Restarting of life in India! Research on health of infants in villages

(I wrote this article in Japanese in January 2015)

In the end of December 2014, I came back to India with my second daughter who became 6 months at that time.

After coming back to here, I became very busy with a lot of works remained while I had been in Japan, and I have many events here everyday...!

I visited 2 villages to research about health conditions of children and infants. One of them is 10 Km from Bodhgaya, and other village is 8 Km from Bodhgaya today.(Jan.2015)

The village where I visited first was called Harijan colony which is a village where a kind of lowest caste people live.

Reikha madam also came with me. She helps our Mothers & Infants health project.

When I started to walk after getting off from my car at the entrance of the village, maybe I looked like an foreigner who is very rare to see for them though, many villagers came to see me.

I found a grandmother who was holding a little baby that I thought the baby might be about a month old. And I asked her how old is the baby, then I was so surprised because she said the baby is 6 months old.

My second daughter became just 7 months at that time.  I compared her and the baby.  The body size of my daughter is 1.5 times bigger than the little baby. I thought that my daughter was bigger than the baby when she was born.

I asked how old are the other babies in the village, and I was surprised to find their body sizes are so smaller than they had to be in their age.

I know that most adults who live in these poor villages tend to be smaller and thinner because of malnutrition.  It look like a kind of normal because most people are small, but the health condition of the babies were so bad.

The children around 2 to 6 years old are also malnutrition showed that they were having green running nose, too thinner hands and legs.

I thought they should be supported to improve their condition.

But, there is a big problem. The village is too far from Bodhgaya, and it is in the another local administration office.

We always cooperate with the local administration office in Bodhgaya for our health project. We don't have connection with the local administration office of this area.

State government of Bihar provides various supports for the poor, especially the people who are in lowest caste had been gotten discrimination through several generations since ancient time.

One of them is a work of anganwadi who are female staffs take care of mothers and infants, give  them nutritious foods, help them to take vaccination.

Although the roles are not functioning in some areas. We are helping villagers with anganwadi to get knowledge of what kind of supports are provided by governments and how the supports can reach each poor people.

And, we visited another village where is 8 km away from Bodhgaya.  We found that there are so many children but few infants after went around the village.

We decided to go back after sunset.

We will visit other villages near the village next time.

Surya Bharti School got damages by heavy rain and flood in August

Surya Bharti School got damages by heavy rain and flood in this rainy season since early to middle of August 2014.  There were serious damages by heavy rain caused floods in Bihar and UP in north India this season.  I got a report from our principle Mithilesh sir.

1, The lower parts of 12 peaces of lockers and bookshelves were swamped and they became useless.

2, 150 set of long desk and benches were submerged in dirty water more than a week and got damaged.

3, CPU(10 peaces) of desktop computer became useless by being submerged in water more than a week.

4, 10 chairs for teachers got damaged.

5, The lower parts of 12 peaces of classroom doors became decayed by the flood.

6, 4 peaces of Battery got damaged and became useless.  It is very necessary to pump up water for toilet when power outage.

7, Inverter became out of order by being submerged in water more than a week.

8, 8 boards of carrom board game became rotten by water.

9, 2 peaces of carpets became decayed.

10, All equipment of audio systems became out of order.

11, 10 tables for computer became decayed by water and have warms inside.

12, The surface of walls of school building became dirty by the flood.

13, Water drain was destroyed and blocked up by mud.

14, The school bus was already old and we have used it by repairing many times, it was submerged in flood more than a week, and its wheels and engine got damaged.

15, Roof tiles got cracks by heavy rain.

16, 10 peaces of UPS(battery) for computer became out of order by being submerged in water.

17, Sand of the school ground was swept away by the flood, and the level of the ground became lower.

18, The floor of classrooms got damaged by the flood.

19, Some parts of walls of school building got damaged.

We appeared on ”Japanese Women who married in mysterious land No.6" of Sunday Big Variety program by TV Tokyo

We appeared on ”Japanese Women who married in mysterious land No.6" of Sunday Big Variety program by TV Tokyo

******************************************************************************
Japanese Women who married in mysterious land No.6

Japanese women who live in foreign countries after international marriage. This time, we report about Japanese wives in Chanrai ,Thailand, in Bodhgaya, India, in Danieden, Newzealand, and in Uganda, east Africa.

▽Bodhgaya India「Great success with wife's help! A Japanese wife married husband with big family」

【Reporter Osaru】

Bodhgaya is famous place where Buddha got enlightenment. There is a Japanese wife who supports big family of 26 members by running hotels. In addition to the hotel, she is very busy to support her husband who runs a school and cable TV company.

http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/sun/backnumber/483.html
*******************************************************************************

I was introduced third among 4 Japanese women living abroad in this program.

With the reporter "Osarusan"(a Japanese comedian)

TV team visited to shoot Surya Bharti School.  They gave Japanese writing methods for the students.  Osarusan showed his fantastic writing in front of the students. 

We had my elder son's birthday party.  Osarusan also attended it to celebrate together.  He played DS game with my second son when he had time.

made by second son

made by elder daughter

made by elder son

They visited our house in Delhi, house in Bodhgaya, and our hotels too.They filmed the party of opening celebration of Bodhgaya news channel.  Osarusan appeared in the news program as a special guest!

It was very fun shooting.  We appreciate all the TV team and the reporter Osarusan.

Actually the interview by Tokyo TV was second time.  We had been interviewed in January 2002.  The reporter was Ms. Megumi Ohigashi at that time.

I was pregnant(of second daughter) this time, I was also pregnant(of elder daughter) last time.  It is amazing that it was my pregnant time whenever I had gotten offer to interview.

The program was broadcast not only Tokyo TV but also many local channel all over Japan.  Thank you very much to everyone who watched it!

Ex-student, aiming to become a cricketer!

Ex-student, aiming to become a cricketer!

On 29th August 2013, we sent Premjeet who is an ex-student (graduate of our school in class 2012) to Ranchi in Jharkand state next to Bihar.

He will take a training to become a professional cricketer there.

To be a cricketer is his future dream since he was a child.

I and teachers discussed many times about his cricket training, there were argument both for and against it because he has been studying in an institute aiming for IIT.

Once he stops to study, recovering study is very hard.

While he takes the 6 months of training, he won't keep up with his study had been continued 12 years.

He had come many times to see me, and  "This is my last chance" he said.

I talked to principal and we decided a rule that he will take a test of cricket with principal and if he won he can get a permission to go to the training.

The result of the test was....he was defeated by principal.(the principal is good at playing cricket though)

I and principal thought he will give up.

But, he didn't give up.

He came to see me again on the day 2 days before the closing day of the application.

I gave up to make him give up by his passion.

I gave a condition to him instead of a permission of the training.

The condition is to take tuition class and to continue study in Ranchi with the training.

I told him about hardness of the reality that only a handful of people can become professional cricketer, and there is seldom possibility to pass to go to upper league even after taking 6 months training.

He went to Ranchi, and found a room to stay and tuition class too.  It was first time for him being and doing anything alone without family.

The training monthly fee is surprisingly cheap, but it is almost half of his family's monthly income.

He bellowed a bag from a teacher to bring his cloths.

I've heard that some teachers said that madam(me) is too much kind for him about giving permission of the training.

In fact, I would like to give him a chance to learn the hardness of the reality.

It is easier to remain dream as a dream, but it comes to realizing a dream, you will experience of pain of failure.

You can pretend and excuse with any reason or condition if you leave your dream as a dream ever.

I also experienced many failures through challenging dreams come true.

Those pain memories gave me good chances to train my foot to walk on the road of life.

I hope that he will be stronger person going forward and doing his best even he experience painful time in any situation.

I was looking him since he was 6 years old, and I saw him off feeling like myself as his mother.

Marriage of the students

Marriage of the students

In May 2013, there were wedding ceremonies of our few ex-students continuously after Pinky madam (sewing class teacher).  May is one of the most big marriage season in all India.

Pinky madam was an assistant teacher of sewing class, is middle of 20s, have trained herself cooking and housework etc. to get marry, and wishing to marry in her this age.  She was glad to have her husband to be.  Of course, he was selected by her relatives and her parents.

And, I attended wedding ceremony and engage ceremony of our ex-students.  The ex-students are 18 years old.  In India, female can marry in the age above 18 years old, and male can marry in the age above 21 years old legally, below that age is prohibited.  They(girls) are 18 years old, and it is legal.  We can say that they won against old customs of child(early) marriage.  They were even able to study in a college.

Despite being illegal, child marriage is common in rural area in India still now. Here the area around Bodhgaya is also same.  It is said that villagers have marriage ceremony twice.  First time in their childhood (around 8 years old), second time after girl had started menstruation (around 11 to 15 years old), before that time girls live with their parents, after starting menstruation girls shift to husband's house.  Who to marry is depend on their parents.  I think that the reason why this kind of customs have been kept is to maintain marriage between same caste.  If boys and girls fall in love by their own mind, the person who he/she loves doesn't necessarily always same caste, rather, the possibility that he/she is same caste is lower.  So, I think that parents in villages force to marry their children with same caste before the children become to have feeling of love.

Many girl students quit our school because of marriage forced by their parents between 13 to 15 years old till now.  An ex-student who married in 13 years old became a mother of 2 children now, and one of them admitted to our school this year.  An ex-student S married in 16 years old, could take matriculation exam on the next day of her wedding ceremony, but gave up higher education.  Her husband and his family didn't allow her to take higher education.  She was good at study, and had been forced to marry without her agreement, she is hard to accept her marriage life still now.

I and teachers have explained to the parents of our students about the problems of child marriage and its illegality many times on some occasions.  The ex-students who married in 18 years old and their parents understood and kept the promise between us.

Pinky madam who is 20s trained herself to be a good bride.  And the ex-students in 18 years old seemed to have fears and embarrassment, but accepted their marriage arranged by their parents with slight of hope and feeling of giving up.

A few years of difference.

2 to 5 years.  If the parents could wait untill their children become adult enough by both of mind and body, how their children could marry happily...

I hope they can live happily with their partners and new families.  I sent them into new life with prayer.

Volunteer staff, Ms.Ritsuko

Ms.Ritsuko has joined Surya Bharti School as a volunteer staff since 1st August.

She is a nurse in Japan.

She teaches Japanese language and will work together on Mother & Infants Health project in a village.

We went to visit students' house in villages together.

She has already become friends with teachers and students with her soft and generous atmosphere.

I hope she will enjoy here in India with us for 2 months!