Chandra's Story

Meet Chandra, a 19-year-old student at the Sewing Centre by Project Help India. Life took an unexpected turn for her when her house was washed away by floods, forcing her to adapt to a new reality. Married to Jeetu Singh, Chandra found herself in a simple rented house in the Kotdwara slums, facing significant financial challenges. She was frightened and lonely.

In October 2023, Chandra joined the Project Help Sewing Centre, seeking solace, new skills and a chance at a better life. Despite her struggles with Hindi and the local dialect, languages unfamiliar to her Nepali roots, she immersed herself in learning the basics of stitching. Initially she was shy and very reserved due to the language barrier, but she soon found herself breaking out of her shell, thanks to the supportive community at the centre.

Chandra expresses her gratitude to Project Help India, especially to Director Mr. Amit Samuel and General Secretary Mrs. Daisy Samuel. She acknowledges the transformative impact of the sewing lessons on her life. Before, she had never ventured outside her home, lacked friends, and struggled to communicate. Learning tailoring not only equipped her with valuable skills for setting up a small business but also gave her the confidence to interact with those around her.

Now, Chandra not only has a newfound skill in sewing but also a circle of supportive friends and colleagues. Her journey from isolation to community engagement reflects the positive impact of Project Help India in changing lives.

Chandra's story is one of hope, resilience, and the transformative power of education and community support.

Every six months we have a new intake of about eight women at our Kotdwara City Sewing Centre. Our students attend free of charge. One of our goals for 2024 is to open a new centre in one of the jungle villages.

Project Help India is incredibly grateful to the supporters of our Sewing Centre. Your generosity is bringing hope to the future, changing many lives and having a great impact in the community.

Ready and waiting for the year ahead

These kids are from one of our jungle village centres - lining up for their healthy meal after their lessons. Every year we currently serve approximately 118 000 meals to children who live in poverty. As well as the education they receive, each one of our students is given a daily nutritious meal. We employ a cook at each of our centres. For most of these children this is their main meal for the day.  

Happy New Year from the team at ‘Project Help India’. We are excited about 2024, and we have purpose in coming alongside and helping those in need - especially children.

2024 is shaping up to be another big year in the life of 'Project Help India'. We have many goals and we are ambitious about all we seek to achieve, one of which is a new jungle centre which we anticipate will open within the next few months.

You are invited to join our story in 2024

Might you please consider supporting ‘Project Help India’ in 2024 in an ongoing way? Your consistent monthly or quarterly donation helps us to plan and confidently make strategic decisions. 

One big thing that we would like to do this year, is to employ cooks, to be able to provide a daily meal to all of our 195 students in Punjab. This is by no means an inexpensive task. We estimate we would need to budget $20 000 AUD, plus set-up costs for one year (which is not bad for over forty thousand individual meals). These meals would essentially become the main consistent source of daily nutrition for these highly vulnerable kids.

Your tax-deductible donation can be made following the donation links on our website, and it is easy to set up regular monthly or quarterly donations. The beauty of a small charity like Project Help India, means that your donation will go directly to our projects with minimal administrative fees, plus you have the assurance of our personal oversight, as we monitor the delivery and progress of our projects.

It is important to us that you feel personally connected to our story, so that the stories of lives of people impacted by poverty in India, intersect with your story across 2024. 

2024 - a year for impacting children’s lives

Project Help India is an organisation that really is committed to making a difference in the lives of people, and we know that you will also derive a great sense of purpose and satisfaction by joining our cause this year. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you can help our Punjab children, or have an idea of how you can help, or wish for your donation to be used in a specific way.

As you contemplate a new year, we hope that it will be filled with personal success, happiness and fulfilment found in the surprises of life. May your 2024 be filled with laughter, peace, love, gratitude and so much more.

With love from the Project Help India Team.

For these 5 kids - all their Christmases at once!

From left to right – meet Khushi, Navraj, Preet, Tamanna, Khushi, and Harpreet.

Each of these children have an inspiring story and they are resilient despite the adversity and challenges that they face in their daily life.

Nine year old Navraj and his sister Raman (not pictured) both attend our centre. Sadly their father is an addict and spends the family income on drugs. We are told that the family is so poor they “could not afford a pencil “.

For Tamanna and her brother Preet, two years ago they lost their father due to drugs. Their mother Ritu, works as a ‘house servant’ and barely makes enough for the family to survive.

Khushi’s parents say that she has “been transformed into a new child” since attending our centre. It took some time for them to be convinced about sending their daughter to school and they now speak openly to others about the importance of education.

Harpreet is 11 and attends Grade 3 - she is excelling in her studies and especially loves sport and drawing. Due to a visual impairment she was not permitted to attend school until this year receiving the opportunity to attend one of our new centres in Punjab.

These five children have never had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas because this is the first year that Project Help India has worked in their village in Punjab. For many of them, this too is their first year of being able to attend school - where they are not only well educated but they are known, loved and kept safe. Project Help India is committed to working towards the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) that every primary aged child has a right to receive a free education.

…it’s true that all of their Christmases have come at once!

As well as receiving an education, this year all of our 600 students (who attend our 14 centres in three states of India) will celebrate with a Christmas party where they will present a special performance of the Christmas story for their parents, they will have a yummy Christmas feast and receive a Christmas present (which is a school backpack) - all made possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

The kids are grateful.

Our staff are all very grateful.

May your Christmas this year be filled with the same amount of love, excitement, happiness, hope and sense of optimism that all of us at Project Help India are feeling thanks to you and your continued support, help and interest.

International Day of People with a Disability 23 - We love and adore these kids!

The kids who attend our disability Centre are super excited about their Christmas Party ...they love every opportunity to sing, dance and play party games. Here they are last year when they received the gift of a warm jumper. We love them so much!

Today 3rd December is the ‘International Day of Disabled Persons 2023’ and we celebrate the 14 kids who attend the Project Help India Disability Centre in Kotdwara, Uttarakhand in Northern India. We are thankful for each child's unique gifts and beautiful personality.

These kids make our lives richer …it is indeed a privilege to help and care for them, to learn alongside them and be inspired by their optimism, courage, determination and resilience in the face of incredible challenges and daily adversity.

We are especially grateful for the many people whose kindness and generosity makes it possible for us to fund our Disability Centre. Our Centre is unique to much of India where children with a disability are marginalised and have limited access to education. If these 14 children did not attend our centre, they would not go to school at all.

With just three weeks to go we are trying to raise $6000 for our Annual Christmas Appeal, which will enable us to give a Christmas present to the 600 students at our 14 centres. We will also use donations to purchase food and goodies to have a Christmas party, and concert for parents, at each of our centres.

Every $5, $10, $20, $50+ tax deductible donation that we receive goes a really long way in making a significant difference in the lives of children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend school or celebrate Christmas this year.

Read more about International Day of People with a Disability  HERE

Have we got a Black Friday deal for you!

Our City Centre Kids enjoying their meal at last year's Christmas Party

This Black Friday, when the Western world is somewhat consumed and obsessed by the thought of grabbing online and instore bargains, often for stuff that we don't really need, spare a thought for those who have limited resources and opportunities. What never ceases to amaze and inspire me, are those who have next to nothing - yet they smile and show gratitude for the little that they have. So if you grab a great deal over the next few days, would you consider passing on just some of your savings to Project Help India?

We are currently trying to raise $6000 for our Annual Christmas Appeal which will give 600 of our students to receive a fabulous Christmas gift (which this year will be a school backpack - complete with our Project Help logo - we are very excited about this), as well as the food and goodies we need to hold a Christmas party at each of our 14 Centres. The kids are already busy making the decorations for the party, which is a very big deal for them - they perform for their parents, sing, dance and play lots of games. For most of these children, it really is the highlight of their year!

Here's the best deal ever

For most of these kids who live in poverty most days tend to be black (certainly bleak!) - but thanks to Project Help India - we are giving them much love, joy, hope and happiness. We are determined to give them the BEST Christmas ever! 

Every $5, $10, $20, $50+ tax deductible donation that we receive goes a really long way in making a significant difference in the lives of people and communities that will never have the privilege of being able to shop in the sales. Your Black Friday savings will be exponential in the impact and personal satisfaction you receive.

You can make your donation easily by clicking the DONATE box at the top of this page.

Thanks again, with love from the Project Help India team.

The kids are great

Over the past year the work of ‘Project Help India’ has expanded with us opening six centres in Punjab. All up, we now have 14 centres where we educate and feed about 600 children. At the heart of all we do, it’s about blessing the kids – helping them to thrive and flourish. We think these kids are amazing, resilient and very happy, despite living in such terrible poverty. To our generous supporters we could not do any of this without you!

Last Tuesday was National Children’s Day

Children’s day is celebrated across India annually on the birthday of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal. At each of our centres we surprised our students with games, drawing competitions, and a gift of school stationery and some chocolate. Some of the children became very emotional to also receive a beautiful flower garland, as it was very unexpected for them.

Great news about Adnan

Adnan first enrolled at our Disability Centre in 2019. He was a beggar and he did not talk. He was incredibly violent and he would throw anything he got when someone tried to talk to him. At age five, he fell from the terrace of his home and suffered a head injury causing cognitive impairment. His parents had no money to pay for medical help or rehabilitation. He was unable to speak properly and the local school would not enrol him. He became a very stubborn boy and he would run away to the market and beg. His mother says that he would return from the markets with wounds, caused by people hitting him. People would also hurt him because they believed that his disability was a curse or a punishment for sins committed by his ancestors. 

When we heard about Adnan, we approached his parents and asked if we could help. We believed nothing but the best for this young boy. Close to five years later you would not believe the difference in him. In October due he escaped a kidnapping attempt due to child safety lessons at school. Just this month his parents have told our staff that despite some serious ongoing medical needs, he has become a happy and well-adjusted child. Adnan enjoys dancing, singing and he is making progress with his academic studies as well. He dreams of one day becoming a policeman, and we just never know – his dreams just might come true.

He is a changed child - Adnan giving Rowena a huge hug when she arrived atthe Disability Centre in October.

Christmas Preparations

We are seeking your support, as we prepare for the Christmas season. Our plan is to buy a gift for each of our 600 students. This year they will receive a school back pack. Each of our centres will also celebrate Christmas with a party with special concert performances for the parents. This is always a very big highlight for the children, our staff and community members.

We need your help please

The total budget for all of our Christmas plans comes to $6000, and we would be grateful to receive your tax-deductible donation. We pray that all of our students live a blessed life, and the hand of God’s grace be always upon them. With your help we are really making a difference in their lives. Thank you!

Wishing you love, light and hope this Diwali

In our mission to empower marginalised children with skills and talent through education, 'Project Help India' this week launched a heartwarming Diwali initiative centred on spreading hope and kindness. Ahead of the Festival of Lights, our students from a number of our centres in Northern India have enthusiastically painted around 1000 earthen lamps (diyas). These vibrant creations have been packaged in sets of nine, and distributed to families living in poverty - those who otherwise are unable to celebrate Diwali, allowing them to decorate their homes and join the festive spirit.

Beyond the colourful diyas lies a deeper purpose - the joy and hope these children have experienced through Project Help India, they wish to share with others. This Diwali, simple materials, coupled with hard work and creativity are fostering love, unity and happiness across the community. 

Project Help India is grateful for the opportunity to fill young hearts with a sense of being loved, valued and belonging - and it has been a joy to share this with others. We thank our teachers for their passion in making this project possible, and we thank our supporters for your generosity. Love certainly makes the world go round, and our world certainly need lots of love.

This Diwali, we pray that the glow of these painted diyas symbolise not only the festival of lights but also the hearts and intentions of the many beautiful children we are blessed to have in the Project Help India family. 

May the light of Diwali fill your home with warmth, joy and happiness and may the coming year be filled with love, laughter and success.

Project Help India wishes you and your family a happy Diwali. May God’s blessing be with you.

Do small things with great love

Our Kotdwara and Bijnor team of teachers during a training day in late September.

Mother Teresa said...

“the task is not to do big things but to do small things with great love.” 

It was a great encouragement to read this and to be reminded that little things are significant when love is found at the centre of it all. I guess this is one of the reasons why we love to use the hashtag #smallstepsbigpurpose - time and time again, we see how a little goes a long, long way. 

For those who have been following our recent trip to India, thank you for your interest and support. In a few short weeks we managed to see a lot, achieve a lot and explore ideas, make plans and develop an exciting vision for the year ahead.

While we (Doug and Rowena) were in India we: 

• purchased quite a lot of valuable teaching resources for our centres. 

• purchased a fabulous brand new laptop for our office

• directed some urgent funds to trade in our jeep (which will be of little value in 24 months because the state government bans all diesel vehicles once they our 10 years old)

• blessed each one of our staff with some greatly appreciated gifts

• we provided further funds to some families who completely lost everything they owned in the recent monsoon floods

• assessed learning needs for our students

We are also thrilled to be able to commence paying our five teachers, director and administrative officer in Punjab with a small monthly salary (up to this present time, they have kindly volunteered their time and energy).

Next we hope to purchase:

• further stationary and workbooks for our students

• school backpacks for our 600 students to give as a Christmas gift

• an electric sewing machine for our Women’s Centre in Kotdwara

And in 2024 we hope to:

• provide daily meals for the students in the five Punjab Centres

• start a Community Centre (with a focus on tailoring) in one of the jungle villages

• start a Technology Centre in another of the jungle villages

• start a Disability Centre in Punjab 

• explore how we can develop and deliver a drug awareness program for our students in Punjab

• explore the possibility of a pop-up medical clinic to support our centres in Punjab.

Each one of the things that I have mentioned above, while small steps in themselves, definitely come wrapped in great love. We are confident that these things will have a significant impact in the lives of the children, their families and community. 

We are so grateful to our supporters whose kindness, compassion and generosity make all of this possible. Thank you again for helping us to bring love, hope and purpose to some very special people.