Getting to know one another over a cup of chai

Its time for chai at GPM!

The local Jewish Indian interns and the GPM-JDC international volunteers are a major part of Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM). Both groups of young people take time out of their regular lives to get involved with underprivileged children and the Mumbai communities they live in. They local and international volunteers offer experiential and informal education to the children living in the Kalwa slums and rural villages. Along with their teachers the volunteers offer learning experiences unavailable to the children and send a daily message to the children that they are worthy of a well rounded education, nutrition and healthcare.

Demonstration of Acro-yoga

While in Mumbai, the international volunteers are welcomed by the local Jewish community and the local interns. GPM facilitates an innovative event when these two groups together. It is not everyday that young people from different parts of the world get to sit down with one another and share ideas, knowledge, and laughs. This is why GPM created Chai Time Talks. 

Chai Time Talks is much like Ted Talks, where experts in a variety of fields share ideas. During Chai Time Talks, local and international Jewish service volunteers share their insights in many topics that interest them in their Jewish and their overall lives. It is a fun way for the volunteers and interns to get to know one another, while also learning form each other.

The most recent Chai Time Talks in early August, featured sessions on: acro-yoga, history of the Jewish population in India, living a life with meaning, and many other interesting topics.

Chai Time Talks are enjoyed by all and we are pleased that our local interns and international volunteers get the chance to learn from one another.

(And yes, chai is served at Chai Time Talks!)

Group photo at Chai Time Talks

Caring for children at the Sharvan Health Clinic, meet Priti Chaurasya

The Sharvan Health Center is not an ordinary health clinic. It is the first of its kind in the Kalwa slums, and its patients are some of the poorest people in India. The medical staff that works there is as one of a kind as the clinic that they work in. Hayley Dsouza, the GPM educational supervisor in the Kalwa slums, took time to speak with Priti Chaurasya, a member of the medical staff. 

Priti Chaurasya, member of the medical staff

Priti was born and raised in the Kalwa slum. She has been working at the Shravan Health Center for over a year as a medical outreach officer. Priti talks about the importance to a clinic in the slums to the children and women that she treats: "Having a clinic in the slums is extremely beneficial. It is important for the sick of this area to have access to a doctor."  Along with all of the medical staff, Priti brings patience, understanding, and love to the clinic, "I like to help people feel better from their suffering. I am not a doctor but I feel like one after the patient comes back and tells me how much better they are doing. I feel relieved when the patient gets medicine and becomes healthy." 

Child receiving free vacination

The children of the slums are extremely vulnerable to malnutrition. Malnutrition causes both physical and mental underdevelopment, lowers childrens immunity and leads to ill-health. Thanks to the Dr. Gerald J. Friedman Infant Malnutrition Intervention Program at the Sharvan Health Center, malnourished infants are receiving a special formula that helps them gain weight and grow, "There is a change in the children that we treat. . They are treated with a lot of care..especially the malnourished children. After they receive treatment, I notice them gaining weight and felling better."  

GPM is extremely proud of the clinic and the benefits that it brings to this vulnerable community. Thank you to Priti Chaurasya, and the rest of the medical staff at Shravan Health Center. 

Read more about the Sharvan Health Center Here

Returning to school to reach his dreams

Life Learner, Vishal Chauhan

In the Kalwa slums, it is very difficult for children to remain in school. Parents often have to make the difficult decision of pulling their children out of school, in order for them to get a job and help with living expenses. GPM wants to give every young person a chance to remain in school or return to lessons. With the help of our summer 2017 volunteer cohort, we created the Life Learning program.

The "life learners" have the opportunity to take afternoon classes at the GPM learning center. Many of these students are returning to school to better their education and receive more opportunities. HayleyDsouza,  the GPM educational supervisor in the Kalwa slums, sat down with Vishal Chauhan, an enthusiastic and determined young man. 

Vishal loves learning and understands the importance of education in order to fulfill his dreams, " I want to be fluent in English to impress the people that interview me for jobs. Although English is a challenging subject, I hope to be fluent one day." 

GPM volunteers with the Life Leaners

The life learning program has brought pride to these young students. When Hayley asked him what his family thought about him returning to school, he instantly smiled and said, "My father is so proud of me. He can’t wait for me to keep learning." 

We hope Vishal knows that we too are so proud of him, and all of the other life learners. 

The incredible impact of the Dr. Gerald J. Friedman Infant Malnutrition Intervention Program

Six months ago, the Dr. Gerald J. Friedman Infant Malnutrition Intervention Program was established in the slums of Mumbai.   The Estelle Friedman Gervis Family Foundation, provides emergency nutritional intervention to save the lives of 300 malnourished children under the age of five. The malnutrition program takes place at the GPM Shravan Health Center.

We are happy to announce that 85 infants have been treated thus far, and all of their families received nutrition counseling.
 Of all the infants that were treated, there was a 15% increase in weight. We look forward to continuing this wonderful program. 

The malnutrition program was conceived by the doctors in the clinic, who were concerned about the high incidences of malnutrition that they encountered among their patients. This is a harrowing problem in the slums.  According to the World Bank, the prevalence of malnourished children in India is among the highest in the world, and has dire consequences for the children. Malnourished children are more likely to have infectious diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, which lead to a higher mortality rate, and to have stunted physical and mental development.

Read more about the Dr. Gerald J. Friedman Infant Malnutrition Intervention Program here.

Meet Ranjani Sharma, an inspiring local GPM teacher

Teacher Ranjana Sharma

Teachers make all the difference. We could not succeed in our work to educate these incredible children living in the slums and underserved rural villages without the dedication from our local teachers. These women and men come to the classroom everyday with a smile on their faces ready to teach, support, and love their students. 

Hayley Dsouza, the GPM educational supervisor in the Kalwa slums, sat down and interviewed Ranjani Sharma, a young teacher with a lot of determination and passion to ensure her students succeed in and out of the classroom, "I want my students to be smart, active, and bold. I don’t want them to be shy...I want them to not only learn their subjects at the GPM 'Love2Learn' classes, but to feel brave enough to come up in front of the class and discuss what they are thinking."  

Children standing next to their beloved teacher

The children living in the Kalwa slums grow up under difficult and challenging conditions. The GPM Love2Learn education network and their teachers provide them with security, nutrition, health and nurture throughout the year, "I want people to know that children don’t only come to learn what is in their books, but also to learn ideas and information from volunteers who teach about hygiene and they experience so many learning moments here that are not from books. I want these children’s parents to know this..they learn so much about life while in school" Rajani added. "It is important for the children to enjoy what they  experience in school and share it with their friends and family as it makes the whole community stronger."

When Ranjani is not teaching at GPM, she enjoys visiting her ancestral village and extended family there.

We are extremely grateful for the passion and dedicated work of Ranjani and all of our other hardworking teachers. 

Famous Indian chef, Moshe Shek, meets the Masala Mamas

Moshe Shek, the founder of the famous "Moshe's" cafe-restaurant chain in India, generously opened his teaching kitchen school, 'A World Away', to the women of the GPM women's empowerment group. 

Chef Shek lending some cooking advice

Mr. Shek and his staff gave cooking lessons to the sixteen women from Kalwa who produce and deliver hundreds of meals to children in school every day, in order to help them improve their techniques and learn from one of the most successful chefs in the country. 

The women traveled by boat to Mr. Shek's retreat at Awas for the day -- some of whom had never been on the water before -- and were treated to a lovely day of learning, eating, and relaxing in the beautiful country setting . Many of the women were so used to serving others that they had to get used to being served by the staff. 

"This was one of the best days we have ever had," said Indu Mane, one of the managers of the women's cooperative. 

Mr. Shek and his team taught the women four new recipes, which the women will incorporate in their work. The women are the catalysts behind the GPM "Eat 2 Learn"  that provides children with hot meals in school -- a strategy that keeps kids in school, alleviating hunger, illiteracy and child labor in the Kalwa slum. It is a win-win model for social change. 

The recipes will also be included in the forthcoming cookbook, "Masala Mamas: Recipes and stories from Indian women changing their communities through food and love." The cookbook, brings forth women's food experiences as well as recipes, in order to to share with the world their story of social change. 

Having fun in Chef Shek's Kitchen 

"It was so beautiful to be on the receiving end of Mr. Shek's incredible generosity," said cookbook editor Elana Sztokman. "Food takes on the energies of the people preparing it. Mr. Shek gave of his heart to support the women, just as the women give to the children with their hearts every single day. This is about food as a vehicle of love, and it was so wonderful to experience that with Mr. Shek." 

The cookbook "Masala Mamas: Recipes and stories from Indian women transforming their communities through food and love" is set to be released in December 2017. You can reserve your copy here and become a sponsor of the project. 

First Ever Medical Student Internship at GPM

Standing inside the Sharvan Health Clinic

For the first time ever, GPM welcomes three fourth year medical students from the United Kingdom. Lucy Lewis, Sally Maryosh and Elkie Ben Hur have arrived in India and their work has already begun. During their four weeks in India they will be working at the GPM Sharvan Health Center  in the Kalwa slums, in the villages with the GPM mobile clinic and with  Doctors for You, in Mankhurd - central Mumbai. 

Sally and Lucy are completing their medical studies at the University of East Anglia while Elkie is attending the medical school at Liverpool University.

Sally says she is excited to learn more about how the health care system works in developing countries, “It is amazing work that the doctors and volunteers do here and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to truly understand India’s culture and health system and the diversity of life here.” 

Students learn about health

The medical interns learn about the differences between urban slum health and rural village health and the challenges that Indian doctors face on a daily basis.  They will be working to establish protocols for various infections and sicknesses that will greatly benefit the Sharvan Health Center and Doctors for You. They also get the privilege of working alongside Dr. Pravin Rathod during their time in the villages.  

Lucy Lewis explains how she knew she wanted to have an enriching medical experience for her internship, “ I was really hoping to go to India; I wanted to do something different, and I did not want to spend my month in a hospital. I wanted to throw myself in at the deep end and have a once in a lifetime opportunity to utilize my medical skills in a helpful and productive way. I am also particularly interested in community medicine, especially the care of women and children.”

The three interns have just completed teaching several classes of children in kalwa about good health and hygiene.  

"We feel very fortunate that Lucy, Elkie, and Sally chose GPM as their elective internship, says Samantha Klazkin, GPM Associate Director, "and we hope that this experience stays with them throughout their medical careers."

Performing health-checkups for pre-school children at GPM pre-school

Samantha Klazkin joins GPM as Associate Director

We are so excited that Samantha Klazkin, 25, has joined GPM as its Associate Director. Currently living in Jerusalem, Samantha graduated from the University of Florida in 2014 with a degree in International Studies and Communications and later was a volunteer with GPM during the summer of 2013, and as she says, “loved every moment of it.”

Samantha in 2013 as a GPM Fellow

After graduating from University, Samantha moved back to South Florida to work for AIPAC and then followed in her parents’ footsteps by moving to Israel.

At GPM Samantha’s role is in programming, communications, partner relations and supporting innovative development work in the field.

Samantha’s favorite memories from volunteering are: “walking into the classrooms each morning and being greeted by so many smiling children, exploring India, and being immersed in Indian culture. “

Speaking about her new role at GPM, Samantha says, “I am so happy that I am part of this incredible organization.”