This week, we are all set to finish painting the cafeteria (which is also the TV room and study room). The job has required a lot of hard work, but the smiles and amazement from the kids when they see our progress makes all of our effort easier. The staff, students, and other volunteers have been nothing but appreciative and helpful.
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| Katherine painting our 'Surf Blue' cafeteria |
On Saturday, all of the children saw us painting and wanted desperately to help us finish the two walls we were working on. Although things got a little messy, the kids cultivated some new skills and felt empowered to try something different. During lunch, some of the boys even teased us, saying they would "teach us some of their skills". It looks like we might have worked ourselves out of a job!
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| The cafeteria is assigned seating so we eat three meals a day with these tricksters! |
Next week we'll start working on the mural that will go on the far wall of the cafeteria . A student, Anup, designed a beautiful scene that will give the children a voice in the renovations. The scene will (if all goes well!) feature a tree in the middle with leaves made from the hostel children's handprints.
Even though most of the children are highly impoverished, it seems to me the thing they most crave is affection and entertainment. It may not seem like a direct relationship, but renovating Nav Jeevan to feel like a home for the children will create a positive environment, showing that this school is truly for them, not just a place to stay because of hard times. Also, giving the children a voice in the renovations has been important to both Katherine and I because the it helps to cultivate creativity and allows the children to make some decisions regarding their own lives. Outside of Nav Jeevan, children from the slums are rarely asked their opinion or allowed to make their own decisions. It is our hope to change this stigma and ensure the children feel empowered when they look at their creation!
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| The blackboard in the cafeteria reads, 'Welcome to Nav Jeevan Sanstha' the students certainly do not lack creativity here. |
Also, we've painted 'boys' and 'girls' labels on the bathroom doors. This was a constant source of confusion and nervousness for both new students to the school and visitors.
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| The 'boys' bathroom door. The staff told us to do it in English, but we decided to put an icon, just in case! |
