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Archive for the ‘Childrens Achievements’ Category

Child sponsorship rewarded by exam success

Thursday, June 6th, 2013

THE value of sponsoring a child’s education in India through HEAL (Health and Education for All) has once again been highlighted by the latest set of exam results to come out of the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur.

Following on from the success of 13 HEAL children who all recently passed their Junior Inter public examinations with flying colours – including one student, a former child labourer, with a stunning 98 per cent pass mark – Village administrator Mrs Marudwathu was delighted to share more success stories with the HEAL UK trustees.

“After our Inter results were announced, we had more happy news when the 10th class results came out,” she reported. “All HEAL children passed the exam with good grades.

“Miss Ramya Pamulapati and Anusha Chakka secured 9.8 grade points out of 10 – these are grades on a par with children at paid-for English Medium schools here.

Ramya Pamulapati

“We have already started searching for the right colleges and courses in which to enrol the children so that they can build on these excellent results.”

Many children are taken under HEAL’s wing when their parents are no longer able to look after them due to extreme poverty. Often these youngsters have been forced to work from a very young age simply to help their family make ends meet.

Anusha Chakka

Thanks to the generosity of child sponsors across the UK and elsewhere, HEAL is able to offer shelter, health care and education to many hundreds of severely disadvantaged children, helping them to unlock their true potential.

Living together in a nurturing environment at the HEAL Village, these children are able to develop and grow into fine, well-educated young people, many of whom go on to further education, still supported by HEAL.

HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru has expressed his delight at more news of exam success coming out of the Children’s Village in Guntur.

“This is great news,” he said. “I would like to convey my congratulations to all our students who passed their recent exams.

“Thanks to all the teachers and staff who are looking after the children. You all make us feel proud and very happy.

“It is particularly heart-warming to see 98% scores by Ramya and Anusha. HEAL will continue to support them to pursue higher or vocational studies.”

Dr Prasad will visit HEAL’s latest and most ambitious project, Paradise Village, in the coming weeks to oversee on-going construction work ahead of the school’s first intake of children later this year.

An artist's impression of the primary school at Paradise Village

You can sponsor one of these residential children for just £16 per month, which pays for everything they need. To learn more please visit our website here: http://www.heal.co.uk/sponsor-a-child.html

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Posted in bala kuteer school, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Children's Stories, Childrens Achievements, Further Education, Heal Children's Village, Heal Paradise Village, Heal UK, News from the Village, Sponsor-A-Child India | No Comments »

Shepherd boy escapes poverty trap to shine as a student

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

FROM a very young age, Koteswara Nayak worked as a shepherd boy, helping his father in the fields of rural Andhra Pradesh.

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

Posted in bala kuteer school, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Children's Stories, Childrens Achievements, Further Education, Heal Children's Village, Heal india, News from the Village, Poverty Trap, Sponsor-A-Child India | No Comments »

HEAL children see their dreams become reality

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

THERE has been much excitement at the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur recently.

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.

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Posted in bala kuteer school, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Childrens Achievements, Further Education, Heal Children's Village, Heal Website, News from the Village, Sponsor-A-Child India | No Comments »

Festive fun at the HEAL Children’s Village

Friday, January 4th, 2013

THERE was a joyful atmosphere at the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur as
Christmas and the New Year were celebrated in style.

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.”

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Posted in bala kuteer school, Charity Sponsors, Child Sponsorship India, Children's Stories, Childrens Achievements, Heal Children's Village, News from the Village | No Comments »

India Night marks HEAL’s 20th anniversary

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

HEAL will celebrate two decades of transforming young lives through education when it holds its annual India Night get-together at The Cressett in Peterborough on October 6.

Dr Satya Prasad Koneru founded the charity Health and Education for All (HEAL) in 1992 with a mission to offer hope to needy children in his native India by equipping them with the tools to become masters of their own destiny.

Determined to break the seemingly constant cycle of poverty in his former home state of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Prasad has used HEAL to provide shelter, health care and an all-important education to hundreds of orphaned, abandoned and destitute children, knowing that this was the only way to make a lasting change in their lives.

And judging by recent success stories coming out of the Children’s Village in Guntur, HEAL’s supporters and sponsors are already seeing the fruits of their labour.

Children who came to HEAL from all manner of deprived backgrounds years ago are emerging as fully-rounded young adults, ready to stand on their own two feet, often seeking further education and looking to put something back into their communities.

HEAL now has around 1,000 children in its ever-growing family and is marking the charity’s 20th anniversary by embarking on its most ambitious scheme yet, the creation of HEAL Paradise Village.

Work has already begun on the £3m project, which will not only become a focal point for the local community in Thotaphalli, near Vijayawada, but home to 1,000 more severely under-privileged children, saving them from a life of poverty, ill health and deprivation.

All the monies raised from the HEAL India Night will go directly to the Paradise Village project and those attending will hear details of the progress already being made in Thotaphalli.

Tickets for the event are £20 (£15 for under-16s) and Dr Prasad is hoping to raise even more than the £6,700 that was made by last year’s Autumn Ball.

“The Autumn Ball was a change to the HEAL India Nights of previous years and it was good to see some new faces among our many regular attendees,” said Dr Prasad.

“This year’s event will be slightly less formal, but equally important in raising money which will make such a difference to hundreds of children’s lives.

“Fund-raising is obviously one of our main objectives, especially with work already well under way on Paradise Village, but we thoroughly enjoy getting together as part of the fellowship of HEAL.”

As well as authentic Indian food and musical entertainment, guests will hear the experiences of volunteers, including a child sponsor, who recently spent time visiting the Children’s Village in Guntur.

For ticket enquiries please call Helen Rome on 07863 178679.

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Posted in Charity Balls, Charity Events, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Childrens Achievements, Fundraising, Heal Children's Village, Heal Finances, HEAL India Night, Heal Paradise Village, Heal UK, Volunteers | No Comments »

Srinivas success story rewards sponsors’ generosity

Monday, August 6th, 2012

HEAL’s mission to offer hope and support to orphaned and poverty-stricken children in India has always been based upon the need for education.

At the core of HEAL’s work with under-privileged children in Andhra Pradesh is the belief that education is the key to emancipate those people struggling at the bottom of the social order.

So what better way to celebrate 20 years as a charity than to hear reports of a string of success stories from students at the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur?

Veena Agarwal meets up with her family's sponsor child Srinivas Mande, acompanied by her friend Charlotte and HEAL administrator Mrs Marudwathi

Senior administrator at the Village, Mrs Marudwathi, has already delivered the excellent news that all HEAL children
passed the 10th public board examinations with good grades – music to the ears of Dr Satya Prasad Koneru, who founded the charity back in 1992.

But the real reward for long-term child sponsors has been to see children who arrived into HEAL’s care years ago, often from extremely distressing backgrounds, developing into strong, independant young adults with bright futures ahead of them.

Veena Agarwal, a medical student in the UK and the daughter of child sponsors Rita and Arun, recently spent five days visiting the HEAL Children’s Village along with her friend Charlotte, and got to meet up with Srinivas Mande, who has matured into a fine young man with the help of her family’s support.

“It’s amazing to see the difference this community can make to transform the lives of these underprivileged children and especially how many of them are going on to higher education,” said Veena.

“The children are fun, loving, enthusiastic and hard-working and we had so much fun playing with them and teaching. Ms Manga Devi, Mrs Marudwathi and Dr Satya Prasad are an inspiration to us all.

“They and all the staff volunteers show us what kindness, dedication and sacrifices have been made for the children. The beautiful gardens and playground and inspiring quotes create a lovely environment to live in. It’s exciting, too, to see the progress at HEAL Paradise and how many more children will benefit.

“I had the exciting opportunity to finally meet my family’s sponsor child Srinivas and to hear his success story and big ambitions for the future which I have no doubt he will achieve!”

Successful HEAL student Srinivas Mande

Srinivas Mande was taken under HEAL’s wing when his parents, who worked in a stone quarry, were no longer able to send him to school after his father became ill.

“I faced a lot of problems in childhood, but at the same time God had blessed me with people to encourage me in the tough times,” says Srinivas.

“I was admitted into Nandana, a free Telugu Medium school, run by Sri Venkateswara Bala Kuteer. By that time my father’s health was spoiled and he could not even feed the family.

“Then I was taken into the lap of Heal, and after that I found no need to look back for anything. Our teachers encouraged me in every aspect.

“I stood 1st in the school in the 10th Board Examination and I got admission into one of the best government junior residential colleges at Nagarjuna Sagar where I completed my Intermediate (+2) with good marks.

“I have since completed a three years Commerce Bachelor Degree in Sattenapalli, a place 25kms away from Guntur. I have written an entrance test into M.B.A. and now want to do a part-time job to continue my further education.”

Veena and Srinivas at the HEAL Children's Village

Expressing his gratitude for the support he has received over the years, Srinivas added that he plans to put something back into his community in the future.

“When my school gave me strength to stand firmly with good foundation, HEAL helped me to build a strong, career-orientated future.

“Now I am in a self-reliant position and I strongly hope I can help some of the needy children who are struggling hard in life. Thanks to my school, HEAL and my kind sponsors Aunt Rita and Uncle Arun.”

To read more recent success stories from the HEAL Children’s Village, visit our Child Poverty page at www.heal.co.uk/child-poverty and click on the Case Studies button. For more information on sponsoring a child, please go to www.heal.co.uk/sponsor-a-child and find out how you can make a difference.

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Posted in bala kuteer school, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Children's Stories, Childrens Achievements, Further Education, Heal Children's Village, Nandana Rural School, News from the Village, Sponsor-A-Child India, Volunteers | No Comments »

HEAL students facing a rosier future

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

LONG-TERM sponsors of children at the HEAL Village in Guntur are seeing some remarkable results from their generosity and dedication to providing needy children with an education.

Children from some of the poorest backgrounds imaginable continue to demonstrate through HEAL that poverty is no barrier to achieving success if they are only given the chance to show what they can do.

HEAL is dedicated to providing schooling to as many severely underprivileged children as possible in order to give them the tools in life to build a stronger future not only for themselves, but for their families and their communities.

Many HEAL sponsors have supported their allocated youngsters right through from primary school age and are now reaping the rewards as they see them entering adulthood with every hope of a bright and prosperous future.

Many of these children came to the HEAL Village having lost one or both parents at a very early age, others were abandoned by mothers trapped in poverty and unable to cope, and all were facing the bleakest of futures.

But those same children now have a far rosier outlook after being given shelter, healthcare and an all-important education, and many are now ready to go on to further education where they will continue to be supported by the HEAL family.

The latest round of exam results out of Bala Kuteer School are a tribute not only to the hard-working children, but to the dedicated team of adminstrators of the HEAL Village, including teachers and house mothers.

Senior administrator at the Village, Mrs Marudwathi, was proud to announce that all HEAL children passed the 10th public board examinations with good grades – and could not wait to inform HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru back in the UK.

“Immediately after the 10th results were announced I shared the exciting and happy news of these good results with Dr Satya Prasad and other members of the HEAL family,” she said.

“This year the Government abolished the system of giving marks to avoid unnecessary tensions and unhealthy competition. Instead it has given grade points and I am delighted to say that all HEAL Children passed the examination with good grade points.

“A special mention should go to Koteswara Naik, a Residential child, and Ramya, a Poverty Trap child, who each got 9.8 grade points, on a par with an English medium paid school. We feel very proud of them.”

Mrs Marudwathi was also keen to highlight the exam successes of children from very poor local rural families, supported through HEAL’s Poverty Trap scheme.

“HEAL is supporting 200 more children studying in our Nandana Rural School under the Poverty Trap scheme,” she said. “All these children are from the surrounding stone quarries, jinning mills, spinning mills etc and some of them used to work in the fields at a very young age. I am very happy to share the news of their wonderful success in the 10th public board examination also.”

Nandana is a Rural Free School where 450 children are given free education, books, clothes and a midday meal.

Many of them would never have had the opportunity to receive an education without the financial support of HEAL and the charity is urgently seeking more sponsors to support this and other poverty trap projects.

To see how you can help, please contact HEAL UK via the home page of our website at heal.co.uk

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Posted in bala kuteer school, Charity Sponsors, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Childrens Achievements, Further Education, Heal Children's Village, Heal UK, Nandana Rural School, News from the Village, Poverty Trap, Sponsor-A-Child India | No Comments »

Bhadrachalam School’s ‘outstanding’ exam success

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

HEAL is celebrating wonderful news from one of the schools it has taken under its wing as part of its ongoing Poverty Trap Project.

Two years ago HEAL agreed to support 300 children at a school in Bhadrachalam, funding school fees, books, teachers, uniforms, midday meals and stationary for children in a poor area of Andhra Pradesh.

And the charity – committed to helping as many children as possible from poor families who cannot afford school fees to gain access to education and thus enable future generations escape the crippling cycle of poverty – has been more than repaid by recent exam results.

Pupils at Bhadrachalam and throughout the region had been eagerly awaiting the results of the SSC examinations from the Board of Intermediate Education and when they were finally released last week, there was much to celebrate.

Head teacher Annapurna Devi immediately contacted HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru to inform him that the school had received a 100 per cent pass rate in the SSCs.

“This a great news and made my day,” said a delighted Dr Prasad. “I have asked Annapurna to convey my heartfelt congratulations to all her children and to thank all the teachers.

“Everyone involved has every reason to be proud of this outstanding achievement.”

Most of these children in this remote rural area are from extremly impoverished families and the school has achieved this success in the most challenging of circumstances.

HEAL is proud to play a part in offering these children a good education and therefore a chance in life through its Poverty Trap Project, but there is much more to be done.

Sponsors can help by contributing as little as £9.50 a month, or making a donation on the home page of the HEAL website at heal.co.uk.

Posted in Children's Stories, Childrens Achievements, Poverty Trap | No Comments »

Fun and games at Kanuru school

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

CONGRATULATIONS to the HEAL-funded ASNRAZPH school in Kanuru, Vijayawada, which was recently given the honour of hosting the ‘zonal games’ in their area.

The school, visited by the entire Cycle India party last month, was extremely proud to have been asked to stage the event involving 32 schools.
The games are held at a different school each year and Kanuru were pleased to report the 2012 event a complete success.

No fewer than 600 boys and 100 girls took part over five days of sporting competition, following an opening ceremony in which members of the UK cycling team were invited to cut a ribbon to open proceedings.

The HEAL children, in particular, stood out in their smart new t-shirts, donated by HEAL India’s Mrs Bhavani, who also recently provided the school with colourful poster boards to assist in science classes.

Kanuru enjoyed success in several of the sports, with the boys winning the badminton and finishing runners-up in ‘kho kho’, while the girls came out on top in volleyball.

The school gave the cyclists a rapturous welcome and staged a show for their guests, including singing, dancing and even a comedy sketch which was enjoyed both by the visitors and the watching younger children.

HEAL originally provided school uniforms to the children of Kanuru School before the introduction of a new government scheme which brought in free uniforms. However, HEAL was happy to supplement this by providing each child with a free pair of shoes as many of them were still walking to school barefoot.

The Anne Siva Nageswara Rao, Aruna, Zilla, Parishad High School, to give it its full name, already receives limited government funding, but HEAL was keen to help after being greatly impressed by the energy and hard work of the headmaster and his staff.

Since the summer of 2009, HEAL India has worked alongside the existing benefactor Mr Anne Siva Nageswara Rao, who started the school, to help improve facilities and educational standards.

HEAL is looking forward to continuing that assistance for the benefit of the hundreds of children at this school. And further education scholarships will ensure that school-leavers can go on to achieve their ambitions.

Posted in Charity Bike Rides, Child Sponsorship India, Children's Stories, Childrens Achievements, Cycle India 2012, Heal india, Heal UK, Kanuru School, Sponsor-A-Child India | No Comments »

Heal family celebrates Diwali

Monday, November 7th, 2011

THE children of the Heal Village in Guntur were very excited to join in the celebration of Diwali, popularly known as the ‘festival of lights’, recently.

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!

The story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region, but the essence is the same – to rejoice in the awareness of the ‘inner light’, the uplifting of spiritual darkness and the celebration of the victory of good over evil.

In Andhra Pradesh, festivities start out at the crack of dawn and carry on well into the night. Most people make a trip to the local temple along with their families to seek the blessings of their respective gods before the night sky is lit up with a dazzling array of noisy fireworks.

The children of the Heal Village in Guntur may not have family homes where they can enjoy these celebrations, but there is nevertheless the feeling of great joy and excitement as their faces are lit up by sparklers under the watchful eye of their teachers and house mothers, safe in the knowledge that they are all part of the Heal extended family.

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