On 27th of December 2023, Retired IAS Officer, Chief Information Commissioner and currently the Advisor of STOP, Amitava Bhattacharyya Sir, had come on a visit to both the Community Centres of STOP, namely Tigri and Tughlakabad. He honoured our students by giving them winter clothes to be worn in school so that the severe cold of Delhi never stops them to study to fulfill their wishes, missions, passions and goals.
On the 6th of December, 2023, a training in baking was provided to 4 people at the Koshish Kitchen , incubated by STOP, by our Project Coordinator, Shirine Marian Tigga. The duration of the training was 5 hours, as two items were prepared, namely walnut cake and fruit bread. Everyone had a learning experience in understanding time management and technicalities of baking. A positive feedback regarding the softness, fluffiness, flavourful taste of the cake was received by the said members in the Koshish Kitchen.
On 3rd November 2023, Thousand Dreams was invited to put up a range of their products on sale in the Diwali mela organised by United Airlines in Cyber-greens. Our team, after weeks of preparations, produced a wide range of apparels including skirts, stoles and tote bags with home furnishings such as cushion covers and table runners for the stall. We utilised some of our previous stock as well, out of which, we were able to sell a kantha stole. Our approximate sale was ₹2400. Alongside us, there were three to four more stalls in other corners, with similar cause driven initiative for profit. The experience allowed us to have a first-hand overview of the preferences of the corporate customer pool.
In Tigri and Tughlakabad, our Communities, the members and students celebrated the Festival of Lights through numerous activities, including the decoration and lighting of Diyas and Mehendi Making Competition.
On 28th October 2023, an engaging talk by the Founders of the ‘She Is Not Your Rehab’ (Matt Brown and Sarah Brown) was organized by the New Zealand High Commission from 11am -12.30pm. Two of STOP’s members, namely Ms. Smritikana Ghosh Paul (Senior Programme Manager) and Ms. Sakshi Gaur (Counsellor) attended the event. It focused on the importance of innovative domestic violence prevention and the founders’ personal experiences. A question was posed by Ms. Gaur around the future implications of the movement and the ways in which the founders plan to grow it further. Matt translated his own healing journey into a message of personal responsibility, behaviour change and healing for men so they may step more deeply into connected, healthy, nourishing relationships which do not continue the cycle of violence. The event reached its finale with introduction of their book “She is Not Your Rehab”, showing Matt’s own story and those of his clients; their survival, healing and turning into new leaves, ready to embark unto peaceful, altruistic relationships.
Durga Puja, a major festival held in India as well as world over, was celebrated by our tiny tots in Tigri, wherein a drawing session of the Devi’s (Goddess’s) face was held with great joy and pleasure.
After a long struggle, while staying in our temporary shelter home, a trafficking survivor from Uzbekistan finally went back home on the 4th of october, 2023. With bittersweet moments in her heart, she waved goodbye to our Senior Programme Manager, Smriti Kana Ghosh Paul, and our Counsellor, Poonam Choudhary, who were there with her through the thick and thin of her journey to go back to her homeland, as well as to all the members of STOP, who gave her constant motivation and encouragement during moments of utter helplessness faced by her. STOP NGO wishes her all the best for her future endeavours!
The Communities of STOP joyfully celebrated the festival of Krishna Janmashtami on the 7th of September, 2023, including the energetic event of Matka-Phod (breaking of the earthen pot) by making a human pyramid.
The two Communities of STOP celebrated the day of Raksha Bandhan, which fell on the 30th and 31st of August, 2023, with great vigour and enthusiasm. The gallery of pictures reflect the same!
STOP’s Community Centres, namely Tigri and Tughlakabad, hosted the Independence Day celebrations on the 15th of August, 2023. The event introduction and the vote of thanks were delivered by the teachers of both communities. The energy present in the speeches given by the children, solo and group dances, skits, mashup songs, and the hoisting of the Indian flag was mixed with the air of patriotism and enthusiasm. It reflected on the ecstatic faces of the participants and the audiences, as the pictures speak below.
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