The importance of working together

Yesterday I visited a child care home that is operated by Women's Interlink Foundation (WIF) and it was a very inspiring experience. WIF is an organization that T.E.N has supported throughout the years and it has many successes to speak of. It was started by a wonderful women named Alooka that has been fighting the good fight for over four decades. In this time they have managed to set up shelter homes all around Kolkata that house and take care of literally hundreds of girls (and some boys) of all ages. They take care of all the needs of these girls from shelter, food and health to education and job training. It was a beautilful and energizing sight to behold.

As I walked into the shelter I was struck by sounds I'm not accustomed to hearing in shelters; kids laughing and having fun. I could immediately feel the energy and passion that consumed the place. After a meeting with Alooka and her staff I was able to walk around the shelter and get a glimpse of the life of these girls. There was room after room of beds and dressers where girls slept and stored their belongings. The area's were neat and well cared for which was a sign of the pride these girls had. All of the girls had huge smiles on their faces and were full of energy, and as we walked around Alooka was mobbed by all of them with hugs and smiles. Alooka would wrap her arms around them, pat them on the head, grab their cheeks and give them all encouragement and praise. She was like the Grandmother we've all taken for granted in our lives and that the girls probably never had. Their were hundreds of girls their and Alooka knew of them and their individual accomplishments and called them out to me, one by one, to the girls delight.It was no surprise to me why these girls seemed to be doing as well as they were. Alooka's energy and vibe were contagious and they rubbed off on the girls all around her.

In addition to the living quarters there were also areas set aside for job training and I saw many girls hard at work creating all kinds of items from napkins to dolls. They were very eager to show off what they were making and it made me feel so happy to see them with a sense of pride and purpose. It was also very nice to see how clean and well kept the entire place was. You could tell that everyone their, from the girls to the staff, has a huge sense of pride in the place and work hard to maintain a certain standard for all involved. The entire experience was one that I will always cherish and it was one of the best days I've had while here. It made me realize that the mission of T.E.N is far greater than Destiny or selling items by survivors as it highlighted the importance of NGO's working together and building relationships. No one entity can do it by themselves.

All of these girls have a very bright future with the continued support of WIF and their partners like T.E.N. and don't forget that the support begins with you.

Namaste!