Getting to Know Your International Contacts, Part 1

There is a song that contains the words “I get by with a little help from my friends,” and in this case, it sums up my attempt to make an early childhood connection outside of the United States.  In pure desperation, I reached out to friends who I thought might be able to point me in the “right” direction.  Now, I am currently corresponding with 3 individuals, one in India, one in China, and one in the Cayman Islands. 

So far, I have communicated with my new friend from India, Sapna Clouhan.  The early childhood educator from the Cayman Islands is in Miami for a funeral (unfortunately, I could not meet her).  My contact from China is in the midst of a project, and although she wants to help, her correspondence will be limited.

Currently, Sapna and I are communicating through e-mail.  Her English, in her opinion, is not “very flowerly.”  I’m not quite sure what that means, but it’s an easy venture to understand her thoughts.  Sapna has run a private preschool in India for the last eight years.  I explained that our topic for the week was childhood poverty, and I questioned her specifically about school funding for those that cannot afford it.  Her school is not a government aided school.  I was interested to learn that her school partners with about 12 schools in the United Kingdom and Poland to exchange and discuss curriculums; they are hoping to share this program with Austria soon.  From the little I know, it would work in the United States, too!

First and foremost, Sapna told me (in both correspondences) that poverty is everywhere in India.  Her school is in Thane, which is close to India’s financial capital of Mumbai.  Sapna believes that child labor is one of the evils that her country is trying to fight; she sees it everywhere.  She feels children are fortunate if they enter a school or balwadi (playgroup) in India.  Many children in Thane attend schools without infrastructures or tables and chairs.  The government of India has begun midday  meal programs in some areas.

In addition, there are programs that pay children to attend school.  I questioned this, and Sapna explained that families feel that money spent on educating their girls is often wasted.  Once educated, they get married and the parents have wasted their money.

Sapna explained that there is a mobile crèche in her area for construction worker’s children.  This crèche offers young children basic education, food, and keeps the children until the parents leave the construction site.  The crèche is run by a non-government organization as well as aided by the builder.  The construction site is not safe for the children.

There is just so much to absorb from the conversations we have shared via the computer.  I get excited to see mail from her, and I eagerly await her next response.  What an amazing venue to learn from; why didn’t I think about it before?