Annual Function 2021 - so much to celebrate

Students from our Disability Centre brought tears of joy and happiness. This significant moment represents the importance and power of inclusive education.

On 20th October 2021, we held our Annual Function with enthusiasm and happiness. There was much to celebrate, especially given we could not meet last year. The whole function was organised following COVID protocols like wearing masks, handing out sanitisers and maintaining proper distance.

The program began with a prayer and our director Mr. Amit Samuel and General Secretary Mrs. Daisy Samuel gave a warm welcome to our chief guest Mr. Navendu Singh Ezekiel, who is currently a minister/politician in a minority community of Uttar Pradesh.

Next was perhaps the highlight of the function. Our Disability Centre students performed a welcome dance. This was the very first time any of these children had performed on a stage. The atmosphere was emotional as these children were once not even capable of doing daily tasks. Now they were performing in front of a large audience, creating a proud moment for everyone. There were many tears in the room.

India is very rich in culture. So many cultural activities were performed gracefully by the students of our respective centres. Their happiness could be seen through their performances. We also distributed some gifts and chocolates to these children as a token of our love and appreciation.

Our Director Mr. Amit Samuel shared a few words about the works of our organisation and of our centres which work on different aspects of lives of children like to educate them, to make them confident, to maintain hygiene and good health, and most importantly to have a good life and hope for the future.

Our General Secretary Daisy Samuel read our Annual Report which summarised our work for the past two years. Daisy highlighted our response to COVID, with Project Help providing thousands of meals and food supplies to slum families and the homeless, who were jobless and starving. During the lockdown we also distributed worksheets to the students of our centres so that their studies would not be affected. Goodie bags were also given to the community front line workers- the street cleaners, police and hospital staff who worked so tirelessly throughout the pandemic.

We honoured the Kotdwara Police Anti Human Trafficking Unit. During the pandemic the team worked very diligently with their ‘Red Rescue Campaign’. Through this they rescued 35 people, and another 20 missing people were located and helped back to their homes. We are also happy to honour them as they are always ready to partner with Project Help India. The police were very grateful for Project Help India.

A few inspirational words were given by our Chief guest who gave high praise and honour to Amit and Daisy Samuel. He also acknowledged our team of teachers and support staff who make such a difference in the lives of the people, especially the children.

We concluded our function with a vote of thanks to each and everyone who have given their precious time to attend, and for their support of our work over the past 2 years. The event was a huge success and we look forward to another year of serving our community and helping those in need.

World Food Day …it's Delicious!

On the 16th of October, we celebrated World Food Day. We prepared the students from across our centres with a delicious and healthy meal. We partnered with Uttarakhand Police Wives Welfare Association, the Kotdwara District Food Officer and Additional Superintendent of Police. World Food Day aims to create an awareness of global hunger and strives to eradicate hunger across the world. This year’s World Food Day theme was “Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow”.

The United Nations estimates that there are 195 million undernourished people in India, meaning that India shares a quarter of the worlds global hunger burden. 

Our goal as we celebrated World Food Day was to educate our students on the importance of eating nutritional healthy meals, hunger and malnutrition, as well as sustainable food production. Our fabulous staff members worked diligently to prepare meals that were rich in iron, calcium, vitamins and protein. Each dish had its own nutritional value, and there was much to be learnt;  

- Salad: Boosting the immune system, adding fibre to the body and good for eyesight and digestion. 

- Palak ‘Spinach’ Paneer ‘Indian Cottage Cheese’, a North Indian curry dish, with fresh spinach, onions, spices, paneer and herbs. This dish is known in India as a good source of protein. 

- Lauki kofta ‘bottle gourd’: Helps digestion and weight loss, benefiting the heart and reduces stress.

- Raee ‘Green vegetable’: Contains vitamins, minerals, and fibre. 

- Veg Pulao ‘rice and vegetables’: Contains carbohydrates, fibre and iron. 

- Chapati ‘tortillas’: Contains fibre. 

- Burrito with kidney beans: Provides rich proteins. 

It was evident from the children’s faces that they were satisfied and happy with their meals. When you can enjoy three meals each day you are blessed. World Food Day is an opportunity to learn to respect food, as food is an essential requirement for the sustenance of life and we hope we will not forget to celebrate this blessing. We made a promise to ourselves that we will not waste food this is a contribution, a small action that will make a big difference to this world. 

Food, family, friendship

We had a fun day learning so many new things as well as celebrating the blessings of food, friendship and coming together around the shared family table. We thank God for Project help India.

https://in.one.un.org/un-priority-areas-in-india/nutrition-and-food-security/

Women's Training

We are providing training with skills to set up small businesses

On the 6th of October, Project Help delivered a Self-Employment Training Workshop in partnership with Uttarakhand Police Wives Welfare Association. We had two guest speakers from Dehradun who trained participants to start a business from home, making and selling candles, incense (dhoop), and incense sticks (agarbatti). There were ten participants from Project Help India, including staff and students from the slum communities and 10 participants from the police force.

In our first session, trainers explained how to make five types of candles. These candles are easy to make at home, and you can buy them from any general stationery store or online. Candle making is cheap and less time-consuming; therefore, it can be beneficial for women to start their business by selling homemade candles, earning extra income for their families. Participants were very excited to participate and took notes of the whole session.

The second session was on the making of incense (dhoop). The trainers gave a detailed explanation, making four types of incense. Incense is in vast demand during the festive season. The materials are natural and quickly found; the process is cheap, easy to make, and consumes less time. In the last session, trainers made charcoal incense sticks (agarbatti). The process is also easy, making it a perfect business start-up.

Project Help India’s primary objective in conducting the workshop was to highlight the importance of self-employment for women, to create business opportunities, as well as increase their confidence. Through our Women’s Empowerment Centre, we will be providing them with an office and funding all the required materials, tools, money, and marketing to help them start their business. Our goal is for women in slum communities to become financially independent, to support not only their families but also themselves. We look forward to creating further opportunities for training, upskilling and supporting the slum women to set up small businesses.

Education is the key

This month our staff members and two police officers visited the Kadarganj centre to conduct a session on the “importance of education”. All 40 students (ranging from 4 to 17 years old) are from the Gujjar tribal community, where education is disregarded and children are encouraged to work, completing household chores which then becomes the sole pathway for the rest of their lives. It’s a vicious cycle compounded by a lack of education, generation after generation.

We interviewed students asking how they have progressed and what they find challenging. A key challenge for the students is a lack of educational support from the community. In this light our guest speakers spoke about the significance of education, providing some very important messages; 

"Today education is a necessity to earn a basic livelihood."

"Education awakens curiosity to learn new things and develop a sense of innovation and creativity."

The students listened intently. Since joining the centre students said that they have seen behavioural changes and they are concentrating on their health and education. The students were grateful for Project Help and the opportunity to be educated. They recited the alphabet, numbers, poems and described their hobbies to staff members. Akram, a 10-year-old student with a mild intellectual disability, eagerly showed staff members the sounds of vehicles and animals. He is quickly learning sounds, pictures and names, and we are so proud of his progress.

We hope that this session bought an awareness to the importance of education bringing value and purpose to their life. Our goal is to encourage and prepare children for their futures. We have big dreams for them.

School's Back Bringing Hope, Health, Happiness …and Magic

The kids are back at our Kotdwara Slum Centre and they are very happy.

School is back and we are all relieved and delighted

For the past 2 weeks our 9 education centres across three states in Northern India have resumed their full delivery of classes, along with a daily meal for each child, 5 days a week. COVID has not stopped the kids from coming to school, in fact we have more students than ever! Another 100 students have started at our 2 centres in Punjab bringing our current total enrolments across the 9 centres to 542 students.

18 months of continuous lockdown for most children

With the exception of a few short weeks last week, our centres have not been fully ‘open’ since March 2020. We honour our teachers, project officers and the leadership team who despite the most difficult of circumstances have worked tirelessly to continue to care for our students and their families - feeding them when hungry, supporting mental health issues, checking in on their physical safety, not to mention providing for their ongoing learning with the delivery of worksheets and lessons when possible to their homes.

The children are smiling and great happiness fills the classrooms. Isn’t this what it’s all about! When I reflect on the core purpose of Project Help India, it starts with the kids. The COVID lockdown and the challenges that we have and will continue to face remind me of why I am so passionately dedicated to the cause of education. Globally, we must get children back to school safely and quickly. Whether it’s in Australia, or in one the remotest parts of the planet in Northern India... schools worldwide, are places of hope, health, happiness …and magic!

Hope

When I think of hope I think of children learning - equipping them with the skills for their success both for their present life circumstances as well as giving them a sense of purpose, confidence and optimism for a bright future. Hope is found where parents work hard for their family, contributing to the good of others and the strength of the community for generations to come.

Health

When I think of health I think of children’s safety - their physical and emotional health and wellbeing, their nutrition and not going hungry. Health is found in an inclusive community where all children, regardless of their gender, creed, abilities or disabilities have equal access to the resources required for them to live and to learn well.

Happiness

When I think of happiness, I think of the joy and wonder of childhood, the friendship, fun games, sports, and having a second family at school where they are loved, valued, are ‘known’ and belong. Happiness is found in a place filled with culture, art, dancing, music and curiosity – discovering and nurturing the talents and gifts of each remarkable individual child. Happiness is found in a community where children laugh with joy, bringing smiles and fond memories to the elderly who sit and watch nearby.

It’s at school where the magic happens

Please help us to make the magic happen. If you can, we would value your generous donation to resource our schools. We can’t wait to share some of the stories about our schools and students over the weeks to come. Thank you.

Happy Father's Day - The Power of a Dad

Here’s a great idea for your last minute gift for your dad this Fathers’ Day

It’s Father’s Day in Australia

Fathers’ Day provides us with the opportunity to show our love and appreciation by honouring the dads and father-figures in our lives and communities.

At Project Help we especially count it our privilege to care for the poorest of the poor, helping dads who are doing their best, under difficult circumstances and few resources available to them. We see the good in so many men, who despite the poverty of their circumstances, work hard and never stop making personal sacrifices for their children. They dream for their children and are determined to provide for their family. We often see a stoic, brave smile that masks pain, shame and a lack of dignity because they cannot meet their family needs.

WE LOVE YOU DAD Campaign

The goal of our campaign is to raise $5000 to;

help dads to help their kids

help kids who don’t have dads

You can read the story of some of the kids and dads who we are helping by scrolling through our recent blogs. These stories will help you to understand where/how your donation will be used.

CAN YOU HELP?

if so, please make your donation by clicking the DONATE box at the top of this page.

Thank you

Naman - great sadness for his father's sickness

Fathers’ Day provides us with the opportunity to show our love and appreciation by honouring the dads and father-figures in our lives and communities. It’s especially not easy when you don’t have a dad to care for you and the family.

This Fathers’ Day it is our privilege to share a few of the stories of some of the beautiful students who attend our education centres. We love these kids supporting not only their learning, but caring and providing for their health and wellbeing with a daily meal, counselling and emotional support as they face some very difficult circumstances - which are compounded by the poverty that impacts them daily.

Naman juggles his studies and helping his mother, while his dad can no longer work due to a spinal tumour. The circumstances of this family are incredibly difficult with poverty knocking on their door daily. The Project Help team keep a loving eye on this kid, making sure that his physical and emotional needs are met, as much as possible.

Naman’s Story

14 year old Naman is one of our many students, who despite adversities, is making his father proud. Naman is an only child his mother's name is Mrs. Rajni Devi and his father's name is Mr. Dushyant. Naman is a diligent student who has been studying at our City Centre for a year.

Mr. Dushyant is a vendor who sells Indian street food (chat) on a handicart. Recently he was diagnosed with a tumour like disease in his spine, and since this time his health has deteriorated he cannot walk properly and is now unable to work. This has worsened their financial situation, as with no weekly earnings they have no money to spend for their survival.

Seeing his father's deteriorating health Naman assumed responsibility, and at one point he helped his father by walking him to his handicart to work, but his father still did not earn enough in this time. Naman’s school work suffered because of this.

When Naman began his schooling at our Project Help City Centre his marks increased expediently. Naman is a good learner, he enjoys learning new things, he enjoys dancing and art. Naman has said that he feels a lot of sadness around his father's sickness. Naman works hard in school and we look forward to seeing him achieve his dreams, and we know that he is making his father proud.

Farhan wants to be an army officer, and Sumaiya dreams of being a teacher

Fathers’ Day provides us with the opportunity to show our love and appreciation by honouring the dads and father-figures in our lives and communities. It’s especially not easy when you don’t have a dad to care for you and the family.

This Fathers’ Day it is our privilege to share a few of the stories of some of the beautiful students who attend our education centres. We love these kids supporting not only their learning, but caring and providing for their health and wellbeing with a daily meal, counselling and emotional support as they face some very difficult circumstances - which are compounded by the poverty that impacts them daily.

These 2 kids miss their dad, who recently was murdered by their uncle. They told us that he used to pick them up and drop them to school and he used to purchase dresses and toys for them.

Sumaiya and Farhan are siblings and students at our city centre school, in Grades 1 and 4. Their father's name was Mr. Shadab, he worked as a vendor selling goods. A year ago, he was horrifically murdered by his brother, a hammer was thrown to his head and he died instantly. Sumaiya and Farhan's mother Azmi has suffered, she was shaken by grief and loss. The death of her husband meant that she not only received no rights in her family but also no support, this worsened her family’s financial situation. Azmi works hard for her family and is working as a vendor selling ladies goods, but with this she does not receive enough money for her family's survival.

Sumaiya and Farhan have a younger sibling who has been diagnosed with a disease and is bed ridden, their home is small and there is not enough space for them all to sleep.

After the family tragedy Farhan and Sumaiya started attending school at Project Help. It was clear that they were grieving the loss of their father. They were quiet and reserved in their first days of classes. In counselling they expressed that they wished their father was still alive so that they could share their feelings with him. They told us that he used to pick them up and drop them to school and he used to purchase dresses and toys for them.

Since beginning school they have improved in their studies, they have said that staying at home and not going to school was dull and they did not have enough space to play. Since this time their learning has improved and they enjoy playing, dancing, singing, reading and writing. Farhan dreams of becoming an Army Officer as he would like to help his country and Sumaiya said she has been inspired by her teacher at Project Help and would like to become a teacher. We know that they have the potential to achieve their dreams, for a brighter future and for their father.