Nicoles' India!!

My name is Nicole. I’m from Boise, Idaho in the U.S.A. I’m an exchange student studying sociology and political science at Christ College, but my major in the U.S. is biology. I’ve been in Bangalore for about a month and a half now, and I will be staying here until the end of April. I had been anxious to see more of the city and aspects of Indian life outside of the college and the foreigner hang-outs (i.e. M-G Road, Commercial Street, Forum, etc.). So, last Sunday I experienced the Breakfast 4 You program for the first time. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get out in the community and also to see for myself topics that had been discussed in my sociology class. Initially walking into the slum I felt overwhelmed. The living conditions and lack of basic necessities like clean water, food, and clothing struck me hard. However, when the kids and women crowded around expectantly waiting for the food, I felt like I was a part of something important. Out of all the ways to provide assistance, giving something as essential as food may seem simplistic, but it makes a huge difference to the people you’re feeding. Going out and taking action is so much more rewarding than just donating money. I liked knowing I had helped to fill a hungry child’s stomach, even if I had only played a small part. I look forward to participating in the program on as many Sundays as I can!

UNLOCK YOUR SUNDAYS !!

after a break.. i am continuing.. the sprit of the network has never gone down. Infact each day we were moving high.The idea is getting sold in more higher levels. Two week before a family (Sajeev and Ligi)- Recently married couples have come up with the idea of being part of the network. Yesterday I had a phone - conversation with Subin from Delhi, who is part of a wider catholic youth network have come up with a better idea of bringing the network in Delhi region for Youth especially the students in Pre-University and Graduate Courses. The best thing that happened in these days is a brochure. A brochure has come out!!! . Yes .. a very simple one with a professional touch .. Indeed its a realisation of a dream - as often sayz "being simple is the most complicated thing" On the demand side .. our rapport with the children is increasing in a tremendous way. The number of children is more than 80 now. We also spent a little more money than the previous days for the BREAKFAST.. Some where down the line ..each sunday offers a lot of hope and a lot of happiness. Its a challenge and the philosophical thought I wanna promise u... be part of this greater network.. the love hiding in ur cruel/mature/practical/hard HEART will find the way to breakout and smile!! we say it as - UNLOCKING YOUR SUNDAYS!!

break... fast .... 4 them

Breakfast 4 you is moving high, in fact it has to….. life of children living in the construction sites need our time and space to grow.. rather… to remain alive. The site where we visit are from Gulberga …. there are about 70-80 children .. even though we are going on Sundays, its difficult to find more than 20-30 children during the day time. Parents – the construction workers- goes for work on Sundays too and take the children with them. If one goes to the site in the evening, the entire children are there. The children with the cement and sand as toys are not attending school. Most of them can be identified severely malnourished…yes ...malnourished is a good romantic word...forget it, the children are very unhealthy and most of them possess severe infections.. u don't need a doctor to identify it…just take one in your hand u can feel his illness.. I don't wanna be typical social worker and promote pity, sympathy… But some where its hard…much hard than my paid work as a social worker for the children and students…. Last Sunday it was great ..… about 12 young hearts were there to share …Vipin had taken some photographs, hope we all can see it soon. We also celebrated the Bday of Binson and Dileep was there to share his breakfasts.. Looking for more hearts..technologies… resources …wisdom and love With a warm heart….. lynd george

dreaming High!! through breakfast 4 you

BREAKFAST 4 YOU Breakfast for you is an innovative concept of connecting the urban youth with the issues and problems of marginalised children, mainly with children living in the streets and slums of India. Through the medium of food, youth are motivated to relate themselves with the life of children in slums and streets. Here the significant influence of food habits among the urban youth is effectively used to relate them with the life of marginalised children. Youth brainstorms about the importance of breakfast in the daily life and are oriented on the food habits of the marginalised children living in the construction sites of Bangalore. They are invited for providing breakfast for the children in the weekends. These visits will help them to internalise these issues and will motivate them to form small groups or communities to reach out these children. In the long run vision is to evolve a network of small communities focusing on the development of marginalised children around the globe. Programme ‘Breakfast 4 you is all about providing breakfast to the children living in the construction sites of Bangalore in the weekends. As we all know breakfast is not simply a food, it is a meal - the most important meal of the day. Thus providing breakfast is not all about giving food; it’s about giving the best meal of the day. To provide breakfast in its fullest meaning to the children, we make sure that all the components associated with breakfast are provided to the children. ie, brushing before breakfast to playing with the children after the meal. An ordinary breakfast for a south Indian child consist of o Brushing before breakfast o Idly, sambar & chuttny o Egg and banana o Tea or Coffee o Drinking water o Plates & glasses o Place to sit comfortably and eat o Dear ones to serve o water to wash o simple games after the meal The programme is carried out in the weekends. The youth group takes up the responsibility of carrying out the programme. It is visualized that in future the programme will grow in to fulfilling the developmental needs of the children and will facilitate the holistic development of children in the particular community. Why breakfast? 1.As mentioned, the food habits are the most widely discussed part of urban culture. Youth often spend their time in food festivals, hotels and malls. New brands and tastes are experimented. In ‘Breakfast 4 you’ we try to interconnect the norms and culture of modern youth with their value system. In short the youth are suggested to see, observe, learn, understand and plan in their own way and in their own style by remaining in their norms and culture to relate them with the disadvantaged sections of our society. Thus the value system of Breakfast 4 you will go in par with that of the present generation. 2. In the developmental context, studies shows that an urban poor spent about 60 - 80% of the income for food, where as his rural counter part spent only 30-40% income for food. When the expense for the food is so high, the limited income sources will restrict the family to give less priority to the food consumption patterns of the no earning members of the family such as children, pregnant women disabled and aged. Thus providing nutritious food to the less privileged children is an effective way of ensuring the growth of the child. 3. In Human rights perspective, food is the basic element of survival right of an Individual. For a child food is his basic right to grow and development. Since a child is a minor who cannot earn his own, it is the responsibility of the family to fulfill his basic needs. If the family cannot meet the requirements, the state and the society is expected to provide adequate food for the development of the child. Hence providing breakfast to children is not charity, it is only a fulfillment of his right as a human being.

with love ...from Dubai

Hai

I think you already watched the movie 15 Park Avenue. I just remember one scene form the movie that doctor is explaining what is the meaning of the vision. There he told Shabana Asmi’s character to look that table far behind her and ask what’s on the table. The reply; its a flower vase… Are you sure? Look again… Yes of course it’s a vase. Okay for me it’s a table lamp. What doc? Are you joking? No.... then just think if everybody is thinking it’s a table lamp and you only telling it’s a vase then? So how you see things are making life good, bad, happy, miserable. This is the only thing we need to learn from the entire life. Some of us never learn this or even know about this. Instead we are trying to look in to others life form our view and think that they are doing some thing more intelligent than us or think better than us. But truth is they are also doing the same thing. So what you are thinking about you is the key instead who you are or what’s your potentials. Fortunately you have great potential to look life from a different viewpoint. You can be a doctor, an engineer, an IT professional or a social worker, earning tons and watching a Hindi movie and listening to MTV. To see things differently you need a special intelligence in your brain. That’s why we have very few reformers or radical thinkers and more so called professionals. So just go ahead and concentrate in your ideas rather than caring other idiots around you. Your ideas behind the break fast 4 you is some thing really I am dreaming before. Now you got the beginning. Remember beginning is everything, just start it and if some thing goes wrong you can learn and you can rectify it. If you have some own ideas and may be now you can’t implement it, don’t worry just go with others. Listen more than talking, always listen and then talk. Go out with these ideas and later when you are confident and experienced you can start your own. Try to read some thing new every day. So just go ahead and do what you want. We are here to back you up. By ………with love Anto, UAE