Soulbath Peace Foundation Offers a
Life Skill Program for HIV+ Children
Raj Bhowmik 233
Soulbath Peace Foundation in association with IBM India Pvt Ltd reached to the HIV+ children of PWN+ Network in Chennai.
Our minds are often clouded with fear when we hear about HIV – There are doubts, questions and areas that we don’t want to usually explore. However having a closer look at the other side, we see happy children that look normal when spoken about everything else, playful, having dreams and one word brings silence to their minds – HIV
SPF reached out to HIV+ children of PWN+ in Tamil Nadu and the objective was to help them focus on their life’s goals and do everything possible to live their dream & a life ahead without fear – with dignity & respect.
The children knew their status and understood what they could do and couldn’t in their lives as a result of their status.
Often inclusion becomes an important aspect in the HIV Infection when children sometimes feel shy, isolated in groups about their status. As a result are not able to express their larger & fuller personality.
Who is a friend and how does one feel included in a community was experienced through the radio channel analogy were quickly kids pointed out that this was a big issue in their parents who isolated themselves and it is all about the image that they carry about themselves.
How does the virus affect the body and the role of emotions & wellbeing was seen through role play. Children understand when they tangibly do, touch & feel the experience to personalize the learning.
Children also realized how human beings in our vulnerable moments look for attention outside and when we don’t receive it or begin to imagine we create our world & remain locked inside.
Declaring their dream, living it through the mind & body and walking along with a care giving group to share their dreams were a powerful experience. There remained no doubts about daring to dream & looking at the next few steps that they needed to make towards it. The role of continuous sustained efforts in the direction till they feel immersed in it day & night was the focus of understanding & how one needed to be open to opportunities that we will then see that are aligned to the dream.
Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik has always emphasized the aspect of Building Castles in the Air & then following it with one pointed focus till one immerses in the dream. In Sri Raj’s words, “I appeal to you to let your children dream. Let them be free to build castles in the air. In fact, encourage & support them in doing so. In the future when you see your child actually building the castle that he has always dreamt of, have a proud smile on your face, and your heart, full of pride, will know that you helped him reach his dreams by lending him a helping hand right from the time he wasn’t even able to walk on his own. You helped him complete the very first and the most important phase, the foundation phase. You helped him ‘dream’.”
This is the first phase of allowing the minds to explore with freedom and soar. It is a process of keeping them focused on this goal & still living with the HIV infection rather than fighting with it. Acceptance is the first key from which we can move beyond or conditions as we do not run away & hide from facts. We do something beyond them by just knowing what & who we truly are.
Our minds are often clouded with fear when we hear about HIV – There are doubts, questions and areas that we don’t want to usually explore. However having a closer look at the other side, we see happy children that look normal when spoken about everything else, playful, having dreams and one word brings silence to their minds – HIV
SPF reached out to HIV+ children of PWN+ in Tamil Nadu and the objective was to help them focus on their life’s goals and do everything possible to live their dream & a life ahead without fear – with dignity & respect.
The children knew their status and understood what they could do and couldn’t in their lives as a result of their status.
Often inclusion becomes an important aspect in the HIV Infection when children sometimes feel shy, isolated in groups about their status. As a result are not able to express their larger & fuller personality.
Who is a friend and how does one feel included in a community was experienced through the radio channel analogy were quickly kids pointed out that this was a big issue in their parents who isolated themselves and it is all about the image that they carry about themselves.
How does the virus affect the body and the role of emotions & wellbeing was seen through role play. Children understand when they tangibly do, touch & feel the experience to personalize the learning.
Children also realized how human beings in our vulnerable moments look for attention outside and when we don’t receive it or begin to imagine we create our world & remain locked inside.
Declaring their dream, living it through the mind & body and walking along with a care giving group to share their dreams were a powerful experience. There remained no doubts about daring to dream & looking at the next few steps that they needed to make towards it. The role of continuous sustained efforts in the direction till they feel immersed in it day & night was the focus of understanding & how one needed to be open to opportunities that we will then see that are aligned to the dream.
Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik has always emphasized the aspect of Building Castles in the Air & then following it with one pointed focus till one immerses in the dream. In Sri Raj’s words, “I appeal to you to let your children dream. Let them be free to build castles in the air. In fact, encourage & support them in doing so. In the future when you see your child actually building the castle that he has always dreamt of, have a proud smile on your face, and your heart, full of pride, will know that you helped him reach his dreams by lending him a helping hand right from the time he wasn’t even able to walk on his own. You helped him complete the very first and the most important phase, the foundation phase. You helped him ‘dream’.”
This is the first phase of allowing the minds to explore with freedom and soar. It is a process of keeping them focused on this goal & still living with the HIV infection rather than fighting with it. Acceptance is the first key from which we can move beyond or conditions as we do not run away & hide from facts. We do something beyond them by just knowing what & who we truly are.