The Hope of a Mother - Pinki's Story

This is the story of Pinki, a 35-year-old woman living in Kotdwara slum with her husband, Suraj, and their five daughters: Ritika (14), Deepika (13), Radhika (11), Durga (9), and Kanak (3). They live in a small, cracked house without a roof, and during the rainy season, water enters their home. Pinki uses a plastic sheet to cover their roof, and her children huddle in a corner, unable to sleep. It's a dire situation, and Pinki worries for the safety of her children.

Suraj is a daily wage labourer earning INR 3000 ($60AUS) per month, with irregular work. It's a challenge for Pinki to provide for their family. However, she encourages her children to attend Project Help's education centre, and they excel in their studies. Pinki believes that with a quality education, her children can have a better future and transform their lives.

Pinki said,

"Quality education will make a difference in my family and the future of my children. I have hope that my children will have a better quality of life."

The Hope of a Mother - Poonam's Story

Poonam is a mother to five children: Kashish, Mahi, Nikhil, Bulbul, and Rohan. Four of the siblings study at Project Help India's Bijnor Centre and are doing well in their studies. Despite their success, Poonam and her family live in a very small room that basically has no roof and is open to the elements. During the heavy rains of the Monsoon season, their room and kitchen flood, causing immense problems for the family.

Nevertheless, Poonam and her husband remain positive and resilient. They go to their work early in the morning and return late in the evening, working hard to provide for their family. Their only hope is that their children can become successful and happy through education. Poonam wants to ensure that her children don't have to experience the same struggles she has and can live a better life.

The Hope of a Mother - Urmila's Story

Urmila is from the Kotdwara slum, where she and her family struggle to survive in extreme poverty. They live in a cramped room that is only 10 by 10 square feet, along with her husband and their two sons, Abhishek and Aditya who attend the Project Help Slum Centre. Despite Abhishek's polio affecting his left leg and hand, both boys excel in their studies.

Urmila dreams of providing her children with the best education, clothing, and food possible. However, her husband's heavy drinking, drug use and association with local criminals often leads to domestic violence. Most often all of the family money is used to fund her husband’s habits, leaving Urmila to take odd jobs as a cleaner to feed and support her children.

Hope for tomorrow

Urmila's hope for her children is for them to live a life that is safe and free from the negative effects of their father's addiction. She recognises that her sons’ education can help break the cycle of violence and desperation that they experience. She hopes that if they are educated they can not be like their father to have all the happiness of the world, have good clothes and food because it breaks her heart that her boys often go hungry .

Hope Happens (Bringing Hope: Pt 3)

Meenakshi says that hope is happening all around her and it’s changing her life and her world.

We might talk about ‘bringing’ hope to others, but

how do we make it happen in the lives of the people around us? 

Here’s an inspiring story about hope finding its place in a marginalised slum community in Northern India – where a message of hope ignited a spark for a young girl to learn and to study, which changed her life and her family, and now impacts a new generation of children.

Meenakshi’s Story

Meenakshi is from a very poor family living in the Kotdwara slum community in Northern India. She is 22 years old and lives with her mother and younger brother. The family is presently mourning the loss of their father Mr Hukam Singh who suddenly died of a heart attack in March this year.

Hope happened quickly in Meenakshi’s life. When she decided to attend the Project Help India SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference in 2017, she had little idea that her life would be transformed in such a powerful way.  Meenakshi first attended SHINE and she had never experienced anything like it. The room was filled with 500 women. Meenakshi was nervous and wondered what it was all about. She remembers with fondness the women from Australia who spoke about having belief in yourself. They spoke about the future and having inner strength and courage to achieve your dreams. Meenakshi did not think this was possible for a woman. But it was the Director, Daisy Samuel who shared her life story about being a girl in a remote mountain village, who despite great adversity, Daisy’s convictions and faith gave her the determination to achieve her dream of attending school and university. Daisy’s message about a woman’s individual ‘uniqueness’ inspired Meenakshi to learn and study. Meenkashi worked hard to pay for her tuition fees. Her mother also attended SHINE and she wanted her to succeed.

Earlier this year Meenakshi graduated from university with a Masters in Sociology, with plans to leave Kotdwara to find a good job. But then the family was hit with the news of their father’s death. Being the eldest child, Meenakshi would have to get work quickly and become the chief breadwinner in the family. Meenakshi went to Daisy for guidance. It turned out that at the same time, Project Help was looking for a new employee - a teacher and office administrator. You might be able to guess who got the job … Meenakshi!

Meenakshi now teaches slum kids from her community. She knows many of the parents and understands the challenges they face. She cannot believe how she is now doing something that she never dreamt was possible. That first seed of hope that was planted in her heart and mind at SHINE in 2017 has grown, and Meenakshi says it is now her turn to bring hope to needy people and children.

Meenakshi has attended every SHINE Conference since 2017. She cannot believe that next time she will not be a delegate, but rather a member of the Project Help team, that brings this powerful message of hope to a crowded hall of women …she can’t wait!

Meenakshi says that hope is happening all around her and it’s changing her life and her world.

Hope is a Two Way Street (Bringing Hope: Pt 2)

I find it a sad and confronting irony that this week, that some of the most disadvantaged children on this planet were doing their bit on ‘Earth Day 23’ to make their world a better place. I actually think it’s quite scandalous (and inspiring) that these children who have inherited basically nothing in life, except for a dirty slum, are the ones who, with smiles on their faces, are enthusiastically cleaning their patch and making a difference.

Kids are kids no matter where in the world

As I (Doug) mentioned in my previous blog - “kids are kids no matter where in the world”. I see exactly the same for the children who I work with and alongside at my school in Sydney. They are kind, compassionate, inclusive, creative and generous in their willingness to help and serve others and their community.

We would all agree that our planet needs hope. It makes me wonder what happens after childhood that hardens so many adults. I suggest that one way to make a significant difference is to give greater recognition to the precious stage of life called ‘childhood.’

Children provide us with both an opportunity and a solution

We must listen to children more - giving them a voice to bring their perspective, creativity and ideas for solving problems to shape and impact the world they are growing up in.

We must give children more opportunities to ‘be’ the solution - the smiles on their faces, energy and enthusiasm that I consistently see in all children, from the poorest of the poor to some of the most wealthy, is all the evidence I need to know that they can surely do a better job than most adults. Kids love to get their hands dirty but most of the time we don’t let them (oh dear, they might get germs!).

We must be committed to change and to be bringers of hope - why? because of our children need us to have hope. A vicious cycle is created when kids see adults as despondent, cynical and pessimistic about the future and life in general.

Education is key - to bring hope and to make change happen, priorities within the curriculum must be challenged. Let’s also consider how much time we are giving kids each day, whilst they are at school, to do the things that really matter, to have impact in their community and the lives of others, connecting with others - to be truly human.

Hope is a two way street

I am personally committed to make a difference in my life and work to bring hope to children. But when I think deeply about this, it’s actually the kids who bring and give me so much hope and inspiration. I’m sure there are children in your life who do the same for you.

“Let us be mindful of the children,
being born today,
in a world torn apart
by humans.
Let us show our children
a more excellent way
to walk on the earth and be human,
truly human.

Let us love this world
we’ve been breaking apart
and let our love bring wholeness.
And let us love one another
with a compassionate heart
for it is love that makes us human, human.
”

— Brian McLaren, ‘Weep for the World’ – (stanzas 2&3)

What the kids did on Earth Day 2023, inspired someone enough to tell the media about their initiative and efforts. Check out this news clip that featured on @Himilaya News. The item talks about Project Help India students who went into the slum river, jungles and fields to clean up garbage and plastics.

Top images - slum kids and below some jungle village kids

Love, Hope and Light at Easter

Beautiful eggs decorated by some of our students this week.

The mission of Project Help India is ‘to bring love, hope, dignity and purpose to the poor in India’, and what a perfect opportunity we have had to do this at Easter.

We are privileged to be educating over 600 children who come to our 13 centres 5 days a week to learn and receive a nutritious meal. On Friday at all of our centres our students also had the bonus of enjoying some chocolate that came packaged with lots and lots of love!

While our students come from mostly Hindu and Muslim backgrounds, Easter is recognised as an important religious festival. Irrespective of differences, great respect and reverence are given to learning about the things of God. Easter provides us with the opportunity to tell the children about how much they are loved and valued.

Poverty is cruel and these slum and village kids come from some very dark and challenging circumstances. Daily, they face situations marked by hunger, poor hygiene and sanitation, parent addictions and domestic violence, a scarcity of family resources, and certainly none of the comforts that we in the western world often take for granted. The message of Easter brings hope in times of present suffering and hope for all that is possible in the future. Where there is love, there is always light.

Kids are kids no matter where in the world. They love to listen to stories, wonder, learn, create, laugh and play games. Our lessons this week were filled with fun and discovery - along with the important reminder that each one of us is a precious child of God.

Thank you to our supporters. Your kindness and generosity this week brought chocolate, smiles, and hope to some very marginalised and vulnerable children – in a very remote part of the world where Easter eggs are not found in any of the shops. The kids send their love and gratitude back to you.

Any excuse for fun and mischief after lessons

‘Holi’ is a popular and significant festival known as the ‘Festival of Colours’, celebrating the arrival of spring in India, the end of winter, the blossoming of love and the sharing of stories about eternal and divine love - especially the triumph of good over evil.

Last week, one evening after lessons some of our City Centre students could not help themselves but to spontaneously break out into some crazy games and to throw the colour powders at each another. Any excuse for some fun and frivolity …something we suspect they had been planning for a while (ha!).

Our education centres and the kids who attend

At ‘Project Help India’ we recognise the privilege that we have in educating the now 320 children who come to our 8 centres 5 days a week to learn and receive a nutritious meal. Additionally, we are now supporting and partnering with 5 centres in Western Punjab that have recently joined the Project Help India family. There are 350 kids who attend these centres every day.

The kids who attend our schools do so with enthusiasm. They are respectful, cooperative and committed to learning. They are also grateful knowing how lucky they are, because for most there is no other school to attend.

None of our students pay to attend a Project Help Centre. It is thanks to our supporters, who make all of this possible. Currently, it costs approximately $30 a month to pay for a child’s education and meals, and approximately $40 a month to pay for a child’s education and meals at our Slum Disability Centre in Kotdwara. (This cost is currently rising due to a significant increase in the price of food.) This is why we need your ongoing support.

If you don't already, would you consider making an annual tax-deductible donation of $360 or $480 to cover the costs associated with a child’s education? Your donation has a very big impact. 

Advocacy and Giving Voice = Love in Action

Our forum was a powerful occasion providing many marginalised community members the opportunity to give voice to their needs and expressing their complaints, concerns, fears, and hopes they have for the future.

Last weekend our team organised and hosted an important community forum in Kotdwara. Attended by 350 people, State and Local Government officials met seeking to listen, understand, and respond to the welfare needs of minority groups. These people were specifically those who Project Help India directly works with in slum communities.

The forum (which the locals call a "camp") provided the opportunity for people to speak directly about their circumstances. It was a very powerful occasion with many of the parents and community members giving voice to their needs and expressing their complaints, concerns, fears, and hopes for the future. Further to this, those who attended were educated and informed about their rights, government schemes and resources that they could have access to.

Many issues were raised including access to health and medical support, the nutrition and education of children, women’s empowerment opportunities, age care and agricultural support. Issues of police discrimination and how illiterate people can access government administration and resources were also raised and discussed.

We are pleased to report that some issues were immediately resolved including an action item to introduce access to a pension for the elderly.

Project Help India was thanked and praised for their efforts in reaching these minority groups and for providing them with a safe space for speaking directly with the government officials. The Forum itself was regarded as an innovative way of connecting marginalised people with the government help that they so desperately need. Due to the success of the forum the idea was considered as a model for emulation in other communities across Uttarakhand. We are so proud of our team and thankful for their efforts to advocate for the poor and needy. We are grateful for the funding provided by our supporters whose generosity made this event possible. We look forward to future forums in Kotdwara and further afield.

Chief Guest, Chairman of Minority Commission Dr. RK Jain and Secretary JS Rawat attended the Forum. Here they are listening to local farmers talk about some of the current challenges that they are facing.

Members of the Project Help India team with guests and officials