Jumping rope

The kids are on their Dasara holiday from the 18th of September to the 2nd of October.
During the break, they have a daily schedule, with the normal bath/prayer routine in the morning, followed by breakfast and chores. They also continue their tutoring classes, so they don't forget what they learned in school, and spend the rest of the time playing games and engaging in some really fun outdoor activities.

Shanti

Prema and Manikanta helping Shanti

Prema

Manikanta

Sharath going to ride his bike

Nanjunda during the daily cricket gameVenkatesh

All of the toys and games for the kids were donated by generous supporters of our work. Thanks!

What do the little ones do all day?

Wonder what the little ones do all day?

To start with, four of our tiny tots, Mohan, Lalitah, Gowtham, and Darshan, attend pre-nursery school from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm each day. Adarsh, the fifth little one, is two years old and starts school next year.

Lalitha, Gowtham, and Darshan

First they take a bath and eat their breakfast. Then they get ready for school, by brushing their teeth, getting dressed, and combing their hair. Next, they get a ride to nursery school since they are small and it's a little far for them to walk.

At 12:30pm, they return for lunch, a little nap and playtime, and then tutoring with Vaibao! Vaibao spends 15 minutes with each teaching them to write the letters of the alphabet. He also sings songs with them and tries his best to get them to sit still for a few minutes.

Darshan seems to be listening intently to Vaibao.

Then decides that showing teacher his toy cell phone is more interesting!

Darshan wants to show you the Dasara elephants

It's almost Dasara time in the city of Mysore, and the big, gentle elephants are out every day on their practice walk, preparing for the city-wide parade in a couple of weeks.

During Dasara, the kids get two weeks off from school.

Little Darshan showing you the elephants

Operation Shanti and the India Giving Challenge

Beginning on September 1, residents of India can donate to us through the web page below, as part of the GiveIndia India Giving Challenge. The fundraising effort runs from September 1 to October 10.

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/operationshanti

Please send this link above to everyone that you know in India, or anyone who may know someone in India, such as colleagues at offices in India, who may be interested in donating to our cause.

The charities raising the most money or who have the highest number of unique donors will receive matching donations from GiveIndia, as follows:

Matching limit	Top Three Corporates by Funds Raised	Top Three NGOs by Funds Raised	Top Three Corporates by Number of Unique Donors	Top Three NGOs by Number of Unique Donors
First	Rs. 10 lacs	Rs. 8 lacs	Rs. 2.5 lacs	Rs. 2.5 lacs
Second	Rs. 6 lacs	Rs. 4 lacs	Rs. 1.5 lacs	Rs. 1.5 lacs
Third	Rs. 4 lacs	Rs. 3 lacs	Rs. 1 lac	Rs 1 lac
(Note: 1 lac ≈ US$2,000)

GiveIndia will match on a one-for-one basis the funds raised by the top charities.

If you're not a resident of India, you can still contribute to our efforts here.

Thanks!