Give back, while also experiencing the world in a whole new way!

Join us for The Miracle Foundation’s annual medical trip. You’ll have the opportunity to volunteer your expertise and talents, while also experiencing the unique culture of India.

Who: Pediatricians, Family Practitioners, Dentists, and 
Dental Hygienists

What: Medical exams (general check-ups) and dental 
exams (including tooth extractions, cleanings, and 
sealings as required) for each of the 500+ children in 
our care, as well as any of the 100+ staff members 
who may want to participate.

When: October 23–November 1, 2010

Where: Three orphanages located in the eastern states of Jharkhand and Orissa. Because this is one of the most impoverished regions of India, the medical and technological progress seen in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore is not apparent in this area, and high-quality medical attention is desperately needed. However, lodging accommodations are comfortable.

How: Fly into Delhi, where you will be met by our travel coordinator Barbara Joubert. She will then take care of all travel details. The group will then fly to Ranchi and travel by car and/or train to each of our three locations. Very comfortable and clean accommodations are provided with delicious, home-cooked vegetarian Indian cuisine.

Info: For further information, contact our Travel
Coordinator, Barbara Joubert, via phone 
at 512.329.8625 or email at
 Barbara@MiracleFoundation.org. Additionally, if you are interested in getting insights from a doctor and/or dentist who has already been on one of our medical trips, Barbara Joubert can provide you with their direct contact information.

The Miracle Foundation — founded in 2000 — is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on empowering orphans, one child at a time. Based in Austin, Texas, this secular organization currently cares for 500+ children in four homes located in eastern India, offering them a depth of care that is unprecedented in most children’s homes. In addition to providing their children with nutritious food, high-quality healthcare, and a college-prep education (including English proficiency and computer literacy), The Miracle Foundation has also established a family-style living model in each of their homes. With a ratio of one Housemother to every ten children, this model allows for a long-term relationship with a trained and loving Housemother, thereby providing each child with the foundation for attachment, an essential requirement for healthy human development and something most orphans are denied. By going beyond simply providing the basic rights, The Miracle Foundation is giving their children the tools they will need to break the cycle of poverty, while also fundamentally changing the standard of care for orphanages everywhere. The funding for this work is primarily achieved through sponsorships and individual donations. For more information about The Miracle Foundation: www.miraclefoundation.org

The evening was highlighted by two moving speeches by Chris Monheimer-Poyner and Caroline Boudreaux.

Chris, Caroline’s traveling companion on her original trip to India, stressed that even the smallest gesture can ultimately make a huge impact. She made this point come to life by telling the story of a decision she made one night over 15 years ago, which unbeknownst to her would ultimately result in The Miracle Foundation.

Late one night, while watching television, Chris saw a commercial and was compelled to pick up the phone and sponsor a child in India. Four years later, while on a pleasure trip around the world, Chris and Caroline made their way to eastern India in order to see if Chris’ sponsor child actually existed. He did, and both Chris and Caroline were so moved by the desolate state of his village that they stayed to volunteer there for several days. During this time, they met a local family who had taken one hundred orphaned children into their home. While the family was doing all that they could to provide for the children, the need was simply too great. Both women were devastated by what they witnessed there, but Chris emphasized that Caroline was so deeply affected that she knew she had to do something about it. That was on May 14, 2000 (Mother’s Day in the U.S.). The day that Caroline’s perspective was forever changed and The Miracle Foundation was born.

After a touching introduction from Dr. Ramsdell, Caroline took up the story where Chris left off. She explained the challenges of the first few years, and how they were balanced by the help and support she received from friends, family and strangers. She expressed her deep gratitude to everyone who has helped out during that time and since, stressing that it was everyone’s combined efforts—both large and small—which made miracles happen and ultimately led to what The Miracle Foundation has become today.

Ten years later, The Miracle Foundation operates four children’s homes in eastern India, serving over 500 thriving children, who are each being cared for by dedicated and loving mothers. Additionally, The Miracle Foundation supports the local communities, making sure that families stay together by providing the village children with books and uniforms, two meals a day, and extended childcare after school.

Caroline concluded her talk by again thanking everyone for their selfless commitment over the years and reminding them that Mother’s Day was fast approaching, and the best way to honor our own mothers is to give others what our mothers gave us: love, attention, and support. With that she asked for $25 to $100 donations, in exchange for a Mother’s Day card made by the kids, to help pay the monthly salaries of our amazing housemothers. Again, proving that even the smallest gestures can result in amazing things!

The travelers who went on our Spring Break trips this past March got to participate in the festivities by washing the feet of the girls in our orphanages. They all sat in a row and an Ambassador rinsed their feet, dried them with a small towel and then folded the towel and placed it in the girl’s lap. Some of the travelers told us that is was amazing to see the children’s faces light up with pride at being a part of such a significant ceremony.

For more stories from our last trips to India and other TMF events, be sure to request your copy of our newsletter! More about the next issue will be posted soon.

We also had a wonderful event held for us in New Orleans on Thursday, April 15^th. This luncheon was hosted at the conference center of the First NBC Bank and about 45 people attended, including Amy Brees, the stepmother of New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees. Caroline, along with two other non-profit representatives, gave a presentation about their non-profits. It was a great way to gain some support in New Orleans and to spread the word about our mission at TMF!

We also have an event coming up on April 20^th, the AMD Austin Volunteer Fair. AMD is a technology company that strives for community involvement by encouraging their employees to volunteer. The Fair will be another fantastic   opportunity to raise awareness about what we do and also to recruit new volunteers from AMD’s employee base. Part of AMD’s business model rests in connecting its employees to the community through volunteering and giving back to the cities that house AMD’s offices.  What a great way to make a difference!

If you would like to make a difference as well, we are always looking for volunteers and those willing to help us financially. Feel free to explore our website for more details!

In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh founded Khalsa Panth, or Order of the Pure Ones, which established a unique identity for Sikhs, who base their existence on peace and equality for all. They do not discriminate based on caste, creed or gender, and can even be seen walking with brooms so that they don’t accidentally step on and kill an ant. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion and another of their practices entails the pursuit of salvation through personal meditation on the message and word of God. Khalsa Panth is the theocracy that Sikhs follow, and it stresses truth, compassion, humility, love and contentment. Baisakhi is important as it celebrates the day that the first five Sikhs were initiated into the Khalsa, so modern Sikhs view this day as an opportunity to become members of that community. Just as Baisakhi marks a transition into a new era of thinking in Sikhism, Hinduism celebrates the holiday for similar reasons.

In 1875, Baisahki saw the formation of the Arya Samaj, which is a sect of Hindus who have discarded idol worship and instead turn to Vedas, Hindu scripture, for guidance. The Vedas are the most sacred scriptures in Hinduism, and according to Hindu tradition, when God creates the worlds, the Vedas are revealed to maintain their welfare, but they are ultimately taken back when God ends creation.

Sikhs in the US celebrating

Just as Hindus found a new source of knowledge, Buddhists remember Baisahki for its wisdom, which came in a slightly different form. Saddharta Gautama achieved enlightenment, or Nirvana, on Baisahki. Nirvana is the ultimate goal of the Buddhist religion, it is a state free from suffering and individual existence. It breaks the endless cycle of rebirth, known as reincarnation and also frees the enlightened individual from worldly emotions and concerns, such as greed and hate.

Farmers dancing in celebration

Baisahki also has significance in an area other than religion. For farmers in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, Baisakhi marks a celebration similar to Thanksgiving. The harvest of winter crops, or Rabi, happens on this day and farmers acknowledge it by dressing in new clothes, going to temple to thank God for the good harvest and to pray for a blessed harvest in the next agricultural season. There are also energetic dances and an abundance of festivity, food, and fairs.

In his blog entitled “Se solicitaban trabajadores para la construccion” (in English, “Seeking construction workers”), Eduardo tells the surprising story of women being sought for construction labor.

As Eduardo investigated this story, he says he found that the requirements for a construction job in India are an age between 20 and 40, the female gender and there is a preference for those who know how to write Hindi. His observations from passing construction sites confirmed this hypothesis when he quickly noticed that the workers were women.  The Hunger Project, a global non-profit focused on empowering women and building self-reliance in communities, has a study that provides some statistics and insight on possible explanations for this. For example, the culture in India places more importance on education for male children, which means daughters are generally helping the family economically by finding work in domestic or agricultural areas. The study also points out the dichotomies in scheduling and pay between men and women in India. Women earn 60-70 rupees for the same job that men earn 100 rupees for; though this rift appears to be changing as a result of women’s presence in political leadership.

The insights from Eduardo’s observations, research from the Hunger Project and others allow an interesting look into different cultural perceptions.  The Miracle Foundation is proud to say we offer fair pay and hours to the housemothers at all of our children’s homes. Without their loving care and support for the children, our mission would be impossible to achieve.

I’ve been home from India for a week now. I’m still absorbing all that I experienced and am trying to determine how best to express it. It seems that words simply don’t exist to describe the joy and sorrow I felt as I witnessed the magnitude of such an amazingly rich culture, alongside such desperate poverty; the radiant smiles of the kids who call The Miracle Foundation home, juxtaposed with the desperate look on the faces of the street children; and the love that is so evident in the amazingly dedicated TMF staff in India, paired with the sad reality that this work is even necessary.

So, again, I’m simply going to describe some of the more memorable events from my last week in India (along with a few pictures as illustration), with the hope that somehow, between the lines, I’m conveying all that I have gained from the experience.

1. Greeting my travel companions (Amy, Chris, Geoff, Katie, and Perch, along with my friend Laura and my co-workers Caroline and Barbara), as we all boarded the train in Ranchi and prepared to begin our four-hour ride to Rourkela.

2. Watching in awe, upon our arrival at the Rourkela train station, as the porters each lifted two heavy suitcases on to the top of their heads and made their way up the steep stairs and through the crowded train station to our waiting taxis.

3.  Receiving a handful of beautiful purple flower petals and a warm greeting from the smiling children and Housemothers as we all took our first steps through the gate at Rourkela Children’s Home.

4.  Listening as Mr. Koul, the new director of Rourkela, warmly welcomed us and told us about his goals for continuing to transform the lives of the children who live there.

5.  Watching as Amy met her sponsored child for the first time and witnessing the bond they had developed over the years deepen even further.

6. Walking through the village market just outside the gates of the children’s home and seeing the town at work: merchants setting up their tents and selling their wares; women in brightly colored sarees pumping water from the well; men driving everything from bicycles to rickshaw carts to SUVS along the dusty, narrow streets; while goats and cows wandered about wherever they pleased.

7. Making our way to the local saree shop with the older girls from the children’s home. Then, waiting for their nod of approval before deciding which saree we would purchase.

8. Smelling the smoke from the open-air, wood burning fire, while Esther prepared an amazing lunch of eggplants, poppers (a.k.a. poppadom), dal and rice.

9.  Losing complete track of time while drawing and coloring with three very focused young girls.

10. Sitting on the floor in the nursery, holding sweetly sleeping babies.

11.  Sharing evening meals with my fellow travelers, along with our experiences and reactions to the events of each day.

12. Helping the Housemothers spoon out incredibly generous portions of rice and dal to the three-year-old children, who all sat patiently waiting for their share.

13. Participating in a special puja (a Hindu ceremony) to honor the young girls at the end of a nine-day festival. Some twenty three-year-old girls sat quietly in chairs on the porch while, one-by-one, we each kneeled down in front of them, washed their feet, dried them with a small towel, and then folded and placed the towel in their laps.  Their beaming smiles were all that was necessary to understand how pleased and proud they were to be “seen” in such a significant way.

14. Watching the smiles erupt as the children each donned their hand-colored paper mask, posed for a picture, and then excitedly reached up to see their brightly colored disguises looking back at them from the digital screen of my camera.

15. Riding in an auto rickshaw through the busy streets of Rourkela with two of my fellow travelers on a last minute shopping expedition.

16. Feeling a deep sadness wash over all of us as we witnessed the desperation of a young street girl kneeling at the feet of one member of our group while we waited for taxis outside the train station.

17. Returning “home” to Sooch Village and being greeted by the now familiar faces of all the people who do such amazing work there.

18. Participating in a tree planting ceremony at Sooch Village in which we were all offered the opportunity to plant a tree in honor of a loved one. I planted a mango tree and dedicated it to my nephew and my two nieces.

19. Taking in the moment as the TMF ambassadors and the children of Sooch Village made a big circle, filling up the Prayer Hall, while Caroline led us all in one final round of Hokey Pokey.

20. Saying my final goodbyes to all the new friends I made: the Housemothers, the children and the remarkable staff of Sooch Village, as well as my fellow TMF Ambassadors.

I suspect it will be some time before I fully process all that I saw and felt during my three weeks in India. What I do know is that I will always carry with me the radiant smiles of The Miracle Foundation children and all they revealed to me about the power of love and the resiliency of the human heart.

Firmly believing the old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” I literally took thousands of images, with the hope that they would help to tell my story. I’ve done my best to edit them down to a manageable few and have posted them on You Tube in four brief slide shows.

TMF Sooch Village: First Visit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce4_ZUhGxy0&feature=channel

TMF Rourkela Children’s Home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIBz-I-oNoM&feature=channel

TMF Sooch Village: Second Visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCox5Od1c9o

Traveling: Rishikesh and Agra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyfUlxlRxWc&feature=channel

If you’re trying to learn Spanish and want some practice reading it, or if you already know the language, you should think about reading Eduardo Gonzalez’s blog, which he is writing as he travels in India with TMF! Each entry is in Spanish and includes details like what one would see getting off the airplane, cultural traditions in India, such as the importance of the cow, people he’s met throughout his time there and his observations of Indian culture in general.

Eduardo was born in Laredo, Texas, raised in Mexico and is currently in his third year of study at UT Austin. He has had multiple opportunities to travel and learn languages, which he says have helped him realize his passions for journalism and delving into the various cultures he’s experienced.

Some of the kids Eduardo met at the Catholic church in India.

Here’s one of Eduardo’s blogs translated into English:

The cows have certain privileges in India: one cannot eat meat from cows, one cannot kill a cow and inclusive there are ambulances and hospitals for cows, which tend to live between 18 and 20 years. The price for a cow in India tends to be between $250 and $500 dollars. In rural areas in India usually after a marriage, the couple receives a cow from the bride’s family, or sometimes from the groom’s family. The cow represents sustenance, since besides milk; a cow produces other products such as cheese, butter or yogurt that symbolically a starting family needs in order to survive. The social classes play a fundamental job at the time of evaluating the economic value of the cows. An upper class family in India tends to have between one and three children, while a lower class family tends to have between six and eight children, which make the cow’s product a great help to feed all the children.

To read this blog and others in Spanish by Eduardo click  here:
edugonzalez.wordpress.org

** The Miracle Foundation does not endorse the opinions of individuals stated outside of it’s official communications, including, but not limited to, it’s website, blog, Facebook, and newsletter.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Two weeks in India now – time seems to be telescoping. In some ways it feels like I’ve been here far longer than that and in other ways it feels as if I just arrived. One thing I know for sure is that time moves differently here!   Here are some of my more memorable moments:

1. Watching as the boys and girls stood in straight lines dressed in their crisp uniforms, singing their morning song and reciting their morning prayer, as the sun rose over Sooch Village and they prepared to head off to school.

2. Being coached by Nanki, the cook at Sooch Village, in the art of chipati making (the flat bread eaten throughout India).

3. Meeting the amazing children of Sooch Village and watching as they lit up when I would look them in the eye and say their name.

4. Holding sweetly sleeping babies.

5. Sitting with 100 quiet children in the Prayer Hall every evening for meditation and singing, with such intensity and purpose.

6. Hand -washing my clothes AND showering  in a bucket  – AND by flashlight — several times!

7. Making the 45-minute drive into the city of Ranchi to purchase bracelets and fingernail polish for the housemothers at the Big Bazaar (the Costco of India). And, later, watching as they graciously accepted their gifts. . . .

8. Getting to know Mr. and Mrs. Mehta, the warm and loving couple who have recently come out of retirement in order to give back and are now managing Sooch Village.

9. Making the 20-minute drive to Kunti, the closest village, to do a few simple errands. Mr. Mehta, the problem solver and translator, joined us and was invaluable, as even simple tasks become incredibly complicated for us “foreigners.”

10. Photographing Mrs. Mehta as she made rounds to each of the cottages, distributing clothes to the children.

11. Wiping children’s noses with the little cloths conveniently pinned to their shirts.

12. Playing rousing games of Bulldog and Capture the Flag with the children and the UT students in the cricket field.

13. Striving to photograph all the beautiful faces, happy smiles, and daily routines that make up Sooch Village.

14. Meeting kindly Mr. Koul, the new director of our Children’s Home in Rourkela, as he arrived at Sooch to attend strategy meetings with Caroline, Manjeet and the staff.

15. Watching the smiles begin to spread across the faces of the Housemothers as they “slowly, slowly” joined us on the dance floor and we celebrated the UT group’s last night of service for our children.

16. Listening intently as Caroline told the UT group the heartrending story of how she was moved to begin The Miracle Foundation.

17. Attending the children’s weekend morning yoga class and joining in as my friend Laura added to their regular routine by teaching the sun salutation.

18. Departing Sooch Village and feeling a tug at my heart. All the while knowing this wasn’t really goodbye. I would be back in a matter of days for one more visit before returning home.

19. Heading off to Rourkela and feeling the anticipation of meeting a whole new group of miraculous children.

We all had a very full day yesterday (Saturday), full of sightseeing, packing, shopping and travel! Four members of our group headed off bright and early to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Those of us who had already had that experience, stayed back at the hotel to prepare for the day. Later in the morning, we all gathered together and then headed out to visit Agra Fort. As with Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort was also built in the 1560s by Emperor Akbar. It is an incredibly well preserved complex, which made it very easy to imagine the 300 years of opulence and intrigue that went on there during the 300 year reign of the Moghuls.

Following our morning of sightseeing, we all ate lunch together. We had read in one of our guidebooks about a restaurant that served authentic food from southern India. Upon arrival, we were very surprised to find Tiffany-style lampshades and red stripe awnings, which created an atmosphere a bit more reminiscent of TGI Fridays than what we were expecting!

Soon after lunch, Barbara left for the train station in order to get to Delhi to meet the group of students from the UT Catholic Center. The rest of us managed to get in a bit of shopping before also making our way to the Agra train station. Our driver delivered us there several hours early, so we made our way to our platform and began the long wait. In order to pass away the time, some of us talked, some knitted, some read. I was taking pictures, when a young construction worker asked me to photograph him. I spent quite a long time with him, as he wanted to see each image and then he would ask to pose again. Since I have been so cautious about photographing people, I was happy to oblige! Of course, minutes before our train arrived, an announcement was made that the platform had changed. So, after feeling like we had all the time in the world, we found ourselves rushing to haul our luggage up and down the ramps. We arrived at the appropriate platform just in time to jump on our train to Delhi.

We were all up early this morning (Sunday) and out of the hotel by 9 am. With the arrival of the UT students, our group had expanded from seven to twenty-four travelers, so our mode of transportation changed accordingly.  We now boarded a bus, rather than a taxi, and headed to the airport for our flight to Ranchi.

Upon arrival in Ranchi, it was wonderful to see the happy smile of Katelyn, our intern in India, who met us at the airport. After piling into several different vehicles, we all headed off in different directions. Twenty-two members of our group, including the UT students and our travel partners in Agra, set off for Rourkela by train, while Laura, Katelyn, and I made the one-hour drive to Sooch Village.

Sooch Village is located in a very remote area, about 30 to 45 minutes by car outside of the city of Ranchi. While most of the drive is on a paved highway, the last 15 minutes is along a very dusty road full of deep ruts, which are created by the monsoon rains that come every summer. It was late in the day as we made our way along that dusty, bumpy road. The sun was big and red and hanging low on the horizon when I began to see “Sooch Village” painted on the electrical poles running alongside the highway, indicating that The Miracle Foundation is bringing electricity to this area. It wasn’t long before I caught a glimpse the familiar white buildings off in the distance. Because I only knew Sooch Village from pictures, I was immediately caught off guard by the emotion that welled up inside me. I’ve been working for The Miracle Foundation for eight months now, absorbing from afar all I could about our children, housemothers, staff and programs in India. Now, finally, I was about to see it and experience it all first hand, and it was rather overwhelming to take it all in.

As soon as we arrived, we received a wonderfully warm greeting from the Sooch staff (Susan, Iltaf, Anjna, and Sanika), who met us at the main entrance of the Administration Building. We then made our way upstairs to get settled. As I unpacked my bag, I could hear the children’s voices off in the distance and I knew it was really going to take me a while to wrap my head around the fact that I was actually here!

It’s finals week for the children, so they were all in the Prayer Hall studying for their exams. As we headed down the path to greet them, there was a power outage and everything all around us went black. With the help of my small flashlight, we made our way to the Prayer Hall. As we approached, several little boys calling out “Auntie, Auntie!” surrounded us. My flashlight provided just enough illumination to see the light in the children’s eyes and the smiles on their faces. It was an amazing sight. Again, my heart lept into my throat. Something truly remarkable is happening here and I’m so very pleased to have the opportunity to see it all for myself!

Megan, Caroline, Letia and Barbara at Agra Fort

Letia, Caroline, Megan, Ruckus, Laura in the Agra train station, waiting for our train to Delhi

Young construction worker in Agra train station