Greetings from India

Today I received my first letter back from India from my sponsored child Anitha. She drew a very cute picture of a house and a tree and a sun, as well as a person collecting water from a tap. I was so happy to receive it! Every time I go to the mailbox I hope that there is a letter from her in there.

Along with the picture, I received a letter from World Vision, providing some more information about Anitha and her family.

Anitha lives with her parents, two brothers and one sister in a slum in Bangalore. Although Bangalore, known as the Silicon Valley of India, is a major industrial and commercial center, as well as the fastest growing cosmopolitan city in India, many people lack water, shelter, education, employment and a clean environment. People migrate from the neighboring villages and states in search of work and start dwelling in very small houses in the slums in Bangalore.

Anitha's father works as a casual laborer at a construction site and her mother is a housemaid.

Anitha is in standard III and her favourite subject is English. She likes to play with her dolls and with her friends near her home. Her favourite food is rice and dhal.

World Vision has organized the community into core groups to focus on education, health and economic development in order to bring a more holistic development to the community.

I am really looking forward to the next piece of mail already!