Friday March 9, 2001

Only two years ago this little girl and her friends were living in the depths of depression and desperation. Born into leper colonies here in Calcutta they had little hope of anything in life accept every day survival. Today, three hundred children, fifty girls and two hundred and fifty boys live at Utayan thanks to the phenomenal generosity of many people including our captain Stephen Waugh.

Visiting the living and schooling campus in downtown Calcutta was as heart warming experience as I have enjoyed for a long time. The drive to Udayan was an eye-opener in itself, with the squalor and poverty of every day life staring us down like a hungry baby. Double, even triple, this regular poverty with the stigma and rejection of living in a leper colony, and you can start to get an indication of where these beautiful children have come from.

The depths of despair are rapidly transformed into emotions of joy and promise as you watch these kids developing into polite, happy and hopeful children who may one day have the opportunity to live and achieve their dreams. It was incredible watching these neatly dressed and smiling children show off their newly acquired skills learned at Udayan. A group of young girls between the ages of ten and fifteen (I am guessing the ages) playing heavenly tunes on their violins. Heavenly, not only for the actual sounds, but more, because two years ago these kids would have never even known what a violin looked like.

"Heavenly, not only for the actual sounds, but more, because two years ago these kids would have never even known what a violin looked like."

Following a concert of violinists, a group of boys presented a range of yoga moves that made my body ache without even bending a limb. The skill and strength of these youngsters could have them competing in the Olympic gymnastics given the opportunity.

Udayan is all about opportunity. Taken away from the leper colonies (with the permission of their leprosy suffering parents) to pursue a brighter life, it is mind blowing witnessing the transformation of these wonderful young children. Every child in this world should have these opportunities. Simple opportunities like education, clean clothes, healthy, fresh food and a bed with a mattress and clean blanket or sheet. The harsh reality in parts of the world like here in Calcutta is that thousands, probably even hundreds of thousands of kids don' t have these luxuries. Luxuries that seem like a part of every day life for people like you and me.

The saddest part of my visit today was the pride the school had in the donation of three hundred beds. It wasn't sad because of the pride, or the donation from a friend of Steve Waugh's in Sydney, but because these little children were experiencing a bed as a luxury. On the walls of the sleeping dormitory were pictures of teddy bears and animals just like you would find in the room of my daughters at home in Perth. It seemed surreal walking through this newly constructed living quarters. Each night fifty young girls set their heads down without their mummy or daddy to tuck them in at night. Obviously, they are better off and probably happier and safer living here, but it just doesn't seem fair to have people living away from their homes and their families because of a disease like leprosy.

The happiness and tenderness of the people we met was fantastic. Like so many charity workers, the strength, courage and foresight of the people running Utayan is inspirational. Having Steve Waugh as a figurehead of this worthy organization helps to raise much needed funds for developing opportunities for these less fortunate children. For Steve, I am sure it is inspiring watching the progress of this wonderful organization of which he is quite obviously a major contributor and role model.

From Calcutta

Inspired!

JL

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