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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Two students, studying under the guidance of Food for Life Vrindavan, have completed an in-depth study of Bari Atas village. At the end of their two month study, the students, Rupesh Kakkar and Sandeep Vishwakarma from KIIT School of Rural Management, gave a power point presentation sharing their findings. One of the important findings coming out of their study was that the farming methods used by villagers are generally not cost-effective. According to their research, this is due to factors such as the overuse and misuse of chemical fertilisers. The students recommended modern scientific farming methods such as soil testing and alternating the use of chemical fertilisers with organic fertilisers. As part of the study, the students also put together a timeline of village history. Some interesting facts that came out of this exercise are that the village got its first tractor in 1960 and the electricity was connected in 1981.

Lubov Bogomolova from The Research Institute, Moscow, recently visited Sandipani Muni School and was impressed with the “warmth and openness” of the students. During her visit, Lyubov taught the students traditional Russian dances; observed teaching methods; and began talks with school authorities about setting up a cultural exchange between the students of Sandipani Muni school and Russian students. Lubov told teachers and students that she is an advocate of teaching dance in schools because dancing helps students to become creative and assertive. Lubov spoke to teachers about new, scientific teaching methods used in Russia. For example, Russians schools give students a break mid-lesson because studies show that if students take a five minute break during class to do some exercise, their performance improves.

As Food for Life Vrindavan is well known as an organisation that works for the welfare of children, local authorities often bring lost children us. Food for Life Vrindavan has an orphanage where some of these children are placed, but, where children have been accidentally separated from their parents, we go to great lengths to reunite them with their parents. Twice in the last six months, children whose parents lived over 100 miles away have been successfully reunited with their families. In one case, two Food for Life staff members travelled over ten hours on a train in order to reunite a nine year old girl called Radhika with her parents. When they reached her home, Radhika’s father cried and neighbours said that her mother had gone to Delhi looking for her.

After the first month of construction on the new Sandipani Muni school, the boundary wall has been constructed and the building foundations are in place. The construction is progressing rapidly and is expected to be complete by the June 2010 deadline. A major portion of funding for this school was raised at the Asian Achievers Awards night in London, however, we are still needing more funding to complete the construction. If you can help, please email info@fflvrindavan.org

As part of our efforts to make education accessible to poorest of poor children, all 1000 Sandipani Muni school children get free school uniforms and shoes. This summer, the uniform distribution was sponsored by Dilip Patel from Pacifica USA and a group from London (Alex Papp, Leslie Papp, Attila Mihaly, and Daniel Orosz). In addition, 1000 pairs of sandals were sponsored by Rene and Ineke Zondag from Dubai. We thank our kind donors for making it possible to keep providing free education and much needed extra support to these special children of Vrindavan.

To celebrate Women's Day 2009, Food for Life Vrindavan held a cultural and educational event that was attended by hundreds of women. The event was held on the grounds of Sandipani Muni Primary school and was well attended by parents of children at Sandipani Muni School as well as local and village women. Hundreds of women from villages surrounding Vrindavan, many of whom have been the beneficiaries of Food for Life Village outreach programs, were provided with transport to attend the event. Several distinguished speakers addressed the crowd and the event was well covered by the local press. Advocates including Mr L.K Thakhur, advocate Supreme Court, and Ms Pratibha Sharma, advocate Mathura, gave speeches informing women of their legal rights and encouraging them to claim these rights. The special guest of the day was Mohini Giri. Giri is the former president of the National Commission for Women and the current Chairperson of the Guild of Service, an organisation that works for the protection of widows. As well as listening to informative speaches, women were entertained by dances performed by Sandipani Muni school children and a drama performed by local village women depicting the importance of literacy to women's welfare.

On 31^st March, twenty ladies graduated from a six week refresher course held at Sanipani Muni school sewing center. Six of the ladies who attended the course are currently employed at the school sewing uniforms for the children. Another twelve work from home and the remaining two are hoping to start tailoring businesses in the near future. One of the course attendees, Mitlesh, said that she was very pleased to have been given the chance to learn so many different clothing designs and now has more confidence in her ability to earn money as a tailor. The closing ceremony was attended by M.I Khan, from the Indian Government's department of rural affairs (NABARD). Mr Khan congradulated the ladies on behalf of the other course conveners, P.D Bajrolia, Lead bank manager Syndicate bank, Mathura and Mr V.K Singh, General Manager, District Industry Center.