Beach and the LSD Cafe (LSD- Love, Sugar & Dough By ...

We were invited by Sanah to visit her Cafe in Dona Paula, there was only place for 12 or 13 so the children caught the local bus and travelled from Mapusa to Panjim and then onto Dona Paula, we arrived and saw a cute small cafe at the entrance to the Clubhouse at Ocean Park. The children were treated to pastries, drinks and cake and chilled for an hour or more.

We had also planned to visit a local beach so we hopped back on the bus that took us a few kilometers down the road towards Bambolim and walked to a small beach called Seashell Beach. It weas lined by trees which gave us a welcome shade from the midday sun. The children chilled, searched the beach for shells, climbed trees and posed for photos. It was a nice relaxing day out/ Thank you to Sanah and @thehomechefgoa for their generosity.

The holidays were all about unleashing creativity with fun drawings and paintings! Now, we're setting our sights on something even more special: a giant masterpiece for our central space!

This collaborative artwork (still in progress!) features magical deer under a twinkling tree. We can't wait to see it finished - it'll be a stunning reminder of the power of art and imagination in the lives of the children we support.

What do you think of the progress so far? Let us know in the comments!

We are delighed that two of our girls took the two top spots at their school this year in their SSC examination results. We are so proud of you and all our students who passed their 10th standard this year! Yay!

The phone rang last night around 8:45pm. It was a parent, her voice laced with panic. Seven children, including three of her own, were violently ill with vomiting and stomach cramps. They'd been playing near their homes when they'd eaten some intriguing seeds from a nearby tree.

The worried family rushed the children to the District Hospital, bringing a sample of the seeds and a branch for identification. Working quickly, we used google lens to pinpoint the culprit: the Jatropha Curcas, a seemingly ordinary tree harboring a dangerous secret. Its seeds, also known as physic nuts, contained ricin, a toxin potentially fatal if ingested. Symptoms like the children were experiencing - vomiting, diarrhea, and excruciating pain - were all too familiar.

Thankfully, the parents' swift action had bought precious time. Doctors inserted nasogastric tubes, the unpleasant but necessary procedure allowing them to pump out the stomach contents and administer medication. Fluids were given intravenously to combat dehydration. But the local hospital wasn't equipped to handle such severe poisoning. The children needed specialized care, so an ambulance was called to transport them to the Goa Medical College.

Robert followed behind the ambulance as it raced to the medical college, arriving just past eleven o´clock. By 1am, after what felt like an eternity, the children were finally admitted. Exhausted but hopeful, we left the girls to rest with their mother.

Morning brought a wave of relief. The children had improved significantly and were well enough to be discharged. Hopefully, this ordeal served as a harsh lesson - the enticing world of unknown fruits and nuts is best left unexplored. The children spent the day at the centre and it was great to see they were back to their normal selves.

10th Standard Exam Results are out and we are delighted to announce that all 9 students have passed this year. The top mark goes to one of our girls who got over 80% in total!

So proud of you all, a few were sad they didn't get quite as high as they hoped, but they all passed!!! Now they need to concentrate on the next milestone, 12th standard and of course decide which stream they want to pursue.

This month has already been a busy month for birthdays, as well as a few of our children celebrating we have already had 3 visitors celebrate their birthdays with us. The visitors have been extremely kind by providing snacks and cake and one teacher providing a lovely meal followed with cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday to everyone! Here are a few photos from the celebrations.

We were delighted to take part in Samparpan's Froggyland Trip yesterday. It was a fun packed day with 7 hours at the Froggyland water park in Goa. Yes it was exhausting and yes most of the children woke up late this morning, but it was definitely a good tiredness! The children spent the day playing in the fourpools, on the slides, on the lazy river and even listened to a bit of techno in the rain dance area. We were also treated to a lovely Butter Chicken lunch and juice on tap all day (which was great as it was a very warm day!). A huge thank you to Samarpan, froggyland and our bus driver for making it possible! - Here are just a few of over 1000 photos we took! - Enjoy!