We did it! We reached our “Fruit for Kids” goal!

GPM successfully raised $9,000 for Fruit for Kids, a project to add fresh fruit to the regular menu of daily hot, nutritious meals that GPM children receive when they attend class. The funds, which were part of an on-line matching grant campaign to improve the health and nutrition of 1000 children learning in school in the Mumbai slums, were matched by $9,000 from The Good People Fund. Modern Trousseau, a corporate sponsor of GPM activities, Jenny Samad and other GPM volunteer alumni as well as a generous gift from a UK couple who visited GPM also made a significant contribution. The rest of the donations came from donors around the world via the online campaign.

“As we all enjoy the beautiful juicy apples that are harvested at this time of year, it is a great feeling to know that 1000 schoolkids in Mumbai who have so little will also enjoy the sweet taste of fruit,” Naomi Eisenberger, Executive Director of The Good People Fund, wrote on Facebook.” It was the Good People Fund's honor to put this challenge out there to GPM.”

“The Fruit for Kids program adds a vital new component to the nutrition that the children are receiving from GPM,” says GPM Founding Director Jacob Sztokman. “Fruit is such an important part of every child’s development. We are so very grateful to The Good People Fund, as well as all the donors all around the world who made this happen. ”

Here are three reasons why children need fruit:

* Fresh fiber. Fruit is an important source of fiber, which improves digestion while decreasing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

* Vitamins and minerals. Fruit is vital for potassium, which helps keep children's blood pressure balanced; for vitamin C, which boosts immune systems and helps prevent infection; and vitamin A for healthy eyes and folate for normal DNA production.

The vitamins and minerals in fruit  also keep children's kidneys working normally, which decreases his risk of kidney stones, and helps build bone mass. Fruit also reduces the risk of certain types of cancer such as throat, esophageal and stomach. 

* Cognitive development. Fruit improves brain development, and research shows that a diet rich in fruit actually results in higher test scores. A healthy diet that includes fruit can also increase children's focus in the classroom.

IDF Soldiers, “Fighters for Life,” volunteer teaching Krav Maga in Mumbai

Fifteen soldiers spent two weeks volunteering in a community center catering to underprivileged children of Mumbai in September, thanks to the coordinating efforts of GPM and the Israel Consulate in Mumbai. The soldiers, men and women who recently completed combat duty with the Israel Defense Forces, spent ten days in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, teaching Krav Maga, First Aid, English and other empowering coursesto disadvantaged children in the neighborhood. The group, called “Fighters for Life”, worked in conjunction with the socio-humanitarian service organization in Mumbai called Triranta Prerana Mandal, and also utilized their time painting and offering light external repairs to the local community center building.

“Fighters for Life” was formed earlier this year by Captain Gilli Cohen who had been listening to many of his soldiers discussing their plans for travel after the army. The soldiers expressed interest in doing something meaningful while backpacking overseas – and he decided to take action. He met with people, formed a committee, and opened a Facebook group which quickly garnered over 4,000 members. Finally Gilli contacted GPM for assistance, as well as the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai, and all together they formulated a plan and launched their project.

The cohort of Fighters for Life, consisting of fifteen soldiers and officers from many sections of the IDF called themselves “Team Pomerantz” in memory of the late Staff Sgt. Daniel Pomerantz who was killed in the Gaza war in July.

GPM staffer, David Ramrajkar, was happy to assist in group logistics while they were in Mumbai."The Israelis were so nice and professional in teaching their classes, I really enjoyed spending time with them."

A highlight of the experience was the two weekends the group spent with the Jewish community of Mumbai. The group taught self defense to the community's youth and adults at the Mumbai JCC, taught about Israel, learned about India's Jewry and shared in fascinating cultural exchanges.

IDF General (res.) Eliezer Shkedi, who now serves as the the Board President of Fighters for Life, met with GPM Founding Director Jacob Sztokman and commented on this endeavor. “It’s so nice to see such a large group of socially-minded young people, who want to include a meaningful volunteer experience as part of their travels.” 





Gilli was happy to share his thoughts and impressions at the completion of his time in Mumbai. "We were so amazed by the help we received from GPM and inspired by what they are doing with children in the slums of Mumbai. While we volunteered, we learned a lot, gave of ourselves wholeheartedly and have been changed forever."

Teaching about human anatomy

Class on hygiene and health

Part of the painting and gardening project at the community center

Understanding the challenges of life in the slums with Gabriel Project Mumbai

With the Jewish community at the Mumbai JCC

Some media attention

Painting outside walls of the community center

Interview with Leigh Evans, GPM-JDC Entwine volunteer, Summer 2014 Cohort

Leigh Evans, a second year student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a recipient of the Brawerman Fellowship for emerging young Jewish leaders from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, participated in the 10th volunteer GPM cohort in Mumbai this past summer. (Harmony Richman, of the same cohort, was also a Brawerman Fellow).Leigh, who is pursuing a double major in Sociology and Psychology with a minor in Education, works part-time as a paid intern at the UCSB Alumni Association. She is also involved in a variety of activities including the College of Letters and Science Honors Program, the Isla Vista Tutoring Program, Active Minds, Hillel, and “Gauchos for Education”, an organization she cofounded. Leigh hopes to apply her passion for education and background in Sociology and Psychology to her future career in education reform. Leigh is deeply passionate about civil rights, social reform, education, animal welfare, environmental sustainability, arts and culture, and the promotion of tolerance.

Jacob Sztokman sat down with Leigh for a chat a few weeks after the program finished, where she reflected on her experiences at GPM:

How did you enjoy the program?
It’s been really great. It put into perspective how much I’ve grown as a person. It also put my career aspirations in perspective, because it helped me focus on what I really want to do. Before the program, I thought I wanted to go into education but not necessarily working with the people, more like writing legislation and being a lawyer. But now it made me realize that I really do want a day-to-day job of working with students and with kids. That’s definitely important to me. I enjoyed it so much. 

Now that you’re back home, how do you feel about what you experienced?
With everything going on in Ferguson and everything going on with race and difference in the media, it showed me just how important it is to go and put yourself in a place and a culture that you’re not necessarily comfortable in. And I’ve been to Israel but in that case I was completely comfortable from the moment I walked into Ben Gurion airport. This is a totally different thing, and I totally stepped out of my comfort zone being in India. And I didn’t realize how big of a shock it would be. I always had this very idyllic vision of how it would be to study abroad and live in a totally different culture. I listened to what everyone said to me before I left but I didn’t really think it would apply to me. They said it would be difficult and you’ll see some really tough things – and I did. And a lot of what everyone said would happen happened.

What were the hard things for you?
I think what gets everyone is that the poverty was very difficult. And the stray animal problem was really difficult, maybe more for me than other people just because I do a lot in animal care and that’s a very big issue for me – that is, for it to be normal to see starving, emaciated dogs in the middle of the street. But then you see a starving man or woman in the middle of the street and it’s all really difficult. Those things – the human poverty and the animal neglect – both were so much worse than anything I’ve ever seen before.

And then the lack of health care, the physical issues that people dealt with every day, like the amount of polio that I saw, it was a huge shock for me and I was really unprepared for that. Because this is something so simple over here – you just get a vaccine and it’s all taken care of. And then you can’t even access that over there. But then you have antibiotics being administered over the counter and being used irresponsibly, and it’s just such a weird juxtaposition that people aren’t getting what they need but they have lots of extra stuff around, and it becomes a huge problem.

Probably the hardest thing I saw was acid survivors. I remember this one day walking back from the Byculla train station and a man was coming towards me on the sidewalk and at first I thought he was wearing a mask because it just looked so strange to me. But then as he got closer to me I saw that his skin just sagged all the way down to his collarbone and his eyes were gone, and it was a really tough thing to see. 

What also hit me is that you see people with polio on the train just working, doing anything they can to help themselves and survive,  and selling all those trinkets and the little hair accessories, literally dropping their bodies on the floor but being so persistent, and go on another day to make a living and make a life. That is just so incredible to me. You don’t see that here out in the open in that way.
I took a class on African studies, and there is so much aid going to Africa, but in India the striking lack of aid was really difficult. You don’t see clinics in the slums, or at least I didn’t. When I talked to local people, I didn’t hear about clinics. Maybe there are a few in Mumbai, they said, but they’re not totally free and not totally subsidized. I feel like India needs a lot more attention from NGOs and people who are just there to help.

Tell me about the Brawerman Fellowship that you received.
When I was in high school, I applied for the Brawerman Fellowship from the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. I was the first year of the fellowship. It was donated by Geri Brawerman who is a major supporter of the Federation. She and her late husband did a ton of philanthropic work, and she had this vision for young Jewish leadership work. So she gave a donation that was the largest donation in the history of the Federation. It’s a four year fellowship, it means I get financial aid every year, and on top of that I participate in facets of the special program – for instance in the summers, we have a travel-work experience. The first year we went to Israel because they try to foster our connections to Israel as leaders of the Jewish community. Then we are doing a volunteer experience abroad, which was originally meant to be one or two weeks, but luckily Harmony and I were approved for this program even though it’s longer than two weeks. The third year is going to be a local internship with the Jewish Federation because they want us to be involved with the Federation and know what the Federation is doing for the community. It’s a fantastic program.

Leigh and Harmony in Mumbai

Leigh and some of the children

Leigh and a student

Leigh with some of the children

Leigh with the REAP teachers and other GPM fellows

Taking time out to charm a snake...

On the train...

Teaching

Week 5. Meeting the ambassador, a village “tea party”, and other adventures

Adina Lichtman, a proud member of the 8th Cohort of JDC Entwine-GPM volunteer program in India, chronicled her experiences in a series of evocative letters to her friends and family.  Adina, a student of Social Work and Art at NYU and is Hillel Community Service chair on campus, captured some powerful and touching moments during her time on the program, caring for vulnerable children living in the slums, connecting with the Jewish community with the JDC and experiencing the wonders of India. GPM will be publishing excerpts from her diaries in a series of blog posts and photo essays.

--Read Adina's 1st week here-- --Read Adina's 2nd week here--
--Read Adina's 3rd week here-- --Read Adina's 4th week here-- 

Week 5. Meeting the ambassador, a village “tea party”, and other adventures

Namaste to all my family and friends!

First of all thank you so much for helping donate to HEAL – a hygiene program for children in the slums with Gabriel Project Mumbai. If you haven't done so already - you still can! Here's the info! Watch the video we made!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQm8BJ8azA
And donate here!
http://www.rootfunding.com/campaign/4598

This week in the slums we had a special visitor come to see our classes in the slums. His name is Matan Zamir, he is the Israeli ministry for foreign affairs. It was nice to have someone so important who came with body guards come see our class. It really empowered us and made us feel that the work we do is important. He even invited us to come visit the Israeli consulate here in India! It's hard sometimes to really feel like we are making an impact. It's a conversation we often have with each other - is our work making a difference? Will teaching them that butterflies come from caterpillars or that frogs come from tadpoles make a difference for the future of our students? We taught about frogs and butterflies on Friday and it was a completely new concept for our students- they were shocked. So while I do feel what we are teaching is new and informative, I always wonder how my work will impact their futures and if it will at all.

On Tuesday this week was a really special day, one little boy who isn't in school and always stands by the door to listen actually came into class today and joined us for the whole lesson! We decided it was important to talk about their aspirations. We asked them all what they wanted to do when they grew up. They all had different answers, one of our brightest students said an engineer for buildings! He's ten years old! We were blown away! The boy who stands by the door who joined our class that day said "a politician" one of our girls said she wanted to be a police so she could make the hard times into better times!

And while Tuesday was such a great day in the class because of all the answers our students were giving us - it was hard to hear our students and what they were saying. It was hard because of all the banging and yelling going on next door. The walls are made of tin flimsy walls. And there was a very loud argument which sounded like a husband and wife yelling and it sounded like the women was being pushed against the wall and that there was abuse going on in the home. One kid sat with his hands over his ears for most of the class. Unfortunately this isn't so rare and has had happened before.
In other news; I am learning to write Hindi but it's a very very slow process! It's a very complicated language to learn how to write but hopefully I'll be able to read it by the time I get back; right now I can only do it if I have the alphabet next to me!

On Thursday our students in the slums had off for a holiday so we went to go visit a girls boarding school that REAP (Gabriel Project Mumbai’s partner organization) runs. In the villages (very rural - few hours from Mumbai) the girls often get married at age 12 or 13 and go move in with their husbands family and often receiving no education. Families here don’t like to have girls because they don't really work, they don't make money, and when they get married they will move into the boys family's home. So to them, girls are just taking up resources. Therefore marrying them off early will save them money and resources. The families in this village in particular are usually nomadic families that travel from city for 6 months and rural lands for 6 months to sell crops and when they go to the city their education stops for six months. So REAP started this boarding school for girls in order to create education that is consistent throughout the year as well as preventing the girls from getting married at such a young age.

We walked into the school in the charming and quaint little village; we walk in and see about thirty beautiful girls dressed in beautiful colors and dresses - it was as if they put on their best dresses for us coming! The school is a house and feels so bright and filled with light from the sun pouring in! They brought us tea and biscuits. I felt like I was at a tea party with the most beautiful, spectacularly dressed girls!  We played some "getting to know you games" an also asked these girls what they wanted to be when they grow up. One girl said a police to "stop violence against women"! We told them where we were from but none of them had seen a map before so we got a map to show them where America/Australia/Slovakia/UK and India were on the map. We also taught them about recycling. Although the villages are much cleaner then the slums, we still felt it was a very important lesson to give. We taught them that an apple takes 2 months to turn to dirt, a plastic bag takes 20 years and glass takes a million years! I often find myself learning cool facts as I prepare lessons for the students (so I figured I'd share some!) We also had an activity that made them take trash and turn it into things! With newspapers, toilet paper rolls, boxes etc they made bags, hats, games and more! They're so creative!!!

Then at lunch we ate with them- I had rice with Dahl, and I ate it with my hands! Cause thaaaats how it's done here!

Then after lunch we danced the day away with the girls! They taught us lots of Bollywood dance moves while we taught them the cotton eyed Joe! The girls braided our hair and giggled with us for hours! At the end of the day - one girl was going home to her village for her brother’s birthday so we drove her there and she showed us around her village. It felt like a movie. She was dressed in this bright yellow sari and she's around 9 years old. Jaya showed us where the four toilets are located for the whole village, she showed us where they get water from ( a well provided by REAP because the one the government  provided stopped working a long time ago.) the houses were all like huts you would imagine in a village with roosters, goats and cows running all around. She invited us into her home which was bigger than any home you would see in the slums but it was very simple looking with one bed, one table in the main room. Probably had 2 or 3 rooms in it. The she introduced us to her mom who was lovely and kept offering us food and drinks even though they had so little themselves. When we asked why she sends her daughter to a reap school she said "education is important for her future, even though I never had it". Jaya introduced us to her sister who was about a year younger. We asked her mom why only one of them was sent and she replied "I can't afford it and I need one daughter to help me at home." That was really hard for me to hear; I could never imagine having to choose which child to send to school.

The villages compared to the slums feel a lot more peaceful. It seemed to me a lot more like very simple living. It felt like I was almost in a different time period, whereas the slums I feel almost sad for the conditions. In the slums you feel and see the poverty; in the villages you feel a completely different lifestyle, one that's old fashioned and like you’re in a different era! I loved visiting the village it was so peaceful and simple there.

This Shabbat we went to Mumbai - we prayed at knesseth eliyahu and they always have a communal meal afterwards so I stayed for it. All the girls sit at one table and the boys at the other, and all ate Shabbat dinner together! I loved it! They sang Shabbat zemirot i knew and were all so friendly, treating me like family even though they had just met me! Then afterwards we walked to Chabad.
At Chabad we heard a man talking about how he converted to Judaism and is a doctor. This doctor was very close with Rabbi Gabriel who was killed in the 2008 attacks. He was the one who identified the body at the hospital. He was also the doctor for their kids. He lives in Israel now and has a fascinating life story.

There was also another couple who was at the table. They were from the south of India. They live in a community of 1200 people now in India who aren't Jewish but all practicing Judaism. They follow the Ten Commandments very strictly and keep kosher as well. They keep on learning more and more about Judaism. They plan to all convert to Judaism. It's fascinating to me; they were all looking for something deeper and started to practice Judaism.  These 2 families traveled 27 hours by train to spend Shabbat by Chabad and meet the rabbi! How crazy is it that there is a whole community of 1200 people all practicing Judaism who aren't even Jewish?! It really makes me appreciate how special Judaism really is!

The longer I am here, the more connected I feel to Rabbi Gabriel and his wife Rivky. Everyone here has a personal story connected with them and they had such a beautiful impact on the community. A part of me feels like I knew them because of the way everyone talks about them and how much they are still in everyone memories here.

It's crazy to me that my volunteer time in the slums has reached its halfway point. I love it so much here and am still learning new things every day. And every time I think I have gotten totally used to the culture I see something else that shocks me. Today I saw someone sitting on top of a moving train; not hanging out the door or standing between to carts. Literally sitting on top of a moving train as if it was any ordinary seat!!

As for living in Thane - I really feel this town is another home. I was walking to the shul the other day to teach my Wednesday class and I got lost because I made one wrong turn and I asked somebody on the road where my street was and he said to me "oh were all the Americans live? Make a right at the end of the street and go straight" yes. A random person I asked on the street knows where all the Americans live: we stand out ALOT. As I was walking I guess my facial expression looked a bit lost because after that a few different people all standing in their own little shops kept pointing the direction of our apartment. And another time my friend left her bag in her guitar class down the road and somebody brought it all the way back here! I guess our light colored skin makes us easy to find in a town where we are the only westerners! But everyone here is just SO nice, how often do you hear that someone walks to your apartment to bring you the bag you left somewhere!

Alveeda,

Adina

GPM is partnering with Sundara Soap for women's empowerment, health and environmental sustainability

GPM is working with Sundara Soap on a new hygiene initiative with the women in the slums that advances health, environmental sustainability and women's empowerment. The soap recycling idea comes from Sundara founder Erin Zaikis, who decided to take action upon learning that over one million children die every year from diseases resulting to poor hygiene.

The Sundara company has hired ten women and men of the Kalwa slum to work on a soap recycling project. A portion of the soap that is produced will be given to children in slums and rural villages as part of a hygiene education program to children. The rest of the soap that is produced will be sold at heavily subsidized rates within the slum, and proceeds will go directly back to support hygiene education in the slums. Earlier this year, GPM partnered with a cohort of GPM volunteers and Sundara to launch the H.E.A.L Hygiene Education initiative that teaches the children the basics of hygiene, and provides soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste to all the children.

"This project is such a win-win," says GPM Founding Director Jacob Sztokman. "Everyone benefits -- the women who are working in a sustainable income generating enterprise; the men, women and children in the slums who receive better hygiene and health; and the environment as a whole by reducing waste in overcrowded landfills. 'Win-wins' are our favorite way to operate!"

According Zaikis, "Sundara" -- a word which means "beautiful" in Sanskrit -- is all about advancing hygiene and health around the world. "We believe that doing good is beautiful," she says. "Personal hygiene is not a privilege but a right. Preventable deaths caused by poor hygiene can be a thing of the past."

Meet the Rabbi who joined Gabriel Project Mumbai

The summer 2014 cohort of international GPM volunteers marked a particular milestone for GPM: It was the first time an Orthodox rabbi participated in the GPM program.

Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, a Monsey-New York-born recent graduate of the Yeshiva University Rabbinical School and the youth director for the Young Israel of Stamford, brings with him a unique world view and unusual family background.  His mother, an African-American convert to Judaism, and his father, a Lubavitch-Chabad Chassid, instilled in him values from the Civil Rights movement, and a love for diversity. With extended family members who are Muslims, Methodists and Buddhists, Isaiah is a strong leader and Jew charged with the mission of educating and empowering the next generation of leadership. Isaiah is also a singer-song- writer and has his Masters in Social Work, and is set to join the team of educators at Carmel Academy and to infusing spirituality into every interaction.

GPM founding director Jacob Sztokman interviewed Isaiah to learn about what motives him and what he plans to do with his GPM experience:

Jacob: What made you decide to become a rabbi?

'Kol Haolam Kulo' in Hindi with Isaiah on guitar

Isaiah: I believe very strongly in the Jewish mission, and I think that there’s been a lot of miscommunications, lost in translation. I want to be help the next generation see how relevant Torah and Judaism are. I also love seeing people on fire, alive and spiritual and conscious. I want to be part of making that happen.

Jacob: What did your friends from school say when you told them that you’re on your way to India?

Rabbi Isaiah (left) with his guitar playing music for the children

Isaiah: Many were intrigued because they are not doing anything like this. Most are doing programs in America, like summer camps or even special needs’ programs. Some do travel, but mostly to Israel and now so much India. When I would tell people that the program is connected to JDC India, maybe people were like, there are Jews in India? So that was interesting.

Jacob: What have you learned from being here that you would want to share with your rabbi colleagues?
Isaiah: It’s about understanding the issues that we talk about. When we say “poverty”, what are we really saying? When we say “justice” what are we really saying? Also being able to think beyond the Jewish experience. Who are we including when we talk about the issues that are important to us? And also that we have a very big responsibility beyond just the Jewish community. “Kol yisrael arevim ze laze” – the idea that Jews are all responsible for one another – is a very beautiful concept. But there’s something beyond that, about how we interact with the “outside” world as well.  So being for your fellow Jew also means being for the rest of the world, and that’s inherent in Jewish values. I want people to be open to the strength of Judaism, that it’s not just about Jews but also about our relationships with people of other nations. We who follow the Torah have the responsibility to model that and show that to the rest of the world.

Jacob: What did you learn about Indian culture from being here?

Isaiah: People who live in difficult circumstances, if they become angry or violent, you can sort of understand that. But here in India, you don’t find that at all. You meet people who have very difficult lives but greet you with gratitude for being there, with joy and happiness and love. You smile at them and they smile at you. It’s beautiful. And the fact that there is such an incredible level of resilience, that is very inspiring. It makes me think about how I act as an American and the culture that I live in. America’s quick pace makes living and life and the emotional life much more stressful and people don’t necessarily connect, even though they have everything. Here, you can connect with people in a very wholesome way, people who don’t have everything but just easily talk to you and share with you and connect. That left a very strong impression on me.

Also, just the thought about being able to be the group of people who are coming to offer support and food, and trying to offer them tools, whether educational or emotional, to be that person who is in that role of the person who is offering something, when you enter that classroom and you see their faces light up, and you realize that you are in that role of bringing them something that they want and enjoy, that’s really awesome.
 
Would you like to volunteer in India with GPM? Click here to find out how

Exciting new matching grant campaign for “Fruit for Kids” to provide fruit for 1000 children in the slums

GPM is launching an exciting new matching grant program with The Good People Fund to provide weekly fruit to 1000 children from the slums of Mumbai who are going to school.

If GPM succeeds in raising $9,000 by September for the "Fruit for Kids" program, the Good People Fund will provide an additional $9,000 for a total of $18,000.

The result? 1000 children in the slums of Mumbai will receive delicious and healthy fresh fruit  every week during the 2014-5 school year! 
Help GPM reach this vital goal!

Since 2012, GPM has been providing daily hot nutritious meals to vulnerable children in the Mumbai slums. This has a tremendous impact on every aspect of children’s growth: regular healthy nutrition is vital for children’s bodies, and crucial for their developing minds. By providing daily nutrition, GPM is providing children with basic tools for good health, cognition and development, and is enabling children to stay in school. The impact of this program is significant: REAP reported a 50% increase in attendance rates due to the GPM program.

However, the daily hot meals that GPM provides are not enough. There is one important component still missing from the children's nutritional development: Fruit.

GPM is launching a new “Fruit for Kids” campaign to add regular weekly fruit to the diets of 1000 children learning in school in the Mumbai slums.

It costs all of $18 a year to ensure that a child in the Mumbai slums receives weekly fruit, or $1.50 per month per child for fruit. That’s a total of $18,000 per year to ensure that 1000 children receive fruit, in order to strengthen the nutritional impact of the meals and ensure that the children receive all the nutrients that their beautiful growing bodies need and deserve..

The Good People Fund, who GPM is proud to call a partner and sponsor, has generously decided to rise to this challenge. The Good People Fund has pledged a matching grant of up to $9,000 for the Fruit for Kids campaign, provided that GPM supporters provide the other $9,000. It’s a win win. GPM is partnering with the Good People Fund to launch a new and exciting "Fruit for Kids" campaign to add fruit to the menu

Here are three great reasons why children need fruit:

• Fresh fiber. Fruit is an important source of fiber, which improves digestion while decreasing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
• Vitamins and minerals. Fruit is vital for potassium, which helps keep children's blood pressure balanced; for vitamin C, which boosts immune systems and helps prevent infection; and vitamin A for healthy eyes and folate for normal DNA production. The vitamins and minerals in fruit  also keep children's kidneys working normally, which decreases his risk of kidney stones, and helps build bone mass. Fruit also reduces the risk of certain types of cancer such as throat, esophageal and stomach.
• Cognitive development. Fruit improves brain development, and research shows that a diet rich in fruit actually results in higher test scores. A healthy diet that includes fruit can also increase children's focus in the classroom.

GPM is looking to raise $9000 by September from our donors – to be matched by $9000 from the Good People Fund – and launch the Fruit for Kids campaign in the 2014-15 school year.

Help GPM reach our goal of providing fruit for the children of Mumbai. Support the Good People Fund Matching Grant campaign for the Fruit for Kids program today!
 

How former US President Bill Clinton Inspires GPM

I was recently doing some research on the impact of globalization on the children of Mumbai, and I came across something really wonderful. Former US President Bill Clinton gave a speech at Yale University in October 2013 in which he offered a passionate plea for providing food to children who go to school, using food as an incentive to advance education. This is exactly what GPM does! It was really thrilling and extraordinarily validating to learn that the GPM “Eat to Learn” nutrition program is based on the strategy advanced by Mr. Clinton. Read what he had to say in his address, "Global Challenges": 

A billion people in this world cannot read a single word in any language, not one. 120 million children never go to school. But we know that every year of schooling adds 10 to 15 per cent a year to the incomes of people in poor countries for life. And we also know how to get those kids to school: when President Zedillo was president of Mexico, they had a program where they actually paid the families of the poorest kids if their kids went to school. In Brazil, the Bolsa Escola program gives a little credit card to the poorest families that they can turn into the local lottery office with a certificate proving that their children had been to school 85 per cent of the time the previous month and they get about $15 for child per month. In my last year, Senator Dole and Senator McGovern came to see me with a proposal to offer nutritious meals to children in school but only if they come to school to get it, and so we found $300 million and feed six million kids first year we did that, and the enrollment exploded. And this year a program that has been sustained by partisan support is feeding 10 million children in poor countries in their schools, to get more people into school. 

We could not agree more! This is what GPM has been about from the beginning. Since we started providing daily hot nutritious meals to children in school, attendance in our partner REAP classes in the slums have increased by 50%. And the families of the children going to school have experienced tremendous relief of knowing that not only are their children being fed, but they are also receiving the education that they need to change the world.

Mr. Clinton, if you happen to be reading this, let me say THANK YOU for the words of inspiration, and for supporting the vision and strategy. We hope to be part of the change that you – and we – would like to see in the world.
 

Former US President Bill Clinton serves food to students at Akshaya Patra kitchen in Jaipur on 16 July 2014.

by Jacob Sztokman, Founder of Gabriel Project Mumbai

Week 4. More experiences in the slums and with the Jewish community

Adina Lichtman, a proud member of the 8th Cohort of JDC Entwine-GPM volunteer program in India, chronicled her experiences in a series of evocative letters to her friends and family.  Adina, a student of Social Work and Art at NYU and is Hillel Community Service chair on campus, captured some powerful and touching moments during her time on the program, caring for vulnerable children living in the slums, connecting with the Jewish community with the JDC and experiencing the wonders of India. GPM will be publishing excerpts from her diaries in a series of blog posts and photo essays.

--Read Adina's 1st week here--
--Read Adina's 2nd week here--
--Read Adina's 3rd week here--


Week 4: More experiences in the slums and with the Jewish community

Namaste to all my friends and family,

Wow. I can’t believe I have just completed 4 weeks here. Its been only four weeks and I feel like I have learned so much about myself and the world around me.

This week, in the slums, we taught about the human body, exercise and the Olympics. We also taught about the body we also taught the five senses. I walked into class and asked my students if they knew any of the five senses; not one kid raised their hand. A class filled with kids ranging from 5-13 and none of them had ever learned about their five senses. I sometimes forget how little our students are taught in school and often find myself having to break down my lesson plans into smaller parts so that they can really understand what we are trying to teach. There are many times in my experience in working in the slums that I think their lives aren’t sad because they don’t know about another life ; and to a certain extent I think it is true. They are always running around, laughing playing enjoying the simple things in life! But this week when we were talking about smells and senses; we asked them what kind of smells they smell on their way to class and all they could say were bathroom smells and one student says “We don’t smell nice things here.” The lifestyle in the slums in indescribable; from the horrid to the beautiful I have so much to learn. The children are the most beautiful children I have ever seen in my life. Their smiles are so captivating and the way they take care of one another is lie nothing I have ever seen before. Many of the children have younger siblings in the class; and the older siblings are always making sure their younger siblings get the markers first or get called on before they do; it’s a beautiful thing to see and always inspires me. Also their motivation to learn is incredible. One day in class this week there was smoke from something burning nearby blowing into the class room and me and all the teachers and students could not stop coughing for about five minutes – but even in those minutes they sat coughing they kept their eyes ahead waiting to see what we would teach next while we ourselves could hardly teach between coughs during those 5-10 minutes.

This week we also taught our Parsha class again in Thane Shul. The lesson was supposed to be one hour – we had so much discussion we were there for 2 hours! We were talking all about our role in the world and why we think that god is hidden and how. The conversations were so powerful, at one point I just sat back and watched; smiling while my eyes teared up. It was beautiful. It was crazy to me that in the middle of India – a group of adults so thirsty to learn were sitting here discussing with me their beliefs and doubts when it comes to god. They care so much; they are having conversations with us that every person should be having daily to remind us of our job in this world. On my way out of class – I was told that one of the men who come to our class asked to leave work a half hour early so he could make it to our class on time! How amazing??! This was by far my favorite part of the week!

Then came Shabbat. This Shabbat we spent in south Mumbai – we stayed in the Sasoon guest house. The jewish community here is very different from what I am used to at home when it comes to observing the Shabbat. Many people come to shul on Shabbat and the warmth that I feel in the shul on  feels more like Shabbat to me then anywhere else in the world. But in the homes – not everyone observes Shabbat in the same way. This weekend for both shabbat meals we ate by a couple named Sharon and Sharona. I was telling them how inspired I was by the jewish community here and how warm they are and how special it is. They were shocked at what I was saying because for them they feel that their jewish community is not as strong as it used to be and that people aren’t as committed to their jewish community as they used to be or as practicing as they used to be. This Shabbat in Mumbai their weren’t even enough people for a minyan on Friday night in the Magen David Bagdadi Shul. But for me I was shocked at how warm and welcoming their community was – we spent a long time talking about what our Jewish communities could learn from each other and how all communities have their strengths and weaknesses. I wish all communities in the US could have someone walk into shul for the first time and make them leave feeling as if they can’t wait to come back because of how welcoming everyone was! Maybe that should be our new goal – every shul to have a welcoming committee so that newcomers never feel out of place! Anyways back to more on this unbelievable couple I met.

Sharon and Sharona are a religious couple that very badly want to make aliyah. When I asked them why they don’t live their they told us because they want to help the community here in Mumbai. They are so dedicated to the Jews around them and they are one of the holiest couples I have ever met. Sharon is a mashgiach for OK kosher and his wife Sharona teaches in the Sasoon High School and is a therapist. Sharon was also one of the three people who watched over Rabbi Gabriels body after the 2008 attacks on Chabbad. He was supposed to walk over there the night of the attacks but by some miracle he decided not too. Sharon and his wife were there to comfort the nanny and baby who had survived the attacks as well. When we were singing “Yerushalaim shel zahav” you could see how emotional they got and how much they want to move to Israel. They do plan on moving there soon though but know they have more work to be done in India first. The whole Friday night we spent laughing and singing and playing games with their 3 beautiful daughters. We stayed till 1:30 am!!
Over Shabbat lunch Sharon told us the whole history of the Jews of India which is fascinating!
A fun table conversation was hearing religion comparisons of Hinduism to Judiasm. In America I am so used to hearing comparisons and contrasts of Judiasm to Christanity and Islam. Never to Hinduism! It was fascinating!

 On Sunday we took a trip to the Concan coast – the place where the ‘Bnei Israel’ Jews supposedly first arrived in India. They settled in a place called Alibag. The jews were considered to be their own caste in the Indian caste system and were know and the “7th day oil pressers.” They haven’t faced anti-semitism in all their years in india and were left alone because they were considered to be their own caste. They got this name because they didn’t press the oil on Shabbat. Today Alibag looks like a little village in the middle of a jungle. It is about 3 hours away from the main city of Mumbai and has about 4 Jewish families left there. They still press oil there in these machines that require a lot of manual labor. There is one small machine with a wheel that presses oil out of different nuts and a woman named Shoshana sits there and sorts the nuts to be pressed. Her and her husband press oil and make furniture together. There house is also right there and has Jewish stars on the outside and a mezuzah on the door post! The village had women washing their clothes in buckets of water outside while chickens and roosters ran around the house. There was a well where they get their water from and it has a little stream that comes out of it to plant all the trees in the area. It's beautiful to see how simply they live and how peaceful the area they live in is. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this family that still presses oil is jewish. It's unbelievable to meet people who live such a completely different life then you but to share the same Jewish values.

Then we walked around the village a bit more and made our way to the synagogue there. Yes. A synagogue in the middle of this remote village! And it's BEAUTIFUL!! We enter but of course take our shoes off before entering because we are still in India!  It has all these bright colors, it's orange with pink and light blue and purple. These radiant colors that make you want to dance! The shul is over 100 years old with only four families in the area. I walk in and see a boy no older then 18, he's wearing a kipa and lighting the candles that hang in the shul. He is the shamash; the care taker of the shul, his dad had the role before him. I also got to hold a siddur that I found on the shelf that was made in 1872!!! This country is rich with Jewish history!

Another fun fact about Alibag - legend has it that  Elijah took off into the sky from here in India on a chariot with fire and there are marks on the ground of the horses hoof prints and wagon wheel marks! I saw it myself! Both Hindus and Jews consider the place holy. The Hindu man who lives there was told by his grandfather who was told by his grandfather etc etc the story of a holy man who took off in a chariot of fire. The man who lives there - their family has been there for generations and won't leave bc they feel the area is blessed. Hindus leave flowers and incense there and Jews go there to have maleeda's which are ceremonies when people have babies or celebrate anniversaries or other Simchas and invite eliyahu to come! It's such a beautiful place!

After four weeks of India I can finally say I'm adjusted- I think there is very little that surprises me here. I went to the doctor this week with a friend to get a shot and we had to take our shoes off before entering the doctors office. I didn't even think twice about it! I almost forgot to mention it in this email bc it's so the norm!  If a car bumps into me while I'm walking; I'm the least bit shocked, it happens to everyone! And at one of the meals this week there was salad with a cole slaw type of consistency, and I ate it with my fingertips! That's just how people eat here. Everything is finger food :) my nephews would be thrilled! I finally learned how to share a menu because they only bring one max 2 to a table even if it's six of you sitting there! And I'm finally learning some Bollywood Dance moves from my students who are great dancers!

Alvida!!!

Adina


(Adina's next blog post will be uploaded shortly. Revisit this blog for the next exciting blog entry!)

Adina with some of her students in the slums

Adina at the sight of Elijah's chariot ascent to the heavens on the Concan coast south of Mumbai

Magen Avot Synagogue in the village of Alibag

Sight of Elijah's chariot ascent according to Benei Israel tradition. This has been a pilgrimage sight for Indian Jews for over a millennia

Beth El Synagogue in Revdanda on the Konkan Coast - built in 1842