I am really quite into projects these days! I just got back the info on Khayrunnesha's SNG and educational funds, which got her a beautiful red bicycle, school uniform, tuitions (private tutoring) in 2 subjects for the 10th grade year, and aluminum cooking vessels for her family. I was so excited to get this back. She needed it in June/July so she can get the most out of the school year. The 10th grade (or standard, as they are usual called in India) final exams are very important so that she can move on to the upper highschool grades of 11th and 12th. Now I will begin saving up for her 11th and 12th grade tuitions, fees and texbooks so she can continue on. I hope all goes well so she can get to 12th grade before graduating from the program.

For those of you less familiar with the Indian school system, children have final exams every year (even when they are very small!). They have to pass these exams to move on to the next year. Khayrunnesha has been doing great in school, thought I think she may have started a bit late. She has some older sisters and one still lives at home but is marked as married now. She is 20! Hard to believe she is only 3 years old than Khayrunnesha. I have been discussing the education system with my fiance Vivek, who is Indian. He seems to feel that if Khayrunnesha studies hard and does well, she can have a decent chance of getting into a good university, like Jalwahar Nehru University in Delhi. This is a top, government run university that has many majors in different languages. Khayrunnesha expressed interest in becoming a teacher and majoring in English. If she would like to stay in contact with me after she leaves the program, Vivek and I could keep in contact with her and even help set her up at University (if she was in Delhi). This university also has low fees and scholarship for students from poor families. In my last letter to Khayrunnesha I just sent yesterday, I asked her what her plans were and if she considered a university such as J.N.U. We'll see what she says in her reply!

Another SNG going out right now is to Saba (She is currently 11). Last year I was able to get funds to her to get her tuitions for second grade. Unlike Khayrunnesha, a Bengali speaker, Saba (who speaks  Urdu and goes to an Urdu school) has been struggling in school. She has been in second grade for quite a few years.

Last year I inquired about it, and found out that she would benefit from a tutor. We got that arranged (along with school supplies, uniform, a backpack and a fan and emergency light for the family) last year, but around promotion time it still appeared that she was stuck in 2nd grade. I was so disapointed! Not because I felt she isn't trying, but because I am worried she will get discouraged and lose her enthusiasm for school. I thought perhaps there were some other problems going on. Could be she has dyslexia or some other learning disorder? Did she have no one to help her with homework at home? Was the school of poor quality?

I decided to send out a request about her school (It is called a "school report" for those who don't know, I never knew I could ask for those before!). I got it back and found she was indeed still in grade 2, that her mom had decided to switch her to another school (so perhaps the other school was not so good?) and that while she was a hard worker, her grades are poor. I had also asked what grade her siblings are in (She has three brothers, all listed as "SK", one is 16, and there are twins who are 9). I thought maybe I would do some sleuthing-- to see if her siblings were in the same boat. I got back a message from Saba that "My brother is in 3rd grade". Now this really confused me... brother? Where all those other "SK"s typos or was it a translation error? If it was a translation error, which SK was it, the 9 year old twins or the 16 year old? Hmmm, mysteries remain!

I decided that whatever the answers were-- Saba would still benefit from further private tuitions. So for this year, I sent an SNG amount in again (A little more than last year-- $125). (I think I may have missed the first few months of school, though the SNG I sent in last year was around the same time, so maybe it was enough to keep the tutor until now? We'll see). I asked that the money first be used for any education related things that can help her-- which could be tuitions, education tools, school supplies, books (text books and fun reading books). I said if there was some left over it could be used for her siblings for educaitonal needs they may have (maybe this will help me learn more about how they are doing too?) and lastly anything else the family might need (if there is any left over). So that is freshly sent out, and I really hope to see some benefit to Saba through this-- she is a sweet, loving girl and I would love to see her able to succeed in school.

Lastly, quite a while back I send a small SNG ($50) to Semran, my youngest who is 6. Her family report says they speak Hindi, but her letters so far have been written in Urdu. I am hoping her school (I believe she has just begun and is in grade 1) is good quality. I am considering asking for a "school report" before any signs of trouble so I can help her if needed. I have no idea what her family got with the SNG, or if I will know, but I just read another sponsor's post that she got a letter thanking her with details of what was bought-- so I have hope.

For Magda, our group sponsored child in Guatemala, we are hoping to fund an IGP for her family to raise chickens, which I am excited about.

Still in the works, and I am not sure if everyone can donate now, but hopefully we can get it done soon. It would be the biggest project I have been involved in with CI, and the only IGP, so I would really love to be involved with the process and see how it works out for her and her family.

And last but not least, I am attempting to start one IGP-ish type project for my partner Sandia in Haiti (not sponsored through CI). She often asks me about plants and trees, and likes to hear about my vegetable garden. She also told me that the slum she lives in has no plants as all and that it is like a desert. I noticed too from her drawings that she seems to have plants on the mind! I asked the staff guy (I can't remember his official title but his name is Cajuste!) about the possibility of starting a small vegetable/fruit garden for her family outside her home. He told me that the soil in that area is not good, and it is salty (due to proximity to the ocean, I suppose). Around that time I was talking about my idea with my good friend and she sent me an article on urban gardens in potted plants, and how it works well in tropical areas because it also contains the water. I sent Cajuste the picture on the left and asked if such a thing would be possible. He said it would be, so I sent a letter online to Sandia, suggesting the idea and asking her to discuss it with her parents-- if it would be practical-- if there is enough room and sunlight-- and if it is easy enough to get the water to water them. Now I am just waiting on a reply, but I hope it works out-- even if it is just a few plants, it can give them some beauty and food. I am eagerly awaiting her reply!

I have to say-- helping your sponsored children and their family really feels great. I am not eagerly waiting for updates and letters!