Where: Chowka Ghat, Varanasi, India
Children Fed: 250

Observations:  Chowka Ghat is a very poor area of Varanasi sitting below the main railway lines running through Varanasi. There are many children of all ages here, in the middle of the day, because they are not accepted by local schools. Just One regularly visits this area and as always we are enthusiastically embraced by the community and the children.

Today the ASMITA volunteers are assisted by a team from Canada who have supported this distribution. The visitors are welcomed to help with making the puris and in serving the meals to the children.  During the preparation everyone joins together for games and fun, and the children quickly learn the games introduced to them. 

Where: Nagwa, Varanasi, India
Children Fed: 200

Today is the eve of Children’s Day, so the program today includes not just meals for the children of Nagwa, but also games, prizes and gifts. The volunteers arrive early on this special day and begin cutting and cleaning the vegetables, cooking the spices and preparing the dough for the puri. They laugh and enjoy themselves as they prepare the meal, creating a convivial atmosphere for the children’s food. 

The program is held in the forecourt of a mosque in Nagwa, and as we prepare the meals, devout pilgrims come to offer worship at the mosque. Their interest in the activities adds to the atmosphere and by the time the children begin to arrive, the energy is ready for games.  They are excited, playing with each other noisily and inquiring curiously into all that is going on.  The games are organized and the volunteers join the children playing group activities that are also educational, incorporating counting, teamwork and words.