April 2008

• After showing an improved liver condition, the doctors started Zubedabanu on the full course of TB medicine. Unfortunately, the day after, she fell into a coma and then passed away a couple of days later, on April 10, 2008. Apparently, the TB had continued spreading, since she had been unable to take the full course of treatment. We were blessed with Zubeda's presence at Karunya Mane if even for a short time and she had a few good weeks of life with us, surrounded by people who took great care of her. For more on Zubedabanu, please see here.
• Our dear old Jayama was admitted to the hospital late in March for ten days, and was treated for cardiac edema. Mahadevi, one of our female residents, stayed with Jayama in the hospital for the ten days and also does a great job taking care of her at Karunya Mane, where Jayama stays now, and is back to being her fiesty old self.
• One of our moms with HIV finally started receiving free medicines from the government clinic. She remains in excellent health, as does her son -- who has gained noticeable weight and is now a happy, smiling, mischevious little boy. Both continue to take their medication every day.
• We visited and evaluted two schools in the area for our kids this coming school year (starting at the end of May), and have decided on the Sri Sai Saraswathi Vidyakendra, a small school with about 15 to 20 kids per classroom. The school is run by a very compassionate man who is more interested in the kids' actual learning than in simply promoting them along in grade levels, as happens at many other schools here.

March 2008

• The *hit* film Goonda, featuring and filmed by several of our street boys, is now available on the Internet! To watch Goonda, click here.
• Reeta's little girl, three-year-old Sinchanna, came to stay with mom at Karunya Mane. When Reeta was in the hospital, a few kind souls offered to take care of her little girl. After a bit of wrangling and proving to these people that Reeta was healthy enough, and more than willing to take care of Sinchanna now, they brought her back to mom. Both happy and settled in at Karunya Mane.
• Zubedabanu's health condition has improved dramatically in the past month. She has been taking her medicine consistently and is now eating almost normal meals. She has a long way to go, but we hope that in the welcoming and healing environment of Karunya Mane, she'll one day make as close to a full recovery as possible.
• Our kids in boarding school just finished up the school year. For seven of them, this was their first year away from their moms, and they did great! After a two-month summer break, it'll be back to school for all of them.
• Many thanks to Ashtanga Yoga San Francisco for hosting an open house/fundraiser for Operation Shanti at the end of March!

February 2008

• We (finally) opened our shelter, Karunya Mane, on February 10th. Just in time, as two women with nowhere to go and who needed a place to recover and heal from their illnesses came to stay with us. Read more about our shelter here.
• Reeta, who we talked about in January's entry, was discharged and came to stay at Karunya Mane. She has no home or family, except for her three-year-old daughter Sinchanna. To qualify for free TB medicine, Reeta required monitoring to ensure that she takes her medicine consistently for the next five months.
• Zubedabanu, a destitute woman from Davanagere (a town a 20-hour drive from Mysore), was brought to us by a local hospital. She was literally dumped at the hospital and nobody was able to locate her family. She was quite ill with abdominal tuberculosis, is emaciated but is getting better. A few days ago, a friend from her neighborhood called to ask about her and told us that her husband abandoned her, her twelve-year-old son can't be found, and her parents refused to take her in. She had no caretaker so the hospital could not keep her for very long. Her condition has improved, but she has a long way to go. The other women at Karunya Mane help take care of her and we ask you to send your good thoughts to Zubedabanu.
• This month, Asha came to stay with us at Karunya Mane. She ran away from home one evening, after getting tired of being hassled by her relatives and neighbors (young girls at home are often hassled for no good reason, and serve as punching bags for the daily frustrations felt by adults struggling to make ends meet), found us on the street the next morning, and asked to come to stay at our shelter. Asha has one more month left of school and we've arranged for her daily transportation to and from.
• Little Vishnu had a tooth extracted this month. He sure did not enjoy the experience, especially the needle (!) but was a trooper and remained in the chair while the dentist did his job.
• A new friend of Operation Shanti, www.drbenkim.com, held an enewsletter fundraiser for us, to raise money for our van, solar panel system for hot water supply, and mattresses. In 10 days, his appeal to his subscriber base raised almost $20,000 -- enough to purchase the items we need for Karunya Mane. Many thanks to Dr. Ben Kim's generous donors for their support!
• Three New Zealanders came out this month to the street and had a great time skin painting (using plant-based paints) with the kids.

January 2008

• A creative and generous donor, Tracy from Grass Valley, arrived with a suitcase full of shoes that she had gathered from various generous givers over the past several months, and distributed them to our kids.
• At the beginning of January, three of the older boys in boarding school went on a field trip for five days with their teachers. They visited several famous tourist and cultural sights around Karnataka.
• A group of 30 high school girls from Castilleja School in Palo Alto, CA came to meet our street women and interviewed them, as part of the school's Global Awareness Week and focus on women's issues. The girls asked very detailed questions of our women, and our two translators did a great job breaking down the language and cultural barriers for both sides.
• Reeta, a very young destitute woman with no family, came to us gravely ill. We admitted her to the hospital where they diagnosed her as having tuberculosis. She's out of the hospital now and in our shelter (more on this in next month's posting), and her condition has greatly improved after starting medication.
• Our street woman with HIV/AIDS passed away this past week, on January 28th. Read about her life here.
• At the end of the month, the kids in boarding school returned home for a week-long holiday. Time sure flies; they've only got two more months in school before the summer holiday!
• Santosha Cafe held a fundraiser for us to help raise money for our kitchen at Karunya Mane. The event was a huge success -- they basically outfitted our entire kitchen -- and everyone had a fabulous time at the event. And then shopping for kitchen items was even more fun!
• A local newspaper wrote an interesting perspective on two of our volunteers, and our work on the street. See the translated version here.

December 2007

• Pramod, a volunteer from San Francisco, was in India for a week, and he met our kids and moms. The kids had a great time with him -- and his digital camera!
• Software Paradigms International, an outsourcing company based in Mysore and Atlanta, did a clothing drive and came out to donate clothes and meet our street folks.
• One of our street women was admitted to the HIV clinic this month, as she is quite ill and weighs only 25 kg (55 pounds). We took her to the clinic after she was denied treatment at the government hospital. Thanks to Anu's Bamboo Hut for cooking a few tasty meals for her.
• As of this month, all of our qualified families now have sponsors! Thanks to all of you who participate in our family sponsor program. Check back for more sponsoring opportunities, as we continue to prepare our facility, Karunya Mane, for its first set of kids and elderly...
• Mr. Joseph does it again, with wonderful Christmas gifts for our kids on the street and in boarding school.
• Swathi, a medical school student in Mysore, volunteers with some of her friends on Sundays. They can speak the local language with the kids and moms, a great benefit to the program.
• Santosha Cafe, a new eatery in Gokulam, recently started serving incredibly yummy breakfasts for our Street People Program on Tuesday mornings. Many thanks to Tamara, Tomas and Ravi for rice dishes that fill their tummies and bring smiles to their faces.

November 2007

• One of our street women finally received the proper medical treatment she needed, after being turned away at the government hospital for being HIV+. We were able to take her to a hospital about an hour's drive away. There, they performed her surgery and provided her with proper medical care.
• We visited our kids in school, and they're great! Three of the boys are going on a field trip to fourteen different places in southern India with their classmates in December. Needless to say, they are quite excited!
• Our two volunteers from Germany, Maike and Jan, are here helping with the kids and moms until mid-January. Our little ones have fallen in love with them, and we suspect the feeling is mutual.
• Our mom and son on antiretrovirals continue to take their medication properly. This is a big thing, because many times poor people do not understand the importance of taking their medicine consistently.
• We're looking for initial staffing for our facility, including a cook, security people, a house mother and manager.

October 2007

• Little Prema's ear continues to heal well, and she's back in school and at tutoring.
• The short film, Goonda, with footage by our street kids, is touring with the Reel Youth Film Festival through 24 communities in Canada and the US. We've had a preview and the film is great! Stay tuned for how to view Goonda soon...
• Our kids in boarding school returned for a two-and-a-half week holiday during Dasara. The moms were overjoyed to see them and the kids were happy to spend some time at home. All returned safely and on time to school.
• The "Images from Mysore" exhibition raised well over $1,000 for Operation Shanti. Many thanks to David Keil and the Miami Life Center. Namaste.
• After their first month on HIV antiretrovirals, mom and son are doing well and their overall health condition has improved.

September 2007

• Two more of our street moms underwent tubectomies this month. Although they are both just in their early 20s, they already have two and three kids, respectively.
• Just announced, a photo exhibit, "Images from Mysore" to benefit Operation Shanti, held at the Miami Life Center.
• One of our little kids started anitretroviral treatment (ART) this month; the doctor expects to see good improvement in his health within a month... stay tuned.
• We are very happy to learn that our recent newborn just tested negative for HIV! Mom, who is positive, bottle-feeds baby to reduce the risk of transmission. Mom started her antiretroviral treatment this month, thanks in part to one of our generous sponsors.
• Little Prema successfully completed an operation on her left ear, which had been plagued by a chronic ear infection.

August 2007

• Approximately 40 volunteers from Infosys's SOFTEN (SOcial Forum to Enable the Needy) team come out to the street on India's Independence Day to distribute breakfast, clothing, blankets and shoes to our kids and families.
• Renovations start on our soon-to-be leased facility, to be used as a shelter and medical clinic for destitute kids and the elderly.

July 2007

• We are referred to a wonderful tutor with a particular interest in providing educational support to poor kids. We arrange tutoring for Asha through her sponsor, so she can stop working and continue her schooling.
• We expand our Sponsor Program to two additional families. Sponsor funds cover housing, food, educational initiatives, other daily incidentals, and extraordinary medical expenses.
• Arrange for Prema to start daily tutoring, as she is far behind in her education, given her difficult lifestyle. Prema's ear operation is scheduled for September 29.
• Help one of our moms get through a 10-day hospitalization for tuberculosis and other ailments.
• Anu and Ganesh from Anu's Bamboo Hut in Mysore (an eatery for yoga students) generously sponsor our first visit to see the kids at the boarding school and provide transportation and snack packs for the little ones.
• Big Heart Award to Prema: Little Prema, who comes along to visit her brother and sister at boarding school, gives them her snack pack from Anu. Prema said that since she sees us everyday, she gets a snack from us, but her brother and sister are in boarding school and don't get our snack daily, so she gave hers to them.

June 2007

• Bringing little Saumya, her mom, brother Surya, and their baby brother Darshan into our program. They recently lost their house (destroyed in a rainstorm) and are homeless. Mom, who takes good care of her little ones, begs for money. Dad recently abandoned them.
• We admit nine of our kids to boarding school. And there were no teary goodbyes from the kids, they are too excited to be at school!
• A newborn boy arrives on June 14th, at a healthy 6.6 pounds. Mom and baby are doing well and mom gets special counseling on how to care for her baby, given her health conditions. We provide immunoglobulin therapy for baby to prevent transmission of mom's hepatitis B condition to baby.
• Young professionals from Infosys's charitable efforts donate men's clothing, blankets, and women's outfits to our street people.
• Helped a mom with a 10-day stay in the hospital, after contracting typhoid fever. Another street mom generously takes care of her little ones while she's in the hospital.

May 2007

• (Finally!) Locate a local HIV clinic that provides proper care and counseling, and partners with hospitals in the area, for one of our HIV+ moms and her two-year-old child. Mom and child are now registered there.
• We are working on admitting seven additional kids into boarding school.
• Helped another destitute woman register at a local HIV clinic.
• The folks from a Canadian filmmaking organization spend a couple of week with our kids while making a film on the lives of street kids.

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