These past few weeks of mandated dormancy have given time to reflect 
on SEED developments over the 6 months of this academic year, and to 
consider possible ways to consolidate and expand on the progress made 
so far.  Several of you have asked about ways you might be able to 
contribute during this upcoming holiday season (and end of the tax 
year).  So perhaps now is a fitting time to review some of the SEED 
activities to date, and to identify some tentative (hoped-for) future 
plans.

Thanks to your extreme generosity, we've received $2,710 in partner 
support and other contributions from the U.S. and India, and an 
additional $825 from SEED matching funds, bringing the total received 
to $3,535 (plus $2,500 designated as matching funds).  Our total 
education-related expenditures have come to $4,270.

In Karumbalai slum area, we've -

*1.  Paid for school fees, uniforms (2 sets), text and notebooks, and 
supplies for 26 secondary school students - 6th-10th standard - and 
college & exam fees for 3 college students - 1st yr BSc, Bio-Tech, 
3rd yr BA and 1st yr MA, Tamil.  (Total school/college expenses 
$1,050.)

*2.  Taken a 3-year lease on a large 20'x25' house roof for the SEED 
Study Centre ($650 lease).  We installed a completely new thatch roof 
on the Centre ($110), re-wired it, and installed 6 fluorescent lights 
and 2 fans (total cost $80).  Blackboards and a lockable steel 
cabinet were also purchased for the Centre ($50), which is now used 
daily - for tutorials, studying and reading - by an average of 40-50 
students.

*3.  Added some marvelous donated books - including illustrated folk 
tales from many countries - and 2 sets of children's encyclopedias 
($50/ea) to the SEED library.  We also made a several book-buying 
trips to town, and one to the "big city" (Madras), picking up 700+ 
volumes and about 50 audio cassettes (total $610).  A college 
volunteer donated a nice bookshelf/display case, expanding our 
storage space; many donated art supplies are also available for 
students' use.

*4.  Taken 4 day-long field trips, with 40-80 students, to nearby 
places of interest (cost range $25-150), expanding their experiential 
horizons.

*5.  Held 3 "day camps" - on health and environment, social service, 
and the arts - for 100-200 students from the Karumbalai area, 
providing a lunch and/or snacks (cost $50-75 each).

*6. Joyfully celebrated several religious festivals and other special 
events - Vinayaka Chathurthi, Friends' Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, 
International Children's Day, and Deepavali among them - and 16 SEED 
student birthdays.  (These being only peripherally "educational," to 
maintain tax-deductible status, SEED contributions have not been used 
for any of them.)

*7.  Purchased a multi-system VCR ($150) - Indian and U.S. videos use 
different recording systems - and 21" color TV ($210) for showing 
educational videos, and cartoons for birthday parties.  (We don't, 
and won't, have a cable hook-up, so all TV viewing is of in-house 
material.)

In Sambakudi village, we've -

*8.  Paid for school fees, uniforms, text and notebooks, and school 
supplies for 15 secondary school students - 7th-12th standard (total 
$295).  Bicycles were also given to the 5 new SEED students added 
this year (cost $165).

*9.  Rented a small 2-room mud hut for the Study Centre (@ $5.50/mo), 
brought in electricity, and installed fluorescent lights and a fan 
(cost $40).  The Centre is supervised, and tutoring of 1st-5th 
standard village students provided, by a young 10th standard graduate 
village woman (stipend of $16.50/mo).

*10.  Purchased 200+ books, a cassette player and audio cassettes, 
board games, and a steel cabinet for storing books and supplies 
(total $125).

Looking now toward the remainder of this school year, and summer 
vacation time (April-May), we hope to be able to do at least some of 
the following:

*1.  Conduct special preparatory tutorial classes in Jan-Mar for 
students in the 10th and 12th standards, to ready them for the 
crucial nation-wide examinations that are given at the end of those 
school years.  Outside instructors would be hired for such classes, 
meeting 10 hrs/wk for 3 months.  (Cost would be about $150/course for 
3 courses - 10th & 12th standard for Sambakudi students; 10th only 
for Karumbalai.)

*2.  Take 50-80 students on field trips at least once a month, 
including: full day trip to the ancient Chola dynasty (9th-13th C.) 
capital city of Thanjavur, 150 mi. from Madurai; overnight trip to 
the hill station of Kodaikanal (7,000'), 80 mi. from here; excursions 
to some nearby places of historical and religious significance for 
Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jains; at least one visit to a 
village, so the city kids can experience village life.

*3.  Conduct 2-3 more local "day camps" for 100-200 students - 
perhaps on music, confidence-building, or other areas of interest for 
which volunteer leaders can be found (cost $100 or less for each). 
We also hope during the summer months to arrange a 3-day "social 
interaction camp" for 50-60 students at the Centre for Socio-Cultural 
Interaction near Madurai, operated by and for social workers from 
throughout India and abroad.  (Cost about $15 per student, including 
meals.)

*4.  Send 4-5 college volunteer tutors to "computer introduction" 
classes, for their own benefit as well as to develop sufficient 
expertise to be able to give SEED students some minimal first-step 
introduction to the world of computers (cost about $65/volunteer). 
When appropriate, we'll then seek donations of some simple computer 
equipment for the SEED Centre.

*5.  Of course, we're always looking for more children's books and 
educational videos, and will buy whatever becomes available here 
(where they're relatively cheap).  In case you're interested in 
donating books, the most popular English language ones are 
illustrated childrens stories - especially folk tales - and ones with 
simple English and lots of pictures.  Donations of simple language 
educational videos - active ones with music and dance, and not too 
much purely "American" content, are especially popular - would also 
be most welcome.  (It's MUCH too expensive to send books and/or 
videos to India; if you'd like to donate these, please send them to 
my sister's address in Arizona, and I'll bring them back in my 
luggage on one of my U.S. visits.  

That's more than enough for now, I'm sure.  But you may also be 
interested to know that I visited Sambakudi village again today - 
yes, I'm feeling physically MUCH better - and the girls I met were 
openly asking that we return to a regular SEED presence there; we'll 
keep our fingers crossed and hope that it becomes possible.

Again, I can't thank you enough for the strength your support and 
encouragement continues to give us all!  With warmest regards - Ted