Heal: Health & Education for all

Lakshmi Parvathi (15) lives with her grandmother in Bhadrachalam, a remote tribal area of India where HEAL has a school, and has been an orphan for the last four years following the death of both parents.

She developed her own interest in singing and dancing and has written her own songs and choreographed her own dance routines. She recently won an award from Andhra Pradesh’s MAA TV channel and the channel has also agreed to sponsor the next stage of her education, Intermediate College, which is similar to A-Level college in the UK.

Although a brilliant performer, Lakshmi would like eventually to become a doctor, and her teacher describes her as ‘very enthusiastic: a student who works hard to finish her tasks quickly’. Clearly she has great ability and HEAL is proud to be a part of her progress. She is an inspiration to many other children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

HEAL are embracing new technologies and want to tell you more about all the things we are doing, so we now have a Twitter account!

Please follow us on @healvillage so that you have updates on our progress at your fingertips.

Among the latest ‘tweets’ is a picture posted from Kanuru School in Vijayawada, a Heal-funded school, showing the children in their smart new uniforms.

There will also be future updates from the Heal Children’s Village in Guntur and from the site of the new Paradise Village project where a ceremonial Puja ritual will be held during November prior to the long-awaited commencement of building work.

The Puja is performed to bless the building and the project and has importance in ensuring its success.
Amanda Smith is currently in India to keep an eye on progress before taking up her new role as vice-principal of the Heal Paradise Village in Thotapally and is also spending time visiting with the children in Guntur.

She will be tweeting updates direct from India, and her Indian adventure can also be followed through her personal blog online at amandainindia.edublogs.org.

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.

FOR the second year running, the fund-raising efforts of London medical students have proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Heal.

Barts and The London Students’ Association, the representative body for medical, dental and occupational therapy students, have developed a fantastic reputation for their charitable efforts and over the last eight years have raised more than £1.5million for their adopted charities.

Heal was thrilled to receive a donation of £2,000 from the student body last year, all the money going straight to help needy children receive vital healthcare, shelter and education in Andhra Pradesh.

Barts (formerly St Bartholomew’s) and The London is one of Britain’s leading medical and dental schools with 1,600 undergraduate and 750 postgraduate students and a growing reputation within the field of research and many other disciplines.

And when Rag – or Raise And Give – Week came around this year, the students pulled out all the stops as they collected record-breaking amounts through an intensive week of fund-raising activities. So much so, in fact, that Heal received a cheque for £4,000 – double the previous year’s donation.

Rag Week students were out in force as they planned ‘tube raids’ in London, street collections, cake stalls and pub crawls, while others took on individual sponsored challenges such as sky diving, cycling, trekking or running.

“This academic year we had our biggest Raising And Giving week yet and collected a record-breaking amount for charities such as Heal,” said Meera Lakhani, Barts and the London Rag Captain for 2010-11.

“All of the students and staff at Barts and the London Medical School are proud to have raised this money and we feel privileged in being able to give to such a worthwhile cause.”

HEAL would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who helped make our first Autumn Ball a great success.

The princely sum of £6,700 was raised, all of the proceeds going towards the cost of building the new Paradise Village in Andhra Pradesh.

The Fleet, in Peterborough, played host to 180 people for the Ball, a black-tie event which included a fine sit-down dinner, live dancing and musical entertainment, as well as an auction which raised almost £3,000.

“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 this year,” said event manager Helen Rome, who acted a MC on the night.

“The money raised, £6,700, will make such a difference to hundreds of children’s lives as it will go directly towards building the Paradise Village.

“We would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who donated auction prizes – your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated!

“So many people have helped in organising the event, and I would like to thank Peterborough Renewable Energy for donating their time, as well as Win Rome, Christine Williams, Liz Chick, Lee Dane and Ann Garrett for their help in dressing the hall.”

Auction prizes included hospitality tickets kindly donated by both Peterborough Football Club and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Marco Cereste, leader of Peterborough City Council, was the auctioneer for the night and musical entertainment was provided by Fabio D’Andrea and friends and DJ Nuch Sounds.

Guests were also treated to traditional dancing from Surishi and Sindhu and a fabulous four-course meal was provided by Ali’s Balti House in Peterborough.

In addition, while enjoying a lively social gathering, those in attendance were reminded why they were all there as Rebecca Newsom and friend Gabbi, who had attended the Heal Children’s Village in Guntur for a week earlier this year, gave a heartfelt presentation and talked about their experiences.

The next Heal India Night is already being planned for The Cresset in Peterborough – the date for your diaries being Saturday, October 6, 2012.

SUPPORTERS of Heal continue to find innovative, interesting – and sometimes painful – new ways to raise money to help disadvantaged children in Andhra Pradesh.

Members of Heal’s Fund-raising Committee never fail to be surprised at the lengths people will go to make donations to our charity … the latest being strip-waxing!

Brave volunteers at a charity ‘pamper night’ stepped forward as guinea pigs for some eye-watering wax treatment at a fund-raiser in Aberdeen, organised by Help4Letting and Maximo Massage, an event which raised over a thousand pounds.

And the donations didn’t stop there, with a pub quiz and raffle bringing in a further £340 for Heal just a few weeks later.

“The pamper night was a tremendous success and we had an unbelievable turnout,” said organiser Lucy Petrie.

“The stalls were gorgeous, the treatments were fabulous and I must thank Steve Brand and Michael Clark for being such fantastic sports and agreeing to have their legs and armpits waxed to help raise even more money!

“And much fun was had by everyone at the Globe Inn in Aberdeen, where we managed to raise another £340 for Heal with our pub quiz. We had 11 teams in all – and even included an ‘India and Indians’ round in the quiz.

“Our raffle prizes were warmly received, including our star prize of a two-night stay at the five-star Howard Hotel in Edinburgh. The whole night really was a great success and a big thank-you to everyone who donated.”

And the good work doesn’t end there, with Help4Letting sending a team to take part in Cycle India 2012.

“Since setting up just short of 20 years ago Heal have shown tremendous results, taking orphaned and underprivileged children off the streets and ensuring better lives for them,” said Lucy.

“Every penny we raised will go to Heal, the charity that Help4Letting will be cycling through India with next January, starting from Kochi all the way to the Heal Children’s Village in Guntur, where we will see how all our hard-earned donations are being put to such good use.”

A TEACHER who gave up her position in a top Sheffield school to offer her skills as a volunteer working with disadvantaged children in India will leave Britain this week to take up a new role as vice-principal of HEAL Paradise Village in the rural Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Amanda Smith, 38, has been appointed to commission the school being built at the Village in Thotapally and openly admits to being “scared” of the challenges ahead.

“I leave for India early in October having never been there before and, yes, I am scared,” admits Cumbria-born Amanda.

“I don’t really know what to expect other than it will be very different. I have been appointed the vice-principal of Paradise Village, which is still in the process of being built. Although there is no school yet, my role will be to develop the curriculum, to staff and plan the opening of the school ready for its first children in June 2012.

“Obviously, I will have my work cut out because I go to India with very little knowledge of Indian education and therefore I will need to learn a lot. I have also never commissioned a school from scratch and I don’t know anyone who has so I expect a lot of headaches along the way!”

The school and village are the brainchild of Dr Koneru Prasad, founder of the UK-based charity HEAL (Health and Education for All) which since its formation 19 years ago has lifted hundreds of orphans and needy children out of India’s poverty trap by providing shelter, medical care, food and, above all, education.

His vision, HEAL’s latest and most ambitious project, is to build a self-sustaining and mutually beneficial village community where 1,000 impoverished children can be nurtured and realise their full potential. A 25-acre site has been acquired and cleared and Paradise is expected to open its doors to its first intake of children in June next year.

“I have known Prasad for around 30 years as he was my childhood GP when I grew up in Peterborough,” says Amanda. “I went to Jack Hunt School in Peterborough, a local comprehensive, and Prasad was our family doctor when he first lived in the UK, I believe. I then left Peterborough to go to University and have not seem him for about 20 years.”

However, Amanda’s parents kept in touch with Dr Prasad, even after they left the city and moved to Northamptonshire, and it was a chance meeting which was to change Amanda’s life for good.
“Prasad was at my parents house one day when I was there, showing them the designs and telling them all about Paradise Village and the aspirations he has for the school and Heal,” recalls Amanda, who did a degree in neuroscience and a PhD in neurophysiology before deciding to go into teaching, going on to complete a PGCE at Leicester University.

“Mum and Dad had started to get involved with HEAL and to support its work. That meeting sparked something in me that truly inspired me – I could have the chance to do something that I know I am good at and that I know other people benefit from in a truly remarkable setting.

“I chatted a lot to Prasad about how I may be able to help and, whilst I could offer support and guidance from Sheffield where I worked, the best way I could contribute to this project is to go and actually do it.”

She had taught for two years in Leicester before moving to Tapton School in Sheffield where she stayed for 10 years. During that time Amanda filled a range of teaching positions in the school, some with pastoral responsibility (head of year) and latterly with academic responsibility (Director of Science). As recently as July Amanda won an ‘Outstanding Teacher of the Year’ award in a city-wide ceremony in Sheffield.

“Yes, this was a massive move and a huge decision to leave a very good job, but suddenly it seemed to be the right thing to do. I had the experience, I had the ability, I just needed the courage to go through with it.

“So, I resigned from my job at school, a truly traumatic event for me but, at the same time, I knew that all the things in education that I value I would be able to use to influence a school development in a community of children who have so very little. I have always wanted to give children the best start in life they could have and now I could do that for children whose starting point is one of poverty and destitution. What better way is there to use my advantage in life to the benefit of those so disadvantaged?

“My aspiration for Paradise Village is that it will offer world-class education to destitute children. That education will enable them to enter into global society if they choose and, importantly, will educate them about the value of people, educate them to live in an environmentally sustainable way and to think freely and make conscious decisions about their lives.

“I want Paradise Village to take the best parts of different cultures – i.e. not a ‘British’ school, nor an ‘Indian’ school, but instead a school that reflects the best things about each education system.”
Working alongside an India-based principal, Amanda will be recruiting staff from around the world to work in Paradise Village and will be developing the curriculum to ensure a first-class education is provided for children in the village.

“I have always loved teaching and have a real belief that it is the foundation of any development that a person, community and society undergoes. Something that I think made me good at what I did was that I never lost sight of the ‘child’ and how education may help them in life to make well-thought-through decisions, to have moral values, to care about others and the world around them, to ask questions, to value difference and celebrate that difference.

“I honestly think that a teacher has a massive influence on children and it isn’t just what you teach them but how you do it that is important. I could have happily stayed at Tapton for another 10 years I imagine, continuing to influence, continuing to benefit the lives of young people and getting along very well. Then I bumped into Prasad again…”

If anyone would like to find out more about the work Amanda is doing or would like to be involved, please contact the Heal UK secretary (healsec@hotmail.co.uk). For details of how to sponsor a child or make a donation towards Paradise Village please visit www.heal.co.uk.

Amanda will be among a group of 30 people from the UK, US and India taking part in Cycle India 2012 in January to raise funds for HEAL. If you would like to sponsor her please go to www.justgiving.com/Zoe-and-Amanda

MAKING a donation or sponsoring a child are just two of the ways you can help HEAL carry out its important work in removing children from the poverty trap in India.

But have you considered the many other ways you could make a difference?

If you are planning to take part in an endurance event or a sporting challenge, why not take the opportunity to ask family and friends to support your efforts by sponsoring you for a worthy cause?

Holding a ‘curry night’, a pub quiz or perhaps a sponsored car wash are other ways of getting your loved ones involved in raising much-needed funds to help provide shelter, medical care and education to hundreds of disadvantaged children through HEAL’s volunteer work in Andhra Pradesh.

A glance through the news items on the HEAL website at heal.co.uk shows some of the imaginative ways in which generous fund-raisers have chosen to put their ideas to the best possible use, helping to raise thousands of pounds to support HEAL’s efforts, safe in the knowledge that the charity’s minimal administrative costs means that the money is going directly to where it is needed most.

Recent heart-warming stories include a group of family members glorying in the name of ‘The G8 Summits’, who completed their own Three Peaks mountain climbing challenge, and Usha Topiwalla, mother of one of the team members, who provided takeaway curries for more than a hundred of her fellow workers.

Schoolboy Vishal Patel raised money by taking part in a kayak race, while others have held concerts, coffee mornings, raffles and even a bedroom clear-out sale, organised by brother and sister Joel and Abi Knee.

And don’t forget the intrepid team of cyclists from the UK, United States and India who will take part in Cycle India 2012 to give HEAL’s latest and most ambitious project – Paradise Village – a financial boost.

The cost of buying land and creating a purpose-built village to lift a thousand orphaned and impoverished children out of poverty and into a caring, educational environment is high, but HEAL are determined to press ahead with their plans and intend to open the doors to a first intake of children in June 2012.

If you, or perhaps your school, church or other organisation have a fund-raising idea to help give these children a brighter future why not let us know through the HEAL website (heal.co.uk) and we will help you publicise your efforts.

Many of our supporters raise money through the Just Giving website (justgiving.com) making it easy to channel donations direct to HEAL, not forgetting the considerable benefits of gift aid which can greatly enhance the final amount raised.

So, go on, let your efforts make a difference and help us transform the lives of Indian children.

The Annual General Meeting of HEAL UK will be held at:

Westwood Clinic
Wicken Way
Peterborough
PE3 7JW

On Sunday 4th December 2011 at 10.30 am

The AGM is open to all fully paid-up members of the HEAL UK Charity. To view the agenda click on the link below:

HEAL AGM Agenda 2011.

LAST month the HEAL website reported on the remarkable fund-raising achievements of a group of family members, calling themselves The G8 Summits, who came up with a mission to climb the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales.

Nish Topiwalla, Heman Tailor, Kage Topiwalla, Mayur Jaldevi, Zach Tailor, Nil Tailor, Dom Tailor & Kamlesh Jaldevi, all related and with families of Indian origin, conquered their own Three Peaks Challenge and raised a fantastic £4,611 for HEAL in the process.

Well, the ladies of the family were not to be outdone and Usha Topiwalla, mother of Nish and Kage, came up with her own idea for boosting HEAL’s work with orphaned and disadvantaged children in India.

Usha organised a takeaway curry day at Barclays in Crewe – and the idea turned out to be real hot stuff!

Not only did the currys prove popular with hungry work colleagues, raising £1,150, but employers Barclays agreed to donate a further £750.

“This was a roaring success,” said G8 Summits organiser Heman Tailor. “I think this has been a phenomenal achievement by Usha and all the ladies involved.

“When we came up with the original idea of doing the Three Peaks Challenge and raising the money for HEAL, Usha wanted to do something too. She had the idea of making takeaway curries for her colleagues at Barclays offices in Crewe.

“Usha and Pushpa Jaldevi then proceeded to organise the event to follow our Three Peaks success. They started preparing the food from September 5, with Usha & Pushpa paying for all the ingredients themselves.

“They were joined by Nirmala Tailor, my mother, and Ruby Tailor, my wife, on September 8 and further prepared and cooked the food right up until 3pm on Friday, September 9.

“The menu consisted of chicken pakoras, chicken curry, rice, home-made naan bread and desert.

“They sold in total 115 meals – 110 to Barclays staff and five more to neighbours who could smell the food being cooked!

“In total this has raised £1,150 and Barclays agreed to match pound-for-pound up to £750, so the total raised will end up being well over £2,000 with the addition of gift aid.”