This is a long overdue message.... SEED volunteers are the life-blood of this project, and they offer their own life's blood for its cause. When I see them, daily, as they give hours of their time to work with students, it is a truly humbling experience. These volunteers - 10 college students, and another 8 in the 8th thru 11th grades (some SEED students, and some who study regularly at the SEED Centre but don't get SEED financial support) - have just come forward to offer 1 1/2 to 4 hours of their time, EVERY DAY (7 days/week) during the summer holidays, to bring "education" in its broadest sense to a lot of kids in the Karumbalai slum area and Sambakkudi village. They've planned all kinds of daily activities for the next couple of months - including educational games, excursions, arts and sciences training, and much more - that would be the envy of any "professional" team. Our most recent volunteer additions include several currently SEED-supported students, as well as some high school students who come regularly to the SEED Centre but receive no educational support funds. When I became aware recently of personal sacrifices SEED volunteers have been making to do what they felt was important for our project to succeed - including going without meals so they could give SEED students "prizes" for exceptional performance in school - it seemed almost essential that our volunteers should have some funds from which they could draw to meet such expenses. Consequently, from this month on, our college student volunteers will receive an "educational stipend" every month to spend as they choose - for themselves and/or others - on educational expenses. (The stipend will range from $4/mo for weekend volunteers to $11/mo for daily ones; total monthly SEED stipends will come to about $120/mo during the summer vacation, and $100/mo when the new school year starts.) Here we have people who are students themselves, who haven't a dime to spare, and yet they're giving their time AND what little money they can save from doing without personal necessities to do this essential work that we sit back and comfortably observe. I'm humbled by them... but can't help being proud, too. We had a volunteers' meeting a few days ago. The group was too large to fit in a seated circle - which Karthik insists on, to make all participants equally in touch with each other - so we asked the 8th & 9th grade volunteers to come to a later meeting especially for them. At both meetings, positive suggestions as well as criticisms of our current operations were voiced, and a game plan was formulated for the coming months. I'm now excitedly looking forward to seeing how it all turns out! Now, I hope you'll find equal pleasure with me as a list of SEED volunteers is presented. (Among them are 8 females and 10 males; 3 are Muslims, 2 Christians, 5 Dalit Hindus, 5 non-Dalit Hindus, and 3 "all gods are one" believers.) Below this list are verbatim transcripts of the messages that some of our volunteers have asked to be transmitted to you. I'm intensely proud of these great people, and think you have every reason to be, too. - Ted 8th grade - Anees Fatima Sivakami (SEED student) Saida 9th grade - Ambika (SEED Student) Sasikala (SEED Student) 10th grade - Krishnaveni (SEED Student) Maruthanayagam 11th grade - Mahendran 1st year college - Chellapandi (SEED Student), B.Sc. in Bio-Technology Mansur Ali, B.Sc. in Computer Science Raja Sekar, B.A. in Tamil 2nd year college - Muthu Kumar, B.A. in Economics Palanivel Rajan, B.A. in Tamil Sakthivel, B.A. in Economics 3rd (last undergraduate) year college - Maheswari, B.A. in Economics (honors) Muthu Selvam, Diploma in Electronics Vanitha Mani, B.Sc. in Geography 5th year college - Karthik Bharathi, M.A. in Tamil Literature Below are the unedited, verbatim transcripts of SEED volunteers' letters to you all... their English is very limited, but they try hard!! Dear Partners, I am fine. How are you? Eager to know that you are fine too. Many good activities which are useful for the children are going on. In this society these children are the beginners to study. Surely one day this will change, and they will change even the world. You have watered the SEED and it will give you sweet fruits by changing itself into a tree by tomorrow. Yours lovingly, Muthu Kumar (SEED volunteer) To Dear SEED Partners, Hello, I am fine. Eager to hear the same from you. This is Mansur who is writing you this letter. We could not forget the helps that you have been doing to us without knowing our faces. Your helps have been understood in a right way and it was changed into useful things. No words to explain my 10 month life in this Centre. I am learning every day and every minute. You may see our faces in your computers but when will we see your faces? We are awaiting for your presence here. We, your children - who are united beyond the caste, religion, language and colour - we are all united in praying for your good health and for your dreams about us to make it come true. Written with love, Mansur Ali (SEED Volunteer) Dear Partners, We are fine. Hou about you? You have lighted the knowledge in our hearts. Surely one day it will give light to this world. Since now I have never seen even a single partner. So I was waiting for your presence in this SEED Centre. Yours lovingly, Senthil Kumar (SEED volunteer) Dear SEED Partners, I, one of the SEED volunteers, wish you joy for your great help in constructing this SEED Centre. I will never forget this help in my life for ever. It was a dream of Karthik Bharathi, the Co-ordinator of SEED Centre to construct such a Centre. And I thank you for changing the dream into a realistic one. I will be very glad to meet you. You should pay a visit to our SEED Centre. With affection, Mahendran (SEED volunteer) Dear Partners, I am fine. Awaiting to hear the same from you. I feel very glad to meet you all through this letter. I thank Dr. Adams, the SEED Centre and its co-ordinator for giving me such a golden opportunity. We are only the guides to guide the children in the good path, but the light is from you. The children and also I was very lucky to have such a good partners like you. We will be very happy if you pay a visit to our Centre. We are awaiting for your visit. Matters gushing like an oasis, but the words are very scarce and so I can't write any more than thanking you. Let the showers of the heaven be shower'd on you like the one you have shower'd and are going to shower on us. We assure you that We shall overcome We shall overcome We shall overcome some day Oh! deep in my heart I do believe - that We shall overcome one day. God be with us all. Yours with love, Rajasekar [awaiting your presence, a SEED volunteer] To loving partners, Loving wishes. Every moment in my life was spent with pleasure because of your continuous help. And it had changed my life, like a desert into a flower park. Because of your help, now I am changing myself from a 'man' to a 'human.' For you and your family I am praying daily to the god. Awaiting for you to visit us here like a bird for the spring. Yours lovingly, Chellapandi [A SEED trying to become a fruit-bearing tree.] Dear Partner, I am thanking you for you were the agent in running this Centre. You have made such a beautiful Centre for us. This Centre was helping many children by changing their dreams into reality. I will never forget you in my life. You have been helping us so we are not poor in our life. I am very eager to see you here. We are very glad to inviting you to our country and to our SEED Centre. With deep affection, Maruthanayagam (SEED volunteer) Sweet Partners, I am Vanitha. I am very glad to write you this letter. We are fine. I am praying for your good health. I have never seen you. So I am very much eager to see you. For this you must pay a visit here. Thanks for your kind helps. Your loving friend, Vanitha Mani (SEED volunteer)