Outside the girls hostel on the way to the main gate of the university
The gang headed out to BHU for a tour of the maternity ward. We sat in on some prenatal visits and I listened to the heartbeat of a 6 month old fetus! We also learned how to do a prenatal exam.
This was on the wall of the hospital... I liked it.
After the hospital, we got dropped off at the District Jail, where we made a phone call to the head of an NGO that fights human trafficking in Varanasi and were told to wait for an escort to lead us to their office.
The District Jail
After getting further instructions (don't worry Mom, this is a legitimate organization) we arrived at the office and sat down with the director and his wife for tea.
The orgs poster in the office. (No other photography is allowed)
The director told us about what they do there and how the organization has fought a continuous battle for years now against the local and national government, the brothel owners, and the pimps in the area. As it stands, there are laws set into place protecting underage girls (thanks to the hard work of this NGO) from forced prostitution. The organization also has a school in the nearby red light district for the children of the prostitutes where they recieve education, food, and some health care. The school is a safe place for the children to go and spend the day, and the org is currently raising money to continue building a dormitory so some of the children can stay overnight when it is unsafe to return home. We visited the school and spent the afternoon with the children, who were excited to have visitors and LOVED to have thier picture taken... (my camera was hijacked by several of them for a while)
Yes, they are ALL meditating.
Red Light District
Red Light District
After they stole our hearts, we decided to pool some money and make a donation to the school. We will also be looking into starting a chartered club at Smith to help in any way we can.
Talk to me if you are interested in making a donation. Every little bit counts. The organization is Guria, in Varanasi. Thanks for following another day of our adventures! Hope you are all well, Love you!
Onawa
