Our time at PPES has come to an end. Today, we said goodbye to all and headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort.  We were busy and accomplished lots while at the school. The relationships, the warmth and hospitality of all of the people will remain with all who visited.  I am reminded, that being among the very poorest people in the world, you experience the richness of their hearts as they open their doors always with chai and wonderful treats to eat.  All of the girls want us to come to their house.  Unfortunately, we could only make it to a few.

While we were here, school was closed for 4 days for Dawali. Had I known that, we would have scheduled our timing differently. Though the staff and students are happy to have the time off, we would rather have been in school. We stayed at Sam's house during that time, and experienced his most gracious and comfortable hospitality, and were able to share time with him listening to wealth of knowledge, stories of his life and the people, and to be fed more than we could ever eat.  During our stay in his village, we visited a few villages and the homes of some of my most special girls.

Their stories will break your  heart.  Behind their uniforms, with their happy smiles, in a classroom, you don't think about their lives and the unimaginable hardships they endure. Among my very favorites, whose families I have gotten to know over the years are Chamma, Aarti and Anjali. Their father and grandfather were in prison at the time of my spring trip.  This time Aarti, who was very upset, told methat they were in for murder, though recently released after being found not guilty. Their father was out in a field last week and was shot twice by the opposing party.  He will recover. When we visited, he showed us his wounds and the ropes they used as slings on both arms.  We gave the girls slings from the health center for him, as well as some money to help the family out.

Yesterday, while tracking down sponsored girls for photos, I learned that Nameera, in Class 4, was absent because her brother was murdered this weekend while dancing at a wedding. This area is crime ridden and violence is a part of their lives. I promise all of you that we have always been safe, under the watchful eye of many and stay behind secured gates at night, which is when these things tend to happen. We have NEVER been uncomfortable or put at any risk! .

Our projects this visit included: teaching English,  having the girls write thank you cards to our US donors, applying fluoride to the teeth of all of the girls, working in the health center organizing, and caring for sick students, teaching reproductive health, and setting up vaccinations which could not happen while we were here due to the holiday. Each time I come, my "todo" list gets longer due to my deepening involvement with the school.

One of the trip highlights for me was being asked to speak to the 80 alumni of the school that returned the day before Dawali. I spoke to them about their value as educated women, the importance of human rights, the need to be treated equally and with respect, and how they can achieve whatever they are willing to work for. I told them that my son and my daughter have always been treated equally, in every aspect of their lives, and that they, too, deserved the same. These young women are the change makers of rural India, and I have great faith that life will change for all girls and women as the result of attending school and learning how their lives, and the lives of their daughters, will be better than their mothers.  I think my words were well received and hope that I provide hope for them.

We brought with us 500 pounds of donations from the US and distributed undies, socks, combs, brushes, toothpaste and brushes, soap and tons of other donations to all for Dawali gifts. They were all warmly received.  The most important thing that we give here is our love and concern for all of the girls, which we get back tenfold. I feel so blessed to have brought these girls and this school into my life.

The needs are endless, the work is hard, plans are constantly changing. For me , the time flies by, without enough time to do what I would like to be able to do. The experience of bringing 5 others from the US has been wonderful. Great team, we all got along quite well, we shared much laughter as well as the hard times we encounter.  Next trip? Spring of 2015. I promise my girls that they must stay in school so that they can see me when I return.  I believe those words really do work, knowing that many now call me "mom".

We are now in Agra, and heading out shortly to see the Taj- a very different India than the one we just left.  We return to the US tomorrow night. I believe that Anna and Emma have been changed from the inside out, as the result of taking on the challenge to witness how different their lives are from the lives of girls in rural India. And in many ways, the same.

Thank you to all who kept us in your thoughts and prayers over the past couple of weeks. I felt it!

With love from India, Mary

Mary Cairns

Development Director

PPES US Office

321 Hillside Lane

Kennett Square, PA 19348

610-444-2139

 

Pardada Pardadi Educational Society website  education4change.org

 

*marymikeindia.blogspot.com(Our India adventures) *