Many children toil and bring home the bread and don't even realize they are missing out on the best years of their lives. Some of us watched and said, "I wish things were better". Well, somewhere along the way we decided that we didn't want to wish anymore but wanted to do something to ease their burdens. Bring home the bread and also bring a smile to it's rightful home, the children's faces. In this endeavor, we have made friends, allies and fellow soldiers. Today, we are happy to recognize one of our long term allies - You. As part of this effort to recognize and appreciate you, we bring you this monthly newsletter - Xpressions. We, at Vibha would like to work more closely with you and keep you informed of what your efforts enable us to do. We thank you for helping us bring home the smile and we hope to hear from you.

Project Profile

Children Toy Foundation (CTF), Mumbai

As the holiday season approaches and children all across the world eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus, we would like to tell you about a real-life Santa and his elves.

Mr. Devendra Desai, who founded CTF in 1982, has been dubbed “Mumbai’s own Santa”, by Outlook Magazine and other local publications. He was inspired by the United Nations declaration, article 31: “The child shall have full opportunity for play and recreation, which should be directed to the same purposes as education; society and public authorities shall endeavor to promote the enjoyment of this right”.

Starting with a single toy library, CTF has helped establish over 200 toy libraries in several states all across India. They also run two toys and games-based learning centers - “Khel Vigyans” – in Mumbai municipal schools. In addition, they operate two specialized vans that carry toys and games along with trained teachers to municipal schools, hospitals and construction sites. These vans are called the “Good Times Bus” and the LAFF (Let’s all have Fun and Frolic) Van.

The goal of the LAFF Van is to take the power of toys and games to locations that have little or no access to them. The LAFF Van is a modified bus. Puzzles and games that can be played with magnetic play pieces are painted on the outer surface of the van. A large glass window serves as a stage for puppetry and enables the screening of short films. A team of 5 teachers travels with the van to different locations on a scheduled basis, where small groups of children participate in the activities. The toys and games target different areas of intellectual and physical development, and are categorized into educational, creative, strategic, puzzles, action, soft toys, books and battery operated toys.

The smile on the faces of the children brought by the arrival of the LAFF van is enough reason to keep it operational. It has the additional impact of improved academic performance in language, math and science. Municipal school principals report better school attendance on the days the LAFF van visits the school and would like to see it visit their schools more often!

Vibha, with the help of patrons like you, has been supporting the operation of the LAFF van since August 2005. Our funds were used to refurbish the van and to pay for its running expenses including diesel and teacher salaries. Together, we are the elves that enable this Santa Claus bring the joy of learning throughout the year!

You can help

The year 2005 is coming to a close... A tough year with more than its share of natural disasters the unimaginable tsunami that struck several South East Asian countries, the torrential rains in Mumbai, Chennai and other places, the Katrina hurricane disaster which left several people homeless, and finally the earthquake that struck India and Pakistan. All of us have reacted in different capacities to these events and have reached out to help the victims of the disasters.

In a year such as this, it is even more crucial to ensure that development efforts happening in all the grassroots projects do not get derailed. Vibha made sure that this did not happen. We increased the number of projects from 21 to 30 in 2005, while allocating additional resources for tsunami, floods and Katrina hurricane relief efforts.

Together, we can do more. The need is greater than ever. Let us go the extra mile and contribute.

• Make a one time contribution by filling and sending this form with your donation.*

• Join our growing number of committed donors by contributing towards the Vibha Help Them Grow program - an automated monthly contribution program. You can donate a fixed amount, directly debited from your bank account or credit card account.

• Become an Ambassador for Change - Volunteer.

*All donations to Vibha are tax-exempt in USA.

Vibha - Towards a brighter future

As of December 2005, Vibha has made a huge difference in the lives of numerous children across several states in India

• Projects Funded this year = 30
  • Child Development Projects = 26
  • Tsunami Projects = 4
• Total Annual Budget = $271,796
• Children impacted = 11,000

Click here for Vibha's project portfolio.

Write to us...

Vibha 1030 E El Camino Real, #424 Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Voice: 408-997-9992 | Fax: 775-593-1061

Vibha is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization that seeks to restore to underprivileged children their basic rights to food, shelter, health and education - in short, a future. All donations to Vibha are tax exempt in the US.