WORK on the HEAL Paradise Village may not be complete, but the good news is that the project
is already having a positive impact on the local community in Thotapalli.
Steve Sargent, a HEAL volunteer who has spent time at the Paradise site overseeing the early
stages of development, heard about the plight of a local schoolgirl with type-1 diabetes
whose family were unable to meet the cost of her medical treatment.
Eleven-year-old Sirisha attends the local government school, but did not qualify for a
disability allowance to cover the cost of regular check-ups, lab tests, insulin and
syringes.
With the help of HEAL India’s Dr K Jagan Mohan Rao at Nagarjuna Hospital, Steve was able to
establish the cost of meeting Sirisha’s medical needs and a sponsor from England was quickly
identified to assist.
As our pictures show, she is now able to draw insulin from a pharmacy thanks to the money donated every month by a family with a diabetic daughter of the same age.
HEAL have also assisted a five-year-old boy, Aravind, who attends the same school as
Sirisha.
Aravind has a mild form of cerebral palsy and has difficulty walking, so HEAL were happy to
help arrange for him to have a specially-made shoe after consulting with local medics.
Children attending the local school can also be seen carrying their smart, new HEAL bags as the charity does its best to forge strong links with the community.
Paradise itself, when complete, will not only provide vital schooling and a home for a thousand underprivileged children, but will offer much more to local people, including an institute for the blind, industrial training, a health centre and a junior college.