Yesterday was again very busy… Sandeep from Childrens Future India (CFI) came with the car to our hotel in Mumbai; Pen next… Of course we all + the luggage, didn’t fit into the car. We tried a million variations and everybody shifted place several times. Luggage up and down from the top of the car. The ususal India hullabaloo… End of story: Sandeep had to take a taxi with our luggage… hmmmmm. And we haven’t started shopping yet!!
But we arrived in CFI’s office only an hour after schedule and I met Dr Deshmuk who runs the CFI office in Raigad, and whom I met in Oslo some weeks ago. We were greeted with the usual flower garlands and then the rush started; presentations, tour of the office etc, before going out to meet my new sponsored child Seema and her family. They live in a small village, aprox 20 family members in the house. After a while I realised we were not only people in the house, but two oxens as well…The family is very poor, Seema has three sisters and a brother. Father is not able to work because of something is wrong with his foot. The mother was so tiny I can’t understand she has been able to give birth to five children. Afterwards we visited Seema’s village school where we were placed on the ususal plastic chairs up front….
But what made the biggest impression on us, was the visit we made to a young widow with three children. Her brother had helped her buy a small house and CFI recently helped her get a door for the house so she would feel more secure. Widows in India lives a poor life. Her small house was without electricity and furniture, only some kitchen utensils and one kerosene lamp. We gave the soscial workers money so that the family could get groceries for approx 6 months. We were all very quiet when we left, the visit had made a great impact on us.
We had lunch at the CFI office, and afterwards we visited a small hospital. The head doctor came from the slums, she was once a poor child, sponsored from Norway through CFI. Now she is a doctor…
We all felt extremely tired when we set out for Pune, but traffic was not too bad so we reached before 8 pm. We felt drenched, and full of impressions. Food and Kingfisher was the only solution………
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