Newspaper Article in Local Paper

The following article appeared in the Oct.5 Sherwood Park News

A Sherwood Park native recently received an award for her work with children in India at the University of Alberta’s Alumni Horizon Awards.

Tania Spilchen, 31, received the award at the Winspear Centre, where she was honoured for the work that she has done with One! International.

The organization was started by Spilchen, and has started, and now operates two schools for underprivileged children in Mumbai, India, where she now lives.

“The main focus is education, and educating street children and slum children in many subjects,” Spilchen said. “It’s not just education. We also do health and medicine programs, and skill-building programs.”

The program started when Spilchen first began living in India for a year as part of an exchange program through university 11 years ago.

“I just fell in love with the country, and was just touched,” she said. “I knew I had to go back, and do what I could do. One thing led to the next, and 10 years later, this is what I do.”

When Spilchen first started the organization a decade ago, she said that it was very different than it is now, as she has become desensitized to the things that used to affect her most.

“After 10 years, it’s hard. When I first started, every day was a full gathering of emotions,” she said.

“Every day was the anger, the love, the up and down, up and down. As the years have gone on, the damage becomes less and less, and they become a little bit more accepting of things (in India). Just to see the smiles on the children’s faces, and just to have the personal satisfaction and seeing people change, and seeing people learn still makes it worth it.”

Things are not always easy for Spilchen though, as the organization receives all sorts of reactions from Mumbai locals.

“It’s a very varied response, all the way from: ‘Wow, this is absolutely incredible. I can’t believe that you are doing this, coming all the way from a different country, and coming to help my country,’ all the way to: ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? It’s not going to make any difference anyway, and you don’t belong,’ so it’s very varied,” Spilchen said.

She doesn’t let negative reactions slow her down though, and does her best to educate those who don’t understand her point of view.

“If it’s possible, if there is an opening for a conversation, then definitely I just say that I’m doing what I can, and that’s all I can do,” Spilchen said.

“One step makes a difference. One step at a time — that’s sort of one of our mantras and one of our logos. One step at a time makes a difference. If everyone takes that step, if everyone makes the effort, then together it becomes significant.”

Negative feedback or reactions to One! International won’t slow Spilchen down, as she is often reminded of the true reason she is there, and has had good reactions from the children, who in turn manage to convince their parents of the benefits of the schooling.

She believes that once children go home to their parents with what they have learned, parents will come around.

“Children everywhere want to learn. Children everywhere are ready for a positive change, so it’s been quite easy to incorporate them,” she said.

“It’s been much more difficult with parents. Once they see the proof of it, once they see their children can do simple things, like read bus signs and things like that, then they really start to get it, and they want to send their kids more and more.”

Spilchen has volunteers from around the world helping with her two schools, which hold a combined total of between 300 and 350 children.

According to Spilchen, among the staff that works at One! International, around one-third are Canadian, and of those, between five and 10 are from Sherwood Park.

Spilchen said that India has taught her things that she never expected to learn from going there.

“Professionally, I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned how to be a manager, I’ve learned how to be a teacher, I’ve learned how to be administrative, and all that sort of stuff,” she said.

“Personally, from the kids, every day they’re teaching me something.”

Since she first went to India, Spilchen said that she has particularly learned that life in Canada is often taken for granted.

“India itself has taught me so much — to be more relaxed, and to appreciate the moment that you’re living in, rather than to be concentrating too much on the future,” she said.

“We take advantage of things so much, and we don’t need so much. We want, but we don’t need.”

On Jan. 29, a gala will be hosted in Edmonton to celebrate One! International’s 10-year anniversary.

Donations can be made to the organization by e-mailing MarilynSpilchen@aol.com, or by visiting the website at www.one-international.com. [or by visiting http://www.canadahelps.org/ ]

Spilchen has also been nominated for the CBC News’ Canada’s Champion of Change, as well as Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40.

ben@sherwoodparknews.com