Step Two Ottawa ~ Child Haven projects orientation

ok! the two day orientation is over! It was very informative and fun. The meetings were held in Fred and Bonnie Cappuchini's huge old house in Maxwell, near Ottawa. This house is where they brought up 21 children, 19 adoptees and two of them are their own.

You can get lost here at the CH Maxwell home, just looking about! Huge office cum board room, huge kitchen where delicious meals surfaced, regularly, and a huge living room with Buddhist, Hindi and other figurines tastefully placed and/or hung. Nostalgic photos of many groups or gatherings of happy healthy children. Look around at interesting pictures, prints and other works of art that cover the walls and stairwys. The windows look out to a rather winter-bleak but bright robin sound exterior. Theirs is a large property. Four or six of us took two walks these past two days to clear our challenged minds.

There are books everywhere! such interesting topics and stories ranging from Ghandi's story and life work to Nora Roberts novels. There are facts and myth in these books reaching from many evolved minds from the west stretching eastwards to unite somehow with India, Tibet and Nepal. Bonnie and Fred have founded their eight Child Haven projects, and their lives, on Ghandian philosophy.

By the time the two days were over I think most of our questions and concerns were addressed. The meeting started yesterday at 2 pm and finished today, Saturday, around 3 pm. We were well informed on facts and figures by Fred and his right arm assistant Steve. This was followed by inspirational talks and dvds presented by distinguished guests. Today four young men, former CH interns who worked in Nepal spoke about theri personal involvement with this Ghandi-inspired operation of Child Haven.

Eight came to this orientation. Eight 'interns' or wanna be volunteers who wanted to know about the Child Haven projects. There is only one, ME, who has decided to take off really soon for one of the Child Haven orphanages (Kathmandu)!

There is a CH orphanage-home in Kathmandu (in Nepal); Ghaziabad (in New Delhi, North India); Gandhinagar and Ahmedebad (in NW India) and Savarsi (south of Mumbai or Bombay. There is another project in Hyderabad, (central India) and in Kaliampoondi (near Chennai or Madras in SE India, where Nazyia, Arran and my sponsor child lives).

Tomorrow morning I am going to attend the Unitarian church service in Ottawa with Bonnie and Fred and then in the afternoon will take the train to Toronto to spend a couple of days with Rosemary and her gang. This is Step Three towards my adventures in Nepal!

Dyane