Just One Hunger Initiative began distributing meals to children in this neighborhood, the Kanshiram Awastham, Shivpur, five months ago in March 2014. It is a small area packed with many families.
Today we are joined by four French 18 year old 'Scouts', from Paris and we are happy to have the assistance. The children are eager for the feeding to begin and over 400 children are fed. They have to be constantly chased away from the food preparation area and from the French visitors, who became quite the spectacle.
It is monsoon season now, so the days are extremely humid. 95F/35C and humid feels much more suffocating than the 110F/ 44C temperatures in the dry summer months. During the day, it is fly season and during the night, it is the beginning of the mosquito season. The food draws swarms of flies, as several woman are dedicated to fly-shooing detail.
Today we are joined by four French 18 year old 'Scouts', from Paris and we are happy to have the assistance. The children are eager for the feeding to begin and over 400 children are fed. They have to be constantly chased away from the food preparation area and from the French visitors, who became quite the spectacle.
It is monsoon season now, so the days are extremely humid. 95F/35C and humid feels much more suffocating than the 110F/ 44C temperatures in the dry summer months. During the day, it is fly season and during the night, it is the beginning of the mosquito season. The food draws swarms of flies, as several woman are dedicated to fly-shooing detail.
Nonetheless, the children are all smiles, mugging for the camera, photos and generally rebelling against any form of organization. There is a wistful sense of mischievousness and chaos amongst the children today. The stifling humidity does not allow anyone to sit in stillness or peace. Many of the children share shawls over their heads to combat the direct sun. And because of the volume of children being fed, it takes a long time between feeding cycles to make the fresh puri that is added with the eggplant, potato and vegetable curry that is the main course. During the monsoon season, the costs of the raw ingredients for the feeding sky rocket. This is by far the most expensive time for food in the Indian agricultural cycle. Fruit is especially expensive. And today, as our dessert, we are distributing bananas. These are like gold here, so we must keep the bananas safely in the car, otherwise we could start a frenzy as has overwhelmed us in the past. When the bananas are being given out, the children lose any semblance of discipline or orderliness. However, we have an experienced team, who knows how to manage these children and all is handled smoothly.
The children are satisfied, the mothers are happy, and the community seems genuinely grateful. Afterwards, the ASMITA staff share the day's vegetable curry and puris together. There is a sense of togetherness, of family, and of bonding that happens when a group comes together to serve our neighbors in a good cause. We thank each of you in Sai Maa's community for feeding these children and for the opportunity to serve on your behalf.
The children are satisfied, the mothers are happy, and the community seems genuinely grateful. Afterwards, the ASMITA staff share the day's vegetable curry and puris together. There is a sense of togetherness, of family, and of bonding that happens when a group comes together to serve our neighbors in a good cause. We thank each of you in Sai Maa's community for feeding these children and for the opportunity to serve on your behalf.
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