AIC's Holiday Party

Written by Mary Kay Hazel

Photos by Manali Kulkarni

Happy 2013 from AIC!

It has been quite an eventful time. Santa visited the Education Outreach Centre and the Residential House, much to the kids’ delight, and we celebrated Christmas, India-style, at the Centre. We took students on outings to video arcades and malls, welcomed guests from abroad, and celebrated the wedding of one of our teachers. New staff members settled in, and we bid a bittersweet farewell to Claudia didi. The residential children came home for a few crazy days over New Year’s, turned the house upside down, and went back to school. And, of course, students continued to study, teachers continued to teach, and maushis continued to hold it all together.

Phew. First things first.

The Education Outreach Centre Holiday party was every bit as lively and enjoyable as last year’s, though it was on a smaller scale than in years past. Many different students danced choreographed routines to festively loud music, and the teachers even joined in the fun with a performance of their own. It was lovely to celebrate right on our own roof: the terrace was transformed by the efforts of magical elves (a.k.a. the expats), and everyone dressed up in their best holiday finery. And finally, no holiday party is complete without a Santa, and ours came with the added bonus of a Scottish accent. The children could barely contain their glee when he arrived to distribute gifts and sweets. The candy is long gone by now, but the toys make frequent appearances during breaks and playtime, and the memories will last forever.

All our gratitude to the Duncan family, Melanie Armer, Rose Smith, Ian Smith, Denise and Chad Harshberger and sons, Sue Dunne, the Expat Wives of Pune and drivers/lighting guys Nandu and Sabir, for planning and sharing in such a wonderful celebration for students, staff, and friends. We also extend our love and thanks to you, our international friends and allies. In a year full of transitions, we were continually sustained and strengthened by our family around the world. With your support, we are confident 2013 will be our best year yet.

Celebrating girls

Today, India is observing National Girl Child Day.

Manisha and Ashwini, 4th standard students

It may not seem like much, but it is at least a small start toward addressing the increasingly skewed sex ratio (which in Maharashtra is 883 girls under six for every 1,000 males, significantly below the 914:1000 national average) and attempting to draw attention to the systemic undervaluing of Indian girls.

We see gender preference on a daily basis at AIC. The two girls above, Manisha and Ashwini, were not enrolled in school when AIC began working in the Waghri community, and, if AIC was not fully supporting their educations and maintaining constant pressure on their families to allow them to attend school, most likely would not be enrolled today either. Both of their mothers have given birth to child after child in an effort to produce a sufficient number of boys and their families' resources are stretched too thin as a result. Both of these girls would routinely go hungry if they did not receive their meals at the Education Outreach Centre, as the food that is available in their households is preferentially distributed and they are unlucky enough to be daughters, not sons. Both of these girls would be (and to some extent still are) at risk of having their marriages arranged upon reaching adolescence, as was the case for their mothers. Both of these girls would still be begging on the streets every day if they did not spend almost every waking hour at the Education Centre or school. In the absence of comprehensive medical care provided by AIC, both of these girls would receive medical care only if it was deemed absolutely necessary, and even then, only if their families had the resources at hand.

Change is happening, but it is slow to occur. So while we at AIC work toward this change, girl by girl, day after day, we welcome national initiatives to draw attention the issues at hand. 

Happy National Girl Child Day!