Go Sadiq and Divya!

Congratulations to Divya and Sadiq, two of our kids studying in English medium. English is not their native language -- it isn't for any of our kids -- but they wanted to take advantage of the English curriculum offered at school to further their education.

Sadiq switched to English medium this school year (5th grade) after studying in Kannada medium for the past three years (English is only offered at 5th grade and beyond). We though he'd do pretty well because he's a good student, but making the switch is not easy for kids who don't come from wealthy backgrounds and families who speak English in the home.

Sadiq

As you can see, he did quite well! Sadiq's first quarter text scores:

Kannada - A+
English - A
Hindi - A
Mathematics - A+
Science - B+
Social Studies - A

During the parent/teacher meeting, Sadiq's teacher told our house mothers that he knows everything even though the grades didin't reflect that -- he was likely nervous when taking his first test written in 100% English. We aren't concerned because he is diligent and has very good study habits. Most of all, Sadiq is highly motivated and wants to do well in school.

When Sadiq first came to us in 2010, he had to start over in 1st grade because he had previously gone to an Urdu school and knew no Kannada. His mom died a few years ago and his dad struggled to feed his three kids, who are now all with us at Karunya Mane.

We also want to highlight Divya, our girl in 6th grade in English medium. Divya received the top scores on the 1st quarter test and ranked #1 in her class!!!

Divya, happy at GRS Fantasy Park in 2013

Divya has been with us since 2008 when she started in 1st grade, and she switched to English in 5th grade two years ago. She's an excellent student and it's hard to believe she used to sleep outside a restaurant on the sidewalk with her dad, who sold peanuts while riding around the city on his bicycle.

Divya and Dad in 2008

School grades!

The kids at Karunya Mane just got their final grades for the school year (2012-2013, which ended in March). Here are a few highlights.

Adarsh, who had to repeat lower kindergarten, received all As and A+s this year and he'll be going to upper kindergarten this coming year (June 2013 to March 2014). Yay!

Surya did very well again in his elite English-based school, St. Francis. He ended up in 4th place in his 3rd grade class!

Surya (left) with his little brother Darshan

Shilpa, our girl who came to Karunya Mane at age six with no schooling, got an A+ average for the second year in a row!

Shilpa

Latha continues to struggle in school. She was allowed to pass 4th grade even though her scores did not merit the promotion because Indian law forbids schools from failing children, regardless of how badly they perform in school. We are currently searching for a teacher who can homeschool Latha for this coming school year. If you know an interested teacher candidate, please let us know.

Latha and her little sister Jyothi

Divya and Vijayalakshmi did very well this year, their first year in English medium (5th grade), with overall average grades of A. We thought they did well considering going from a Kannada-based curriculum to an English-based curriculum is like going from a French- to an English-based curriculum.

 

Divya and Vijayalakshmi

Next year, Pooja and Prema will skip a grade and go from 5th to 7th grade because they are older than their peers in class (they missed several years of school when they lived on the street and in the slum). They both did well in 5th grade, averaging A grades, and understand they have to work extra hard next year.

Arabia did very well in 4th grade, scoring A+s and As throughout the year, and will be going to 6th grade this coming year. Go Arabia!

Our oldest girl, Asha, passed 12th grade and will be starting her bachelor's degree this June. She's in the process of applying to colleges in Mysore -- stay tuned for more!

Asha

Harish, our 10th grader, also passed the nationwide 10th grade exam, and will start PUC 1 (11th grade) in late May. Harish, who lived on the streets before coming to Karunya Mane, went from 1st grade to 10th grade in five years. He started his education far behind his age and has worked hard during the past six years to graduate 10th grade this year.

Harish (left) with Manikanta, who passed 9th grade, and Sreenivasa, who passed 11th grade.

Our kids averaged an A grade, and they are all continuing their studies over the summer vacation with daily two-hour tutoring at Karunya Mane. The kids work hard at their schoolwork and really want an education. Let's wish all of our kids another excellent school year!

If you'd like to make a donation to help us cover our kids' school expenses, please do so at Donate Now! Expenses for one year of schooling are approximately US$92. Thanks for your continued support!

Girls and karate

The girls had a karate test on the 24th of February, and did just great! Check out the photos from the event --

Manjula getting her orange belt; she started karate lessons at KM in 2010.

The girls (Arabia, Netra, Mamatha, Shweta, and Renuka) who got yellow belts. 

The KM girl's gang!

Pooja, promoted to a maroon belt.

Break time: Shwetha, Vijayalakshmi, Suma, Divya. 

Prema (front), the most advanced with a brown belt.

Shwetha, Renuka, and Vijayalakshmi going from white to yellow belts.

We are very proud that the girls enjoy their twice-weekly karate lessons and are learning the value of self-defense, particularly in India where violence against females is a major issue faced by women of all socio-economic classes.

Go girls!

If you're interested in supporting our girls with karate lessons, their lessons cost approximately Rs.800 or US$16 per week. Thank you!

Beautiful 5th Grade Girls

Time sure flies. We're in the middle of our fourth year at Karunya Mane, and the kids are sure growing like weeds! School starts again in just a week so we're scrambling (as usual) to get everything ready -- uniforms, books, shoes, school bags, pencils, notebooks, pens...

The girls who will be in fifth grade this year decided to try on their new uniforms. Since they've now graduated from primary school where they wore the red-and-blue shirts, they now get to wear the blue-and-white uniform.

Don't they look sweet? And for those who knew them "way back when," they've grown, huh?

Shanti, Divya, Vijayalakshmi, Pooja, Prema

Sunday

On Sunday afternoons, the kids have some free time to hang around, finish up homework, and play. Here, they decided to put on a skit and did some singing and dancing from activities they learned at summer camp. They sure do love the spotlight!

Shanti, Suma, Manjula, and Prema

Divya, Renuka, and Manjula

Latha

Little Vishnu and Big Vishnu hamming it up

Jyothi and Thanmaye singing their favorite song

Sweaters from Bangalore

We want to thank Saraswati, Anu, and Manjula for knitting 25+ really warm and wooly sweaters for our kids! For those of you who knit, sweater knitting takes time... and our kids appreciate the time they spend knitting sweaters for our kids.

Here are a few of our girls (Divya, Netra, and Suma) modeling the sweaters!

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:

Saturday activities

Kids usually go to school on Saturdays for half a day, and get back home by 1:00 pm. At Karunya Mane, our kids spend their Saturday afternoons catching up on chores and studying.

On this random Saturday in late March, the kids took some time to wash their school shoes and socks.

Divya

Prema, Amita, and Manikanta

Manikanta the ham...

The Zoo!

During the Dasara holiday, which went from October 8th to October 30th, the kids with parents spent 1 1/2 days at their homes. They then returned to KM to continue their tutoring sessions during the holiday, and to enjoy a couple of outings.

One outing was to GRS Fantasy Park, a mini-Disneyland like amusement park with tons of rides and games for the kids to enjoy. The kids had a blast and have already picked out the amusement park they want to visit next year.

The other outing was to the Mysore Zoo, where they saw a collection of amazing animals, like lions and tigers, and elephants and giraffes, as well as gorillas, monkeys, alligators, and exotic birds.

The kids brought a packed lunch made by our cook, Raju, whose food they absolutely love.

Swarana and Vishnu enjoying lunch

Harish, Nanjunda, Swarana, and Vinod resting

Harish (volunteer) with Vinod; Saroja; Divya holding Siri; and Manjula (volunteer)

October 23 was also Manikanta's birthday, and they brought his birthday cake to the zoo to wish him a happy day. Photos and video courtesy Thomas Smith.

Krishna's birthday

The Hindu god Krishna (flute-playing, blue-skinned, lover of Radha) celebrated his birthday this year on August 30. In honor of Krishna's birthday, the first graders at the kids' school dressed up as Krishna and Radha.

Manikanta (left) won first prize for his outfit, and Devaraj (right) won third prize.

Divya and Pooja as Radha

Prema as Radha

Shanti as Radha

Tutors!

Operation Shanti believes that education is key to a child being able to improve his or her life. We focus a good portion of our efforts and funds on providing our kids with the opportunity to get an education through good schooling during the day and through quality tutoring after school and on weekends.

Vaibraj with Latta, Divya, Shanti, and Sumitra

Recently, we arranged for after-school tutors for ALL of our kids (except for the tiny tots). The tutors, each assigned five children, arrive at 5pm to help their kids with their homework and lessons for two hours a day, five days a week.

Mamata with Parveen, Surya, Arvind, Jeevan, and Anand

Making available this tutoring to the kids is, we believe, similar to what other kids receive at home from their parents.

Our kids sure like their new tutors, all with several years of experience as tutors and teachers and each with the interest and desire to help the underprivileged.

Shoaib with Lokesh, Nanjunda, and Venkatesh

Seeing these kids coming home from school, then being diligent and disciplined with their homework... it's hard to imagine that just two years ago, most of them aimlessly roamed the streets.

One of our tutors, Shoaib (above), manages a fabric shop located on one of the busiest streets in the city. During his first visit to Karunya Mane, the boys recognized Shoaib, as they used to sell their wares (pens, Qtips, other trinkets) in front of his shop when they lived on the streets. Upon seeing Shoaib, they asked him curiously, "Why did you shoo us away from your shop?" Shoaib finds it quite amusing that he now tutors and provides guidance to these same boys, who really enjoy his company.

Venkatesh three years ago, working with his mom after school

Divya and dad

If you've been to Mysore...

Have you ever wondered where the countless little girls wandering the streets of Mysore come from? Do they have parents? Where do they sleep? How do they get food? Why aren’t they at home? Like many street girls in Mysore, Divya has just one parent, her dad Ramana. Divya's dad sells peanuts for a living from his little green bicycle. And Dad and Divya, who is six years old, ride around on that bicycle, a semi-wobbly bicycle that many poor Indian men use for their jobs. Divya lost her mom about six years ago to a heart attack.

Operation Shanti met Divya on the streets near KR Hospital, where we work every morning with our street kids and moms. Dad and Divya came to meet us there one day. Dad had brought her to us, with her clothes packed in a duffle bag and her school bag. Then, Dad asked us if we could take Divya in at Karunya Mane, our facility for destitute kids in Mysore. Dad wanted Divya to continue her education and to live in a proper environment while he worked on the streets to earn his living. Since Divya met our criteria, we took her to Karunya Mane to live, and enrolled her into school.

Divya and dad used to sleep near a restaurant on Kalidasa Road. Last year, they stayed in a rented a house in Lalithadripura, a village near Chamundi Hill, but were evicted when Dad couldn't make rent (such houses are usually one-room structures). Divya was enrolled in the government school in Lalithadripura, but after losing the house, getting her to school on bicycle every day from Kalidasa Road was nearly impossible.

We feel a pang of guilt whenever we take in a new child at Karunya Mane. Ideally, kids should grow up with their parents. Although our kids are well taken care of at Karunya Mane, those who have parents may see their moms or dads at most once a month. Parents miss out, most of the time by choice, unfortunately, on experiencing the magic of their kid's childhood experiences.

We immediately saw that Divya’s dad was different. He started visiting her often and, while at Karunya Mane, began helping out around the place—digging our vegetable garden, assembling the bunk beds that we recently purchased, and making two very deep pits for our new sign. Sometimes, the parents of our street kids can be a challenge to manage. Fortunately, Ramana is a caring dad and a hard worker.

Since good labor can be a rarity in India, we offered Ramana a job as our night security man; timely, since the existing security guard had been a no-show for three straight nights. Even though Ramana has no experience in this capacity, we are certain that he'll pick up his duties quickly. He was very happy with the job offer, which comes with a steady stipend, free lodging at Karunya Mane, clothes, three meals a day, and—most importantly—the chance to see Divya every day.

In a city where numerous kids are abandoned or abused by their parents, and where countless deadbeat dads often drink their days away instead of working to earn a living, meeting families like Divya and Ramana gives us enduring hope that what little we do is helping a few change their lives for the better.

Divya at Karunya Mane

Our latest kid addition to Karunya Mane is little Divya, a six-year-old girl who lives with her dad on the streets. Her mom died about six years ago of a heart attack, according to dad. Divya and dad used to live in a rented house and she went to first grade last year, but dad ran into money problems and couldn't make the rent (300 rupees a month, or $7.00).

Dad sells peanuts on the hospital grounds, and gets to and fro on his little green bicycle. Dad saw us on the sidewalk with the other kids, and brought Divya to us, saying he just wanted her to stay in a good place and start going to school again.