El Shaddai Child Rescue

Emma Stack - Volunteer Feedback

2010-06-29T12:06:00.000+05:30

Here's what our Volunteer Emma Stack had to say of her time at El Shaddai Charitable Trust!

From the moment I first walked into Little Acorns I immediately knew that I wanted to help at the shelter. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and the staff and the children all had big smiles for me. Since then I have been going to the shelter as a visitor and have spent time doing different activities with the children which I have enjoyed immensely. Some days I have spent helping them with their English, other days have been spent doing creative things with them or playing games and more recently a couple of trips to the beach. Every time I arrive I have a sea of beautiful faces smiling up at me saying ‘Good morning didi’ and once again I am reminded of how lucky I have been to have had the opportunity to help at El-Shaddai.

When you volunteer you do so because you hope you can make a difference somehow. It may not be a huge difference, but you hope that in some small way you can make a contribution to the lives of others and give something that will help in the right way. What you don’t necessarily realise though is what you get back. I may have helped teach the children but I have also learnt a great deal from them. I have never once seen them appear to be bored or to complain that they want something they haven’t got. They play board games together in teams and although they may be competitive, they interact with each other rather than pursuing more solitary activities. There is a feeling of unity at Little Acorns and I believe that this is because the shelter provides a safe and caring environment where the children can be nurtured and are encouraged to share and look out for one another. It’s a place that feels like family, whether you are an adult or a child. It’s a place to be proud of.

Helping at Little Acorns has been an absolute privilege and I will miss everyone very much. I will take very happy memories away with me and I will not forget the kindness of all the team that work there – Lavino, Joanna, Kiran, Shankar, Ajit and Kaman – all of whom work incredibly hard to make a difference and create a place that feels like home should.

I may not speak Hindi or Konkani and not everyone at Little Acorns can speak English, but I realise now that even with a language barrier, a smile is universal and you don’t necessarily need to understand each others words to be able to help and care.

I would like to thank everyone at the shelter for allowing me the opportunity to meet and help such amazing and inspirational children and for the friendship that has been extended to me. I am truly grateful.

With much love,

Emma

We thank Emma for her time with us and for the kind words of encouragement she had to say!! Emma is a professional photographer and her work may be viewed at http://www.emmastackphotography.com/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmastack/show

Encouraging Letter From Supporters

2010-04-23T15:53:00.000+05:30

We love it when we are appreciated :) Naomi & Catherine visited us and were impressed. Here's what they wrote to our UK Office:

Hi Ruth,

Hope you are well. Its been a while since Catherine and I got back from Goa but have been meaning to send you an email to tell you how wonderful our experiences were with the Child rescue organisation.

Thankfully we made it to India with all the pens, after having to have the bag scanned in Mumbai and then questioned if I was planning to sell them. Luckily I had printed all email correspondance out so could show the guard . When we went to Shanti Nikaten we were really welcomed, given a tour of the wonderful school and then invited to their Sports day a few days later. We were so impressed with the cleanliness of the school its facilities and how friendly everyone was.

The Sports day was amazing, the races, pom pom dancing, medal presentation was all incredible and I am sure Catherine and I wern't alone when we had a cry behind our sunglasses.I have attached a couple of photos for you to see. We both just wish we could come and volunteer at one of the schools however our work doesn't allow it at the moment. I would love to come back with my boyfriend so we'll see however in the meantime I am sure Catherine and I try to come up with some ways of fundraising.

Many many thanks to you and your collegues you have all done such a wonderful job and continue to do so as we saw the plans for the hospital thats being built. What a wonderful positive and productive environment you have all created for these children and what a joy it was to be part of if only for a day.

Kind regards,
Naomi and Catherine

House of Norma Inauguration

2010-04-08T17:30:00.001+05:30

It was a sweet moment of joy when our 12 bedded Hospice, “House of Norma”, was inaugurated at the hands of our Chief Guest Shri. Viswajit Rane, Health Minister of Goa on 7th April 2010, in the presence of Shri. Francis D’Souza, MLA Mapusa Constituency & Shri Pradeep Naik, Sarpanch of Assagao. Mel Huxtable, Chairman of El Shaddai UK Board of Trustees along with a few of our local & international supporters also graced the occasion with his presence. Shri. Viswajit Rane pledged his support to El Shaddai in all our future initiatives.

“House of Norma” will provide the much needed love, care, protection and dignity to children suffering from terminal and life threatening diseases. The hospice is well equipped and will be staffed by trained nurses round the clock. Using the support systems we already have in place, we will encourage the children to pursue education and bring a semblance of normalcy into their lives.

This ambitious project would not have been possible without the donations of our generous supporters and we, at El Shaddai, stand indebted to them. We are specially grateful to Mr. Christopher Hartnett, who sponsored the construction cost of the building. We look forward to the continued generosity of our supporters, as well as to the generosity of many more people, to sustain the running of the Children’s Hospice in the future.

ANITA MOTHER'S PERPETUAL TROPHY

2010-03-22T10:27:00.000+05:30

'ANITA MOTHER'S PERPETUAL TROPHY' prize distribution was done at Little Acorns Shelter on 4th March 2010. This was the second edition since its inception in 2009 and saw enthusiastic participation by the children. This competition was started for the shelter children by volunteer Renee Marlardo as she noticed the creative talent in most of them. This year it was thrown open for the Slum children as well.

The function started promptly at 4 pm with the welcome address by Lavino (Shelter Incharge, Little Acorns) & Shannappa which was followed by the smaller shelter children dancing to the tune of “Bum Bum Bole” from “Tare Zameen Par” movie. A dance presentation by the bigger shelter girls soon followed. Shelter boys Shannappa, Mansoor & Altaf performed magic tricks taught to them by our volunteer Bob Sleeman. The slum children, well dressed in their “best special occasion” clothes, were not far behind with their dance group shaking the leg to a popular hindi song.

After the entertaining shows & refreshments, the prize distribution commenced. The theme for this year’s competition was “India”, where the children were expected to draw images that represent India. The children worked hard on their drawings for 2 days and it was quiet interesting to take a peek into their little brains as they expressed in art what they thought about India. Some drew sceneries – depicting the beauty of India, some drew farmers plowing & reaping crops – depicting India’s main occupation, while some drew the National Flag, National Flower, National Game, National Bird, etc.

Shannappa Natekar won the trophy, while Karishma Hilgiri won the 2nd place. The prizes were given away by Sallie Tetchner, our UK Trustee while Dirk Theinpont, our volunteer explained the winner’s drawings. Karina, Jim & Elain were our honored guests. The function was well attended by the parents of the participating children as well.

We hope to have many more such events in the coming days to bring out the creative best in each of our children.

NORMAN BUCKLER CUP

2010-03-01T17:30:00.001+05:30

Hosts Shanti Niketan School winners of the finals of the first edition of ‘Norman Buckler Cricket Cup’

Shanti Niketan School organized the Norman Buckler Cup inter-school cricket tournament. The tournament was held on the 25th of February at DMC’s college grounds. The tournament finals were played between the host school and Shri Vasant Vidhalaya School, Siolim.

Put into bat, Vasant Vidhalaya scored 92 runs in their full quota of 10 overs. Master Pushparaj top scored with 35 runs. Shanti Niketan School overcame the target with two overs to spare, helped hugely by strong innings from Captain Pamma and Sanju.

Man of the Match award was given to Master Pamma for his contribution with the bat and ball. Mr. Dean Oyen was the chief guest and gave away the prizes.

Shanti Niketan Fantastic Car Show and Race

2010-03-01T17:24:00.000+05:30

Shanti Niketan Fantastic Car Show and Race

On February 26 children from Victory House and Shekinah House staged a “Fantastic Car Show and Race” in the Hall at Shanti Niketan School.

On show were 25 wooden cars carved and painted by 50 boys from Victory House and 10 cars made by teams of boys from Shekinah House. The cars were put on display and viewed by all the students, staff, and visitors at Shanti Niketan School. Certificates were awarded in several categories including Best Design, Best Paint Job, Best Finish, Best Drawing, Most Original Design, etc.

Winners of the Best of Show (Victory House) were were Aditya 557, and Uday 204 and Sharukh 314 at Shekinah House. Following the car show paired elimination races were held. The winning team from Victory House (Amit 519 abd Umesh 650 )soundly defeated the winners from Shekinah House. (Shakur and Mantesh).

Friends of El Shaddai Helen and Dean Oyen sponsored the car show and race.

The slum school

2009-09-28T10:28:00.000+05:30

We have started a slum school near Bal Bhavan, around 10 children and few adults attended the tuition. Children and Adults who want to learn, improve and gain more knowledge have started attending the school. In India about one million children come from poor and vulnerable backgrounds and their basic rights and needs are not fulfilled. they are not enrolled in any school or have got a chance to study. Throughout the day they spend their time collecting garbage. They have only one meal for a day with money they have collected from garbage collection. Their parents are either dead or left them on their own to live among the slum dwellers. They have no hope of their future. Some who have parents, life is like living among the wild thorns, end of the day if they don't earn enough money from garbage collection, they get beaten up by their parents.
They love studying but they have no way out of their slum life. We give them an opportunity to bring their childhood back to them. We have opened up a slum school.

Be a part of help to these children: www.childrescue.net

Multimedia Five plus One

2009-09-21T11:46:00.000+05:30

Please do come to the event as the artists are supporting the excellent work undertaken by two Goa based NGO’s El Shaddai (looking after education and welfare of street children) and Goa SPCA (helping people to help animals) by giving a considerable percentage of sale proceeds. Matthew Kurien, Founder Director and Trustee, El Shaddai Charitable Trust said “I take this opportunity to thank Multi-media-Five plus One for the profound generosity rendered to El Shaddai Charitable Trust. Their strong and sincere efforts will help us in accruing our revenue, bringing us closer to our goal towards the poor and grief stricken street children in Goa. We are overwhelmed by their initiative and enthusiasm”.

The Cultural Day Programme at Shanti Niketan

2009-09-07T17:57:00.001+05:30

Cultural day programme was held at Shanti Niketan on the 4thSeptember. It included traditional dances which were performed by the students. The students performed in their respective houses (groups) namely Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune. These groups were further categorized into junior and senior for girls and only one category for boys.The dances covered a wide range of traditional dances from places like Assam, Kerala, Punjab, Tamilnadu etc. The students were trained by their respective group leaders. The chief guest for the function was Mrs Priyanka Rane who is running a professional dance academy” and teaches classical and folk dance.The programme started off with a welcome speech by Ms Lisa Pinto addressing the chief guest, guest of honour and the judges. It was than followed by the children’s performance. Mr Steven Mendes the guest of honour also spoke a few words of encouragement for the students.

Children Cottage Hospital

2009-09-02T13:57:00.000+05:30

The construction of the Children Cottage Hospital has regained momentum as the legal requirements have been fulfilled and will be completed by the first week of November 2009. We intend to make it beautiful because we believe every child is entitled to a beautiful childhood no matter what the circumstances

BBC Devon Faith Features

2009-08-24T11:22:00.000+05:30

Making a difference

By Danny Lawrence

If you felt passionately about a cause, would you have the conviction to do something about it? Anita Edgar has never even hesitated. She says she responded to a vision from God to help children half a world away.

For more information click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2009/08/21/anita_edgar_child_rescue_feature.shtml

2009-08-07T13:58:00.000+05:30

Four Interns from Carmel College for Women, Nuvem, Goa doing their Masters in Clinical Psychology Part I came to El- Shaddai Charitable Trust to do their internship. Since their college is located in Nuvem they were placed at our Margao Centre called Stepping Stones which is situated in close proximity to their college. The duration of their internship was 15 days and during this period these students were engaged in a wide number of activities. They participated & helped in all sorts of work of the shelter, such as field work, Non-formal education, deep cleaning, kitchen help, serving food, bathing & changing clothes of the children, organizing games for them and flower making. They worked with our field workers as a team in the smooth networking between the hospital, school and police. They also participated in a first aid training camp that was held at the centre.

2009-08-07T13:44:00.000+05:30

Since birth Prem has been unable to pass stools and urine without the help of various tubes.He underwent three operations to enable him to pass the stools and urine through his umbilical area (tummy button).His parents who are extremely poor, took him to a hospital in Mumbai but there has been no improvement in his health.His father has just died and everything now rests on his mother who is unable to cope. El Shaddai has taken the responsibility to support him and his mother. We have a good hospital in Goa who are arranging the tests needed for further treatment. Another operation is planned once his blood count improves.

Anita at Cayman Islands Lions Club

2009-08-03T15:40:00.001+05:30

Anita with the President of Cayman Islands Lions Club where she gave a presentation. They have generously donated 1000 dollars towards El Shaddai from their club

Anita at a church in London

2009-08-03T15:36:00.000+05:30

Anita giving a presentation to the Church of the Nazarene Clapham JunctionLondon on Sunday 12th July. It was followed by the sale of 'Indian Artifax'then a delicious lunch prepared by the ladies of the church. Anita metPastor Joe and Naomi Bentham and Claudette Hart the Missions Secretary atthe Christian Resource Centre Sandown Park Esher in May this year.

Anita's at Washington DC

2009-08-03T15:27:00.000+05:30

Anita giving a slide show presentation in Washington DC, on a fundraising evening at a local restaurant who donated a high

percentage of their profit that night for El Shaddai

Inaguration of SCAN office

2009-08-03T15:00:00.000+05:30

Matthew Kurian giving a speech during the inauguration of SCAN

The inauguration of ‘SCAN’, at the hands of the Chief Justice, P N Bhagwati on 9th June 2009. SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now), is El Shaddai’s new project, based inPanjim which will be dealing with child rights and juvenile delinquency.

Music and Tailoring classes at Shanti Niketan School

2009-08-03T13:35:00.000+05:30

Beautiful works of art is created with an imaginative mind. No doubt we have children who are gifted in various arts. As Vocational Training is part of SNS project. Classes for stitching and tailoring, handmade cards and other crafts like bead making etc are run for the girls community. Music classes are conducted every tuesday and friday.

Vaccination Campaign was held at Shanti Niketan School

2009-08-03T13:28:00.000+05:30

Japanese Encephalitis
The Japanese Encephalitis Vaccination Campaign was held at Shanti Niketan School, Assagao, on 29th June 2009. Inorder to prevent the children from getting the life threatening disease called ‘Japanese Encephalitis which affects children aged between 1 to 15 years. The disease is spread by Mosquito’s who are affected with the ‘Japanese Encephalitis Virus’ which breed in stagnant water. The symptoms of this disease are high fever, unconsciousness, convulsions, paralysis, death and even leave a child mentally or physically handicaped for life.

News about Elshaddai

2009-08-03T13:01:00.001+05:30

News
INTERNSHIP REPORT
4 Interns from Carmel College for Women, Nuvem, Goa doing their Masters in Clinical Psychology Part I came to El- Shaddai Charitable Trust to do their internship. Since their college is located in Nuvem they were placed at our Margao Centre called Stepping Stones which is situated in close proximity to their college. The duration [...]
Matthew and Steven visits Karnataka Projects
Matthew and Stephen visited Mundgod and Adarahalli on 23rd June 2009.Visited the fields at Mundgod. It was decided to double the size of the present water sump. Appropriate embankment needs to be made for the other water sump. Also two borewells needed to be dug.
Bore well completedMundgod Community Centre (Ochil & Unity Cottage): The construction [...]
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN-India): Inauguration by Former Chief Justice of India P N Bhagwati
SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) - India, was inaugurated on 9th June 2009 at the hands of Hon’ble Justice P.N. Bhagwati, (Former Chief Justice of India) at a function held at its Office located at Campal.Speaking at the inaugural function, Hon’ble Justice Bhagwati stated “NGOs are better suited than the administration and the police to [...]
Stop Child Abuse Now- India (SCAN)
Stop Child Abuse Now- India (SCAN) is a non- government organisation (NGO) consisting of experienced persons and experts from the field of law, social work and psychology.Based on the model of various child protection units existing worldwide, SCAN will provide sustainable, comprehensive services for children who are abused, children in need of care and protection [...]
Pastor Mathew visited Pastor Frank Deluce
Pastor Mathew visited Pastor Frank Deluce, El Shaddai trustee in USA and also our friend and well-wisher “Rick” Warren who is an American evangelical minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical mega church located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States