WiproCares supports Make a Difference

January 2009 Old Newspaper Collection Drive

Raksha Society Visit on Independence Day

An Exhibition & Sale of Bamboo products by Uravu, Wayanad

Visit to Karunya Bhaven 29 June 2008

Karunya Bhavan is an organization founded in 2005 as one man’s act of kindness. Today, it’s a neighbourhood’s vision and mission for the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned and abandoned children. Its administration is carried out by the Bethel Karunya Educational and Charitable Trust, which comprises mainly of people from the nearby vicinity. Karunya Bhaven is currently home to 65 girls and 67 boys, housed separately at Mulanthuruthy and Aarakkunnnam respectively.

Our Wipro Cares group reached the girls’ home at Mulanthuruthy around 3pm. We listened with heavy hearts as Johnson, a Trust member unfolded the chronicle of Karunya Bhaven. This home was started by a single person, motivated to shelter children abandoned or rejected by their families. He was so kind-hearted that he could not turn away even a single child who sought refuge at his humble premises. But, as the number of children under his care multiplied, so did the bills and debts. The home’s premises were shifted thrice before a charitable trust leased out the present abode. It was here that the Bethel Karunya Trust was formed to take charge of the organization, led by Father Geevarghese.

The girls’ home houses children of ages 3 to 15. All children of school-going age attend school. The home supports their education only till 10th standard, after which they have to hope for generous sponsors. We were taken around to see their rooms and found, to our dismay, 3 rooms, with little furniture, where the girls study, have food and sleep on the floor. Nutritious food and clean water are a scarcity, making the girls vulnerable to illnesses. Basic amenities have been bought on credit and are utilized sparingly. At times, if a kind-hearted soul agrees to sponsor a meal, the children are fortunate to have a hearty meal. The Trust has tried to improve the living conditions by constructing an upper floor with bathrooms. But, due to lack of funds, the work has been discontinued.

We spent around 2 hours with the girls, chatting with them and encouraging them to display their talents. Little Riny’s creative genius, evident from her craft work, was undeniable. The girls were delighted to entertain us with song and dance. It was a truly memorable time. As we prepared to take leave, the girls surrounded us, held our hands and drew promises from us to visit them again. We left the home, our hearts touched by their affection and Johnson’s words resounding in our thoughts, “What counts isn’t the financial help that’s extended, but the heart that takes time to care.”

The Team from Wipro Cares:

• Aneesh Chandran
• Merin Jacob
• Preetha Abraham
• Rinu Kurien
• Smrithi Gopala

Visit to Dil Se -2008 May

Marina Racine and Cristelle Hart couldn’t have chosen a better name for their dream project Dil Se (meaning From the heart), because the duo have put their heart and soul into the establishment of the Dil Se Trust. Dil Se Trust was established in Switzerland in the year 2000 and has its chapters in Madurai and Cochin.

In Cochin, Dil Se started a home in 2001 for children either abandoned by their families or from families too poor to care for them. Currently, the home, situated opposite the seaside, has eight children (6 boys and 2 girls) from the ages 7 to 17. Focusing on quality rather than quantity, Dil Se homes attempt to create a family atmosphere by caring for only a maximum of fifteen children at a time, so that each child gets the maximum possible care, love and attention.

As our Wipro Cares group arrived at Dil Se around 10am on 24th May 2008, Cristelle and the children were getting ready for a jumble sale they had planned for the local people. Cristelle introduced us to Michael who helps with the administration and Celine, a Belgian psychologistwho has come as a volunteer for a few months. As the local people flocked in to look at the items for sale, Cristelle showed us around the neat, modest, but sparsely furnished home. We learnt that though majority of the children were from Kerala, there were a few from other states too. The children are given basic education and taken good care of. In cases where local families cannot afford the education of children, they request the home to take charge of them. But, Dil Se encourages families who can look after their own children to live do so, and supports them by taking care of their education.

As the crowd thinned out, the children who had been busy selling the items until then were free to talk to us. Little Gayathri and Reena showed us their wares and tried to coax us into a purchase. As we watched Cristelle cradle a little boy in her arms with a motherly affection, we pondered over the motivation that must have led two young foreign women to give their lives for these little ones. Truly inspirational!

The Team:

1. Dhanya Unnithiriparambil
2. Aneesh Chandran
3. Gautam Goodapati
4. Herman Roshan Moras
5. Joseph Panjikaran
6. Lakshmi Jayakumar
7. Manju Thomas
8. Merin Jacob
9. Preetha Abraham
10. Rinu Kurien
11. Sheena Kunnoth

Visit to Sneha Bhavan -2008 May

The day was bright & sunny as our small group of six assembled at the gates of Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan in Palluruthy just before 10 am. Sneha Bhavan is an organization established by the Cochin Corporation in 1974 to house boys rescued from the streets, to heal the brokenness in their lives, to inspire, support and steer them towards a new life, integrated with the mainstream of society. The Salsians of Don Bosco have been entrusted the task of Sneha Bhavan’s administration.

As we entered the grounds, a few boys of around 8 to 12 years were carrying out their daily chores of sweeping the grounds and watering the plants, occasionally supervised by an older boy. It seemed remarkable how meticulously they worked, and bespoke the discipline instilled in the kids growing up there.

We met Fr. Thomas, who runs Sneha Bhavan and were encouraged to meet and spend some time with the children. The boys assembled in a small hall in their building, and sat on the floor in four straight lines. Fr. Thomas introduced us briefly and entreated them to share their thoughts with us and to show us around. We were delighted to see the kids’ enthusiasm to get to know us. As they warmed up to us and began to talk about themselves, we began to distribute sweets. “This is Moses”, said Shankardas. He continued, “He has been here since 5 years and I have been here since 9 years. We are best friends.”

The boys then led us out into the grounds and entertained us with songs. The companionship, the kinship that subsisted between 75 boys of ages 5 to 18, from different parts of India, even defying lingual barriers, seemed simply remarkable.
The boys in our group were invited to join for a game of football. They were also eager to have us play caroms and other indoor games with them. It was as though we were transported back to our childhood for an hour or so.
Soon we were taken around to see their ‘home’, with little Siju acting as our main guide. We were proudly shown around their dormitory, dining hall and study room. All appeared spotlessly neat and tidy. The study room, filled with desks & chairs, had walls adorned with the boys’ drawings. Each boy has just 3 sets of clothes, one of which is the school uniform. Every boy has to maintain his clothes neatly. Passing by the staff room, we noticed a shelf lined with medals and trophies won by the boys for different competitions. Siju also pointed out the home’s dispensary, saying, “I’d like to be a doctor someday.”

“The boys are from different backgrounds. Some are brought here by the police who find them wandering on streets. Some are rescued from child labor, others abandoned by families migrating to Kerala in search of work”, said Fr. Thomas, when we met in his office room a while later. “Some of them have been wandering through different states in India, hopping trains, singing & begging for alms.” Boys from other states are usually rehabilitated to orphanages in their respective states so that they are not deprived of growing up within their own culture.
The younger boys are given basic education at the nearby Malayalam-medium schools. Older boys are sent to high-school and are also given vocational training. College education is provided to boys based on aptitude, if aided by generous sponsors. During summer break, the boys are provided computer education and career guidance. Those with relatives willing to have them spend a few days with them are allowed to do so during the vacation from school. Sneha Bhavan has both a musical band and a chenda troupe formed by the boys.

“I can play the chenda well”, piped a little voice. I looked down at a pair of bright eyes gazing at me eagerly. Fr.Thomas then went on to tell that this little boy and his cousin were from Tamil Nadu and were found playing the chenda and singing on trains for alms. Both of them were now residents at Sneha Bhaven. “Can you read this?” the little boy continued, showing me a name he had scribbled on his palm in English. “Vijay”, I read out. “That’s my name,” he said proudly. ‘Yes,’ I thought, ‘Vijay, meaning success or victory, and Sneha Bhavan is where you start your journey towards it.’ ‘Perhaps,’ I mused, remembering the others too, like Moses who confided his dream of becoming a computer engineer, ‘we at Wipro Cares could provide the stepping stones towards it.’
Too often we under-estimate the power of a touch,
A smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
Or the smallest act of caring…
All of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Let's show that we care...
WIPRO CARES

Note Extended by : Preetha Abraham

Wiproites who were fortunate enough to be part of the activity :

Lydia Peter
Melvin George Thankachan
Nikhil Mathew
Preetha Abraham
Saju Vaheed
Smrithi Gopala