BHN Begins

As most of you know my dad died 2 weeks before coming on this trip. So it was up in the air whether or not I would be able to come. I decided that a month away and some time with some incredible Indian children would be good for me. And it has been. Although still overcome with missing Dad sometimes, being here feels good and this program means so much to me.

For those who don't remember or never knew.... "Basic Human Needs" Is a project here in Varanasi for street children. They run a school for 120 kids and a hostel for 35 kids. I was introduced to them through my friend Jess last summer in India and have stayed in contact and continue to want to support them. For more details see www.basichumanneeds.net

I arrived last week and was so happy to be welcomed back by the staff and kids with shouts of "Yodi-mam!" Yes I was secretly afraid they would have forgotten me. I quickly fell back into my routine of helping out in the English classes in the morning and spending time at the hostel in the evening.

I usually show up at the hostel around 4pm when they are just waking up from their nap, I alternate between playing games and being the official "lice checker." The kids actually like to be checked to see is they can beat there friends at having less lice. We keep track in the "lice book," I am 0-0-1 so far. It is really an exercise in harm reduction rather than an actual attempt to rid them of lice. The hostel kids are usually under 10 but I checked one of the school girls and got up to 38 before it got dark and I couldn't see anymore.

Then from 6-8pm is homework time. I either help out with older ones English homework or read books and play with the little ones. Unfortunately for me I started playing "bumpy road, curvy road" with the little ones and I have myself with a line-up for 45 minutes with the oldest being 13years old and dying to sit and my lap and play "bumpy road"

The youngest kid right now in the hostel is 3 years old and the cutest thing alive. When he came to the hostel a few months ago he could barely walk and never smiled. He now runs everywhere and has the best full bellied laugh ever. All the kids take care of him and make sure he is taken care of and wash him when he forgets to tell people he needs to go "2 number." He has an older sister and a brother who also live in the hostel and there is an understanding that they need to take care of him if no one else will.

When I first arrived there were 2 other volunteers in the school. They were holding twin babies and feeding them rice and dal. I was surprised they were feeding them this but when I mentioned it they told me they were actually 2 and a 1/2 years old and severely malnourished. They have been working with them for 2 months feeding them and giving them "ensure" every day. They have just started to sit and one of them has learned to crawl. Their older brother and sister live in the hostel but the hostel does not have the capacity to take babies and they go home every night around 7pm.

Overall I am pretty excited to be back here and that I get to be part of such a great project for a full month!