View from the front row of the coach
In addition to the site visits and cultural activities, there is much to learned about India as an emerging economy from the front seat of the bus. Always, there is a blend of the old and the new. Below are street scenes that give you a sense of what we are seeing.
Bosco Mane (blogged by Audrey)
Today we visited Bosco Mane, a school for young at risk, started by priests of the order of St. John Bosco, an Italian priest who is known for his work of educating the poor. We heard a lot of staggering statistics from the chair manager who gave a very good presentation. We learned about the Juvenile justice act, and about how the system works in India. Every day, 70-90 children come to Bangalore unaccompanied. They may be there by mistake or because their family cannot take care of them. Operating in the major transportation centers, social workers identify the children at risk and take them to the drop in center, where they are given the care they need. The first step is always to notify the family of the child that they are safe. Then it is decided if home placement is appropriate. This is similar to the idea of reunification in the US, what it is always an effort to return children to their family unit.
If that is not possible, then the children are taken to a school where they are fed, clothed, and housed. We were shown a room that was described as "multi-purpose" where the children eat, have some classroom activities, and also sleep on mattress pads that are moved to the side every morning.
When we meet the children, they were all very excited. The Australian students brought bubbles, which of course turned into a very rambunctious competition to see who could pop the most bubbles. Then the children took around notebooks where they wanted us all to sign our names. A dance and song presentation followed, which was very enthusiastic. Music and dance is a very large part of the culture here, and it is great to see children excited about sharing that with us.
In addition to the site visits and cultural activities, there is much to learned about India as an emerging economy from the front seat of the bus. Always, there is a blend of the old and the new. Below are street scenes that give you a sense of what we are seeing.
Today we visited Bosco Mane, a school for young at risk, started by priests of the order of St. John Bosco, an Italian priest who is known for his work of educating the poor. We heard a lot of staggering statistics from the chair manager who gave a very good presentation. We learned about the Juvenile justice act, and about how the system works in India. Every day, 70-90 children come to Bangalore unaccompanied. They may be there by mistake or because their family cannot take care of them. Operating in the major transportation centers, social workers identify the children at risk and take them to the drop in center, where they are given the care they need. The first step is always to notify the family of the child that they are safe. Then it is decided if home placement is appropriate. This is similar to the idea of reunification in the US, what it is always an effort to return children to their family unit.
If that is not possible, then the children are taken to a school where they are fed, clothed, and housed. We were shown a room that was described as "multi-purpose" where the children eat, have some classroom activities, and also sleep on mattress pads that are moved to the side every morning.
When we meet the children, they were all very excited. The Australian students brought bubbles, which of course turned into a very rambunctious competition to see who could pop the most bubbles. Then the children took around notebooks where they wanted us all to sign our names. A dance and song presentation followed, which was very enthusiastic. Music and dance is a very large part of the culture here, and it is great to see children excited about sharing that with us.
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