YOU ARE INVITED!

HUGGS... from India to you:
stories and images from our students!

Friday, May 4 2007, 7:30 pm
Friendship Room at St. Andrew’s Church, 1044 St. Georges Avenue, North Vancouver.
(One block East of Lonsdale between 10th and 11th)

Marilyn & Laurie will share experiences from their recent trip. Come and hear about the young people we are supporting in India, whose lives are being empowered by
education.

R.S.V.P by April 30 604-988-4898 info@huggscanada.com

CHARITY BAZAAR—MAY 8 & 9
WE NEED YOU!

May 8—9, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Park Royal Mall North
West Vancouver

Please volunteer some time at our booth, donate some gently-used items (no books please), or just come and shop at our table! We will have some unique items direct from India. If you have items to donate, please contact Sheila Adler at 604-988-7402 or drop them off at 376 Cartelier Rd. in N. Vancouver (off Delbrook Avenue).

Vizag, India - February 22, 2007 Journal Excerpt—By Laurie Hanlon

Today we visited the homes of the students. What a day. I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. I’m either too tired or a bit in shock (or a bit of both) to figure it out. Perhaps I’m still processing or perhaps I’m in self-preservation mode. Hopefully the pictures I took today will tell a bit of the story. I told Marilyn that what I saw today was not something I ever in my life thought I would experience first hand. For a short while this afternoon I stepped into the images I’ve only seen on pamphlets and in National Geographic. Is HUGGS making a difference in these girls’ lives? Krishnaveni, Alekyha, Lalitha, Dhanalakshmi. They are real.


They are beautiful. They just want a reasonable education so they can get a job that allows them to support their families and help make a difference in their community. Some students have a solid-roof home and a kitchen to cook in. One student shares a one-room unit with her mother and brother. Another lives with her mother, sister and alcoholic father in a . . . I don’t even know what to call it . . . a home with a crumbling foundation and a thatched roof. This is Dhanalakshmi’s home although we did not see her because she does not get home from school until after 6:00 p.m. Her mother is beaming. She finds an extra chair, then dashes off to find a portable electric fan to plug in and give us some relief from the still, stagnant air. The mosquitoes are vicious, the only piece of furniture is a bed situated on the ‘porch’. We take many pictures. Dhana’s mother seems pleased to show us her home. When we are leaving she hugs me. Hard. I believe she is so thankful for what HUGGS is offering her daughter.

Continued in page 2

ANNUAL PICNIC INAUGURATED FOR HUGGS STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

For students whose lives are circumscribed around crowded schools and cramped homes, the opportunity to be out in nature is a gift indeed! The seven current HUGGS students, together with their mothers and siblings spent a glorious day up the Kalaisagiri Hill Park, wandering around the statues and the gardens, getting to know one another. By meal time they were utterly relaxed and ready to enjoy a veg or non-veg thali of curries and rice. The highlight came as we sat around in a circle and shared something of our stories….powerful and poignant. We were so proud of what HUGGS is doing in these young lives. Many thanks to those of you in Vancouver and Calgary whose gifts made this special day possible!

A Visit to HUGGS—By Anne Taylor

In November 2006 my daughter Christy and I were in India and had the privilege of experiencing HUGGS while we were in the area exploring family missionary roots.

We spent one evening with James (HUGGS field representative) traveling through the back streets of Visakhapatnam visiting the homes of three students – an unforgettable experience. James led us up steep narrow steps in different parts of the city to tiny rooms housing these exceptional young women and their families. More