Unlearning Poverty Mentality at BSS
Buddha’s Smile Students call their school “the seventh wonder of the world” and a ‘temple.” Click on this link to find out why.
Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Feb 11
Urmi Basu and New Light Featured in Documentary Film
Amistad has been a proud sponsor since 2005 of New Light, programs for children of sex workers in Calcutta, India. Founder/director, Urmi Basu, and New Light are prominently featured in the highly-acclaimed book ‘Half the Sky’ by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The book and upcoming documentary film covers the oppressive conditions faced by poor women and children throughout the world, and the efforts of brave people like Urmi who aid the helpless in making new lives for themselves. For more on the book and the upcoming documentary to be released in October, 2012, please visit Half the Sky.
CIFORD Video—Empowering Girls Through Education
Check out Amistad’s video about CIFORD’s replacing female genital mutilation with new rites in Kenya’s Meru tribe. The video was made by Tanya and Boyd Cothran.
22 New Students Chosen for Buddha’s Smile School New School Year Which Open in July
Last week Buddha’s Smile School founder/director, Rajan Kaur, visited a neighborhood of garbage collectors to select several new students for the new school year which begins July, 2012. These are children who would not otherwise be going to school. This photo above shows several of the children who are giddy with delight at being chosen as one of the 22 new students. When you come to the last photo in this series you’ll see some of our current most advanced students. What a transformation our kids have while at BSS!
These photos show the ‘before’ and in a few years, if the families will commit to their children’s education, the students will be transformed into confident sharp kids ready for high school.
This boy looks eager to start school. It appears that his father is (possibly) blind.
I am so happy for this girl who will have the opportunity of an education. Her mother has had a hard painful life and we know this girl’s life can be much better because of BSS.
This child will start pre school. You may not recognize her in a photo in a few months for she’ll be shiny clean and in a uniform.
Rajan (right) meeting with the parents and children to establish the rules for school attendance. The parents must commit to the children being at the school bus each morning and, hopefully, in a clean uniform.
Rajan has pre-classes for the newly selected to teach them how to sit quietly in the class, and arrive clean clothing.
Friends, this is what the new students will look like in a few years! These are some of our middle school girls last week.
Here are our oldest boys now ready for high school. Don’t they look sharp and confident!
NY artist brings joy through art to BSS students
New York artist Erica Harris teaching a class
In January of 2012 Brooklyn, NY artist Erica Harris was welcomed to Buddha’s Smile School in India to teach art classes and take photos of daily activities at BSS. Thank you also to Erica and her friends who raised over $6,000 for BSS middle school scholarships. We invite you to take a look at Erica’s beautiful photos of our BSS students: http://www.ericaharris.org/2012/03/2012bssactivities/
