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.

It was in December 2010 when Nish Topiwalla had an idea to bring his widely-spread family together by proposing a challenge which would allow them not only to meet up, but to challenge themselves in the process.

And so, the G8 Summits were born.

Nish, Heman Tailor, Kage Topiwalla, Mayur Jaldevi, Zach Tailor, Nil Tailor, Dom Tailor & Kamlesh Jaldevi, all related and with families of Indian origin, got their heads together and came up with the challenge of climbing the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales.

None of the group had climbed a mountain before, but that didn’t stop them from going ahead with training and preparations for their ’3 Peaks Challenge’.

Not only that, but they wanted to raise money for charity and when they discovered HEAL and looked into its work helping needy children in India and its ethos of Health and Education for All, they knew they had found what they were searching for.

Eight months later, after scaling the heights of Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon in the space of just three days, on August 12, 13 & 14, the G8 Summits were celebrating not only a wonderful achievement, but the knowledge that they had raised well over £4,000 for HEAL.

“We are very proud to have raised more than £4,300 so far for HEAL and there is still more to come,” said group member Heman Tailor.

“When looking for a charity to help, we came across HEAL and really liked its ethos of Health and Education for All. This, together with helping of needy children in a country to which we are all connected, made Heal a great choice.

“We looked into the work being carried out by HEAL and were very impressed and started training and fundraising.

“The team members are from Birmingham, Leicester, London, Crewe & Brussels. We had a number of training weekends in the UK and in Belgium over the last six months in preparation for the challenge and on August 12 we successfully climbed Ben Nevis, August 13 Scafell Pike and August 14 Snowdon.

“The weather on the first two mountains was extremely wet and windy with poor visibility. However, the team still had a great time completing the challenge. It was a rewarding experience for all of us as none of us had climbed a mountain before.”

The youngest member of the intrepid party was 14-year-old Zach Tailor, son of Nilesh, a scout leader in Belgium. Zach, like his Dad, leads a very active lifestyle, playing football for his local team, Waterloo, and has the highest scout award achievable at his age.

“Zach coped very well with the climbs due to his high energy levels and involvement in the scouts and especially enjoyed the jokes, banter and time spent with his uncles,” said Heman.

“Nilesh’s map reading and navigation skills were also essential to our success. As well as climbing the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales, we did all the driving ourselves and covered 1,000 miles for the challenge.

“As well as donations from friends and family, we even received donations from other guests in the hotels we stayed in who asked us about what we were doing when they saw our G8 Summits sweatshirts.

“We have no immediate plans for another climbing challenge, but I don’t think this will be the last of the G8 Summits.”

And the family’s good work for HEAL does not end there as, inspired by the 3 Peaks Challenge, Usha Topiwalla, who is the mother of two of the team members, plans to put her specialist skills in Indian curry-making to use to raise even more money.

On September 9, she will be selling her curries to work colleagues at Barclays in Crewe, with all proceeds going to HEAL. Usha has already secured 100 orders for her takeaway curries at £10 each and with Barclays matching the money she raises pound for pound, many more deprived children in India are set to benefit.

Donations can still be made to the G8 Summits web-page at www.justgiving.com/theG8Summits.

The following article in the Evening Telegraph features Helen and Dr Prasad, the founder of Heal:

Mark Lyons is down to the last four in the Vodafone World of Difference competition, and has a good chance of being one of the final two successful candidates. If successful, Vodafone will pay Mark’s salary and expenses for one year and he has chosen to work for our small charity. Mark brings vital building and joinery skills and as we are close to purchasing land for a new project then his skills will be a real asset for us.

As Heal is currently run entirely by volunteers having a full time employee will help us accelerate the development of this project, so we would greatly appreciate it if Heal supporters would vote for Mark on the Vodafone World of Difference page.

It is not easy to vote so we’ve made it simpler by providing the following instructions:

1. If you’re not already a Facebook user then you must first register at: http://www.facebook.com/ – it’s free and anyone can join.
2. If you are a Facebook user then go straight to: http://www.facebook.com/worldofdifference.
3. Then choose to be a ‘fan’ of World of Difference and this will allow you to vote.
4. The area for voting is difficult to see on the page, so we have created the following screenshot to show the position. Simply click on Mark:

5. Once you have clicked Mark’s name then you may need to authorise your vote (it states something like ‘allow poll access’). You are then redirected to another page, where you may think you have voted, but you may not have. It is difficult, but if you go back to the main Vodafone World of Difference page and click on Mark again, your vote will be registered and you will be shown the results so far. If you can see Mark’s position on the page then you will know your vote has been registered!
6. We need as many votes as possible so if you can help us find more votes please forward this information to your friends, and message your friends on Facebook.

Voting finishes on Friday 18th September 2009, so please vote now. Many thanks!

Being a foreign born Indian myself, with the opportunity to access educational resources without difficulty or visiting the doctor would be as simple as 1,2,3. Yet there are numerous populations throughout the world who are unable to access the simplest necessities in life. I first came across Heal whilst browsing the internet and felt uplifted with the differences that Heal had brought to the lives of under-priviledged children within India, how could I not help?

In recognition of Heal and their aims, a night of fun and giving is being organized to help in as many ways possible.

For the first time, in Sydney an eventful night showcasing ‘Extraordinary Talents’ in dance, singing, acting and comedy all aimed for a good cause. This night will surely sweep audiences off their feet, in awe of hidden talent from our junior and senior Australian – Indian individuals.The event will be hosted by Miss India Australia 2008, Kanchan Verma and will be held on the 26 July 2009 at The Grand in Baulkham Hills Community Centre, with auditions being held on 30 May 2009.

Congratulations to all HEAL members for their countless efforts so far and I hope that this event will bring more smiles and success to many more children and projects to come.

Kanchan

For any inquiries about this event, please feel free to email kanchizzz@hotmail.com.

Mr Anil Nijhawan, 63, a volunteer at Slough Age Concern, embarked on his second Flora London Marathon this year.

Mr Nijhawan’s first marathon in 2004 raised money for Age Concern. This time around we are very greatful that he managed to raise the wonderful sum of £1,210 for Heal.

Before the race, he said: “Three years ago the nearest to running I had done was to run for a bus, but in 2004 in a moment of madness, I decided that I was going to take part in the marathon.

“Then it dawned on me that I would have to get fit to run. So, with gritted teeth, I joined a gymn and started training. Hard work, dogged determination and foolhardiness are a prerequisite for marathon running!”

We thank you so much for your efforts!

If anybody wishes to run the London Marathon next year, or undertake any other energetic pursuit, and are looking for a charity to support in your quest, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Kathleen Bardell at healsec@lineone.net.

Thank You.

Edwards travels to India

Friday 4 February
Today was a very hectic day at River Leen school, all the student council came and in the afternoon there was lots of excitement because everyone was counting money! Karli told me that they have been collecting to sponsor a child in India (that sounds a long way away), her name in Naga Mani and she has not got any parents. Karli told me that I am going with Mrs Abbott to see Naga Mani. I didn’t think that could be true but in the evening Mrs Abbott took me home with her and was very busy packing suitcases.
Saturday 5 February
This morning we got in a car. I sat in the back with Mrs Abbott, her son was driving us to the airport, he drives very fast and Mr Abbott kept telling him to slow down. I rather liked going fast but Mrs Abbott seemed quite nervous. We had lots of nice hugs and she told me all about the adventure I was going on with her. I am going to see Naga Mani and lots of other children in India. How exciting!

Monday 7 February
What an amazing time I am having. I flew in a big aeroplane for a very long time, we loved it, the air hostess was very nice and bought round hot towels to freshen up. I didn’t use mine in case my fur didn’t dry. I had a very nice lunch but had to stay awake for a very long time so when we arrived at the hotel I had to stay in the room and rest. I had a good view of a big city in India called Hyderabad from the window. There were lots and lots of cars and lorries, bicycles, motor bikes and some little yellow vehicles which Mrs Abbott said are called auto rickshaws. There are lots of people going by and it’s all very interesting.
Wednesday 9 February
Today I went on another adventure. I have rested in the hotel room for two days as Mrs Abbott said I had a very important job at the end of the week and I needed to rest in preparation. I went on a train, it was a long train probably about 20 carriages all full of people. I was a bit nervous so Mrs Abbott let me stay in her bag but I did peep out the window to see some flooded fields where rice was growing and people carrying large baskets on their head – I have never seen that before.
Saturday 12 February
I have got a very important job. Mr and Mrs Abbott have come to India to visit some children they sponsor, Radhika and Hema and also Naga Mani. The children live in a village specially set up for children who have lost their parents. I was a bit worried about meeting them but Mrs Abbott said my only job was to listen to them and hug them! Mrs Abbott showed the children how to hug me and soon I was being hugged by lots and lots of lovely children. They were speaking in a language called Telegu but being a very special bear I could understand them. At first I stayed near Mrs Abbott but the children loved me so much they wanted to take me to look round their homes so I went with them. They showed me their dining room; no tables or chairs, they all sit on the floor in rows and eat with their right hand (no cutlery) – they are all vegetarians here, that means they don’t eat meat. They really love hugging me and talking to me now and I love it!

What clever children, now they can say lots of the parts of my body in English and they are teaching me how to count in Telegu. The older children speak very good English, they told me that they study for many hours each day, school is 9.30 to 4.30 and then they do homework from 6pm to 10pm at night. Today Mr and Mrs Abbott are organising games as they have bought the children lots of bats, balls, racquets, skipping ropes and board games. What fun we are having.

Best of all I have met Naga Mani, she loved the photographs and letters from the children in Bulwell. She has given me and Mr and Mrs Abbott lots of hugs although we were very sad when we found out that even though she is only seven before she came to the village she was a maid in a big house. I am glad she looks happy now. Mrs Abbott told me lots of children here are forced to go to work when they are very young.
Monday 14 February
Today we had to leave the village, I wanted to stay but Mrs Abbott said I had done my important job listening to the children and giving them lots of hugs now I have to go back to tell the children in Bulwell all about my experiences. I have had lots of photographs taken and Mrs Abbott and I asked the children to write about ‘A day in our life’. We will be able to give this to the children back in the Zone so I am looking forward to that. We had a very long journey back on the train to Hyderabad so after that I stayed in our room and looked out of the window. Soon we will be going on the aeroplane again and I am looking forward to seeing Mrs McKinnon.
Saturday 19 February
Yesterday we got back to England, I had an amazing time although it was a bit hot with all my fur. Today Mrs Scott, Mrs Habgood and Mrs McKinnon came to Mrs Abbott’s house. I couldn’t get a word in to tell them about our trip because Mrs Abbott wouldn’t stop talking! Mrs McKinnon took me home with her so I had lots of time to talk to her and Mr McKinnon. I am very tired. Who would have thought it me, a little bear from Bulwell, going all that way to make children who have no parents happy. That has made me really happy!

Memorial in memory of David in the grounds of The Village ,Guntur, A.P. India

The tree planted in memory of David is called Delinix but the popular name is Flame of the Forest.

It spreads wide and far when it grows fully.

In summer it bursts into flame coloured flowers all
over and looks magnificent!

Report by Mrs Vijayalakshmi
Sponsorship Secretary HEAL India

Ladies and gentlemen,

I bring you greetings from India on behalf of Dr Manga Devi, Secretary, HEAL India, all members of the executive committee, and especially from the children of HEAL Village.

“It is said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.”

Ten years ago, the history of HEAL started with one inspired thought….in the mind of a young man, Dr Satya Prasad, a native of Guntur, who had settled in England as a Doctor. Satya Prasad always possessed a zeal to do something for the disadvantaged children in society. He specially wanted to be of help to the orphaned children by providing them, with two basic facilities…. namely, Health and Education.

The first step was to find a home to give shelter to the helpless children. What better place than to house them in his own place in Guntur!! He turned his house into the orphanage. It was a noble gesture and a good start for HEAL charity.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”

” A time to every purpose”….that time seemed to have come when Dr Satya Prasad met his good friend Dr Manga Devi who was at that moment making plans to start an orphanage. She had already set up a free school for the children of stonecutters in a place called Chetana. There was an instant agreement between the two to construct cottages close to Chethana, because of the availability of land and its close proximity to the school, for the children of HEAL charity.

Today, HEAL Children’s Village stands witness to the steady pursuit of the goal of giving succour to needy children, by two inspired persons – Dr Satya Prasad and Dr Manga Devi.

There is also a team of dedicated persons in HEAL India.

Mrs Jayasri the principal of Bala Kuteer has been with HEAL ever since it was started. Simple and unassuming and a silent worker, she is entirely devoted to HEAL.

The senior House Mother, Padma, has been with HEAL since the day it was started. She lives with the children and is totally involved with there welfare.

Mrs Marudhwathi is the Administrative Officer in Chatena supervising all aspects of the workaday routine in HEAL Village.

Children who are orphans or who come from broken homes tend to have frequent bouts of depression but they are too young to understand their feelings. Their vague fears dominate all their reactions.

We have two counsellors, Padmaja and Annamani, who try to soothe their agitated minds at such times. Even the teachers in the school, Bala Kuteer, keep an eye on HEAL children and give them counselling at all times.

There are many people involved in the running of HEAL who are totally dedicated – asking for little or nothing in return.

Dr Manga Devi and I were in University together but we worked in different fields and didn’t come across each other for quite a number of years. It was only after my retirement in 1999 that I renewed my contact with Dr Manga Devi.She took me to Chetana once. I was enchanted by what I saw, and very happily agreed to help if there was any need.

In the beginning, I was going occasionally to visit HEAL and spending some time with the children, But the children have a way of stealing your heart just by being themselves!! They will give shy smiles, stand close, wave their hands when you come away and very soon you are hooked! You want to do something for them

Dr Satya Prasad visited HEAL in December 1999. He explained the necessity to set up a regular office, to send information to the U.K., be it to the general Secretary or the sponsors, and also to keep records of the bios of the children and update them at regular intervals.

Raina Parmar visited us and was a great help in setting up things right in the office

It is my good fortune to have come to know lovable people through my involvement with HEAL. Kath Bardell and I have worked out a comfortable working relationship. She is very patient with me while asking for information telling me gently what has to be done. OI feel no pressure.

My greatest happiness is corresponding with the sponsors. They form a vital group whose generosity breathes life into the whole organisation, specially the care of the children. Living thousands of miles away from Guntur, not satisfied merely with paying for the sponsorship amount, the manner in which they show their affection for the children never ceases to amaze me. They want to establish a close contact with their wards, writing letters, sending photos of their family members and some gifts too, though we in Guntur insist that they should be small inexpensive things.

I must make special mention of Abbotts Hall Primary School in Stowmarket, Suffolk, who donated a handsome amount with which we bought a Water Cooler a dire necessity in a hot place like Guntur. While I was coming away HEAL children told me that I should thank them again on their behalf.

The Scottish Group of HEAL organisation donated a princely sum with which we bought games equipment exclusively for the use of HEAL children.

The Sunday school based in Burton Latimer, Northants, and controlled by a parochial council, sponsored a little boy in HEAL. All the children in the Sunday school wrote sweet letters to our children in HEAL Village. We also received a book of such letters from the children of Abbotts Hall Primary School, much earlier, and our children reciprocated by sending them letters about themselves.

I have added an Annexure to this presentation on the achievements of some of our children. I am sure you would be interested to go through it. It gives an idea how a little bit of kindness can do so much good in this world.

Finally let me express my happiness in sharing this moment with you, participating in the 10th Anniversary of HEAL.

May the Almighty bless this organisation so that it would continue to grow, and help more children in the years to come!

Viyayalakshmi

Director of Sponsorship HEAL (India)

Playground Area and Equipment for Children Funded by Scottish Group who Raised £1,200

IN SCOTLAND Our Scottish Group has been busy fund raising. They raised a superb amount of £1,250. This has provided playground equipment in the Children’s Village. MANY THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK!!