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Prayers for Nepal
The reconstruction work that has been done after the Uttarakhand Floods of 2013 by Amma’s “Embracing the World” teams and other NGO’s could not have been completed without the help of Nepali workers. With grace, they have shouldered the burden of carrying construction materials over very steep trails to all of our housing sites. Their women break rock all day along the riverside, making gravel so we can pour concrete. They live for months in makeshift camps along the river, working to provide for their families back in Nepal. Please pray for these wonderful, gentle people as they return home…
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A sharp jolt accompanied by a roar from within earth
We are in Nepal to assess the situation here….. The towers are down, there is barely any power and water and people stay out in open parks, fearing to return to their damaged homes. Any open area is dotted with tents and tarpaulins… Thousands of people either sit, many sleep, some eat what they can get. Many are from outside of Nepal, waiting to return home, but the scarcity of fuel and vehicles has driven up the rates. What would have cost them Rs.500 before may cost them 2,500 or much more now…so they wait. There is no news from…
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Actively supporting education in Uttarakhand
When I saw this room, I thought it had been abandoned for some time. Instead, I was shocked to find it was an active classroom in use only one week before. Judging by the posters left on the wall, this is a science classroom. As response to the immediate needs of Uttarakhand flood victims wraps up, Amma has asked us to focus on education to benefit the overall population. Our approach is four fold: 1) Using the labor of IVUSA volunteer students from Japan, we have demolished two old classroom buildings like the one above at Inter-colleges in Kandara and…
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Constructive destruction
Nothing is wasted and a great care is taken to keep everything from the demolition. Each stone is kept aside for the construction of the new building and the boards can be used for making benches and desks for the schools.
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Role models
More important than the physical work our team of Japanese students can accomplish, is the example of selfless service they provide for the young children and adults in the villages. Today in Kandara, it was most apparent. The teachers sat and read newspapers, men played cards, younger boys flirted with the Japanese girls. They had no idea to participate in building new classrooms that would benefit their own children. A few young girls came out to help, desperately attaching themselves to the Japanese girls. They have no role models for a life other than the women they see carrying grass…
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And the walls came tumbling down
After two days of heavy rain and cold which interfered with their work schedule. Two days work was completed in one. In true Amma fashion, all of the rubble is sorted for reuse: large stones, small stones, timbers, and tin sheets.
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Accha Bacca – The Good Child
They probably came first for a free meal, then a safe place to play. Many attend the after school tuition classes. Some accompany Swami on his morning walks or do yoga with him. These are the neighborhood kids from slum who make Amma’s Delhi Ashram their second home. They are everywhere, usually in small groups. “Good morning sir … Om Namah Shivaya … What are you doing…Can I help you?” For ten days before Amma arrived, I had the privilege of working with these boys and girls, preparing the ashram. Hundreds of volunteer name badges were made for…
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5000 Roti
Around 200 villagers from Uttarakhand traveled by bus for two days to see Amma in Delhi. For most, it will be their first chance for her Darshan. For many, it is their first trip to the big city. They represent all of the UK programs we have launched in the past year: recipients of houses, vocational training graduates, children from our tuition classes, and the complete class of women who are learning to build toilets. Most remarkable is how quickly they have blended in. Just as they embraced our programs in their villages, they are eager to participate is Amma’s…
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Fresh vegetables for Delhi Brahmasthanam
A large tract of land near Delhi (Faridabad) has been acquired for a new Amrita Hospital and University. Until construction begins, Amma has instructed the land be used for farming. More than 50% of the 1000+ kilos of fresh vegetables to be served during her Delhi Program will come from this farm. An additional blessing for all who attend and take a meal. – Scotti
