Vision Builders’ Board President and Co-Founder Katie Kirkpatrick just recently returned from India, where she visited Dr. Ashish, Puja, and the children at Kutumb. Katie met with the Kutumb staff to review the project’s accomplishments in 2011, and to discuss needs and goals for 2012.                              

Regarding the Kutumb shelter located in the Varanasi slum, Katie reports, “Everyone at Kutumb is doing splendidly. The children are all so happy and healthy and well-mannered – such a contrast to what is going on right outside their door.”

Katie notes that there are still so many children in need, “…9 year olds are smoking crack and glare at you with contempt.  There are 5 new children at Kutumb. One 5 year old girl showed up in the middle of the night when police arrested her criminal/prostitute/addict mom and left her alone.  Her name is Guriya and she is a little ray of sunshine who loves to dance.”

There is clearly so much need for the services provided by Kutumb.  The Kutumb project expansion is still in progress as we continue to help raise the needed funds. This trip included a visit to the land which Dr. Ashish has purchased for the new Kutumb Village.  Says Katie, “It is a perfect spot and will make a beautiful home for the children.  It is in the midst of a very poor village and Ashish has started a free clinic there in a previously existing building.”

One hundred or more people show up every Sunday to see Dr. Ashish, many of them elderly widows who walk for miles to get there. This 80 year old woman (pictured left) had a terrible middle ear infection and had been in pain for a month.  Katie explains that the situation for widows in India is truly awful: “Often they are homeless because their children won’t take them in and if they live with their children, they are only given food if the rest of that family has eaten and there is food left over.”

The next Vision Builders board meeting will include a review of 2012 fundraising priorities and goals for Kutumb.  We wish you all a very happy new year and we thank you for all the wonderful support you give to Vision Builders.

Yesterday the planet’s population surpassed the 7 billion mark. On CNN.com, Ted Turner said this milestone should remind us that all women deserve reproductive control over their own lives.  I completely agree with this, and am often frustrated when family planning services are the first to get chopped in budget decisions. Mr. Turner said that we need a big, worldwide initiative – but the world can’t seem to decide on an effective sustainable plan.

The Kutumb’s Women’s Empowerment Program hasn’t been waiting for that worldwide plan; we are working NOW on educating women in the Varanasi slum community about their reproductive health and childbearing years. When women have babies, the incredible Kutumb project educators teach them how to have healthier pregnancies. Then, we train women in the community to go out and educate more women: on the street, in home communities, everywhere. Vision Builders and our partners in Varanasi are working smart through local channels, for long-term sustainable empowerment and social change. Mr. Turner is right, all women deserve reproductive control over their own lives, and we are working to encourage and promote that important and vital right.

-Administrative Director, Tammy Koupal, MSW (Social Welfare Administration)

click here to read Ted Turner’s article “7 Billion Reasons to Empower Women” @ cnn.com

Yesterday was sunny and beautiful, and we had a wonderful turnout for our 5th Annual 5K event.  The Vision Builders 5k is building up an excellent reputation as a REALLY FUN family event that supports a great cause.  ‘Kids Helping Kids’ -and- the value of family, are two of the main themes of the event…not to mention the shear fun of running a good race or having a fun walk on a beautiful tree-lined course!

Vision Builders’ Board President and Co-Founder Katie Kirkpatrick gave all the participants and volunteers a warm thank you for their participation and support.  This year we were able to raise almost $30,000 for the development of Kutumb Village.

After the race, participants enjoyed a free pancake breakfast and kid’s enjoyed a Carnival with games, and craft activities.  There was lots of smiling and laughing, and a true feeling of community, family, and generosity at the event; everyone coming together to help make the world a more joyful and safe place for kids – both here in Ann Arbor and across the globe to Varanasi, India!

Run A Race, Build a Village
The 5th Annual Vision Builders 5K will be held Sunday, September 18, 2011 at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Michigan.  This year’s event will again feature a competitive 5k Run, 5k Fun Walk, Kids’ Races, Carnival, Dog Walk and Pancake Breakfast, with all proceeds go toward development of Kutumb Village, a multi-faceted campus providing education, housing, medical care, nutrition and women’s empowerment programs–a sustainable community resource for residents of the Nadesar slums in Varanasi, India.

Online & discounted registration deadline is Friday, September 16th at 5pm.

Click Here to register for the 5k Run, 5k Fun Walk, Dog Walk, or Kids’ Races…Family discount available!

Please see the Vision Builders 5k Race Info page for all of the detailed information.

We are so excited to share with you the Kutumb Village site plan!  This is what your support can make possible.

Vision Builders’ goal is to help the Kutumb project, led by Dr. Ashish, make this full-scale, self-sustainable community resource a reality.  The original Kutumb Project, in the heart of the Nadesar slum, has proven itself as a successful means to directly benefit the children and families of the slum.  The original Kutumb resource center will continue to function directly within the slum – those doors will stay open!  But now, in addition, this proven model will be scaled-up!  Kutumb Village is in development!  The Kutumb Village plan is a multi-faceted campus providing education, housing, medical care, nutrition and women’s empowerment programs–a sustainable community resource for residents of the Nadesar slums.  The Kutumb Village will give the children and families of Nadesar an opportunity to open the door to a life that reaches even beyond the boundaries of the slum.

Student from the Delhi Public school from Kashi, and also from the Engineering College in Dhanbad, came to Kutumb to volunteer!  They gave presentations for the children and parents about the importance of protecting their vision, and also about having a balanced diet.  They showed short videos, and sang songs with the children.  The staff said that the presentions were really well designed for the children, and that the children enjoyed the lessons and learned a lot.

Dr. Rachna Agrawal, Director of ACE Academy, and English teacher Pawandeep Kaur, facilitated a workshop for the children of Kutumb Shelter House and teh Kutumb School Team where they children received lessons on practical English, pronounciation, speaking etiquettes, and practical guidelines for everyday communications.  39 children participated and the children also received a skills assessment to determine where they need the most help.  At the completion of the workhop Dr. Rachna presented ‘scholarships’ to a few children to receive further training, free of cost.

The Kutumb School Team welcomes 10 new children!
All 10 children have been the best performers in Kutumb Balwadi (early learning center).  Although the children experience significant social and economic challenges, they have supportive parents and they have all performed extremely well in their classes.  Now, in the new school sessions starting in July, they will be admitted into Saraswati Vidhya Mandir, Government Girls Inter College and HL Adarsh Inter College.  This new addition has increased the number of Kutumb School Team members to 55!  Kutumb provides scholarships to sponsor the children’s expenses for school tuition, uniform and study materials for the entire school team.

Exposure visit to Post Office
A workshop & exposure visit was organized by the Women Empowerment Program.  10 students from the Adult Literacy Class participated in this event, where they went to the Head Post Office and one of the office workers gave them the basic information on postal services, faxing and sending telegrams.  The women also received tips on formats for writing different types of letters.  At the end of the visit each woman went though the exercise of writing a letter, purchasing postage, and mailing their letter.  This workshop was facilitated by Kutumb workers, Meena, Shabana, and Shashi.

For Fun and Enrichment:
In June the children who live at the Kutumb Shelter House celebrated Father’s Day!  The children made drawings and gave them as gifts to Dr. Ashish.  Everyone enjoyed sweets and cakes and had a special day.  The children enjoyed the family spirit, and were able to feel the power of love which gives them the strength and confidence to fight against all odds.

Summer workshops for Children
A ten day workshop was organized for Kutumb children, for their entertainment and development.  The kids enjoyed a variety of different fun activities such a making crafts and hand painting.  The staff even slipped in an ‘Everyday English Speaking’ class.  The children showed a lot of enthusiasm in all the activities, as you can see from their smiles and colorful creations.

Summer Workshops for Adults
The Summer Camp Soft toy making training class has been completed.  This was a 15 day workshop offered to women as part of the Kutumb summer camp curriculum.  The class included training on how to make 5 different kinds of soft toys for kids and all materials for the classes were donated, making it possible for 24 women to participate in the workshop.  All workshop participants received certificates upon completing the class, and the toys they made can now be enjoyed by the small children cared for by the staff at the Kutumb Shelter House.

Summer Workshops for Staff
Workshop on News Writing and Reporting for Kutumb Staff!
A one day workshop on News Writing and Reporting was organized for the staff at the Kutumb Shelter House as a capacity building training.  The workshop was facilitated by writer & journalist Mr. Vimal Chandra Pandey from TEAM NGO.  Different topics were covered during the workshop including news writing techniques.  At the end of the workshop all the participants wrote on different topics to assess their new skills.

Health Education
A special talk on the topic of Sunburn was presented in Kutumb as part of the Women Empowerment Program.  The presentation covered causes, prevention and remedies for sunburn.  The participants asked many questions about sunburn and other skin conditions.  They received many tips for skin care for themselves and their families.

“Healthy Baby Show”
Kutumb’s Community Health program drew in 25 children from nearby communities for the Healthy Baby event.  All the babies received complete health check ups, and vaccinations were provided as needed. 

The main objective of the program was to increase child health awareness among parents.  Health examinations were done by Dr. Ashish, who gave each parent medical guidance and information on keeping their children healthy.  The vaccinations were facilitated by community health center worker Smt. Tara Devi, and during the vaccinations she also worked to educate the participating parents and encouraged them to help raise awareness of services available at the health center.

Exposure Visit to Bank, for Adult Literacy students. Approximately 12 women participated in the bank exposure visit.  They visited the State Bank of India, Cantonment branch, and were provided with relevant information related to Banks and how the daily functions are performed.  These types of educational visits help these women feel more comfortable and confident to meet daily challenges.

Fun & Skills Development
Summer camp is not just for kids!  Summer Camp Hobby Courses started in Kutumb this month and will continue through the month of June.  This Summer Camp program offers different courses like:  Soft toy making, sewing class, jewelry making, knitting, and beautician training.  Participants can enjoy the activities while learning new skills.