Wishing You a Season of Renewal, Service, and Giving: October 2024

As I reflect on Rosh Hashana, Gandhi Jayanti, and Daan Utsav—three powerful events that overlap this week—I am struck by how deeply connected they are, despite their different cultural and religious roots. Each of these occasions invites us to pause, look inward, and find ways to give back to the world around us. Their values—renewal, service, and kindness—feel universal. I believe they offer something meaningful to all of us, regardless of where we come from.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, has always felt like an opportunity for a fresh start. It’s a time for deep introspection, where we look back on the year behind us and consider how we want to move forward. The focus is on self-renewal, acknowledging where we’ve fallen short, and committing to doing better. For me, one of the most meaningful aspects of this time is the emphasis on kindness, compassion, and responsibility toward others. Giving during this season, whether through charity or acts of kindness, becomes a way to reset our hearts and reconnect with our fellow human beings. The process of giving itself feels like a renewal of the soul, aligning us with the values that matter most.

In India, Gandhi Jayanti honors the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and is one of the country’s three national holidays. Gandhi, a figure whose life embodied selflessness and service, dedicated himself to justice through humility and nonviolence. His philosophy of "Sarvodaya," or the upliftment of all, reminds us that service isn’t just an act; it’s a way of life. When we serve others, especially those who are struggling, we’re not just helping them—we are also transforming ourselves in the process. Gandhi Jayanti, for me, is a reminder of how powerful simple, sincere acts of kindness can be, and how much they can change the world around us. Gandhi’s legacy teaches us that service, in its purest form, is a pathway to personal and societal change.

Also in India, Daan Utsav—the Joy of Giving Week—deeply resonates with me. There’s something profoundly moving about dedicating an entire week to acts of giving, whether through donations, volunteering, or small, thoughtful gestures. What I love about Daan Utsav is the genuine happiness that comes with giving, not because we feel obligated, but because there’s true joy in helping others. In my own life, I’ve found that moments when I’ve given—whether my time, resources, or simply a listening ear—have been some of the most fulfilling. There’s a special kind of contentment that comes from giving selflessly, and it’s this spirit that Daan Utsav captures so beautifully.

When I think about Rosh Hashana, Gandhi Jayanti, and Daan Utsav together, I realize they share a common thread: each event, in its unique way, asks us to step beyond ourselves, to consider how we can serve others, and to find renewal through that process. Whether through tzedakah (charity and service) during Rosh Hashana, honoring Gandhi’s legacy of service to the poor, or participating in Daan Utsav, these moments remind us that service is a powerful way to connect not only with others, but also with ourselves.

As we move through this season, let us embrace the call for introspection, renewal, and service. Let us continually renew ourselves and recommit to the joy of giving.

In the spirit of these powerful events, all of us at Gabriel Project Mumbai wish you a year filled with reflection, renewal, and meaningful service to others. Through these actions, we hope to find deeper connection and purpose, in ways that truly matter.

A Heartwarming Journey: Adopted 50 years ago, Sharmilla returned to the villages where she was born

Fifty years ago, a six-year-old girl named Sharmilla living an orphanage in rural Maharashtra, India, was adopted by a loving American a loving couple. They took her to New York, where she was provided with a wonderful life -- far removed from her birthplace. Today, half a century later, she decided to return to her roots, to connect with the place where she was born, and to generously give
back to the community she comes from.

For decades, Sharmilla Klestzick, a dedicated Special Learning Consultant (SLC) teacher at SAR

Academy in New York, felt a calling to reconnect with her origins. Reaching out to Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM), she expressed her dream of returning to her homeland to volunteer in any capacity she could. Her expertise in personalized learning and innovative instruction excited the education team at GPM, and they welcomed her with open arms.

With her husband David and their four children supporting her journey, Sharmilla embarked on a two-week mission that would leave a lasting impression on many, as well as on herself. Her destination was the tribal enclave of Mokhada, a four-hour drive from Mumbai. There she taught practical and conversational English to students in their final year of schooling as well as giving special English classes to grade school children in the villages.

Through games, songs, and engaging exercises, Sharmilla brought English lessons to life for the students. Her creative teaching methods captivated the young minds, and made the learning a joyful experience. The students eagerly participated, soaking up every minute of their time with her.

In her free time, Sharmilla immersed herself in the local culture. She was warmly invited into villagers' homes, where they all shared stories over glasses of chai and indulged in Indian sweets. These moments of connection were deeply impactful for Sharmilla.

"It’s a very emotional and meaningful visit for me," she said. "It is wonderful to meet the people and experience the culture from where I was born."

Sharmilla's commitment to giving back extended beyond the classroom. She also volunteered at a health camp for malnourished children, working closely with GPM's medical support staff. Her dedication and compassion left a profound impression on the community.

Kenneth Dsouza, Director of GPM India, was also moved. "I find it so wonderful to see a ‘Daughter of India’ returning to her birthplace with such a strong desire to volunteer and give back to her people," he said.

Sharmilla's journey is a testament to the enduring bonds of heritage and the power of giving back. Her story is an inspiration, reminding us that it is never to late to reconnect with one's roots. And that we all have the power to make a positive difference in the world.

Meet Pradip, the 'Dancing Teacher' at Gabriel Project Mumbai

Pradip Kadu is not your typical science teacher. The 25-year-old with a Bachelor of Science in Physics,
spends much of his time with his students dancing.

Yes, dancing.

Take a look at the lively video to see Pradip the beloved “Dancing Teacher” in action at the GPM classes in the tribal villages of Mokhada.

Pradip is from a small village called Morchondi and he understands the challenges faced by children living in underserved tribal villages to attain an education. After his university studies he returned to his village determined to give children in his community a chance to learn about science in a fun and engaging way.

 “I love to teach students their subjects,” Pradip says, “I love to teach them through sports, songs, dance and stories…classes in science and math should also promote life skills… I have observed that children remember lessons faster through singing, and after learning by doing, children become happy.”

As far as educators go, Pradip is a treasure. "We encourage the passion of our teachers to teach in innovative ways to best educate the children in our community,” says Education Officer Rohit Jadhav: “Pradip's pedagogic approach is an example of this."

GPM is fortunate to have Pradip on staff. As GPM Founding Director Jacob Sztokman says "It is simply enchanting to see the kids so excited to learn from Pradip. It is not just singing and dancing. It is also fun and excitement to learn that brings children to love coming to class and explore the world around them. This love of learning that will hold the students in good steads for their lives ahead."

Great News for Mothers and Babies: GPM's Antenatal Health Care Program is on its Way!

A few months ago, we introduced you to a fantastic high-risk pregnancy antenatal care program GPM started for tribal women and their babies. Today we are proud to present a wonderful update on the program that we call “Aai Surakshit, Bal Surakshit” or “Mother Safe, Baby Safe:

First, we hired female technicians who were trained and are now experts in the high-risk pregnancy management and wireless diagnostic kits that measure fetal movement and mothers’ health indicators. The equipment allows doctors and nurses to monitor pregnancies remotely from anywhere, at any time.

These technicians go out every day to tribal villages and meet the mothers and evaluate their conditions during pregnancy. The technicians were trained with their GPM supervisors and others on our medical team.

Second, we liaised with government medical officers and received protocols and training so that our team can work hand-in hand with existing government clinics and upload medical data to the department of health site for easy access by doctors and nurses. The staff were trained in using a specially designed app that allows doctors and health care providers to monitor mother's health from afar while providing the best fetal monitoring experience possible.

Third, we made an extensive survey of all pregnant women in all 59 villages in our district. We registered new pregnancies, uploaded our data to the system and received instructions from doctors as to which patients need more attention by our medical teams.

At GPM we are so excited to be able to offer this service for tribal women and their babies. We hope to see a great reduction in maternal deaths and an increase in the births of healthy babies in our district!

We invite you to support the Mother Safe, Baby Safe program and save lives today: 

https://rootfunding.com/campaigns/save_women_and_babies 

GPM featured in Good People Fund's 'Journal of Good'

The 2023 Journal of Good compiled by the Good People Fund feautures the GPM STEM program for tribal girls. 

Covered in the article is the journey of 14-year-old Rakhi who loves learning science with GPM teachers and how her father Baghwan, with GPM's help was able to secure a scholarship to further Rahhi's STEM education. 

Read the feauture from the Journal of Good, below:

Happy Diwali from all of us at GPM

 

In the midst of a world inundated with disheartening news, we find solace and hope in the forthcoming Diwali season, to bring light to the darkest corners of our global community.

As we navigate through the shadows of uncertainty, let us embrace the promise of Diwali, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness, and strive to illuminate the world with positivity and resilience. 

Happy Diwali! शुभ दिपावली

It takes a village to help little Kalyani heal

When 9-year-old Kalyani’s distraught mother came to us last year, we saw her holding a child suffering from extreme eczema all over her body that was causing her immense irritation and pain. Born in a remote village called Telipada in the Mokhada tribal district, Kalyani was also very small for her age and could pass for a five-year old.

The day Kalyani and her mother came into our medical clinic, we happened to have some very special guests: a group of five Israeli doctors, led by Dr. John Borowski of the Maccabi Health Services. They had come to India on a pilot visit to plan a medical collaboration with GPM and a local medical school.

When Kalyani’s mother rushed in, Dr. Borowski was brought in for a consultation. And what a good thing he was! After a thorough investigation, Dr. Borowski sent photos of Kalyani’s skin to one of Israel’s leading dermatological specialists, Dr. Eve Finkelstein of Hadassah Hospital, who is known around the world for her ability to diagnose and treat difficult cases. Dr. Finkelstein recognized the condition and offered a course of treatment, one that had not yet been tried. Over the following months, Kalyani was treated according to the doctors’ instructions, while also receiving treatment for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) via the the GPM child malnutrition program. During those months, Dr. Borowski routinely checked in Kalyani from Israel to monitor her progress and report to his colleague.

And a wonderful thing happened. Over the course of a few months, Kalyani’s face almost entirely cleared up from rashes and her hair started to grow back.  

But there is still a problem. Although the eczema was mostly cleared from her face, her body is still covered with unsightly rashes and skin irritations.

Once again, our medical staff consulted with their Israeli colleagues and together decided on a course of treatment. Last week GPM staff admitted Kalyani to JJ Hospital in Mumbai for further treatment. It is going to take some time, but with love and attention of the medical staff caring for her – in India and in Israel – we are all confident that 2024 will be a time of great healing for Kalyani, as well as her family and all the children in GPM’s care.

At GPM, we are incredibly proud of our relationship with our cherished Israeli partners – and we look forward to many healing partnerships going forward.

For information and/or to donate to GPM's program to improve the antenatal care of tribal women with high-risk pregnancies, click here.

Eitan Bernath at Gabriel Project Mumbai!

We had such a fantastic time with American celebrity chef, entertainer, author, social media influencer and TV personality Eitan Bernath who came to Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM) to learn from and cook with the cooking staff! 

Eitan learned about the nutritious locally sourced meals prepared by the GPM kitchen as a mulnutrition intervention for 120 infants diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). This incredible program works closely with local government health depoartments like the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Nutritional Rehabilitation Center (NRC) to treat malnutrition from a grassroots level. 

Appointed a High Level Supporter to the United Nations World Food Programme in February 2023, called a "culinary darling" by The New York Times and "the internet’s most delightful chef" by Oprah Magazine, Eitan is the youngest ever individual named to the Forbes 30 Under 30: Food and Drink list. We thank Eitan and his parents for spending the day with us in the villages of Mokhada and to see the work Gabriel Project does with the tribal communities. 

To donate to Gabriel Project Mumbai's malnutrition program: https://rootfunding.com/campaigns/eradicating_infant_malnutrition

Please help us end child malnutrition for more infants today!🙏

 

Dear Friend, With the success of the Infant Malnutrition Intervention (Bal Balwaan Mission), Gabriel Project Mumbai has been approached by child health services and tribal community leaders to expand its nutrition program to additional infants diagnosed with Severe and Moderate Acute Malnutrition in the rural tribal communities.

This World Health Organization standard diagnosis effects the cognitive development and overall health of a child when they need it the most - the first 6 years of their life. We have had some impressive treatment successes and that is why we have been asked to expand to additional village clusters. With positive results over the last 12 months, GPM will increase its nutritional outreach to thousands of families and has undertaken to increase the number of children in its care from 900 to 1,800! We feel that this is a vital expansion of our core work, giving a sustainably holistic and effective malnutrition regimen to children truly suffering with the effects of severe malnutrition. In the last 12 months over 900 children have been treated for Severe Acute Malnutrition, 75% moving out of the danger zone of severely malnourished.

We ask you, our dear supporters to please help us provide nutrition to more infants in need. Our goal is to expand services to an additional 20 villages and 1800 children -an additional 900 children! The 4-month treatment period costs $45 per child and includes daily nutritious food, sessions with mothers on nutrition and hygiene, medical checkups, multi-vitamins and fresh drinking water for the entire family. Our budget will increase from $40,500 to our new goal of $81,000 in 2023. You can read about the scope of the malnutrition program HERE and our success results HERE. Please help us in this amazing endeavor to change the health-trajectory of hundreds of children at the start of their lives! Please donate here: https://rootfunding.com/campaigns/eradicating_infant_malnutrition