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Bekind This Christmas (Concert)

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 10:40:57 GMT

A charity concert of festive favourites in aid of Bekind Ireland

On Friday 21 November 2025 , we held our Christmas Concert in Castleknock Lawn Tennis Club in aid of our Be kind Boys' Home, a protection home for former street children in Kolkata, India.

It was a fantastic night, featuring a host of festive favourites from various local artists and a raffle with generous prizes from local businesses.

The night raised an incredible €4,770 . A MASSIVE thank you to all of those who contributed to the night's success.

Traumatised Teen

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:35:49 GMT

A harrowing story of one of the Bekind Boys

Twenty years have passed since we first went to Calcutta. For my childhood friend, Niall Dalton, and I, 2005 was a real wake up call to the reality of life in a developing country. As many of you reading this and previous newsletters shared with you over the years know, I have tried to convey the stories and events which have kept us committed to supporting many vulnerable children who we, in Be kind , have had the privilege to help along the way.

With so much unrest in the world, it is often difficult to comprehend how human beings can be so cruel to others, especially innocent children.

The following report was compiled by our manager in Be kind Boys’ Home . The child’s name has been changed to protect his privacy. This said, the tragic events were widely covered by the Indian press in February of this year.

“ Rohit belonged to a once well-established and respected family. However, he lost everything. His family, his home, and his sense of security.

Due to massive bank debt, Rohit’s Father and Uncle conspired to murder their own wives, Rohit and his first cousin. They succeeded in poisoning the women during a family meal, but Rohit survived.

After that, they planned to kill him in a staged car accident.

The car was driven by his uncle with Rohit in the front passenger seat and his father was in the back.

When the tragic car accident finally occurred, Rohit was badly injured and was admitted to the hospital by the police.

After three months of treatment and multiple major orthopaedic surgeries, Rohit is now in a much better condition but needs further rehabilitation.

After his discharge from hospital, none of his extended family were willing to take responsibility for the boy. Abandoned and unwanted, he was eventually placed in Bekind Boys’ Home .

His father and uncle were arrested, charged with his attempted murder, and with the deaths of their wives and his first cousin.

About the Child:

Age 14

Rohit is deeply traumatized. His mental health is fragile, and the emotional scars run deeper than his physical ones He is a soft spoken and well-mannered.

Health Status: He is physically well but he needs counselling and support. ”

Since we opened Be kind Boys’ Home in January 2012, some seventy-nine children have found sanctuary within its walls. For Rohit, this sense of sanctuary is of vital importance to his wellbeing. He has been welcomed with open arms by the other boys and by the caring staff. Many of our boys have been through difficult experiences but none quite as traumatic as Rohits.

I spoke with Rohit last month on a videocall. He is indeed a soft-spoken boy, well-educated, with flawless English. A warm smile belied his inner turmoil. I welcomed him and reassured him he would be safe in Be kind Boys’ Home and that I was looking forward to meeting him next November and several other new boys who have recently arrived.

As bad luck would have it, three weeks ago, Rohit had an unfortunate fall and undid the surgical work carried out when a plate was fitted in his leg after the car crash. He spent time recovering in hospital and has now returned to Be kind Boys’ Home .

While the above story is tragic and deserves attention, let us not forget the happy moments that the Be kind Boys experience, like this boy who has been celebrating his birthday with Be kind since 2012.

As always, donations and standing orders are always greatly appreciated, particularly as it appears we will have to move to a new building next year due to the current landlord increasing the rent by over forty percent!

Just over a million Euro has been raised since we started this charitable organisation in 2007 and it has made a difference to the lives of so many poor children in Kolkata. We will never waste these funds and always seek value for money.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting Be kind .

Brian

Brian Flanagan

Founder Director

Be kind Ireland

P.S. If you would like to set up a standing order. please contact us for our bank details..

Bekind to Kolkata 2024

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:03:23 GMT

Bekind to Kolkata 2024

Pre-pandemic, student groups had been travelling with Be kind to Kolkata every second year since 2007. Little were we to know that 2019 was to be the last group to visit Kolkata for some time. It was late 2022 when we returned with an adult group and finally this year that we were in a position to bring nine young Transition Year and Fifth Year students from Castleknock Community College to “ The City of Joy ”.

All nine, six girls and three boys, had been busy fundraising since last April to help fund our Be kind Boys’ Home . They were to meet the twenty-six children in our care, children to whom life had dealt a difficult start, several orphaned, abandoned, addicted and in some cases unwanted. Some of our boys will commence their 13th year in the Be kind Boys’ Home this coming January, it has been their home, their refuge, their safe place to grow and learn and benefit from a good education, nutrition, and many extra-curricular activities.

Since opening in 2012, some 72 boys have been recipients of the shelter offered by Be kind Boys’ Home , short and long term, helping them navigate the often-difficult trials of life.

Our Be kind Boys range in age from six to eighteen. It struck me this time that our Irish teens were the same age as many of the Be kind Boys. Meeting on the rooftop on the first night of our arrival saw instant bonding and new friendships formed.

For my son Shane, Be kind ’s Secretary, 2024 was to mark two decades since he first went to Kolkata on a student exchange. He and my wife Martina were also seeing the “ new ” Be kind Boys’ Home , as we had moved to a bigger building in June of 2023. We were greatly honoured to have six other adults in our group this time who have made a welcome contribution to helping us meet our increasing budget by their individual fundraising efforts. They, and the Irish student group were to witness first-hand where their hard-earned funds were being used.

Several new children have been placed in our care in recent months. One boy, Babu (name changed), who is seven years old has settled in well despite the fact that he has hearing and speech impairments. We are very fortunate to have an older boy who, because of his own mother’s impairments, can use sign language to easily communicate with little Babu. We have had Babu examined and hopefully he will be fitted with a cochlear implant soon.

Babu bravely took to the stage with his band of Be kind brothers dressed as Nagaland warriors at the 25th anniversary celebrations of our partners in Hope Foundation . It was a truly wonderful event with over five hundred children performing on stage in Kolkata to mark a quarter of a century of the incredible dedication of Hope Founder, Maureen Forrest, and her team working for the street children and families in need.

Each precious child is being given a chance enjoy their childhood, to grow, to be educated and develop into fine young confident people.

When we try and make sense of what is currently happening in world, wars, conflict, destruction etc, it makes me focus on the slogan used by Hope: “ A world where it should never hurt to be a child ”. I cannot but feel a mix of anger and helplessness when thinking of the innocent children senselessly, brutally murdered on a daily basis in Gaza and sometimes despair at the lack of intervention by those who should know better.

In Kolkata, with your support, for the children in our care, we will do what we can and not what we can’t.

If you can’t be there, be kind.

Wishing you and yours a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Thank you,

Brian

Brian Flanagan

Founder Director

Be kind Ireland

Bekind This Christmas (Concert)

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 18:01:38 GMT

A charity concert of festive favourites in aid of Bekind Ireland

On Thursday 28 November 2024 , we held our Christmas Concert in Clontarf Rugby Club in aid of our Be kind Boys' Home, a protection home for former street children in Kolkata, India.

It was a fantastic night, featuring a host of festive favourites from various local artists and a raffle with generous prizes from local businesses.

The proceeds from the night amounted to just over €4700. We are so grateful for the generosity shown.

We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

Be kind this Christmas

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 12:24:39 GMT

Note: Children’s names have been changed in this newsletter for child protection purposes.

This year started with an award to Joydeep Banik and his team in Be kind Boys' Home for outstanding service in the field of child protection.

I have just returned from three weeks in India and thrilled to have attended the inauguration of the new Be kind Boys’ Home. I was delighted to have a close family friend, Robbie, with me to celebrate the occasion. Robbie and his wife sponsor two of the Be kind Boys and got to meet and spend some time with them.

It is just twelve years since our original home opened its doors to give protection to twenty very vulnerable little boys whose home was once the streets of Kolkata. For many reasons, those children were either orphaned, abandoned, lost or in an unsafe family situation.

Over the years we have provided a home to some sixty-four boys. Several now have their own jobs or are in further study and finding their way in life as young men who have benefitted from the education they received. Some have been restored to their own families as circumstances improved. Some have been adopted by Indian couples who give these boys a loving family environment.

On 11 December, a day before returning to Ireland, I wished orphans, eleven-year-old Joy and his fourteen-year-old brother, Bijoy, all the best as their adoptive parents came from the neighbouring state of Bihar to collect the boys and give them a new family life.

The new Be kind Boys’ Home is much larger than the first one and is located in a quiet residential area. The children attend the same schools as before and this has avoided any disruption to their education. The majority attend English medium classes.

An excursion to Andra Pradesh by train caused great excitement as we had kept the destination a surprise for the boys. They would travel to the city of Visakhapatnam where they were to experience an aircraft and submarine museum, a film studio, golden beaches on the Bay of Bengal and many parks and attractions. The accommodation was excellent with south Indian food toned down in spice levels to suit the Bengali palate, and mine! They really enjoyed every minute with several of them seeing the sea for the first time.

Our final day to the famous Aroku Valley had to be cut short as we learned of train cancellations and a nasty cyclone heading our way. Getting all thirty-one of us an early return journey to Kolkata was no mean feat but Be kind Boys' Home Manager, Joydeep, and Hope Foundation Logistics Manager, Gora, secured tickets on the Humsafar Express at 4.30am, bringing us safely home on a fifteen-hour journey.

Cyclone Michaung slammed into Chennai causing several deaths and extensive flooding in the area. For us the great escape, someone was looking after us.

The budget is in place for the new Be kind Boys’ Home, with overall costs up approximately €10,000 on last year, is broken down as follows:

Direct Programme Costs of €33,462 include: Manager, caregivers, doctors’ fees, cook, house keeper and nutrition etc
Educational Costs of €15,387 include: School fees, uniforms, books, stationary, additional home-based teachers for English, science, drawing, dance, computer, and special educator
Programme Support and Personnel Costs €27,246 include: Rent, utility bills, vehicle maintenance and fuel, driver, security guards etc

The total budget is €76,095 , which if divided by the number of children in the Be kind Boys’ Home, 25, equals €3,044 per child per year. At just €3,000 per child, it may, by Irish costs appear very reasonable but it makes a massive difference to the wellbeing and future for every boy in Be kind Boys' Home .

None of this is possible without the support and generosity of our donors and various fund- raising events.

As always, we are grateful to Maureen Forrest and her dedicated staff in Hope Kolkata Foundation without whom this project simply could not function. We wish them well as they prepare to celebrate 25 years in Kolkata next year having helped literally thousands of people young and old.

Wishing you and yours a very happy Christmas and let us hope for peace in our world in 2024.

Thank you for being kind.

Brian

Brian Flanagan

Founder Director

Be kind Ireland

International Yoga Day 21 June 2023

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 07:57:45 GMT

Yoga fundraiser with Aruna Yoga

On Wednesday, 21 June 2023, our friends at Aruna Yoga ran a fundraiser for Be kind . They ran two 30 minute yoga sessions: one at 6am and one at 6pm, to mark the longest day of the year for a suggested donation of €6. The total proceeds of €704 will go toward the Be kind Boys Home. Thanks again to Aruna Yoga and all those who attended!

Bekind on the Move

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 18:18:27 GMT

After 11 years, Bekind Boys' Home is moving!

We are delighted to inform you that on 1 June 2023 we moved our Be kind Boys to a new home in Kolkata.

As our 25 children have grown since we first opened Be kind Boys’ Home in January 2012, so too has the demand for more space. Our old building served us well and since opening it has been a wonderful asset providing shelter, care, and refuge for some 55 vulnerable boys.

For several of the boys who were with us since we opened the original Be kind Boys’ Home in January 2012, it was an emotional event in their young lives as it had been their home, their place, their sense of security for 11 years. “Nostalgic” was the feeling expressed by them on departure.

This move was only possible because of the generosity of our donors for which we are so appreciative. The new building is in the same area as the previous home, so schools remain the same for the boys. The new building offers double the floor area giving us the potential to increase the number of children who are in need of protection.

Our gratitude also goes to our partners in the Hope Kolkata Foundation, without whom this move and the Be kind Boys’ Home would not have been possible.

Below are some images of our new Be kind Boys’ Home :

Kindest regards,

Brian and the Be kind team

The Cycles of Life

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 16:02:38 GMT

India, April - November 2022

In this newsletter, Brian Flanagan, Founder Director of Be kind Ireland, shares some of his experiences from his visits to Kolkata in April and November 2022.

Note: Children’s names have been changed in this newsletter for child protection purposes.

Thirty months had passed since my last visit to Kolkata. I was there in November 2019 accompanied by my daughter Katie and her best friend, Lucy. It was such a different time with freedom, socialising with friends, spending lots of time with the children in the Be kind Boys’ Home and volunteering in the stark reality of Kalighat, the home for the dying and destitute. In every aspect it was as up close and as personal as it gets, caring for the poorest of the poor and doing what I, my daughter, her friend and so many international volunteers had been doing for years in reaching out to care for the “unwanted” ones of Kolkata. Little did any of us know how abruptly life was about to change and all the things we took for granted would no longer be possible as the ugly tentacles of the pandemic spread around the world. Within a couple of months Covid-19 and its horror show had begun.

April 2022

It’s 7 April 2022 and I’m back in Kolkata. Were the last two and a half years a bad dream? Kolkata and its citizens, legal or otherwise had been through that bad dream, that nightmare of wave after wave of the mutations of the virus that claimed so many lives of rich and poor.

Now everything looked normal, vibrant, and as colourful as ever. Hectic, and wonderfully chaotic, this “ City of Joy ” was wide open once again. Wide open were the arms of my beloved boys in the Be kind Boys’ Home and how broad the Bengali smiles of the children as I arrived to see them in person after such a long time.

Our ten-year-olds were now thirteen. How many teenagers do we have? The little six-year-olds were nine! And new faces that I had not met before. Our ten second hugs per child (usually three seconds), marked our milestone tenth anniversary of the home. For several of the boys this has been their home since it opened in January 2012. They were all healthy, safe, and well, despite the restrictions and confinement during the previous two years. The care staff led by our home manager, Joydeep, deserve so much credit for their perseverance and unwavering dedication.

Keeping order and sanity during “lockdown”, and I use that world literally, was a mammoth task. School classes had switched to online and we purchased additional laptops to allow some continuity as the Be kind Boys attend four different schools.

My heart lifted to see the children back in their uniforms and off to school the day after I had arrived.

The uniform is worn with a great sense of pride by each child, visually an equaliser of class, caste, and creed. The English medium schooling also equips the students with additional options as they progress through the system of education. English, the international language that can open many doors for the young minds that embrace it.

April in India is hot! Temperatures in excess of 40C were the norm during my stay so pacing oneself is important with lots of hydration a necessity. The cycle aspect of this newsletter resonates with me as I remember the excitement of getting my first racing bike as a ten-year-old from my dad for my birthday. He brought me into Rutland Cycles in Dublin’s city centre and we picked out a gold and black coloured 5 speed bike that cost 35 pounds in 1969. How I treasured it for many years going to school and for leisure use. And in turn, my own children got their freedom and learned the skills of balance. A skill once learnt is never forgotten.

An old Triumph 20 cycle, now an ornament/plant stand, rusting in peace in our back garden ,once carried my tiny daughter on many journeys – a constant reminder of years gone by. The cycle of life has brought her to the marriage this year to the love of her life.

Back to this year’s cycles with requests from some of our now teenage Be kind Boys who needed transport to get to school. It was off to Sri Ram Krishna Stores in east Kolkata for a triple deal. The poor shopkeeper was nearly in tears as we squeezed every last Rupee out of the deal, including a stand, a carrier and a lock for each bike for an all-in discounted price of under €190 for the three quality Tata cycles!

Now to deliver the said cycles in the 40C heat was our next task. Each recipient with a different background, different location, different circumstances, and differing stories.

Cycle 1

First, Joydeep and I headed north west for a two-and-a-half-hour journey in the direction of Burdwan passing the impressive administration building where the Honourable Chief Minister for the state of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee presides. She is a formidable lady holding strong with her Trinamool Congress Party which she established in 1998. It is impossible to travel anywhere in Bengal without seeing her image on billboards and posters. I imagine the marketing budget must be considerable.

Cycle 2

Rohit had been in Be kind since he was six years of age. On several occasions I had met his mother who always showed great affection for the child. She was a beautiful young lady and unfortunately due to poverty and an abusive broken marriage had reluctantly placed her son and an older daughter into care.

Cycle 3

Another boy, Sanjay, who grew up in Bekind from a young age, had been restored to his family in the Howrah District. His mother had remarried and up to the pandemic her husband had been employed in a manufacturing position at a local factory. Unfortunately, like many businesses, it was forced to cease trading during that time when everything ground to a halt. His step-father is doing his best now going from place-to-place selling tea from a container on his own bicycle.

October/November 2022

In late October, my wife, son, and I returned to Kolkata with our first adult volunteer group. Some were to experience a first visit to India; others were returning now as young adults having previously been part of our school-going teenage immersion groups in previous years.

The summer/autumn months had been busy with many fundraising events, and the proceeds, for which we are so grateful, have really made a difference in meeting our budget. Each adult covered their flight, accommodation, and expenses. Arriving to more comfortable temperatures, we were blessed with clear blue skies and around 30 degrees of heat by day. A familiarisation of the city on day one and the now obligatory walk across the huge cantilever Howrah Bridge and a visit the train station of the same name which caters for over one million passengers daily, making it the biggest in all India!

They were all so excited and everyone enjoyed the next couple of days together in a small resort outside Kolkata that we have used to treat the children on several occasions over the years. Cricket, football, swimming, boating, ziplining, target-shooting and having good food and lots of fun were compulsory.

Our adult group were to visit several of the Hope Foundation homes and projects and were so impressed at the scale and reach of this wonderful organisation. Our visit coincided with that of the lovely Rachel Duffy, International Rose of Tralee, who was spending a week in Kolkata with Hope.

Three of our girls recognised a boy, Suraj, who had spent five years in Be kind Boys’ Home and another five in another Hope run home. They informed me that he was back living on the streets with his parents and four-year-old sister. I was shocked to hear this and had been under the impression that his family had a rented room to live in before he returned to them earlier this year.

And yes, it was true as I was to witness a few days later, after most of our group had returned to Ireland. Margaret or “Maggie Auntie” as the children affectionately refer to her, was staying on for several weeks in India and we joined the Night Round team visiting families by the ghats where a festival was taking place. The area seemed transformed from deprivation to dedication in worshiping the Hindu gods, with hundreds of little oil lamps stretching along the banks of the Hoogly, creating a magical atmosphere with many thousands enjoying the party. Bell ringers in temples clanged as the faithful bowed in worship and reverence. The fires from the ghats burning the deceased, relentless flames releasing souls on their journey, on their next cycle of another life.

Amidst the many families living on the footpaths on one of the main avenues was my boy Suraj, his beaming smile welcoming us to his family “place” on the street, his bed was a sheet of plywood atop a tricycle cart next to where his parents and little sister slept in a canvas covered dwelling. I could not help but feel the past decade of shelter and education by Be kind and Hope had just been lost and that this boy, on the eve of his sixteenth birthday, was in danger of being consumed by what surrounded him. I knew from messages he’d sent me from his father’s mobile that he was not safe and referred to alcohol and drug abuse which was common place in that area.

Riya

Another little girl, Riya, has Cerebral Palsy and lives in a rural area an hour outside Kolkata. She has had an Irish sponsor for over ten years. Anne, Riya’s sponsor and a member of our group, was to get to meet her but I had kept it a surprise until the final day before she returned home to Dublin. We visited Sanchar, an outreach group we have supported over the years, and made our way to the village where Riya lives. The bus could only go so far so we walked for about twenty minutes until we reached the village. Anne admitted she was giddy with the excitement of meeting the child. With only a few metres to go, Anne took a tumble and fell. The thud of her head hitting the concrete path sent shivers up my spine and lifting her up, hoping she had not broken her teeth or nose, was one of those moments I don’t want to re-live. Thankfully nothing broken but two big bumps were appearing on her bloodied forehead. Scuffed knees and a badly cut finger didn’t deter our Anne as she sat on a plastic chair with half the village around her. She kept repeating “I’m ok. I’m ok”, as the colour drained from her face and my wife and I wondered how we were going to get her back from the middle of nowhere.

Raj

Thank you for supporting these precious children.

Brian

Brian Flanagan

Founder Director

Be kind Ireland

Ricky's Marathon for Bekind

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 16:00:25 GMT

Congratulations to Ricky Flanagan for completing the Dublin Marathon for Bekind!

On Monday 30 October 2022, Ricky Flanagan ran the Irish Life Dublin Marathon in aid of Be kind .

Ricky has previously travelled to India working alongside his father and Founder Director of Be kind , Brian Flanagan.

Please support Ricky by making a donation on iDonate using the button below.

Asana Master Class 16 June 2022

Tue, 31 May 2022 14:46:45 GMT

Asana Masterclass

To celebrate International Yoga Day and the Mid-Summer Solstice, our friends at Aruna Yoga hosted an Asana Masterclass with all proceeds going to the Be kind Boys' Home.

The event was held at Aruna Yoga 's studios in Rathcoffey, Co. Kildara at Thursday 16 June 2022 from 7.30pm to 9pm .

The event raised a wonderful €350 for the Bekind Boys' Home.

Thanks again to Laura Wynne and her team at Aruna Yoga for running this event on behalf of Be kind Ireland and to those who attended and gave so generously. .

Happy birthday Bekind Boys' Home

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 17:58:29 GMT

Happy birthday Bekind Boys' Home

Today, 16 January 2022 , we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Be kind Boys' Home. The Be kind Boys put on a wonderful programme of singing, dancing and recitals. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the celebrations and well done to the Be kind Boys, their carers and teachers for putting on a spectacular show to mark this significant milestone!

You can watch back the entire performance and check out some stills below.

A bunk up for the Bekind Boys

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 10:08:11 GMT

A bunk up for the Bekind Boys

The saying “ absence makes the heart grow fonder ” has been uppermost in my mind over the past months. My regular Zoom or WhatsApp calls with the children in Kolkata are a help but almost two years have passed since being with them in person. I am amused by the deeper voices of some of the children as they enter their teenage years. The voices and the bodies change and a request for six new bunk beds was a reminder of how much the boys are growing. A very generous donation from a local person came just at the right time to cover the costs.

Our licence from the Child Welfare Committee in West Bengal has changed this year to allow us keep the children until they are eighteen years of age. Prior to this, on reaching their 12th birthday, the boys would " shift " to Ashirbad Boys’ Home, also run by Hope Kolkata Foundation for older boys.

The children are taking all their school classes online as schools have still not reopened. We have added an additional laptop to the existing four to help cater for their educational needs.

Since March of this year, the children in the Be kind Boys' Home have been forbidden from going outside, so they must exercise within the confines of the building, not easy physically or mentally.

2021 should have been a year when a group of enthusiastic Irish student volunteers travelled to Kolkata, that City of Joy, to immerse themselves in Indian culture and give of themselves as young people reaching out to those less fortunate. It’s the first time since 2007, when Be kind was founded, that volunteers have been unable to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions.

I’ve always seen those volunteer trips as a "win win" experience for those involved - fundraising efforts for months in advance and then witnessing, with their own eyes, how the money is used to educate, nourish and care for the children in the Be kind Boys’ Home.

As is the case for many other charities, Be kind has seen a reduction in income but we are so grateful to everyone who has supported our online events: Be kind Valentine Quiz; Be kind Virtual Cycle; and Unwind with Be kind Yoga, and for continuing their standing orders or making donations.

Next January 2022 will mark ten years since our home opened. To date, we have been able to help forty-seven vulnerable boys with twenty-three currently living in the Be kind Boys' Home . Some have been successfully reunited with their families or relatives. One boy has entered an adoption process which has just been initiated by local government for pure orphans.

As vaccinations continue around the globe and countries begin to open up again, that sense of normality is returning to our lives. As I write, 23% of India’s adult population, which is just under one billion have received their second vaccination so there’s more work to be done, even as they averaged administering 7,400,000 jabs per day during September. In order to vaccinate all adults by the end of this year, they need to up the rate to a staggering ten million vaccinations per day!

With the country now almost fully open a third wave is feared by Indian doctors. Let’s hope not, as the thought of further restrictions for our boys would be unbearable.

In the meantime, every donation supporting Be kind gives the children a real “bunk up.”

Thank you all so much.

Brian Flanagan

Founder Director

Be kind Ireland

Bekind to your body - Shiatsu Massage

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 22:05:51 GMT

Bekind to yourself - Shiatsu Massage

Our friends at Shiatsu College Dublin teamed up with Be kind for a very special event o n Sunday 4 July 2021. Shiatsu College Dublin's third years ran a shiatsu clinic all proceeds going to Be kind . Thanks to the wonderful support of all those ho attended on the day, Shiatsu College Dublin raised an amazing €400 for Be kind !

What is shiatsu?

Shiatsu is often described as acupuncture with out the needles but it is so much more than that. Shiatsu is given through loose clothing in order for the body to feel comfortable and more easily relaxed.

Shiatsu simply is.

Its touch is light and full of strength.

Shiatsu moves us to find stillness.

It stretches us to balance and

supports us into supple movement.

Shiatsu grounds us so the mind may rest.

It opens us wide sometimes so we know safety deep within.

Shiatsu listens and supports.

Shiatsu meets us, always.

International Yoga Day 21 June 2021

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 21:13:35 GMT

International Yoga Day 21 June 2021

International Yoga Day took place on Monday 21 June 2021. This year our friends at Aruna Yoga generously decided to run a charity fundraiser in aid of Be kind Ireland on the day. There were two virtual classes on the day: one at 6am and one at 6pm, each lasting 30 minutes, covering a mix of sun salutations and metta meditations. The Be kind Boys Zoomed in from Kolkata for the 6am class.

The event was an incredible success and raised over €1,300 for Be kind . A huge thank you to all involved!

Happy birthday Bekind Boys' Home!

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 14:44:55 GMT

Today we celebrated the 9th birthday of the Be kind Boys' Home. The Be kind Boys had spent the last 2 weeks rehearsing and preparing decorations for the birthday celebrations.

This morning the Be kind Boys were joined on Zoom by children from Hope's protection homes, representatives from Be kind and Hope and a host of former volunteers and supporters. All those who were able to join us were treated to a wonderful programme of poetry, singing, and dancing from the Be kind Boys. All of this was followed by a cake cutting to round off the festivities. Here are some pictures from the Zoom call. .

Happy Durga Puja!

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:42:42 GMT

Happy Durga Puja!

As the Bekind Boys continue their lockdown in Kolkata, they have still managed to celebrate Durga Puja, a Hindu festival which honours the Hindu goddess Durga. This year, the boys asked goddess Durga to help in the fight against COVID and created some beautiful art to represent this. Well done boys!

Life in Lockdown Kolkata

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 11:01:43 GMT

For us in Ireland we have not been so restricted in our movement. The pleasure of taking a walk and some fresh air outside was good for the mind and body. This coupled with a prolonged period of fine spring weather helped us all deal with the pandemic which has affected every country in the world.

For our beloved children protected in Bekind Boys' Home, freedom has been removed from their lives as they notch up over 120 days confined indoors. Since March 25th they are missing their daily routine of school, football, cricket and weekly swimming classes.

They yearn to go outside to play but the building that houses them has become their world, keeping them safe from COVID-19 which ranks India third for the most cases of infection behind the United States and Brazil. Friday 31st July saw a whopping 57,702 new cases in India representing over 20% of new cases worldwide!

In their world the Bekind Boys are happy and content and, as you will hear in their own words, are kept occupied with online school classes for the 23 children from three different schools and eight different classes!

They have been painting, drawing, writing stories, exercising on the rooftop and tending to their little garden up there too. Birthdays have been celebrated, (including mine). The staff have been outstanding, headed up by manager Joydeep keeping morale afloat and buoyant and also coping with a ferocious cyclone which devastated Kolkata. Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan was a powerful and deadly tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in Eastern India, specifically West Bengal in May.

You can listen to short audio clips from Babul, Pappu, Munna and Babusona recorded especially for this blog.

Stay safe,

Brian

If you would like to support the Bekind Boys, you can make a donation by clicking the button below.

And so...

Sat, 02 May 2020 19:31:46 GMT

be kind during this pandemic

May 2020

“And so” - It seems to be a common reply to the start of many sentences by our health experts when replying to questions during media interviews about these strange times we are experiencing.

A response which has that political air about it with rarely a simple, straight-forward "YES!" or "NO!", but then the answer isn’t simple to this nightmare we are living through.

In Kolkata, our children in the Be kind Boys’ Home are thankfully all well, albeit confined to the building under strict lockdown measures imposed by the Government of India announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24th. A lockdown, which has been extended for the country's 1.3 billion citizens, represents a mammoth task for the authorities and has caused hunger and death for many poor daily labourers and their families as they tried to leave cities and return to their villages on foot which in many cases were hundreds of kilometres away.

The Be kind boys have been kept well occupied by four of the dedicated staff who are with all twenty-three children, aged from six to thirteen. No easy task to care for so many young children under the one roof! Our rooftop area has been put to good use of late with the air quality greatly improved in, previously one of the world's most polluted cities. With regular contact using WhatsApp video we are able to communicate, chat and have some fun.

In late March here in Ireland there was a writing competition for children to tell a short story in 300 words. The winners of the three age categories:6-10, 11-14 & 15-18 years of age, read their stories on the Joe Duffy Live Line show on RTE radio. . Irish author John Boyne initiated it and had a panel to judge the many entries.

I read the winning junior category story called “Itchy Scratchy” to the Be kind boys, asking them if they knew what the words "itchy" and "scratchy" meant. They did and gestured lots of itching and underarm scratching to demonstrate their understanding. I invited them to write their own short story, 100 words for the smaller boys and 300 for the older ones. Carer Ajoy had done a great job in encouraging the children and it was so uplifting receiving their audio recordings and copies of their written stories.

And so , at a time when the children are so restricted due to Covid-19 they could allow their imagination to run free, fact or fiction, happy or sad, it was their story.

We had a panel of six here at home and one friend in Kolkata review their entries. One has to bear in mind the children were writing in English and not in their native tongue, Bengali. The marking was close and I was so surprised to see one of our nine-year olds score and incredible 66 marks out of 70.

In a previous post, December 2018, I had written about two orphaned boys I had the privilege of bringing from Hope Foundation’s crisis intervention centre to start their new life in Be kind . With both parents deceased, the older boy had been subjected to so much trauma as a six-year old that he had to be taught how to speak again. With encouragement and counselling he slowly recovered, even his once expressionless face occasionally gave way to a beautiful smile.

That smile was beaming back at me when we announced AK (2nd from left below) was the winner last Sunday. The little one who was so weak and malnourished, physically and psychologically, had fought back to show his talents and his gift for the written word. Indeed, the last words in his story, the King and the Spider are “ try and try again until you succeed ”, a moral by which he has clearly been influenced.

In June 2019 we had a great group of nine student volunteers from Castleknock Community College who made a big effort with their fundraising campaigns which really enabled us to meet our budget. The students bonded with the Indian children instantly and will always carry their Kolkata experiences in their hearts.

In our hearts at home is our newly arrived first grandchild, baby Max, who we were fortunate enough to spend time with before the lockdown. We really miss being able to hold him close but like many grandparents we know at some stage restrictions will ease and we will be reunited. Similarly, we took for granted our ability to visit and spend quality time with the children in Kolkata. My wife Martina and I had planned to return this summer but the Indian embassy will not issue travel visas anytime in the near future, and so we must wait patiently until a vaccine arrives and air travel resumes.

On the ground in Kolkata the Hope Foundation staff have been really active in reaching out to hundreds of poor families who have lost their source of income with the lockdown. Hope Hospital manager, Samiran and his team have distributed food packages in the streets and rural villages.

And so , we have managed with your generosity to pay the bills for another year, to support the little ones almost lost but now thriving. I don’t know what lies ahead with the fallout from this pandemic. The pause button has been pressed on our planned fundraising events. Our student volunteer group for 2021 is uncertain. It has impacted lives and livelihoods across the globe but my default position returns to the saying “ If you believe you can or believe you can’t, you are correct ”.

We have to believe we can. Hard to credit that last November a great number of Irish gathered in Kolkata for the 20th anniversary celebration of the Hope Foundation. The great and the good were there on Foundation Day. Hundreds of children performed on stage, singing and dancing in a spectacular show where Hope patron, Jeremy Irons who attended suggested the show should be brought to the West End such was the standard!

And so , high standards of musical talent continued when my daughter, Katie and her pal (my other daughter) Lucy Deane organised a wonderful musical evening in Clontarf RFC raising over €4,000 for Bekind. The girls had been with me in Kolkata for ten days and volunteered in Kalighat working with the destitute in Mother Teresa’s home.

And so , lots of unfinished business is there for us in Be kind Boys’ Home. Children to be cared for, protected, nourished and educated. We are so fortunate to have such good and caring staff managed by Hope Kolkata Foundation. We are also so fortunate to have such good friends in the Gupta family who regularly visit the Be kind boys, never arriving empty handed but bringing educational books and treats. Mr and Mrs Gupta have enjoy celebrating the children’s birthday parties and are always welcome guests. Their son, Akhilesh who came and stayed with us in Ireland in 2004 as a fifteen-year-old exchange student is also a natural with the children and visits them regularly.

A nd so , with your help let us, in quoting Maureen Forrest of the Hope Foundation - “ Do what you can, not what you can’t ”.

Yours,

Brian

Merry Christmas

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas!

From all of us here at Be kind , we would you like to wish you and yours a very wonderful Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.

Here are some pictures from the Be kind Boys who were getting very much into the Christmas spirit as they celebrated one of the boy's birthdays and Christmas last night.

Sport April 2019

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 16:34:19 GMT

From the streets of Kolkata to Lord's Cricket Grounds

In June, nine young student volunteers from Castleknock Community College, Dublin will travel to Kolkata to work with the poor.

As with volunteers who have travelled with Be kind for the past decade, they will meet the children they have supported through their various fundraising activities. This current group will get to meet one boy who was placed in our care when Be kind Boys’ Home first opened several years ago. His name is Tarak.

He once lived on the streets with his parents. His father deserted them, leaving Tarak’s mother working for very little money in the fish markets. She earned hardly enough to feed herself, let alone her son Tarak. The boy didn’t attend school and wandered about the streets of Kolkata. Hunger and malnutrition caused him to collapse and he was found lying on the footpath by a kind social worker and helped by the police, he was taken into the care of The Hope Foundation.

I got to meet Tarak and his mother in early 2012 at the official opening of Be kind Boys’ Home. He bounced back to health and was rarely seen without a cricket batt in his hands. Over the years I’ve watched him grow and excel in his studies. I see in his nature a kindness for the little boys placed in Be kind who were also from a life lived begging on the streets. Tarak always takes the role of a “big brother” making them feel at home in their new surroundings.

Now, like almost every child in India, his dream of playing cricket in front of a crowds in world class stadium has become a reality. He has just turned fifteen years of age and is one of a number of boys and girls on Team North India travelling to the UK in May. Tarak and his team members have never been outside their locality before nor flown in an airplane! The final will take place at the famous Lords Cricket Grounds in London on May 7th.

The first Cricket World Cup for street-connected children will take place ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.

The Street Child Cricket World Cup will unite street children from around the world to play in their own international cricket tournament to raise awareness and tackle the widespread stigma and negative treatment they face.

On the pitch, 10 national teams, both girls and boys, will represent their countries. Off the pitch, the young people will make their voices heard and make recommendations to help improve the lives of street children worldwide.

Christmas 2018

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Tired of Trump and bored with Brexit? - Here's some good news!

This Christmas we increased the number of children in Be kind Boys' Home from 21 to 25. By supporting Be kind you are changing the lives of these former street children.

I have recently returned from India where I spent three weeks. Apart from some voluntary work, I had lot of quality time with the children doing normal things that many of us as parents/grandparents/relatives take for granted: Doing homework; going on school drop offs or collections; making trips to the playground etc.

We had organised an excursion for staff and the boys to a simple resort/hotel in Diamond Harbour a couple of hours south of Kolkata. It is situated on the banks of the river Hooghly where it meets the Bay of Bengal. Lots of singing, dancing, nice food, games, and swimming (not in the Hooghly but in the pool!). Even in December mid-day temperatures can touch a pleasant 30 degrees Celsius but they drop to single figures as the sun goes down. It was great for all of us to get some fresh air and escape highly polluted Kolkata for a few days.

Every child in our care has a different background, some so harrowing we and they don’t wish to revisit. Some were too young to remember much. Others carry the scars of abuse and neglect that no child should ever have to. Over the past seven years since we opened Be kind Boys’ Home, I have come to know each child so well and as their English improves, which is at a far faster rate than my Bengali, they confide in me and their carers and are able to express themselves much more.

In the past month we took two brothers, Anil and Ajay, ten and six years old. Their parents are behind bars for child trafficking. To watch these brothers dance is incredible. They love to perform and the level of concentration etched on their faces brings them to a different place, a different world, where they are free from the realities of their past life, a terrifying experience shut out!

Just before returning to Ireland on Tuesday 18th of December I had an emotional but very rewarding task to perform. In Hope Foundation Crisis Intervention Centre (CIC) were two very needy little fellows, both orphans who we were given permission to move to Be kind Boys’ Home. The younger of the two, lost his mother as she had complications arising from her HIV + status. His name is Raja and is only about three and a half. His mother spent her final days in Hope Hospital and despite every effort they were unable to save her life. She passed with her child close to her. The other boy named Arun is seven and has been in CIC for two years so it is well past time for him to enter a stable home environment. Arun was so traumatised by his earlier experiences that he had to be taught to speak again and also to express himself as he never smiled. Something struck me as I collected those children; I thought I was forgetting something expecting to be putting their belongings into the waiting car. Alas, they had nothing except for the clothes on their backs.

In Bengali they call it “Nabo Jibon”, which translates to “New Life”. Bringing the boys across the threshold into Be kind Boys’ Home has started that process.

Again, your support and the generosity of others allow us give a childhood to these little orphans. So, some good news for a change in this fragmented world in which we live.

Nine teenage volunteers from Castleknock Community Collage will be travelling with myself, my wife Martina and son Shane in June. They will get to witness how their fundraising makes such a difference to those most in need. They will also get to see Hope Foundation’s many projects. Hope manage, staff and run the Be kind Boys’ Home for us with care and lots of compassion. In fact, this year marks twenty years for Hope in India, an organisation founded by Maureen Forrest back in 1999 who has endless selfless energy and has reached out to countless thousands in the City of Joy. We are proud to support and work with such a wonderful organisation.

Wishing you all the best for 2019 and beyond.

Slip Sliding Away...

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Bekind to Kolkata 2017

As I write in late September our summer is really slip sliding away and that autumnal feel surrounds us. Ten years have also slipped away since the formation of Be kind .

With two student volunteer groups picked, one from Castleknock Community College and the other from St. Dominic’s College in Cabra, fundraising began in earnest from late 2016.

This vital income generating process to keep our support for the former street children of Calcutta going can be daunting but is so worthwhile.

For the 19 Transition Year and Fifth Year students, their hard work paid off and after multiple fundraisers they smashed their targets with enthusiasm and lots of energy ready to embark on their adventure to reach out to those in need in Calcutta. A very special thanks to all the parents who made such great efforts in supporting their children in the campaign.

Here is just a sample of the fundraisers undertaken by our wonderful volunteers: Coffee Mornings, Quiz Nights, Bake Sales, Musical Evenings, Mini Marathons, Sponsored Runs and Cycles, The Be kind Golf Classic sponsored by Paul Tobin Motors, a Sky Dive, a Buzzcut streamed live on Facebook, a student Be kind Ball, Raffle Ticket Sales, Bag Packing, Church Gate Collections. There were also many generous donations received from relatives and friends.

The student volunteers were to meet and spend lots of quality time with all of our children in Be kind Boys’ Home and see how their very hard earned fundraising efforts were being spent.

Departing mid-June, we were thankful to have four former Be kind volunteers from 2015 join us as chaperones and group leaders who had also fundraised.

My wife Martina, son Shane and friend and fellow Be kind Director Niall Dalton made up the adult team. Without their commitment and dedication these trips would not be possible and I remain eternally grateful.

As always the culture shock hits hard on arrival in Kolkata and despite all the preparation talks in advance, I’m intrigued by the expressions and reactions of our teen groups as they process every new sight and smell in The City of Joy .

Transferred to our usual modest guesthouse, our volunteers were to have their next culture shock and the pleasure of meeting our dear friend Anil who had brought snacks and soft drinks for the weary travellers. Anil, whose reputation in the Calcutta High Court is renowned, never takes no for an answer! Even our most cautious eaters were persuaded to eat the freshly baked samosas!

A little sleep, having procured some extra beds, and it was time to travel and sign up for work in some of Mother Teresa’s homes where our volunteers would spend mornings for the two weeks of their stay.

On then to meet the children they had heard so much about, the 21 Be kind Boys. Instant bonds formed and the students giving of themselves was natural and lovely to witness. For our four chaperones who had met the boys in 2015 it was a joyous reunion.

Our itinerary included a short break for the group and the Be kind Boys and staff in a resort outside the city which the children love. It’s called Breathing Earth, aptly named as at least you can take deep breaths here in the countryside unlike down town Calcutta.

Here our very own travelling DJ, Niall Dalton, played lots of great music by the poolside adding to the jovial atmosphere and holiday mood. The kids played soccer and cricket, they ran and swam, they sang and danced till late, they watched movies and had lots of lovely food before collapsing into bed each evening.

Even though the monsoon season had started, nothing was going to dampen our spirits. Even being in the pool during a thunderstorm had its moments!

The stark contrast of those happy carefree days spent with the children and the reality of life for others less fortunate in Calcutta is truly shocking. The Be kind volunteers were to witness poverty and deal with many destitute people when they worked in several of Mother Teresa’s homes. They were to see first-hand the wonderful work carried out in the Hope Hospital managed by Samiran Mallik for over a decade.

I was deeply moved on several occasions by the compassion of our Irish teens but in particular the day we visited the Leprosy Colony in Titagarh. I had stressed the need to take time there and not rush with the patients. It’s not easy to sit on a bed with someone who has been mutilated by the ravages of leprosy. Those who have no sight, some with missing limbs, weeping wounds and who have been banished from their own village and families, the unwanted, the untouchables, yet it did not stop our volunteers from holding them, embracing them, talking to them and singing songs for them, respecting them with love and real compassion.

" Whatever we touch, we leave fingerprints. As we touch other people's lives, we leave our identity in them. Life is better when you are happy, but life is at its best when others are happy because of you. Be faithful in touching other people's hearts, be an inspiration.

Nothing is more important and worth practicing than being a channel of God's blessing. Nothing in nature lives for itself. Rivers do not drink their own water, trees do not eat their own fruits. The sun does not shine for itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We were all born to help one another. No matter how difficult the situation you find yourself in, still do good to others. At times all they need is your ears or just a smile. "

In January 2018 six of our boys aged ten and eleven will leave Be kind Boys’ Home and move to another home run by Hope Foundation. They will have spent more than half of their young lives with us away from life on the streets. They have had nutrition, protection, education and most importantly a childhood with a little love from us along the way.

When I walked through the slums with Hope Founder, Maureen Forrest, back in 2011 close to the property The Be kind Boys’ Home occupies, Maureen commented “You will never be short of children for Bekind, Brian”. How true her words were for when our six boys leave next January, six more will take their place and many more wait in hope for that chance of a childhood.

A rat in the pantry...

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 17:05:03 GMT

Spring 2018

My eldest son reminded me recently that it has been some time since the last newsletter. For many reasons, not excuses, this temporary absence has now been resolved.

On a personal note I had an adverse reaction to medication prescribed late last year and was beginning to fear that I was on the way out! Thankfully all is now in order and as you can read I didn’t, as the Indians would say, “expire”.

Another much more positive reason has been the positive strength of the economy and a very busy first quarter in our motor business, Motorvalu€ Gti. The days, and nights, have been filled and stretched as far as humanly possible. That’s not a moan as I’ve learned from forty years’ experience in the motor trade that making hay when the sun shines is always a good mantra.

As I write I’m flying along the Indian countryside aboard the Shatabdi Express returning from spending the past couple of days with my old friend, Peter, in the town of Bokaro, a five-hour train journey from Kolkata.

Peter is one of the original MC Brothers, one of a kind, one of the very best this world has to offer. I first met Peter when Niall Dalton (Director Be kind ) and I first went to Calcutta as volunteers back in 2005. Peter was the superior in Nabo Jibon, a home for the dying and destitute. Home to many special needs children with whom we were privileged to work.

Peter has held many positions of responsibility within the Missionaries of Charity founded by the now saint, his beloved Mother Teresa. It was Mother who taught the young MC Brother how to tend and dress the wounds of the outcast lepers in Titagarh. In turn Peter would encourage and train many novice brothers, supporting them and helping them cope with the cruel reality of their vocation, the love of their fellow human beings. He is fluent in Hindi, Bengali, Spanish, English and his native tribal tongue, Santal. He has spent time in Korea and South America. Peter is as much at home with mop and bucket as with pen and paper. His selfless attitude has been evident since we first met and I have witnessed his love for the poor, specially the children who he steers towards education.

In Bokaro, or “steel city” as it is known, the MC brothers run two centres: one for TB which still has a firm hold on many; and the other centre is for the treatment of leprosy. I have been fortunate to see first hand the priceless work carried out in many of the homes and centres opened by Mother and still playing a vital role in treatment and recuperation of the shunned.

It is interesting to note that she has as many critics in death as she had during her life. If they could only realise how much goodness emanated from this little Albanian nun. Her love and dedication for the poorest of the poor lives on through the sisters and brothers throughout our divided world.

In visiting the leprosy centre in Bokaro with Peter, I spent some time with the ladies who were confined to their dormitory for much of their day. From the young to the very old, their days could be long and uneventful, a clean but spartan room with their few belongings was their home. How to bring some cheer to ones who have been shunned and made unwanted by their community. They had that sense of calm and acceptance about them and despite their varied conditions of disfigurement they had dignity. When I told them how beautiful they looked in their richly coloured saris they beamed with delight with smiles that lit up the spartan room. I asked for permission from Peter and the ladies to take their photos. How happy they were to see themselves albeit self-conscious as some covered hands to conceal the ravages of their cross which is that awful disease, leprosy.

The village adjacent to the centre is home to many families of people with leprosy. It is a fully functioning village with a school, where I was welcomed by the children.

Back in Kolkata, I had ensured the children in Be kind Boys’ Home were unaware that their “Brian Uncle” was back in town. I had made a plan with home manager, Joy Deep, and the staff that we would tell the boys that there was a strange noise coming from the pantry, a scratching noise - Could it be a rat?!

Armed with cricket bats and badminton rackets the nervous excited children were ready to confront the rodent who was stealing their food!

Love is powerful and loved I was, even as a rat, as fear turned to joy and a welcome not to be forgotten.

I spent a good deal of quality time with the boys and enjoyed our day outings to Science City, Victoria Memorial, Mother House and the Hard Rock Café. PIC

We broke out and bought a new TV, a smart one from Sony. Great for sharing photos and video clips directly from your phone. The children were in exam mode during my visit and all are doing well soaking up education like sponges.

One child who, some four years ago, was lost and begging in Howrah train station and sniffing glue to escape his tragic circumstances, came to me and spoke about his results. In his class of fifty pupils Raju (not real name) was now third and his average score in his subjects was 79%! The ten-year-old beamed when I told him how proud I was of him.

Lost and found he thrives with the others who could have remained street children only for the generosity of strangers.

Like all children they grow quickly and I visited the boys who had been in Be kind and have progressed to the Hope home for older boys in Tollygunge. Again, great to see the care given by Hope Foundation as they continue their education and become young men with values and confidence. A lunch for them in the Bengal Tiger Café was in order and a good chance for some catch up for me.

I made the journey north to Siliguri, where 18-year-old Robi is studying a course in computer programming in Don Bosco College. Keeping a promise that if he studied hard we would, with the generosity of his Irish sponsor provide him with a new laptop. A boy abandoned as a child with his baby sister in his arms several years back, continues to show courage and determination in college life.

Last year’s Be kind student volunteers have recently finished sitting their own exams with the Leaving Cert and to encourage them on their way the boys sent them a message of encouragement.

For each of you reading this and making it possible for Be kind to reach out and lend a helping hand to those in need -Thank you.

Summer 2016

Sun, 09 Oct 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Kolkata to Darjeeling

In this edition, Brian Flanagan (Founder Director) shares some of his experiences and those of his wife Martina when they travelled to Calcutta in June 2016.

From November 2015 several months had passed since I had been in India. Three family weddings have taken place since then, all happy joyous occasions with our son Richard being married to the lovely Leah on 12th December, my wife Martina’s nephew, Colin Freeman marrying Joanne in mid- March and on the 1st of August my Godchild Alison and sister to Colin completed the trio of marriages when she took the hand of Mick Nally to become Mrs Ali Nally.

How quickly time has passed; in the latter case it hit home as I had driven Ali’s Dad, my brother-in- law, Harry to his wedding thirty three years earlier almost to the day in 1983! Now my passengers were Ali and proud Dad Harry and of course a very proud Godfather at the wheel.

Three young couples starting out in life and just wonderful to witness their love for each other.

In between all the excitement of these family weddings Martina and I had planned our return to Kolkata in mid-June. We wanted to spend the first two weeks volunteering and then head south to have a holiday exploring Kerala and Goa.

I’m sure you remember as a child looking forward to a holiday and the excitement building as the time drew near. We had, as in previous years, promised to take our 20 children and staff from Be kind Boys’ Home for a break, this time to Darjeeling in the foothills of the Himalayas.

For weeks the boys had been asking, on a daily basis, “When are Brian Uncle and Martina Aunty coming?“. The care staff were almost driven to distraction!

So the day finally arrived for our departure with the boys by night train from Sealdah Station, Kolkata to Siliguiri some 10 hours later where jeeps would transport us on the final leg of the journey up the twisting mountain roads to Darjeeling. Teeming rain and low clouds could not suppress the mood as we sang and laughed our way along. Spending time with these kids is a tonic and their good humour never fails to amaze me.

The children had a ball as they enjoyed the cool temperatures of the hills instead of the intense humidity of Kolkata. Our accommodation was close to the main square in Darjeeling enabling us to visit the local attractions: the Buddhist temples, the zoo, local shops and cafes. A large screen in the main square provided great entertainment showing the Euro soccer matches and of course our Be kind Boys were cheering for Ireland – much to the amusement of the locals!

The local press had heard about our arrival and were out in force with cameras and reporters to interview us on the day we took the children on the toy train from Darjeeling to Ghoom (the highest railway station in India at 2257 M).

When commenting on accommodation people often say: “The place was basic but clean”. Our place was just “basic”! As Martina described it: “You would wipe your feet on the way out!”

Later locals came to us and shook our hands saying how pleased they were that we had brought the children to their town and welcomed us warmly. This was in sharp contrast to our first evening’s experience in Darjeeling when Martina and I were originally booked into a guesthouse close to where the boys were staying. We had met this rather loud man when we went to our room who announced that he “hadn’t heard voices around here in some time”. He was strange as we introduced ourselves and we both agreed we would give this guy a wide birth, he was the only other guest staying in that place. The area just outside our room was like a large living room with couches and chairs and I thought it an ideal place to bring the children for a movie. I have a small projector which the kids love. Asking permission that evening from the landlady the children were welcome on the condition that they removed their shoes downstairs as it was raining quite heavily. Good as gold, they took their seats and just as the movie started our “loud” guy appeared from a room down the corridor which I had noticed was ajar. Well over six feet tall, grey hair tied up in a ponytail, he roared “What is the meaning of this?” When I suggested that he close the door to his room he went ballistic and became seriously aggressive using foul language in his American accent and gesticulating with his index fingers right in front of the boys and their shocked carers!

I can still feel the bite marks on my tongue as I tried desperately to retain composure. Everybody retreated to our room and we packed and checked out. What really angered me was that many of our boys had been subjected to violence and aggression in their former lives as street children and we had, with Hope Foundation, taken them away from that existence to a protection home where they are treated with respect.

We discussed it later with the children and they all agreed he was “a very bad man Uncle”. We explained to them that sometimes people have mental problems and are disturbed. Disturbed he was as we were to learn he had fallen out with most people in the town. Strange…he reminded me of someone running for the American presidency!

With modern communications we were never far from breaking news like the Brexit vote which left many with a sense of incredulity. Even locals in Darjeeling could not believe the outcome. That morning as we drove from the train station and I read the jaw-dropping news on my phone. Our youngest little Be kind Boy, Bapi, slept soundly on my lap without a care in the world.

Those modern communications which have shrunk our world allowed me to carry on business back in Dublin where my son Ricky and my colleague Ciaran were busy selling some of the cars in stock at Motorvalue GTi. They would text me the vehicle and customer details and thanks to my system provider, I could sell the car online and the invoice/order form could be printed in Dublin and signed by the customer. I never thought I would be in a dingy cyber café in the Himalayas selling cars! A busman’s holiday perhaps but needs must.

Back to the boys in the hills and how much fun they had with day trips to waterfalls where they could run free and release lots of energy, climbing, running and exploring this beautiful part of India.

For the staff too who work so hard caring for the boys all year round, it was a welcome change of scenery. Our trip to Tiger Hill where, if the weather is fine, you get a panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains was spoiled by low clouds but again the children ran around and played football pretending they were Irish soccer players!

Pony rides and picnics, night time movies and games made our five day holiday with them fly and soon “Team Be kind “ – all 28 of us, returned to Kolkata where their normal routine would start again with school and studies.

Martina and I spent a week as volunteers in Kalighat, home for the dying and destitute set up by Kolkata’s now newest saint, Mother Teresa back in 1952 when Mother was in her early forties. Much has been written about this home over the last half century, documentaries have been screened. It has received praise and criticism and controversial comments but it is a very special place and has eased the pain of death for countless numbers of unfortunates who would have died a horrible death if left on the streets unwanted and unloved. I have witnessed, many times over the years, those who recover and have been given another chance in life and those who die with dignity.

While volunteering there, my thoughts often returned to my own beloved Dad Ronnie as his time drew near 10 years ago and how he needed our help for all the most basic things. For our parents most of us would do anything, but carrying a stranger in your arms, one who weighs less than a young child, is very sobering – humanity in its raw state. Day after day volunteers from around the world come to work with the Sisters in this place and in so many homes for the poorest of the poor founded by the little Albanian nun who was really always a saint.

We will soon start on the Be kind to Kolkata 2017 campaign and ask for young volunteer students from transition year and 5th year to join us in India for two weeks next June. Their fundraising efforts will enable us to keep supporting vulnerable children and continue to give the children we protect a childhood. For the young volunteer going to a developing country, it is an education. In excess of 50 students have travelled to India with Be kind since 2008, with several returning over the years.

Donations and sponsorship allow Be kind to continue to run and fully fund the Be kind Boys’ Home for 20 children, provide educational support for underprivileged girls in Loreto Sealdah, support 16 boys in Rupayan, sponsor 12 special needs children in Sanchar, and keep a further two boys and six girls under sponsorship within the Hope Foundation.

A special mention to a very special lady as she marks a significant birthday, Maureen Forrest. Maureen founded the Hope Foundation over 17 years ago and has changed the lives of thousands in Kolkata. Your strength of character and determination has inspired us all.

For your help we at Be kind are so grateful,

Brian

Happy Diwali!

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Happy Diwali!

In this edition, Brian Flanagan (Founder Director) shares some of his experiences when travelled to Calcutta in November 2015.

I returned to Kolkata on the 12th of November as the City of Joy celebrated one of the many festivals with its usual chaotic and colourful exuberance. Parades and marching bands with noisy drummers, built their rhythms to a frenzy as huge floats carrying effigies of the revered goddess Kali made their way through the crowded streets. The traffic, heavy at the best of times, ground to a halt as this Kali Puja was celebrated.

My accommodation this time was a modest room in an apartment kindly provided by the Hope Foundation which I share with several Hope volunteers. Many of these volunteers had given three months of their lives dedicated to the children and the poor which Hope reaches out to every day.

My first stop was, needless to remark, the Be kind Boys’ Home where I was smothered with affection and nothing would do only to join the children for Diwali, celebrated with fireworks and fun. Allowing young children access to fireworks had me on edge but the carers kept a close eye on things as the boys danced and skipped over the spinning sparklers.

One boy was missing from the group. Nine year old Rahul was in hospital for an operation on his throat. Rahul suffers from TB and had developed a mass on his neck. He’s making a recovery and should be discharged soon from Ram Krishna hospital. Rahul also missed out on a mini holiday in a resort an hour outside Kolkata where we spent two days.

In this place the kids were treated to great accommodation, good food, swimming, paddle boats and fun activities. For the staff of the Be kind Boys’ Home it was a well-deserved break. All this for only €27 per head.

Our driver, 22 year old Uttam was once a street child. He was rescued by Hope and delivered and collected us safely. He is employed by Hope and takes his driving very responsibly.

Never far away is the reality of the hardship, poverty and suffering which is brought to mind when I visited the Hope Hospital.

I had taken one of the children with special needs from Nabo Jibon (Missionaries of Charity Home for destitute) to the Hospital for treatment of a severe recurring ear infection. Samiran, the Hospital Manager arranged everything from admission, to the ENT doctor and a CT scan.

The patient, Ujjwal, was a boy I met in Nabo when my friend Niall Dalton and I first went to India in 2005. Ujjwal suffers from cerebral palsy and has spastic movements, so trying to get him to stay still for a CT scan needed a miracle! We await the results.

In the Hospital, I was to meet several children who touched my heart so deeply. With reference to Diwali and fireworks, I met 11 year old Suman who was trying to light a rocket when it exploded in his face. The poor lad was more concerned about missing his school exams than his injuries which you can judge from his photo were significant. He is lucky not to have lost his eyesight.

Then another boy named Bishnu who is six years old. With no one to care for him as him as his mother had run away from her abusive, alcoholic husband, Bishnu fell into poor health and a wound on his head became badly infected. So badly infected that despite efforts by local police to have the child seen to in local hospitals, three refused to take him because of maggot infestation in the deep wound. The Hope Hospital again came to his rescue and after several painful days of delicate treatment he has been cured. While taking his photo he insisted I take a photo of his scalp proudly displaying his scars. We hope to bring this child to Be kind Boys’ Home to start a new life subject to a court order being approved.

Then I met a little girl who had been found wrapped in newspaper in a plastic bag under one of the seats of a train in Sealdah Station. A train cleaner heard a whimper and discovered her. Traumatised and weak from lack of food and water the little mite has made a good recovery in Hope’s loving care. She has a congenital condition and despite her tiny size, it is thought she is eight or nine years old. She, much to the surprise of the hospital staff, started speaking after about a week and hasn’t stopped since. Mentally she appears perfect but her physical disabilities mean full time care is required. Who dumped her on the train we do not know but whoever it was knew she would be found. She is a pure joy to hold and is such a good natured child with a great sense of humour. She has been called Riya.

I was so pleased to receive word from the Hope Hospital Manager, Samiran, that on reviewing the CT results for Ujjwal and on the advice from the anaesthesiologist the surgeon was prepared to operate. Then on some pre-op blood tests it was discovered that the poor lad had Hepatitis B. It was impossible to continue as Hep B is highly infectious. This shows just how important having all the necessary inoculations it is for Irish volunteers.

Something good did come from Ujjwal’s visit to Hope Hospital. An eleven/twelve year old boy with an intellectual disability named Puri, also found abandoned and treated by Hope will be placed, on our request, with the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in Nabo Jibon. His new life can now begin in a safe and secure environment.

I have just returned home to my family in Dublin and look forward to my son Ricky’s wedding to the lovely Leah on December 12th.

Fondest regards,

Brian

Volunteer trip to Calcutta, June 2015

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Volunteer trip to Calcutta, June 2015

In this edition Brian (Founder Director) discusses the experiences of our volunteer group which travelled to Calcutta in June 2015.

Almost ten years have passed since I went to India with my old pal Niall Dalton. A lot of water has passed under the bridges connecting our lives here in Dublin’s fair city and the lives of so many in that "City of Joy", Calcutta.

No visit to Calcutta would ever be complete for our Be kind volunteers without our now compulsory walk across the massive Howrah Bridge which spans the river Hooghly in the heart of the city.

It is here life spawns, as families bathe and cool themselves from the burning heat of the sun, where the burning heat from the fires along the Ghats burn the bodies of the city’s dead into charred and powder-whitened bones.

This city that has drawn me back time and time again for a decade, is drug-like in its attraction. The reason, as anyone who has been following the Be kind story will know, is honestly for the love of the children. It is for their chance of a childhood that we do what we do, simply that and no more, because every child deserves one.

These two pictures look like the same people in different shirts. Wrong. The young people in the white shirts are quite different to those in the navy t-shirts. The navy shirts worn on returning to Ireland clothe a group of people who will never be the same again. They, myself included, have been immersed in a different world, a different culture, seen and experienced so many things and so many emotions that it impossible to ever be the same again.

A wise old friend in Calcutta once said to me, “Brian, we are all in this together” and it’s true you know, even you reading this newsletter are part of this. Why? Because you care. Don’t think for a moment I’m being patronising, I’m not. I assure you of that.

So back to this latest visit to Calcutta. June 13th to 28th were two weeks that flashed past in the proverbial blink of an eye. Nine young student volunteers from Newport, Tipperary and nine from Dublin 15 made up the core of our total group of twenty nine.

For months these young people with family, relatives, friends and communities, city and rural, had put so much work into fundraising for Be kind Ireland. Now they would see the fruits of all that hard labour, sweat and no doubt a few tears.

As our summer slips away, and leaves start to turn and fall into autumnal colours, writing these words against the backdrop of what is currently happening in our badly divided world, where hundreds of thousands flee their countries of origin, thousands perish in the Mediterranean Sea, innocents are slaughtered by ISIS, it is easy to forget the daily drudgery of the street children of Calcutta.

Be kind has its focus on, in the words of founder of Hope Foundation, Maureen Forrest, “Do what you can, not what you can’t”, helping children have a childhood, a life, an education and a future.

I think as I write on the eve of the tenth birthday of one of our boys, Raju, (name changed) who came to us as a frightened six year old. Frightened for the fact that his father was an alcoholic who beat him and his mother in his regular drunken rages, frightened for through this abuse the boy’s mother took her own life in desperation, frightened as the boy was left alone wandering in the streets as his father went away and married another woman and abandoned his child.

He is no longer frightened, no longer begs or scavenges for scraps to survive, no longer seeks a place on the streets to sleep, no longer suffers the threat of being abused or used as a child labourer. He is a healthy, well nourished, protected and loved child who goes to school and is enjoying his childhood despite a tough start in life. Witnessing Raju’s progress, and that of the other children in our care, fills me with a joy which is truly priceless.

Our volunteers were based in Calcutta, working in Mother Teresa’s homes each morning and spending time with the Be kind Boys and experiencing the work of Hope Foundation in the afternoons.

As with all volunteers to India for the first time, it has an impact which assaults the senses and tests our coping abilities to their limits.

Here are some quotes from the Be kind volunteers 2015:

"Something that impacted on me during my time in Kolkata was our trip to Ashirbad, an older boy’s home. Although we only spent 3 hours there, the bond I formed with the kids and the memories I gained will stay with me forever. Just like the Be kind boys, the boys in Ashirbad were so well-behaved, energetic and fun. They are so happy in the home and to see this made my heart melt. Although I played with all of the boys, I spent most of my time with Laltu, one of the loveliest children I have ever met. I was nearly in tears leaving him but was also on a high after such a brilliant day. Even though this was a small part of our group's trip, it was a big part of my experience. Leaving Ashirabad that day, and leaving the 20 amazing Be kind Boys on the last day, were probably the two toughest things I had to do over in India. I plan to go back, not only just help the charities working there, but to see all of the boys' smiling faces again."

" What impacted me the most in India was the innocence of childhood. When visiting a girls home over there I began to sing to them and as I reached the chorus the girls began to sing back. Their sweet voices touched my heart strings so dearly. I’ve learned that where you live shouldn't determine how you live, especially for an innocent child."

"The whole journey was beyond all expectations. It was incredibly breath taking and wondrously inspiring. One experience that hugely impacted on me was our trip out to the Mother Teresa's leprosy colony (Titagarh). We were brought through the workshops, schools and hospital wards of these friendly people's community. In one ward, I began to sit with each person at their bed and even with the language barrier we were amazingly able to make conversation. What truly touched me was how most of them appeared shocked when I simply sat beside or made skin contact with them. They were so shocked if I simply held their hand or gave them a hug! One man I remember very clearly, knelt to touch my feet when I sat with him, when I immediately returned the gesture, the man asked me to say a prayer on his poorly leg. I'd have given him every penny I had at that stage or even my own leg, yet all he asked for was a prayer. I found it unbelievable how through simple kindness, we were able to brighten up someone's day. I will never forget those men in that ward and how they were outcasts from their society with nothing and yet asked for nothing but a smile and a prayer. Kolkata, will never leave me. It has left its mark. It was an awe-inspiring, wondrous, incredibly heart-breaking, joyous, humbling, mind awakening adventure that I'm so grateful for and lucky to have experienced. I will never truly be able to sum it all up in words, all I know is that I will be back one day to the City of Joy and its amazing people."

"The visit to the Titagarh Leprosy Colony was definitely the most impacting experience for me. It was amazing to see people who had been shunned by outside society being able to find a home and a purpose in the colony. It’s great how self-sufficient the whole set up is and gives me hope for victims of leprosy in the future."

"There were so many moments that impacted me throughout my trip but one that struck me most was when I was leaving my home (Mother Teresa’s) on our last day of volunteering and a little girl who I had grown close too began to cry. This made me realise how the little I can give can mean so much to others even if it's just my time."

"Looking back on the experience I have recalled quite a lot of things that stick in my head. The landscape, the people, the culture is all so different and vast. But something that I remember is the contrast in the place. Adults and children in such depressing environments being the happiest and most enlightening people you'll ever meet. The children laugh and smile so easily and are extremely playful. They are grateful for whatever they are given and are very polite as well. Even though the streets are filthy and the conditions are poor people carry on with their lives as if it were anywhere else. The hustle and bustle in the streets is always there, just an average day in everyone's lives, but the way they use everything they have and make their own personal touches to everything to make it so beautiful and colorful stands out against the dullness of the streets and has its own sense of beauty about it. One last thing I will never forget is how the boys will always be boys. They came from distorted backgrounds with hardship and struggle yet a simple day in the water park brings out the child in all of them. They play with each other and care for each other wherever they are and whatever the circumstances may be, but the most striking thing about it is they're just like us when we were young. Through all they've been through they're still kids and I really liked that."

" I knew before going, that the trip to Kolkata was going to be challenging and life-changing. What I didn't know is that those challenging moments would be accompanied by such profound beauty, present both in the frenetic, vibrant environment and the truly remarkable people I met along the way. It really was an experience that contained it all, highs and lows, joy and suffering, light and dark, and I feel very fortunate to have witnessed this beautiful duality while working together with a group whose vocation was to bring a little more joy to those in the greatest need of it."

"The main impact traveling to Kolkata had on me was that now I don't take anything for granted. We're always been told how lucky we are to have so much and to have our health but I really didn't realise it until I came home. It's so different after coming home from Kolkata, I realised half the things I have I don't even need. The only things we really need are love and health. How only taking your time to talk to someone who has no one can really make their day much better. Thanks for such an amazing experience!"

"There are so many things that impacted me on my adventurer to Kolkata. The noise of the busy streets, the heat in the air, the bright colours around every corner and above all the kindness of the Indian people. One memory that stands out to me is the day we visited Sanchar- a community based organisation who support families in difficulty. My group visited a little boy with Cerebral Palsy who lived with his parents, his granddad, his uncles and aunties and his many cousins. They all lived in a tiny house in the middle of the village where we were welcomed with open arms! I couldn’t believe how friendly and welcoming these people were to a group of total strangers, it was such a nice thing to witness! The man with us from Sanchar was a physiotherapist, he introduced us to all of the little boy’s family members and we sat in the bedroom downstairs. The man told us that the king bed we were sitting on slept all of the members of the family! All of the aunties, uncles and cousins had come inside and were peeping their heads in the door to see what was going on, they were fascinated by us! I couldn’t believe that all those people could fit in that one bed! The physiotherapist started working with the little boy then, he took off the straps that straightened out the boy’s arms and legs and we played with him for a while. The physiotherapist involved us in his work, he showed us how the boy had different sitting and standing exercises to help him to one hand stay by himself and he showed us exercises for the boy’s hands to allow him to be more flexible. The boy had to squeeze a squeaky ball first with two hands and then with one hand, which is very difficult for a person with Cerebral palsy to do. The physiotherapist told us that Sanchar have been working with this little boy for the last three years. When they first started helping him he wasn’t able to sit upright but after their amazing, dedicated hard work, the boy is now able to sit up straight. It was so inspiring to see, first hand, the work that Sanchar does for families in the community. Without Sanchar, the family would not have the support or knowledge to help the boy get stronger and stronger every day. It was so incredible as well to see how much the lovely people in Sanchar cherished their work. When it was time to leave, we all hugged the little boy and said goodbye.it was hard to leave him but we left with a good feeling that he was in the very capable hands of the Sanchar organisation, Sanchar really stands out in my mind as one of the most inspiring places in Kolkata, the city of joy. I hope to one day go back and witness more of their amazing work and I would urge everyone to go for yourselves and experience the city of Kolkata."

" I have a countless amount of memories that had an impact on me from my time spent in India but my fondest memory in Kolkata was when we visited Titagarh, a leper colony. We visited both the male and female wards, chatting and spending time with all the patients. When I got to the female ward I made my way around the room talking to everyone. It was a huge room with beds on either side. There were two pillars in the middle of the room and one lady's bed was between the two pillars. I visited her last and it was the most touching experience ever and one that will stick with me for a long time. Because this woman had leprosy, she had lost most of her fingers. I took her hands in mine and tried to make conversation with her with the basic Bengali I had picked up over the week. Next of all I kissed her hands and her face lit up. She was so happy with the basic human contact. She then kissed my hands and started to stroke my face. It touched my heart that this woman was filled with joy from something as small as human contact. It was this day that really made me realise that the people who have nothing find happiness in everything."

"Kolkata for me meant everything and I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to experience it. I really miss the boys, especially Manu! Seeing how much the little things impacted people’s lives was incredible and it completely changed my perspective on life. It taught me that it's not about what you don't have but how you can make the most of what you do have."

"Words can't really express the warmth you receive from the people you meet in Kolkata. They welcome you in to their homes and let you see the world from their windows. It's an addictive experience, the more they share their stories with you the more you want to do to help in whatever way you can. You often feel like there isn't a huge amount you can do but reflecting on it you'll find that a little kindness can go a long way. I realised this on my second trip. The children I had met two years before had not forgotten me nor had the connection we had made been weakened. The brief time we had spent with them had meant something. We created happy memories together which will not be forgotten. Giving these children (that weren't given a childhood) some happy memories was just one of the many things Be kind did to spread a little joy in Kolkata and this amazing charity gave us the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of those who have nothing as well as bestowing in us the passion to keep on returning. Thank you Be kind from the bottom of my heart."

" Walking through the streets of Kolkata it is easy to get bogged down. Everywhere you look there is poverty and it is hard to fathom how you can even begin to help the people of the city. That is until you step into the Be kind Boys' Home for the 1st time. I can honestly say I have never been somewhere with such a beautiful spirit running through it. When we arrived on the very first night I was overcome with emotion at how happy a place it was. The boys are looked after with such love and kindness I found it difficult to imagine that the boys were once living on the street. For the rest of the 2 weeks, no matter how hard our day was or how many devastating stories we had come across, once we stepped inside that haven of a home we were instantly uplifted by spending time with the gorgeous young boys living in the home. Brian, Hope and the Be kind team are doing such a phenomenal job of bettering the lives of young children living in Kolkata and I pray that their success continues for years and years to come."

I think you can see by reading the comments above from our Be kind volunteers that their experiences impacted greatly upon them. For me having my wife, Martina and son and daughter, Shane and Katie on this trip made it all the more special. Our combined efforts to reach out and make a difference with our volunteers has been very rewarding and gives us the strength and resolve to continue.

A little quote from Mother hangs on a pendant in our kitchen:

"We cannot do great things in this world. We can only do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

If pictures paint a thousand words then the following photos from this trip can tell their own story.

My gratitude to the Gupta family for all their assistance and support in logistics. A special thanks to Mrs Sharda Gupta for feeding our group and guests with beautifully prepared Indian food.

Thanks to Geeta and her team in Hope Kolkata Foundation for facilitating us and making us so welcome at all the Hope projects.

Thanks to the MC brothers and sisters in all of Mother Teresa’s homes. Tapan Banerjee and the Rupayan boys who we are privileged to support since Be kind started in 2007.

Thanks also to Tulika Das and her team in Sanchar who work so hard for families of special needs children.

For your support, a thousand thanks.

Brian

Life's a beach for the Bekind Boys

Sat, 16 Aug 2014 23:00:00 GMT

Life's a beach for the Bekind Boys

In this edition Brian (Founder Director) and his wife Martina share their experiences when they took the Be kind Boys on holiday to Puri in June 2014.

As a young enthusiastic salesman, I would often be amazed by the trust customers placed in me. Many would be so open about their personal lives. At times I wondered was I a car salesman or a counsellor.

Finances, naturally, would be discussed, as well as family needs; couples in the 'fifty plus' category would say they no longer needed a large car, as their children had grown up. Perhaps something smaller would suit their needs.

They would comment on how quickly their kids had grown up and one could feel the sense of something special gone from their lives.

As a dad of three young children in the early nineties, that situation seemed so far away that I found it hard to understand; every day was filled with family life: getting our kids up, washed and dressed, ready for school or childminder, swimming, football, music classes, visits to Nana and Granddad etc.

Now as thirty years of marriage have elapsed, I too have become that 'fifty something' and for Martina and I those years of childrearing have disappeared in a flash, our adult children living independent lives.

Childhood is so short but oh so precious, as it is in those early childhood years that the person is formed, influenced by all that he or she witnesses and experiences in that formative period.

From all my travels to India over the last decade, seeing children without a childhood, it spurred me to make a decision just three years ago to do whatever I could to help at least some of them.

Making that difficult decision to open Be kind Boys’ Home at a time when Ireland’s economy was blindingly bleak and on the verge of collapse wasn’t easy. Many of us having to deal with financial difficulties and some hardship was nothing compared to life for many of Calcutta’s poor.

To be born a child of the street stigmatises that child for life. Often unwanted, unloved, abused and neglected, existing is a daily routine of begging and scavenging for scraps with the lowest forms of life, both animal and human.

Taking a child away from that existence and restoring a childhood is a reward beyond compare.

For our twenty little fellows whose home was once the street, the regular meals, the protection of a clean place to live and be nourished mentally and physically by loving staff has transformed their lives.

To mark our 30th wedding anniversary, we planned a holiday which gave us four days in Delhi. We started by going to visit Lucy, our "other daughter,” a young UCD Law Student and best friend of our daughter Katie. She, along with several other volunteers from Ireland, had given a massive commitment of ten weeks this summer to teach and work with the street and slum children with the Irish organisation Suas.

Our journey continued then, taking day trips to Agra, the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur and fulfilling a long term goal of completing the 'Golden Triangle.' We marvelled at the beauty and scale of the unique and stunning architecture in this area of incredible India.

We were to finish our holiday with a short stay in Abu Dhabi on the way home from India, taking in a ride on the world’s fastest roller coaster, which I assured my wife, “wouldn’t be that bad.” We are still talking… just!

The middle of our holiday was dedicated to our Be kind Boys with a week’s holiday for them and the staff in the beach resort of Puri, some ten hours by overnight train from Calcutta. The children had been eagerly anticipating this trip for about three months driving their carers crazy, asking on a daily basis when Brian Uncle and Martina Aunty were coming!

Arrive we did, to find twenty very excited little boys, who were to experience their first sight of an ocean and a beach holiday that was filled with fun and laughter. Day trips to the zoo, famous Hindu temples, camel rides, boat trips and dolphin spotting on Chilka Lake. Movies at night and building sand castles by day, riding the surf with Brian Uncle in rubber car tubes supplied by the local life guards (entrepreneurial?) made our week on the Bay of Bengal.

It was the week prior to a major Hindu festival in the town of Puri when thousands of worshipers descend on the place and mark the event called Rath Yatra. Three huge twelve metre tall chariots were being constructed in the main street from enormous tree trunks. Three teams of craftsmen working simultaneously in the baking heat and humidity to create these wonderful iconic symbols of Hinduism in honour of Lord Jagannatha, Lord of the Universe.

A little further north of Puri is the 13th century temple in Konark dedicated to the Sun God. A day trip to this ancient site allowed the children marvel at the craftsmanship of their forefathers who spent years building and creating what has been described as “poetry in stone.” It could also be described as “the Kama Sutra in stone” with multiple carvings of very amorous couples, triples, multiples in , well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. Martina did her best to distract the children as the temple guide went into great detail in his description of the various characters etched in stone for over eight hundred years. 'Fifty Shades of India,' perhaps?

A few days in Calcutta allowed us take the Rupayan kids for a day’s outing to a water park and amusement centre. We visited our five older former Be kind Boys now living in the Hope Foundation’s Tollygunge home. We spent some time in the Hope Hospital where we met a little girl named Rajani who was awaiting an operation to give her a replacement limb for her deformed leg. We had a contingency sum built in to our budget for the Be kind Puri trip which was unspent: this money, €650, will now go to help fund her operation, which will cost €3,200 and allow her to walk.

The pictures below will give further insight into our experiences, which we hope you will enjoy.

Once again sincere thanks for all donations, past, present and future, which enable us to give these special children a little of what they truly deserve: a childhood.

Yours

Brian

Lucky for some...

Sat, 15 Mar 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Lucky for some...

This edition features the experiences of our June 2013 volunteer group when they travelled to Calcutta. Please like and share with your friends using the buttons above or below

In the autumn of 2012, the plans for a student immersion to Calcutta commenced. This time we opened up the opportunity for travel to the local community, rather than a single school as in previous years.

Bearing in mind the challenged economic conditions in Ireland, we knew fundraising was not going to be a “stroll in the park.” We needed everybody involved to make a concerted effort and to commit to several months of hard work and to have fun along the way.

Lifelong friend Paul Tobin got the ball rolling with the Be kind Golf Classic in beautiful Luttrellstown Castle on 18 October. The event, sponsored by Paul Tobin Motors, was threatened by monsoon-like conditions and flash flooding in Dublin on the 17th, which forced closure of the course, but luck was on our side and the weather on the day was superb.

Sponsored walks, table quizzes, busking, cake sales, BBQs, coffee mornings (and coffee afternoons), another golf classic, church gate collections, a Christmas card sale, raffles, the sale of Living Shamrock, a “Take Me Out” event and many donations from our generous supporters culminated in a successful campaign.

On June 2nd 2013, our group departed from Dublin, destination Calcutta: the city of joy. In an effort to maximise the funds raised, the five adults paid their own travel and accommodation costs. The teenage student volunteer group consisted of ten girls and two boys. Their comments are quoted below, as I asked for feedback soon after we returned to Ireland.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

Note: 'Kurseong' refers to a hill station, a town in the Himalayas ten hours by night train from Calcutta and three hours by road, where we took the children for a few days. We stayed in Goethal’s Memorial School as guests of the Christian Brothers. I am sure they breathed a sigh of relief when we departed as we numbered 64 in total: 38 children, 12 students and an accompanying adult/carer group.New Paragraph

"I hope all in Kurseong are well! What impacted me the most was the realisation that these things actually happen! They don’t just exist on our TV screens or computers etc, it happens every day right in front of our faces but we don’t have the ability to help them! I think the whole experience shows you how one person can help so many others have a better life and future. I appreciate everything this trip has done for me I really do and cannot wait to do it again!"

"One thing that had an impact on me personally was seeing how far such a small act of kindness could go, to see how a smile could so easily be brought to someone's face by simply holding their hand when they're in pain or assisting them to carry out everyday things that we can do with such ease."

"A week has passed and still cannot believe it is over! Looking back on the trip makes me so proud of the twelve of us! Words can't describe how much more I miss Nehal everyday [I] would give anything to hold him in my arms again! The one thing that stood out for me on the trip was the displays of happiness and thanks from the people’s faces after you simply just sat down with them for a minute to hold their hand and tell them your name! Also Brian I would like to thank you for the opportunity you have given me Kolkata was amazing for me and has helped me so much as a person you will definitely see me in Kolkata again!"

"Initially the chance to go to India meant that I could help others and do something worthwhile with my time. Now it means so much more to me it's the home of the many people who have opened my eyes touched my heart and changed my life. Growing close to the children and learning their stories put everything into perspective for me. They’re the bravest and most loving people I’ve ever met. The kids have had a huge impact on my outlook of my own life. I’ll never forget the friends I’ve made or the people who I’ve encountered along the way that have helped me to be the person I am now and that have made me so happy to be a part of their lives."

"Just about settled back, still crazy to think the trip is over! To me the Journey was a definite eye opener. It made me realise how much of an impact the work of Be kind actually makes, yet how much is still yet to be done. It has certainly given me a drive to make any difference I can for these people in the future and the determination to never give up. Thank you for such an amazing opportunity,"

"The journey to India was such an incredible experience and I'm so grateful to have been part of it. The trip has made me realise how fortunate we are for the things we have in life. I found it hard to see so many people living in such harsh conditions, especially children. I know the memories from this trip will stay with me forever. The most abiding memory that will remain with me would have to be spending time with the boys in Kurseong. It was amazing to see how happy they all were and I enjoyed every second of it."

"The journey to India was an incredible experience for me one that I will hold with me forever. I had been told different things about Kolkata but it is definitely something you have to experience for yourself to really know what it's like. While washing the street children I finally understood why Kolkata can be referred to as the city of joy because they were all such happy children. I found the Mother House a very spiritual place and I enjoyed visiting it and going to mass there. There's just something about it I can't explain. I also loved the song they sang in the Mother House for the final day of volunteering! I have so many fantastic memories from Kolkata which just makes me want to go back there to make some more."

"The journey to India meant everything to me. I couldn’t sleep for nights in advance of our departure date. I was filled with emotions of joy, excitement, nerves and really not knowing what to expect. It really hit me when we walked through the arrivals gate in Kolkata airport to me greeted by happy, giddy little boys with big smiles on their faces. I have so many memories of the trip that I will never forget, like working with the disabled in Nabo Jibon, going on the night run with Hope Foundation, to bringing the boys up by train to Kurseong and to see the excitement on the boys’ faces was truly amazing to think of the lives these boys once had. One of my favourite experiences was washing the street children, to see the little boys and girls in rags and some living in slums be so happy washing and playing. Young boys and girls having to look after their younger brothers and sisters like a mother was amazing to witness. My hardest moment was seeing the men in the dying home (Khalighat, Mother Teresa’s Home for destitute) and having to leave the little boys as we had to go home to Ireland. I will definitely return to Kolkata when I’m in college to volunteer again. I will always remember my trip to Kolkata and the experiences we had and I am grateful to Be kind Ireland for giving me the opportunity to do this."

These comments perhaps give an insight into how this experience impacted on these young Irish student volunteers. Be kind Ireland started bringing groups to Calcutta in 2008. Seeing them in action, reaching out to the poor in a selfless manner, has been a privilege for me over the past few years. This group was no exception.

Once again the group could see who was benefitting from all their hard work and fundraising efforts. They got to meet and hold and hug and love the little children whose home was once the streets. This was the first Be kind student group to visit and spend lots of time in the Be kind Boys’ Home which opened in January 2012. The bonding started at the airport and built over the two week stay. As in past years, the group had a mix of work in Mother Teresa’s homes: with young and old, with able and disabled, with those with special needs and those without. When statistics about the number of malnourished and starving in the world are given to us, we can’t really comprehend. We as a group were to see first hand the result of chronic malnutrition and neglect, when we encountered a little four year-old child in the Hope Hospital in June.

His name was Ganesh, named after the Hindu God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune, but good fortune was missing in this boy’s life. He had been rescued by the Hope team and admitted to hospital last Christmas, weighing just 8kgs (approx 16lbs). Ganesh had come from a family of nine children; his parents were impoverished rag pickers eking out an existence on the streets where they lived. There was not enough money or food to go around and little Ganesh was not strong enough to beg, not nourished enough to live. Months of care and dedication by the staff of Hope Hospital saw the boy gain another two and a half kilos, well short of the targeted five to six kilos. I have held many malnourished little one in my arms over the years in India but never anyone as fragile as Ganesh: every bone, every rib could be felt. Maureen Forest, head of Hope, described him as a “little bird.” If any of you have ever held a little bird in the palm of your hand, you may have been surprised to find how little it weighed.

This picture of Liam as I handed our little bird into his arms. The expression on his face speaks volumes. Everyone in our group was immediately taken by the boy, captivated by his big smiling eyes, his gentleness and his willingness to go to any of us with his tiny arms outstretched.

I knew in my heart and soul his place should be in the Be kind Boys’ Home, where he could join the other children and be cared for and loved by the very special staff. I pleaded with Hope management never to allow his return to the streets or to parents who could not provide for him. On our last day in Calcutta I returned alone to the hospital to spend an hour or so there. Ganesh and I went walkabout, dropping in to say hello to the other patients on the other wards. We had lunch in the staff canteen and even went outside for a while into the street. Ganesh was to be discharged and arrangements were being put in place for him to go to our Be kind Boys’ Home a week or so after we returned to Ireland in mid June.

At home, I reached for my mobile on the morning of 9 July. The text was from Hope Director, Geeta. It read:

"With deep regret we wish to inform you that Ganesh the malnourished child died this morning from severe respiratory distress. May his soul rest in peace."

This cruel world had claimed another innocent victim. In India, the Hope Foundation mourned the loss of Ganesh. In Ireland, we too shared in the sadness.

Several of the children in Be kind Boys’ Home have celebrated their birthdays for the second time since the home was opened and as you can see from the photos it is pure joy in motion. We as a group also were able to partake in one of those birthday parties when Aditiya (6) had his special party during our journey to Kurseong. A simple thing we take for granted, but those special occasions are part of giving a child back their childhood.

The following pictures really tell their own story and in face of each child we see happiness, health and wellbeing. Without the protection of Be kind Boys’ Home would they too have been like little Ganesh?

One hundred teddy bears knitted by the children of St Joseph's Girls' National School in Mountmellick were given to many poor children in Calcutta and in the surrounding villages.

Our student group met Mongol Bojaixhu in June 2013. Be kind Ireland had previously provided him with a tablet computer to aid him in his computer studies. He was doing very well in his exams and was a most inspirational young man. He loved to email and use Whatsapp, Viber, Skype and Facebook.Touch screen technology was ideal for Mongol due to his limited movement and muscular dystrophy.

Be kind had worked with Mongol since 2007, when Brian (Founder Director) and his daughter Katie met him for the first time. Unfortunately, Be kind received the devastating news that Mongol had passed away suddenly on the morning of 26 November 2013. He was a shining light and a massive presence any time we met him and was a friend to the many volunteers that had met him throughout the years. We will miss him terribly.

On a very personal note:

The repercussions of the 2008 economic crash have affected so many of us in our country and beyond. Financial loss is one thing and we will in time recover.

Loss of a loved one is totally a different matter. On the 5th of October, I lost someone whose absence is unquantifiable. Resuming and finishing this current newsletter can never be the same, for my beloved mother, Jenny, passed away at the great age of ninety two. She was always the first to read the Be kind newsletters and took a great interest in the various Indian children we have been privileged to help over recent years. Her gift to several of the children in Be kind Boys’ Home was short YouTube clips where she sang happy birthday to them. They adored their “Irish Granny” and just a week prior to her death, after she had suffered a stroke, a picture of the boys saying prayers for her arrived by email. It will remain with me forever.

In her eulogy, I spoke of how I had asked Blessed Mother Teresa to take her gently to her bosom, as she had done countless times with the dying. To try to visualise that iconic image of one great mother holding another great mother is of some comfort to a broken heart.

Rose Janette Flanagan, Rest in Peace.

For all your support in so many ways, thank you.

Brian

Happy birthday Bekind Boys' Home

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Happy birthday Bekind Boys' Home!

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since the Be kind Boys’ Home opened in Calcutta. My wife Martina and I will never forget the moment in the early hours of the morning on January 16th 2012 when, with bleary eyes, we connected by Skype to see many curious little faces peer at us and greeting us with “Good morning Uncle… Good morning Aunty”. The lady making the connection possible was Geeta, Director of Hope Kolkata Foundation, a lady who has made so many connections possible and has changed and saved so many lives working tirelessly for the poor in her country.

I find it difficult to express my gratitude to everyone who has donated to Be kind in so many ways but what a difference those donations have made and thankfully continue to do so in our various projects.

With India in the news of late for all the wrong reasons: brutal rapes which are “reported” at one occurring every twenty minutes and the unspeakable horror and gang rape of that young 23 year old student in Delhi. Ignorance has been blamed, lack of or no education, the rapists’ backgrounds and their lives in the slums where they are subjected to violence and antisocial behaviour brought on by alcohol and drug abuse and a life of depravity and squalor.

It is away from that depravity and hopelessness that in many cases the little boys in our home have come from. The counselling the boys receive help them deal with their past traumas. This coupled with a safe and loving environment, a chance of a good quality education and being able to have a happy childhood should with the moral guidance they also are shown shape them into young men Mother India can be proud of.

I have been privileged to have spent some time with these children during the past year and to have received updates on their progress and school reports from The Hope Foundation. It is so uplifting to be part of their lives and to share this good news with you.

Back in May 2004 we hosted a 15 year-old Indian student from Calcutta for two weeks here in Dublin. He and his family were to become great friends and have been a source of inspiration and support for us over the last number of years. This student went on to study law in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and is now qualified.

Fast forward to Christmas Day 2012…

On this special day an unexpected phone call from Kolkata was a source of great joy. It was Akhilesh Gupta calling from the Be kind Boys’ Home. He had dressed up as Santa to surprise the children and made them all say in their loudest voices: “HO HO HO!”. They sang Jingle Bells and filled our hearts to bursting point.

Listen to our boys singing Jingle Bells with Akhilesh.

Listening to all of this was my mother, Jenny who was with us sharing Christmas day. It was her first day out of the nursing home in months. In November she was given just days to live, on December 29th Mam celebrated her 92nd birthday!

When I travelled to India to make final arrangements for the start up and sign the lease on the property for Be kind Boys’ Home in November 2011, my younger son, Ricky accompanied me. It was his second time there, as he had done voluntary work in Calcutta in 2007 when he had just turned 17.

Ricky has contributed to this newsletter by writing the following section:

The excursion with my father to Kurseong in December 2011 is one I will always remember. From the moment I set foot in Siliguri Train Station at the foothills of the Himalayas, it was an exhilarating experience. It was fascinating to see the various faces changing from having Indian features to Nepalese features as we ascended up the steep mountain roads of northern India. The poverty was one element of the excursion which never ceased to amaze me.

The rocky and battered road up to the village of Kurseong was partly destroyed by an earthquake several months previously so the roads were treacherous and life threatening to say the least, so a 4x4 was definitely a necessity to tackle the almost impassable road. When we got to Goethals memorial school where we were staying, we got out of the 4x4 jeep and we gazed over the mountainous region. It was right then where I was struck with the sheer beauty of the Himalayas colliding with the sheer poverty of the hundreds of wooden shacks perched dangerously on all sides of the surrounding mountains. These shacks were the homes of the locals.

We visited one of these homes perched on the side of a steep mountain about two kilometres from Goethal's School. This ‘home’ belonged to female student Anisha. She is a sixteen year old student of Goethal's and lives with her mother, father and three brothers along with their livestock in a confined homemade shack. You may have read about her story in previous Be kind newsletters.

The brothers had provided the small piece of land and Be kind had covered most of the building costs for this modest home. I wanted to give them something as a present for their house and Dad suggested a transistor radio. I bought one in the town with plenty of spare batteries, as they had no electricity in Anisha’s house. It cost about €14. but when I presented it to Anisha’s father he became very emotional and the tears of happiness rolled down his cheeks. He told us how, when doing some work for the brothers, they allowed him to listen to their radio and now he had his own one to share with his family.

The previous day dad had given some money to Anisha’s mother. The money had been given by two Irish donors who asked dad to make sure it went to some needy family. This time it was the mother who cried and cried for the €300 was enough to keep the family going for about five months. We learned from Anisha the following day that their family debts with the local shops had been cleared and her mother sent for the “travelling clothes salesman”. Warm clothes were purchased for the impending winter and a little happiness came into the lives of that poor family.

The walk Anisha takes to and from school every day is treacherous. It takes her over rotten tree trunks which act as bridges over the sheer drops below. It winds through dense undergrowth, shrubbery, barbed wire fencing and is full of slippery branches, tree roots and loose soil that she has to clamber over.

I was absolutely shocked that this girl is just one of many who have to walk similarly lengthy journeys every day, regardless of the weather. One very practical use of donations from Be kind Ireland is the funding of transport to take the girls to school from the remote villages. This is the only Edmund Rice Girl’s School in the world and these girls are truly thankful for the opportunity of attending such an institution. Every one of these girls travel miles upon miles and risk their lives on a daily basis to receive an education. It is their ticket to a brighter future and out of the sheer poverty they have struggled through all their lives. I was invigorated by their determination and how they all remain so happy when they really have nothing at all. Happiness and health frankly are the most fundamental elements of our lives and I feel people in Ireland really don’t see how lucky we have it. Although we all have our own problems, both financially and in terms of our economy, we need to open our eyes just a little wider and take in the whole picture.

On the day we were leaving we called to say goodbye to Anisha and her family. The girl had told her mother about the new Be kind Boys' Home which was due to open soon in Calcutta and in an extraordinary moment which even took my Dad by surprise, Anisha’s mother asked Dad to take her younger boy, aged about eleven, to live in Calcutta in the Be kind Boys’ Home. She sobbed and also asked my father to come back in three or four years and take her baby son also so he would have a chance of an education.

There was not a dry eye in the house. Dad promised he would see what could be done but knew the legalities involved.

Although everything is relative and we need to draw a line between both a first world country and a developing country we sometimes take for granted what we have and we need to live life to the full, and embrace every opportunity possible. For in the words of the Dalai Lama, “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions”.

Keep positive, stay positive and just keep in mind just how lucky we truly are.

Ricky (December 2011)

I feel great…well not really!

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

I feel great…well not really!

This edition covers the experiences of Brian Flanagan (Founder Director) and other volunteers while in India in November/December 2011 and March/April 2012.

Sometimes we think life in Ireland is hard and for some it is. By and large most of us live a charmed life even if we don’t always appreciate it. We enjoy our national past time, stoked by our media moaning about the recession, our government or pay or conditions or whatever, a lot of unnecessary complaining goes on daily on the radio, TV, online and in our homes and places of work.

Some years ago during my career in the motor industry, our distributor, Nissan Ireland, wanted to ensure they had dealer principals who were well trained to deal with the demands of running our respective dealerships in a professional and profitable manner. Nothing wrong with that and management training courses can be very beneficial if content and delivery are of a high standard.

One such company, Century Management in Dublin, headed up by the late John Butler, who tragically past away from a reaction to a bee sting last year, educated us in many areas of business.

I recall one method used to encourage participants to be attentive, especially after lunch when concentration was waning, John would ask us all to stand up, then jump up and down several times shouting aloud the words “I feel great!” and guess what? It always worked, particularly if you were enthusiastic.

As my children grew and on the occasional grey and dreary morning when school didn’t really appeal, we would hold hands in the hall at home, jump up and down and shout out “WE FEEL GREAT!” It always made us laugh and neighbours never knew our secret as to why we were seemingly such happy morning people.

Calcutta, 23 November 2011

My son Ricky and I landed in Calcutta International Airport. Unfortunately for us four other flights also arrived, with Muslim worshipers returning from their week-long pilgrimage, the Hajj. Chaos would be a polite way to describe the baggage reclaim area and, as usual, the handlers were not in any hurry!

Hajj - The purpose is to fulfil the duty Allah has commanded all to fulfil. The Hajj or pilgrimage is the fifth principle, or pillar of Islam, and is undertaken to commemorate Ibrahim and his family, who founded Makkah (Mecca). If Muslims have the halal money, and are competent to make the journey, they must make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The money cannot be haraam. Meaning it can't be gained through immoral means, such as lottery, stripping, bar-tending, etc.

Exit the airport

Where would I be without the selfless help of my dear Indian friend Anil who came to our rescue when we could not gain entrance to our accommodation due to the delays in the airport? Anil and his beautiful wife Sharda gave us refuge in their home welcoming us at 3am. They gave us the grandparents’ bed, fortunately they were away in Delhi at that time, and we drifted off to sleep allowing the chaotic scenes of the airport, where throngs of white-bearded, flowing-robed pilgrim passengers had fought and squabbled over their multiple identical looking belongings on the carousel of life.

One core reason for our visit to India was to finalise a goal in procuring a property for the Be kind Boys’ Home. From my earliest experiences of Calcutta in 2005 as a volunteer the sheer scale of the poverty and homelessness planted a seed in me to do something practical for the many poor children living on the streets. I wanted to open a home.

Seven years later, that nurtured seed has been turned into a reality. A call from Maureen Forest, founder of the Hope Foundation, requesting us to view a property in East Calcutta was to lead to successful negotiations with the landlord on that Friday Nov 25th 2011. My task on returning to Ireland would be to get the “enlarged” budget passed for this project.

In the two weeks that followed, Ricky and I experienced the highs and lows of volunteer work in our travels around West Bengal. Ricky was to get to meet Ananda, a boy he and his girlfriend, Leah, sponsor in Hope Boys’ Home. We met many of the children Be kind supports in several projects and shared some lovely moments in the lives of the tots to the teens.

The two and a half hour bus journey, which took four and a half hours due to a political rally and road works, brought us to a place named Noorpur. There is where the Missionaries of Charity brothers care for over one hundred and thirty physically and mentally challenged boys and men. Arriving late evening we were delighted, let alone relieved, to exit the bus as the driver was somewhat frustrated with the delays and did his best to make up time on the last few miles of the “hair-raising” journey. Early next morning we went to help the brothers with the morning chores of washing, dressing, feeding etc.

The first thing to shock the senses was the smell, not the usual odours found with dawn incontinence but a smell of decay. We came across a novice brother named Joseph who was attending to a teen of about fifteen years of age.

Brother asked us for help in washing the boy and lifting him back to bed. The sight that befell us will never be erased, for the poor lad, whose name was Andarra, was in such a condition it was hard not to wretch, as a foul odour emanated from this poor boy.

Destitute and homeless, it appeared that Andarra had roamed the streets of Calcutta for several years. Unwanted and shunned, this boy with his mental and physical disabilities, lived from day to day, scavenging what he could to survive. He became weaker over time and suffered from infections as he lay alone on the streets.

Now this pitiful, shivering wretch was in the care of the Brothers, his body covered in sores. Open wounds from pressure points that we would associate with bedsores in older people. Never in my life have I seen someone in so much pain and suffering. A low, repetitive moan was all that came from a face twisted and etched in agony.

I wanted to hold him in my arms but there was no place to hold him, such was the extent of his wounds, where the flesh had literally rotted away. He was the living-dead. Stroking his hair was as much as one could do as his stare cut deep into my heart.

With help from Hope Hospital, we sent a water mattress a day later to help ease his suffering, for we knew his time was near. Andarra passed away on Christmas week.

Kurseong, West Bengal India December 2nd 2011

Next to Kurseong in the Himalayas and ten hours on the overnight train bringing us to Siliguri. Then on by car for three hours to visit the Edmund Rice Free School (ERFS) Be kind supports along with some of the families in that region. We were accompanied by our friend, Mukhtar Ali, a young man we have had the pleasure of supporting through college. Knowing the plight of one the students in ERFS, who was suffering from kidney failure, Mukhtar had kindly offered to escort the girl for medical treatment if needed.

Br. James Joseph, a Rajastani Irish Christian brother who founded the ERFS for poor girls in that area some ten years ago, had been in regular contact with me as we tried to arrange treatment for the twenty-one year old girl Bindiya. To visit Bindiya we first made the journey by jeep, as far as possible, then a couple of hours on foot to get to the tiny remote village where she lived with her family. Her father produces local liquor and evidently is not averse to sampling his own brew…regularly!

It is only when you take a journey like this you realise what these girls have to endure to actually get to school, taking over three hours each way in often wet and damp conditions.

After taking very ill over Christmas and having breathing difficulties, Bindiya had to be carried in relays by family and villager friends one night through the dark and rain to get her hospitalised in Darjeeling.

I urged James Joseph to transport her to Calcutta for treatment and he arranged flights for her and her sister who would be a donor if tests proved a positive match for kidney transplant.

Hope Foundation Kolkata pulled out all the stops and arranged dialysis treatment, secured a surgeon to perform the operation and cared for the two sisters for several weeks. I spoke regularly to the girls, calling them from Dublin in January and February offering encouragement and asking them to keep their spirits up.

When news came through by email from Samiran, the manager in Hope Hospital that tests had shown Bindiya had damage to her heart and was unable to have the operation, we were all so disappointed. She would return to her village and as I write I am coping with yesterday’s text dated March 27th 2012 from Bindiya’s sister sent to James Joseph, which read:

“Bad news for 4you brother Bindhya is dead. May she rest in peace. Sandhya.”

March 28th 2012

I’m aboard the Shatabdi express train from Howrah to Ranchi, sitting in air-conditioned comfort and looking out at the changing landscape; the rivers…the flow of life, the fields…the seeds of life, the beasts…the burdens of life, the huts and houses…the shelters of life, the workers in the stone quarries…the toils of life, the children bathing in the ponds…the innocence of life.

Ricky and I had been to Ranchi in December last to visit Missionaries of Charity brother, Peter. Peter has worked for years caring for the poor and oppressed in Korea, in South America and in his home country of India, encouraging slum children to go to school and supporting needy families as much as possible. Be kind has another gem in Peter, as no money goes to waste and he uses it to maximum effect. As mentioned in previous correspondence, it was during my first visit there in 2009 that I met Kabir, a child who had lost his right leg in a train accident. I vowed to return a year later and with the help of my eldest son, Shane, we took the boy to Calcutta, where Hope arranged for prosthesis to be fitted.

Now in 2012, the boy has grown and needs a new prosthesis. I collected him and we travelled back to Kolkata via the city of Asansol, where Br James Joseph has been relocated from Kurseong with its cool climate and fresh pure air to teach in an enormous school in this industrial smouldering city.

St Vincent’s school is adjacent to St Patrick’s. (3,300 pupils). St. Vincent's Technical School was started in 1877 on the grounds that the school now stands in. The land was purchased from the railways with the intention of producing trained mechanical and electrical artisan staff to bridge the talent shortage in the railways.

St. Patrick’s, founded in 1891 is one of the nineteen Christian Brothers Schools in India. St. Patrick’s School was built in 1877 as a scholasticate for Belgian Jesuits. It was abandoned by them because of the severe Asansol climate. It was taken over by Christian Brothers in 1890 and opened as St. Patrick’s Boarding of Anglo- Indian and European Boys.The Christian brothers have worked for over a century in St. Patrick’s School and many of their stalwarts are buried in the School Cemetery.

Ex-pupils are to be found around the world as well as all over India. Present pupils keep up the great traditions of the years gone by and continue to strive for excellence.

Young Kabir was delighted to spend the night there, having the luxury of his own room complete with en suite, a marked difference to the dorm he normally shares with scores of other boys in Kishor Nagar, where he attends a Jesuit-run school for 800 children, who are mostly orphaned.

Next morning, removing his false leg, Kabir and I took advantage of the schools outdoor swimming pool. With one hand on my shoulder Kabir hopped his way to the pool assuring me he could swim. With his limited English and my even more limited Hindi I was hoping nothing was lost in translation! No worries, as he swam like a fish and gave me a run for my money, as we dived our way into another day in incredible India.

Bekind to India 2011 (Part 3)

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:00:00 GMT

The Himalayas

As part of our voluntary work in India, a short four day break had been organized for the children from the Rupayan Home. I had kept it as a surprise for the children until the Irish group arrived. This journey covered several aspects, a short holiday for the 5 to 14 year old former street children, a chance for the Irish student volunteers to take care of them, the experience for the whole group to see another part of incredible India and to spend time with the girls who attend the Edmund Rice Free School, at an altitude of 5000 feet, the only Christian Brothers Girls' School in the world. Funds from Be kind Ireland now cover transport to and from remote villages for some 110 girls. The school currently has 180 pupils.

The journey to Kurseong on Easter Sunday with the group had been much anticipated albeit with somewhat nervous trepidation. I had been monitoring the political situation closely and had made several phone calls to our host, James Joseph of Goethals Memorial School. The school was named after Paul Goethals, the fist Archbishop of Calcutta who died on 4th July 1901.

Assured all was calm in the hills and that the local elections were over in Gorkaland, I in turn reassured our group that it was safe to travel.

Fourteen very excited and hungry boys had arrived at our guest house and despite arranging for food for them, the normally very good and modestly priced restaurant close by let us down with a bang. With empty bellies we had to depart by bus for Sealdah train station to catch the 10pm night train, the Darjeeling Mail, to New Jalpaiguri.

Here Kate refers to one of our sponsored boys, Bikas who before starting a new life in the Rupayan home, lived in Sealdah train station.

" The moment throughout the whole trip that was the most special to me had to be on the night train to Kurseong when the boys recognized Bikas, I suppose it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that he would know people seeing as he had lived there, but for some reason up to that point despite the fact I knew his background, the reality of the situation never really hit me. Seeing those poor boys and knowing that at one point Bikas was like them, at first really upset me, but now it makes me happy to know that there is help out there for the street children of Kolkata. That is the moment I found most special throughout my experience." - Student Kate.

The tickets for the 10 hour journey had been purchased months in advance in order to ensure all of us were together in the one carriage and teacher Sue had taken charge of the sleeping arrangements and bunk allocations.

Seeing the hungry on the streets of Calcutta gesturing with hand from tummy to mouth is difficult to deal with when it's not your fault, but seeing our Rupayan boys make the same gesture was really difficult to say the least. Shared biscuits and snacks with water was the best we could manage as our little men settled down for sleep.

Warned in advance not to take anything, sweets, drinks or food from strangers no matter how nice the fellow passengers seemed our group settled down with one eye open, just in case.

It is rare but several cases have been reported where someone is drugged onboard an Indian train and wakes up in a bath tub in some town missing a kidney or a vital organ!

Arriving in mist and rain to the end of the line we stepped out onto the platform of New Jalpaiguri, glad of the warm clothes we had brought for more Irish like temperatures of 15 or 16 degrees.

A bedraggled one-eyed beggar girl carrying a baby blocked our path, her hand out repeating the word baby, baby. Other beggars seeing us foreigners joined her in harassment and they poked and pulled at our Indian boys in jealous frustration.

A quick headcount and we headed for our awaiting transport, a bus and a jeep that would take us on the two hour climb from the flat plains up the winding and monsoon beaten narrow roads to the town of Kurseong. A journey not for the fainthearted but as the clouds cleared the views were so stunning and the landscape totally at variance with the mostly flat lands of West Bengal.

Despite it being Easter Monday all the students, 180 of them, had come from near and far in uniform and in local traditional dress to welcome, dance and sing especially just for us in the gardens. What a wonderful welcome from the girls and I realized how much work and effort had gone into the preparation.

Our accommodation was in Mount Carmel, a former novice retreat/training centre, a 10 minute walk/climb from the main school. It had been opened in 1914, closed in 1940 due to a fall in vocations but re-opened in 1959. Some 52 years on it was all newly painted and decorated, again specially for the Irish group. Our rooms were partitioned with open ceilings which meant any careless whisper, cough or involuntary body noises were clearly audible!

The principal, Br. Sabino told us that many years ago evidently the mandatory practice of "self-flagellation" by young novices took place there as part of their "life experiences"! From the privacy of the partitioned quarters the slash of the whip followed by a groan, howl or scream could be heard even if a "pillow" was often the recipient of the lash, the human painful sound effects still followed. A case of don't believe everything you hear perhaps! Thank God these practices no longer exist there or indeed in the class room!

During our time there we visited the homes of several of the girls from Edmund Rice Free School. Many were only accessible on foot, modest homes perched high in the hills surrounded by the tea plantations where many parents find employment, toiling in all weathers for approximately €1 per day.

Such contrast for our special Rupayan boys, who loved the freedom, the climbing, the fresh air and being spoiled of course by their Irish "aunties and uncles".

James Joseph ensured we had plenty to eat with great choice for breakfast, dinner and tea. The Rupayan boys, even the smallest ones, devoured everything in sight and loved the fruit. Pockets were stuffed with oranges, bananas and even juicy grapes.

The group got to visit the tea factories, many of which are in existence for a century or more. They got to ride on the narrow gauge Himalayan toy train which winds its way through the hills and little villages, crisscrossing the road it shares with local traffic.

Some school children jumped and hung on for a lift home, serenading us with popular songs, shy they certainly were not.

James Joseph suggested we travel to Tiger Peaks to try and witness the sunrise. With often changeable weather conditions there was no guarantee the mountains would not be cloud covered. It meant leaving Kurseong at 3.30am for the 2 hour drive. Enthusiasm was not absent and the entire Irish group traveled, leaving the Indian children and their two Indian minders fast asleep in Mount Carmel.

We needed a second vehicle so Niall Uncle (one of Be kind 's Directors) was elected driver of the schools old Mahindra jeep and he deftly managed the challenging rough roads like a true professional. Equipped with blankets from our beds and temperatures only a few degrees above freezing, we stood amongst big crowds of fellow "worshippers of the morning sun" as its golden rays crept over the snow capped mountains and the velvet sky lightened slowly to reveal the true majestic beauty of Everest in the distance and the vast mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Incredible India once again!

The return journey back down the mountain after we said our goodbyes to all in Goethals School was eventful to say the least. We had four jeeps to take us to the train station in New Jalpaiguiri for our sleeper train back to Calcutta. Multiple hairpin bends and little boys who had stuffed their bellies with a mix of everything was a recipe for several bouts of car sickness!

A little delayed and somewhat smelly we eventually rendezvoused at the station. The one-eyed beggars were there again in force to harass us as we made our way to the train.

This time we were separated into three carriages, which made life a little more difficult. As the packed train pulled out of the station we eventually found our bunks and attempted to settle down. A moment of terror occurred when Teacher Anne came to me and said she had not seen 10 year old Amit since we had departed. For several moments a frantic search took place, had we left him behind? Had someone taken him? I did a head count of the 8 kids Niall and I were in charge of for the return trip. Seven heads, how was I going to explain this to Tapan, the Founder of Rupayan, my blood ran cold.

Another search revealed Amit in upper bunk playing cards with his pal Sanjay. Panic over and time to settle down for the night.

Doubling up for several of us in narrow bunks was necessary and having the sleeping little Rajesh put his feet in my mouth was not ideal. Just dozing off when a body comes through the curtain! Prepared to tackle the intruder and not wanting any of my organs stolen, I leaped out of bed only to find that boy Amit had fallen out of the upper bunk having been pushed out by Sanjay. Fortunately he was unhurt and hardly woke as I struggled to lift him back to his bed.

Exhausted and by this stage and having done my rounds again to confirm we had not lost anyone I returned to the tight confines of my bunk and wishing that although 8 year old Rajesh was small for his age and didn't take up that much space at the end of my bed, I just selfishly wished he was somewhere else. It was a thought I was to regret and has filled me with shame since for you see the following day I was to receive the background files for four of the latest children who arrived in the Rupayan home this year and Rajesh was one of those boys. I read how for seven of his tender eight years little Rajesh had lived a homeless life as a beggar with his family on the platforms of Sealdah train station in Calcutta.

Update: Timing is Everything

An early morning text received from Br James Joseph on 19th September was somewhat alarming. An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the richter scale had hit the area we had visited when we went to the Himilayas. Damage had been caused to the building we stayed in and landslides blocked some of the roads we had travelled. Rescue teams were hampered by the torrential rains which are persistant during the monsoons. It was hard to believe as we had been blessed with fine weather and such tranquility last April.

May 1st 2011

I wrote this piece in 2009

"A short ride from Nabo Jibon in a pedal-rickshaw with my friend Sudir led us to a girl's home where I was to meet a very special young lady. On our journey Sudir a Missionary of Charity Brother, explained how he had come across two destitute children on the street some years earlier. A small boy carried in his arms a baby girl, starving, malnourished and abandoned the boy had been scavenging in the rubbish for scraps of food. His baby sister was very ill. Sudir took them to hospital, where after weeks of care, the baby being on life support made a gradual recovery. Sudir made a daily visit and signed the necessary papers as their guardian. So poor and frightened the little boy did not even know his baby sisters name so Sudir called her Sabnam and today she calls him Dad."

I often wondered what had happened to Sabnam's brother and enquired from Fr. George, "Ah you mean Robi, he is with us in another of our homes, would you like to meet him?"

So on this departing day the boy now aged about 12 waited to meet us in the school yard. His sister Sabnam was sent for and arrived on the back of a bicycle.

I asked Robi to hold his sister in his arms again for a photo. It was a most touching moment to see them together looking so healthy and happy. The boy has done well in school and told us that he wants to be a teacher. A friend in Dublin now generously sponsors Sabnam & Robi through Be kind Ireland's child sponsorship programme.

I hope this account of our efforts to help those in need gives an overall view on how your donations are being put to the best use.

Without the support of and dedication of the group of teachers and students who traveled to India this year from Castleknock Community College, without the support of Principal John Cronin, his staff and so many of his pupils, who became so enthusiastically involved in the multiple fund raising projects headed up by an extra ordinary teacher, Eoin O'Maoileoin, this could not have happened.

A special word of thanks for former CCC student Grace Mulligan for nominating Be kind Ireland in the "Unsung Hero" competition organized by Enda O'Connor and staff in Blanchardstown Ford which boosted our funds by €8,000.

Thanks to the "M" family for their perseverance in procuring the proceeds of a will containing €20,000.

In India thanks again to Anil Gupta for all his invaluable help with logistics, transport and transfers for the group.

To the churches of all denominations who afford us and the CCC student volunteers a platform to share our experiences and who donate so generously.

Thanks to the many un-named who organised their own events, to support Be kind 's efforts. Combined funds for this campaign exceeded a staggering €90,000!!

As many families here in Ireland struggle with this current recession and its unfolding implications for our way of life, we still reach out and give.

As I witness the young volunteers who go with us to be with the poor in India and see them give of themselves, it adds strength to those famous words, "It is in giving that we truly receive."

Sincere gratitude,

Brian

Bekind to India 2011 (Part 2)

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Friday April 15th

As the 7am Barbil - Howrah express train sped back towards Calcutta, filled to capacity with passengers, hawkers, musicians, singers and the char wallers, I thought of the news I had received earlier when my wife phoned me telling me of the passing of my old school pal Paul Flanagan, who had suffered from a debilitating illness for several years. He had just turned 51.

I thought of our student/teacher group embarking on their journey. They were leaving Ireland to take a step into a very different world, a different culture. With check-in, transfers etc. the Dublin-Frankfurt-Dubai-Calcutta trip takes approximately twenty hours. Add the 4 ½ hour time difference and it can leave a body exhausted.

I had arranged for our 14 children from the "Rupayan Home" to be in arrivals to welcome the weary travelers. It was a touching moment and a shriek of joy from teacher Anne, who had met the children on her last visit to India in 2009, added to the excitement and surprise. Bonding with these children had started as they were to play a special part in our lives during the two weeks that followed.

To give a day by day account of every experience would prove too lengthy so I requested comments from this year's volunteer group as to what impacted upon them during their time in India

"During our time in India we witnessed numerous amounts of inspiring programs being carried out by amazing people. An experience I often reflect on is that of our visit to the brickfields. The education program, Towards Future, being run on the brickfields is an amazing project. We were shown two schools by Supriya Roychowdhury and a wonderful man called Supriyo. The school on one field is run under a shelter and the other under a mango tree. In comparison to the classrooms we are accustomed to they have minimal resources, with students sitting on rugs on the ground, their teachers and the "Towards Future" foundation have made maths and rhyme boards and the students have chalk boards to write on. The children are taught how to read, write, add, subtract, multiply and about hygiene. The school also allows the children time to be children - to play games and make fun figures out of the clay. We were told on our visit many of the girls who are part of the community are married at 12/13 years of age. Boys from as young as 7/8 help their mothers work in the fields and girls of the same age cook food and mind the younger children. The "Towards Future" program is helping in providing a practical and much needed education system were previously there was none. They say that currently there are no plans to try and link the program into the main stream education but are focusing on the areas most practical to the children's lives." - Teacher Anne

"I have many moments that impacted me in different ways so it's been hard to pick one in particular!

A memory that will stay with me forever is the time we visited one of the girls' homes/orphanages. We went to the rooftop and the girls put on a great show of dance and poetry. As the sky above us got dark, the girls cranked up the volume of the dance music and got everyone up dancing!! They showed us all the moves to the dance routine with huge smiles on their faces! I was astounded by their spirit. In spite of all their troubles, the fact they had no families and the struggles they had faced in their short lives, their spirits could not be crushed. I was amazed at the resilience of the people in Kolkata. Irish people could learn a lot from them." - Teacher Sue

"The Rupayan children provided a source of joy and excitement on the trip. The children aged between 4 and 12 live on the top floor of an apartment block outside Kolkata. They have been rescued from train stations, addiction and troubled family backgrounds. The boys are well cared for by Mama Didi and the carers at Rupayan. The boys danced, meditated, performed acrobatic movements and sang for us. They were a welcoming committee at the airport and provided a welcoming smile and companionship from the moment of our arrival. The children accompanied us to Goethals school in Kurseong, where Be kind Ireland brought them on a little holiday with the assistance of 2 of their carers Tapan and Ajay and of course the 11 CCC students who found themselves caring fulltime for the boys; looking after them during the day, at mealtimes and the endless games. Perhaps the most moving aspect of the Kurseong trip was when myself and another teacher bought shoes for one of the boys - Bapi. He was complaining that his shoes were tight and we picked up a cheap pair of runners in town.

With the help of his CCC minder we tried to sneak the shoes to Bapi without the other boys noticing but that was not to be. Bapi was so excited at the prospect of new shoes that he performed cart-wheels, danced and paraded his new footwear for all to see as a smiled beamed across his face. I was in awe of his gratitude and it really brought home to me just how little these children have. What seems like such a small contribution can go so far and the work of Be kind endeavors to make that contribution." - Teacher Oonagh

It appears the new shoes had an impact on Bapi's minder too. We were to discover shoes got mixed up between some of the boys, hence the problem. The children actually had their feet measured months earlier but boys will be boys.

"It's hard to pick one moment or one thing that had an impact on me while over in Kolkata. There were lots that impacted on me, some good, and some bad. But after some thought I decided to tell a positive, happy story of an event that had a lasting impression on me. Whilst up in the Himalayas we each were given one child to look after, mine was a small boy called Bapi who I had met for the first time the night before when we left to get the night train. I had noticed Bapi was walking funny and figured maybe he suffered from some sort of injury or disability. I was unable to ask him for he had very little English. The next day I asked Brian Flanagan was there something wrong with Bapi causing him to walk funny and Brian said no, there's nothing wrong with Bapi at all.

Later that night, Bapi was running around with his friends and having a great time. I stood and watched and was pleased at the joy we had brought to the kids. the next morning as I was getting him dressed Bapi moaned as I went to put on his shoes, I then thought to myself how come Bapi was struggling to walk yet was running around like mad the night previous, then I realised Bapi had no shoes on the night before when running around and maybe it was the shoes that were causing the problem. I then had to gently force Bapi's little feet into his shoe's only to discover they were too small for him. I carried Bapi down stairs, reluctant to let him walk in shoes that were hurting him and asked my teachers who were going down to the local town to buy him a pair of shoes for me and I'd pay them back when they got back and they were happy to do so.

They returned an hour or two later and discretely gave me the bag with the shoes in it, so as not to make the other kids jealous. I quietly took Bapi inside and sat him down on the stairs. I asked him to take off his shoes and he did. I then took out the new shoes and gave them to him.

At first he looked a bit confused, so I took a shoe and started to put it on his foot and said "these are for you Bapi". Bapi gasped and his face lit up with excitement. I put both shoes on him and he jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug and then started dancing around the stairs with delight. I tried to explain to him not to make a big deal out of his new shoes to his friends but it was pointless, Bapi ran outside and showed everyone. In all my life I've never seen a child so happy about a pair of shoes. Bapi then took me by the hand and walked my over to a seat and sat me down. He kissed me on the hand and then started to cartwheel and skip for me, a child who 10 minutes earlier could barely walk for me. Being able to do that for Bapi was the best feeling in the world and definitely the thing that impacted on me most." - Student Keith

It is fair to say every member of the group felt so deflated when we learned less than two weeks prior to departure, that Emily would not be joining us....

"Being unable to travel to Kolkata with the group due to illness was hugely disappointing to me. For months we had held meetings regarding fundraising for the trip and the excitement was electric. Being a part of the group was very special to me. Each of us embraced the importance and significance of it. I needn't have worried about not being actually able to travel as I was included in every aspect of the group's journey and time there. Regular phone calls, photos sent over the internet and of course Skype kept me very much in the centre of the action. I got to see a group of children dancing and they smiled and waved to me as if I was there. Brian Flanagan's narration was fantastic and the memory of Kolkata will live with me for a very long time. When I met the group at the airport on their return, nothing could contain my excitement and it was wonderful to hear first hand their experiences. The stories I heard were very moving, and I was delighted to find out just how much of an impact the whole group had on the lives of the people they met over in Kolkata. I sincerely hope to get there in the near future - it's my wish." - Student Emily

"The most memorable moment and most meaningful moment for me was when we went to the Loreto Entaly Orphanage, where Sister Ena works. It was there that I finally realised the extent to which we can touch the lives of the children we met, not only in Entaly but in all of the organisations. One little girl, Rinki, came up to our group as we came in and Sister Ena introduced her to us. Rinki sang for us and this started all of the girls off singing to us. When she was done with her song she grabbed my hand and brought me around introducing me to all of her close friends. It touched me deeply that she would do that for someone she had just met.

She chattered on to me, all the time holding my hand, and then suddenly jumped and pulled me off down towards the back of the hall where there was another classroom with much younger children who hadn't seen us, though I am sure they could hear us. That Rinki remembered them in the midst of all the hulabuloo and fun that was happening emphasised the way in which all of these children were still so generous and thoughtful of others despite what had happened to them in the past.

It was only during this that I realised the impact we had on the kids even in just a few hours, and just as strong, the impact that they had on us. The bond I formed with her in just that time is as strong a connection as I formed with the children we brought to the Himalayas and is just as important to me." - Student Seamus

"Here is my "two-cents" on my special moment: I have two small memories that are particularly vivid when I think about our trip to Kolkata. Neither of them seems like huge, life-changing moments, they're both very simple.

The first was when Caitríona and myself were returning to a bus just after we'd seen one of the homes Mother Teresa set up, which I think is still under re-construction now. As we passed people in the busy street, they'd call out to us, asking for money. Just as we got to the bus a crowd of five or six young children came running towards us. But instead of begging or asking for anything, they pointed at Caitriona's camera. As she got the camera ready, the children posed and danced for the photo. I don't really know why I remember that so well, maybe it was because these children, who had so little, had some of the happiest smiles I have ever seen, could laugh, and could dance with the pros.

The second memory is just as simple, in Kurseong with the children from Rupayan. In the mountains we spent most of our free time keeping the children entertained. Some of the group had brought bouncy-balls for the kids, so they were playing. I was late coming down from our rooms, and as I walked over to the group, I heard Amit, the boy I was responsible for, call out "Auntie!" I turned around, and he launched himself at me. Amit is ten, but I was still able to pick him up and hug him to within an inch of his life.

I think we'd known each other for about a day and a half by this point, but when the language barrier is there, small gestures like holding someone's hand or even knowing their name was important, so we got close very quickly. I suppose this moment of the trip was so important to me because it just showed us that no matter what awful things we saw on our trip, whoever we couldn't help, we did make a difference in those boys' lives, and I'm certainly not going to forget that in a hurry." - Student Ellen

"An experience which impacted on me during our time in India was our visit to the Hope Foundation, in particular the Hope hospital. The way in which the hospital was run was so professional and well managed, much like the rest of the Hope Foundation's projects. The way in which they run their facilities was so impressive to me, they had excellent systems which made so much sense and it was all implemented without fault in my eyes. Seeing this well managed organization and the benefits it reaped on the lives of all the people it helped was truly inspiring. Seeing the patients in the ward was a tough experience for me, how broken they seemed, and yet how much joy the simplest actions brought to their day. This was an amazing day which really impacted on me." - Student Laoise

"Well, where to start…?

I guess what really hit me was the brick factory. It was hard for me to grasp the fact those people, the poorest of the poor endure such hardship everyday... And what got to me was that barely anything could be dome to help them break the vicious cycle they have to go through. The little baby was adorable and had no idea what it would have to go through in the future. :( At least everywhere else you could see the absolute amazing work being done to help people with such tragic lives, but at least they had some sort of future.

I also loved the bond you could share with the people we encountered on the trip despite the language barrier. That was moving. I still have the picture of myself and Armand's hands as my iPod screensaver. It's a daily reminder of the great memories we shared with the kids, not that I need a reminder.

I guess another thing I found hard was the fact that Sooo many people needed help. Seeing people on the streets living off basically nothing, outside very fancy shopping centres shows the dramatic contrast of lives people have in India. All in all, the overall trip is an experience I'll never forgot and will treasure forever, and plan to relive in the future." - Student Anna

"Well something that had a huge impact on me in total was the actual children in all of the homes and orphanages. We met some of the nicest people and children in these shelters, boys and girls that you wouldn't hesitate to try and bring home with you. Yet behind every single child, every smiling face, there were stories of sadness, poverty and abuse, but no matter what their story was, in the face of despair they never stopped smiling, they were always content and always happy to see new people and new experiences.

My favorite memory of the trip was bringing these children on possibly the trip of their lifetime to the Himalayas and getting to spend time with them to let them know that there are people, even though they may live 1000's of miles away, that they do care about them and got the chance to prove it, and even though they might not remember our names or understand what we said to them, I hope that memory will stay with them forever." - Student Brian

"In relation to what impacted me most on out trip to India it's hard to choose one as the whole experience was a non-stop series of events that I'll never forget. Each day affected me in different ways. The day we visited the brick fields stands out in my mind. As much as we'd talked about what we were going to see, nothing could have prepared me for it. I found it hard to watch the people working in such horrible conditions over a hot furnace, with the sun beating down on them, the dead heat dehydrating them and the dust and dirt everywhere. When I discovered how little these people were getting paid it occurred to me that no matter how hard they work they'll never make enough to escape from the slave labour. The people there are almost trapped with no way out and it upsets me to think of them now, only working to survive. It appalled me to see the very young children that are left for the day. They were the only children we'd met on the trip that were almost afraid of us. It was as if they'd never experienced the company of other people which highlighted how isolated and cut off from the world they are. I remember how I fell in love with a 6 month old baby on the ground playing with a leaf! I still wish I could have taken her with us! I remember thinking how unfair it was that this child was born into this life through no fault of her own and it was unlikely she was going to escape from it with the little education she would receive in the future. It was also really hard to see the older children working themselves; no child deserves to be involved in slave labour.

"Although the sights we saw upset me deeply I was glad to know some of the money we raised was going into the project. Any bit of help would make a difference for these people, as they literally have nothing.

I was delighted to experience the Hope Foundation. I'd heard so much about the charity but had no idea of the extent of their work. All the children we met there were outstanding and I'll never find enough words of praise for that charity. I was absolutely overwhelmed by how much work they do, especially when we visited the hospital. I think I'm safe in saying I'm not the only one who felt this way about Hope. We were all thrilled to know that extra funds were going to them. I thought the restaurant was a fantastic idea, and the young girls working there were only delighted with themselves, it was great to see them learning new skills and becoming independent.

I'd like to sincerely thank you for everything you've done for us while I have the opportunity. Although the aim of Be kind is to help the street children of Kolkata, I realise that a huge part of the trip was to benefit myself and the other ten students who travelled, and for this I can't thank you enough! I'm now completely appreciative of everything in my life. I don't think a day has gone by when moments from our experience haven't passed through my mind! It'll be something that will stay with me for the rest of my life without a doubt. I look forward to doing more work for the poor people in India in the future, and I hope to visit other countries too. I am only delighted to share my experience with people I meet so I realize what you mean by the domino effect. I hope at least part of our experience has stayed with the people I shared my stories with. I'm so grateful to have experienced India, it's an incredible place. Although so many people are so poor, everyone is so happy and friendly. The people we met on our travels will stay with me forever, especially Dee-dee from the Rupayan home. I've so much respect for people like her who help the children who have nothing, and that includes you! It's amazing what Be kind do, so many people benefit from it. When I tell people about you and Be kind as a charity they are blown away. Thank you again for everything!" - Student Claudia

"India was one of the best things I've ever had the chance to experience. Traveling to the other side of the world, which is the definition of "poverty", was eye opening. While I was away I became very close to Hammy, who was one of the many Rupayan boys. It was so touching to see how big of an influence we had on the children we brought up to the Himalayas.

From using their cutlery in the same manner as us, to imitating any catch phrases we repeated, to our dancing and our songs. They were thrilled with just spending time with us. Ironically they were the happiest bunch of kids I've ever met. I loved every minute of India. It's so vivacious and exciting. The amount of people we helped and the relationships we developed with everyone we met, absolutely amazing." - Student Aoife

"For me, India was very much split into different parts. On one side are the devastating poverty and the nearly overwhelming sadness when I saw people living such destitute lives. Even still I often think about it, and it has much the same effect. But on the other side, there is all the joy and hope that I saw and experienced while I was there. The fantastic organisations and charities that does such monumental work. The best thing was the people. Those involved in our trip and the people we met were so happy and friendly. The children, who had experienced much hardship, always had a smile on their faces....except when they got sick from too much ice cream! The entire journey has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and for that I am eternally grateful to Brian Flanagan and everyone involved in Be kind Ireland." - Student Ronan

Bekind to India 2011 (Part 1)

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Bekind to India 2011 (Part 1)

This edition covers the experiences of Brian (Founder Director) and a student/teacher group from Castleknock Community College while visiting our projects in India in April 2011.

I took a jar from my bedside locker which contained coins, handy for parking meters, for church collections etc. It needed a little sorting as some sterling and rupee coinage had invaded the "Euro Zone". How stable or otherwise these currencies are in our turbulent financial times is debatable, how useless these coins are unless offered in their respective zones, how there is always a hand out to receive same.

I focused on an Indian 50 Paises coin and thought of two metal-lined wicker baskets, filled with rocks carried aloft on cloth wrapped heads. One Indian Rupee contains 100 Paises. There are approximately 60 Rupees to the Euro. I refer to this for on my first week in India in April 2011, a week I spent in advance of the arrival of the 11 Castleknock Community College students and their 4 teachers, I visited three projects we support in states neighbouring West Bengal, several hours by train from Calcutta.

In the very dusty town of Rampurhat I was met at the train station by Fr. Johnny, a Jesuit friend I have been in contact with for over 3 years. The station was a hive of activity with many people on their way to a local festival; children with brightly coloured, painted faces eyed me with curiosity.

We drove the 20 minute journey to the clinic avoiding some of the biggest potholes I have ever seen, and that's quite a statement for an Irishman! Huge trucks were the "pothole culprits", assisted by the monsoons. The rains had been scarce in the last two years and the constant convoys of trucks, heavily laden with their loads of graded stone: gravel, coarse and fine, pounded the scorched and battered roads causing dust to rise and fall on every surface. It filled the air and entered the lungs, especially the lungs of the basket bearers, the many who toil in the multiple stone quarries for which this area is renowned.

A strong and fit labourer can earn up to 200 Rupees per day if he or she can carry enough of those wicker baskets, they are paid 25 Paises per basket. Yes if you are doing your maths right that's 1 Rupee for every 4 baskets, 800 baskets carried to earn 200 Rupees which equals €3.30 per day! And hence the daily use for the little Maruti-Suzuki ambulance which carries injured and worn out labourers to the clinic, a very special clinic for treatment.

I was initially sceptical about the clinic when I heard about it a couple of years ago for it was classed as an "alternative medical clinic". Seeing is truly believing and meeting Fr. Peter, the man behind the project gave me an insight into a truly wonderful place, where patients come to be treated for many ailments and conditions.

As a young student Peter had studied engineering in university. After feeling the call to join the Jesuits he went on to study medicine and today the combination of his skills are very apparent in his now renowned health clinic in Kaliadanga, Rampurhat on the borders of West Bengal and Jharkand.

Along with Fr. Peter, known as "Doctor Father" and Fr. Johnny the administrator, there are 15 co-workers, two visiting doctors, a physiotherapist and 12 well-trained nurses. I was to witness people with chronic ailments, some of whom had been rejected by more illustrious hospitals in the cities who told them they were "incurable", now given hope and treatment.

Sitting in his office I saw the ever cheerful "Doctor Father" examine patients and could see the psychosomatic approach in action as he believes in a holistic approach. He confidently informs the patient that he will be able to help them. His personal counselling skills and kindness put them at ease and he prescribes the necessary treatment and medication.

I saw children with polio being treated, traction machines and weights used to slowly stretch tendons. I talked to people who had been carried in on stretchers who were now able to walk. I was witness to something wonderful and it filled me with hope and humility to know that monies from Be kind Ireland were working where they were needed most to make the lives of the poor and oppressed a little better.

A €2,000 donation this year was used to purchase new medical equipment for the centre.

Despite the large volume of patients seen during the day, Peter insisted we go out after his day's work was complete.

We visited two local schools where young children were boarders. Another Don Bosco boys' school run by the Silesians and a girls' school run by MHC Sisters. I was to learn many of the children were there at a nominal monthly fee as their parents were unable to support them. They were mostly local tribal children and as always keen to show off their homework and copybooks to me.

Seeing the children slowly walk around the grounds at sunset saying the rosary was such an unusual sight, nobody misbehaved or stepped out of line and discipline was never an issue.

On the journey back from an evening at a "Daba" (roadside pub) Fr Peter sang the John Denver song "Country Roads" as he deftly navigated his way around the potholes in the little ambulance. I had driven it earlier in the day allowing some of the children from the clinic sit on my lap and steer it around the grounds.

I made a call to Ireland to update my father-in law on how his vehicle was doing and to try and lift his spirits as his health had declined. It was not to be as he had been re-admitted to A&E in hospital on the evening I phoned. One week later, April 20th 2011. Richard Freeman was to pass away, a loss I am still coming to terms with and a void that can never be filled. The loss and the surrealism compounded by the distance and my decision to remain in India with the student/teacher group.

Stopping off at Don Bosco's I was invited inside to see where the children slept. 400+ boys asleep on the floor of a large upstairs dormitory. It is amazing to see so many in such basic conditions without even a bed, but there they were fast asleep like little angels seemingly oblivious to the thin mats on the hard cement floor and the stifling heat and humidity. One little fellow had fallen asleep with his copybook open beside him while practicing his A, B, Cs.

The 7.07 am intercity express brought me back to Calcutta. A quick change and shower in St Mary's in Dumdum, where friends had kindly put me up and I was off by "high speed" auto-rickshaw to the airport to catch a flight to Ranchi.

Formula One in India is gathering many enthusiasts, with Delhi scheduled to host its first Grand Prix in late October this year. My auto-rickshaw driver must have thought he was trying to qualify as a potential racing driver for we sped and weaved our way through the bustling Calcutta streets, dodging every type of moving obstacle: pedal rickshaws, hand carts, busses, trucks, trams, children, pedestrians, sacred cows and dogs missing them by a short whisker. Speeding on the wrong side of the road against oncoming traffic then diving across the central reservation at the very last minute avoiding "deep impact". We got to the airport in half the normal time, my driver's sweating, fat, round face carrying a smile of satisfaction, gloating in the display of his talents. I didn’t know whether to tip him or hit him as I tried to unclench my by now paralysed hands from the bars of the rickshaw.

Deep down it had been actually exhilarating and can only be described as "the ride of my life" but I will never tap my watch again when boarding an auto-rickshaw!

In Ranchi Br. Peter Murmu is head of one of Mother Teresa's homes, where they care for 28 mentally and physically challenged destitute men. They also have a small, one-room school for local very poor children from nearby slums. It was my third year to visit and I have gotten to know several of the children quite well. It was here that one boy mentioned in previous newsletters had spent some time. We had arranged that Kabir be fitted with prosthesis a year previously when my son Shane and I took him to Calcutta. Now Peter told me he was staying in a hostel in the town and was doing well.

We travelled to the outskirts to a place named Kishor Nagar to visit him. I was expecting this "hostel" to be a small place but could not believe my eyes when we entered the extensive grounds of a Jesuit-founded boarding school. I was to learn it was home to eight hundred boys, most of them orphans. They called this place "Boys' town"

The children were so dusty, the classrooms so dusty, everyplace covered in dust just like Rampurhat, for once again the monsoon had failed and it had not really rained in two years.

I went in search of Kabir asking as to where he might be. Boys took me into various buildings and classrooms where children were studying. I was surprised as to how well these unsupervised classes operated with the majority of students working away diligently.

Peter suggested I take a class for English which I gladly did and enjoyed the experience of the boys reading aloud and doing some spelling tests on the blackboard. Conditions were very poor, basic and dusty. Dry earth was in abundance both inside and outside the buildings.

The "obligatory" cricket matches were in full swing on the red earth pitches. It is the Indian national game and nowhere is it more popular than with the boys of Ranchi as India's captain, Dhoni comes from their town.

Many of the children were carrying buckets with water for washing. The tanks in the school had run dry and they had fetched the water from a drying river at the back of the grounds.

The school has over 200 applications each year but can only accommodate 75 additional students. Trades and farming skills for older teenagers are provided with a view to developing and preparing the young men for life outside this place which has been home for them from a young age. Many have known no family other than their school mates and teachers in Kishor Nagar.

In January 2010 the founder Fr. Victor Van Bortel passed away. Hundreds of people from various religions attended the funeral of a Belgian Jesuit missioner, who worked among poor tribal youths in Jharkhand.

I was to meet his successor, Fr. Isaac Tete who told me of the huge sense of loss experienced by the boys and the whole community when the 84 year-old passed away.

Father Bortel's former assistant, who now works in the Ranchi provincial house, said the Jesuits wanted to bury the missioner at the Agricultural Training Centre, Namkum, after funeral services at Ranchi's St. Mary's Cathedral.

However, the residents of the boys' town said they wanted "their father" to be with them and threatened to revolt if his body was not brought there. "Their love won, and we changed our plan. Their "father" will be always with them," he said.

Also described as a "stubborn holy man who became poor to make his poor boys rich."

Father Bortel joined the Society of Jesus in 1946 and came to Ranchi. He was ordained a priest in 1959. After 10 years, he started working among orphans and street children and started a center at Samlong, on the outskirts of Ranchi. He started with 80 boys in a single-room center. Later, he bought a 10-acre plot at Bargawan, 25 kilometre east of Ranchi, to set up the boys' town.He said Father Bortel never discriminated against people on the basis of religion. The majority of students are from Jharkhand, but there are some from other states.

A former student said the Jesuit's death has left the students "real orphans".

He was described as a "messiah of the poor" and the boys' town "a gift of God." Father Bortel, he said, produced several engineers, teachers and some Catholic priests during his 41 years of work in the town.

Coming from the direction of the river I saw a young lad make his way towards me. He was holding some pages in his hand. He was walking with a very slight limp but did not need the crutch which had been his steadying companion since the age of five or six. The smile on his moon shaped face grew wider as he drew closer. He had grown over the last year and looked well. To see him walk up to me unaided and wearing long trousers he looked just like any of the other able-bodied children. We hugged and he produced his report showing he had moved up two classes in the one year. He was so proud of his achievements and I could sense the confidence in the child, who had performed poorly in school previously.

So many children in India have such difficult backgrounds and yet Kabir could be classed a one of the lucky ones. He is getting an education and now, because of a little encouragement, he believes in himself. He is lucky in comparison to his brother, who at 11 years of age sweeps the floors of the trains and begs to survive.

Funds from Be kind Ireland continue to support Kabir and several other children via Br. Peter and the Missionaries of Charity in Ranchi. Next day I traveled on to Tata (Jamshedpur) spending time in Amar Jyoti and meeting a group of novice tribal girls who are studying to become teachers and some may also become sisters. Sr. Elsita and her team are giving these students a wonderful education and in turn they will become educators. Funds to support them have been distributed.

I also had an opportunity to visit an old friend I first met in Calcutta in 2005. He is another Jesuit and was spiritual adviser to Mother Teresa for over 20 years. He has seen and experienced so much over 60 years in India and is really living history in person. I asked his for his advice for the students who were due from Ireland. He said they should not be bothered with the tourist side of their visit but to get to know the people, for it is in them that the true heart of India exists.

Edmund Rice Free School(ERFS) @ 5,000 Feet

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Edmund Rice Free School (ERFS) @ 5000 feet

This part focuses on Be kind 's newest project, the Goethal's Memorial School(ERFS) in Kurseong, in the foothills of the Himilayas. My Dad and I (Shane) spent several days visiting the school in June 2010.

If you search for this place on the internet you will no doubt ask the question as to why Be kind Ireland would be associated with a fee paying boarding school for boys of presumably wealthy parents.

Goethals Memorial school is nestled high in the foothills of the Himalayas at approximately 5000 feet and is some 30 kilometres from Darjeeling. It celebrated its centenary in 2007 and has produced thousands of scholars over the decades educated by Irish Christian Brothers. With some 300 boarders and 360 day pupils it is a sizeable institution with a very good reputation.

On foot of a letter written in January 2010 inviting us to come to visit the school and meet the students, not the boys but the girls, for this school is the only one of its type in the world, yes the only Christian Brothers Girls School in the world!

The letter was written by Brother James Joseph and explained how although he was content to be a teacher in this fine school he felt that the real message of their founder, Edmund Rice, was not being adhered to. He saw so many local poor children not given an opportunity of an education and knew he must do something to help them. He, despite serious opposition from colleagues and superiors, founded a school within a school to include for the very first time in the Christian Brothers history, classes for girls.

At the start the girls were verbally abused by the local boys, being told to go home and do what women are supposed to do, domestic work and looking after elderly family members etc. In many cases they were taunted and even spat upon as they made their way to school. James Joseph and his colleague Br. Edwin D’Souza decided to make a roof section above the boarding school an area dedicated only for girls. Starting with only 36 young ladies the school now has 166 pupils ranging from 8 to 30 years of age, the older ones returning to education having been forced to leave because of intimidation in the past.

Despite some political unrest in the local area in June 2010 my son Shane and I took a 10 hour overnight train journey from Calcutta to meet James Joseph. We were very much taken by the work being done there and the wonderful progress being made in educating the poorest of the poor. It is so totally different from Calcutta in every way; the flat and humid plains gave way to cooler conditions as we travelled to New Jalpaiguri, the end of the line for our train and the last stop before ascending into the Himalayas by road.

The small, hatchback Tata car struggled up the steep mountain roads and as we climbed higher the views became quite stunning. The people were also different, as a mix of Indian features became more Nepalese in appearance.

A narrow-gauge railway track ran parallel to the road, disappearing from time to time into tunnels cut into the mountains. We were to learn that these tracks carried a most unusual “Toy Train”, which has served the hill stations since 1881. Four to five small carriages are pulled by a steam engine, which was originally built in Scotland and still operates to this day.With swirling mists and falling temperatures we were glad of the warm jumpers we had packed.

Arriving in Kurseong, we made our way through the narrow main street until we reached the gates of Goethal’s School and stepped out into tranquillity, crisp fresh air and an atmosphere of calmness. It struck me as a place where education could be enjoyed and embraced without distraction and to think of the Irish connection and its founder Edmund Rice made me feel quite humble and despite the indiscretions of some who have tainted that order, I felt proud of what the Irish missionaries had achieved in education and continue to do so to this day.

James Joseph was not what I had expected, we had spoken on the phone and I thought he was much older. If I described him as a young Yul Brenner you would get a good idea, he was nothing like an Irish Christian brother, no black, chalky habit, James Joseph was dressed in civvies and having conversed for a few moments I knew I had met a real maverick, a maverick with a heart of gold and a person of faith who cared for others with a passion. He is a man of purpose, a truly wonderful person who has taken the plight of local uneducated young girls and given them a chance and an opportunity of an education. He was to introduce us to his students, bring us on home visits and allow us to experience how determination can alter the lives of so many.

In quoting from his earlier, letter James Joseph wrote: “Many of these children are malnourished and we try to give them a sort of lunch comprising of fruits, noodles and biscuits each day. It is said that some of these girls come only for the lunch. We don’t mind because our Founder did the same. Fruits are an integral part of the lunch because many of them lack vitamins as they cannot afford fruits at home.

When they first come to us they look miserable. After a month or so, they change and look smart and beautiful with their faces glowing with freshness.” The home visits affected our friend “J” as we will call him. “J”, a long term volunteer living in Calcutta for several years, spent some days in Kurseong in 2009 and was very moved by the living conditions he saw there.

He had passed on some of the money we give him on an annual basis to James Joseph. “J” knows how to extract the maximum benefit from every euro, assisting the most genuine and most needy.

We climbed along an uneven mountain path until we reached the home of one of the students. Her name was Ruchika, a pretty girl of 17. When she was 12 years old, some men called to her home and told her mother they had work for girls as house servants in Mumbai. With a husband who had deserted her, leaving her hardly able to feed her family from the meagre wages she made from selling milk in the village, Ruchika’s mother let her daughter go. This was the start of a nightmare for the young girl as she was lured into the seedy underworld of Mumbai’s sex trade. After five long years she finally escaped and managed to return to her family.

We were so surprised that her home, a newly built house constructed from a wooden frame and corrugated iron sheeting had been constructed from the proceeds of the donation given last year.

It had a concrete base, two bedrooms, a living area and a separate kitchen area. An uncle had provided most of the labour; the wood had been collected from Goethal’s School after a cyclone had knocked down some trees last year. All this was achieved for under a thousand euro, which included the site! Only because of James Joseph’s actions and Irish donors’ generosity, had this been made possible. A lump formed in my throat, as I saw that we had made a real difference to a poor family. It was the best surprise I have ever experienced!

We learned about their previous home; a tin shack, riddled with holes with a landlord, who literally dumped his rubbish on their roof from his house above them, but now a new life and a new start.

On our next home visit we met a younger girl, Anisha. Her beautiful smile greeted us as we entered her home. I have had many experiences in visiting poor people in difficult living conditions in the slums of Calcutta, but never had I seen anything like the conditions we were now witnessing here in the Himalayan hills.

Anisha sat on the bed, the only place to sit in the house. She was desperately trying to finish her homework before the daylight faded, as there was no electricity. She shared her “home”, a tin shed, with her mother, father and two younger brothers.

Two others also shared this small dwelling, two cows. Most of us have had the experience of going to a farm. From childhood memories of entering a cowshed I never forgot the smell, that pungent pong of liquid excrement, now in this girl’s home, that smell was everywhere. A four foot high wooden partition separated the living area from the cattle pen. The bony animals stood in the squelching, muddy cow dung, right next to where the family of five lived and shared that one double bed.

Anisha explained that her parents had gone to gather some grass to feed the cattle. The cattle would be sold for slaughter later in the year and the loans hopefully paid back.

As our own winter arrives and as I write this account, I often think of Anisha and her family huddled together for warmth in their humble dwelling and of her beautiful smile. That smile was to greet us next day as she arrived for school dressed in her spotless school uniform and eager to learn with an understanding of the importance of an education.

James Joseph has organised a site for a new house which in currently under construction from our donations. The summer monsoons have delayed completion but work has resumed and will improve living conditions for Anisha and her family.

Be kind now supports the school by funding transport for approximately 60 students. Additional donations have resulted in new houses being built at very modest costs. Medical assistance has been provided for some of the girls who were unable to afford much needed treatment. To end this series of newsletters brings us close to the end of 2010 and a time of great uncertainty in Ireland as we face the unknown. We will emerge from this economic storm as all storms pass and perhaps lessons can be learned concerning greed.

We plan to return to India with a new group of young Irish students from Castleknock Community College next Easter 2011. Fundraising has already started and will continue in many guises over the coming months.

Ending on a joyous note, back in Calcutta we are happy to report our 3 year sponsorship of 15 expectant mothers through CINI (Child in Need Institute) resulted in 15 healthy births, 8 baby boys and 7 baby girls during the summer.

New life, new hope…

“If you can’t be there, be kind”

With gratitude,

Brian & Shane

Lucky Kantar

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Sanchar “Lucky Kantar”? - A little boy with CP

This part focuses on the day my Dad and I (Shane) spent with one of our partner organisations, Sanchar. Sanchar is an outreach group, with its headquarters in a village outside Kolkata. Our visit took place on my 23rd birthday, June 4th 2010, and what a wonderful birthday it was!

Our day started when we were collected by Ashok, one of Sanchar’s representatives. Our first stop was Sanchar’s headquarters, where we met with co-founder of the organisation, Tulika Das. We had a brief meeting during which we hammered out the details for Sanchar’s first child sponsorship programme.

After the meeting we hopped into a jeep with Gopal and Neelu, members of the Sanchar team. My father had met Gopal previously and later on during the day I found out that Gopal had broken up his summer vacation to be with us for the day.

Our journey took us to meet four of the children, who Be kind would sponsor through our newly set up sponsorship programme. On our first home visit we met Arup Shil. Arup lives with his family in the rural village of Amgachia, about an hour outside Kolkata. Arup had several medical complications at birth and suffers from multiple disabilities, namely blindness and Cerebral Palsy.

Our next house was a bit off the beaten track, so much so that we had to walk several kilometres down a brick path from the main road to reach it. The heat and humidity were oppressive but we continued on. At the end of the road we entered a yard, complete with chickens, and met Riya Malik and her mother. Riya lives with her parents in the village of Uttar Bagi, about an hour outside Kolkata. Riya was born prematurely and has Cerebral Palsy. Sanchar started working with Riya in August 2009. Before this Riya could not sit up by herself, now she can sit up with little support. She is receiving physiotherapy and is learning how to walk and manage her disability.

On our third home visit we met Hasina, a ten year old girl, who also suffers from cerebral palsy. Sanchar are training her to manage her disability and are also helping her with her education.

Our fourth and final visit of the day brought us to the remote village of Gotberia. After driving down an extremely narrow road with sharp drops into green pools on either side, we reached “Lucky’s” house.

Laxmikanta Shee a.k.a. “Lucky” is eight years old and lives with his grandparents. Lucky’s mother suffered from jaundice while she was pregnant and he was born prematurely at eight months with cerebral palsy.

As we walked across into the compound I caught sight of Lucky for the first time. Lucky was in a cage, or what appeared to be a cage, it was actually a wooden play pen. The grandfather, skin and bone, was sitting on the steps of the house and put his hand hands together to greet us as we arrived. He remained there for the duration of our visit.

As we got to know Lucky, his grandmother disappeared to wash some glasses in the nearby, green lake and proceeded to fill them with a white cloudy liquid. Gopal and Neelu were quite happy to drink what they had been given but Dad and I tactfully managed to avoid drinking it. It is extremely difficult to decline offers of food or drink especially from people who have nothing.

Dad and I continued to talk to and play with Lucky, getting him to stand up straight and to walk around the courtyard. His legs were incredibly thin and he could not walk at all without support from us. Apparently he does not eat well and as a result his leg muscles have not developed enough to allow him to support his own weight. Sanchar will install a paralell bar, which will enable him to learn how to walk without support from another person.

As we were getting ready to leave, Lucky’s grandmother slipped off, unnoticed again and got a couple of the local boys to climb two nearby coconut trees and collect a couple of coconuts for us. It is truly remarkable how people with so little, go to such trouble to make their guests comfortable.

And so we left Lucky with heavy hearts and a very heavy bag of coconuts but secure in the knowledge that Sanchar are keeping a close eye on Lucky and all the other children they care for, helping them and their families to manage their disabilities and to have better chances in life.

We have thus far only managed to get direct sponsorship for 3 out of the 10 children that we agreed to sponsor through Sanchar. All of these children suffer from Cerebral Palsy with some, like Arup, suffering from multiple disabilities.

Rupayan and Bow Bazar Swimming Club

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Return to Rupayan - Introducing the boys to their sponsors

Setting up the sponsorship program with Mr. Tapan Banerjee from the Rupayan Home was something I wanted to do from the first time I met the children in 2008. The home caters for boys with similar backgrounds to those mentioned in the previous section.

Last year when the Castleknock Community College students came to Kolkata we took all 14 boys away for their first ever holiday, a weekend in the Sunderban region of West Bengal. It proved as described in last year’s newsletter to be a great success and several of the students and their families are now sponsors.

With Tapan translating for me, I sat each child down individually and told him he had someone far away in Ireland who cared about him and wanted to help with his education. I gave them a picture of their sponsor and their name(s). Bemused and curious, each boy waited his turn to learn of his new-found friend in Ireland. Great excitement ensued afterwards with the boys wanting to know about their sponsors: “Who is my Uncle?...Who is my Auntie?”

Having been rejected and neglected by their own parents it was wonderful to see their emotions as they began to understand someone cared for them, albeit from a distance. For Shane and me it was a real privilege and those special moments will never be forgotten. It was a true case of our motto being put into practice, “If you can’t be there, be kind”.

We took the boys for a day’s outing to a park called Monobitan where they could run and play and enjoy the facilities: swings, seesaws, paddle boats, bicycles etc. All this including breakfast and lunch made for a great day out in a beautiful rural setting away from the noise and pollution of the city. Football and chasing in 40 degrees of heat left us all tired but happy at the day’s end. The boys still had enough energy to hug us to death as we said our goodbyes. Giving them back a little of their childhood of which they had been deprived was truly priceless.

Bowbazar Swimming Club “Pay back time”

Our support for Bowbazar Swimming Club over the past two years has been targeted in assisting boys and girls who come from poor families to pay for swimming lessons and provide transport costs and nutrition. We thought it would be a good idea for the children from SEED, another group we support, to learn how to swim as organised a morning session for them. We struck up a deal with the club manager, Shankar, to provide lessons for this year. Getting into the murky water in the shallow end of this enormous “pond” and almost doing the splits on the slimy bottom of the pool made me question whether this was a good idea for the kids or not?

The pool is located in College Square and was originally built in the early 1900s by the British as a reservoir to supply water to the fire services. Several clubs now use the facilities and although not the most hygienic place I have swam in, it serves its purpose and gives pleasure and sport to many. Concern for the children from SEED was really unfounded as they have heightened immune systems from growing up on the streets of Kolkata and many of them were good little swimmers, having learned to swim in the ghats along the river Hooghly. The ghats are used to cremate the deceased. Afterwards the remains are taken down the steps to the river and left to float away to start the next life…

The Hooghly is a tributary of the sacred river Ganges and is synonymous with Kolkata and despite the fact that much untreated “fluids” and “solids” for that matter enter into its murky depths; many thousands bathe, swim and wash and make offerings each morning and evening. They are watched by many who cross the massive Howrah Bridge which carries over 150,000 vehicles each day and almost the whole population of Ireland, as it is estimated an average of 4,000,000 pedestrians use it on a daily basis!

We left our little swimmers enjoying a packed lunch provided by Bowbazar Swimming Club. Their smiles paid us back for very little effort and the swimming lessons continue in our absence.

A little girl called Sonali

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:00:00 GMT

The Hope Foundation and the story of a little girl called Sonali

Again, thanks to an increase in donations, we were in a position to sponsor three additional children with Hope in Calcutta.

Three new girls under our wing at Be kind Ireland: Parna, age 12, Ria, age 6 and a 3 year old named Sonali. Every child is special, but once in a while their background and particular circumstances makes them “extra special”. Their individual files arrived by post from the Hope office in Cork in early May, with a note apologising for the delay, but stating that Hope wanted to choose the right children for us.

Sonali had a report that differed from the rest, which had been written and prepared by Mou Sengupta from Hope Child Watch Team. This is Mou’s report, slightly shortened:

"SONALI DAS: An unbeatable warrior combating against every odds of life

Sonali (3 years) was that unfortunate angel who lost the paradise and came to this earth to suffer, to bear pain...but she has that kindness to forgive those who gave her pain, she will still come to hug you, to give you that love and affection which she did not receive from anybody. She not only had a broken family, but lack of bonding, love and care.

When she was first noticed by one of the volunteers, who help distressed people she had brain T.B. and little chance of survival. Sonali lost her father one year ago and the mother remarried. Her mother took care of her 20 day old baby boy but hardly looked after Sonali as she was feeble, sick and dying.

Her mother had no objection when we took her to the Hope Hospital (17/07/09), she never came to see her, never worried about her. We gave shelter to the mother and two of her children but she rather chose to go back to Sealdah station platforms and beg rather than stay with us. Hope Hospital was the first turning point in her life who tried to save this poor little girl, the social workers and hospital staff took the challenge and contacted Dr Vijay Kumar in order to save her life.

At West Bank Hospital on 9th Oct she had an operation under Dr Kumar who implanted a VP shunt in her brain.

Child watch teams did the follow ups and went to tell the mother about the operation and wanted her to come to see her baby. Out of momentary emotion she came with the social workers to see her and that was the first and last time.

On 18th Sept Sonali was again transferred to Hope Hospital for post operative care.

Everything was going alright, we thought she got back a new life but we discovered that Sonali had lost her eyesight!

Another curse of life, probably she will have to bear for the rest of her life!

She went for various examinations to World Vision and Disha Hospital but was blind in both eyes.

We still keep our fingers crossed that she may get back some vision or a possible donor of new eyes for her. She has her whole life ahead of her and is just three!

We have spoken to some special hostels for blind children but she has to be at least six years of age before being admitted.

Physically she is perfect now, looks better and one can’t recognize her who has seen her some months earlier.

When she comes to you to hug, when she will call you “Aunty… or Uncle” and will run up to you, will touch you to feel you, to know who you are,, you will be driven into her love, you cannot stop but loving her taking her onto your lap.

She is the darling of all in Hope and the quietest baby we have.

We do not know what will happen with her future, we only wish that she is surrounded by good people who will contribute in every possible way to secure her life and to give back that enormous love and care to her which she is showering to this world.

She is truly an angel, a specially blessed child of God despite all the hurdles of her life!

Signed Mou Sengupta

February 2010."

Sonali is sponsored by Be kind Ireland, with funding from a special donor in the United States.

Having read her report, Shane and I were to meet Sonali last May. Her description is not exaggerated at all: She is truly a most beautiful and totally loveable, little bundle of joy.

As it has for over ten years, The Hope Foundation continues to do the most wonderful work in Calcutta and takes such loving care of each child that comes to its attention. This was evident in the last report regarding Kabir: when we asked for help, Hope reached out without hesitation. Be kind Ireland is proud to support and be associated with such special people who care so much about others.

A special debt of gratitude to our good friend, Jenny Browne, Hope Overseas Director in Calcutta, for her kind assistance and help during our times in India.

Back to Nabo

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Back to Nabo

In October 2009, back when we were in Kolkata with the Castleknock Community College group, I met a young man named Probat in Nabo Jibon, one of Mother Teresa’s homes.

This man was more like a feral creature, like a frightened animal, who had been left outside the gates of the home. When you become homeless and destitute on the streets of Calcutta survival is slim.

I remember he had various wounds: a cut and broken wrist which had become infected and infested with maggots, and for me the horror of his face will never leave me as his eyes had also become infected. He was literally being eaten alive due to his destitute state.When you or I get something in our eye like a fly, or a piece of grit, the irritation is annoying, so picture, for a moment, his unbearable pain and discomfort.

He was so agitated, that any gestures of kindness, such as bringing him some food, or a cup or water, were rejected with anger, as he would throw the tin cups on the ground and cower if approached. I have seen this reaction several times with poor unfortunates, who would have been beaten or abused, just like the way a dog would react if you raise your hand to it. His mind was filled with fear and confusion and no doubt his system was “coming down”, from whatever substances he had been abusing.

In May 2010 arriving back to Nabo Jibon, I asked about his condition and Brother Alex brought me to see him. His thumb had been amputated but the wound had healed perfectly. He had regained his sight in one eye and by all accounts had made a great recovery.

For me it was such an uplifting experience, and only made possible by the love and dedication of the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in Nabo Jibon, the name meaning “New Life”, and that was what Probat had received, for he was lost and then found, he was blind but now can see. The angry, frightened creature had become meek and gentle and welcomed some attention. Taking my hand and putting it to his face in an act of gratitude, his humanity had been restored and some dignity regained.

Nabo, over the years, has been a very special place for me. It can make you cry and make you laugh, make you despair and fill you with hope. Over the last five years, I have seen the children with special needs grow there. They are now much more physically demanding because of their size. That 8 or 10 year old I once easily carried is now a teenager, and much bigger, and in some cases stronger, but they are still children and love the company of the volunteers, who enter their lives, bringing joy and variety.

Two young American students, Chris and Frank, were there the day Shane and I returned to Nabo. Their college, Anderson University, has been sending student volunteers to various developing countries for several years. Indeed, Shane and I met their group leader, who had travelled to Calcutta with his father 22 years previously. Both of the boys shared their experiences with us and were so honest and open. Big Frank at 6ft 6+ told us how, after witnessing the depth of poverty and deprivation on the first day, went back to his room and cried for hours. Chris told us every minute was worth it as he had never had received so much love from the special needs children and did not want to leave them. But leave they did, as we have done, but it is comforting to know that volunteers return time and time again, year after year, and experience that “Nabo Jibon” , that “New Life” .

A Boy From Ranchi

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 23:00:00 GMT

A boy from Ranchi

This edition will focus on Brian and Shane's latest visit to Calcutta on behalf of Be kind Ireland, which took place between May 19th and June 12th 2010.

Concerns last October 2009 over swine flu, which threatened disruption with our plans for Calcutta and the Castleknock Community College group, were unfounded.

This time, volcanic ash clouds caused unprecedented disruption in Europe, and flights being cancelled two days before my son Shane and I were due to return to India on May 19th were a new cause for concern. Once again, doubts were unfounded and we arrived. For me, six months had elapsed, for Shane it had been six years. We were back in this city which had altered the course and very meaning of our lives.

In May 2009, I visited the town of Ranchi in the state of Jharkand several hours west of Calcutta by rail.

An invitation from my friend Peter, whom I met back in 2005 in Nabo Jibon (Missionaries of Charity home for destitute in Calcutta), where he was provincial, was my reason. He gave me an insight into the lives of the people there and I was to meet many of the local tribal families.

As ever in India, stark contrasts exist and Ranchi is no exception. The residence of Dhoni, the current captain of the Indian cricket team, exudes wealth and opulence against the dire poverty in the surrounding area.

Meeting many children there, two boys stood out from the rest. I was addressing a group of children who attend school in a tiny one roomed building attached to one of Mother Teresa’s homes. School starts at 6am there and by lunch time many of the children instead of going home to rest, start jobs as domestic helpers in local houses. They work hard in sweltering heat for a few rupees to support their families. Joking, I asked them if anyone could give me a place to stay for a day or two. Many looked unsure and were curious about this strange man, but one boy’s arm shot up in the air and he smiled at me. Peter was to inform me that the boy, Raju, came from one of the poorest families and hardly had a roof over his head. Raju often came to school hungry and yet this was the child who was first to offer what little he had.

12 months later, Raju was back in my life, his smile as broad as ever. Shane and I stood in the one room mud hut with the broken roof, which Peter had described a year earlier. Home to Raju, his 14 year old sister and his mother, who was a chronic alcohol and substance abuser, in the slums of Ranchi.

On our home visits, we collected a little entourage and walked hand in hand with the children through the streets, enjoying our instant friendship. Stopping off at a little roadside stall, we bought some food for Raju and three of his pals: they tucked into plates of noodles and veg. We left them with a meal costing a mere 32 rupees (65 cents), a small cost for priceless happiness!

In 2009 the other child, a 9 year old orphan boy named Kabir, took a grip on my heart.

Kabir had fallen from a train at the age of 5 and lost his leg below the right knee; he also lost his toes and half his foot from the left leg. Despite this handicap, Kabir had adapted well, was very agile and well able to get around on one crutch. Previously, I had met several children with similar injuries who had been helped by the Hope Foundation in Calcutta. These children had been fitted with prostheses and undergone various surgical procedures. I wanted to do something for Kabir and vowed I would return to help.

At 5am on 28 May 2010, Shane and I took a taxi to Howrah station. We had tickets for the Shatabdi express train to take us to Ranchi. Accompanying us was our young friend Rishi, a student whose parents had hosted Shane during his time in Calcutta in 2004. The station was, as usual, a hive of activity, where over a million per day arrive and depart to multiple destinations all over India. A notice board showed our train had been cancelled, and soon we were to learn of a derailment and later the full horror of an evil terrorist attack, which led to deaths of 144 innocent passengers and horrific injuries to over 200 others. Maoist extremists had removed the retaining clips from the tracks during the night, causing the high speed train to derail and timed it to coincide with the arrival of an oncoming goods train, which ploughed into the overturned carriages, causing one of the worst acts of terror ever seen in recent times.

Two days later, we took an internal flight to Ranchi, determined not to fail in our task and continue with our schedule.

With a letter of permission from Peter for Kabir, we travelled by car to Jamshedpur. Outside temperatures hit 44 degrees centigrade, the aircon in the Toyota Previa struggling to keep its passengers comfortable. We had been collected by Sr. Elsita and her colleague Josetta, who were taking us to Amar Jyoti, a school and centre for tribal girls who are training for the sisterhood and a career in teaching. We are giving financial support to these students, who will go on to educate the poor in the rural villages of Jharkhand. Sleep the previous night in Ranchi had been short due to a wedding procession through the town consisting of drums, horns, bugles and chanting, not to mention the mobile fireworks, which lasted for hours! Our driver, Dhano, drove with “reasonable” care on the 3 hour journey as we passed many wrecked cars and trucks, some old, some very recent: all reminders of the dangers of travel in India.

That evening the tribal girls entertained us with dance and music and had put huge effort into making their costumes and looked so wonderful in their vivid traditional colours. Such wonderful talent and a special performance, just for us.

Shane sang “If I Can Help Somebody”, and not expecting the shy Kabir to heed my request to sing, the boy surprised us, rose, and sang a beautiful song about his mother and how much he misses her.

So chillingly ironic that Kabir’s mother had abandoned him after he became crippled at the age of five. My heart was filled with pain for him, for there is no bond closer than that of a mother and child, and when that bond is severed it hurts deeply. The pain and traumatic events of Kabir’s accident were no doubt a terrible experience, but the pain of losing his mother lives on daily with him, expressed by that sad song. What could I do to ease that pain but show compassion, in practical terms, by taking him with us for a chance of a new life, a “Nabo Jibon”. A new leg was not a problem as a limb can be replaced, but his little heart would take so much time to heal.

Next morning we arrived at Tatanaggar train station at 5.30am, having put-putted our way by auto rickshaw through the wakening streets, passing the huge Tata factory, which manufacturers heavy commercial vehicles, buses, trucks etc. With tickets unconfirmed and more chaos than usual on the platforms, due to the aftermath of the train crash some days earlier, we boarded the train feeling like stowaways.

Having been evicted several times from various seats by irate, legitimate ticket holders, and despite slipping a few rupees and speaking Irish to the puzzled ticket inspector, we eventually took refuge in the pantry car! Shane and Kabir sat on bags and I found a shelf to climb onto. We survived the four and a half hour journey back to Calcutta, chatting and making new friends along the way and not going hungry either!

We were one step closer to getting Kabir his new limb. In a taxi, Kabir’s big brown eyes got even bigger as we crossed the massive cantilever Howrah bridge, which spans the Hoogley river. On arrival at our guest house, he marvelled and took time to understand the use of the remote controls for the TV and air conditioning.

After some rest and lunch, we made our way across the city to the Hope Boys' Home at Punerjibon, where he was expected. We said our goodbyes and let him settle in with the help of Viswanath, a very special person working for Hope and counselling many children who have had such difficult lives.

A couple of days later, we were in the consultant’s room with Kabir for his appointment, in a clinic called Seva Sedan.

To see people with missing limbs in Calcutta is not at all unusual, but on arrival at the clinic there were hundreds of people of all ages: tots, teens and adults, who through whatever reason, had lost limbs. The consultant had a steady stream of people to see and insisted we stay in his room as he inspected his patients, revealing wounds and making various prognoses. We learned from a young man of 28 years how he had been under the influence of drugs and slipped under the wheels of a train, losing both legs above the knees. Shane and I hoped Kabir was not going to be as shocked as we were as we witnessed such injuries. The doctor, having inspected Kabir, stated that he would not require any corrective surgery and that he would be fitted with the new limb within days.

A phone call the day after we returned to Ireland from Viswanath informing us the boy was moving around on his new limb without any crutch, filled us with a joy that is hard to describe. A picture by email some days later showed a young boy, who had not only grown taller in stature, but one who had also grown in confidence.

Kabir returned to Ranchi and to school at the end of June. We also have been informed that his mother, who had been living in a shack by the railway line, has come to see him… perhaps a heart has been mended too.

Bekind to Calcutta 2009

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Bekind to Calcutta 2009

Welcome to our third edition of Be kind Update. We decided to make this edition a bit more interactive to give you a better idea of the work we've been doing on your behalf. This edition focuses primarily on Be kind 's latest visit to Calcutta, which took place at the end of October/beginning of November.

The quotes you come across while reading this newsletter are the thoughts of the Castleknock Community College(CCC) students, who travelled with Be kind this year.

"Going to Calcutta was an experience like no other. It changed my whole outlook on my life and the people in it. We all feel so lucky to have had the most strange, good and bad, emotional and scary best two weeks of our lives. We met the most amazing people, heard the most amazing stories and went to the most amazing birthday party ever! The whole trip was memorable and unforgettable." - CCC Student.

The many months of planning, preparation and a fundraising campaign which surpassed all expectations have now become a chapter in the history of Be kind Ireland's second year of existence.

I started this newsletter sitting in the departure lounge of Kolkata International Airport somewhat in awe of the group of young Irish students from CCC who had worked as volunteers here in the City of Joy for over two weeks. Physically unscathed but their open and impressionable bright minds processing an overload of data which will take some time to absorb.

The itinerary was designed to allow them work with the needy, the poor, the street and slum children, the handicapped and the destitute in some of Mother Teresa's homes and orphanages. It allowed them time to visit and work with the projects and the NGO's (non government organisations) which Be kind Ireland supports and trusts.

My wife, Martina, finally made it to India making the picture complete for the Flanagan family, as all five of us have now been volunteers in Kolkata at various stages since 2004.

Our group of 18 comprised 12 CCC students; 10 girls and 2 boys, 2 female teachers, my lifelong friend and fellow director of Be kind , Niall Dalton, and his 19 year old son James.

Reflecting on this journey, another "alternative passage to India" makes me feel proud that our small country has produced such fine young students, young adults who were exemplary in their work, their attitude, their care and compassion for the poorest of the poor, young and old alike.They were a pleasure to have as associates of Be kind and fine ambassadors for their school and families.

Another type of ambassador in Kolkata is the taxi variety. The old yellow Austins which have not changed design since the early sixties symbolise the city in many ways- tired, old and battered but still working. My bond with this city grows deeper with each return. It still exudes an atmosphere of mystery, intrigue and excitement in a most chaotic form. Niall and I first came to Kolkata in 2005 and understand fully what our group have experienced as first time volunteers to this city of joy.

Each evening after the day's work was complete we gathered around a candle and discussed our experiences, sharing the highs and lows of the day. The parents of each student were also asked to light a candle in Ireland around the same time, establishing a daily connection to remind them of their son or daughter ,many thousands of miles away, the light of hope burning simultaneously in India and at home.

"Blinded by western society, the wider Indian people try to make the best of a bad lot. I saw many things that touched my heart, my favourite place being Nabo Jibon. I will return." - CCC Student

"I suppose the biggest wow moment for me was when we were out with the Hope Foundation and they brought us to the slums and right in front of me was that image that I've seen in movies but yet I almost didn't believe that people could actually live in such conditions. They have homes that are one room, if they are lucky but yet they were so grateful. This really hit me because of everything we have here that we take for granted things like having our own bedroom,that is the size of a whole family's house in the slums. It really made me appreciate absolutely everything that I have." - CCC Student

Hope, as a foundation, celebrated its 10th anniversary while we were in Kolkata and we were fortunate to attend a wonderful event in the theatre in Science City on the day of our departure. Several hundred children sang, danced and performed full of joy and happiness. These children have been given a chance of a real childhood because of the wonderful work of the Irish Hope Foundation and its partners in India.

On stage, we watched some of our sponsored children performing. We had seen some of them rehearsing earlier in the week, some of the special needs children being assisted by their carers, little ones unable to walk were on stage in their buggies with smiles to light up anyone's darkest day. With tears in our eyes we watched a little 5 year old special needs girl, Ratna, dance her final dance in Kolkata. Ratna has been adopted and is due to travel to her new family in the USA shortly.

"In a Hope hospital, a beautiful girl lies there unmoving and ignores anyone who comes by. A nurse tells you that she is only about 8 years old and that she is still there because she is always so sad that she has to leave the hospital where she gets love, enough food and a bed. They're leaving her there as long as possible so she doesn’t have to go back to her family. You try your best to get any reaction out of her, playing with her, talking to her, doing anything you can. Then she smiles and you have to leave." - CCC Student

We saw Fatima, an autistic deaf child, do her best with her carers help to partake in the dance and drama. Her case most touching, as I had met her on my visit earlier in May and learned of the horror of her life as her mother used to tether her to railings on the street while begging. The bumps still clearly visible on the back of her head, proof of her ordeal as she had bashed her head in frustration and bewilderment in the cruellest of acts for this innocent little one. Now a beaming smile from Fatima tested my emotions and composure as I watched and thought of the goodness of Hope Foundation for reaching out to save another little life from pain, suffering and abuse.

After orientation and settling in on day one, we took a visit to Howrah station. A walk down its platforms gave the group a sense of where most of the poverty starts.

That evening we were to meet a man who has carefully distributed our funds to the most in need. He had asked for our help last year in the education of a young man from a very poor background who has had to deal with many crosses in life.

Muctar Ali is in first Year College studying Hotel management, first in his family to try and break free from the cycle of poverty endured by his parents and grandparents. His efforts hampered by the deformity of his right hand. A fall from his cot as a 9 month old baby and shoddy work by a medic left him with a withered hand. Trouble seemed to follow Muctar as he wandered off in the city at the age of seven and got lost.... for over six months! The boy was taken in by a cafe owner who in exchange for some food and a place to sleep became a slave, washing dishes, pots and pans. It was painful for him to relate details but he admitted his master did not treat him well. Luck changed and a friend of his father spotted him one day and he was reunited with his family and started school again.

"The moment that stood out for me was my first day working in Nabo Jabon. Here I helped people in a way I never thought I would be able to do prior to my trip. On the first working day here I remember being told that one the boys needed to be washed and changed. I never thought I would be able to do such a task but in the moment you don't have time to think, I felt that I just had to get on with it. After this I realised what I could do and what I needed to do here. Which for me was not to think about what I was doing but just help these unfortunate people in whatever way I could. I was surprised about how good it made me feel to help these people." - CCC Student

Muctar's home is an 8x6 lock up shop in a Muslim area close to the Mother House, where his dad runs a small ironing service. He sleeps, eats and studies in this place, which he shares with his younger brother, his father and a labourer. I was to visit this place with some of the lads- seeing is believing.

He washes himself each day at a tap in the street and yet is undeterred by his daily hardships. He is a most gentle and well-mannered young man with a warm smile and fluent English. Muctar was educated by Irish Jesuits in St. Mary's in Dumdum.

"On one of our last volunteer days to Nabo Jabon, we took a diversion on the way back after work. We headed down a suspicious looking alley way and what we stumbled upon was truly a diamond in the rough, Don Bosco’s Orphanage. We were greeted by a French volunteer who had volunteered six months to teach carpentry to the orphans. Then we were given a tour of the orphanage, they showed us all the other trades they teach such as printing, metal working and candle making. We were then told of the orphan's background, it turns out they came from Howrah Train Station and other similar train stations too. They take the children who are living in the train station and provide them with food, clothing and shelter but not only were they provided with these necessities, they were thought a skill which is most important as it means when they grow up into adults and they leave the orphanage they can become self-sufficient, this means they will be able to support themselves and their families." - CCC Student

The group met the amazing Sr. Cyril from Loreto Sealdah who shared the details of her latest projects with us, including the schools she has started in the "Brickfields".Here a family will work all day to produce 1000 bricks. They are paid 65 rupees (just under €1) The same bricks are sold by the owner for 5000 Rupees (approximately €70) The younger children are now getting an education and the older ones are thought during their mid-day break. Sr Cyril informs us that about 20 such make shift schools are now in operation, where before it was only child labour, day in day out.

Several of our students were to work as teachers with the street children in the Rainbow Project in Loreto Sealdah during the two weeks there.

"Walking into the leper colony I was scared of what I might see. Most leprosy is not contagious. The lepers know this view the majority of the world has about leprosy being contagious. I cannot describe the happiness that we gave them just by a simple smile and a handshake. Such fulfilment out of such a small gesture." - CCC Student

6 am mass in the Mother House is always special but on our group's first time there we were to witness a baby from one of Mother Teresa's orphanages being adopted that very morning by a young Indian couple. After the mass the infant was laid on Mother's tomb. He never stirred or cried and prayers were said for him and his new mam and dad, a touching moment when the once unwanted became the much loved.

We spent a day with Hope Foundation where our group met their co-sponsored children in the Hope creche, Dipan, Kunal and Keya. Great fun was had doing the hokey pokey and playing with the kids.

On to the other Hope projects: the schools in the slums, the Hope Hospital, where we were to meet patients with many stories to tell. One lucky child had miraculously escaped death from electrocution as he went to retrieve his kite from overhead wires. 85% burns to his body deterred him not as he chatted to us and showed his collection of recently coloured pictures.

During Martina's time working in Prem Dam she had met a woman around 50 years of age who had been transferred to the Hope hospital. Her name is Laxmi and she had been badly injured in a hit and run road accident. For three weeks Laxmi lay in pain unable to gain admittance to proper medical care until she came to Hope Hospital where x-rays showed a double fractured leg and several broken ribs. A phone call to Jenny Browne, (Overseas Director of Hope India), on 20th Nov says she now is making a good recovery after extensive surgery and recuperates slowly. We were in a position to cover the costs of Laxmi's operation and treatment through your donations.

"Walking into Shanti Dan, a Mother Teresa home for disabled women was overwhelming and slightly unnerving. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. But seeing the happiness we could bring to these women by just holding their hands, talking with them, painting their nails, brushing their hair, dancing and playing with them was something I will never forget. It was so simple but meant so much more." - CCC Student

Friday the 30th Oct was a day where unique bonds were formed. We spent time with another of our sponsored projects, Art of Living Group, who run De-addiction centres for men and women. They also run a home called Rupayan for boys aged between 5 and 14. There are currently 14 children under their care. As mentioned in the last newsletter, the boys from Rupayan come from broken homes, the platforms of Sealdah and Howrah train stations, where begging, picking pockets, abusing solvents and where widespread abuse from other addicts is common. These boys had in many cases been beaten and tortured by a parent or relative not satisfied with their begging results.

"I really enjoyed our visit Sanchar outreach group. It was great to see that they are reaching out to children who need their care in the rural parts of Calcutta. I got to visit a nine year old boy who was deaf. It was amazing how much he had come on since they first began working with him. All the family and even some of the small community were there to help the boy with his work." - CCC Student

These adults' minds no doubt tortured through abuse of alcohol, drugs coupled with hopeless deprivation... no excuse for inflicting abuse on the children but perhaps part of the reason. I first came in contact with these children several months after Rupayan was set up. The children have received a lot of counselling and therapy and now all of them are attending school and the difference is wonderful to witness.

"Shishu Bhavan is an orphanage for newborns and upwards run by the Missionaries of Charity and is where my heart was stolen by a little girl named Namthu. As I lifted up this special little girl, I realised she was blind and disabled and I became overwhelmed with emotion. As she was crying, I felt so helpless, frozen with fear I began to sing to her and she soon calmed down. On my working days I cared for her, playing with her and singing became part of our daily routine. Watching this innocent little two year old smile and listening to her laughter, she was clueless that she had captured my heart forever." - CCC Student

All Aboard!

I mentioned unique bonds and our students were to form special relationships with these children and spend a weekend with them on a short holiday in the Sunderban region on the Bay of Bengal. A first for our student group and a first holiday ever for the Rupayan boys.

Retreating to this place of natural beauty from the noise and pollution of Calcutta was a welcome change for all of us and a chance to treat these young lads to some fun and freedom one hundred miles from their city but a million miles from their horrible past lives. They never gave us one minute's bother and despite the language barrier we laughed and sang and danced our weekend away on our "basic" boat cruising the islands of the world's largest delta and enjoying the privilege of making others happy.

The children had been looking forward to this weekend for months and no doubt are still talking about their new "Aunties" and "Uncles" all the way from Ireland. A sponsorship programme for these children has enabled some of the students and their families an opportunity to sponsor them to the age of 18.

"Kolkata was nothing I expected it to be in so many ways. The culture, people, environment are so unlike Ireland's, yet when you step back and look at the bigger picture you see we're all really the same. The mother taking care of her children as best she can; the father working 'the night shift' to keep his family afloat, the brother keeping a watchful eye on his younger sister, the sister eagerly aspiring to be just like her mother and those pesky neighbourhood dogs that just won't go away. We're all just one big family hugging close to Earth for life and being." - CCC Student

As we witness homes and businesses destroyed by floods and torrential rain in Ireland and the distress this has caused to so many we can empathize with others who have also been affected by severe weather.

"There was this mam, dad and a little baby that I used to walk by now and again who lived on the street. No house, no furniture, no food, nothing . Yet every time I saw them they were smiling and having fun. They didn't let their circumstances ruin their lives. They lived their lives to the fullest when they had nothing at all. I just think that this family was so inspiring. If they could be happy having nothing, we should all be even happier with all the things we have in our lives." - CCC Student

The Sunderban Region was so calm and tranquil over the two days we spent there with the Rupayan children and little apparent evidence of the cyclone that ravaged and destroyed homes, farms and livelihoods in May this year. Many lives were also lost. The Hope Foundation was able to help victims and Bekind also supported this fund.

Funds in excess of €30,000 were distributed during this visit and additional children are being sponsored. We will continue to help and support those making a difference to the poorest of the poor. This is only possible because of you. Thank you for thinking of others.

How apt Mother Teresa's quote " We cannot do great things in this world, we can only do small things with great love"

Brian Flanagan

Bekind Ireland

If you can't be there, be kind

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

If you can't be there, be kind

Welcome to our second edition of Be kind Update. We write this newsletter to keep you informed about what Be kind Ireland has been doing for the last few months. We want to let you know about the people you are helping, the progress that is being made by the charities and projects we support and to thank you for your ongoing support, without which this charity would not be able operate.

The rest of this edition is a report from Brian Flanagan, one of the founders of the charity, who visited Calcutta last October with a group of people from the Castleknock area. Please take the time to read this newsletter and feel free to share it with your family and friends.

Brian's Report

I started putting this newsletter together before Christmas but decided to hold back and allow the yuletide festivities to pass, when cards and letters are in abundance and additional reading like this could be seen as a distraction.

Now Christmas is behind us and 2008 ended with a sense of uncertainty as to what this current year would bring. How could our country and booming economy go from being heralded as being an example of success and wealth with a triple “A” rating to now the butt end of jokes in Europe’s financial circles? Financial golden circles, dodgy deals, talk of half a million of us being unemployed, millions are now obsolete we must talk in billions when discussing the national debt. January 2008 saw the highest new vehicle registrations ever in the history of the state and yet this January sales were down 66% and the government’s tax take down 80%! Talk of the International Monetary Fund coming to bail out Ireland! Unthinkable? House repossessions, queues outside the nations dole offices, welcome to reality, Ireland 2009.

Why do I write this? What has this got to do with Calcutta? In Ireland many people are going through a tough time, becoming unemployed, facing loosing not just a livelihood but also a home, a car, a relationship perhaps. It is and has happened at such a pace there is a sense of bewilderment but in Ireland no one will go hungry, no one will have to beg or live on the streets. Yes we have homeless, yes we have poor and drug abuse etc but there is choice,,,, in Calcutta choice is limited.

Many of the families I have passed on the streets living in filth and squalor came from villages where they had a livelihood, a business, a home. Through circumstances whether it be failure of crops, devastation by natural disaster or whatever reason they had the option to starve or come to a city to beg and survive. Starting on the outskirts of the train stations, they edge their way closer to the platforms, sending their children to pester the passengers for a rupee or two. Moving to the streets, a better place to beg, more people, more chances of a rupee or two, scores of little urchins each one pestering a western face like mine, slipping little hands into mine and gesturing with closed fingers from mouth to tummy, “Uncle please, uncle please”. Make eye contact and you are gone. Walk on in an ignoring way and feel like a cold hearted creep.

Sometimes I break the rules slipping some money into those little fingers or the crippled ones who beg in abundance or the mother with the emaciated baby on her hip. The little ones who have parents or a relative to care for them have some chance, but for those abandoned or discarded because of a disability or just plain neglect need support and a chance, that’s where we, you and I come into the picture. Be kind Ireland will continue to support the existing charities and organisations that give the street children of Calcutta a chance. Ireland may be in recession but we won’t starve, they will.

Five to Kolkata

On Saturday 18th of October 2008, I departed for Kolkata for my fifth visit to India, this time with a few volunteers. We met several times in advance of our journey and I tried my best to prepare them for what they would experience.

The adults Tom and Brian K covered all their own expenses and immersed themselves in their work in the orphanages without hesitation.

Two students, Susan and Dearbhaile had worked hard and had fundraised in their school and the local parish amassing several thousand euros, which covered their travel expenses and accommodation. The balance was topped up by Be kind and jointly we were able to distribute over €12,000 to various organisations whose primary objective is the care of the street children, the handicapped and needy in Calcutta.

The group were to meet and spend time with most of the people I have come to know and trust over the last few years, people who really make a difference to the lives of so many in Calcutta or Kolkata as some prefer to call it.

After the ritual sign on at the Mother House on Monday afternoon, we were allocated our places of work, the girls were to work each morning in Shanti Dan a home for abandoned babies and toddlers. Tom Brian K and I would work the mornings in Nabo Jibon a home for mentally and physically handicapped boys.

In the afternoon the five of us would meet and travel to Daya Dan an orphanage for both boys and girls with severe mental and physical conditions. My doubts about the group’s ability to cope were unfounded and each enthusiastically met the challenges daily.

We had met with the ageing but equally enthusiastic Jesuit Fr. Karl Dinchar originally from Pennsylvania now in his 54th year in India. He was to inform us of the terrible atrocities in Orissa, south of Calcutta, where massacres had taken place against the Christian communities, churches and homes burnt, people driven from their homes and the rape of one of the sisters of charity and the death of a priest.

It would appear Hindu extremists were responsible for these horrific acts of depravity something I would never have associated with Hinduism. Hard to believe those caring for the poorest of the poor for so many years could be treated in such a fashion.

We met Donegal woman Sister Nimala Marie, who arranged a visit to the leper colony in Titagarh for us. Sr. Nimala had also been responsible for making all the original arrangements for Mother Teresa’s visits to Ireland.

We met Maureen Forest and her sister Jenny spending a day visiting the dedicated homes and centres run by the Hope Foundation.

A visit to a slum area where approximately eight thousand people live in the area of a football pitch was a true experience that none of us will ever forget.

We spent some time in the tiny crowded shanty classrooms where teachers had, I believe, a vocation and not just a job. The children of the slums relish the opportunity to learn and get a chance to pull themselves out of slum poverty through education.

The current popular film “Slum dog Millionaire” depicts life as it is in these slums without exaggeration.

The journey back from the slum will stick in my mind forever. We were on our way to visit the Hope boy’s home and the Hope girl’s home to spend some time with the kids

At a traffic junction our vehicle was approached by street beggars, nothing unusual about this, it happens all the time. A young lad of perhaps 15 or 16,clad only in a dirty pair of shorts, came to Maureen’s side of the car. She would normally not give as it only encourages begging. However this time, she opened her purse and put a 100 rupee note (€2) out for the young beggar. The boy took it in his lips and tucked it under his arm.

The arm was six or seven inches long, a stump. We were to discover that he had lost both arms in an accident. While under the influence of solvents from glue sniffing he became unconscious and fell under the wheels of a train at the back of Howrah station.

We stopped for a few minutes as Frank, Maureen’s driver gave him directions to the Hope Foundation hospital.

This horrific loss of limb is not unusual as our group were to meet a 10 and a 14 year old, each of them lost both a leg and an arm under similar circumstances. These two, Depac and Bejwasit were now living in the Hope boys home and had been treated for their addiction and also had prostheses made for them, through supporting Hope these kids have been given a chance.

Diwali festival while we were there was like Halloween and Christmas mixed together with fireworks and many “pandals” (shrines erected to the god Shiva) all around the city. I made a purchase with Bro Sunil from the boys home Nabo Jibon of a collection of fireworks for the children to enjoy, supervised of course. We were to take these handicapped children to a local funfair where squeals of delight lifted our hearts and theirs- a chance of happiness.

We met with Br. Ambrose who invited us to visit the Lepers home in Shipur. Another of Kolkatas punches hit me as we held hands and sat with these men in their home run by the Brothers. These men, social outcasts, condemned to a life of suffering would be there for the rest of their lives. It triggered the line from the Eagles hit “Hotel California” “you can find me there but you can never leave” Our presence and being with them gave some distraction, a chance.

Their physical and psychological needs tended to day in day out by head Brother Suman and a handful of staff beside the murky waters of the Hoogli river, where life continues, youngsters dive into the river unafraid of it’s toxic content believing the power of the sacred Ganges would protect them from harm.

Their energetic health and appearance seemed testament to the Hindus beliefs.

We visited the Sanchar outreach group and spent time with families of children with special needs. Tumpa, a little five-year-old girl was given special attention, stimulation techniques and physiotherapy by a trained Sanchar employee. He worked with the child’s mother in their one-roomed house. They may have been poor in terms of possessions but so rich in terms of the unquestionable love of a mother for her single, special child with special needs- a family given a chance.

AOL (Art of Living) group works with people with drug and alcohol addiction. Earlier this year I visited their centres and was very impressed by the methods used and also their commitments to improving the centres and their facilities.

We decided to donate by equipping the kitchen in the women’s centre, which opened in December last year. A frantic but worthwhile shopping spree ensued. Cooker, fridge, microwave, water purifier, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery etc all bought and paid for including delivery for just €800. I think this demonstrates the value of your support and again the vulnerable given a chance.

Some of the funds given to a very special NGO will go towards medical bills, surgery and special treatment for a 19-year-old named Sagur. He was badly beaten in one of the train stations by the authorities, beaten so badly he suffered a dislocated shoulder and ligament damage to his right arm. Sagur is currently the youngest person in Kalighat, the home for the dying and destitute, where he is making a slow recovery, tended to by volunteers and the Missionary of Charity Sisters. We were to witness his appalling injuries and the scars on his back from the trashing he received. He has a chance. This year we have doubled the number of children we sponsor in the Hope foundation from 3 to 6 at an annual cost of €1500.

We commenced a monthly standing order to Loreto Sealdah Rainbow children’s project at a cost of €600 per year.

Our support for the kids from Bowbazar Swimming Club continues at also €600 per year.

The end of year accounts are now ready for the auditor and I am pleased that we together have raised over €26,000 which does and will give many needy ones in Calcutta, the “City of Joy” a real chance.

A Big Thank You

Be kind Ireland relies hugely on the support and generosity of others. Our main income stream comes from the regular donations we receive from people like you. Sometimes however, we receive unexpected donations. Since Be kind began, we have benefitted from people running many different events ranging from pancake mornings to sponsored marathons and most recently a book sale.

The sale of the book Larger than life@ God .com by Fr. Vincent Travers, took place at the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, Laurel Lodge at the end of February and raised over €1700. The proceeds were donated to Be kind at Fr. Travers’ request . This is another testament to the support we continue to receive from the parish.

We would like to thank all those who have given their time and effort to Be kind . Your support means so much to us and of course to the people of Calcutta that will benefit from your generosity.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Brian Flanagan

What's Happened Over The Last Few Months

Mon, 19 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT

What's happened over the last few months

Welcome to Be kind ’s first newsletter. We think it’s important to keep our sponsors up to date and so we aim to publish this newsletter every few months to let you know exactly what your donations are doing.

As you know Be kind , was set up in October of 2007 as a company. Since then there have been many exciting developments.

Our main focus for the past few months has been gaining charitable status. After several months of working closely with the Revenue Commissioners we have been granted charitable status. We now hold a charitable number (CHY17971) This has a number of benefits:

In 2 years’ time Bekind will be able to claim tax back on donations of over €250 in the year if the donor is a PAYE tax payer. Alternatively if you are self-employed or a corporate donor you can claim the tax back yourself.
We are no longer subject to DIRT tax and our bank charges have been reduced which means that our running costs are kept to a minimum.
We were also able to set up a Donate button on the Donations page of the website with PayPal which allows people to make single gifts online by using their credit cards.

Brian (Director) has just returned from Calcutta and turned from Calcutta and turned from Calcutta and turned from Calcutta and wishes to share the following wishes to share the following wishes to share the following wishes to share the following experience with you and in so experience with you and in so experience with you and in so experience with you and in so doing tell you exactly what doing tell you exactly what doing tell you exactly what doing tell you exactly what your money has done. your money has done. your money has done. your money has done.

Dear friends and donors of Be kind Ireland. I returned from India on May 14th and carry with me many memories from Calcutta that if put into words would fill many pages and break many hearts. Be kind was formed to mend hearts and act where appropriate and to make lives a little better in responding to children’s silent cries for help.

Apart from my fulfilling hours of voluntary work my visit to Calcutta this time was to formalise arrangements with existing organisations and charities we have supported over the last few years. My visit also brought me new experiences and I was introduced to people who genuinely make a difference to vulnerable children. I was to learn the stark facts that over 100,000 children from infants to 18 year olds live on the streets of this city and that a staggering 53% of Indian children are victims of abuse.

Through your kindness and generosity I am happy to report that Be kind has an annual steady income stream of €3000 a year and growing.

On departure April 26th last our bank balance stood at €8600. On your behalf I distributed approximately half of this amount to Sr.Cyril in Loreto Sealdah, to the missionary of Charity brothers in the home for mentally and physically challenged boys in Nabo Jabon. Funds to Jim, an incredible volunteer dedicating his life to easing the pain of the destitute in the train stations of Howrah and Sealdah. An unplanned meeting with the treasurer of the Bow Bazar Swimming Club has led to sponsorship of 6 children whose talents were hampered by their families’ lack of income and inability to send their kids to train because of the cost of bus fare and nutrition. We take so much for granted here. As I learned the average income for a family of five was less than €70 a month. It was no wonder that the talented young swimmers could only attend classes of the club twice a week instead of four to five times. If children are properly occupied in recreation and sport it keeps them away from the temptations of drugs and substance abuse which are rampant in that city as it is in our own.

The subject of drugs brings me on to another area where I met some more special people, ones who oversee and administer treatment to children and young adults who have fallen victim to the scourge of addiction whether it be substance, glue, alcohol or drugs of low grade heroine, cocaine etc.

I met and spent some time with the addicts themselves and heard how their lives had been decimated by addiction. Disowned by family, rejected and reduced to a life of begging on the streets.

Meeting the ones fortunate enough to be in rehab. One young lad, Saswata, was in his second year in college studying hotel management succumbed to the temptations offered by his “friends” to try out some drugs. The assured him he’d feel great. He did and wanted to continue the feeling only to become a desperate junky, expelled from his college and disowned by his family and friends. I steadied his trembling hands as he related his story to me and assured him, he was in the right place and that he would succeed in beating his addiction. With his fine features and studious look, a smile belied the torment of his mind and a person going through the horrors of detoxification.

The positive actions we have taken on your behalf are by way of monthly direct payments from our Be kind bank account to the following;

Loreto Sealdah Rainbow project
Hope Foundation
Sanchar
Missionaries of Charity
Bow Bazar Samity Swimming Club
VVM De-addiction and Research Centre

Please visit our website which has been updated to reflect these changes. For having the trust and confidence in Be kind Ireland and for being there from the early stages, on behalf of the committee I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Remember that although being a registered company and charity, Be kind operates on a voluntary basis and all expenses; travel, accommodation etc. are borne by each individual member ensuring that all of your money reaches those who need it most. There are no high-profile expensive advertising campaigns for Be kind so please tell your friends and family about us. We have made donating as easy as possible through adding a Donate button on the website, which allows people to donate by credit card directly online.

Our Motto “If you can’t Be there Be kind ” is so relevant. However, if you wish to join me the next visit to Calcutta is planned for Wednesday October 29 to Wednesday November 12 2008.

Thank you again for your generous support and together we are making a difference.

God Bless,

Brian Flanagan