‘All I want for Christmas is’… ‘My grown-up Christmas wish’

Top - Our staff team Christmas party - receiving gift of a warm blanket Bottom - Christmas celebration - students dancing and receiving their present which is a warm jumper and socks. It has been a busy month for our team as they visit each of our 7 centres. COVID-19 has meant that our usual tradition of inviting the parents to the Christmas function was not possible.

Whether you like it or not, have you (like me) been listening to Christmas music? At this time of the year Moriah Carey and Michael Buble personally visit our house. Their music brings childhood reminiscences, memories of my children growing up and of years past, as well as accompanying my current circumstances - memories in the making. I suppose Christmas music provides an annual soundtrack of our lives, reminding us of the things we value and hold most dear. I suspect there’s a sense of dreaming and hoping for a world and life where all 'is good' and everything that’s important is true and takes centre stage. Our Christmas wishes and dreams are wrapped in the lyrics of so much of the music we are listening to.

As I write these words, my wife is travelling across Sydney to collect her sister – just a few hours before a government enforced four-day lockdown on her local area …who would have thought!  No doubt, this year’s Christmas music will provide some powerful recollections of the impact that COVID has had on our lives across 2020. With this my recommendations for this year are the Christmas albums of John Legend and Jamie Cullum. If you haven’t discovered these yet, make sure you listen (and let me know if you like them) …pure Christmas magic!

For at least 30 years, my favourite Christmas song is ‘My Grown-up Christmas Wish’. It’s been sung by all the best (including Barbra!) and it strangely seems to impact my heart and inspire every time I hear it …timeless as they say.

Do you remember me? I sat upon your knee. I wrote to you with childhood fantasies. Well, I'm all grown up now, can still need help somehow? I'm not a child but my heart still can dream. So, here's my lifelong wish, my grown-up Christmas list, not for myself but for a world in need …No more lives torn apart, that wars would never start, and time would heal all hearts. Everyone would have a friend, that right would always win, and love would never end. This is my grown-up Christmas list.

I’m one of those people (which really annoys my kids) who is happy to not receive presents. I don’t really like ‘stuff’. I really hate the waste and the thought of most of so much ending up in the bin. I do love seeing children get presents though. So, what’s on my grown-up Christmas list this year? Probably the same as you… the simple things in life - being with family, happiness, health, safety, prosperity, justice, equality, bringing God’s love to those in need …stuff that won’t end up as landfill. If only these things were in abundance as the stuff that fills our supermarket shelves or as easily accessible as the click of an online shopping purchase. It’s why Christmas can be painful and disappointing for many people. So, coupled with my new years’ resolutions, my goal continues to be anything that makes a difference in the lives of people. It’s why I am so committed to my work in India, and why I am writing to invite you to join me and the team at Project Help India.

As you do the last of your Christmas shopping, trying to find a perfect gift for that special person who seems to have everything, or who perhaps like me just doesn’t like stuff, can I make a few suggestions.

• Educate and feed a slum child = $20 month

• Educate and feed a slum child in our Disability Centre = $30 month

• Pay for a teacher’s monthly salary = $100 month (all of our staff are local community members)

• Pay for a school cook’s salary = $40 month (all of our staff are local community members)

• Provide a COVID-19 food ration pack (containing flour, rice, spices, salt and oil) to feed a struggling slum family who is unable to work = $10

Might you consider adding some of these items to your own grown up Christmas list? If you make a donation you can have the confidence of knowing that your gift is helping someone in a meaningful and significant way. Click the DONATE button at the top of this page.

Thanks again,

love Doug (Sydney)

That smile is back

Nikhil’s smile says it all…he is feeling much better and he is incredibly thankful.

It was just 2 weeks ago that I let you know that Nikhil, one of the students at our slum centre undertook surgery on his infected ears. Without our intervention he most probably would have died. I am delighted to let you know that Nikhil has recovered quickly and his awesome smile  ...is back!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your financial support. Because of your love, generosity and kindness, it's not just Nikhil who is smiling ...we all are. He sends his love and thanks to you, and his mother is humbled and overwhelmed by the love that she has experienced.

Isn't this what Christmas is all about! Do not underestimate the difference you have made in Nikhil's life. 

Nikhil will require a second surgery early next year. His road to recovery is not yet over, but we are confident of a bright future for this remarkable young man. If you can continue to help we would be most grateful. 

We pray that you too reap a wonderful blessing this Christmas because of all you have done to make a difference in Nikhil and many other children's lives. Thank you for being part of the Project Help India story. 

Today is a very important day

Today is the ‘International Day of People with Disabilities’, a chance to celebrate people with disabilities and seek to create a more aware, inclusive and compassionate world. According to a WHO World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the world’s population (that's more than 1 billion people) are living with a disability. It is estimated that in India only around 2% of the disabled children have access to education. Many of these people, especially those living in poverty, are treated as the lowest of the low, rejected, ostracised and often punished for having a disability. At Project help India, we are doing all we can, not just to change the lives of some precious children who have a disability, but to challenge and change the mindsets of the community at large. Through our teachers and social workers we provide advocacy and support for kids and young people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. We also support their parents and siblings too.

Our story is very much a case of small steps, big purpose.

We are angered when we hear that a child cannot attend the local school because they “have a disability.” Our goal is to change mindsets, so that these children have the right for a fair and equal access to education.Some children with disabilities are locked in their house, and never go outside because their parents are embarrassed. They resent their children, ashamed of what the neighbours are thinking. We believe that through education we can, and we will change wrong mindsets and discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. When Project help India first started working in the Kotdwara slums 10 years ago, we were confronted by the horrific situation of seeing disabled children being literally tortured and physically harmed during religious festivals. These abominable practices have thankfully ended due to Amit and Daisy's persistent hard work in the slum community. But we have way more to do. Our Disability Centre, situated in a Kotdwara slum is now a few years old. Our mission is to locate ‘hidden’ children with physical and cognitive disabilities, to counsel their parents, explain the benefits of an education, to support them in allowing them out of the house, and to come to school. We speak words of value, purpose and importance into the lives of the children and parents, ...and they are listening!

Presently, we have 14 children who attend our Disability Centre every day. We are so grateful for these remarkable little people and thankful for the progress they are making, especially as they learn to speak, read and write. Daily, they receive a healthy meal, they sing songs, say poems, play and dance. These kids love school, it has become their place of refuge and safety. Most do not want to go home at the end of the day. Our Project Officer writes;"

Earlier these children’s lives were a curse. Their parents did not allow them to go out of their homes. They had no friends and due to this they felt ignored and rejected. The people who live in the locality think that these children are a curse to the family. But now after seeing this great change in their lives, they came to know that even these children can laugh, love and study. When they see them smiling, playing, singing, their good manners even those people get astonished. “How can this happen, they ask?” I wish that our vision should be for all children with a disability. They are children of God and they deserve the best of love and care. We need more centres like this across India where the need is so great."

Meet Adnan

When we first met Adnan, 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. Adnan is now 11 years old. He belongs to a big and very poor Muslim family. His father, Mr Atikur Rehman is a fruit seller and his mother is a housewife. Adnan has 5 siblings. His family lives in a cramped rented room, situated in the dirty slum area of Jhoola Basti in Kotdwara.

Adnan was a fit boy by birth. When he was five, he met with an accident and fell from the terrace of his home. Adnan suffered a head injury and became mentally disabled. His parents had no money to pay for medical help or rehabilitation. He was not able to speak properly and he was not physically able to do any school work. He could not read or write. Due to all this 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 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. After 6 months his family started to notice a significant difference. Adnan now can write, he recites poems, he dances, he sings, he makes us laugh (he is very funny) and he is making good progress. His sister says that now Adnan is recovering from the trauma of his injury. He is disciplined now, and he greets everyone as a happy kid. She says that Project Help has given him the conditions to ensure that her brother has dignity and confidence for his active participation in the community. Adnan is a delight and a joy and we love him. Our team is working hard so that he might have every chance for a bright and successful future.

We need your help to educate and care for Adnan, his classmates and many more potential students. Please do not underestimate the difference that your donation can make.

A donation of $30 a month will pay for Adnan's education and $100 will fully cover his teacher’s monthly salary. Please become a regular supporter so that Project Help India can grow and expand and help other vulnerable and at risk children like Adnan. You can make your tax deductible donation by clicking the DONATE button on this page.

No smile this week – it hurts too much!

Nikhil at home this week - a couple of days after his ear surgery.

It was in July when we reached out to you, asking for your financial support and prayers for Nikhil, a 14 year-old student at one of our schools. Nikhil has the biggest smile we have ever seen. What makes him so remarkable is that he has been smiling most of his childhood whilst enduring constant and excruciating pain.

Nikhil for most of his life has been suffering terrible pain in both ears, and we realised we had to do something to help this poor boy. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, Nikhil was able to have ear surgery last week. He is recovering well and we are delighted with the outcome so far. We were especially excited and incredibly relieved when the surgeon commented that Nikhil would most likely have died because of the potential spread of infection to his brain. The report below (written by our Director) outlines some of the details about Nikhil’s surgery this week. Also, here is a YouTube clip which tells Nikhil’s story.

Nikhil - YouTube

Nikhil will require further surgery, much rehabilitation, as well as lots of love, and prayers. We certainly need ongoing funds to also pay for his ongoing medical needs. We would be so appreciative to receive your donation, which is tax deductible, and will be put to very good use. Click any of the DONATION links found on this website

Warm greetings of the day 

I am writing you this mail to thank everyone of you who have been the sponsor for the surgery of our beloved child Nikhil. May God’s hand of blessings be always with you.Now Nikhil had gone through the surgery and is well now. During the surgery the doctors found that this infection in Nikhil was from the early days of his birth, therefore the puss of his ears was going to enter his brain, which could have made this boy bed ridden or must have created some mental problem inside, and then death if not removed.

But thankfully we visited the doctor and hence we were able to save this beautiful life. I am happy to share that the doctors (ear surgeon and plastic surgeon) had made the ear drum with his body tissues and it’s not artificial therefore the surgery was more expensive but safe. The team of surgeons were thankful to Project Help for their efforts for the kid. 

Mr. Amit Samuel himself took the child from Kotdwara for the surgery, along with his parents. The whole care of the child before and after the surgery was taken care by Mr. Amit Samuel and his brother Amrit Samuel. The doctor met with Mr. Amit Samuel and told him the brief condition of the boy that what damage had already been caused by the infection of puss in the ear of this boy, and how it could have further affected his brain and ears. Mr. Amit Samuel took the boy to the operation theatre, and through the prayers of our sponsors and team, the boy went through a safe and successful surgery. All thanks to the Almighty, the boy is back to his home and after three days he will again visit the doctor for further bandages and stitches removal. 

Nikhil will go through the second surgery after a couple of months, once he gets recovery from his first surgery. The doctor told Mr. Amit Samuel that the boy will now listen properly but not exactly as the natural sound is. Thank you so much for the prayers and blessings, and more importantly for your sponsorship. 

Thank you for your generous help and support

Thank you for the SIGNIFICANT difference that you have made in Nikhil's life, and many other children like him. As you can see our team is doing a brilliant job making every dollar count, and go where it is most needed.

Nihkil, a couple of years ago, with the biggest smile even whilst enduring terrible pain

Hope, Purpose, Dignity – 3 people, 3 stories, 3 lives (and many more) changed

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.

Over these past few weeks, I have received 3 separate stories about 3 people -a student in one of our schools, one of our teachers and a mother from the slum community where we work - each a direct beneficiary of our work and mission. It is such a privilege to share these 3 beautiful stories with you. This blog is a little longer than usual, but I’m sure you too will be delighted to read such heart-warming stories, each filled with hope and happiness, at a time when we hear mostly sad and depressing news about the world around us. Thank you for making this love in action possible. Your love, help and generosity is inextricably intertwined in each one of these three stories. So, go make yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy the read!

Samuel – a story of hope

Samuel attends our Malluwala School in Punjab. He is 13 years old. His father, Yunas and mother, Paramjeet, are both laborers and earn only enough to survive. Samuel is a 6th class student. He struggled with his school work and needed extra support and attention in class. This was not at all possible in the local government school where the student-teacher ratio is very poor. Two years ago Samuel and his two elder sisters Reetu and Kirpa joined our school. Initially he was not able to study and he was incredibly shy and quiet. He would not interact with anyone in the class, not even with fellow classmates.

Samuel’s teacher called his parents and his mother came to meet us. We discussed with her how Samuel presented in class and everyone was extremely worried about his learning and future. Our teachers started paying extra attention to him, so that Samuel could be a more confident student. Within two or three months he started improving and began to open up and talk about his problems with teachers. Now he is becoming good in studies and his parents are satisfied. He has started taking part in other activities as well. On India's Independence Day we asked students to sing a patriotic song in front of everyone. Samuel came forward to sing a solo. His grades are improving and he is now up there with our brightest of students. He is very confident in making decisions and we believe he will continue to advance in his studies.

Neelam – a story of purpose

Neelam is 21 years old.  She is doing her final year of teacher training before graduation. Neelam’s father Mr. Charan Singh is a daily wage labour. Her mother Mrs. Vaijayanti is cook in our Jungle village Bagnala. Neelam has three sisters and one brother, and they all are students in a government school in Kotdwara. 

Neelam belongs to the Bogsa tribe, living in the dense forest Bagnala about 15 kilometres away from Kotdwara. Neelam says she has faced many challenges in her life. She is the first girl in her village to ever receive an education. In her village the people believed that it is shameful to send girls out of their homes. Neelam and her family would be teased and taunted; “girls are born to get married and do housework, not to study” her neighbours would say. “Why teach girls! Teaching girls is of no use,” many would tell her. Neelam however, was determined to study and somehow, she managed to get to school each day, which was 13 kms away from her home. This was scary, because of the jungle all around. There are wild animals and the fear of leopard and wild elephants is a normal risk. There were also bad people not of good character on the route to the school, who could harm Neelam. Despite these things, Neelam never gave up and the support of her family never faded. Neelam graduated from senior school. She received an education!

Neelam never wanted anyone else to face such problems to get education. She wanted the children of her village to receive an education so she approached Project Help and asked if they could set up a school and she would be the teacher. With her quiet determination and humility, Neelam proved everyone wrong, especially the many who thought that educating a girl to be shameful. Neelam herself helped people to understand that education is as necessary and as basic as the food we eat. By her individual efforts, and as an employee of Project Helps Neelam now teaches 44 students in her village. She has been doing this for 5 years. She works hard, she loves her teaching and she is dedicated to the care and wellbeing of her students.

Neelam says that earlier before she met with Mr. Amit Samuel (Director of Project Help India) her family was suffering from some curse. From his birth, her brother Priyanshu, was continuously ill with no doctor able to cure him. But once when Mr. Amit Samuel visited her house in the year 2015 and prayed for the family Priyanshu recovered from his weakness within a month and the family observed many changes in him. He is now 9 years old, and a fine, fit boy.

For Neelam the best part of ‘Project Help’ is attending the annual SHINE Conference. Neelam says she has attended the Conference for the last two years and has enjoyed it a lot. She says that SHINE Conference is equally useful and knowledgeable for her and her community. She came to know a lot of facts about her body after attending this conference. She further says it becomes easy for her to make the ladies of her village understand the importance of hygiene and health awareness. Neelam has brought 50 ladies and girls from her village to Kotdwara for the conference. This is an amazing achievement, because the men in her village believe that ladies are objects to be hidden, and they should never be allowed to leave the home. But the men now know and respect Neelam so they send the ladies to the conference. Neelam says “SHINE Conference is of much need for the ladies of her village as they know nothing about the facts that are discussed in the Conference.”

Thanks to Neelam, the women are learning for themselves, empowered in the new knowledge and awareness they have of the value and importance placed on themselves and their daughters. There is now a new awareness for a new generation of girls and young women in the village. Even the boys that Neelam teaches are having their minds and attitudes changed about girls and their sisters.

We think that Neelam is one of the most inspirational women ever, and we are so proud that she is a member of the 'Project Help’ team.

Sunita – a story of dignity

Mrs. Sunita Devi, a mother of three, from the Kotdwara slums works as domestic help. Her husband works as a daily wage labour in a paint shop.  This week she came to Project Help office in Kotdwara with an urgent appeal to help. Sunita says it’s her daughter’s wedding and she has no food supplies for the function. Due to the Coronavirus spread and the lockdown of four months, all of her savings are now finished. It is the ultimate humiliation and loss of dignity to host a wedding with no food for your guests.

Sunita said she had heard from many people that Project Help India helps the needy people, so she too came to receive help from us. Listening to her story, Mr. Amit Samuel immediately supplied some dry rations and all the other food supplies that she needed for the wedding. The Project Help team also offered lots of blessings and good luck for the special day. Project Help will also provide a lovely wedding gift for the bride and groom.

The family is now so grateful to Project Help India. Sunita was speechless when she received the food, and she did not even have the words to repay her thanks. She prayed for the team and Australian sponsors and gave them a lot of blessings from the bottom of her heart.

Thank you for your generous help and support

Please do not underestimate the SIGNIFICANT difference that you have made in these 3 people’s lives, and many more people too. Our team is doing a brilliant job making every dollar count, and go where it is most needed. You can make a tax deductible donation simply by clicking one of the DONATE buttons on this website. Thank you.

Can we eradicate poverty? YES

In an era with the most incredible technology, knowledge, economic development and financial resources we believe that poverty is a moral outrage.

Poverty is not solely an economic issue, but rather a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses a lack of both income and the basic capabilities for people to be able to live in dignity.

Some facts

In Australia, 13.6% of the population, or 3.24 million people, live below the poverty line.  This includes 17.7% of all children in Australia (about 800 000 children under the age of 15). More than one in eight adults and one in six children live below the poverty line in Australia.

In the United States, 11.8% of the population, or 38.1 million people, live in poverty.

In India, 4% of the population or 53 million, live in extreme poverty on less than $2AUS a day. These people have limited or no access to social benefits or services.

Possibly, the country presently most impacted by poverty is Nigeria, with an overall population is about 191 million, the rate of extreme poverty is much higher – 44% are estimated to live in poverty.

Experts have identified that the eradication of poverty is possible

The World Bank projects that it is possible to end extreme poverty by 2030. However, this would take a heroic effort. Globally the number of people in poverty will have to decrease by 50 million each year. That is the equivalent of about a million people each week for the next 15 years.

Surely, this is our moral imperative.

The heroic efforts of Project Help India

Thanks to your support, our teams in Kotdwara, Bijnor and now in Punjab are working incredibly hard to help the poorest of the poor. We do this by responding to people’s immediate needs such as hunger, and perhaps even more importantly through our holistic programs These programs don’t just provide a healthy meal but aim to get to the root of the cause bringing generational impact and long-lasting change.

As well as a healthy meal we provide dignity and hope for the future.

Just in these past 7 days, Project Help India has…

• Educated and fed 450 children

• For the United Nations ‘International Day of the Girl Child on 11th October, we raised awareness of the needs of girls and young women. Forty girls, aged 13 to 19 years attended a special seminar which focussed on the importance of them each receiving an education. This seminar was attended by local dignitaries, members of the police including Deputy Superintendant Mr Anil Joshi, and received attention in the local newspaper. See BLOG below.

• We provided educational awareness through our World Food Day program on 16th October. See videos here and BLOG below.

• We had some fun …celebrating Neelam’s Birthday. He honour Neelam, for her remarkable efforts teaching the children at our Bagnala Village Centre. Neelam has an inspiring story which shows how with courage and determination, the vicious cycle of poverty can be broken. We will share her story with you soon.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT POVERTY

The World Poverty Clock provides a very interesting interactive website that helps you to look at poverty data that has been adjusted to include the impact of COVID-19. If you are a data geek, we highly recommend that you check this out.

World Food Day

On 16th October we provided educational awareness through our World Food Day program. Our team participated in a cooking program where together they prepared healthy and delicious food. We prepared food packs, and gave nutrition lessons for the kids at our education centres. All food was organic and was carefully washed following COVID safety guidelines. The day was a lot of fun and also coincided with The 2020 United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The theme for World Food Day was;

Grow, Nourish, Sustain - promoting community awareness in our action for zero hunger. Go to OUR PROJECTS page to check out our You Tube clips on this wonderful day.

International Girl Child Day

The United Nations International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote the empowerment of girls and young women.

On Sunday 11th October we had an amazing day with 40 girls, aged 13 to 19 years, attending a special seminar which focussed on the importance of them each receiving an education. This seminar was attended by local dignitaries, members of the police including Deputy Superintendent, the honourable Mr Anil Joshi. We received a mention in the local newspaper. We love the girls who we help …each has a bright and hopeful future.

Recognition and thanks given to ‘Project Help’ for empowering young girls in the community.