Shanti Nivas is a sloping site, built on the side of a old vocano! Shanti Nivas and this part of Vizianagaram is surrounded by conical hills. The soil is red and shallow lying over quartzite and granite rocks.When the monsoon rains come the topsoil is washed into rivulets as the rainwater flows off the sides of the hills towards the roadside ditch, at the bottom of our site. When the rain stops the land which is not protected in some way, for example by terracing or vegetation, is a series of mini ravines.Not exactly the Grand Canyon but a real problem for vehicles coming into the site and for walking across..
The route from Thompson House and the Pickford Memorial Hospice to the dining room and the kitchen building was also victim to this erosion every time the frequent monsoon cyclones dropped their rain.
Now, thanks to the generosity of the Ian Thompson Memorial Trust, this problem has been solved. The new concreted route provides a clean and smooth surface for the children to walk along.
The children often do not wear sandals or flip flops while 'at home' as it is the custom not to wear anything on the feet in a room and footwear must be left outside the door. Now those little bare feet have no more stony and uneven places to negotiate! The staff find it a pleasure too.
A big thank you from the children, and staff, at Shanti Nivas!
The route from Thompson House and the Pickford Memorial Hospice to the dining room and the kitchen building was also victim to this erosion every time the frequent monsoon cyclones dropped their rain.
Now, thanks to the generosity of the Ian Thompson Memorial Trust, this problem has been solved. The new concreted route provides a clean and smooth surface for the children to walk along.
A big thank you from the children, and staff, at Shanti Nivas!
