Coleen teaches school in India. Each Wednesday she and other teachers go to a local orphanage, HOUSE OF HOPE and do art projects with the kids. Coleen said: one week we did the Dog Meets World project. A boy named Wung was the first kid to have his picture taken, but because of how the pictures print out he was the last one to get his picture printed. He was so mesmerized by the printing process and the different colors that showed up each time the pictures went through the printer. He waited so patiently for his picture to be printed, it was probably the calmest I have ever seen Wung, who is so full of energy normally! Well once his printed and he finished his photo frame the print cartridge had been used up so I pulled it out to show him and he just went wild playing and dancing around with the colorful cartridge. He just loved it and had a ball twirling and dancing around with the cartridge tape.

ATTENTION: Coleen reports that Wung, a 9 year old, energetic, mischievous, fun-loving, big smiling and bright-eyed boy is in the hospital. He had an accident last weekend and required brain surgery to remove a blood clot. This is no minor issue. He was in a government hospital where little attention, medical communication or care was provided due to limited resources, ratio of staff to patients and money. Once he was physically able, he was transported to a private hospital. He has another week or so before he will be released, but the costs are astronomical and the teachers are each trying to raise funds. PLEASE READ MORE ON COLEEN’S BLOG AND CONSIDERING DONATING TO HELP.

Rhia, a student at American University in Washington, DC, took the pictures while home over the winter break and noted:

“The children belong to underprivileged families living in and around the neighborhood. My aunt organizes classes every evening, mainly English, which the kids really seemed to enjoy. There were nine children and they were all in the age group of 5 – 9 years. They were incredibly excited about Dog Meets World and especially liked Foto the dog. One of the older kids was so intrigued that he wanted to learn how to use the camera. He was thrilled when he managed to take a photo of the group (the one with me in it). All in all, it was a wonderful experience, both for the kids and me.”

Coleen teaches at the American International School in Chennai, India. She writes about an activity for 3 classes that choose to raise money to buy abacus for students at the Seva Samajama Children’s Home. Unfortunately for a class of 50 plus there were only 4 abacus for them to share. Instead of just asking her students to get donations from their parents she gave them a week to earn money. They were to talk to their parents about jobs they could do around the home to earn money and decide together how much money the job was worth. One little girl who was so excited about it, she raised 2,500 rupees (about $50). Another student baked cupcakes and was selling them after school for 20 rupees each (about 50 cents). They really enjoyed being able to give. Coleen’s class alone raised 6,500 rupees (about $150)! Between the 3 classes they were able to supply the school with about 40 abacus, a box full of books (simple English, Tamil, and English/Tamil), and a variety of games and puzzels.

Coleen said “We took their students on a trip to deliver the packages personally. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the school. All the children played games, puzzels, made frames to put their pictures in. They all seemed so happy. While they were doing their other activities I had the children from the Home have their Dog Meets World portrait taken. The one little girl who I’m giving the picture to was the sweetest little thing. Each time a picture would print one of the other teachers would go to deliver it and each time she would perk up hoping it was her picture. She waited so patiently so I made sure when hers was printed to call her over to see. She was so happy to receive her picture!

I had my students write about their experience and many of them expressed how they enjoyed giving the other children a picture and want to go back again. One little boy told me he wanted to take his mother and father so that they could meet the children too… so sweet.”

American Coleen McInyre (seen upper left) teaches 3rd grade at the American International School in Chennai, India. She and fellow teachers volunteer at the small House of Hope orphanage every Wednesday. Many children are tsunami orphans, and all have been rescued from desperate circumstances. Their lives have been transformed and they have been given a real hope for the future. They are fed, cared for and educated.

Coleen took brightly colored papers, markers, and glitter so they could create frames for their new Dog Meets World pictures. Coleen said, “The kids, ages 6-18, all loved the project. As the first picture printed I said “Yellow, Red, Blue… Magic!” to explain that it needed to go through the printer a few times. One of the youngest boy, Wung, who seemed to be the most fascinated by the printer sat so patiently waiting for his picture to be printed. I think for about 10 or so prints he sat there and watched saying “Yellow, Red, Blue…. Magic!”… sooo cute! The cook at the house and Nisha the woman who runs the place also joined in. They were so very excited. I think the cook was the most excited. It was a wonderful evening full of smiles and fun!” Read more on Coleen’s blog.

Chinmoy Majumdar said he took this picture as part of his second experience with the Dog Meets World project, this time at Snehasadan ( A home for homeless street children in Mumbai). He and his colleagues “teach English language to these kids for securing there job in future. And this is the project Michelle Obama is supposed to explore this week while President Obama conducts his diplomatic visit to India”.

Diplomacy comes in all forms and can be between citizens sharing and affirming through the power of a personal photograph. Join the DMW community of phoDOGraphers!

Rhia is a student in the school of International Service at American University . She loved practicing Dog Meets World while home in India as she continued to add real world experiences to her classroom learning. She’ll be interning for Dog Meets World this fall. Welcome!

Rhia commented:

These children barely needed an introduction. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by the most joyful and lovable bunch of kids who warmed up to Foto just as quickly as they did to me. Their bright smiles and energy made for an exciting hour of photo-taking and fun.

Rhia just back from India is a junior at American University in Washington DC. She said:

Smiles really are contagious. By the end of my visit, this little girl and Foto, the mascot of Dog Meets World were the best of friends. It was not long before the other children followed her lead and lined up to have their photos taken. This one was taken at a crèche (preschool) in my home city in India. Most of these children come from poor homes in the area.

A junior at American University in Washington DC, Rhia took Dog Meets World to this daycare in her hometown city of Chandigarh while home this summer. Rhia describes that the children’s parents are mostly working women from nearby villages and slums. Rhia writes:

It takes an experience like Dog Meets World to make you realize the power of small things. Handing these children their first photos was truly a heartwarming experience. This picture in particular is beautiful because it captures the children in their natural state. These siblings spent a good long minute examining their photos discussing where they would display them. For me, it was both fascinating and rewarding to see just how much joy they got from the experience.

Phodographer Chinmoy Majumdar in Subash Colony, Lalbagh, West Bengal, India, March 2010

Chinmoy says “I spent most of my childhood at my parents house in Berhampore, West Bengal, India. Presently, I divide my time between Calcutta and Bombay. I am a risk management consultant and have a fellowship in risk management and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I love interacting with people from different levels of society and reaching out to underprivileged communities to share my happiness with them. It was a pleasure to get these 100 smiling faces in front of me when taking Dog Meets World to this school .”

Some pictures just don’t need any words. Kids are great. Taking and giving photo fun with kids in India!!