India COVID update

Thank you for the friends and supporters who have reached out to us over these past few days, to inquire how things are going. Thankfully, at this point in time Kotdwara and Bijnor are somewhat distanced (200km away) from the capital Delhi where there is so much grief and heartache. While our team in India are somewhat optimistic and always determined in nature, we have a great sense of foreboding about the days ahead. We are on the brink (if not already) of a humanitarian crisis. Many commentators are describing the emergency as tragedy beyond belief with the Indian medical system collapsing in its ability to adequately respond.

To keep you informed here are some facts about the situation and what ‘Project Help’ is doing;

Today 27th April it has been reported

353 000 people in India were tested as COVID+ in the past 24 hours

2800 deaths occurred yesterday

Delhi is in lockdown

India has 17.3million confirmed cases of COVID (official data). These statistics are sure to be worse than reported due to discrepancies in official data and the reality on the ground (generally India is very chaotic)

Medical modelling shows that there will be no respite for at least another 2 to 3 weeks - probably longer.

It is true that in some areas of Delhi, suffering people cannot access oxygen and deaths have occurred so rapidly that bodies are being cremated on the streets

There are some cases in/near our projects but not to the extent of what we are seeing on the media. Kotdwara has a daily curfew of 2pm to 5am, which results in income loss to the daily wage earners of the slums (the parents of our students).

Already people are coming to our office for help, but at this point we are unable to help most of them

All of the jungle villages where we work are distanced with no COVID impact, and life continues as normal at this point in time.

What is Project help doing?

Our team is working hard, that’s for sure!

The police have asked for our help and daily we meet with and work with officials

Our team has embarked on a community education awareness program. Our Administrator writes;

Project Help India has developed a vast array of awareness materials in English and Hindi focusing on social and behaviour change by raising awareness about symptoms and prevention, busting myths; providing information on mental well-being and care at home under lockdown, and encouraging social distancing. The awareness materials include printed posters, banners and stickers for display in public places, mike announcement and rallies. With these all just today we made about more than 2000 people aware of this fatal problem.

We are preparing for worsening eventualities by preparing our teachers, students and speaking with their parents

We are agitating community leaders for a proactive strategy to protect our community, particularly the slum dwellers whose lives are most impacted when unable to work for their daily income.

Our efforts have been acknowledged in the local media which demonstrates the impact we are having

We have planned for the delivery of a ration pack program for all city slum dwellers (this is a huge task) in the eventuality of a full city lockdown.

Our administration centre is being converted to a kitchen, to prepare for food items for the poor and needy.

Our Indian team reporting an alarming number of suicides

“The people are not able to survive the situation when they don't have jobs, they are dying of fear.”

So, over the coming days there will be much nervous anticipation, fear of the unknown and a huge job to do. As an organisation we are thankful to be positioned to be able to help in such constructive and meaningful ways. We are feeding the hungry and advocating for some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people – especially kids, on this planet.

This is all costing us money. Please consider how you can help us financially. Over the coming days I will provide you with further updates and various cost estimates for the many needs ahead. Our regular projects continue as well

With the news that many nations are committed to helping the nation of India in this huge humanitarian aid effort, please keep us in mind if you too would like to do something. Please share the ‘Project Help India’ story with others (individuals, businesses and corporates) who might be able to help financially. Your donation goes directly to people and projects, and is tax deductible. You can make a donation by clicking the DONATE button on this page.

With all of this sad news, we are confident that light and love will shine through our work, and many will be amazed by the significant impact made by a small charity project. May God bless India and keep our team, and everyone well and safe.

A meal for a labourer with no home, no food and no work.This photo was taken exactly 12 months ago during the first lockdown. We learnt a lot from the first wave and we are applying this knowledge to prepare for a tumultuous storm. Engaging and partnering with community officials is key to our success.

A story and smile to warm your heart (and a concerning COVID update)

It’s been a few weeks since we last updated you with some Project help news. Over April our team has enjoyed a much needed slowing down of pace. After the intensity of the SHINE women’s empowerment conferences we are still on a high after the success and stories of positive impact in the lives of the women who attended. Earlier this month, and spring-boarding off the back of SHINE we launched a new tailoring - but more of this for another email.

Introducing Suhail - check out his smile!

Just this week I was delighted to read about one of our students of our Disability Centre. It is with great pleasure that I introduce Suhail to you. I was moved to tears when I read his story. Our Project Help Disability Centre has given Suhail his first ever opportunity to attend a school – to be educated, stimulated by games and stories, make friends and to have people beyond his immediate family, who love and care for him.

Suhail is from a Muslim family. His father is a fruit seller and his mother is a housewife. He has 3 sisters and 4 brothers and he is the youngest of the siblings. Together, they all live in what is described as a “clumsy” slum house with just 2 bare brick rooms, on the side of a river.

Suhail suffered badly of jaundice as a baby. He had various internal and external complications resulting in him being bed ridden since birth. He has never been able to sit up straight due to the twisting of his arms and legs. His mother described to our Project Officer;

…some people in our community say that he is curse for the family and some people say he looks horrible. All the savings of the family have been used in his treatment, now we are in debt because of his medication which is still going on for his betterment. Suhail wished to go to school one day, but none of them have given him a chance to come and learn as they say they are not for a special child like him. This is his first school! He is happy that at least some one is there with whom he could talk or who spends time with him. 

Suhail now attends classes each week and sometimes his teacher from Project Help visits him at home to help with his tuition and exercises. It has been said that he has changed since people have shown an interest in him and his smile reflects his happiness.

How precious is this! I just can’t imagine how a child can live for 14 years without the connection and sense of belonging and value that a school provides. His story reminds me that my hard work for the cause of Project Help is worth every effort (complete understatement!!). I thank all of our Australian supporters for your generosity. Because of this you’ve made this beautiful boy smile, and I hope it warms your heart. Thank you again.

A COVID-19 update

The situation in India has escalated over the past week with over 200 000 new infections (and rising) across the nation. Just last week, only 100km away from Kotdwara was the Kumbh Mela religious festival (see link if you’d like to see some incredible footage). The lack of social distancing is frightening. Subsequently, there have been grave concerns raised over the spread of COVID in the region. Kotdwara and many other towns have shut their borders, preventing people from travelling into the city, and there is a 9pm to 5am curfew at night AND a full day curfew on a Sunday.

Because of some infections in Kotdwara, our schools we have reduced numbers of students attending each day, with rotating time-tables across the week. Worksheets and activities are being sent home to our students. We are spending extra funds on the thorough cleaning of our offices and classrooms. There is fear expressed that further lockdowns will push some beyond coping - with many people at breaking point due to loss of income and the impact of mental health issues.

Over the coming weeks our team will be strategic and plan for scenarios that we hope will never eventuate. We will collaborate with local authorities through all of this. In fact, we are leading much of the community response efforts! Please pray for the safety and protection of our staff and the many vulnerable people who we work with.

Where we work in Kotdwara, Bijnor and Chandigarh the fear is very real and the needs are very real. Yet in this we have the privilege of working alongside people bringing help, life and hope to the poorest of the poor …not to mention bringing some smiles to people like Suhail.

In Australia – let’s keep the perspective and never forget to count our blessings.

If you can help us financially, please do so. As you can see, the impact of your donation is significant. We can’t do any of this without you.

We Could Not Be Happier

‘Project Help India’ Director and General Secretary Daisy Samual - conference organiser and speaker with delegates

It’s funny don’t you think, that every day seems to be the ‘International Day of something’

Yesterday, Saturday 20th March, was the ‘UN International day of Happiness’ and today, Sunday 21st of March is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Personally, I love that both days are back-to-back surly if we focus on kindness and eliminating racial discrimination this world would be a much happier place hey!

The website for ‘UN International day of Happiness’ says;

With our world facing unprecedented challenges and wellbeing matters more than ever …in these difficult times, let’s take action to be happier and kinder, together.

According to the World happiness Report, Finland this year was ranked as the happiest country on earth for the fourth year in a row.  Australia was ranked 12th (yet why do we seem to complain so much?!). Not surprisingly, India does not make the list. Yet, this past week, in one of the most remote places on the planet, a jungle village in the foothills of the Himalayas, a group of one hundred women had the time of their lives.

Delegates arriving for SHINE-21

It was here that my Australian family visited back in 2012. We were honoured and incredibly privileged to be welcomed to this place, some of the first ever westerners to ever meet these people. We were impacted and changed as we heard their stories and learnt about their Muslim culture, traditions and the daily challenges due to poverty that they faced. As the work of Project help India expanded over the years that followed, the village elders asked if we could establish a school for their children. Here, close to 100% of the children (including their parents and the generations before) have never been able to access a school due to their isolation, the distance and dangers of travelling to school, and lack of resources. The school at Village Kadarganj in now one of three small village centres, all in close proximity to each other run by Project Help India. Through these schools we have expanded our delivery of education to include parent seminars on topics such as health and hygiene, anti- human trafficking of children and young women, responding to domestic violence, drug and alcohol awareness, and now our annual Women’s Empowerment SHINE Conference.

This is a significant ‘first’ and this is why we couldn’t be happier. All members of the Project Help team are locals. They have worked incredibly hard, and stretched themselves beyond their initial self-confidence to pull off three separate events over the past two weeks to so something remarkable. Through their up-skilling, personal awareness and knowledge of local matters, we are seeing the powerful generational community change and transformation that Project Help India seeks to make happen.  

Our SHINE conferences in 2018, 2019 and 2021 have brought a message that for the majority of these village women have never heard before. It is a message that girls and women have value, worth and purpose. For the first time in their lives, some women aged 40 (and even older) have also learned about their menstrual cycle and what is their period. They have learned about women’s legal rights, that girls should go to school and can study at university, and for nearly all of them, the conference gave them the opportunity to rise above their fears and to dance freely together. From our experience and all that we heard and observed, the beautiful marquee that we hired for the occasion was filled with inspired talks and learning, tears, laughter, joy and happiness.

These women daily endure the harshest of experiences brought about by living in poverty. SHINE Conference however, provided them with a day of happiness - far greater than any day in Finland, Australia or any where else for that matter. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, whose donations, financial support and prayers paid for this Conference, Village Kadarganj last week was the happiest place on Earth.

Click here to watch a YouTube slide show of photos taken at the Village Kadarganj SHINE Conference.

This is empowerment

Having the time of her life at SHINE 21

19 year old Anishka was one of 500 delegates who attended our SHINE conferences (across three locations) last week. Anishka’s smile reflects how much she has loved the experience, especially the get up and dance time at the end when she was free from all the cares in her life.

Anishka says that SHINE 21 inspired her to keep studying despite the teasing and ridicule she gets from others in her slum community. Anishka is blessed to have a mother who values her education, and because of this, she is enrolled in a bachelor’s degree in law. They live in a small rented room in a poor slum because all of her mother’s money is spent on Anishka’s education.

It’s Anishka’s dream to be a lawyer and to defend the rights of women and others in her community. Attending SHINE has given her the determination to believe in herself and to work hard for her future. She says

“One day I will be a lawyer and this achievement will be a tight slap on the face of those men who think that girls are not made to study."

Lata - changing the next generation because of her education

Lata Ran’s story is very similar to Anishka’s. Lata is the youngest of 6 siblings, and the only child who now lives at home. Her father Mr Jai Singh is a security guard and her mother Mrs. Munni is a home maker. Lata is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Science. She also has a diploma in beauty parlour training. Lata belongs to a locality where all the people tease the family for teaching a girl child. Lata wants to become a teacher one day. Her vision is to teach slum kids for free, so that everyone has access to education. 

Lata loved SHINE Conference, saying it was like a dream to hear a message that encourages her future …that’s because she gets a very different message from her community;

“I normally feel like an outcast for valuing education and working for a bright future. It’s like a torture to the girls who want to study further and have a dream of getting success. The people in this locality believe that girls are only made to get married and do house work.” 

Thank you to our many supporters for your generous donation. You have made all of this possible for Lata, Anishka and the 500 SHINE21 delegates. There has been powerful impact and inspiring change because your story has intersected with the lives and stories of these women. This is empowerment.

stronger women

stronger children

stronger families

stronger communities

a stronger India

Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Click the DONATE box on this page. With love and thanks from the team at Project Help India.

We need your help right now for some really great things

Some of our students, their parents - our wonderful friends.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

If you have been reading some of my recent blogs and emails, and following us on Instagram, you will know that our team in India has been thoroughly impressive in their efforts and work reaching and helping poor and needy communities in Northern India. So far in 2021 some of the things we have achieved include;

* providing food and ration packs to the elderly, unemployed and some very destitute people who are suffering due to the ongoing impact of COVID,

* teaching and feeding 500 children five days a week in our 9 small school centres in the cities of Kotdwara, Bijnor and Chandigarh

* holding information sessions for the parents of our school children

* collaborating with local police

* delivering individualised programs for our students who have significant disabilities,

* distributing lots of warm blankets to village and slum dwellers who have been suffering from the winter cold.

Presently we are busy as we prepare for our SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference (in three locations) in mid March. We have 500 women registered delegates! How exciting is this!

This all takes money and resources. We pay rent for each of our school centres, and we pay salaries to all staff in India (more than 20 team members now). Right now, we are stretched a little more than usual, tracking below our budget for this time of the year. Some reasons for this are a payment for the unanticipated medical expenses for one of our team members, our SHINE conferences were not originally budgeted for, and we must transfer our quarterly payment to India one month earlier than usual to comply with some new mandatory banking structures.

So, if you have been following what we are doing and achieving, and if you are happy and willing to help and support us … we really need your help right now.

Our next quarterly transfer, to cover our April, May, and June expenses will be approximately $24 000 and we are currently $5500 short.

Can you help us to reach this target?

Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Click the DONATE box on our website

With love and thanks from the ‘Project Help India’ Team.

Thank you for your generous help and support

The girls are ready to SHINE in 21

“Behind every smile, is an inspiring story, which we look forward to sharing with you soon.”

stronger women

stronger families

stronger communities

and a stronger India.

This time last year the COVID lockdown stopped us in our tracks.

This year, unfortunately we are still unable to travel to India.

However, our third Women's SHINE Conference will go ahead no matter what! We are so thankful that our Indian team will be holding a conference in town in Kotdwara as well as travelling to a number of small villages and communities to meet and speak with local women.

A little about SHINE

This conference is an important aspect of the 'Project Help India' vision. Over the past three years we have had over one thousand delegates. Many of our delegates are women who live in slums or jungle villages in terrible poverty. These women can't afford to pay so we do not charge them. Our goal is to bless them and give them an experience they will never forget. Teenage girls, mothers, grandmothers, our teachers and community leaders attend. Our aim is to empower all women in all spheres of life, sharing a message of dignity, strength, purpose and value. We talk about health and hygiene, safety and women’s legal issues. We share inspirational stories about remarkable women …not to mention dance, sing, laugh, cheer, cry and share precious moments together.

Both of our conferences in 2018 and 2019 became the talk of Northern India, with local media doing press releases, billboard advertising, and even politicians and Bollywood celebrities wanting to both attend and be seen supporting and advocating for this important cause.

Again this year we are positive and confident that women's lives will be changed and empowered.

‘Project help India’ is pioneering this cause in this remote part of the world, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. If you could make a tax-deductible donation to support our work, we would really appreciate this. And please spread the word if you might know people who might be passionate about human rights, human justice, anti-human trafficking, and who might be stirred to make a donation to this worthwhile cause. We need your help as the cost all adds up, costing approximately $1500AUS.

Please forward this email/blog to people you know whose business or company might like to support this wonderful cause…it’s tax deductible for them too. And please share this blog on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

Eleven times wonderful

As we head into February, I want to share just some of the wonderful things that the Project Help team did in January. We are so delighted and feel incredibly privileged to be able to help, educate and feed the poor as we seek to bring love, hope and dignity to their challenging lives and circumstances.

A huge shout-out to our remarkable staff team(s) in India for everything you have achieved in just one month.

And importantly, a shout-out to our Australian and international donors for your generous support and donation …you have made these eleven wonderful things possible. Thank you.

1. 

Our school in Bijnor was relocated to new premises within the same community (Ladpura Village) we help and serve. Our new classroom now has a wonderful extra space for outdoor activities and games for the children.

2. 

We love and celebrate our kids. Like little Faizal who attends our Disability Centre. Faizal is unable to speak very well and has many cognitive challenges but he is a talented artist. We nurture his skills and delight in seeing the pleasure he gets from his drawing.

3. 

On 15th January our Director Amit Samuel officiated an inaugural mountain village cricket tournament. The young men thanked Amit for the inspiration that he brings to them. Our team hoped to visit them again bringing counselling, life skills training …and definitely more cricket!

4. 

On 19th January the students of our Kotdwara campuses participated in a campaign led by the Uttarakhand Traffic Police Force, for Traffic Safety Campaign week. The students had lessons on road and traffic safety. They also created awareness among people by holding boards in their hands in the city. The Uttarakhand Traffic Police department expressed thanks to Project Help India for always supporting and helping them whenever they are in need.

5. 

Rations continue to be distributed to many people who are suffering the impact of COVID. Due to having no daily wage these people are suffering because they do not have access to food and essential necessities. We helped an elderly housebound couple whose circumstances were heartbreaking, literally saving them from starvation.

6. 

On 24th January we held a special seminar for 30 girls and young women to celebrate ‘National Girl Child Day’. Each of the girls received a special gift and listened to inspiring talks from our team and local community leaders about women’s empowerment.

“After the inspiring messages, girls asked few questions from the guests about their rights and laws, for their knowledge. They loved this session the most. On this occasion Mrs. Daisy Samuel said” The world will be a better place to live, on the day the girl child is as happy as the other gender. The best thing that anyone can do for a girl child is to give her a safe environment to grow, study and do things she likes. Let us work in synergy to make this dream come true.”

7. 

On 26th January we celebrated India’s 72nd Republic Day. We held a special rally with songs, dancing, prayers, speeches and a cultural program. Long live India!

8. 

This is really special … on 27th January we were honoured to have a guest Aanan Lama, a Buddist monk and priest from Dehradun. Our friend and brother brought a gift of warm blankets and shawls for all of the children and staff at our City Centre. Aanan Lama follows us with great interest on Facebook. He praises “our work for humanity” and said that we inspire him in his own community work.

9. 

In Chandigarh, Punjab on 29th January our team from ‘The Hope’ distributed 100 blankets to the most needy of families in the local slums villages of Malluwala and Singa Devi. Here there are many families who do not have enough proper cover for sleeping through the cold winter nights. The smiles on their faces “were immensely beautiful.” They were thankful saying they “now had hope to survive.”

10. 

Parent-Teacher meetings were held across all of our education centres. These helped us to better understand our student’s needs and to build a harmonious relationship between Project Help and the community. At Village Kadarganj we learnt that they have no access to emergency medical help. It is very hard for them to take the pregnant ladies with labour pain on motorcycles and tractors. They requested that if Project Help can serve them with an ambulance for them to visit the nearby hospital in case of an emergency. If this was to happen then near about 2000 people will benefit. In the village we met a lady of about 150kg who has blisters on her leg. Her son and husband said it’s impossible to take her on a motorcycle and to call a doctor it is very expensive. To date, this lady has received no medical treatment.

…and 11. 

After being closed for many months due to COVID, we re-opened our Computer Centre in Kotdwara. Twelve young women and men from the slums attend technology classes to be up-skilled and prepared for applying for jobs and starting a career (no image)

If we could write more I would, because January has certainly been filled more than eleven wonderful things. We have celebrated birthdays, had meetings galore, we have danced, laughed, cried …and worked incredibly hard! We are filled with anticipation for the month ahead. Across February we will be focussing on the preparations for our annual SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference.

COVID can’t stop us and nothing will slow us down. We look forward to sharing more news and stories with you soon.

Wishing you a very happy birthday

Abhishek, your birthday gives us a precious opportunity to say - you are loved, valued and appreciated. We honour and celebrate who you are.

What does a birthday celebration mean to you? Is it something you look forward to? Has it become something like for me, is mostly an annual reminder that you are getting older …something you would perhaps rather forget?

Over these past few weeks we have had the privilege of bringing tears of joy and happiness to some special people who have celebrated their birthday.  The birthday stories of Tamanna and Abhishek give us a beautiful and powerful glimpse into the very heart of what it means to be human… you are loved, valued, appreciated and your identity – ‘who you are’ is honoured and celebrated. There is dignity in this, something that we can very much take for granted in the midst of our many western comforts.

At Project Help India, our cause is simple and powerful. It is love in action.

Our mission is to bring love, hope, dignity and purpose to the poor.

Abhishek’s first ever birthday cake

Abhishek, a student at our City Centre School celebrating his twelfth birthday on the 14th January.

Abhishek is a student of our city centre. He caught polio as a child and lost the use of his right hand. Abhishek’s mother and father have no work or income due to COVID. The family lives in a dirty rented single room in the slum, with no electricity. To make matters worse, due to their son’s disability the family is treated by many like Abhishek is a curse. Abhishek’s father is an alcoholic and he is violent at home. He spends any income on liquor. Domestic violence and an empty stomach are Abhishek’s constant companions. Through the ongoing lockdown, Project Help has regularly given the mother counselling, and regular food supplies so that they have something to eat.

One day at our Project Help school the children were asked to give their birthday. Abhishek was quiet, saying he did not know his birthday. When we checked with his mother, she said this was true. She also did not know the date and the family had never celebrated a day. So, on 14th January, when our Director Amit had his birthday, all attention was turned to Abhishek. He cried when we surprised him for his twelfth birthday and he cut a cake for the very first time. You can see this beautiful moment captured on video here. (skip to the two-minute mark for English).

Yesterday was Tamanna’s birthday

Her first ever birthday cake ever. We honour and celebrate our teacher Tamanna. Thank you for the amazing work you do with our disability students.

Tamanna is one of our dedicated teachers who works in our Slum Disability Centre. Tamanna is from a very poor Muslim family, and like Abhishek, she has never celebrated her birthday. The priority for her family has always been to pay for the children’s school fees, so there has never been any money left for gifts or a cake.

Just yesterday (30th January) we celebrated Tamanna’s 24th birthday with a special party for the whole staff team. There were lovely speeches, prayers, gifts, a delicious meal and of course, a birthday cake. As Tamanna cut a birthday cake for the very first time in her life, she burst into tears of joy and happiness. Gipsa, our Administration Officer writes:

It always fills every staff member with pride and blessed feelings to be a part of an organisation who always thinks about their employees in the best way, bestowing the best of their love, care and affection on each one of us. Project Help is not an organisation but a real family. It always fulfils the dreams of happiness of their staff members. May God bless Project Help abundantly, and we pray for Tamanna’s better future.

We need your help to keep the cakes and tears coming

We really need your help to keep some of our projects going this year. Due to the additional resources that we are directing towards our COVID response, we are very much aware that many of our ongoing projects are financially challenged. Could you consider joining our story by giving a small weekly donation? A donation $10 or $20 a week makes a significant difference to the lives of the poor…and will definitely contribute to keeping the birthday cakes and happy tears coming across the year.

Please give generously, by clicking the DONATE button on this page.