The DEED Children are Amazing!

Adarsha, Mr. Shrikanth, Apoorva, and the children discussing Project Jatropha


The DEED Children dancing!


Apoorva and Adarsha with the DEED Children


Dear readers of our blog,

As mentioned earlier, the Project Jatropha team visited DEED, a child labor rehabilitation, residential school. I thought of writing a bit more about our visit. This isn't an orphanage per se. However, some of the children are orphans. The rest from disturbed single parent families. Mr. Srikanth, the director of DEED, is an extraordinary human being. I have never met anybody like him in my entire life. He has dedicated his entire life to helping these unfortunate children. He along with his coworkers go deep into the Nagarahole Forest many times in a year looking for indigenous people. They are mainly honey gatherers. He brings the children of these people to their center. Though the kids have no exposure to formal schooling, they are exceptionally bright. The kids speak their own language and are very happy and lively. They are also amazing singers! We have recorded some of their songs, which We will be posting on Youtube shortly. Just by looking at the shadow of a tree, they can tell the time pretty accurately! We were really surprised. They can identify medicinal plants and their uses. We would love to share a story of a young boy, Chandra*. He was around 3 years old when he arrived at the DEED center. He always carried a knife in his hand. Whenever he saw a tree, he used to make a specific symbol using the knife. He was a very silent child. Within three years, he has learned three languages (English, Hindi, and Kannada), math, and science. Mr. Srikanth predicts he will become a very famous individual because of his extraordinary intelligence. We agree! Now Chandra is attending formal schooling, where he is acing all the subjects, even beyond two grade levels. Who knows how many more Chandras are wandering in the forest waiting to be rescued, so that they can have a real chance at attaining their maximum potential?

*Name has been changed to protect his identity

Sincerely,
Apoorva