Children Walking Tall
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Children Walking Tall is a UK and India charity co-founded by Robert Lyon and Shermina Ganatra in 2004. The organisation works with slum and street children in India. Shermina and Robert spent 6 months in Goa volunteering for these children but decided that the best way of helping would be to start theit own charity, it's aim being to give the children living in the slums and on the streets in India a childhood worth remembering. Children Walking Tall operates a children's home and drop in centre called The Mango House.
The Children They Help Most of the children that they help are from the slums or those working on the streets. Slums are often temporary areas hidden away behind buildings and down small tracks, many have no electricity or running water which results in poor hygiene and sanitation. They also help children from families that migrate looking for work. These children can often be found playing and living at the side of busy roads or on building sites. Lack of nourishment and poor living conditions increase the chance of severe health problems.
They also do outreach work that extends into Maharastra and Karnataka, where they provide clothes, fruit, toys and educational items to children living in similar conditions.
With the help of volunteers they set up small school sessions in the slums. During this time they provided just basic lessons in English, Maths, Crafts and Play. Good relationships with the families has allowed them to continue their work to this * * day. In May 2005 they found a permanent home for the charity The Mango House. At this time it was a run down Portuguese house that hadn’t been lived in for many years. The next six to eight months were spent working on the house, changing it from a shell into a lively centre to which children can come for healthy food, medical care, a safe/dry place to rest and to join in with creative and fun education. The house is open to all children no matter what their background, religion or circumstances.
They provide
- Good nourishing food that gives the children the basic nutrients needed to grow into strong healthy adults.
- Informal education for the children that's fun, exciting and useful.
- Access to formal schooling, allowing the children the chance of a proper education that will enhance their chances of employment.
- Access to quality health care to ensure that the children stay fit and healthy. We have dealt with many severe cases including burns, Leprosy, TB, Malaria and many other issues.
- Showers and washing facilities. This simple measure helps control the spread of skin infections which are common amongst the children. It also gives them a sense of pride in their appearance.
- Appropriate clothes and footwear are given to both the children in the house and those in the slums.
- Above all they provide a caring, stable environment that the children can rely upon.
- Daily fruit visits to local slums and regular clothing distribution.
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[edit] News snippets (July/August Newsletter)
A young girl seriously burned We received some terrible news recently about one of the young girls who attends “The Mango House”. The girl had returned to her native village in Karnataka a couple of months ago where she worked in the fields and also cooked for the family at home. One day while at home she reached over while cooking, her dress got too close to the fire and caught alight. She didn't know what to do and ran out of the house screaming. Neighbours saw her and threw water over her to put out the flames.
Independence Day - Campal Children’s Park Independence day was celebrated in Goa, as it was throughout India. For our own little celebration the children made flags and as a special treat we took them to the Campal Children’s park in Panjim. We were lucky to have a dry sunny day and the children had lots of fun playing on the swings and slides. The park has simple equipment but it was enough to keep the children thoroughly entertained for the whole day. It was a great sight to see the children having fun. The day finished with drinks and fruit. Thank you to all the volunteers who kept an eye on the children, although I think the volunteers enjoyed it just as much as the children!
[edit] News snippets (May / June Newsletter 07)
School As well as getting all the children who attend 'The Mango House' into school, we also have a programme where we help other local children with their educational needs. Unfortunately one of the main reasons that children don't attend school is financial. Although in theory education is free and they don't have to pay school fees, for many families living in the slums, the lack of available money for school uniforms, books, shoes, bags etc means that the children cannot afford to attend school. This year, we have helped around 70 children with these items. As well as getting them into school, we follow their progress and talk regularly with the schools to try and help the children as much as possible.
Hospital Admissions There have been several children requiring hospitalisation during the last couple of months. Just recently, a further three children have been admitted. Two of the admitted children are siblings, a brother and sister, both with similar symptoms. The elder of the two had a scorching 42.3 / 108.1 degree temperature which is life threatening. Both were admitted into hospital for 5 days where malaria was finally confirmed.
[edit] Featured In
- Been featured on SF Television Switzerland "einfachluxurios GOA" (8/02/2007]
- Children Walking Tall is mentioned in the latest version of Lonely Planet (India).
- Zee Magazine (London Edition) Article
