New Beginnings

As you can see, people of all ages provide constant traffic through the
dining room, and so we hope all will enjoy the new paint job! This little
guy's name is Joy, who since we arrived three weeks ago has become
increasingly independent and mobile.

Hello Readers! Katie and I spent the day trying out some new projects here at Nav Jeevan. We noticed when we first arrived that none of the school/hostel bathrooms are labeled with "Boys" and "Girls." Of course, clearly the school children know which is which, but for us it was very confusing. Similarly, we expect that new students, other volunteers, and visitors could be puzzled by not knowing which is which. Therefore, today, we began a painting project to label the bathroom doors. Though we only did two doors today (of 10), one for boys and one for girls, tomorrow we will begin again at the start of school, so that we have more time where the fewest children will be tempted to touch the paint.

We also began an after school medical project. Katie and I are going to give each of the children "check-ups," checking their eyes, heart, and skin, for example. Our goal is to give each child our undivided attention for 10-15 minutes, which will allow for them to have conversations with us, ask us any questions, and just practice their English! Hopefully, when we complete all of the children, we can talk to the Wardens about the children and understand if there are any areas for continued growth and improvement. For example, Mamta, one of the 5th graders, mentioned to us during her "check-up" today that though she loves school, she cannot see the chalkboard if the teachers ask her to sit in the back of the room. When she sits in the back, Mamta said the board looks like "swirling water." After checking her eyes with a Snellen Eye Chart, it seems that Mampta could be slightly near-sighted and could use some glasses, a very common childhood need! I am sure we will be able to figure something out for her to make school more accessible.

The two boys pictured here have their seats in the dining room right next to the wall
where we will paint the mural.

Aside from these activities, Katie and I have begun planning a "dining room transformation," in which we hope to repaint and decorate the dining room, which is in use almost all day. Anoup, one of the 8th grade boys has drawn us a plan for a mural he hopes to contribute to the project, as his career goal is to become an artist. We will keep you posted on our progress!

Katie and I made some CPR, choking, and first aid posters that we will hang in the newly painted dining room for all to use.