Coming from a very poor tribal family, he was expected to help his parents and, like many children from such impoverished backgrounds, Koteswara Nayak and his sister did not attend school.

But when his parents found they could no longer afford to feed him, they reluctantly agreed to allow HEAL to place him at their Children’s Village in Guntur where he would receive not only shelter and health care, but an all-important education – the key to youngsters from such poor family backgrounds escaping India’s grim poverty trap.

Koteswara Nayak never looked back and when 13 HEAL children recently completed their Junior Inter Public Examinations, all passing with good marks, the former child labourer stood second in Guntur City with a stunning 98% pass mark.

HEAL Junior Inter students, including Koteswara Nayak, pictured centre alongside Mrs Marudwathi

Studying maths, physics and chemistry, the one-time shepherd boy achieved a remarkable 461 marks out of 470 and is being hailed as an inspiration for the other children under HEAL’s care.

“Mr Nayak’s success has become a great motivating factor for all the HEAL children,” said Children’s Village administrator Mrs Marudwathi. “When his parents were unable to feed him, HEAL took him under its wing and after that he gained a lot of confidence and did not look back for anything.

“This kind and timely support brought a wonderful change in his life and he has expressed his grateful thanks to HEAL and his generous sponsor from the UK. And it should not be forgotten that 13 more children from the Village appeared for Junior Inter and passed with good marks.”

In the case of Koteswara Nayak, and many others, it can be seen how the poorest children’s lives are being transformed by the teachers and carers of HEAL in India, and by the generosity of sponsors in the UK and elsewhere.

Economic deprivation and an inadequate education infrastructure mean sending a child out to work from a young as five or six is an all-too-acceptable option for rural families in particular. More than half the children in Andhra Pradesh drop out of school before finishing seventh grade.

Child labour in rural India

Many stay at home to help their parents make ends meet by performing manual labour, while others are often exploited, lured away with promises of good pay, only to find themselves trapped in big-city sweatshops working 12 to 16 hours a day and living in filthy, cramped conditions.

Laws to protect children and ban the use of young workers are largely ineffective, but HEAL continues to offer help to hundreds of needy children and a new safe haven called Paradise Village is currently under construction near Vijayawada. The school there will open this summer and is designed with the aim of helping up to 10,000 children escape the crippling Indian poverty trap by 2020.

Even simple HEAL initiatives such as free books, bags and equipment for primary age children, a free mid-day meal and the provision of shoes are found to pay huge dividends in improving school attendance in underprivileged rural areas such as Guntur, Kanuru and Bhadrachalam, where parents often cannot afford to send their children to school.

HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru handing out school bags to schoolchildren in Andhra Pradesh

And it is hoped that success stories like those of Koteswara Nayak and his friends will continue to inspire more sponsors to come forward and give these children the chance to reach their true potential in life for the benfit of them, their families and their communities.

To find out how you can sponsor a child from as little as £11 a month, please visit our website at: www.heal.co.uk/sponsor-a-child.html

“This race promises to be an epic adventure,” says police officer Paul Harris. “It goes beyond marathon running and into the realms of ultra-endurance racing.

Paul Harris sets off on a training run

“It is called ‘The Wall’, running 69 miles along Hadrian’s wall, spanning from Carlisle Castle to the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. It’s a big, elite event and I’m so pleased to be running for HEAL.”

Paul has never even run a marathon, so how does he think he will cope with a race almost three times as long?

“Well, the time limit is 24 hours, but I’m personally aiming to complete it in 16,” he says.

The Wall ultra-run alongside Hadrian's Wall

“Having never run a marathon, this means some serious training and a massive amount of time and dedication. I run four to five times a week and have already clocked over 250 miles in two months.

“I want to earn as much as possible for HEAL as I feel it is a very worthy cause.

“I have obtained a text donation number, text WALL98 and then the amount to 70070, and anyone wishing to support me can visit my HEAL fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/Paul-Harris26.”

The Wall, which was held for the first time last year with 800 people participants, takes place over a mixed-terrain route that incorporates both on and off-road sections and some stunning countryside.

To learn more about the event Paul will be taking part in watch this short video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8U6wDbhpRY

Rakhi and Ash

Organisers husband and wife Ash and Rakhi Dhanani said that all proceeds from the night
would be presented to HEAL and that a lot of awareness was raised of the charity’s work in
helping provide shelter, healthcare and education to underpriviliged children in India.

Guests arrived to a champagne reception and canapes and were then taken into the main room
where they watched an eye-catching performance by Love The Beat School of Dance.

Next came a presentation all about HEAL from Rakhi and Ash, before a buffet dinner and then
lots of dancing.

“From the feedback that we had everyone had a great night!” said Rakhi. “And in addition to
raising approximately £650, we created a lot of awareness of the great work being done by
HEAL.

“As well as the money raised on the night, one of our friends has said she will be making a
donation of £200 and although some people could not make it to the event, they have told us
they will also contribute directly to HEAL.

“Furthermore, one person who attended our event has informed us that he has decided to
sponsor a child and we had lots of interest from others, so hopefully our event will prompt
a few more people to sponsor children.”

For more information on how to make a donation or sponsor a child with HEAL please visit our
‘how to help’ page on our website: http://www.heal.co.uk/how-to-help.html

The Annual Day Celebrations at Sri Venkateswara Bala Kuteer were greatly enjoyed as usual, with many HEAL children receiving prizes and participating in cultural programmes.

Annual Day Celebrations

Last year Mrs Rohini Kakani and Mr Srikanth, former students at the school, instituted cash awards for students finishing top of their class at the HEAL Village. Each of the award winners was presented with Rs1,000.

“We feel proud of our children,” said HEAL Village co-ordinator
Mrs Marudwathi. “Following our Annual Day Celebrations we had news of more susccess to share as we celebrated the birthday of HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad in a joyful atmosphere.

Prizewinners with their awards

“Miss Mamatha, the first child at HEAL Village, is completing B.Tech within a few months with good scores.

“Miss Yasaswini, in her second year at Polytechnic studying electronics and communication engineering, stood at the top of her class for the second year running with 90% pass rate.

First HEAL child Mamatha

“Yasaswini came to HEAL along with her little sister after the death of their father. All through her studies she has been first in the class and scored 100% in maths in her 10th Board examinations. Her younger sister Sri Latha, who is completing 9th class this year, is also first in her class.

“Mr Harsha Vardhan came to HEAL along with his younger sister and widowed mother. He, also, has been first throughout his school study. We admitted him into a three-year civil engineering course at Polytechnic.

Successful student Harsha with Mrs Muradwathi and HEAL children

“He has been first in class in each of the three years – a wonderful achievement. He appeared for ECET (entrance into engineering) and got qualified with a good ranking.

“He gained admission into second year B.Tech in a reputed engineering college and at the end of his first semester he stood top with 93.7% among all the branches of his class in the college.

Yasaswini, who is top of her class in college

“We feel so proud of our kids. They tell us that their dreams have become a reality just because of the support of HEAL.

“And no doubt their successes will inspire all the HEAL children to dream for a brighter future and work hard to reach their goals.”

To learn more about how to bring hope and change to a child living in poverty by helping them achieve their full potential, please visit the Sponsor a Child page on the HEAL website.

Many of the children in HEAL’s care, who are growing up to become young students, would like to go on to further education in order to help secure their futures.

'World of Colours'

Teachers within the HEAL Children’s Village school at Guntur assess those pupils who they believe are capable of going on to successfully further their education.

For £48 per month a student’s education can be sponsored through HEAL for 1-3 years at a higher educational facility.

Geetha Ramana, who organised the fundraising event in her home town of Boston, was keen to get involved in this programme and has asked Dr Prasad to put the money raised, £1,500, towards a child’s higher education.

During the fundraiser, children participated in a ‘World of Colours’ display and an attractive silk painting was auctioned off.

Geetha Ramana and her husband auctioned a silk painting at their fundraiser

“Both of my children have gone to university now and I know how very important higher education is for those young people in India,” said Geetha, who moved with her husband from their Andhra Pradesh home to the UK 16 years ago.

“I first met Dr Prasad and became aware of HEAL about 11 years ago when I attended one of the charity’s India Nights in Peterborough and I have been going every year since then.

“When I heard all about the new HEAL Paradise project I decided I wanted to do more than merely attend India Night and so in 2011 we held an event for more than 150 people in Boston and raised £3,000.

“This year we raised another £1,500 and I have been discussing with friends how we can come together to sponsor a child for three years through their higher education.

Children helping needy children in India

“I am going back to India in February to visit my mum and dad in Hyderabad and when I return to Boston I am planning to hold a coffee morning.

“I want to keep doing these events every year and see this as a long-term commitment to HEAL and the children in its care.”

For more information on sponsoring a young person in higher education please visit http://www.heal.co.uk/sponsor-a-child.html

Mrs Manga Devi delivers a Christmas message

The children had fun putting on a special nativity play as part of the Sri Venkateswara Bala Kuteer school celebrations.

As well as their drama depicting the birth of Jesus, the HEAL children sang hymns
at a special service at which Dr Manga Devi delivered a Christmas message.

The festive period is a particularly exciting time for the children, who cut
cakes, lit lamps and enjoyed ice creams, sweets and a festive dinner. There was
even a visit from Santa!

“There was a festive atmosphere everywhere,” said Children’s Village co-ordinator
Mrs Marudwathi. “We would like to thank the sponsors, supporters and everyone
associated with HEAL for showering such love and concern all these years. We wish
you all a very happy, prosperous and peaceful new year.”

Popularly known as the ‘festival of lights’, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year in Andhra Pradesh and is widely celebrated by families, who perform traditional activities together in their homes.

Celebrations include decorating homes with lights, sharing sweets and gifts, as well as worship and religious rituals, but undoubtedly setting off festive fireworks is what the HEAL children look forward to most of all!

Gopi Nayak with his new clothes, thanks to the generosity of his sponsor

This Diwali festival was particularly special for one of the boys at the Village, Gopi Nayak, who received a gift of money from his child sponsor in the UK, Lynn Ashton.

The extra donation not only allowed Gopi to purchase several new items of clothing and some new shoes, but fireworks for him and his friends to join in the Diwali celebrations.

He was so pleased that he wrote a thank-you letter to his sponsor to say how much he and his friends enjoyed the festival.

Gopi's thank-you letter

One area of sponsorship urgently needed by HEAL is within its Poverty Trap Project, which
involves supporting existing schools to provide more children from very underprivileged
backgrounds with an education.

HEAL believes that only through education can future generations avoid the cruel cycle of
poverty in India.

“There are currently very few of our Poverty Trap children being sponsored, particularly
in Bhadrachalam, so we are keen to find new sponsors as quickly as possible,” says HEAL
founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru.

For just £11 per month you can sponsor a child at one of our Poverty Trap projects in
Guntur and Bhadrachalam, a very poor and remote rural area of Andhra Pradesh where most
children come from extremly impoverished families.

Your regular donation will help pay for school fees, uniforms, books, stationary, a midday
meal, and a contribution towards the teaching staff for children from families who could
not otherwise afford it.

There are currently more than 200 of the most needy children at Bhadrachalam requiring
this level of support from HEAL.

HEAL agreed to take Bhadrachalam under its wing two years ago and our child sponsors are
already seeing the difference their money is making after wonderful news of examination
success during the summer.

Head teacher Annapurna Devi contacted Dr Prasad to inform him that the school had received
a 100 per cent pass rate in the SSC examinations, overseen by the Board of Intermediate
Education – a genuine cause for celebration.

HEAL is proud to play a part in helping these children, who live in the most challenging
of circumstances, gain a good education, and therefore a chance in life, through its
Poverty Trap Project.

Sponsors can help by contributing as little as £11 a month by clicking on the ‘Sponsor a
Child’ button on our website home page at heal.co.uk.

To read about one HEAL volunteer’s visit to Bhadrachalam school go to: http://amandainindia.edublogs.org/2011/11/11/bhadrachalam-children-in-the-poverty-trap/

Our charity relies heavily on the support of people who invite family, friends and
work colleagues to donate to HEAL by way of sponsorship for an event or challenge.

Most do this by creating a fund-raising page online at justgiving.com, where the
addition of gift aid can greatly increase the value of donations to charities like
HEAL.

HEAL is gearing up again for Cycle India 2014

Of course, fund-raising can come in all shapes and sizes, and HEAL has benefitted
through everything from bedroom clear-out sales to biking across India over the
past 20 years.

Car washes and cake sales are great ways for young people to get involved, while
planning is already going ahead for HEAL’s next major Cycle India event early in
2014.

People do the most amazing things to raise money for the causes they love and
among the more adventurous over the summer months have been challenges undertaken
for HEAL by the likes of Yashu Shah, who embarked on a tracking adventure in
Nepal, and another trio of travellers who have incredible tales to tell of their
journey across northern India.

Back home in the UK, Karen Rhandawa successsfuly completed the Ealing Half
Marathon, while our good friends at private jet charter firm Air Charter Service
have once again been pushing themselves to the limit by competing in the Great
River Race on the Thames.

No Plane, No Gain - the ACS Great River Race team

“HEAL is in its 20th year of helping underprivileged children in Andhra Pradesh by
providing them with shelter, healthcare and an education and we are marking this
anniversary with our biggest project to date for which we are urgently seeking
funding,” says HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru.

“HEAL already looks after hundreds of children in Guntur and elsewhere through our
poverty trap projects, but now work is already well under way on Paradise Village,
which will become home to another 1,000 severely disadvantaged children very
soon.

“So the efforts of our supporters who who help to raise money in whatever way they
can are more important to HEAL than ever.”

Yashu Shah, a patient at Dr Prasad’s clinic in Peterborough, said: “I have just
come back from my trip of a lifetime. I managed to climb up to 5,200 metres and
although it was very tough, the whole thing was a fantastic experience. Raising
money for HEAL along the way made it even more special.”

Tracking through Nepal

Karen Rhandawa admitted that the many donations to her justgiving page had kept
her going as she trained for her first half-marathon. “It was one of my most
challenging achievements. I was proud to run the Ealing Half marathon for HEAL
because they do such wonderful work in taking children out of poverty. And I made
it round in a good time of 2:13:27 too!”

And there is still time to sponsor medical student Amrit Dhadda, who this weekend
will run the Cardiff Half Marathon on behalf of HEAL. His justgiving page can be
found at www.justgiving/amrit-dhadda0

Thirteen of Air Charter Service’s fittest athletes, glorying in the name No Plane,
No Gain, took to the Thames to row a staggering 21 miles. Last year they managed
to raise £3,168 towards an IT classroom at the new HEAL Paradise Village. And they
are hoping to better that figure this year to pay for a library, with ACS
promising to match what their staff raise.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to the ACS Great River Race team of Christine
Echeverria, Nakita Ogugua, Nicklas Danko, Oli Stravrakakis, Brendan Toomey, Joe
Gallimore, Joel Fenn, Chris Mansell, Ben Dinsdale, James Clark, Ella Melhuish, Amy
Irwin and Thea Goalen.

Last, but not least, well done to Chatty, Jamie and Olivia, whose attempts to
travel across India in a second-hand auto rickshaw may not quite have gone to
plan, but still benefitted their chosen charity, HEAL.

An Auto Rickshaw Across India

You can read about some of their adventures on their unusual 12-day trip,
including entries such as Stowaways on a Train and Sleeping on the Streets of
Pushkar, in their blog at www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/AnAutoRickshawAcrossIndia/

Amrit Dhadda, a 20-year-old student at Cardiff University, completed last year’s half marathon in Wales’s capital city in around two hours and is looking to shave 20 minutes off his time from 12 months ago.

But his real motivation, he says, is raising funds for HEAL (Health and Education for All), after being inspired by the charity’s work in placing severely disadvantaged children in India into education for the past 20 years.

Amrit Dhadda, competing in last year's Cardiff Half Marathon

“HEAL’s mission is to give orphaned or underprivileged children shelter, healthcare and an all-important education, in an effort to break the vicious ‘poverty trap’ cycle,” says Amrit.

“More than a third of the world’s malnourished children live in India – and the UN has estimated every year more than two million children die before reaching the age of five – mostly from preventable childhood diseases.

“Living in the UK, it’s so easy to take for granted the opportunities that we are given, and to go through life encountering the problems which are thrown in our path which seem so huge whilst we’re going through them – when in reality many are so minor compared to the millions of underprivileged children living in places like India.

“All the money raised goes directly to projects in India as all staff involved in the administration of HEAL are volunteers.

“Running this Half Marathon is going to be tough – but it’s going to be incomparable to what millions of children in places like India are going through.

“I will be wearing a HEAL t-shirt during the run so I hope people will notice me and perhaps make a small donation – even if it’s not much it will do a lot to these children who have nothing.

“I am so honoured to run for such a worthwhile cause. When I came across HEAL I knew instantly that this was the charity I wanted to support and run for – the great work that the charity does is so inspiring and every step I run I will think of the children that will be better off.

“Doing the degree I do I understand how invaluable good healthcare is and how small interventions can make such a difference, as well as the fact that my heritage is from India, makes this charity personal for me.”

Donations to HEAL can be made through Amrit’s fund-raising page at www.justgiving.com/amrit-dhadda0.