Ritu's Story - a poignant thread of resilience, hope and self-belief

Ritu's story weaves a poignant thread of resilience, hope and self-belief - all made possible by the transformative work of Project Help India.

Ritu, a once happy bride back in February 2023, found herself ensnared in the cruel hands of abandonment merely three months into her marriage. Grief stricken she had to return to her parent's home, as well as having to face inuendo, questioning and shameful taunts from some in the neighbourhood . Despite the challenges of her circumstances, Ritu, equipped with education and a quiet confidence has emerged as a beacon of strength.

Living in poverty, Ritu's father toils as a daily wage labourer and her mother provides domestic help in wealthier people’s homes for a meagre sum. It was in the midst of this adversity that Project Help India extended its compassionate hand, offering Ritu the opportunity to enrol in a six month tailoring course.

With newfound purpose, Ritu has immersed herself in the sewing course. The threads of resilience and determination intertwined as she mastered the art of designing and sewing clothes, envisioning a future where she could be the author of her destiny. As well as learning to sew, Ritu was counselled by her teacher and supported and energised by the newly formed friendships of her classmates.

Ritu is now armed with skill and ambition. No longer content to be a burden on her family, she yearns to carve a path of self-sufficiency by setting up her own business.

Filled with gratitude, Ritu extends her thanks to Project Help India. whose support has not only equipped her with the means to sew garments, but has helped her dreams to become a reality. Ritu's story, once marked by heartbreak, now stands as a testament to the transformative power of resilience, hope, purpose and value. The spirit of SHINE has changed her life.

Kindness changes lives - it's 'Random Acts of Kindness Day'

Kindness changes lives.

Did you know that today is Random Acts of Kindness Day? It's a day to celebrate kindness and embrace opportunities to spontaneously 'pay it forward'.

So with this, would you spontaneously consider throwing $20+ our way …right now. If fifty of our friends and supporters did this, the impact would be amazing.

Project Help India is all about love and kindness - it's at the very centre of what we are about - feeding and educating vulnerable kids - keeping them safe by getting them off the streets and into school. We help the kids' parents providing seminars and counselling and we support young women with small business tailoring courses. At the moment we are preparing for SHINE - our annual empowerment conference for very poor slum women, which will be held in just a few weeks time. 

So help yourself to feel great this Random Acts of Kindness Day by spontaneously sending a small tax deductible donation our way

AND could you kindly repost this story please?

You can DONATE by clicking the pink DONATE button above, or click HERE

Thank you. We love you and have a great day!

From the Project Help India Team

Extending a Healing Hand to Ladpura Village

In an exciting initiative, Project Help India recently hosted a free medical camp in the slum village of Ladpura, Bijnor, which is the location of our education centre. Under the supervision of the dedicated Dr. Robbin Thomas who kindly volunteered his service, the camp focused on diagnosing and addressing various health concerns prevalent in this very poor community.

A wide spectrum of health issues, ranging from blood pressure and weakness to common ailments like cough, cold, and fever, were treated. The medical team also addressed skin disorders and intestinal worm infestations.

The camp showcased our commitment to inclusivity and helping the marginalised, with 50 women and 40 children benefiting from this invaluable service. This initiative aimed to bridge the gap in access to quality healthcare for those who cannot afford it.

The gratitude of the slum-dwellers resonated throughout Ladpura, expressing their heartfelt appreciation for the Project Help India team. Many residents were previously unaware of many potential health issues, often neglecting symptoms due to a lack of awareness. In charge of the project was Amrit Samuel and his wife Mrs Mansa Samuel both playing a pivotal role in ensuring the success and impact of this much-needed medical camp. The event not only treated immediate health concerns but also laid the foundation for increased health awareness in the community, fostering healthier and happier families and the ongoing building of trust with Project Help.

We believe that it is a great privilege to care for the poor and needy in this way, and we look forward to continuing this service on a regular basis.

We acknowledge that this initiative would not be possible without the generous donations of many people who support our work. If you are able to give, your donation is tax deductible, and can be made following the DONATE HERE button at the top of this page.

A girl is unstoppable once she discovers her value

‘National Girl Child Day’ is observed annually on January 24 in India, and serves as a powerful platform to address the inequalities faced by girls. On this important day, Project Help India, delivered an impactful awareness campaign which was attended by a  number of our teenage students and their friends.

Advocates Avneesh Agnihotri and Amit Samuel delivered inspiring messages, urging girls to embrace education, face challenges head-on, and utilise legal avenues for their benefit. The girls who attended were also provided with health and nutrition guidance, and also individual guidance regarding some of their personal situations. After these talks, the girls asked questions about their rights and laws. They loved this Q&A session the most which was run by Daisy Samuel who concluded the campaign by saying 

“The world will be a better place to live, on the day when every girl is as happy as the other gender. The best thing that anyone can do for a girl child is to give her a safe environment to grow, study and do things she likes. Let us work in synergy to make this dream come true.”

Our event emphasised the importance of empowering girls with knowledge about their basic rights found within the Indian Constitution and encouraged them to seek our help whenever they need it.

Through initiatives such as this, we are striving to break barriers and traditional mindsets about the lesser value of girls and women, by equipping our students to confidently pursue their dreams with self-belief, confidence, resilience and knowledge.

We thank our team for making this wonderful opportunity possible AND we especially thank the supporters of Project Help India, whose generosity, prayers and compassion make what we do possible. 

Go girls! You are loved and we adore you.

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