“Freedom for Girls” Reaches India!

Dear Friend,

A new chapter opened this month in the “Freedom for Girls” project that is a Rotary/Lions/HEART joint project. We are reaching thousands of school girls in Kenya and now have extended our reach to include India! This will be continued through local Rotary/Lions clubs in India.

Please let me share with you my first trip to India!

Bombay is full of people … very busy, industrious people … and is a very exotic land! I arrived in Bombay (now called Mumbai) at 3 AM and the city was alive with people. I could not believe the movement … the airport was teeming with people smiling and giving each other hugs as the new arrivals were greeted by friends and family. On the plane, I sat next to a charming (handsome) young Indian man that has business in Nairobi. He also turned out to be very compassionate and kind. When he learned it was my first time to navigate through customs and immigrations of Bombay he said, “I will not leave you till you meet your friends” – he managed my luggage – directed me through the hour long progress of immigration and escorted me into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Kundan Doshi! They were waiting for me at the airport … and Mrs. Doshi scurried forward to greet and welcome me to Bombay! At 3 AM it was already quite warm and humid … and very much awake and alive with people … they told me “Bombay never sleeps” and I believe it!

We moved to the Domestic Airport to wait for our flight to Ahmedabad. We had breakfast at the airport and then the hour flight. I was of course dozing off and on and had not yet freshened up … Mrs. Doshi kindly assured me I looked fine …

There was a vehicle waiting for us from the Divya Seva Foundation (means Divine Service) and took us to a school for the blind … “Blind People’s Association” (India) an awesome place that has all kinds of training for the blind … computers (by ear phones) a beauty shop, telephone reception … wood cutting … they also make wheel chairs … a truly awesome place overseen by a dignified, elegant lady dressed in a beautiful sari, Jayanti Panchal (maybe 70 years old). We were escorted to her office and served tea and biscuits (we would call them cookies) she very interested and in need of the Freedom for Girls Project (sanitary towels and underwear). At this meeting we met a Lions Past District Governor that also shared his interest in this project. Mr. Doshi spoke of a partnership with local Rotary and Lions groups to help secure these for them.

Our next stop was lunch at Dr. Shashank Rathod’s clinic. He is an esteemed Ophthalmologist and LASIK Surgeon. He is also an active Rotarian and very interested in the Freedom for Girls Project. His clinic was packed with people in various stages of surgery … waiting for surgery, just finished with surgery and returning for follow up care. The clinic was on the second floor – very clean and very modern looking. I noticed a large number of shoes at the doorway … all sizes and types … we went in to wait and were kindly asked to return outside and remove our shoes … the lunch they served was excellent traditional Indian food.

Next we went to the home of a relative of Mr. Doshi, B.T. Parekh who is also an active Rotarian and the bureau Chief of Hindusthan Samachar, News Agency. We had a lovely visit and plans for follow up on the article for FFG.

We then went to visit the son of B.T. Pareekh, who is a Cancer specialist and also a strong Rotarian. Dr. Bhavesh Parekh is also interested in helping with the Freedom for Girls project.

By this time all three of us were getting very tired … Mr. and Mrs. Doshi and myself as we began the two hour journey by vehicle to “Healthyways” a Hindu health farm in the country side of Gujaret. The travel there was so interesting. In the city there are many motorcycles and motor scooters. I tried to count their number compared to cars and think it was about 6 cycles/scooters to every car/truck. They kind of swarmed around you and rushed to be the first at the stop lights. There were many women with children driving the scooters dressed in their traditional sari’s with their garments flowing behind them in a colorful stream of elegant beauty. It was really quite a striking sight. Very few wore helmets.

As we left the city we encountered many trucks on the road and almost all of them had written on the back bumper, “Please … Horn OK” and our driver literally drove … honking his horn about every minute! I drifted in and out of sleep as we raced toward our destination … honking our horn at trucks and cows and people. Two hours later we arrived at this health farm that looked like a monastery ….surrounded by beautiful gardens and little private places to escape to for meditation. This is where we finally met our host, Bhartidevi Kantaria … the Founder Trustee of the Divya Seva Foundation (Divine service Foundation). I first met Bhartidevi in London the end of October, when I went to meet with the Elton John AIDS Foundation. She lives in London, but grew up in India. She is a graceful, stylish, attractive Indian women with a heart to help her people and had donated the funds through her foundation to supply 1,000 school girls a year’s supply of sanitary towels/undergarments.

By this time, 6:30 PM (remember I arrived at 3 AM) I was not feeling very stylish, attractive or graceful … still in my travel garments that had been chosen for travel comfort not for meeting all the people we had met that day … Bharti (as she is called) realized we needed a rest/shower/freshening up; so had us shown to our rooms and gave us an hour before we met for dinner. That evening is kind of a blur except for the kindness I felt from all the staff and guests and especially from Bharti. I slept soundly and awoke refreshed in the morning.

The Freedom for Girls launch was held here at the Center. Guests and friends of Bharti’s came from many places to honor her as she launched this initiative for the girl child in India! It was a lovely ceremony and they asked me to speak on behalf of Freedom for Girls/Rotary/Lions/HEART. I also played the Freedom for Girls DVD which was well received and many later complimented me on the quality and message of the DVD. Several asked for copies … I gave away what I had brought with me and wished I had brought more. I had already given out the DVD and FFG Health Booklets to all our previous contacts the day before. We had lunch and then packed and raced back to the city for a flight back to Bombay. I stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Doshi in his father’s home … his brother and niece and nephew now live in this flat (apartment) and gave up their bedroom to me for the night as it had a private bath. Mr. Doshi grew up here … and I felt so honored to be able to stay with them in his father’s home. It was 2 AM before we reached this flat, and after greetings went to bed.

The next day we went shopping! Mrs. Doshi’s and their niece, a beautiful friendly young woman that I instantly liked! I bought my great granddaughter, Kenndall, and great grandson, Mason, traditional Indian clothes worn for special occasions. I also bought some small items for family Christmas gifts. Then we met Mr. Doshi and his brother for at the “Grand Central Hotel” for lunch. This is by far one of the most elaborate, fancy, beautiful hotels I have ever seen! Lunch was awesome … I had a more “American” meal. Later the young couple took Mrs. Doshi and me on a tour of Bombay! It was quite an experience … from the largest slum in the world to hotel/mall that was again just … extraordinarily gorgeous with absolutely everything! Then after taking me out for coffee … they took me to the airport for my red eye flight back to Kenya …

It was a whirlwind trip … one I will never forget. I am afraid my feeble attempt to share my experience with you with these written words is by far lacking in describing the beauty… the poverty… the elegance … the contrast that I experienced. I had to return to Nairobi because of prior commitments I wish I could have accepted the Doshi’s request to remain with them a few days … but my work at HEART required I return.

So can you believe it? Freedom for girls has reached India … Bharti wants also to launch it in Uganda in February 2010. I am so grateful to Mr. Doshi and his many contacts … one I will always treasure is meeting and staying with his family.

Meeting Bharti again … and seeing her heart for her people in India, and also her desire to help the girls of Uganda … is a landmark experience for me personally and for HEART and Freedom for Girls. Bharti is an amazing woman that sees a vision to help the poor and needy and is just doing it!

I realize this is a long e-news letter but many have asked for my experience in India … actually to tell it all would take about 10 pages … this is my shortened version!

Read what you want and know for sure that with your support we are helping many girls continue their education. Without the FFG packets of sanitary towels and underwear these girls are missing about 5 days of school a month … and soon cannot compete with the other students. They fall behind and drop out of school and soon find themselves engaged in activities that lead to HIV/AIDS. This is definitely a HIV/AIDS prevention project; as school girls that remain in school are much less likely to contract HIV.

Thank you for your assistance as we continue our fight for the girl child!

My trip to India cost me personally $700 … we did not have the funds in the general fund for such a trip …Mr. Doshi paid for my in-country air travel and Bharti paid for transport and lodging at the Healthyways center. …

My love and appreciation for your friendship and help with the many HEART projects that are growing and expanding in Kenya and now reaching faraway places … beyond my dreams!

Milele Shukrani, (forever grateful in Swahili)

Vickie
HEART Founder/Executive Director