FFL Vrindavan is dedicated to the poorest of the poor, educating and guiding them in pursuance of a fulfilling life, enabling them to become exemplary members of society. FFL Vrindavan is also dedicated to protecting and developing Vrindavan’s natural environment.

Our work includes:

• food distribution
• basic medical assistance
• training courses for women
• drilling for drinking water and constructing water tanks
• assistance to the elderly and the disabled
• distribution of clothes
• environmental projects and education
• taking care of cows
• providing primary school education for disadvantaged children.
  

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Sandipani Muni School children are currently taking their yearly exams. Each day the children take two exams, one before lunch and one after. Children who have trouble in their exams have a chance to catch up on work missed over the summer break, as Sandipani Muni School stays open and provides a summer holiday program that includes academics as well as fun activities like dance, music, art, etc… During the summer break, most of Sandipani Muni School children will remain in school while few will go with their parents back to the villages. The academic year will recommence on July first, all children will move up one grade and, as the oldest students at Sandipani Muni School will move on to ninth grade we will have some vacancy for few children to be admitted, probably around 50 children will be admitted in kindergarten and prep. class, taking the total number of children being educated across the two Sandipani Muni Schools to more than 1,000.

For the last ten years, Food for Life has been serving a weekly feast to a home for the blind. Recently, one of our regular donors, Rasa Prada Prabhu, USA, wrote to us asking what the men in the blind ashram are in need of. Despite knowing that their ashram is in quite a dilapidated condition, we were not sure of what they would consider to be their greatest need, so we sent a staff member out to visit them and ask. After discussing it amongst themselves, residents of the ashram decided that they would like to spend the donation money to install two ceiling fans. Dileep Pandey, one of the field workers at Food for Life Vrindavan said “I really like working in this way. Because of the kindness and empathy of one person, we were able to make a big change in the lives of these men, who have been living for years in 40 (104) degree heat without even a fan.”

In association with the Indian Government's Center for Environment Education, Food for Life Vrindavan organized an environmental awareness campaign for 78 schools in the Braj area. At each of the 78 schools, and thousands more schools around the nation, students were asked to vote on which Indian celebrity should be chosen as India's environment ambassador. The nation wide campaign will select an ambassador who will be asked to champion the cause of environment and sustainable development in the Media. World Environment Day celebrations (June 5^th 2009) will include the announcement of who will be India's environment ambassador.

A monthly school magazine has been launched to keep children and parents informed of the latest Sandipani Muni School news. With drawings, poems and stories by students and teachers, the newsletter is fun as well as informative. The newsletter is written in Hindi so that children's parents have the opportunity to read it. Only around half of the children at Sandipani Muni School have parents who are literate so children are being encouraged to read the newsletter to their parents. Pooja from 4^thC, said, “I really liked the newsletter, especially the address to students by Rupa and the 'spot-the-difference' puzzle.”

Food for Life Medical Center's inpatient ward is now up and running. Due to the extreme temperatures, many patients need to be admitted for conditions such as diarrhea, dehydration and heatstroke. Villagers, particularly women are grateful to have a local center where they can get both outpatient and inpatient medical treatment for themselves and their children. It is often difficult for women to leave their villages due to transport, financial and cultural restrictions. This means that unless they have a local center, they and their children are likely to be unable to obtain needed medical treatment. As well as saving the lives of villagers, Food for Life Medical Center is proving beneficial to the parents and children of Sandipani Muni School. Several children have been admitted for glucose drips and Pavitra, the mother of Sujata (8^th grade, Sandipani Muni School) is currently admitted in the medical center's general ward to undergo treatment for a severe case of typhoid fever.

Several Sandipani Muni students have formed friendships with students in the UK. Students from 7^th and 8^th grade at Sandipani Muni School have been writing to 7^th and 8^th grade students at Mitchell High School, Stoke on Trent, UK.The students and their e-pals send letters and photos back and forth. Deependra (8^th grade, Sandipani Muni School) has been writing to Ivan Wright from Mitchell High School. Both students are around 15 years old and both enjoy football, they even both agree that their favorite team is England! The e-palling program is part of a sister-school partnership between Sandipani Muni School, Vrindavan and Mitchell High School, UK. The international curriculum development officer from Mitchell High School, Mr. Anoop Watts has visited Sandipani Muni School several times and the partnership has been registered with the British Council, Global Schools Program.