Partying Kalkaji Style!

During the week, the kids at Kalkaji slum had been creating all sorts of amazing decorations and cards for our party to celebrate 25 years of Asha. This afternoon we had a party! About 50 children attended and we all had loads of fun! Games, singing, dancing, and of course a party tea...and a cake!

Getting ready before the children arrived...

Some of the cards made by the children...

You need to read the inside of this one...

Festivities in full swing...

The Hokey Cokey...

An onlooker...

Teaching Asha Staff

While the rest of the team were at Kalkaji being creative with the kids, Clare, Janet T and I were at Asha HQ where we had a day of teaching.  We had morning and afternoon sessions with different audiences but the same content.  The audiences were made up of the Asha staff along with Community Health Volunteers from various slums.

I started off - talking about diabetic lifestyle advice: Exercise, weight loss and diet.  I had a "good" table and a "bad" table where I asked them to sort out various foods I had bought. It was good fun - and I hope we got an important message across!

Clare then went on to talk about backs, knees and pregnancy, giving good advice about looking after ourselves, and then some simple exercises that we can do when various bits are aching!  The audiences were very receptive.  Clare was clearly talking about problems that they all experienced!

Janet then introduced them to issues of deaf awareness.  Most of them knew people with hearing loss but clearly had limited understanding of how to help or what services were available.  Janet shared her own experience to help them understand how deafness can be isolating and can be a barrier to education etc. We needed to explain why people born deaf cannot develop spoken language, and showed them some basic Indian Sign Language.

Clare's impromptu Physio session for Sunni, with one happy patient afterwards!

Thursday,

Visit to Kalkaji slum today, to enjoy crafts, and games with the children,   much hilarity, in preparation, as well as keen work to make displays to use at our planned party for tomorrow.

Our first full day in Kalkaji slum has been exhausting but great. The minibus dropped us outside the centre. 25 Boys already lined the 2 rooms upstairs ready to start. A quick divide up of the team and we started. We had 10 boys from about 11-14 years. We had a short session on introductions, saying a bit about themselves then on to craft.

They enjoyed making bird mobiles and decorated them carefully.Some stayed to play Jenga. Unfortunately as the others left, so did our scissors and pens!

During lunch time Lilly took Margaret and I along the road to a market to replenish stocks of 9 pairs of scissors, 2 Pritt sticks and 2 sellotape for the princely sum of 378 rupees. less than £5.

Dick, Julie and Janet's room seemed like an oasis of calm. They worked with 3 deaf children, serenely teaching Indian signing and craft. Everyone was smiling.

In the afternoon the girls arrived.They were a delight. They introduced themselves and told us about the Bal Mandal- their children's group. They give health education to families, encourage others to school, collect money for the poor and chase officials if the lanes need cleaning. And this is the 11-14 year olds!

But they still know how to have fun. After they had made Eleanor's amazing bunting

and paper chains and our birds they started teaching Clare and Steph their dances. Soon they were were all dancing together, doing the Hokey Cokey, skipping and playing. The Asha staff joined in skipping too.

Now all we need is a cuppa and a long shower!

 

Orientation day yesterday for Kalkaji Slum, First half of Tuesday was spent in Asha HQ.  After lunch we were taken over to Kalkaji Slum.   After meeting the Womens Group we set off on a walk around the lanes.  Much narrower than other slums we have been in!  Buildings were often two or three stories high, which could easily block out the sunlight. 

We were shown some of the medical cards, which showed the progress of the children under three, all the cards that we saw, showed the children making good progress.

Another day to relax...

Today we have a day off - because all the Asha staff have been given a day off after all their hard work last week!  Much deserved!

Julie and I have opted for a quiet day.  We enjoyed wandering around the Garden of the Five Senses quite close to the hotel this morning.  It has some beautiful flowers and sculptures.  By a pond there is a large wind chime structure - which had a kingfisher sitting on it!  Wow!