The Swiss Team visiting la Maison des Enfants in India
From October 16 to October 30, 2010
This morning we left Alleypey and its house boats to go to La Maison des Enfants. In the mission bus, the whole team was joyful and looking forward to seeing, after a week of keralase discoveries, Cheppad, Pappy Daniel and all the children.
Josiane, Claudia and myself were happy to see our friends again, and Corinne, Patricia, Daniel and the kids we looking forward to finally meeting them.
A big sign on the building welcomed us:
After settling down, we go on a re-discovery tour of the premices! I can help noticing that since my last trip two years ago, the construction aiming to extend the building have stopped:
only the first-floor kitchen, pantry and eating room are done.
In the boys house however, I notice with joy that the second-floor rooms are finished. One of the rooms serves as a computer classroom and 6 computers have been put there, and the big room serves as a sewing workshop with over 10 pedal-sewing machines in place. In another room, there are four electric machines.
Pappy Daniel tells us that the procedure has been started to get state-approved training certificates, but everything takes so much time here.
Perhaps on our next visit ? ..... Gisèle Tschan Gauchat
Dear sponsors, dear friends,
Do you like Bollywood? Yes? Well, our Cheppad children simply love it and, during their free time, they invent choreographies, imitate singers, but all that with evangelical words. We had so much fun watching them for two hours singing, dancine, moving and switching costumes. The show was very well prepared and organised. The little girls wore the most enchanting dresses, sewed by the Mummies, and the older boys invited us to pertake in the most rapid dances, soon to be joined up by the other boys, inlcuding Pappy Daniel and Nicolas, Claudia Berner's son. What joy! And it was good to see them have fun, happy, after hours of laborous study.
Josiane Secretan
I really enjoyed the elephants and the 6 films I watched on the airplane. Cyril (8 years old)
Here's a terrible picture....... But not representative of India... Nicolas (13 years old)
When I arrived in India, I was surprised by the smells and vegetation; I'm already looking forward to my next trip there. Adeline (11 years old)
Thank you! For those who love beautiful emotions...
Josiane Secretan
What a joy to see all those children smiling and in good shape! We organised a walk by the ocean with an ice cream, we danced together, played together, it was one of those shared moments that heats your heart up.
What a great job Pappy Daniel and his team are doing, taking care of those girls and boys! Claudia Berner
La Maison des Enfants welcome us so well, such a nice group - that makes for unforgettable holidays! Daniel Berner
Kerala 2010