Healing Day in Toronto – April 28, 2012

Date: April 28, 2012 (Saturday).
Time: 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Location: 120 Carlton Street, Suite 315, Toronto, Ontario  M5A 4K3

RSVP to secure an appointment:
647-460-KITE(5483) or healingday@paperkitefoundation.com

Please join us for an afternoon of healing treatments. We have three amazing healers who are offering their services to raise money for Paper Kite Children’s Foundation. All treatments are offered on a by donation basis and we are suggesting a minimum donation of $20 for a 20-minute session.

Therapeutic Massage Therapy withFazMoosa, RMT (12:00 – 4:00pm)

As many millions will attest, massage also helps relieve the stress and tension of everyday living that can lead to disease and illness.

FazMoosa RMT is a therapeutically oriented Massage and Trigger Point work specialist. He has a well-honed radar for knots and spasms.Visit his website at: www.achesawaytoronto.ca

Acupuncture with Naomi Frank

Acupuncture should not feel painful. You may experience a tingling or slight aching feeling when the needles are placed. Most people become very relaxed and take a nap during their treatment. Having acupuncture could be described as a period of deep stillness in which nothing seems to be happening, but all sorts of things get done.

In general, you can expect to feel relaxed for several hours following a treatment. You may feel sleepy, or you may have more energy than when you came in. Some people get immediate relief while others find their symptoms recede gradually over a few days. Everyone responds to acupuncture differently.Visit her facebook page at www.facebook.com/ToCAcu

Gentle Chiropractic with Dr. BiljanaDurickovic

Network Spinal Analysis is a tonal and completely low force system that utilizes access points of the central nervous system to create radical transformations.

If you are experiencing physical symptoms, suffering from stress, or are trying to overcome a current health challenge, discover how you can heal from the inside out and use your pain and illness as a fuel for change.Visit her website at www.drdurickovic.com

Reiki withJoselinSundin, Reiki Master

Reiki is an ancient Japanese art of energy healing that activates, directs and applies natural energy for the promotion of health, healing, balance and wholeness. Reiki speeds the healing process and provides a source of restoring energy under medical treatment or in recovery. Visit her website at www.reikisports.com

Visit us at:
http://www.paperkitefoundation.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/paperkitekids

40,000 Bihar Children Missing

PATNA: The magnitude of human trafficking in Bihar is alarming as about 35,000 to 40,000 children from the state were missing and nobody knew about their whereabouts, said former Delhi police commissioner Amod Kanth. There was no human development indicator in Bihar, resulting in the frequent use of child labour and violation of law dealing with it, he said.

Speaking on the first day of the three-day seminar on ‘Training of Master trainers: To combat human trafficking’, organized jointly by the crime investigation department (CID) of Bihar police and Save the Children, a civil society organization, here on Monday, Kanth stressed the need to redefine human trafficking as the present definition did not deal with the issue in its entirety. The Central government was working on a new manual to make it clear, he said, adding that the Immoral Trafficking Act discussed only about commercialization of sex and the Juvenile Justice Act talked only about children between 6 and 8 years of age.

Throwing light on the complexity of the issue, Kanth said human trafficking was related not only to prostitution but also with forced marriage, child sex and organ transplant. He said the present definition was itself so complex that it was creating problem in tackling the real issue.

Addressing the inaugural function, DGP Abhayanand said human trafficking was the worst form of rights violation and reiterated the Bihar police commitment to eliminate this evil from the state.

The DGP asked police officials to behave properly with victims of human trafficking, be alert about any information in this regard and take cognisance on priority basis.

Speaking on ‘Coordination: Police, community and civil society organization’, member of Bihar Public Service Commission and retired IPS officer, Rajyabardhan Sharma, said the local police should take the media help in busting the gangs involved in human trafficking. He, however, felt the media was not giving proper space to such serious issues.

State programme coordinator of Save the Children, Nitu Prasad, said the victims needed support as kids took to crime because of lack of awareness about law.

Source

What does Daman have that Bihar doesn’t? Power

It’s summer. The mercury level is above 30 degree Celsius in most parts of the country. So, are you planning to buy the third Air Conditioner for your house? No one’s stopping you. You have the POWER.

But most of rural India doesn’t. While 99 percent of rural households in Union Territories like Lakshwadeep and Daman and Diu have electricity, in Bihar only 10 percent of rural households have electricity. The Census data of 2011 shows that in terms of electricity coverage, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the worst performers in the country. In a decade, the states could only add four to five percentage points in their electricity coverage. While Uttar Pradesh climbed from 19.9 percent in 2001 to 23.8 percent in 2011, Bihar’s electricity coverage rose from a mere 5.1 percent to 10.4 percent, reported Business Standard.

Here are some more statistics, according to the Census 2011 data, that shows despite the implementation of large scale programmes, India is mostly POWER-less. The country’s achievement in providing access to electricity leaves much to be desired.

• There are still 11 lakh households in India with no source of lighting whatsoever. That is a number slightly larger than the number of households using solar lighting.
• Just over half of rural India uses electricity as its main source of lighting, an increase of 12 percent over 2001.
• Barely one in every ten households in rural Bihar and two-thirds of houses in the state’s urban areas use electricity to light their houses.
• Madhya Pradesh has shown a marginal decline in the proportion of households that use electricity as the primary source of lightning from 62 percent in 2001 to 58 percent in 2011.
• 85 percent of rural India still using firewood, crop residue or cow dung as its primary source of fuel for cooking.
• In Bihar and Orissa, the spread of LPG lags far behind the rest of the country , with less than 10 percent of households in both states using LPG.

The data is a stark reminder of the lopsided development in the country. Ambitious schemes like Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidhyutikaran Yojana, with the goal of electrifying all unelectrified villages or hamlets, in April 2007, hasn’t been able to achieve much success. Maybe, government needs to do much more, while we dream on for power.

Source

Thank You To All Those Who Came Out to Healing Day!

Our first Paper Kite fundraising event for this year was an amazing day! We had few hiccups along the way but we were still able to raise $180 dollars with only two volunteer healers. 100% of the money raised will go towards helping two orphanages we support in Bihar – Jeanamitabh and Sunway.

A BIG THANK YOU to:

Everyone who came to participate in the event and contributed money;

Everyone who helped us spread the word;

Our wonderful healers, Sukhi and Johannes for offering their services; and

Our dedicated volunteers who helped us secure the space, food and drinks, spread the word, coordinated the event, and were at the event to set-up, greet the clients and pack up.

Check out some of the pictures from our Healing Day:http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperkitefoundation/sets/72157629579685707/

This event would not have been possible without each and every one of you!

Healing Day – March 11, 2012

Paper Kite is hosting Healing Day on Sunday, March 11, 2012 from 12 -5 pm.

Place: Downtown Vancouver, 1107 Seymour Street

RSVP to secure an appointment:

778-893-9531 or socialmedia@paperkitefoundation.com

We have three amazing healers who are offering their services to raise money for Paper Kite Children Foundation. All treatments are offered on a by donation basis and we are suggesting a minimum donation of $20 for 20-minute session.

Chiropractic By Dr. Sukhi Muker
Dr. Sukhi Muker is an international speaker, author and healer. He has revolutionized an innovative integrative approach to optimal health and healing which is based on removing interference from the central nervous system. A completely tonal and low force system that utilizes access points of the CNS to create radical transformations. If you are experiencing physical, mental or emotional states of symptoms, sickness or disease this innovative system will empower you to heal from the inside out. People experience improvements in every area of their lives.

Dr. Sukhi is considered as an authority on health, healing and optimal living. He teaches internationally and practices in West Vancouver, BC.
Visit his website at: www.optimal-living.ca

Heart Resonance Therapy By Johannes Jenker:
Heart Resonance Therapy is able to resonate a powerful “Divine Love Centered” energy field and transform disease through the process of entrainment. In doing so, HRT provides a deep sense of calming relaxation that has the potential to affect one’s life even days after receiving only one treatment session.

Johannes is a long time volunteer of Paper Kite. He got the transmission for Heart Resonance Therapy and Heart Resonance Therapy levels 1 and 2 in 2010 and has been a Heart Resonance Therapy practitioner since then.

Reiki By Grant Ito
Reiki is an ancient art of energy healing. It uses universal energy creating balance and well being on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.

Visit us at:
http://www.paperkitefoundation.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/paperkitekids

A typical day for a Paper Kite volunteer in India – Field Blog #3

A typical day for a Paper Kite volunteer in Bodhgaya, Bihar starts at 7:00am when we wake up and prepare for the day. Following breakfast at Be Happy Cafe, we attend Morning Prayer at 10:00am with the 350 children at Jeanamitabh orphanage. The children sing the Indian, French and Canadian national anthem, and listen to the daily news from Bihar. After prayer, the children attend class until 4pm. During class, Paper Kite volunteers leave with the orphanage managers to purchase items from the local community. In order to maximize our time in Bihar, we decide on items we want to purchase prior to leaving. We receive a list of requests from the orphanages and Paper Kite’s board of directors go through all items in detail to ensure they are within our four supporting programs (proper nutrition, clean water, education, health and welfare). All items purchased are for the benefit of the children and are not used for administration, logistics or transportation. The two orphanages we currently support were selected from 14 orphanages we researched and evaluated in 2010. The selection was based on our observations of the orphanages’ daily practices and their ability to provide proper financial statements, including operation costs.

Purchasing supplies is somewhat of an art and it takes time to perfect the skills such as bargaining and judging the quality of materials. In order to develop these skills, we have to cultivate relationships with local merchants as prices for foreigners tend be significantly higher than for locals. In all cases, we have to rely on the orphanage managers to help us barter and translate for us. Since this is Paper Kite’s third year here, volunteers have become familiar with the prices and are able to push for the lowest prices possible. We know that every dollar counts, so we make the effort to maximize our budget. As well, we are actively involved in the purchasing process and check the quality and quantity of all items we purchase.

In the evening we spend time with the children. Spending time with the children is one of the most fulfilling aspects of our field work. In just a few days, we went from being “the volunteers” to “Tarik Brother” and “Navi Sister.” It is an honour to be welcomed into the children’s hearts but it is hard to not form an emotional bond with them. Not only do we become emotionally invested in the children’s well-being, but we also learn about the children’s daily needs beyond the items requested by orphanage managers. For instance, Navi noticed that the girls’ hair could use some TLC, so she purchased hair clips for all of them. Although such items are basic necessities, you don’t realize what kids need until you see them in person and observe them on a daily basis.

At Paper Kite, we are lucky to be able to see the children in their element. This is something that is unique to our organization. As well, volunteers cover their own travels, accommodations and food in Bihar to ensure that all donations to Paper Kite are spent responsibly on items that the children require.

Navi, Paper Kite Volunteer
Tarik, Paper Kite President & Founder

In Loving Memory of Motak – Field Blog #2

We have come to learn that Motak, a physically-disabled boy who lived in the Jeanamitabh orphanage passed away recently. Paper Kite’s President Tarik met Motak during our field work in 2011.

Motak was an energetic boy who had aspirations of finishing school and becoming a social computer teacher. He also enjoyed wearing Tarik’s sunglasses and learning about Canadian culture.

While he was home visiting his family, Motak contracted Meningitis. Meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meninges). Meningitis can be cause by bacteria, viruses, fungi and even certain chemicals. Bacterial Meningitis is the most common type of Meningitis appearing in healthy individuals and also the most dangerous. It requires immediate medical treatment. Unfortunately, Motak’s parents were not aware of the symptoms of Meningitis and did not seek medical care when he started feeling sick. Additionally, since hospital visits are very expensive, they were reluctant to take him to the hospital. Although Motak was experiencing symptoms, his family was not aware that anything was wrong until he fell into coma. At that time, he was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late, and unfortunately he died on the way.

This situation could have been prevented if his parents had been informed about Meningitis symptoms, but basic health promotion is still lacking in local villages. Health promotion is just as important to community members as it is to the children in the orphanages. Paper Kite is planning to organize a health team to come to India to provide basic health education to the children and community members in the future to help prevent this from happening again.

Navi, Paper Kite Volunteer
Tarik, Paper Kite President & Founder

We Are All Connected – Field Blog #1

It’s our third day in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. It’s so great to be back this year and see all the children at Jeanamithab and Sunway—the two orphanages we support. The orphanages have made great use of the items we bought last year such as benches for classrooms, tables and a water pump.

This year, through the hard work of our volunteers and your donations, we have $12,000 to spend. And as always, every dollar we raise goes directly to helping the children here.

It’s only been a few days, but Navi and I wasted no time as we immediately started purchasing items for both orphanages including fabric for the student uniforms, plates, undergarments and wiring materials for lighting. We still have many items to purchase over the next 10 days – food for a month, medicine, wood for making beds, shoes, kitchen utensils, etc.

Ten days may sound like a long time to buy supplies, but it takes a lot of time and patience to go through the process of making purchases from small shops in Bodh Gaya. India is very different from Canada in terms of pace and service.

Unlike in Canada where you can easily purchase an item from a store, in India, the process of buying is a lot more complex. First, you have to source various businesses, then you negotiate a price, and finally, you hope that you aren’t overpaying. While the process can be laborious, it is the only way to do business here.  This particular difference between Western and Indian culture is what makes it so hard for charities to set up shop in Bihar.Unless you are willing to adopt the practices of the local culture, it is very difficult to earn a positive reputation as a credible organization. This fact alone is what makes Paper Kite unique—we are cognizant of the cultural differences and actively use this knowledge to build trust with the local community.

The rest of our time is focused around purchasing supplies and spending time with the children at both orphanages. Thanks for reading and watch here for more updates!

Navi, Paper Kite Volunteer
Tarik, Paper Kite President & Founder

A Big Thank You to Sunil Sinha!

Paper Kite Children’s Foundation would like to extend a big thank you to Sunil Sinha for his generous donation of $2000!

Originally from Bihar, Sunil understands first-hand how important it is for organizations like Paper Kite to provide funding for the basic necessities and social programs promoting children’s education and health in Bihar.

Sunil had wanted to be a part of this year’s Paper Kite Team heading to Bihar in February, but is unable to go. In a gesture of immense kindness and generosity,  Sunil donated the money he was going to use to fund his trip to Paper Kite. In addition, Sunil has also shown tremendous support for our organization by trying to secure resources to assist our team in purchasing items for the orphanages once the team arrives in Bihar.

Thank you so much Sunil for your support and helping us meet our goal!

Hundreds of Malnourished Children Suffering from AFP in Bihar

Hundreds of children in Bihar’s East Champaran district bordering Nepal, have been found suffering from Acute Flaccid Paralysis due to malnutrition, officials said on Thursday.

Officials said that 442 children in the district were found suffering from AFP.

“AFP in children was detected when the United Nations Children’s Fund sent stool samples of 542 children of the district to Luckhnow for test,” the official said.

Dr Anil Kumar Singh,a district official, said that AFP in children is caused by malnutrition. District civil surgeon Dr Kameshwar Mandal said that during the polio immunisation campaign, some children were reportedly found to be suffering from paralysis.

Earlier this year, the State government launched a special programme addressing malnutrition in children. The programme was rolled out at every health sub-centre at each village across the state, with focus on removing malnutrition among children, young girls and pregnant women.

Latest government data has said that Bihar accounts for 58 per cent malnutrition among children which is above the national average of 46 per cent.

AFP is a clinical manifestation characterised by weakness or paralysis and reduced muscle tone without other obvious cause.

Source