What our visitors say

Georgia Hicks' Account of her Experience in Chaparda

"I wake up at six-thirty to the sound of 101 girls singing their morning prayers. They’ve been up since five o’clock and I occasionally hear their excited laughter as they sweep their rooms or the slap of their clothes on the tiles outside during morning laundry. Then it´s off to school. When they come home at half past four for tea (hot cakes straight from the on-site bakery or fresh fruit from the orchard) they will want to play and dance in every spare second between dinner, homework and bed. They love to play volleyball best of all, or else it´s frisbee, the swings, the slide, skipping, or improvised gymnastics. They´re constantly trying to teach me Indian dances, much to my embarrassment because I just can’t carry it off with the same sassy pernash as some of the older girls. Yet they´re also keen to learn ´Western´ moves, be it rock ´n roll swings or the ´Macarena´. And songs! They always want me to sing them songs.

Georgia Hicks' Account of her Experience in ChapardaWhen I left they all performed for me. I´ve never encountered such overall enthusiasm for music. They all either had instruments to beat or dance steps to show or a tune to sing, with the joy and force and colour so natural to them. It´s almost impossible to think that these girls have come from some of the poorest families and most deprived backgrounds. They are orphans. Or else they only have a single parent or grandparent, unable to provide for them or give them any sort of support. These girls have known depravity and desperation. When they came to the hostel they were apparently shells of their present selves: stick-thin, often sick and lice-ridden, unable to sleep on beds as they´d never experienced it before, and entirely new to the luxuries of running water and toilets.

But in Rishna Girls´ Home they not only have a proper bed, but a bedroom shared with just one other girl, clean bathrooms with taps and flushing toilets, a playground, games, even a sunday night film, fresh food four times a day, and, most importantly, an excellent education. In practicality they are lacking nothing. All I could offer them was attention and affection. And with 101 of them – “Sister, sister! What´s my name?!” – this was in high demand, but couldn´t be more willingly given. They range in age from 6 to 16 (some are unsure of their precise age) and are all as individual and vibrant as they are endearing. One of their favourite things to do was invite me into their rooms – in reality almost all identical, as is natural to institutions where equality is important, but in their eyes their special abode of which they were so proud. They´d done their utmost to decorate and individualise – a peacock feather in the window pane, a coloured bangle on the door handle, the beds arranged at a different angle – and their innate hospitality was overwhelming; they were desperate to give me a bindi, though they only had a few, or a nail polish bought with a small, carefully-saved allowance. They were forever making me gifts. Their English was limited but ebullient: “Sister, sister – fine!”, they would shout to me, fingers clasped in the international “ok” sign. Here it means more than fine, more than ok, it means “great”, with joyful exclamation, which I think summed up everything.

Georgia Hicks' Account of her Experience in ChapardaI had come to Rishna Girls´ Home to offer my services for a couple of weeks as I was travelling through India having completed my degree. I had heard of the good work the Mukti Trust was doing with an orphanage in Gujerat so was curious to see for myself and help if I could. All I knew was that there were 101 girls in an establishment run by a “self-realized” man and that, apart from myself, there would be no other volunteers or even English-speakers. I was nervous. Yet nothing could have prepared me for the experience. Let me try and explain the lay-out at the very least. The hostel is on the same grounds as a boys´ boarding school and old persons´ home but no Western model can help you picture this set-up. The group of establishments is a unique phenomenon in its own right; run by a savvy guru to an unparalleled degree of efficiency.

Bapu is a spiritual leader to many, both within Gujurat and as a far afield as Britain and the United States. He is, of course, Hindu but spiritual in a broad sense, encompassing Christianity, Judaism, Islam etc., and is held with profoundest respect in Chaparda, not just because it´s to be expected of a man in orange robes, but because the people have been witness to what his good work can achieve. He is also a leader in a more practical sense and oversees the day-to-day business of these institutions, which are sustained side-by-side and function like well-oiled machines, running off their own organic fuel. The ´settlement´ at Chaparda has its very own dairy farm, orchard, fields, bakery, visiting doctors, kitchens, cleaners, and careworkers. And as the enterprise is generally so self-perpetuating, money is not the currency on which it is ostensibly run. With the generous donations of several oversees charities and individuals Bapu ensures everybody has what he or she needs. To grow up in a place where money is not at the forefront of things, where it is superseded by education, spirituality, and play, especially in such a poor part of rural India, is a special thing indeed and one which I had never before witnessed.

Georgia Hicks' Account of her Experience in ChapardaSo how can this be sustained; what can be done for the girls of Rishna Girls´ Home so that they don´t have to go back to their former misfortune? And how can more children be helped in this manner? Well, first and foremost money is needed to keep this place running. Though what I came to appreciate was how such a little goes a long way; not only because of the strength of the British pound but because of the sustainable efficiency of the whole set-up. The Mukti Trust relies on donations and sponsorships to keep these girls but for just 240 pounds (that´s only 20 pounds a month) you can support a girl for an entire year. This covers everything from her breakfast to her sari to her exercise books. Or you could fund a new sports facility to be built, or even sponsor a cow in the dairy. Anything helps. And it does help; I´ve witnessed first-hand the efficiency of this place and, without wanting to sound over-zealous, it is inspirational. With your financial help Rishna Girls´ Home can keep changing the lives of these girls, who are being given support, education and chances unparalleled in this part of the world – equal opportunities, no less, to their male counterparts, which is, unfortunately, still rare.

Alternatively (or additionally), you could go and stay with the girls and offer your time and attention. There haven’t been regular volunteers because Bapu is keen to maintain the sanctity and purity of the place; it is vital that the girls aren’t negatively influenced by Western values and consumerism. It is also important that they aren´t jaded by an eternal stream of transient “brothers” and “sisters”; the girls are so affectionate that they become attached easily so for people to keep coming and going would understandably be difficult for them. On the other hand, however, it is important that they learn about the wider world and are introduced to the benevolent and beneficial aspects of Western life, such as the equality of women and respect for education. Plus, it is important for them to realise the necessity of the English language in many professions and to have the opportunity to practice it. If you were to volunteer here all these things would have to be borne in mind: you would have to respect all aspects of their way of life and conditions and consideration for the girls´ welfare and development naturally has to be of paramount importance. But this is also a unique chance to experience a completely different way of life and to see how a charity can be run successfully, making such positive changes to the lives of promising young women, and to be a part of that. It´s been a privilege for me to live with these girls for a few weeks and any opportunity to help them should be seized with both hands".