Good morning,

Howard has asked me to make sure that you received news of his latest experiences during his travel to India. He was there helping to launch distributions of Vitamin A and deworming medicines with our program partners who work directly with the 1.1 million children and mothers that we reach in our Operation 20/20 program.  Notes from Howard's daily experiences, in his own words, are below. Pretty amazing!--Ashley

Greetings from Chennai, India!

Subject: Notes from the Field #5, India -- Chennai

We entered the slum in Chennai in the late afternoon, after the distribution at the school nearby.  Both the school and the slum are literally built on a dump.  And there is a pile of refuse a block away that is literally three stories high and over a city block long. Needless to say the smell is intense.

The visit to the slum was great - We always feel it is important to visit the children where they live, so we can really understand their circumstances and needs. This slum was built by the government and is a really deteriorated version (hard to believe) of the 'projects' in the inner cities of the US.  Families live in 1 room that may be 8 feet square, with a low ceiling, little ventilation, one light bulb and neighbors above, below and alongside them.

Click here to watch the pod cast of Howard’s recent distribution in Madurai, India

We visited families with 5 people living in this small space.  Although originally free, many families now pay rent (kind of a sublet) to the original tenant.  During the monsoon season (June - August), flooding can fill these homes with 3 feet of water and the families have to abandon them and flee to a nearby school, temple or anywhere they can find shelter.

And the people are beautiful and alive and so happy to invite us into their homes and talk about their lives. Their greatest hope is to educate their children so they can have a chance of escaping the finding a better life. We'll be leaving India in the next couple of days but these memories of these amazing people will stay with us for a long time.

Best,

Howard

--
Howard B Schiffer
Founder & President
VITAMIN ANGELS

P.O. Box 42029
Santa Barbara, CA  93140

Ph: 805 564 8400
Fx: 805 564 8499
Web: www.VitaminAngels.org