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Newsletter 2
Dear Enable Member
We have just returned home after a week in Tamil Nadu, India. The primary goal was to find the
land for Enables first project – an orphanage in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu, South East India.
Purchase of Land
We saw 14 to 15 different pieces of land in the area around Tranquebar. The choice was easy. We
found a beautiful piece of land just on the other side of the river from the former Danish governors' retreat. Please see the enclosed map. The red borderline
is based on the information we
got "on the spot". The area is
very nice; it has a kind of "spiritual" atmosphere that touches
you, open, spacious and quiet.
In addition, usually a nice
breeze is blowing, stronger in
the winter and softer in the
summer. It has many old palm
trees – probably about 100 years
old. There are no ponds - an
advantage as ponds are breading
ground for various bugs, like
mosquitoes, that carries diseases.
After some adjustments (land filling and channelling/ditching needed for improved rainwater
drainage in order to reduce flooding during the rainy season), the land will become a nice and
healthy environment for the girls to enjoy. We will probably also plant some trees like mango,
mahogany and teak. The land plot has a good groundwater table with lots of water available and
the possibility for piped water access (the locals use it for drink without further cleaning). This
means that we together with rainwater harvesting and piped water would have plenty of water.
The location also offers possibility for three-phase power. The land can be found at Google Earth
– the coordinates are 1102' 58.49" N 7948' 38.45" E.
This land is reasonably inexpensive – approximately 40,000 m2 (10 acres) for KDKK 117 (KUSD
20).
Most of the other pieces of land were either close to grave yards (cremation), power plants, too
expensive mostly because of many cashew trees, very wet (low lands/rice fields), wasteland or
flat and boring in the middle of nowhere.
The Orphanage Concept – Standard and Design
The secondary goal of the trip was to discuss the standard, size and design of the homes with our
Indian partner St. Joseph Development Trust (SJDT), who among their many activities runs an
orphanage (New Life) in Madurai, Tamil Nadu with 180 children. The result was that we probably have to adjust our concept a bit.
The headlines are:
Fewer girls in each home (from 10 to 7)
Smaller and cheaper homes. (From 100 m 2 to 60 - 70m 2)
Bigger orphanage village (from 50 to 120 girls)
Start with only two homes and then extend and develop the rest in the next few years.
The main arguments for the adjustments are:
Ten girls will be too much for one mother. She will be to busy taking care of the smallest girls and
cooking, to be able to create the home, the family and the relationships we want. The maximum
she can handle in a meaningful way is seven girls.
The girls do not need so much space. They actually prefer to sleep closer together - two girls below 15 years of age, very often sleep on a thin 120 cm * 180 cm "blanket". They sit on the floor
doing their homework – sometimes with a little "foot stool" as a desk. We saw a couple of schools
in Tranquebar and among them we only saw one class with tables and chairs.
SJDT has started to build a village much like the one we aim to build. The homes are meant for
seven children (up to 15 years of age) and a foster mother. The total footprint of each house is 52
m 2. (Our draft proposal was 102 m2 for ten girls and a foster mother).
To a Scandinavian the space is claustrophobically small and their living standard in general very,
very poor. But this is India. Their living condition should not differ too much from that of their
surroundings – to avoid jealousy and harassment, and more importantly to avoid that parents turn
over their children to us because we give them – in their view – a better life than they can. That is
the last thing we want.
SJDT wishes to expand the orphanage gradually to get a more natural age distribution of the girls
in each home. It is best if the age distribution in the homes reflects that of a normal family meaning one to two years between the girls. Then the foster mother is able to give more attention to the
smaller girls and the elder "sisters" can help her the way they would in a normal family. That will
be difficult to achieve if we start up with five homes.
SJDT suggest starting up with two houses and building one or two houses a year hereafter. If the
development is too quick it might be difficult to control it the way we would like to.
SJDT further believes that a community of 100 – 120 girls is more optimal (New Life has 180
children). Administration is almost the same; the orphanage will be more like a village where the
foster mothers can support each other. If it gets bigger it will not be so closely nit as we would
like.
The requested adjustments will be discussed with the sponsors.
New Life
Again this year we went to New Life in Madurai. If you ever get the chance to visit it – do it. It is
one of the greatest experiences you will ever get. I have not words to describe it.
This year we brought some "sports" equipment for the children. Five small bicycles, one big bicycle, two shot boots, six chess boards, six charom board, two valley balls with net, two foot balls,
four flying discs and badminton sets. We bought them in Madurai. The total price was DKK
2,000 (USD 350) – money with mileage.
We were invited to dinner in New Life – so we decided to give ice-cream to all 180 children. Total price DKK 73 (USD 13) – money with mileage.
At New Life we met a very charming young lady – the Snake Dancer.
The Snake Dancer
The girl you see in the picture came to New
Life in Madurai when she was only 11 years
old. Her mother had left her and her two
younger sisters, tree years earlier. The young
girl then supported herself – and her two
younger sisters – for the next tree years by
working at a doctor's office. She was found
by a social worker and brought together with
her two younger sisters to New Life. If she
does not deserve another change in life –
nobody else does.
Her name is Shunmugavalli and she would
like to become a dancer. We call her The
Snake Dancer, because she and another girl
performed a dance for us about a peacock
and a snake - and also because we cannot
pronounce her name. As you may have already guessed she was the snake. Please see
the picture. The Snake Dancer is now 19
years old.
If she becomes a really good dancer she can
support herself dancing. But it is hard to become a really good dancer. Another thing is that it is very important for a girl in India to find a
good husband – single girls are frowned upon and they have an increased risk of being abused. A
potential husband will not be interested in marrying a dancer. Many girls ask for help finding a
suitable husband. 80% of the marriages are arranged and often with help of a marriage broker. A
dowry of DKK 6,500 – 13,000 (USD 1,140 – 2,270) is common.
So she may have to find another path, but she has a choice. Millions of other girls are not so "fortunate". Many end up living in the streets some as beggars, pickpockets or something even worse.
Short misery lives with diseases and abuses. We cannot help them all, but we can help some of
them.
It is of paramount importance that the girls leave the orphanage with enough vocation training or
education to make them able to support themselves. If they can support themselves, they are far
less exposed of being abused or exploited later in life and it is much easier for them to find a good
husband.
Next Steps
We are currently in the process of buying the land and we have started redesigning the homes. We
are also discussing whether to build the homes in clusters or one single "community" for example
around a square. We have not reached a conclusion yet.
We hope to start construction of the first homes and the guard house in half a year.
Support
We have had many requests from members who want to support the project in the same way as a
sponsor does – but designed for a smaller wallet. We are working on a model for this. We hope to
be ready to accept smaller sponsorships by summer.
We also need a name for the orphanage. We like the name "New Life" – but it is already taken :-)
If you have a good idea – please let us know. Our e-mail address is [email protected].
Copenhagen March 9, 2007
Yours sincerely,
Ernst Michaelsen
Chairman - enable
Email: [email protected]
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