September 2000
In This Issue
HEART ADVICE -from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
MONTH
OF THE GUINEA PIG -
Longchen Nyingthik Ngöndro Retreat - Vajradhara Gonpa, April-May
2000
SEA
TO SKY RETREAT CENTRE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
JAMYANG
KHYENTSE WANGPO AND THE RIS-MED MOVEMENT
WHITE LOTUS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME
NOTICES
- Dalai Lama to Visit Australia in 2001
- Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche
- E-Dharma.net
WHITE LOTUS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME
There are millions of Indians living in suburban slums who are totally uneducated, have little money and no time or understanding of how important it is that their children go to school. In this article Glenn Fawcett describes an activity of Siddhartha's Intent's White Lotus Sponsorship Programme which offers prospects for Indian slum children.
Even though public schools in India are virtually free, there are perhaps hundreds of thousands of children who don't go to school because their parents are poor and uneducated. The children are eager to attend school, but their parents need to be made aware of the benefits of education in the long term, even though it seems that in the short term they will lose an able pair of working hands. The White Lotus Sponsorship Programme is funding non-formal classes within slum settlements which introduce children to a range of subjects, while social workers approach their families to make them aware of the importance of education and guide them in the necessary process of enrolment so children can eventually begin attending schools.
By providing classes in Indian slums we give many children an opportunity to get schooling where they wouldn't otherwise. We operate under the auspices of a small and efficient Indian non-government organisation that provides the infrastructure for realising our aims - to create awareness of the necessity for education and the provision of education to underprivileged children.
Our
target group is slum children between the ages of five and 14 years. To
this end White Lotus is supporting two centres with about 50 children
at each centre. They are taught a range of subjects in Hindi and English
which aim for all-round development of the child and include sensitivity
to the environment, hygiene and social awareness, as well as mathematics,
history, geography, story-telling and writing skills. This is just one
of many activities supported by our White Lotus Sponsorship Programme.
We're enclosing a brochure in the newsletter that will give you a further
idea of our programme. And you can visit our website at wwwSiddharthasIntent.org
for more information, too.
