Making a Difference: Tanya Pinto

This is the VOA Special English Development Report:

In two thousand five, Tanya Pinto was a successful young businesswoman in Dallas, Texas. But she decided to take three months off from work at an advertising company to visit her birthplace, India.

She volunteered at Mother Teresa's home for orphans in Kolkata. She also traveled, and saw children in great need.

TANYA PINTO: "And that experience was life changing. And that's why I decided to start a charity."

She returned to her job in Texas and began Baal Dan Charities. In Hindi, the name means "child donation."

India has an estimated eighteen million poor children. Some charity workers say the conditions on the streets are, if anything, worse than those shown in the film "Slumdog Millionaire." Many children depend on international charity projects like Baal Dan.

At first, Baal Dan provided street children with clothes. Today, the organization gives money to orphanages, schools and local projects. The money provides food, medicine, schoolbooks and some education. The work is centered in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Kerala province.

Tanya Pinto started her project with small donations from friends and co-workers.

TANYA PINTO: "I would pass them in the hallway and they would say, 'Hey, the next time you go back to India, here is twenty dollars, here is fifty dollars, here is ten dollars for the children.'"

Today, Baal Dan has other financial supporters in the United States. People organize events to raise money. A restaurant in Dallas donates money whenever anyone orders "Tacos for a Cause."

In the next several years, Tanya Pinto hopes to begin sponsoring an orphanage. She visits India as often as she can while working full-time at the advertising company. Her last trip was in May.

TANYA PINTO: "I will take the children on an outing as well. I will take them to the zoo or to the park. And so I'll do things that are really fun activities, because these are children who are living in unimaginable poverty. So I like to bring some fun into their lives."

(SOUND OF CHILDREN IN INDIA)

She talks about a trip when she visited a care center operated by a local group that her charity has helped. Two boys recognized her. They had met her at a shelter at a railway station the year before. The children, she says, were rescued from the streets and were doing well.

Tanya Pinto says you do not have to be wealthy or well known to help others.

TANYA PINTO: "Even if you are not a celebrity, if you are not rich, if you are not famous, you can do something to help make this world a better place."

(SOUND OF CHILDREN IN INDIA)

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jerilyn Watson, with Gregg Flakus in Dallas.

2005年，Tanya Pinto是得克萨斯州达拉斯一名成功的女商人。但是她决定向所就职的广告公司请假三个月游览其出生地印度。

她在Kolkata孤儿院“泰瑞沙修女之家”做志愿者。她还旅行和探视了那些亟需帮助的孩子。

Tanya Pinto：“那是改变生活的一次经历。而且那就是我决定开始慈善事业的原因。”

她返回得克萨斯的工作岗位并开始了Baal Dan慈善机构。在被印度语中，该名字的意思是“儿童捐助”。

印度大约有1800万名贫困儿童。一些慈善工作者说，印度街道上的状况比“贫民窟的百万富翁”中展示的还要糟糕。许多儿童依靠Baal Dan这样的慈善机构来生活。

起初，Baal Dan为街道上的儿童提供衣物。现在，该组织为孤儿院，学校和当地项目提供资金。这项资金用于提供食物，药品，课本和一些教育。工作中心位于Kolkata，海得拉巴和喀拉拉邦。

Tanya Pinto最初依靠朋友和同事的小额捐赠开始了她的项目。

Tanya Pinto：“我在大厅遇到他们的时候他们会说，‘下次你去印度的时候，我给20美元，他给50美元，另外一个给10美元，都带给孩子们。’”

今天，Tanya Pinto在美国有了其他的经济支持者。人们会举办一些活动来筹款。在达拉斯一家餐馆，每当人们点"Tacos for a Cause"这道菜时餐馆都会捐款。

在接下来的几年，Tanya Pinto希望开始资助孤儿院。她在广告公司工作的同时尽可能多的访问印度。她最后一次印度之行是在五月份。

Tanya Pinto：“我会带孩子们去郊游。我会带他们去动物园或公园。我还会举办一些真正有趣的活动，因为这些孩子居住在无法想象的贫困中。所以我希望给他们的生活带来一些乐趣。”

她谈到了参观一个由她的慈善机构帮助的当地组织时的情景。两个男孩认出了她。他们一年前曾在火车站一个庇护所见过她。她说，这两个孩子被从街道上救援出来，现在状况很好。

Tanya Pinto说，要帮助他人不一定要非常富有，也不一定非常出名。

Tanya Pinto：“即使你不是明星，即使你不是富翁，即使你不出名，你也可以做一些事情来让世界更加美好。”