JUNE 2025
As our newsletter goes out, the afternoon children and staff
have returned back for the start of the new academic year
and there's a real buzz at Mango Tree House. As ever we look
forward with excitement to see what the new year brings and
we have to say it's wonderful that the project is so settled
now that we have our own premises. We did think that after
our 12 year journey to achieve that goal, we wouldn't ever
need to be involved in new premises, however, as you will
read below, there's been quite a lot going on at our Chimbel
project and we are working hard to help to provide fit for
purpose premises for the next ten years. Although it's been
an unexpected task, we have to admit to being very excited
about the future of the project and look forward to having a
lot to say about it in our next newsletter. Meanwhile, we
hope you enjoy reading what's been happening recently.
A JOYFUL FLOWER FILLED HOLI
On the day before Holi we had a great time celebrating with
all the children. Although all the celebrations are great
fun, we especially love our pre-primary celebrations when we
celebrate, not with coloured powders, but with flower
petals. All children gathered in the hall, a handful of
marigold petals was given out to everyone, some instructions
as many hadn't played Holi before, and we were off. Children
didn't need telling twice. Their only complaint came when we
had to stop for what was already a late lunch. It was
joyous, a completely harmless good natured riot, and enjoyed
as much by the teachers as the children.
OUR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SPORTS
DAYS
As March approached and we
could see the pressure building on children as end of year
exams approached, it was decided that we could squeeze a
Sports Day in before revision became the complete focus.
Children were asked what things they would like to include
in a Sports Day and they had quite a list of both indoor and
outdoor games. In the event, we had an event for each with
games such as UNO, Snakes and Ladders, Jenga, Ludo and Chess
in the former and things like skipping, Lemon and Spoon,
Relay, Obstacle and Sack Races in the latter. Children in
all standards were really enthusiastic and it was a joy to
see them having fun and free from the pressures of
schoolwork for a while.
PRE-PRIMARY DRILL
It's common practice in Goa for children to take part in
drill as part of physical education. In addition to breaking
up the day, drills can improve both body and mind and, as
children get older, they can be developed to form the basis
of many sports. Here are some of the youngest children
having fun performing a flower filled drill during our
Sports Week.
HOLIKA DAHAN
There are many traditions associated with the various
festivals in India. The country is so vast that it isn't
unusual that the same festival is celebrated in a different
way in different parts of the country. The Ganesh Chaturthi
Festival, for example, is celebrated on a grand scale in Goa
and the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, but much less so
in northern India. On the other hand Holi is a huge
celebration in the North and less so in the South. If you
were in Northern India on the night before Holi you would
see tall, slender bonfires everywhere with devotees circling
them, praying and making offerings. The night is known as
Holika Dahan and the bonfires represent the triumph of good
over evil. This year our older students celebrated the
Festival by making models of the Holikas, some of which you
can see here.
A NEW SCHOOL FOR CHIMBEL
Many of you will remember that in our last newsletter we
reported our hopes for new premises for the project at
Chimbel. Since then, things have moved on a pace. A 10 year
lease was signed and various plans made to turn the premises
into a school. The premises which will form the school
comprise the ground floor and part of the first floor of the
building shown above. When the various renovations are
complete the school will be such an improvement. Small rooms
are being knocked together and our immediate focus has been
to provide a safe environment for children with a clear
separation between the school and the rooms above. There is
a lot of work to be done but it's going to be so worth it.
We are still hoping to receive funds to help with the
project, and these will determine the scope of what can be
done and when but we know that it won't be long before the
pre-primary school and afternoon tuition classes for at
least 120 children will be in full swing.
THE OLDER CHILDREN VISIT
GOA'S NEWEST AND BIGGEST WATER PARK
As always at the end of the academic year all children go
on an outing. Due to the numbers involved and the range of
ages we arranged three this year. Our primary children had a
blast at the Science Museum and the secondary children had a
fun day out at Splashdown Water Park. Our older children
were desperate to visit Farm 33, the newly opened biggest
water park in Goa. We knew that children had been under
enormous pressure, with so little free time to relax so we
were happy to grant their request. We understand the
waterpark totally lived up to its amazing reputation with so
many waterslides, including India's 3rd biggest and aptly
named Nightmare Skyfall. In addition children enjoyed the
Nightmare, Free Fall Boomerang, Master Blaster and Tornado
rides and had fun in the rain dances and in the fabulous
pool with waves. It was an amazing day and considering that
children had only a week off work after their exams before
returning to school, it was just the boost that they needed.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Lunch at Mango Tree House is so important. Good nutrition
is essential to good health, development and concentration.
Providing lunch is something of a military operation.
Everything is cooked from scratch based on our five week
rolling menu. From ordering ingredients to being ready to
put the first meal on a plate at 11.30 everything has to go
like clockwork. Everyday our cooks provide lunch for around
280. But we serve far more meals than that. Pre-primary
children are served a meal and then go back as many times as
they want to until they are full. Most children still go
back for seconds and some will have thirds, fourths and
more. There's no judgement about what anyone takes, our only
requirements are full tummies and no waste. Here's some of
our eager children patiently queuing for more.
ALL READY FOR THE
NEW SCHOOL YEAR
After the long summer holidays, all children were back in
school at the start of June. In the week before that it was
all systems go on the ground at Mango Tree House. There were
the start of year meetings with parents to share important
information about the academic schedule, including details
such as school timings, the changes to the academic year,
vacation dates, rules and regulations and what school
expects from them in terms of support and involvement. It
gives parents to the chance to ask questions too. For many
parents it's just a reminder, but we have to remember that
some parents have never been in a school environment and
absolutely everything is new and challenging. Once parents'
meetings were out of the way it was time to distribute new
school bags, uniforms, rainwear, stationery and toiletries.
It's always a great day with children so excited to see what
their bag looks like and what's in it and excited to see
their friends too. .
|
10TH STANDARD SUCCESS
We were delighted to learn that all the
children in 10th Standard passed their Board
Exams. The exams are the first externally set
exams children face, and are a benchmark in much
the same way as GCSE's are in the UK. A good
result can take a student to another level in
their academic and career prospects. Children
are currently settling on their next study
course - some are planning to continue with
Higher Secondary whilst others are considering a
vocational course which will lead to more
immediate work. Here's a photo of some of the
proud 10th Standard students who hadn't left to
visit their villages when the results were
declared.
THE LIONS CLUB TALK TO OUR TEAM ABOUT STRESS
MANAGEMENT
We were very pleased when a couple of local Lions Clubs
offered to give our teachers a talk on stress management and
personal and work life. Throughout the year we are
completely focussed on children and their needs so it was a
really welcome chance for teachers to think about themselves
and their needs and how to recognise and deal with stress.
The team felt the talk was a great help and we say a huge
thank you to the Lions Club for supporting our team in this
way.
OUR THANKS FOR THE NICK'S PLACE FUNDRAISERS
It was a real
pleasure to welcome Joanne and Martin to Mango
Tree House at the end of March and to be able to
thank them formally for the Charity fundraisers
they held at Nick's Place during the last
tourist season. The last quiz and fun night took
place on 12th March and raised a whopping 23,600
rupees which was helped by a kind family who
donated their winnings from "Open The Box" to
the Charity. In total 66,300 rupees was raised
during the season, and we thank Martin and
Joanne, Nick and the Nick's Place team for
looking after everyone so well. Lastly, we thank
Suzanne and Mark who together with Joanne and
Martin, kicked off the fundraisers but had to
return to the UK early.
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Each year
International Women's Day is celebrated on the
8th March. The day reminds us to respect and
value women in our lives, recognises their
efforts, promotes gender equality and equal
opportunities and encourages girls to follow
their dreams. Every day our Mango Tree ladies
work hard to give children the chance to lift
themselves out of poverty. They are excellent
role models and we have the utmost respect for
the work that they do. Here's a rare photo of
all our ladies together after they were each
presented with a rose as a token of our
gratitude.
NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY BRINGS
BIG CHANGE TO THE ACADEMIC YEAR
Every year, children traditionally break up
for a two month Summer holiday directly after
their exams at the end of May. This year,
however, things were far from traditional for
children in 5th Standard and above who were told
that their new school year would start
immediately after their exams and that they
would remain in school until the end of April.
The new system was unpopular and after various
representations were made it was agreed that
children could have a week off and then return
to school which would finish early at 11.30am as
the month of April is very hot. The new rules
are particularly challenging for many of the
families we support who traditionally head to
their native villages for the long holidays. In
the event most complied with the new rules but a
significant number of children's families,
particularly those with younger children
unaffected by the changes, headed off
regardless. It remains to be seen whether the
new scheme will be extended to all children this
academic year.
OUR THANKS TO A KIND-HEARTED WELLWISHERR
We were both amazed and delighted to learn
that a kindhearted well-wisher had left a
donation of 82,000 rupees (around £750) at
Nick's Place at the end of the tourist season.
It's a huge amount of money and helped us finish
the financial year on a great note. We are very
fortunate to have had wonderful support through
Nick's Place over so many years and this is yet
another example of the good things that have
come our way. We say a huge thank you to our
well-wisher and hope that we might see them at
Mango Tree House so that they can see what they
help us to achieve.
OUR SOCIAL WORKER GIVES A TALK ON
MENSTRUATION & FEMININE HYGIENE
To help promote awareness and knowledge
about menstruation and feminine hygiene, our
counsellor held an informative session for all
the girls from 4th Standard and above. The talk
aimed to provide accurate information about both
the physical and emotional changes that occur
during menstruation, as well as practical advice
on maintaining proper hygiene, using sanitary
products, and managing menstrual health. The
session was designed to create a supportive and
open environment where the girls felt
comfortable asking questions and learning about
this natural process.
|
