1000 Ways to Help
Hope's
project in Bangalore, that is shown in a number of pictures throughout this
site, is currently facing an unexpected financial crisis and they need
urgent support. Without adequate
funding, the kids you see here will have no school by the end of
the summer, and one of the few opportunities in their life will disappear.
The following
are the words of Hope's field coordinator. It is hard to ignore them.
"Among
other [reasons for the crisis], one of our main donors is considering
development projects in their own country. They may extend support to
the programs in India, IF they have
additional resources. This sudden development has caused a
question mark to float over most if not all our programs in India. They are:
HOPE
Foundation school, Tennery Road, Bangalore: Number
of pupils (250), classes (7), teachers (9), 4 helpers including 2
cooks (for the mid-day meal program), additional education to mothers
(between 40 and 50 women from the neighbouring community will get training
through the Adult Education Program, every year).
Our goal is to nurture the 250 kids through many tough situations (alcoholism,
fighting, beatings, communal tensions) at home and in the community.
Many
of the children come from single parent or disturbed households. Quite a
few have alcoholic, unemployed fathers. They would come home beat their
wives and demand food. Sometimes to save herself from the unbearable
pain and humiliation, she would feed the husband but allow the
children to starve. This has motivated us to keep the mid-day meal program
going as we can ensure they get a simple but nutritious meal.
Resources
permitting as time goes by (say in a year or two) we would also like to
train the older children in computers and equip them with job
oriented skills. At present the courses we have in mind are MS-OFFICE,
CorelDraw, PageMaker and basic internet skills.
Ultimately we want to help them complete their schooling (10th standard), learn a skill (maybe computers) and be able to stand on their own feet. Hopefully their success will motivate others to follow in their footsteps.
Just to let you know (for information purposes) our yearly budget
for
1. Provide basic medicines and medical
care to 24,000 patients.
2. Educate about 600 children.
3. Train 600 eduated but poor young men and women in computers,helping
them to double, triple and even quadruple their income.
4. Run an orphanage for 20 kids (on average) at any given time.
5. Run an AIDS hospice for 15 women and children (on average) at any given
time.
6.Work on an ongoing basis with a target group of 700 leprosy
patients and
7.It also helps us pay for all our staff (about 150 people) for the whole
year.
In order to contribute to the program, there are 3 options.
1. HOPE can route the money through our
2. HOPE can route the money through our
3. Since HOPE foundation has clearance from the Indian
government to receive funds from abroad, the money could also be sent
directly from the donors bank to our bank in
New Delhi.
1. The amount of donation 2. The mode of transfer. 3. The date of transfer."
