September 2006

Dear friends and well-wishers of our little children in Brisson Bala Bhavan,

Hi there!

This is Fr. Shaju, director of Brisson Bala Bhavan, wishing you greetings of the season.

I want to update you on Brisson Bala Bhavan. Before that let me thank you all for the wonderful help that you do for the little ones in the hostel. I was at the hostel today afternoon, telling them about the magazine “Licht”, Fr. Herbert and who Fr. Herbert is and how various good people help the kids in Brisson Bala Bhavan through that magazine etc.  They were very excited about hearing about all of you and even one of them asked, “Can we see them?” And I said I will invite them and may be one day!

I just want to tell you the kids are most grateful to all of you for your generous contributions. Thank you very much.

The kids are doing well in the hostel. The present teacher, Mini, is doing a very good job. Professionally she is a nursery teacher and a trained physical education teacher. The way she deals with the kids and her creative ways of teaching the kids, playing with them, physical training etc. looks great. I feel the kids are enjoying the way she is with them. The other day I was in one of the schools where our kids study for a meeting, and the principal was very appreciative and proud of the “Brissonites”.

Here and there the syllabus is little tough for one or the other. I feel they would pick up.

On the 15th of August India celebrated its 59th Independence Day. On this occasion it was nice that our kids were at the forefront of the independence celebrations at Nazareth academy, where our younger kids (1st standard) study. All were impressed by the way our kids performed in the various activities of the Independence Day celebrations.

The kids bring a lot of life to our campus here. It is interesting to watch the way they fight and solve their problems. I would like to narrate one; one day Celestine and Prabhakar were fighting over the ownership of a small chocolate. Seeing the fight Sanchez comes in to settle the fight. His solution to the problem was “lets divide the chocolate into three equal parts and all of us will get one each!!!”, and the solution was acceptable!!!!! It is simply very funny watching them, a lot to learn from them.

On Sundays it is very interesting. Their parents and relatives come to visit them. For some of them, especially the younger ones, the parting is very tough.

What is new for the hostel now is that they have a TV and they enjoy watching it. They have some fun after supper.

On Saturdays one of the brothers works with them to improve their abilities in their artistic sense. On Sunday mornings another brother teaches them to dance and in the afternoon they are taken for a walk.

In general they are doing well and they and their parents are very grateful to everyone who supports them and allows them to be what they are today. At the moment we are working on a new classroom and computer room for them.

Once again I want to thank you all for your generous support and a very special word of thanks to Fr. Herbert Winklehner for the good work that he does for our kids in Brisson Bala Bhavan. As one of the kids asked me, I invite you all to come and visit our kids in the hostel, whenever you have some time.

Thank you. We will keep you in our prayers.

Fr. Shaju
(Director)