Over the last several months Sujatha, HHI’s Master Trainer in India, has been working with a local non-profit whose mission it is to prevent female infanticide. Female infanticide is an unfortunate reality in India, particularly in rural and deeply impoverished areas, it is the intentional killing of baby girls due to a variety of reasons, but it mostly boils down to girls are still often seen as a financial burden and of little value to their families. Sujatha has joined forces with the female infanticide prevention program by invitation, with everyone recognizing the power of educating mothers and building the bonds of love between mother and child, knowing that the benefits will ripple far beyond that woman and baby.

Last week Sujatha conducted trainings in the remote tribal areas of Kathirvelpuram and Periyakulam. Here she led two trainings with mothers and grandmothers from the gypsy community. And, it was interesting and heartening that the fathers and grandfathers also attended, but they sat outside of the women’s group and did not wish to have their pictures taken – a beautiful first step! In this community of 150 gypsys, the mothers are all very young, few have had any access to formal education, but they obviously love their children. To attend an HHI training, they are all willing to fore go two days of wages they earn in the fields, instead they choose to learn. HHI’s training teaches them how important the earliest years are for child development and how they can improve their own baby’s brain development – this is how happy they to participate!

I am particularly humbled to see these mothers and grandmothers. It is clear that their training site may only a dirt patch, they do not have any fancy toys, books or almost any other resource but their own intelligence, thirst for new knowledge and their love! (And the beauty of HHI is that this is all that is required.) They are eager learners and they are proud to be given a training that is just for them, this is something they consider a huge privilege, regardless of the training facilities, and it causes tremendous pride.

Sujatha (wearing the blue top in this picture) is now known throughout this entire region. She travels on the local buses throughout the area to give these trainings and she has now trained 100′s of village mommies in the importance of early childhood development via HHI. It seems that she has become something of a local celebrity, all the pregnant women and the young mothers, and even the grandmothers find her on the buses and want to sit with her, talk with her, tell her their stories of how they are using their knowledge and how their babies are learning so quickly. The women are so proud and they are eager to share and to learn more. The power of education at its finest!

I just traveled to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and for me that was something to be thankful for. But, when I see the beauty of what Sujatha, HHI and these women are creating in the most remote and deprived areas of India, I somehow feel that I move beyond thankful, I have the experience of being deeply, profoundly humbled.

See all the pictures – click here.

Also, this training for the gypsy community was so significant, as it is so unusual for such a resource to be available to this community, that the local Tamil Newspaper came to cover the story.

(you can buy HHI’s new Baby Massage DVD now)

It all began as a unique idea from HHI’s Advisor, Michael Smolens. He suggested that as a part of HHI’s training materials, we would create a DVD to demonstrate the baby massage techniques used in our orphanage trainings. He sweetened the idea by offering to gift HHI his company’s dotSUB technology, which would allow us to create this training tool in up to 200 languages. The great part is that baby massage can be used on all babies: from Anytown, USA to Mumbai, India. HHI Advisor, Todd Lofgren, said that he as a parent would love learn from HHI’s massage techniques and he believed other US parents would want the DVD as well.

So, last summer, as HHI was overhauling all of our program materials, I embarked on what I thought would be a new “little project”, that of making a short instructional film about the benefits and techniques of baby massage. Wow – I had NO idea what I was getting myself into! Experts in: baby massage, film production, videography, screenplay writing, etc… as well as recruiting HHI staff and an adorable baby in India. Then – only because I was delusional in my naivete – I planned for 2 days of filming to capture all the footage we would need. Our adorable model baby, Palak, was on her own schedule and I soon learned that she was calling all the shots on the film shoot!

Well, after returning with all the footage of Palak (our cute, but very wiggly baby star) the production team here got going. A voice talent narrated the film, over 20 people from around the world got busy translating the film into their own languages, a graphic designer created beautiful art to go with it, and a video house was found to package all of this in 100% recyclable materials. I’m giving you the briefest description of the highlights over the last 8 months. But, finally we are ready to release HHI’s first training video tool–Baby Massage: Nurturing & Bonding Through Touch. It is available to people around the globe – literally – with subtitles in 19 languages! And (BONUS!) it is coming just in time to be the perfect Mother’s Day gift. With a minimum donation of $25, you can give a great resource to a new parent, and at the same time you will be supporting HHI’s efforts to serve children around the world!

Whew! This was a way bigger project than I expected, just as HHI has grown larger, faster and with a greater impact on the lives of thousands in bigger ways than I ever could have anticipated. The outcome is that once again, and with the support of dotSUB, HHI is on the cutting edge with this training tool can be used in countless countries around the world!

Its all been worth it. Now we can share a small part of HHI’s training with you – wherever you may live. See a preview of the film and the full list of languages at our website at http://handstohearts.org/hands-to-hearts-products/baby-massage-dvd/.

I just received a very sweet report from Sujatha, one of HHI’s local trainers in India. Last week she was leading an HHI Training for caretakers at an orphanage. Sujatha reported that, “The children in the orphanage were watching me explaining the massage they all came with their dolls to do the massage. They asked me to stop teaching the trainees and they wanted me to teach for them.”

I can just envision all the children bringing their dolls in and practicing giving the baby massage to care for them. I am sure they had fun, building confidence, empathy and nurturing. Just another small act for greater peace in our world.

Fact – orphanages exist in most countries because of lousy conditions that exist in the world.

Fact – orphanages are lousy places to raise babies and children.

Fact – many orphanage children take care of orphanage babies.

Fact – hope exists, resiliency happens!

Sathya is 6, she lives in the orphanage and helps care for the babies

Here is a story of the above facts, illustrated by Sathya….. In an orphanage where HHI has given a training, Sathya was acting as a caregiver for a 3-day-old baby, holding and feeding her without support. While she may enjoy acting as a big sister, she wasn’t having her own childhood.

During the HHI training, I invited Sathya to come and get her very own “baby massage”. She was initially reluctant, but she was too curious to pass up the chance. She very soon was laying down, playing with a bumpy pink ball and soaking up the loving touch of her caregiver.

After the first lesson, both Sathya and her caregiver were beaming with joy and connection.

When the caregiver asked Sathya if she wanted to come in each day to the HHI Training to be her massage partner, her answer was pure and clear… may this continue long after HHI’s Trainers leave the building.

Hope does exist, resiliency is abundant and Sathya’s life will never be the same.