New Website, Vicky’s First Impressions & Transport

Vicky with two of the girls of the Baale.

This newsletter comes to you at an exciting time in the story of the Baale, with almost too much to share with you. In the last couple of months, Kunku has successfully piloted our first child rights workshop which represents a very important step for us informing the wider community in and around Bangalore about child rights and raising a little money for us: Vicky has taken over from Bella as our Assistant Manager; Megha, our first graduate, has her first job, working for a BPO company; the girls have just returned from a weekend visit to Mahabalipuram, near Chennai, to see the temples and to see the sea for the first time; Nicolle who runs the Kavitha Foundation in the Netherlands in support of the Baale has just spent three weeks with us; we have teamed up with iPartner India and have already started to feel the benefit of their amazing network of non-resident Indians in the UK; I have just returned from a visit in which many plans were discussed; we are planning our annual strategy session in December; oh, and today we have launched our new website.

So, what to tell? We will bring you more news on all of these stories after our December strategy session. For now, in this short newsletter, I want to concentrate on encouraging you to visit our new website, first impressions from Vicky and an appeal to help us with our transport needs.

For our Friends around Bangalore I also bring news of an open day we are planning at The Baale on Sunday 11^th December

Enjoy our news, and why not leave your thoughts on our new Facebook Fan Page

Chris Harrison
Chairman

Launching Our New Website

Our current website, developed by Chris son Dave, has served us well for over four years, during which time we have raised over £300,000 to support our girls. However, technology has moved on and we wanted our website to become a livelier environment where our Friends and supporters can share their impressions in word, picture and video. We of course also want to make the website more informative, intuitive and a place where it is easier for you to donate.

Earlier this year we were lucky enough to secure the services of Spencer Chumbley, a specialist in media, communications and journalism within the aid, relief and international development sector who is just embarking on his career after completing and MSc at SOAS in London. Spencer has worked with us on very generous terms and produced a website that we are all proud of.

So, why not take a look? Highlights include:

Links to our latest newsletter and archive copies of older ones, and the opportunity to sign up easily to receive a copy
Links to our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr pages and a regular blog from Vicky
Redesigned donation page
Transparency though our governance page where accounts and various registrations can be found

We think it looks really good!

Vicky’s First Impressions

On 1st October I left the comforts of home and the familiarities of London and flew to Bangalore to begin work as the Assistant Manager at the Baale Mane.

I have a first degree in Social Anthropology from Edinburgh and in September finished my year s MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development at SOAS (currently nervously waiting to hear the results of my dissertation!). Over the years I have developed an interest in human rights and in particular child rights, which is what initially attracted me to apply for the role. Another instinctive pull was that, having volunteered in Swaziland, South Africa, Uganda and the UK, I had never been to India before and felt strongly that this was exactly the place I needed to be. A month has passed and I am relieved to say that my instincts were exactly right!

My time here began with a bit of a wobbly week in the city, trying to register my employment visa at the FRRO (Foreign Regional Registration Office) – awaiting my final registration for approval to work in the country with heart-racing anticipation! While in the city I stayed with Bella, who guided and encouraged me hugely during those initial days. My first few weeks also coincided with Chris s visit to the Baale and the preparation for the next Leaders Quest in March. I was able to join him at various meetings with partner organisations, which in turn served as a great induction to the city.

Bangalore has a really friendly feel to it and I love its variety, both in the pace at which people live and its mixture of modernity and tradition. Business men and women on mopeds or in air-conditioned cars rushing to and from work share the congested roads with a sea of yellow auto-rickshaws weaving in and out of people and vehicles. Crowds line the pavements trying to cross during the very limited breaks in the onslaught of traffic. Carts selling a variety of fruits or flower garlands attract those with more time to spare and shops are full of mothers and daughters on leisurely outings picking out materials for new saris and selecting the matching bangles.

On the same street you can find an ornately decorated temple or a marriage hall covered with fairy lights coexisting alongside the trendy cafés full of young 20 somethings, a Levis store and the endless mobile phone shops with immaculately polished glass windows.

As you begin the journey from the city to the Baale the density of traffic subsides, as do the flashy buildings and business types. The journey is a beautiful mixture of busy trading centres, agricultural fields and palm trees as well as creatively decorated and brightly painted buildings of lime green, pink and yellow.

I was very nervous when I first arrived at the Baale, anxious to meet Mary and the girls and knowing that this would be my new home and place of work. However, It did not take me long to settle in I was absorbed, without really realising it, into the daily buzz of activity. I can barely count how many hugs and makeovers I receive on a daily basis from the girls, and the happiness I feel being around them counteracts any pangs caused by thoughts of home. Loneliness is certainly not an issue here, in fact it is almost impossible to be alone!

Appeal for Help with Our Transport

Until now, our sole means of motorised transport some of the girls have bicycles – has been our auto. The auto is aging and is really not very safe on the country roads around Gopalapura. Currently we have to hire a coach whenever the girls go on a trip and we face many practical challenges. Our PUC girls for example have to wait two hours each day at a bus stop for connecting buses. This is neither safe, nor a good use of their time.

Can you help us address this? We have three staff able to drive and Mary is keen to learn. We want to buy a 9 seater minivan and a Tata Nano, at a total cost of around 11 Lakh Rupees (around £14,000). Please donate. Of course, any reader who would be keen to donate all or a significant part of the cost of one of the vehicles (The remarkable Nano will cost around £2000 on the road) could have their sponsorship displayed on the vehicle