There's no distancing love, kindness and compassion

There is no distancing between ‘Project Help’ and love, kindness and compassion. COVID can’t stop us! This is especially true in the city of Kotdwara, Northern India, where we are feeding families in poverty and heading into the sixth week of the current Indian Government enforced lockdown.

Rashid collecting meal packets for his wife and children.

It’s so great to see the smile of 39 year old, father Rashid who so enthusiastically expressed his gratitude to us.

Rashid is a daily wage labourer who due to the lockdown is unable to leave his house and therefore unable to work. He described to us how difficult it has been for him as a father watching his children slowly getting hungrier every day. He feared that they would soon die.

“Now they are getting the food packets daily. Project Help is like God’s ambassador for my family”

Our daily food distribution will continue until the India government ends the lockdown in two weeks time (we hope). We are still serving 400 meals twice a day, which adds up to 5600 people fed each week. It’s incredible what our team has been able to activate in such a short period of time. We especially honour Mr Amit Samuel, our Project Director, for his leadership and his brother Amrit who is working tirelessly every day with very little sleep. The news of our projects has not gone unnoticed. The local magistrate’s department is supportive and most thankful, appointing police to provide safety and security in the five slum areas that we are working in. Our work is being reported in the local newspapers and on the television news too. You can click this link below if you are interested to watch (but it’s in Hindi!).

All up we are serving about 100 families on an average per day with meal packets. These people say…

“You people are like God’s angels to us. If you would not have given us food then our kids and us might have died because of hunger, as our daily food depends on our daily earnings, so if there is no earning there is no food for them”.

Thank you to all our wonderful supporters in Australia. When we get to the other side of this COVID-19 crisis, and talk about it in years to come, you will have the satisfaction of being able to say that you helped save lives with your love, kindness and compassion. Indeed, wellbeing research tells us that helping others is a great way to preserve your own positive mental health during times of crisis and difficulty. Thank you for your generosity. In the face of such human suffering and tragedy caused by COVID-19 Rashid’s story is just one many reminding us that, love, kindness and compassion make a significant difference in people’s lives. Never underestimate the impact you have.

Please share this email with others who you think can help us. The lockdown in India will continue through to 17 May. Our meals cost just over $400 a day, so this is a total of $5600 that we will require to continue through till then.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate - You can make your tax deductible donation by clicking HERE. As you click the link, scroll to the bottom of the page, then click the ‘SUPPORT THIS PROJECT NOW' button. Ensure that you are donating to (WYG-IND-PHI-2020).

OR if tax deductibility is not required, your EFT donation can be made at

BSB: 062 230 (Commonwealth Bank Randwick) 

Account: 1134 1909

Account Name: Project Help India

Please write your name in the reference section so that we can thank you.

And please share this blog.

This comes with our love and thanks. Our prayers are also with you during this very difficult time.

May God be with you.

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Together, we are saving lives

Our Project Director, Mr Amit Samuel with Abhishek and his mother Urmila.

During this time of the COVID crisis, those who are suffering are coming to us for help and support, and we are so pleased to be able to especially support the families of children who attend our schools. Abhishek is one of our students. He contracted polio at a young age which resulted in him not being able to use his right hand and arm. To make matters worse his grandparents believe that because of the polio Abhishek is cursed, thus denying him of their doting love and affection.

Abhishek’s mother Urmila is an example of an inspirational mother. She would have attended our SHINE Conference if it hadn’t been for COVID-19. Urmila endures constant domestic violence due to her husband’s alcoholism with any money that he earns as a daily labourer being spent on his alcohol. Urmila secretly works, so that any money she earns can be spent on food and the education of her two boys. When the Indian government enforced the national COVID lockdown, Urmila was unable to work and she only had enough food in the house for just two days.

‘Project Help India’ has been able to help by giving Urmila the food she needs, with the promise that this will continue until she is able to return to work. In the midst of such challenge there has been intervention thanks to your generous support. Not only have you assisted Abhishek’s family, your donation goes directly to help over 100 similar families. All up at a cost of $412 per day, we are serving 800 meals daily to the poor, homeless and disabled on the streets of Kotdwara. We do this at the request and blessing of the City Magistrate and with the assistance of the local police.

In the face of such human suffering and tragedy caused by COVID-19 Abhishek’s story is just one many across the world, reminding us that friendship, love and kindness make a significant difference in people’s lives. Never underestimate the impact you have.

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

Psalm 82:3

The story I am sharing today is of Abhishek, student of our city center. His mother’s name is Urmila. Urmila is of 30 yrs. Urmila is wife of Mr. Kishanpal (38 years), he is a daily wage labour. Urmila is mother of 2 children Abhishek (12 years) and Aditya (11 years). Her elder son Abhishek is a polio sufferer. He is helpless from his right hand. Urmila says she is ignored by her in-laws family because of Abhishek, as her family thinks Abhishek’s condition is a result of some curse. Urmila is not treated well by her husband and he don’t allow her to work. Urmila works secretly as domestic help in some houses and she earns a little amount of money so that she can feed herself and her children and can pay their school fees. Urmila says that whatever her husband earns he wastes all his money on his drinking alcohol. 

Urmila is living in conditions that could hardly be called liveable. She lives in a dirty slum in a rented single room where there is no proper electricity facility. Now since the lockdown is going on, Urmila is not able to earn anything at all. All of her savings were used by her husband in his thirst of alcohol and she has been left with nothing. The day when the lockdown started Urmila had just 2 days of food items so that she could feed her kids but after that she’s not able to make it. Urmila called out to ‘Project Help’ home and narrated her condition. In act of compassion we provided the family all the food items required and promised the family that with Project Help no one will sleep on an empty stomach. After getting the food supplies Urmila broke into tears and thanked us again and again for our help. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate - You can make your tax deductible donation by clicking HERE. As you click the link, scroll to the bottom of the page, then click the ‘SUPPORT THIS PROJECT NOW' button. Ensure that you are donating to (WYG-IND-PHI-2020).

OR if tax deductibility is not required, your EFT donation can be made at

BSB: 062 230 (Commonwealth Bank Randwick) 

Account: 1134 1909

Account Name: Project Help India

Please write your name in the reference section so that we can thank you.

And please share this blog.

This comes with our love and thanks. Our prayers are also with you during this very difficult time.

May God be with you.

Doug, Rowena, Amit and Daisy.

Our Shopping List for the feeding of 5000 during the COVID-19 lockdown

A meal that comes with love.

I am writing to give a big “thank you” to the many people who responded to our cry for help last week. Thanks to your generosity we can move forward every day by serving 800 meals. This is 5000 meals served in approximately one week, all made possible because of you. It’s not cheap and it really has stretched our resources, both in terms of finances, strategic planning, not to mention the physical effort and activation of our entire ‘Project Help’ Team. Behind the scenes everyone is working incredibly hard, however only a few people who are permitted by the local magistrate to go out on the streets, to deliver and serve the food during this time of enforced national lockdown.

It really is a modern day of the feeding of the 5000, meals delivered with a message of God’s hope and love and you are part of this story and miracle.

Below, I have included a report written by one of our team (thanks Gipsa!) …and just because it’s really interesting, I have included the shopping list, for what is required in one day to cook and feed 800 people (and probably some extra toddlers and elderly).

Our weekly COVID-19 crisis shopping list

80kg rice - 3200rupees = $71.10AUD

22kg lentils – 2200rupees = $48.90AUD

7 litres mustard oil – 700rupees = $15.55AUD

6kg salt – 120rupees = $2.66AUD

4.5kg coriander powder – 1215rupees = $27AUD

3kg turmeric powder - 813rupees = $18AUD

1kg red chilli powder – 340rupees = $7.55AD

500g cumin seeds – 120rupees = $2.66AUD

6.5kg onions – 650rupees = $14.44AUD

6.5kg tomatoes – 390rupees = $8.66AUD

105kg wheat flour – 3150rupees = $70AUD

40kg vegetables – 3200rupees = $71.10AUD

2.5kg potatoes – 75rupees = $1.66AUD

3 LPG gas cylinders – 2400rupees = $53.33AUD

Total Amount Payable INR 18,573 ($412.73AUD) for per day for the meal packs.

Can you contribute to this weekly shopping list? How about sponsor the purchase of a week’s supply of rice ($71), lentils ($48), onions ($14), spices, vegetable or gas?

As you throw in a few extra “just in case” things into your shopping trolley this week, please remember our friends in Kotdwara who need these essentials. This is not panic buying, rather, it’s a matter of life or death for them! Also please pray for India, as it is a nation that is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.

Greetings of the day

Hope you are doing well. This mail is to inform you that we are now already serving 400 people at one time a day and this service we provide two times a day so it is about 800 meals a day we are distributing. Yes brother, you are right that this service is not only for our slums family. As we have informed you before that we are requested by the government officials to provide food for the needy people (poor, daily wage labours, people who are stuck in Kotdwara due to lockdown, utensil sellers or other door to door sellers etc). For this we have got special permissions and as the government is seeing our work by our daily updates they have appointed a government employee Mr. Sumit and a policeman with us for our safety and care. We are maintaining paper work also on daily basis in which we are taking signatures, name and phone numbers of the people to whom we are distributing the food packets. We have to submit a copy of this data to the government District Magistrate Office. The Government officials are very thankful to us and they are appreciating our work. The area where we are distributing the meal packs are different slum areas of Kotdwara like Jhoolabasti, Lakdipadao, Aampadao, including our city and slum centres homes and some other places where we are getting instructions by the government office.

We are serving about 100 families on an average per day with meal packets. These people says that  “you people are like God’s angles to us, if you would not have given us food then our kids and us might have died because of hunger, as our daily food depends on our daily earnings, so if there is no earning that it means there is no food” 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate - You can make your tax deductible donation by clicking any of the DONATE HERE buttons on this website. As you click the link ensure that you are donating to (WYG-IND-PHI-2020).

OR if tax deductibility is not required, your EFT donation can be made at

BSB: 062 230 (Commonwealth Bank Randwick) 

Account: 1134 1909

Account Name: Project Help India

Please write your name in the reference section so we can thank you.

And please share this blog.

This comes with our love and thanks. Our prayers are also with you during this very difficult time. May God be with you.

Slum Life, COVID, and Uber Eats 'Project Help' style

Project Director, Mr Amit Samuel visiting the slums this week - bringing food, soap, education awareness and emotional support

In Kotdwara, and across India, people are in complete lockdown for 21 days. For the people living in the slums, many are living on the brink of daily starvation. With no fixed salary they work from day-to-day and are paid accordingly. They have little savings and receive no social benefits. They are vulnerable not just because of COVID but highly at risk of malnutrition, malaria, typhoid, and other life-threatening diseases.

Yet, there is a glimmer of hope for some. The ‘Project Help’ team, has been given permission by the police to provide urgent relief. The police have shared that they were not informed about the lockdown and are not prepared in any way. 'Project Help' is the only NGO in Kotdwara that can help them. So we are out on the streets, delivering food, soap and education to desperate families and individuals ...not quite Uber Eats style but it comes with love ands compassion to their door. We are helping the homeless too. 

We can only provide this help because of our Australian supporters who are making regular donations. We are incredibly appreciative of your generosity knowing that you too, are impacted by COVID. Thank you for your sacrificial giving. Wellbeing research tells us that we grow in resilience and personal coping skills when we are connected and giving to others. We are in this together on a global scale, and despite the distance, you are part of the story of these people's lives. 

With love from Doug, Rowena, Amit and Daisy.

This article written by one of our team. It gives a sense of what it’s like in Kotdwara. This man’s tears of happiness are thanks to people like you.

“Today on 24 March, when India is still fighting with the pandemic Corona Virus Spred, with all lock downs, life has stopped all over. All shops are closed and no one can come out of their homes. Police on the patrolling found a very poor man on street near Devi Mandir who was appealing to the officials to give him some food. When the officials asked him that where he lived he showed them a plastic sheet on the road side that this is the place where he lived. He said he is a daily wage worker and due to complete lock-down he is not able to earn anything since last few days and hence he is hungry. The police made contact with Mr. Amit Samuel Sir from ‘Project Help India’, so that he could help him.

When he got the news Mr. Amit Samuel took 12 kgs of rice, a packet of bread and some biscuits to give him. By seeing the food supply the man broke into tears and thanked God and Mr. Amit Samuel a lot that at least now he can survive for some days by boiling rice.

But now we are worried that what will happen now when whole of India is going to get fully locked down for the next 21 days. How are the hundreds of families going to survive when they totally depend on their daily earnings but have no work?

With ‘Project Help’ these people may have a chance.

God please bless the humanity.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Donate - You can make your tax deductible by clicking any of the DONATE HERE buttons here on our website.

As you click the link ensure that you are donating to (WYG-IND-PHI-2020) and please let us know (by replying to this email) if you make a donation because we would love to thank you. Privacy legislation does not permit us to know that you've donated unless you tell us.

OR  if tax deductibility is not required, your EFT donation can be made at

BSB: 062 230 (Commonwealth Bank Randwick) 

Account: 1134 1909

Account Name: Project Help India

Please write your name in the reference section so we can thank you.

This is the man living on the street, mentioned in report above.

COVID-19 Bringing Hope and Help

Our Project Director, Mrs Daisy Samuel (right) presenting a Coronavirus Awareness Seminar to the slum community.

Dear Friends and Supporters

This blog is posted with both sadness and hope for what we are all experiencing at present. Our prayers are with you in whatever situation you find yourself in. We pray that you are fully aware of the presence and peace of God.

In India, the entire country began a 2-week nationwide lockdown over the weekend. Everything is ‘extreme’ in India – just imagine 1.3billion people forced into their houses with limited access to the marketplace and essential services. Just yesterday, Sunday, at 5pm, the entire nation rang bells, bang drums, clapped, banged on pots and pans and sang national songs, in solidarity and unity to support emergency workers. Such a powerful moment!

Last week we made the decision to not go ahead with SHINE last week. Our amended plans initially were to see our local team running the conference. However, the size of the gathering and the projection of how Covid-19 would be looking by mid-April, meant that it was not feasible or sensible. There is understandable disappointment, but we are confident that future opportunities will arise. Unfortunately, we have lost some money on this, but thankfully some final payments for the venue, catering and accommodation had not been paid.

Last week, our Kotdwara team, embarked on a Covid-19 Awareness Program in the slums and villages. We will continue to work closely with the slum people, as they are highly vulnerable and at risk of significant impact, should the virus spread as anticipated. A strategy is being developed for how we provide meals and medical support for this poor community. Our schools will be closed while the Indian lockdown is in operation.

We urgently seek your continued financial support. Our donation base has significantly reduced over the past two months. Doug revised the budget with our Project Director, and our challenge is that mostly every line of the budget (with the exception of rents and jeep repayments) directly helps people. It is going to be very tough for us to take away the help that they so desperately need. Please consider if you can help us. If everyone who receives this email could donate $5 a week, we would cover our immediate expenses.

You can make a donation by clicking any of the DONATE buttons located here on our website

God bless you and thank you for your support and help.

Aasma – disabled, a fighter, and determined for her daughters to be educated.

Aasma is 39 years old. She is handicapped, she can’t walk properly. Aasma is wife of Mr. Shehzad, he is a tailor, what all he earns he spends all his money in gambling. He gives her nothing from his earning. Aasma works as a dry cleaner and she irons clothes. She earns a very little amount of money but still she arranged for her children’s education. Aasma is mother of 4 children. Her elder daughter Farah (19 years) is mentally handicapped. Alisa (17 years), Manisha (14 years), Armaan (10 years). Aasma wants all her kids to get educated.

Aasma says she has faced a lot of hardships in her life. She have to manage everything for the family needs by herself. Her in-laws have thrown her out of their home for having girl child for the third time. She belongs to a poor muslim family. Her in-laws are so orthodox that they don’t want any of the girl to go to school, but Aasma fought for her children and now she lives alone in Kotdwara slum in a single rented room. 

 For SHINE Conference Aasma says last year she joined in with the dancing. It was the first time that she had ever been on a stage. She says SHINE is like a festival for her. Because of the conference she was able to make her daughters understand about their personal hygiene and health.

Najmeen - A woman with a beautiful spirit, strength and dignity

Najmmen’s story is heartbreaking yet full of hope. Here she is with two of her 5 children.

Najmmen is 40 years old. She is a single mother with 5 children. After her husband died of heart disease 12 years ago, Najmeen had to sell her home and her jewellery and possessions to pay off the many medical bills. Her 5 young children were hungry and homeless. Her seven year old son (12 years at the time) had to become a vegetable seller. Najmeen worked hard as a house maid. She also had to endure epilepsy. Her illness is now so bad, she cannot work. Her son’s work and look after their mother. All 6 family members live in a small rented room. Najmeen loved attending SHINE last year and she cannot wait for this year’s conference. She loved the sense of equality with no discrimination. She loved the freedom and joy of dancing where she forgot about all of her sorrows and troubles.,

Najmeen is 40 years old. She is mother of 5 children. Juned (21yrs) Jamshed (19 years) Shaqib (17 years) Mariyam (14 years) and Maaz Aalam (12 yrs). Najmeen is a widow. Her husband passed away twelve years ago. He was a vegetable seller, he passed away due to his heart disease. Najmeen says she sold her home and all her belongings like jewellery for the treatment of her husband. After the death of her husband her life became miserable. Her children were small and she was uneducated. She suffered a lot. She worked as house maid in various homes. She gets epileptic fits. One day her husband’s friend came to visit them and said that her elder son can come to the market to sell vegetables and he will help him. So from the next day Juned started selling vegetables. So the necessities of home runs through the daily wages of Najmeen and Juned. Juned had to leave his studies to earn money. 

 Now the family of 6 lives in a small rented room. Shaqib and Juned now sells vegetables and Jamshed drives a rented auto rikshaw. Due to the disease of epilepsy Najmeen have to left her work. Now three of her sons run the home and take care of their mother’s medication. Mariyam and Maaz Aalam goes to a government school as they can’t afford a private school.

The family is thankful to ‘Project Help’ that they have admitted Mariyam to their center, due to which she have proper meal and education. She now teaches her younger brother too. 

For Shine Conference Najmeen says she loves the conference as there is no discrimination, she loves the freedom of dancing and enjoys what she learns and experineces at the conference. She loves the sessions and enjoys them. She takes the knowledge and spreads it into the community.

Asha's Story – A Warrior Mother and Community Leader

Asha's Story

Asha is 36 yrs old. Asha is wife of Mr. Sher Singh, he is a utensil seller. Asha is mother of five children. Her children are Aman, Karan, Sandhya, Vivek and Sahil. Asha says ‘Project Help’ has had a significant role in her life. Asha is a heart patient, she was suffering from heart disease when ‘Project Help’ took the responsibility of curing her disease. She had an operation and all the expenses were paid for by Project Help. She was cook in our slums center but due to her disease she was not able to continue her job. Earlier she also used to do the work of door to door cosmetic seller, earning Rs 30 to Rs50 (60c to $1AUS) per day, but because of her disease she couldn’t continue this too. She says Aman was born with a lot of medical problems that his doctor told them that he would not live more than 14 yrs. But ‘Project Help’ has given Aman the best best treatment possible, now he is 20 years old and living a fit and healthy life. She further says that her life was full of hardships her husband was an alcoholic but through the counselling by ‘Project Help’ he stopped drinking. Asha says that her children were facing lot of problems in eduction and malnutrition but these problems have been solved by ‘Project Help’. Now three of her children are getting education in our slums center. One of her brother Rajesh was also suffering from some severe medical problems he was also cured with the help of ‘Project Help’. There are numerous stories of her hardships. Once her hut’s thatched roof was destroyed in the monsoon and that too was mended by ‘Project Help’. 

 Asha says that she is very happy by attending Shine Conference as it gives her value, this program tells women their purpose of living. She says that this is the only time when they get rest. She says they never had time to see the mirror but this Shine Conference gives them the time when they could take care of their selves. They get knowledge about themselves and understand their hygiene and health. She says that she have seen a sanitary napkin for the first time that was given to them at Shine Conference. The best thing she says that Shine Conference taught them to live happily in whatever conditions they are in. The lady should know her value, her purpose of life and her strength.