By Machelle Norling | Director
We have been on lockdown for 6 months and counting. What a strange time for all of us. As with all things, life continues. The challenges have been many. Our kids have not merely met those challenges, they have risen to a new level of confidence, determination and creativity.
As you may know or not know, India initiated one of the most severe lockdowns in the world. Currently, they have the second fastest growing number of COVID cases globally and this is not over yet. We are adjusting on the fly, adapting to an all digital learning format and sustaining our home with no outside staff. Not an easy task when you have more than 50 kids vying for a limited number of computers and the space to sit where concentration is required.
As we always have, for more than 15 years now, we lean on each other to get through life - as a family. With the restictions on movement our entire outside staff has been absent, which means we have to cook for ourselves, do our own laundry and make sure our space is clean and the bathrooms scrubbed. We are all learning new skills, with the kids taking on leadership roles in the kitchen, maintaining the home and grounds, and monitoring the computer room.
Ravi - who graduated this year with a bachelor degree in Hotel Management - is our resident chef. He is running the kitchen, creating menus, grocery shopping lists and a schedule that brings each kid into the kitchen to help prep, cook and serve. it is an inspiration to see him lead and utilize what he learned in college to our small place in the city.
Ramesh and Nissar, two of the young men who are currently enrolled in year two at Word & Deed Vocational school studying to be electricians, took it upon themselves to fix one or our aircoolers. At the height of summer, when the temperature can reach well over 100 degrees, they were able to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it.
This is the precise reason How Now started and the reason it all works. We believe in creating a "home" for every child who comes through our doors. We believe in a solid education through trade school or college. With 4 house parents, 2 dogs and 54 kids, we are a bustling, often times loud, sometimes chaotic, but always a family working through life the only way we know how - together.
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