GREAT NEWS!!! BLANKETS ARE A COMING!!!

 Our new friends in Mumbai are heading the pack in generously donating blankets to the precious children at the Kolumbai Ashram School. Last night
Boudan, from Khandavali, brought five sample blankets out to SNET office for examination: they are beautiful colors of acrylic yarn softly woven. Fire Mountain Retreat uses the same type at their facility.

Boudan also was the welcome messanger that
a man stepped up to donate 200 blankets. And this inspired yet another man to donate 100.  We heard that someone sent in a donation for 25 blankets.  A tourist in India has donated 50 blankets.

 Here is the heart warming disciplined head master of the Kolumbai Ashram School. He has the amazing job of orchestrating all the staff and 535 children into an educational symphony. Kudos to Mr. Ramesh.

These boys study and sleep in the same room while the girls have the benefit of a separate residence hall. Even though their life is hard and rustic, SNET was able to find a smile in most of their faces.

We hope that by 4 p.m. today, Jan. 9th, 2011, we will have a pledge for 535 blankets so that each of the children will receive a new blanket.

At this school, today they will be having an award event and SNET would like to be able to present at least the promise that blankets will be coming in a day or so.


Here is one of two wells; this one they use solely for washing their own clothes by hand.



So, Please contact us and let us know you would like to help keep these children warm during these exceeding cool months, (cold for the tropics.)

SNET WAS ABLE TO COAX SANTA CLAUS
TO VISIT THE KOLOMBAI ASHRAM SCHOOL ON DECEMBER 25TH TO HAND OUT PENS, NOTEBOOKS, AND SWEETS. YOU KNOW HOW BUSY HE IS, BUT HE MADE TIME TO VISIT THESE CHILDREN LIVING OUT IN THE LAST MILE OF THE ROAD. WON'T YOU HELP TOO?






Dec 25, 2010

Our trust, Shree Nityananda Education Trust has been informed by one of our local ashram schools, Kolumbai Ashram School of Nandani, that they are in need of blankets for their many Adivasi students. This dedicated school has the responsibility of teaching and housing 535 children coming from the poorest of the poor families of Wada Taluka.

We have just begun to begin the depth of these childrens' needs but the immediate need is to provide warmth to these precious beings that depend on the concern of the adults in their lives. We believe if we could acquire at least 250 blankets that they could be cut in half to provide for all of the children.

We are currently asking everyone we know to help us in this effort. Right now one textile manufacturer is asking his contacts for wholesale prices for buying the blankets. He just got back to us that he can purchase them for 125 to 150 rupees about $ 3 US. We will appreciate any help we can get in this effort.If we could get at least $500 US we could probably buy the big ones and cut into threes.

This is not a wealthy private school or even a government school. No, it is a school put together on a shoe string for the children of farmers who cannot afford to feed and clothe their children and provide the necessary things they need for education. Hence, they send them to a residential school for their very basic needs. The government provides 600 rupees per child to feed 400 of them for a month. But there are 535 and so they must stretch this government subsidy to provide for all of them. This means that the school is given 20 rupees to feed each child a day, but must now be reduced to 15 rupees per child a day.

This school has such a limited budget that they have to restrict their electricity use due to the lack of funds to pay for their regular use. The government pays for the teacher's salary, and the food, but nothing else.

If you could kindly ask your friends and contacts to help us, we would be thrilled. They are having some kind of program on January 9th, 2011 whereby donors will be giving gifts to their school. We would like to be able to present, with your help, the blankets they need immediately.

With so much sincerity,
Janata and Dewa
Shree Nityananda Education Trust
http://www.shreenityanandaeducationtrust.org/

Buzz of Love Activity at SNET

Today, Friday, the 150 children from Saraswati School come to SNET'S Fire Mountain Retreat for a field trip learning experience and a picnic. Mr VJ Patil, the headmaster is handling all the affairs and expenses of this visitation, as we will be using our personnel to teach the children about beauty and cleanliness of environment, gardening and nutritional benefits from home grown organic foods, irrigation, the various plant species we have here, and the Grace of the Siddha Lineage. It will be a fabulously loving day.

Yesterday SNET went to Saraswati and discussed the implementation of a colorful and inviting, carpeted little library room with 300 books selected By Poorvi, her Mother Sunita, and cousin Vivek. SNET also stopped at learning space and made connections and plans for perhaps bringing libraries to many of the village schools in the area. Yeah! What they have found is that a colorful exciting environment with interesting, mind expanding books lead eventually to mothers coming to read with their children and the whole community becoming involved, especially women's groups.

SNET was visited by the headmaster of the Kohlumbai Adavasi School yesterday and presented with an invitation to come to an annual gathering at the school where the children receive gifts, the children dance and perform, and guest speakers speak too long. Janata is working very hard to come up with blankets for the 500 children.

We had many other visitors yesterday with one thing after another. What a buzz it was.