René Seifert – Entrepreneur & Global Citizen

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April 17th 2008, René Seifert

Visiting Vatsalya-Orphanage in Bangalore

Something I really don’t want to miss out on reporting was my visit to Bangalore’s Vatsalya Orphanage last Saturday. Thanks to my neighbour Shashi who is like a sister to me, takes care of my house when I am travelling and likewise of me when I am at home in Bangalore, has been involved for years into charity work for this place. The entire “Abhaya Ashram” of the compound has been handed over by the Maharaja of Mysore in 1948 then under the title of “Association for moral and social hygiene” – so says the inscript carved in stone at the entry.

I bow my head in deepest respect for all the work which Shashi and the other volunteers are putting into making this place a little oasis for those who would otherwise be forgotten and left behind. The place is neat, in good shape and very well run which is a challenge by itself: hiring some full-time staff, refurbishing things which need it most and constantly trying to find donors for funding.

Vatsalya Bangalore 02

I got such a very warm welcome by the around 50 children who were waiting in excitement for the “Uncle from Germany”, sitting row by row on mattresses. Many questions which I had to answer from “What do people eat in Germany” to “Why are you so tall”? I spend a good there, at some point solving some algebra equations with them (they really got all of them right). It was indeed for me very touching seeing all these bright, curious and energetic kids in front of me who certainly did not have the best start in the past, but thanks to Vatsalya could look into a brighter future.

Here is the bedroom of the children where they start their day really early at 5.30 am. And I could tell that they made a very robust and disciplined impression without missing out on giving them as much love as such a setting allows for. (Here are, by the way, a few more pictures on Flickr.)

Vatsalya Bangalore 10

My words in Vatsalya’s guestbook started with: “Where there is caring, there is hope”. Yet “caring” should not just remain an abstract metaphor on paper, but ought to translate into an obligation for myself to make a difference. For instance, reasonable money can pay for many clothes, books or desks in the classroom. And spending time there means equally doing a favour to the children as it doing a favour to myself for staying grounded to the realities of life and receiving these small little gestures that money can’t buy.

This post was published on Thursday , April 17th 2008 at 07:14 and was added to Bangalore, English, India, Language Selection, Veritas. You can track the comments to this post via RSS 2.0 feed. You can write a comment, or create a trackback on your site.
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Comments

  1. Anju
    April 17th, 2008 | 10:21

    Thank you for this Rene.

    Watch this, a clear message presented with such humor and PASSION.
    http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/204

    Is it a coincidence that the majority of these orphans are girls?

  2. René Seifert
    April 17th, 2008 | 12:12

    No, no coincidence, thanks for the question. The few boys are sons of the staff, the orphanage is only for girls, especially when they come into puberty, then there is no hassle …

  3. Nina
    April 17th, 2008 | 7:15

    hmmm. touching entry.
    it is true, the best thing you can give anyone is your time and a place in your heart.

  4. Simi
    January 22nd, 2009 | 7:15

    Hi,
    I stumbled upon this post while searching for orphanages in Bangalore that could use volunteers. Wondering if Vatsalya could use me as a volunteer and would appreciate it if you could give me the contact details / address of this organistaion . Thanks !

  5. Verenice
    January 29th, 2009 | 11:30

    Hey René,
    I love your post!!! Next time I visit Bangalore, I will definitely drop by the orphanage! You should do the same with my project when you visit Delhi: http://www.aktionlebensretter.de!
    See you Saturday!

  6. Alvin
    February 17th, 2009 | 4:17

    Hi René,

    I am going to Bangalore and I would like to bring some gifts for the children as a donation.

    Do you have an email address so I can contact them? I travel to India from London this Thursday. Please do email me!

    Thanks.

  7. pushpa
    February 27th, 2009 | 6:23

    I am looking for a girls orphange to volunteer, can you please give me the contact details and postal address.

    Thanks

  8. Kanthi
    May 15th, 2009 | 7:21

    I’m looking forward to spend some time with these children on Saturdays or Sundays. Can u please send the location details or contact details to this place?

  9. sweta
    June 12th, 2009 | 11:52

    can you please tell me where is that Vatsalya-Orphanage in Bangalore? i would like to visit that place and help children

  10. shashi
    July 24th, 2009 | 4:36

    i wish to do some work as a volunteer at any place where i can teach children. kindly let me know the details. waiting for a response. thanx
    regards

  11. Vandana
    March 2nd, 2010 | 10:56

    Hi All,

    As I want to celebrate my daughter’s first b’day at an orphonage taking her along, can anybody give me details of Vatsalya, being talked about in this post. Thanks

    Vandana

  12. rama
    July 2nd, 2010 | 5:45

    As I want to celebrate my b’day at an orphonage , can anybody give me details of Vatsalya, being talked about in this post. Thanks