On Tuesday 26th April, Rosie (UVI - Year 13) gave a presentation in Chapel explaining to the school what the Indian orphanage Sheela Bal Bhavan does, and how it operates.

It is an all girls' home started by an Indian-born couple, Sheela and Joti. They both have degrees: Joti in Educational Psychology and Sheela a MSc. Before building and founding the orphanage, they lived in Canada where they both worked as teachers. After years of working and saving, they moved back to India, to Jaipur, where they finally fufilled Sheela's long-awaited dream of starting the orphanage; they did this using their own savings.

To support the girls' financial needs, a group called the 'Can Care Support Group' was started, of which Rosie's grandmother, Claire Anson, is the trustee in England. She is responsible for taking care of their sponsorships, which fund their education. At one time, 18-25 abandoned girls lived together in the home, looked after by the loving staff, who tried to recreate a family atmosphere.

The girls all go to school in Jaipur and are taught in English, giving them an added advantage to a hopeful future. The need for this home is overwhelming, with countless girls being abandoned on the streets, abused and neglected due to their gender.

As a result of Claire Anson's involvement, this charity has always played a large role in the lives of Rosie's family, and having exchanged a multitude of photos, letters and emails with the girls, she was excited to be able to share information about this special organisation with the rest of the school.

On Wednesday 27th April, the girls organised a 'Multi-coloured Mufti Day' to fundraise for the orphanage. If anyone would like to donate, please go to: https://www.canserve.ca/history-of-sheela-bal-bhavan/.