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In a dimly lit grey room we found around 60 girls aged from about 3 to teenage. They were singing with John, the founder of the Lotus Flower Trust. We joined in and taught them action songs. They all jumped in enthusiastically. At it was time for the girls to sleep and I asked if I could visit them and say goodnight. It was then I realised the awful and shocking truth. Their room - approximately 10 feet by 30 feet -was their home. This is where they slept on a bare concrete floor with shared grubby blankets as there were not enough for each girl. They went to bed in clothes as the nights are very cold and this was autumn. I hate to think how cold it gets when the winter snow arrives from December to March, with no heating or windows .We said our goodnights and went to meet with the NGO manager of the Ashram to learn more about the girls who previously no one knew lived there. The Ashram has never been visited by Westerners probably due to it being so remote. The manager Mr Joshi told us that the girls are there because they are orphans or have been put out from their family as they are too poor to feed and clothe them. These girls are "Untouchable" or Dalits - girls tainted by their birth into a caste system that deems them impure, less than human. The NGO give basic shelter for these girls on 25 rupees or 30p a week.
That night I went to bed with the realisation that these girls have been discarded and forgotten in their remote Ashram.Next day we were woken at by the lovely singing, although maybe not at that time of night! It was still very dark and we learned afterwards that the girls get up then as they are so cold on the concrete floors. They sing to celebrate every little thing in their day, getting up, before food and tasks. They are just like our little girls, in that they are full of life and chatter with one another. They are unlike our girls in that they are the poorest of the poor with nothing and nobody.
As soon as it was light the girls were washing themselves and their clothes at a standpipe outside with no privacy or warmth. Their toilets are basic concrete walls, plus a hole in the ground with a tattered rag curtain to give some privacy. There is no dining room. They eat their basic rice and dahl outside sitting cross legged on the floor.I believe we are so fortunate. We have drinkable water, warmth, a comfortable bed, good plentiful food and a future, and I know that with your help we could change these girls’ lives forever and let them know in their hearts that they are thought about and not forgotten. .
Little things can make a huge difference to them. Before we left , the Lotus Flower Trust had arranged for a mattress, blanket, pillow and sheet for each of the 60 girls at the cost of less than £1000. It would be luxury - a good night’s sleep for them, and maybe even a lie in.Our goal is to build a dormitory home on land provided free by the NGO just by the river. It will be called the “Akaash Ganga home for destitute girls”. That means because each of the girls is a star. The home will nurture their bodies, minds and spirits; a simple building with dormitory bedrooms, inside washing and toileting, a basic kitchen and a communal room for dining, activities and prayers. The total build cost will be £25,000 and our intention is to have it completed by October 2010.
You can make a big difference by doing any of the following:v Donating your time and coming on an adventure to India next October to finish the work, painting etc and being part of the opening for the girls.
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