.

2010-05-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Bharat Patel for giving the final $250 towards the treatment of Sukhvir. Thank you!

2010-04-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Daya devi dasi for giving $50 towards the treatment of Sukhvir. Thank you!
Only $250 to go!

2010-04-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Raktambara dasa and Mukhya devi dasi who gave 108 Euros towards the treatment of Sukhvir. Only 300 USD to go!

2010-03-30T21:55:00.001-07:00

Just by looking into his world-worn face, you might not guess that Sukhvir has a life-threatening illness.Sukhvir, a rickshaw-puller and father of three, suffers from a chronic Hepatitis B infection. Aside from the constant nausea, body aches, fever, and other symptoms - which make it difficult for him to work - he is at high risk for cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. He requires treatment to control his symptoms and prevent futher damage to his liver. Treatment will include testing of liver function every few months and medication to be administered when required.

The doctor says that if all goes well, Sukhvir's treatment will cost about Rs.20,000 ($445) for three to four years. This kind of money is hard to come by for a rickshaw-puller like Sukhvir, who barely supports his two young sons and his wife, who is mentally ill, on a salary of about Rs.2,000 ($50) per month. With your help, Sukhvir has a chance to live and support his family for years to come.

2010-03-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is the great Indian paradox. The country's economy is booming, with the number of millionaires and billionaires rising by the day. According to a research by Bain & Co, there are over 115,000 high-networth individuals in India.

Since 2000, this elite group has grown an average of 11 per cent annually. Between 2006 and 2007, the number of wealthy individuals in India surged by 23 per cent, which is the highest growth rate in the world.

While this may be good news, here is the other side of the India growth story.

Today, more than 400 million people live below the poverty line in India. The global meltdown has pushed an additional 25 million to 40 million citizens below the poverty line.

So how can a country like India bridge the gap between its rich and poor? Are India's wealthiest people doing their best to reach out to the poorest? Well, the generosity of India's rich population does not necessarily rise with income and education, says the Bain & Co study.

"The wealthiest have the lowest level of giving at 1.6 % of household income. While the 'high class', which is ranked one level below the 'upper class' on the income and education scale, donates 2.1% to charity, the middle class gives 1.9% of household income to philanthropy," says Arpan Sheth, partner, Bain & Company.

http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/mar/25/slide-show-1-indias-wealthiest-are-the-least-generous.htm

2010-03-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: This is one world No. 1 tag that 'emerging India' would love to shed. Indians comprised 58% of all people across the world who regularly defecated in the open in 2008. That's more than half the Indian population (54%), a WHO-UNICEF report said. While 18% of urban India indulged in the practice, the percentage was as high as 69% in rural parts of the country.

Globally, 1.1 billion people still have no access to toilets, with India alone contributing 638 million to the figure. Just 11 countries, including India, are home to 81% of such people. The other nations include neighbouring countries like China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, besides Indonesia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Brazil and Niger.

Experts say open defecation leads to deadly diarrhea and other intestinal diseases, and contributes to poor hygiene which kills hundreds of thousands of people globally every year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Every-day-11bn-people-poo-without-a-loo/articleshow/5691884.cms

2010-03-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Raktambara prabhuji, for kindly donating the amount pending to pay for Narayan's hospital bill.
We do appreciate very much.
We do not have any pending cases right now and that its a good sign as it means to tragedies in our midst here in Vrindavan Dham.
yours rupa

2010-03-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

We are sorry and happy at the same time to inform you that Narayan has passed away. He was really crying and praying for that, his life was very difficult and also at best he would have been on wheel chair for the rest of his life. Some complication in his kidney have contributed to his departure.
Our prayers are with the mother and three children left behind, we will help them in any way possible. On their behalf a heartfelt thank you to those who helped with his medical bills.
yours
rupa

Major operators to increase the efficiency of their own operations

Establishing a substantial capability in carbon capture and storage (CCS)

Continuing to research and develop technologies that increase efficiency and reduce emissions in hydrocarbon production

Educating energy consumers about ways to reduce their own emissions

2010-02-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

Narayan was in hospital for 16 days, now he has been discharged and is at home.

A nurse visit him every other day and change dressing and administer medications.
Total cost for his hospital bills including medicine and doctor's fees, 36,000 Rs (US$ 800).
We have received $67 from The Prayer Circle plus $150 from Janelle Veitch, Australia.
Thank you Janelle.

Now Narayan is at home and will need nursing. The ongoing cost for that is Rs. 4,000 (US$ 89) per month.
We still need $583 to pay for his hospital bill and we will need another Rs. 84,000 (US$ 1,068) for one year of care.
We need a total of $1,651