Wednesday 5 December - afternoon

When we returned to the Convent the parents of the HMM sponsored children were gathered. They had been waiting quite a while as we were visiting homes much longer than planned. Several of them spoke about what sponsorship has meant for their family. They spoke of how they never thought their differently-abled child would be able to learn and develop but since coming to the Holy Cross School they have seen great development and positive changes in their behaviour. They spoke of the pride they have in their children and how the views of society are slowly changing to accept their children. One mother said that it took some time and a lot of searching but her child’s talents are shining and he is doing very well. A father who is a retired police officer came to this village and did not expect to stay long. Now that his child is in school and developing many skills he says he won’t leave. The last mother said that her special child is a special gift from God. What more could I say after that? I told the parents that we all have difficulties. Their children’s may be more visible than others, but we all struggle. By loving their children they are showing others that every child is a gift from God regardless of how their difficulties are displayed. Sr. Rani asked if I could explain why some children are sponsored very quickly and others take a very long time. I explained the best I could how we find the sponsors and why sponsors may choose to sponsor a certain child. They also asked how we can help them more – sponsorship does help but their problems are so great. Sr. Rani explained that this is a common question they are asked and a problem they face.
Though they recognize how much sponsorship makes a difference and are grateful the parents always ask for more. I guess I can understand where they are coming from. Who wouldn’t want as much for their child as possible? Chalice has appeared as a source of assistance and they naturally want to get as much benefit as possible. After we were finished talking some of the children performed a dance for us. They were dressed in shiny costumes and were obviously having a wonderful time showing off their talents! I had a chance to mingle with the parents and some of the children at the end of the meeting. They all wanted a chance to say thank you and speak to me in what little English they knew. I held some of the smaller children and gave lots of kisses.

After lunch I went into the classrooms and met some of the differently-abled children who attend the Special School. The first room was smaller children who were playing with some toy animals. They were all very interested in my camera and didn’t so much want to have their photo taken as touch it.

This room is also where the physiotherapist works with the children who have physical difficulties. I met a special young woman named Christeena. She has cerebral palsy and mental delays; she cannot sit alone, stand or talk. Her legs do not bend and she is completely dependent on others for almost everything. One of the things she can do very well is smile! I sat with her for awhile and we had a nice time together. Christeena has been waiting for a sponsor for two years. To sponsor a child like Christeena go to the Chalice website, where we have a selection of children who are waiting for sponsors from all over the world (Chalice works in 15 countries). For a child from one of the Kerala sub-sites (or if one on the website doesn't catch your eye) you can email me (alishalebouthillier@chalice.ca) and I will get you in touch the Sponsor Representative for that Site.

The next class was for children who were a bit older and had higher mental capacities. One young man was very shy and would not even look at me! The others had no problem showing me their workbooks and telling me what they are learning. One boy was very proud of his counting ability and made it all the way up to 100! 

The last class I visited was for young men and women. I met Abi who has cerebral palsy and struggles to control his movement. He took great pride in writing his name for me, both in the local language and in English! The Srs. brought out some small cupcakes for me to give to the students as a treat. That made me very popular!

Sr. Mary (lt) and Sr. Rani (rt) in front of Convent

After visiting the school I met with the sub-site staff. There are two sub-sites here: HMM (special children and elderly) and HMC. Sr. Rani is the HMM sub-site director and she also runs the Special School. There is also an accountant, fieldworker and 3 Skills@Chalice staff (all part-time). The HMC sub-site director is Sr. Mary. They have 2 other full-time staff – a fieldworker and accountant. We spoke about some of the obstacles they face. Sr. Rani said that one of the major ones is when the fieldworkers go to visit the homes. Often no one is there and this means going back two or three times just to get an answer to a simple question. As I discovered this morning it isn’t easy getting to some of the homes. The children come from nearby villages – the farthest ones are about 20 kms away. But this is not 20 Canadian kms... it can take an hour to travel that distance here. It’s expensive and frustrating to make a home visit to find no one is there. This is the reason it can take so long to get answers to questions that sponsors have. As I saw this morning alcoholism and abuse are very big issues here among the men. The Srs. have done some addiction awareness work and they have sent some of the men to get professional help for their addictions. But often they will turn back to drinking. All of the responsibility then falls on the mother to earn enough to support the whole family without her husband getting his hands on the money. Very often the men who drink abuse their wives and children. This adds a huge stress on everyone and the children’s ability to do well in school is severely affected.

On a very positive note, Sr. Rani’s office has a showcase of many medals and trophies. Some of the students are very good athletes. This year Libin (his photo is above – his mom spoke during the meeting with the parents) brought home a medal for swimming. Last year two sponsored students won bronze in volleyball. There is also a photo in the display case of the children who participated in the Special Olympics from Mannackanad meeting India’s president at the time.

After a short rest I met with the parents and children of the HMC sub-site. Again, some of the parents spoke about how sponsorship has made a difference in their lives. A couple children also spoke, including Abin, whose house I visited first this morning. His mom is Chandramony. My message for this group was for the children to study hard and do well in life – this is the way they can repay their sponsor. To the parents I told them they must teach their children how to love by loving each other always. One of the sponsored girls performed two dances for us. She is incredibly talented and her goal in life is to study dance at a local college and teach. At the end I had a chance to meet each parent who attended (it was mostly mothers who came, but there were 3 fathers – I made sure to especially thank them).

Finally this exhausting day is over! I took a much needed shower and had a small supper. I think I will sleep very well tonight. Tomorrow Sr. Deepa has a fun day planned for us. We will go boating in the Backwaters of Kerala and then shopping in Kottayam!