Playing with the boys

Breakfast time in the boys' home: rice cakes and dahl.

On Sunday the house parents of the new boys' home below our rooms had to travel to the villages to hand out food rations and medicine to the HIV-positive patients, so we became house parents for a day. This was a very different experience from the girls' home. These boys are new arrivals--they came just before we did--and their previous experiences are still fresh in their minds. This is the first time that Caring Hands Ministries has taken on boys, but they felt compelled to accept these children. The boys are still getting used to good food, served regularly, and steady adult care and attention. They positively basked in this day of intensive play and hugs and songs and games . . . and so did we!

Here are five of the six boys in the small room
where they sleep, eat, and play when it's raining.

Akash is seven years old, though he looks and acts like a three-year-old.
Both of his parents and one brother are HIV-positive.

Mahesh, the "big brother" to the five little ones,
is an aspiring cricket player. He does a good job
of caring for the little guys.

Prehm: Can you see the twinkle in his eyes?
He never stops!

...but neither does Lara!

Please pray for these boys:
Mahesh, Akash, Shushkamar, Prehm, Sumit, and Abisheek.

Trees for Jost . . .

Jost loves trees, so these are for you, Josti. We love you!

A grove of young teak trees on an old mission property

A monumental banyan tree on the same property, the former home
of an Australian leprosy doctor who also ran a boys' home.

A mango tree in the center of the gathering place at the youth camp

I'm not sure about this one, but behind is a mango grove.

Random palm trees . . .

A gnarled neem tree outside the children's home gate.
Shobha tells us every part of it has wonderful medicinal
properties, and an American company has taken out a patent on it!

A Day at the Market

On Wednesday, we accompanied Hannah, one of the children's home matrons,
to the market at the center of Dharwad.

Everything looks delicious!

The monsoons have started, so it was a muddy endeavor.

The taxi stand

The rice vendor

The banana lady

Betel leaf, an addictive substance that's chewed.

Fresh pineapple

More yummy veggies...

 

Here's Hannah, standing on the right in the blue chuddadra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temple Prostitutes

The girls in the children's home have been rescued from an ancient system of prostitution associated with a regional sect of Hinduism. There are more than 330,000 Hindu gods and goddesses, and these girls' families serve a goddess that requires the dedication of young girls as temple prostitutes.

The sacred pool outside the temple where the girls are dedicated.

Though it is officially illegal to dedicate anyone under the age of 18, the practice continues in secret with girls as young as four to appease the anger of the goddess. The practice is inherited, so many of the girls' mothers and grandmothers were also temple prostitutes.

Faithful followers purify themselves in this sacred pool.

There are an estimated 250,000 temple prostitutes above the age of 18, and Arun and Shobha estimate that there are at least that many below 18, making close to half a million women affected by this practice.

Two of the older temple prostitutes, carrying
their idols on their heads.
When they "retire" from prostitution,
they must keep the idols with them at all times.

Today, the rate of HIV infection among the prostitutes is very high, so many of the girls are actual orphans; others still have a mother or aunt living and working as a prostitute in one of the villages; and some have mothers who have left prostitution through the work of Caring Hands Ministry.

Jyothi

 Jyothi was seven years old when she came with her cousin to live at the children's home. Arun and Shobha found them living alone among the prostitutes, cleaning in a nearby hotel to earn enough money to buy food. Their mothers, sisters who had been dedicated as prostitutes, had both recently died of AIDS. Now, after a year with Arun and Shobha, they take us by the hand and lead us in silly circle games, dancing and singing and giggling like happy eight-year-olds around the world.

Happy girls!

Finger Food

Here in India we have been the only ones eating with utensils, specially provided at each meal by our very considerate hosts. But while we were at the youth camp we decided that we needed to try eating the Indian way--with our hands. It's an amazingly tactile experience, like finger painting or reverting to childhood and playing with your food--the cool, smooth, metal plate under the warm rice and dahl. The food even tasted different without the metallic spoon in the way! We highly recommend it.