Our team visited our first orphanage today which is located 40 kilometers north of Mumbai. I had the opportunity to spend a day with these children last year on our last day in India. It was the one location where I was able to slow down and get to know a few children by name. This place and these children are special to me because I no longer saw a crowd of children in an orpahanage but a 5 year old boy named Tanmoy and an 11 year old girl named Pratishka.

The children were in school when we arrived and we were able to see them in their school uniforms and meet the their teachers. The orphans are receiving the same quality education as the local village children and this is an important part of their life. When classes were over I was able to greet Tanmoy. It took him a few minutes to remember me but when we began to draw pictures together he remembered our drawings from last year. Tanmoy gave me at least a dozen pictures that he drew for me to take home. He would grab a piece of paper then run off to a corner to create a masterpiece then run back with the biggest grin to show me what he had done. Tanmoy looked very happy and well adjusted with the other children and orphanage staff. Last year he seemed a little withdrawn and kept to himself. Now he is a bundle of energy and joy.

It took me a litle while to find Pratishka. When I finally found her she was sitting with one of our other team members named Allison. They were in the middle of girl talk when I walked up and said "Hello Pratishka". She was amazed that I knew her name and her face really lit up! We talked for a few minutes about how she was doing in school and how her life had been this past year. Like Tanmoy, Pratishka is much more outgoing in her personality and looks very happy.

These two children like all he other children in these orpanages go through a slow process of coming back to life once they come off the street. It takes time for the pain and suffering to fade away to be replaced by a sense of safety then comfort followed by true happiness and love. Their stories are all different yet all the same. One or both of their parents have died and there is no one to care for them. They either survive on the street by begging or they don't. Somehow a few of them find their way to an orphanage like this one. A neighbor brings them or they walk to the orphange sometimes carrying their little baby brothers and sisters with them.

I want to say thank you to the i58 corporate and individual donors for their support. You are making a difference!!! It is an honor to see first hand what your compassion has produced in these childrens lives.

OKB,

Cliff White
Jax Beach, Florida