Happy Homes

Dear Friends,
This will be a lengthy post but I feel it is important to share this with you! Through Sunshine Kids Intl. St. Catherine's has been able to develope this amazing program called Happy Homes.

The Happy Home program targets the parents or guardians of the children, who come from street or other vulnerable backgrounds for child's admission. So far, the Trust that was set up, was supporting the complete rehabilitation program with full education and vocational training only for the orphans or abandoned children without any families. The stree children, who have a family, had to leave the orphanage to join the other orphanges or boarding schools after completing the primary education (standard four) from the St. Catherine of Siena School run by the Trust. While children were getting admission in other schools or orphanages and continued their eduaciton, the parental issues become a road block. In the Happy Home project, these parental road blocks are sorted out while the chidlren studied under the care of the orphanage and school. The parents who have benefited the counseling have come out of the social stigma, mental trauma, and financial insecurites. They are now socially accepted, psychologically ready and set to take life ahead and economically stabilized.

The goal of the Happy Home program isto develope a commitment in the street parent to move to a slum house, within six years. During this time, the street parent does not spend any money on the child by way of paying boarding fees, medical expsenses, education, food, shelter, and counseling. These costs are covered through the program. The Happy Home Program provides the street parents with the opportunity to focus on their own growth during this time. The parents are given couseling and job traing to help them gain a foot up! At the end of the six year term, the goal is that parents will have moved into a rented slum house from the street and be reunified with their children. The children will return to their families in a safe and healthy environment.

During the six years of growth, there are many steps that are put into place to help the children become healthy and successful, as well as staying connected to their families. Each week there is a "Open Day." On the "open day", the parents are able to come and observe their childrens academic performance and meet with their teachers. This is not only to encourage the parents to stay involved in their children's lives, but to show the children that they have someone supporting them.

Happy Homes program is still in it's beginning stages. Our hope is to grow and increase the success of every family involved. While it has only been 2 years of the Happy Homes Program, we have seen amazing success in both the children and their families. Here are some of their stories!
~~~ One of the mothers who came to visit her child at St. Catherine's, was very apprehensive in interacting with the other families. The staff thought perhaps she had a mental retardation. After three months of counseling, there was an amazing change in her! She became confident and began taking initiative in her life and her childs. She now regularly comes to see her child, and enjoys interacting with the other families.
~~~One of the other mothers found her self very uncomfortable visiting St. Catherine's. She was the victim of her husband's abuse. He had burned her face, leaving her with noticiable disfigurment. When she first came to St. Catherine's, she was very depressed and embaressed about her burns. But after months she was able to come and interact with other families. In our Happy Feet Program (the dance therapy classes), she danced in the front row.

Amazing things are happening and will continue to happen through the Happy Homes Program.

Director Visiting St. Catherine's

Dear Friends,

Mary Gothi, our director at SKI, is headed to India tonight!! She will be visiting St. Catherine's over the week, meeting with the staff and children. The children will be putting on a special performance for her, to showcase what they have been learning from the Happy Feet Program that they created with SKI funds! She will also be working with the Happy Homes Program, which is solely funded by SKI sponsorship.

We will keep the blog updated on her adventures throughout her trip!

With love,

SKI