Getting the Lay of the Land

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Getting the Lay of the Land

It is my first official day at Panchsheel Ashram School. On Saturday, the children have a half-day of school, so I walked around the primary school campus, took some photos and made some observations of the changes since last year. Here are a few.

A lot is happening on campus - new building, expansion and improvement to make life easier for the students and staff. Last year, building had begun on the covered area near the kitchen. This is the area that has been used for serving and feeding all 600 children, three times daily. The project is now complete! Paved and covered to allow the children to sit on a paved surface instead of the dirt, and protected from the elements. Progress! 

Similarly, the area used for Morning gatherings has been paved with decorative bricks and this allows the children to be out of the dirt, which is a definite improvement! 

There has been some building expansion, as well, especially in the girls’ hostel. The top floor is now all sleeping/ studying/living area and the bottom floor is storage for their lockers. I also noticed many new murals and art work around campus, the beginnings of a computer lab, and a few primary teachers using screens and projectors in their classrooms. I will do a formal tour on Monday during which I will get more information. As always the teachers and students were a delight!

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Traveling 2025, part 3 and Monsoon Season

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Traveling 2025, part 3 and Monsoon Season

One of the best things about Bajirao’s surprise visit, was that he was able to help me with details taking the train.I have done it before but this time, I had extra luggage and it is always helpful to have Bajirao communicate with the people in train stations, taxis and hotels. He is a great partner in this work!

So, we caught the train from Mumbai on Thursday night and arrived in Amravati in the morning on Friday. There is not much to do on the train but sleep and I got a few good hours of rest in my Air Conditioned car.

We arrived in Bahiram around 10:30AM to a warm greeting by the teachers. Dressed in white, they had just finished their “Independence Day” program, hoisting the flag and celebrating the 75th anniversary of Indian independence. I was told many times that this monsoon season was disappointing, not much rain had fallen and the farmers were worried. 

This was an empty hole one hour before this picture was taken!

After a shower and breakfast, my wonderfully deep sleep was interrupted by the LOUDEST, MOST EARTH-SHAKING claps of thunder and lightning overhead and the heavens opened. A great rain came! The first big storm of the season!

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Traveling 2025, part 2

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Traveling 2025, part 2

In attempting to explain the journey to others, I often cite the number of hours I will be in a plane. And - don’t get me wrong - that in itself is impressive, but it does not capture the totality of my travel expereince. I began this journey on Monday morning and will not reach my final destination until Friday morning.

How does this work? Well, I started the journey to the airport on Monday at 10:30AM. My flight from LAX to Frankfurt left around 3PM. It is an 11 hour flight and I had a 3-hour layover in Frankfurt. Enough time to get a great cheese sandwich, walk through various terminals and prepare for the next flight. My flight from Frankfurt to Mumbai was 8 hours and 25 minutes, which landed me in Mumbai - with the 12.5 hour time difference) at about 1:30AM on Wednesday morning. I spent Wednesday sleeping and adjusting and tonight I will catch the overnight train to Amravati. It is about 12 hours from Mumbai to Amravati, then another 1-2 hour drive and it will be Friday morning when I get to Bahiram!

I am grateful to be older and wiser now, and having made this trip several times, I know to take a “rest day” in Mumbai before I continue the trip. I could “power through” but it is not worth it in the long run. My body needs time to adjust.

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Surprises!

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Surprises!

Guess who surprised me this afternoon?!? I was so surprised to hear the doorbell ring at 3:45pm to find Bajirao Gawai on my doorstep! He came to welcome me and then Akshay Gawai and Priyanka joined us for dinner! A blessed evening with great friends!

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Traveling 2025, part 1

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Traveling 2025, part 1

Well, I am here. I left Los Angeles at 3PM on Monday and I am in Mumbai now on Wednesday morning. Somehow I lost Tuesday in the travel. But I am ensconced in my favorite hotel in Colaba, drinking masala chai and reflecting on traveling.

Someone asked me in those few days before I left, if I was scared to make the trip. I explained this was my 12th trip - the same route, the same protocols, the same hotels and visits, therefore I know what to expect. Of course every time is different - some of my favorite restaurants and shops have closed; sometimes I take a different route, depending on where I am living/working at the time; sometimes, due to scheduling factors, I am not able to visit all the places I’d like.

When I first began this trip - in 2008 and some years after - I went with a team of doctors and their families, so I became acquainted with this area of Mumbai with them. About 6 weeks after that first trip, this area of Mumbai - Colaba - was the sight of a deadly terror attack, chosen for it’s reputation as the area that tourists enjoy. Several attack sites were ones that we had visited previously, including the Taj Hotel. (I will be visiting the Taj hotel tomorrow, my go-to spot for lunch or afternoon tea, people-watching and journalling. Photos to come.) But the familiarity, along with the “tips” I learned from the medical team, the careful care of those people I’ve met along the way, I feel safe and protected.

All my flights were fine - people were on good behavior and polite (mostly) and flights were on time and smooth. I packed on extra suitcase - due to the amount of gifts I’m bringing - but that should only be a burden when I am getting on and off the train tomorrow. I checked my two suitcases and carry on my backpack and camera bag. I usually stow my backpack under the seat in front of me, but my chosen seat had an obstruction under the seat so I asked the flight attendant for a different seat and got a great seat with lots of room. Usually, I just endure , but I was glad I asked. After my 12 hour flight to Frankfurt, I had an amazing cheese sandwich and chips and then took another 8 hours from Frankfurt to Mumbai. I arrived at 1:10AM, went through immigration and customs, picked up my bags, took a prepaid taxi to Colaba and checked into my room at 3:30AM. Today is a day of resting.

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50 girls sponsored for 2025-2026!

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50 girls sponsored for 2025-2026!

WE DID IT! 50 students are now sponsored! Many thanks to all our sponsors - Thanks to you, 50 girls and young women will have the opportunity to quality education, food and boarding and the books and supplies needed for a successful school year.

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Many thanks, Cal-Pac!

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Many thanks, Cal-Pac!

Many thanks to the people of the Cal-Pac Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church who raised more than $2300 for Friends of Padhar Schools with the sale of homemade and handmade items, cards, candles, Artisan soaps from the Hawaii Soap Company and T-shirts to support girls’ education!

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Summer Arts and Crafts Sale at CalPac Annual Conference,  June 11-14th!

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Summer Arts and Crafts Sale at CalPac Annual Conference, June 11-14th!

Our Craft sale is back! Visit our booth at Annual Conference in Indian Wells and to support the mission of Friends of Padhar Schools, to bring educational opportunities to children in rural India!

Available for sale at California-Pacific Annual Conference, June 11-14 at Indian Wells, CA.

Get your T-shirts to support education for young women and girls! We have a limited supply, so on Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12 FREE with donations of $100 or more to Friends of Padhar Schools. On Friday and Saturday (June 13-14) they will be available for individual sale.

Image: Black T-shirt with the message "She is not waiting for change" (front) and "She is the change" (back) with small FoPS logo.

Also available

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FUNDING GOALS MET!

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FUNDING GOALS MET!

BREAKING NEWS! Today we sent a wire transfer in the amount of $6000 and this completes our fundraising goal for 2024-2025. We have sent a total of $23,000 to support students, staff and teachers of schools in rural India with programs such as:

Student Scholarships (54 girls received full scholarships)

Uniforms for needy children

Books, Stationary and supplies

Materials for Math and Science labs

Solar power for the Girl's hostel at Panchsheel School

Computers for staff at Felix Convent School and for Panchsheel School.

The 3rd year of Nursing School for our 3 students at Mure Memorial Nursing College

Many thanks to all of our donors!

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Celebrating ten years!

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Celebrating ten years!

Today is our 10 year anniversary! For ten years, our donors, our Board of Directors and our loyal supporters have worked to provide life-changing opportunity to the children of rural India. Over the years we have worked with eight schools in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and provided funding for student scholarships and teachers' salaries; water purifiers, coolers and wells; laboratory and computer equipment; books, notebooks, and stationary; and many desks and benches.

In our ten-year history we have provided over $175,000 in total funding to include:

Scholarships for 588 students.

Tuition, fees, room and board for 3 young women for 3 years of Nursing School.

One school bus for Felix Convent School.

I am forever grateful to our founding Board Members Jaime Kim and Karen Clark Ristine and those who have served on the Board since, including our current Board: Loreen Marshall, Lea Appleton, Amy Aitken, Allison Mark, Stephanie Slater Blay and Ana Stojanovska.

and many thanks to our donors! Your support is invaluable! Here's to many more years of generosity, support and love.

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50 girls sponsored!

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50 girls sponsored!

Many thanks to our sponsors and donors, we were able to send a wire transfer to India yesterday, to support 50 girls and young women for the new school year. In addition, we sent 50% of the tuition and fees for the three nursing students supported by the Jaime Kim Memorial Fund. They will begin their third year of the 3-year program at the College of Nursing at Mure Memorial Hospital in Nagpur. #india #education #girlsrising #letgirlslearn

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Jaime Kim Scholarship Recipients Pass the Test!

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Jaime Kim Scholarship Recipients Pass the Test!

Above: Ms. Angel Chauhan, Ms. Saloni Ingle, Executive Director of FoPS Krista Givens, Ms. Sonam Kasdekar with the warden of their dormitory.

In 2022, three young women from Bahiram, Maharashtra received full scholarships to attend Mure Memorial Nursing College through the Jaime Kim Memorial Fund. With the help of donors, Friends of Padhar Schools has provided tuition and fees, room and board to three young women: Ms. Angel Chauhan, Ms. Saloni Ingle, and Ms. Sonam Kasdekar. Angel, Saloni and Sonam are finishing their second year of Nursing School and just received their results from their first Board exams - all three did very well and passed with high marks. They have another full year of school to finish and several more Board exams but they are on their way! Many thanks to all who support the Jaime Kim Memorial Fund.

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Holiday Greetings from FoPS!

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Holiday Greetings from FoPS!

During the holiday season, as we reflect on the good in this world, we think of partners and friends like you. This year, thanks to your donations and support, we were able to send $29,530 to help fund scholarships for 54 girls and young women; desks and benches for student use; books and writing supplies; tuition and fees for 3 young women in Nursing School; sewing machines for those graduating from the tailoring program; salary help for teachers; and warm clothes for orphaned children for the winter.

We appreciate you, and hope that the holidays and the coming year will bring you happiness and success.

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Finishing the trip

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Finishing the trip

Well, friends, the time has come to say goodbye to India. I will catch my flight back to Spain (through Zurich) tonight and be home on Saturday, if all flights are on time and nothing hinders or delays my journey. I must say, there have been several times that I marveled at the lack of problems with my travel - all flights, trains, pick ups and drop offs have happened without incident! That makes me feel like I’ve been successful.

What can I say about this trip? It’s been fun and joyful, meaningful and life-changing. The situation at some of our schools is dire, with talks of closing down soon. Many of our teachers have not been paid since April. This is the reality of the work we do and it can be heartbreaking and frustrating. But the joy of girls sponsored, children with books and supplies, a new water cooler that helps provides clean and safe water, these joys outweigh the pain of being involved in the work.

What will happen now? I will travel home, get back to my normal life and do this work in my “free time” starting with our student sponsorship program. We will meet with the Board of Directors and I will share the information I’ve gathered and we will continue fundraising.

Thanks for following me through my journey.

With love,

Krista

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Finding our Sponsored Students

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Finding our Sponsored Students

The 34 girls we are sponsoring from Panchsheel Ashram School for the school year 2023-2024.

The 34 girls we are sponsoring from Panchsheel Ashram School for the school year 2023-2024.

The last few days of my trip have been occupied with locating, identifying and photographing the girls we are sponsoring this year. WE’ve had a great response to our Sponosrship program and this year we are supporting 34 students from Panchsheel School and 10 from Felix Convent School. (And perhaps more… stay tuned!) All of the girls are from village families and are struggling financially to afford the necessities of their school. Our support “fills in the gaps” with school fees, uniforms, books and stationary, and other school supplies. The process has been complex and it goes a bit like this:

Our Sponsored Students from Felix Convent School in Paratwara.

First, we have a list of the girls we’ve sponsored last year. So I take that list and make sure those girls are still enrolled, then I match them with their sponsors from last year. Then, with the teachers’ help, we identify new students to add to our list. This year, five students out of the ten girls we sponsored at Felix Convent School either passed out of the 10th grade exam, or moved away, so we needed to find 5 more to replace them.

The next step is taking photographs! But I need to make sure I match the photo with the correct name! That can be challenging. Recently, I started to record them saying their own names, which can help if/when I get confused.

The next step is to match all the sponsors with all the students and the final step is to notify the sposnors of the photos, names and information I’ve gathered. It can be a daunting process (and I am sure it coud be made easier and more streamlined….) but it works.

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Providing Blessings to Felix Convent School

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Providing Blessings to Felix Convent School

When we work together, we can provide blessings to those in need. One church community in Spain worked for the summer on a special fundraiser to address a fundamental need for school children: the need for drinking water. We received a gift from the congregation of La Siesta Evangelical Church in Torrevieja, Spain: 800 Euros to provide safe drinking water to the children of Felix Convent School. Today, I had the opportunity to visit Felix and watch how the water cooler is being utilized. Each child brings a water bottle to school and throughout the day, is able to fill that bottle up with safe, clean, cool drinking water. What a blessing!

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Whatever you do for the least of these...

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Whatever you do for the least of these...

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

~ Matthew 25:40

Reflecting on my time here in India, I have thought about how this work fuels my faith. Our organization is intentionally non-religious and does not require adherence to any religious belief. But for me, this work is central to the expression of what I profess. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable about sheep and goats - those who follow his teachings and those who do not. The goats are not those who are actively preventing his work, but those who don’t do what is uncomfortable. Those who do not feed those who are hungry, those who do not welcome the stranger into their midst; those who do visit the sick and imprisoned.

I do not do this work out of pity or guilt. I do not do it because of some threat of Hell. I do not do it to be the ‘white savior.’ I do it because my faith propels me. If I CAN help, shouldn’t I?

The more time I spend in the mission field, the more I am convinced “the church” is not about singing familiar songs, “good preaching” and choosing parament colors. It is about motivating people to step outside their comfort zones and do the work of Jesus:

Heal those who are hurting in body, mind and spirit,

Reconcile warring parties - within our minds, within our families, between our cultures and countries,

Listen to the cries of those unheard,

Forgive ourselves and others, so that we can move forward together.

Feed those who are hungry for food, opportunity, and education.

Give what we can, to allow others to have enough.

And Break the systems that keep some wealthy and leave the rest to fend for themselves.

When I am here. - in india, among the children of Panchsheel School - I think about their lives and am amazed at how resilient they are. They sleep with 250+ of their classmates in a hall, on mats on the concrete floor. They eat three simple meals of rice, daal and chapatis each day. Their parents work in the field, as laborers in construction, as maids, housekeepers and drivers, to support their families and to give their children an opportunity only education can provide.

But “the least” as Jesus refers to them are not to be pitied or shamed. They are children of God and deserve all the best the world has to offer. But they are (as we all are) stuck in systems of injustice that keeps some wealthy and some poor. They are not “least” in terms of value to the world, to God, or to me.

There are a lot of things I cannot do, but this I can.

Donate $100 to provide a girl a year’s worth of school? I can do that.

Provide opportunities for others to be involved in such a worthy cause? I can do that.

Share the challenges and joys of these beloved children, to move others to action? I can do that.

So I do.

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Impromptu Photo Session at Panchsheel

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Impromptu Photo Session at Panchsheel

I took photos today of 22 of the 34 girls we sponsor at Panchsheel Ashram School (more photos to come tomorrow) and an impromptu photo session occurred!

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A Time for Felix

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A Time for Felix

Felix Convent School, located in Paratwara in the state of Maharashtra, educates children from Nursery to Grade 12. They currently have 550+ students and 24 staff. In 2019, they moved from a small building into this newly constructed facility. Because the COVID pandemic interrupted their plans, the first full session was in 2021. They have finished construction on the 3-floor classroom building, tennis and badminton courts and now a new table tennis court and a music room. Financially, they are self-sufficient and with small donations are able to maintain a high level of education, good salaries for the excellent teaching staff and provide opportunities not available to village children in this area.

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A Visit to our Nursing Students

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A Visit to our Nursing Students

The Jaime Kim Scholarship provides support for exceptional female students in their post-secondary education: teacher-training, nursing school, medical school, career-training or university education.

Today, I had the great opportunity to visit the young women we’ve supported through the Jaime Kim Memorial Scholarship. Sonam, Saloni and Angel are now second-year nursing students at Mure Memorial Nursing College in Nagpur and will take their first Board exams in November. I met the Director of the Nursing College who took us on a tour of the hostel and the mess hall. The scholarships we’ve provided fund their housing and food, as well as school fees and supplies. We are proud of all they’ve accomplished and we are grateful to those who’ve donated through the Jaime Kim Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Ms. Sonam Kasdekar

Sonam, a graduate of Panchsheel Ashram School, finished her first year of nursing school at Mure Memorial School of Nursing in Nagpur and has started her second year. She is dedicated to her family and would like to become a nurse to help provide a better life for them. Friends of Padhar Schools’ Jaime Kim Scholarship has provided a scholarship for the first and second years of Nursing School for Sonam.

Ms. Saloni Ingle

Saloni, also a graduate of Panchsheel Ashram School, has finished her first year of nursing school at Mure Memorial School of Nursing in Nagpur and has started her second year. Saloni’s childhood dream was to become a nurse, but when her parents died and she was left to provide for her younger siblings, she thought it was just a dream. Friends of Padhar Schools’ Jaime Kim Scholarship has provided a scholarship for the first and second years of Nursing School for Saloni.

Ms. Angel Chauhan

Angel, another recent graduate of Panchsheel Ashram School, has finished her first year of nursing school at Mure Memorial School of Nursing in Nagpur and has started her second year. Angel is a bright student, but being from a poor village her educational options are limited. Her hard-working family provides enough to manage the family needs, but not the fees for education. Friends of Padhar Schools’ Jaime Kim Scholarship has provided a scholarship for the first and second years of Nursing School for Angel.

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