Our Director, Mr Amit Samuel, receiving an award of commendation for community service from the local police, and a (not so good) selfie of Doug and some of the police in April.
With just 2 weeks until tax time, we wanted to thank you for the support you have given ‘Project Help India’ over the past financial year. We want to remind you of the difference you’re making in the lives of so many people. Thanks to your generosity we are helping the local Kotdwara police save children from a life of slavery and misery.
We are writing to ask if you would please consider making a tax-deductible donation prior to the 30th June to help maintain our projects, and to help us grow, expand and maximise our impact.
It is estimated that approximately 80 000 children go missing in India every year. This tragic statistic represents lives and families torn apart. This represents children living in fear, shame, bondage, slavery and incredible danger. Living in poverty is one of the reasons for this. In slums and remote villages in the Himalayas, here in the state of Uttarakhand, we hear stories of families who are duped into believing false promises of a better life for their kids. These parents may sell their child for as little as $50US thinking that they will be living and working in another town, or living with a rich family that is taking good care of them. Some teens win ‘talent’ competitions thinking that they are heading to Mumbai to claim their Bollywood, prize. Children, sometimes only 8 years old, are usually sold into non-existent jobs and later sold for sexual exploitation, sham marriages or some form of child labour. It’s an understatement to say that these children will be scared for life, that’s if they live beyond their teen years.
There are more modern-day slaves living in India than anywhere else on Earth.
At ‘Project Help India’ we have the incredible opportunity to work alongside the local Anti-Human Trafficking Police Team. This small team of inspiring men and women work hard to protect children who are victims of the most insidious of crimes. ‘Project Help India’ assist the police with the counselling of victims, delivering community training and providing information seminars to parents in villages and to students at their school. We have also provided some office resources, such as printers and a data projector to help the police team in their day to day admin tasks and duties.
20 children rescued just this year!
Recently in April, the Superintendent told us that they had been successful in rescuing 20 children between January and April. The help that we give is not big, but it makes a difference. The police acknowledge and thank us for the support and encouragement we bring. They are always incredibly grateful and appreciative.
* According to the 2016 National Crime Records Bureau of India 33,855 people were kidnapped or abducted for the purpose of marriage. Half were under the age of 18.
* According to the Global Slavery Index, 14.2 million of the 35.8 million people enslaved throughout the world are in India.
Thank you for your financial support of ‘Project help India’ – your donation has contributed to some very good news stories. We may not see any short-term solutions to this disgraceful injustice, but 20 children rescued is such a wonderful outcome.
“Human trafficking and modern slavery destroy lives. They are terrible abuses of human rights, shamefully robbing people of their dignity, causing total misery to the victims, their families and our communities. We all need to work together to stop it.” (The Guardian, 11th August, 2018)
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
Write your name in the reference section so we can thank you.
About 'Project Help India'
Our mission is to bring love, hope, dignity and purpose to the poor in Kotdwara and Bijnor, India. Our vision is to focus on education, nutrition, health and human rights, so that individual lives are impacted, empowered and restored. We seek to bring about community change and generational transformation. Project Help India seeks to grow in its impact and influence in the lives of people and communities, with a goal to ultimately expand into other towns and places of need. If you did not catch up with all we achieved over the past 12 months, here is a link to our most recent 2018 Annual Report. Please spread the word to someone who you think might like to make a donation.
With love and gratitude,
Doug and the Project Help Team.