Rehan is 13 years old and he attends our Disability Centre on a daily basis. His mother, Shahroz, is a housewife and his father, Shahnawaz is a labourer. They are incredibly poor. Rehan is unable to walk so his mother carries him to our centre. For much of last year, Rehan’s mother frequently asked if it was possible for us to provide her son with a wheel chair. So in this new year Amit and Daisy gifted a wheelchair to Rehan. Rehan is overjoyed to receive this gift and his parents were incredibly grateful.
High Praise for Project Help India
Amit Samuel and his brother Amrit, accepting the award on behalf of our dedicated staff team.
It was a great honour and privilege that our Director Mr. Amit Samuel was invited to Dehradun by the National Commission for Minorities for their organised event on the occasion of ‘Minorities Rights Day’. This day is observed annually on 18 December to promote the rights and raise awareness of minority communities in India.
This event was hosted by the Chief Minister of Uttrakhand, Mr Pushkar Singh Dhami, who said that Project Help is highly regarded as an organisation that continuously cares for needy children and people, and has continued to excel and deliver a valuable service to the community after the pandemic. He thanked us for supporting and enhancing the social priorities of the Uttrakhand State Government.
“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”
Chief Minister, Mr Pushkar Singh Dhami
To all your supporters around the world, we thank you for this and want you to know that is your award too! Congratulations! Without your support we could not reach and impact many marginalised and needy children, families and their communities.
We are proud, pleased and delighted.
Gratitude is Riches Complaint is Poverty
“The smile on their faces was above all the barriers of society” - said one of our staff.
It’s now Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Here in Sydney the weather is perfect …the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. This morning, as I focus on the many things that I am grateful for, my mind is filled with a fresh sense of positivity, hope, and optimism for the day and the season ahead. I’ve decided that this summer I will make it my priority to focus on the good – my health, my body, my mind and spirit will only be better for it. This will be a season where mindfulness and gratitude will go hand in hand.
One of the greatest keys to our happiness is to be grateful. Will Arnett, a Canadian actor, said it like this…
“I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.”
Give away your life - you’ll find life given back
Jesus described the importance of making mindful decisions to determine positive life outcomes…
“Don’t judge people, jump on their failures, criticise their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” Luke 6:37-38
‘International Day of Disabled Persons 2022’
Yesterday, Saturday 3rd December was the ‘International Day of Disabled Persons 2022’. At Project Help India we celebrated this with cake, presents, singing and dancing. We are thankful for the 14 kids who attend classes five days a week. We are thankful for their unique gifts and beautiful personalities. 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 courage, their determination and resilience in the face of incredible challenge and daily adversity.
We are also incredibly grateful for the many people whose kindness and generosity makes it possible for us to fund our Disability Centre. This week we used some of your funding to buy each of our students a warm jumper …it’s starting to get cold in India and these kids are growing fast – they need new clothes for Winter. The kids were delighted!
Thank you also to our Project Help team and Disability Centre teachers who also made this possible.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. May this new season for you be filled with gratitude and happiness.
PS. It was Doris Day who said “Gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty.”
Exciting Days Ahead
13 year old Sukhwinder has never been to school before ..until now.
Over the past few weeks we have been telling you about our new centre which is situated in a very remote district close to the India-Pakistan border; Venturing Further Than Ever Before – A New Centre
We are excited to have nearly reached our target of $2500 which is what we need to cover most of the costs required to provide 12 months of very basic education for 100 kids.
To date we have raised $2179 which leaves us with a small shortfall of $321. Thank you to those who have donated over the past 2 weeks. Your generosity has made it possible for us to help this very poor community. We are excited about the days ahead and we can certainly now start to develop strategies for working alongside families and how we might support them and establish a presence in their community over the long-term.
As mentioned last week, we anticipate that we will soon have over 100 children enrolled. This is significant, as most have never had the opportunity to go to school before. From what we understand there are too many children and not enough teachers at the local government school, therefore many kids are simply turned away. When the river floods during the monsoon season this school is also closed.
13 year old Sukhwinder has never been to school before ..until now.
Sukhwinder Kaur's Story
Sukhwinder (pictured above) has a heartbreaking story. She never received love or affection from her parents and was abandoned as a toddler. Her father became drug and alcohol dependent and the mother was frequently beaten for giving birth to a girl. She therefore fled the scene many years ago, never to be seen again.
Sukhwinder now lives with her grandparents. Her mental health has been impacted by her upbringing. We know from experience that the daily love and care that she receives from our centre will start a long healing process for her. Kids like Sukhwinder can be very resilient and poverty makes them tough. We pray that her life will be filled with new purpose and hope.
$321 to go....
Can you help us to fully reach our target please? Perhaps your regular church giving is not presently happening OR perhaps you would like to make this tax deductible donation as a Christmas gift for someone who "has everything". Maybe your business can help? The Project Help India story is all about making the world a better place, especially for kids like Sukhwinder. This is a wonderful way for you to really have a huge impact with your giving.
Thank you for your compassion and support.
A chance to shine and flourish
4 year old Gurleen is not just from learning new things, she comes to school every day loved, known and valued. We are working hard to give her a bright future.
Last week we told you about our new centre close to the India-Pakistan border – Venturing Further Than Ever Before – A New Centre
We want to say a HUGE “thank you” to two Australian families who this week responded to our call, making a combined donation of $1709. Your generosity has made it possible for us to help this very poor community.
Just 3 weeks ago we started with 50 kids – most of whom have never been to a school before. The word has well and truly spread and this week even more new kids have shown up for the first time, and we now have 80 children most days. We anticipate that we will soon have 100+ enrolled.
Guleen’s Story
Whilst education is a human right, the majority of children in this isolated and marginalised district are unable to attend a local school. Little 4 year-old Gurleen Kaur (pictured above) is one of these kids. Gurleen is the eldest of 4 siblings. Her mother died during the delivery of her baby sister. Gurleen’s father is an addict in a community where drugs are cheap and easily available. He would only be in his early twenties, he never comes home and he is unemployed. The kids are looked after by their ill, elderly grandparents who live in a house that is falling down. Our new teacher Sonia Rani appealed to the grandparents to allow Gurleen to attend our centre and we are pleased that she now attends school on a daily basis. As well as starting to learn new things, we see Gurleen respond to the nurture and safety that school provides – for her this is a transformative experience.
Meet Sunita our teacher
Each one of our 80 students has a similarly sad story. Our work powerfully impacts their lives bringing love, hope and opportunities to shine and flourish. Even in these early days, we see small but significant changes. We are excited for the many possibilities.
We still require $791 to reach our target of $2500 which is needed to cover most of the costs required to provide 12 months of very basic education for 100 kids. Beyond this amount we will explore the possibility of providing all of the children with a daily meal as well - In our other projects, it currently costs about $40AUD a year per child to provide them with a daily meal - not including the cook's salary.
Can you help us to reach our target please? Your donation is tax-deductible.
Venturing further than ever before - a new centre
Saleem bringing love, hope and purpose to a marginalised group on the India - Pakistan border.
Last month, when Rowe and I were in India we met an inspiring Christian man, Saleem Masih (pictured above), who had travelled a very long way to meet us. Saleem wanted to tell us about his work with some very poor communities in western Punjab. Saleem was compelling, as he told us about a very needy group of people who have limited access to the most basic of life’s necessities. He described his small passionate team of 5 people who work on a minimal salary ($15AUD a week) to bring help through education to 200 kids in 3 small school centres. Most of these kids do not go to school.
Further to this, Saleem told us about a small and neglected population group in the Gatti District which is an isolated and very dangerous area due to its proximity to the Indian - Pakistani border. Little has changed in this area for the past 75 years. Access to services is available only possible by crossing the river by boat (at a fee), and this does not operate during the monsoon season. Most families do not have the money to regularly cross this wide river so therefore the children do not attend a school. Therefore, the kids, like their parents, are uneducated. The area is heavily patrolled by the military, especially by drones.
A Plea for Help
The reason why Saleem had travelled so far was to ask if we would consider taking on his projects and he indicated his need to be part of a larger team to collaborate with, and to work with others who would provide mentoring and guidance for how to develop and improve his projects. He knew he’d have a better chance of convincing us if he met us face to face. His efforts were not in vain because we were definitely stirred by his determination, love and compassion for these forgotten people. It was hard for us to not immediately say “yes” but we asked for more information and clarity around the amount of support required. We now are now in a position to make an informed initial commitment.
Our Commitment for 2023
We have decided to support Saleem initially for 14 months, commencing 1st November. ‘Project Help’ has started a fourth centre at Village Hajara Gatti in the Ferozepur District (location map). The people who live here are incredibly poor and most are illiterate. The district is in a very isolated area, and is situated between the Satluj River and the Pakistani border (which is a fence).
Some facts
- 50 children will attend our centre, 5 days a week. This is anticipated to grow to 100 students
- $100AUS start up fees to set things up
- $100AUS month (covers rent and a teacher’s salary)
- We will review our commitment in 6 months and confirm our long-term support in November 2023
- We will also work towards providing additional funding to improve the existing 3 centres, and (hopefully) provide meals for the children.
Welcome to our new team member
We welcome Gaura Chabra to the Project Help India Team.
We welcome Gaura Chabra to the Project Help India Team in the role as Office Secretary. Gaura is a graduated in Botany and has received a one year diploma in Computer application. She will help us in the valuable role of reporting ,organising student and staff date, managing the office and writing our story content and updates for blogs and newsletters. We looking forward to getting to know her more.
Diwali Blessings - giving and receiving love
Some of our students enjoying their traditional Rangoli artwork
On the recent occasion of Diwali, the most famous festival in India, we organised the art and craft activity of painting earthen diyas (lighted lamp) and drawing the beautiful Rangoli (traditional Indian art from using coloured sand or powder to decorate floor) to bring out the creative talents of children.
The children from across all of our centres decorated the diyas which were then donated to both needy persons, and also to some police officers at the local station.
Our Director Mr. Amit Samuel said the main objective of this activity was to explore the student’s imagination and creativity and explain the word ‘equality’ to the children and to reinforce the importance of showing respect and having an understanding of community religions and important celebrations.
As an opportunity to share love some of the students of our Bijnor Center) also took part and visited to respected Officers (District Magistrate (DM) Mr Umesh Tyagi, Mrs. Indoo -Superintendent of Police, and Sanjiv Tyagi) bringing their best wishes, decorated diyas, sweets and colourful greeting cards.
Mr Umesh Tyagi returned the blessing giving gift hampers to the children. Mrs. Indoo gave Rs 500 to each child 500 rupees as a token of love and to buy a Diwali gift.It was a very special moment.
The officers honoured and appreciated the remarkable work done by Project Help India in their locality of Bijnor and for its role in helping humanity, and specifically the poor and needy in one of Bijnor’s poorest slums.
And we made the local news once again. We are so proud to be respected and acknowledged for the work we are doing in the community.