Kids of the Week -- Raju and big Pooja

We've started a new incentive program at KM, where we award the "best" kid -- one boy and one girl -- each week, for good behavior.

During the prior week, the winners must have demonstrated excellent behavior and/or great improvements in behavior, in areas such as doing their homework and chores consistently, not fighting with other children, helping out around KM without being asked, brushing their teeth each morning and evening, following our daily schedule, and washing their clothes correctly.

This week's winners are Raju and big Pooja. Raju, age 5, is a sweet, quiet boy who does his homework diligently and never fights with the other little kids. Big Pooja, age 11, has demonstrated great improvements in her behavior -- where in the past she used to cry all the time and avoid doing her chores, she has started to do them without being reminded and has exhibited more mature behavior.

The winners get daily snacks for school each week (cookies, candy, fruits, other goodies)!

Raju

big Pooja

Mysore Ladies' Circle

Earlier this year, the women from the Mysore Ladies' Circle came to Karunya Mane to meet our kids. The Ladies' Circle is made up of young professional women and housewives who do charitable work around the city of Mysore.


They enjoyed meeting our kids, and our kids enjoyed meeting them and the kids from their "Genius Club", who engage in charitable projects each year.

Girls dancing!

The kids who attended the Natana Workshop this past summer learned a few songs; here are Pooja, Prema, Shanthi, and Divya sharing one of them with you:

Three big kids to Bannur...

This year, we transferred three of our oldest kids to a residential school in Bannur, a town about a 45-minute drive from Mysore. These three kids will be able to accelerate their educational progress there, as well as have the opportunity to make friends with more kids their own age.

The three who have gone to Bannur are Lokesh, Nanjunda, and Asha, below, saying goodbye to her cousin Gowtham.

Lokesh and Nanjunda (both in red shirts, sitting) waiting in the van.

We first stopped on the street so that Nanjunda could say a quick goodbye to his grandma (his closest relative, who lives and works on the street).

Grannie is quite happy that Nanjunda wanted to continue his education, and does not want to return to the street life.

So far, the three kids are doing well at Bannur, where they wake every morning at 4:30 for prayer and yoga practice, followed by a bath, studying and breakfast, and then school all day.