Nurse and babies from Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin, India.…
To give some background to the work we do in this village, I have the story of a little boy, Vishnu, who came to SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin. When he arrived he was in a traumatic state. He could not recall anything about his past and didn't even remember the names of his parents. The little boy was nervous about how SOS mother Parimala and the other children she cares for would react to him.
- Lisa
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Nurse and babies from Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin, India.
To give some background to the work we do in this village, I have the story of a little boy, Vishnu, who came to SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin. When he arrived he was in a traumatic state. He could not recall anything about his past and didn't even remember the names of his parents. The little boy was nervous about how SOS mother Parimala and the other children she cares for would react to him.
SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin welcomed Vishnu in the month of November 2005. Vishnu was denied the joys and pleasures of childhood. At the early age of five he found himself on the streets struggling for food and shelter.
His life was full of horrors. He was without food for days and survived on the charity of passers-by. Vishnu's traumatic life came to the notice of the police department and they brought him to the Council for Child Welfare.
Though the council could give him food and shelter it was not a long term arrangement. The Honourable Chief Justice of the district found SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin the best place for Vishnu to grow-up.
When Vishnu did arrive, Parimala and all the children in the house were happy and eagerly awaited their new brother. The smaller ones at home were keen to offer their new clothes to Vishnu! They were also keen to share their toys and school bags with their new brother.
Vishnu is now attending nursery school and learns the alphabet and rhymes. "He is a quick learner and takes an interest in learning", says his teacher. Vishnu is active in the playground and prefers to bowl while playing cricket with his brothers.
- Mary
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Former SOS child and her SOS mother at Children's Village Khartoum, Sudan.
At the SOS Children's Village Khartoum, Sahar is getting ready to be married soon. Sudanese young women make a number of elaborate preparations for marriage, and Sahar is no exception.
It is traditional in Sudan for the bride to have traditional beauty treatments. So Sahar begins with a mixture of sesame oil, almond oil and other fragrant oils applied to her skin daily. She will also sit beside burning sandlewood, as part of the skin treatment.
Sahar is 25 and grew up in the SOS Children's Village Khartoum, Sudan. Like every Sudanese bride-to-be she is helped in her wedding preparations by her mother. Not only does she help with the beauty preparations but also with advice and support for the marrage itself. That's why Sahar is staying in her childhood family house with her SOS mother and brothers and sisters.
The smoke from the sandlewood burning forms a dark crust on her skin, which is dry and rough. To remove this crust, the skin is scrubbed with a mixture of ground, dry beans, wheat germ and cream. The layer of skin left after the scrubbing is as soft and smooth as a baby's skin, giving the bride a soft glow.
During the preparations, the bride is fed rich, fattening food to make sure she puts on a little weight to be plump and beautiful. "I don't want to get too fat though," tall and slender Sahar says, "I like myself the way I am."
The day before the wedding, the bride has a henna party, which is a kind of hen party. Only women attend, the bride's friends and sisters. In Sudan, the bride-to-be dances with her girlfriends at the henna party. A professional henna artist draws henna tattoos on the bride's hands and ankles and feet, as well as the hands and feet of the bride's girlfriends.
Usually the henna party is a small affair that takes place at the bride's home. The henna is brought into the main room where the bride and her friends are and they put candles in the henna paste and light them, somewhat like a birthday cake. Usually dancing takes place around the dish with the henna and candles.
Weddings are very important in Sudan. And with a family as large as the SOS Children's Village in Khartoum, including all the children, mothers, former youths and retired co-workers, the number of attendees can easily exceed 100. Add to that all the bride's friends and the groom's friends, as well as their siblings' friends, and you have a guest list of several hundred people.
Sahar's wedding is probably going to take place either at the SOS Children's Village Khartoum or at a large celebration hall. There will be food and dancing into the early hours of the morning.
Sahar will put on a red dress and a red scarf. She will wear red from head to toe, and will wear large gold necklaces, gold bangles, gold anklets and gold earrings. If she has more gold trinkets, she'll wear them too.
Youssef, the groom, will wear a traditional white Sudanese man's outfit. He will tie a silk band around his wrists and neck.
Family members come and visit. They bring rice pudding, dried fruits, fiteer (a kind of pancake). They burn incense so that the smoke is spread over the bride and groom as good luck. The bride's female relatives perfume her body and clothes with oils. The groom is also perfumed with incense and perfume oils.
The mothers of both bride and groom make a mixture of sandalwood powder with sesame oil and a small amount of this mixture is placed on the bride and groom's foreheads as a blessing. The after party is considered even more important than the wedding party itself. It is believed to bring good fortune and happiness to the couple for the rest of their lives.
For the time being, Sahar is still sitting by the sandlewood smoke in the baking heat, to enhance her beautiful skin. When she gets married, Sahar will move to Syria with her husband, who currently works and lives there. She's happy about the move. "At least the weather there is a lot cooler than here," she smiles.
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