We share the letter that Weavers’ Wheel network (INDIA) & Associazione Antigóna (Bologna, ITALY) have sent to their friends to give an account of the activities and projects carried out together.
Dear friends, when there is a FULL MOON the earth is finally shining and illuminated. The moon often takes on a spiritual and magical meaning, and we like to think of it as a special opportunity to reach the most hidden corners to bring moon rays where living beings in difficulty live.
By developing the collaboration between the Weavers’ Wheel Network and the Antigóna Association, we started distributing the Crumbs – collected in the Bricioland basket – just in the days of FULL MOON. In 2020 we sent 7,834 Euros, for the following activities:
SAKURA FOR PEACE – Initiative launched in October 2019 by an international group of young people to plant trees around the world in the name of Peace. Taking up this invitation, we planted various trees in Florence and involved the farmers of the village of Pasumalaithangal, Tamilnadu, to create a small forest that now has 400 trees.
Some trees have been lost, but the majority are growing and in need of care. Many men in the village would jump through hoops for a day of paid work. By combining human resources and tree needs with some of our Crumbs, we offer a few days of work to the people of the village every month.
The local contact person for this and other projects we carry out is Thavamani, an extraordinary farmer-social worker, with a great spirit of solidarity towards his people. He and his family also have a great capacity for welcoming young international volunteers who have followed one another over the years.
WEAVING WITHOUT BORDERS – Initiative launched in April 2020, in full lockdown, after receiving testimonies on the plight of textile artisans in India. Italian textile artisans and friends of various Associations have taken up our appeal that I would like to thank here: NAMASTE ONORE A TE, LA FIERUCOLA, SERVAS, MAGIA VERDE, VRO, RGHH. Thanks to the crumbs collected, we were able to reach various textile projects, all of which I personally know, in various states of India (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharasthra, Pondicherry and Tamilnadu). Some textile groups have offered to send their products in exchange. As soon as possible, we will have some fabrics sent to the group of tailors of MAGIA VERDE, in southern Tamilnadu, by spinning the wheel of Bricioland. We are in constant contact with the representatives of the textile organizations and we appreciate the efforts of many Indian volunteers.
GRRC – The Gandhi Rural Rehabilitation Center is located in the village of Alampundi (Tamilnadu ) and supports, with great financial effort, the Anjeli Center, the day center for disabled children that offers them therapies, treatments, education, food and moments of play and leisure. During the lockdown, the GRRC was active in the distribution of food parcels to families in need in the villages.
MAHER ASHRAM – Sister Lucy Kurien, tireless and joyful founder, is a Catholic nun but who respects all religions and a beneficial force of nature, created the place to welcome women who face difficulties in married life. Often mistreated, offended, threatened and/or physically harmed by their husbands, they find the Maternal Home in Maher who welcomes them, treats them, offers them counseling in order to resolve family problems and – when this is not possible – accompanies them on a path of training and self-sufficiency through productive activities.
Among these is the workshop for making shopping bags, made by recycling the fabrics of discarded saree. My mother and I were guests in Maher in November 2019 together with Pinuccio, a Sicilian gardener who has done many very useful jobs here and elsewhere. Even Maher has been active in the distribution of hundreds of food parcels to families in the suburbs of Pune.
HOPE CENTER – I met the founder, Sister Noelline, in the 90s and I have always been impressed by her deep determination towards social service, which constituted the mission of her life which ended a few years ago. Among the various activities that she had started, the one that is closest to our heart, and that, thanks to some friends, we have financed in recent years, is the care of the psychophysical well-being of the elderly in Wadgaon Sheri, a suburb of the city of Pune (Maharashtra). Recently, and to our great joy, the HELPAGE ITALIA board of directors decided to finance part of the costs aimed at the well-being of the elderly, including health activities (cataract interventions and others) and recreational activities (trips, parties, games), and also reimbursement for social workers who constantly and closely follow the elderly.
DEEPA KULKARNI – Deepa is also from Pune (Maharashtra) and I was able to appreciate and benefit from her talent in November 2019. She is a social worker and works mainly in slums. She launched a fundraising campaign, to which we responded with some FULL MOON CRUMBS, in favor of a training project. Now launched, it is aimed at 50 teenage girls from the slums, so that they can take care of the primary needs of the environment, their families and themselves.
SONIA – I got to know her in November 2019, visiting her with my mother in the village of Goa, where she created the SANCTUARY OF CATS. In an old Portuguese house with a large garden, this Cat Sanctuary houses, in an incredibly clean and equipped place, more than 100 cats rescued from the street.
As if that were not enough, Sonia does the daily rounds in a radius of tens of kilometers to take care of other dozens of stray cats, many of which are mistreated and some are disabled. Among the guests Daisy, a blind kitten.
Recently, she informed me of the launch of the fundraising campaign on www.ketto.org . Thanks to our crumbs and to the contributions of many friends, Sonia has raised for the expenses of two months, but the campaign runs for 12 months, so it is still a struggle. !
YASMINE – She also lives in Goa, and she also loves looking after stray animals. I met her thanks to Ezio and Giovanna from VRO in 2017. Her home is close to my residence in Goa, and we meet and help each other as sisters. Specifically YASMINE is a loving mother who takes care of over 50 stray street dogs.
In addition, she has equipped her house and garden to house about thirty dogs and cats collected in emergency situations. She dedicate her life entirely to animals with a lot of faith in divine providence. She has a lot of expenses to face monthly and no certain income. In addition to food, medicines and the veterinarian for necessary interventions for dogs (which are often hit by cars), there is also the rent of the house and the salary for a local lady who helps her. These are among the costs that has not been paid for about three months. YAZ enthusiastically tells the stories of each of her friends, capturing their character, and even when they are aggressive and jealous towards others, she does not blame them, but finds the solution.
YASMINE receives our Crumbs with much gratitude and we asked Jeffy, one of our Indian friends, to give her some time to launch a fundraising campaign for her project.
FAMILY CRUMBS – This is a kind of remote family support, and our FULL MOON CRUMBS are used to support extraordinary and necessary expenses. Sometimes for studies, or for medical bills, or to help mothers develop financial activities, or to cover the expenses of marriages for girls, and finally, simply, to help overcome the discomfort during this difficult situation of the lockdown due to COVID-19.
If you have read this far… happy new year! Thanks for the FULL MOON CRUMBS you wanted to put in the Bricioland basket! Talk to you again!
Drawings donated by Lara Saraswati, 8 years old
Per informazioni:
Alessandra (Zia Chandra)
Weavers Wheel India – Associazione Antigóna
WhatsApp: +393454548730
e-mail: bricioland@gmail.com
DONATIONS FOR FULL MOON CRUMBS
ANTIGÓNA Association (non-deductible donations)
IBAN: IT 47 Z 03599 01899 050188539572
