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Coming CPT

coming to cpt

There is a cycle of poverty and non-education that has been prevalent in India for a long time. At one level, The Children's Project exists to break that cycle by allowing children from the bleakest of backgrounds to come into an environment of love and learning. These children are given the chance to experience the comfort of living in a safe, clean and regulated environment, where they are well fed and protected. Attentive adults offer guidance that lets them expand their horizons and develop self-respect. For the first time, they have the freedom to play, to live without fear, in short, to evolve naturally from a child into
an adult.

CPT does not go to the streets or to the slum areas and select children for the program. We keep our doors open and children arrive through word of mouth. Newcomers are evaluated to ensure they can adapt to school life in the pristine mountain environment. Children as young as two have found a home at the school.

Typically a relative or parent brings a child to CPT because they feel they cannot give him or her proper care. They see that they are not able to provide food, clothing or medical attention and feel that the child is a great burden to them. Usually the family is living on the side of the road somewhere or in a plastic tent. Alcoholism, violence or other forms of abuse are often part of the picture. There is an aspect of begging going on for daily existence, all of which makes providing a home environment basically impossible. Many times a child has only a mother whose husband has run off or died. Sometimes both parents will have passed on and there is an old grandparent or uncle who by default has become responsible for a group of children. In this atmosphere, a child is lucky to get one meal a day. Education is a true luxury, so overall the future for the child is not a very bright one.

If they do not come to CPT they are left in a situation where they are blown like a dandelion seed in the wind. There is no constructive or formative energy brought to bear on their growth process and therefore they absorb whatever comes into their environment. These are often things which most of us would find degrading and which do not give the child a chance to even be a child let alone reach their full potential as an adult.

A New Life

When a child arrives an older girl is assigned to act as a big sister, helping them to become comfortable with their new way of life. Teaching self-discipline and cleanliness is one of the first major priorities. On the street children wear the same clothes for many days in a row and have become accustomed to being dirty. They don't know how to wash themselves or brush their teeth and need regular supervision with even the simplest of social skills, like proper toilet habits.

School age children initially find the structure a bit tedious and would rather 'goof off' in class. It is a challenge for the teacher to get them to sit still and learn. To help with this we turn certain lessons into games or intersperse class time with short playtimes and happy activities that have an element of fun. Some of the children have never been exposed to the simplest of toys. Others were put to work on the streets so early they never even learned how to play. Last year one small boy was brought to us at age 2 who had no motor skills. He had spent so much time bouncing around on his mother's hip while she begged that he never learned how to walk. One of our staff members patiently worked his arms and legs until he understood how to use them on his own. Now he never walks when he can run!

The age of a child dictates how we integrate them into a class environment. The small children may have a play class all day. We'll give them blocks and let them learn some letters or practice holding a pencil or working with art materials. We let them be in the class while the other children are having a more formal lesson. Then it's very easy. They start to pick up an interest in what the other children are doing. It's a natural process that doesn't put any strain on the child. They are not forced.

The older children, some of whom may have had a bit of schooling, are assessed and given private tutoring to allow them to integrate with their peers. Visiting teachers bring interesting projects that foster the children's natural inquisitiveness. In this way an innate love of learning and life is awakened.

Older and younger children are exposed to practices like silent sitting, meditation, self-enquiry and singing which help them to connect with their spiritual heart. They find they have entered into an environment of love and support wherein they are given the skills and education to become leaders of their own lives. They soon come to identify values within themselves that they can live by, which will give them strength to understand and create their own destiny.

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