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Posts Tagged ‘HEAL’

Author’s talk will benefit HEAL children

Monday, May 13th, 2013

AUTHOR Rosie Thomas will discuss her latest book The Kashmir Shawl and how her love of travel and adventure has inspired much of her writing, in a talk to be held to be held as part of the Oundle Festival of Literature, at St Peter’s Church, Oundle on June 21 (7.30pm). Profits from this event will go to HEAL.

Once she was established as a writer and her children had grown up, Rosie discovered a love of travelling and mountaineering. She has climbed in the Alps and the Himalayas, competed in the Peking to Paris car rally, spent time on a tiny Bulgarian research station in Antarctica and travelled the ‘silk road’ through Asia.

Author Rosie Thomas

While researching her latest book Rosie travelled the same routes as the ancient pashmina trade, crossing the Himalayas from Ladakh to the Vale of Srinagar in Kashmir.

The Kashmir Shawl, winner of the RNA Epic Romantic Novel Award 2012, is described as an epic tale of bravery, courage, and great love, spanning three generations.

Rosie is one of only a few authors to have twice won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, in 1985 with Sunrise, and in 2007 with Iris and Ruby. Other well-known bestsellers by the same author include Sun at Midnight and Constance.

HEAL are delighted that their charity was chosen to benefit from this event, with all proceeds going direct to their projects for providing education and shelter to severely underprivileged children in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Tickets for the talk, priced at £7 and £5, are available from Oundle Box Office (tel 01832 274734) and online at www.oundlefestival.org.uk. Any queries, contact Helen Shair at oundlelitfestival@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 01832 274134.

Here is a brief synopsis of The Kashmir Shawl:
Newlywed Nerys Watkins leaves rural Wales for the first time to accompany her husband on a missionary posting to India. Deep in the exquisite heart of 1940s Kashmir lies the lakeside city of Srinagar, where the British live on carved wooden houseboats and dance, flirt and gossip as if there is no war. But the battles draw closer, and life in Srinagar becomes less frivolous when the men are sent away to fight. Nerys is caught up in a dangerous friendship, and by the time she is reunited with her husband, the innocent Welsh bride has become a different woman.
Years later, when Mair Ellis clears out her father’s house, she finds an exquisite antique shawl, a lock of child’s hair wrapped within its folds. Tracing her grandparents’ roots back to Kashmir, Mair embarks on a quest that will change her life forever.

‘A spellbinding tale. Beautifully written, honest and compassionate…a delight from start to finish. Thomas’ portrayal of a young wife struggling to cope with life in wartime Kashmir, her husband’s indifference to her and her attraction to a charismatic mountaineer is beautifully written, touching and believable.’
Daily Express

‘A superbly researched and vivid evocation of wartime Kashmir and Ladakh – and fascinating, too, on how the pashmina shawl makes its way from the Himalayas to our high streets.’
Daily Mail

The Kashmir Shawl is published by Harper Collins and available in paperback, price £7.99.

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Going the extra mile for HEAL

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

ONE fundraiser is determined to go the extra mile for HEAL when he takes part in a long-distance event this June.

“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

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Posted in Charity Events, Charity Sponsors, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Fundraising, Heal UK, Volunteers | No Comments »

HEAL Paradise Village taking shape

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

HEAL founder and president Dr Satya Prasad Koneru recently returned home to the UK after spending time overseeing the Paradise Village development and remains confident that the school will be ready for its first intake of children later this year.

“I am satisfied with the rate things are taking shape,” says Dr Prasad. “I had two days of meetings with the architects and the rest of the team in Hyderabad and Vijayawada. I am more happy now and everybody is content with the new designs.

Building work progresses on the primary school

“There has been some redesign work, such as changing the main roof to a flat roof to allow us to install the panels for solar power. It is a big financial layout, but all part of our commitment to an eco-friendly environment at Paradise Village.”

HEAL hopes to attract support from a specialist solar power company interested in funding or part-funding the cost of installation, estimated to be in the region of 2.7crore (£325,000).

“Our vision for HEAL Paradise Village is that it will be fully self-sustaining and embrace green technology wherever possible,” says Dr Prasad.

“As for the construction work, we aim to complete the whole primary school building by the end of June 2013 and are hoping to start the academic year with 100 children.

“Dorms should be ready by the end of this year and until that time some of the classrooms will be used for accommodation and offices.

“We will have 16 classrooms, an arts room, a computer lab, staff room, library and a laboratory. In addition, there will be a lobby/gallery, head teachers office, as well as three outdoor classrooms. It is a very large building which will also house stores and laundry on the lower ground level.”

Site manager Mastan Ann reports that work on the dorms has been started and landscaping is going ahead with bougainvillea plants and 150 coconut trees providing a green-wall boundary.

“Each coconut tree will produce hundreds of fruit and each fruit contains a litre of coconut water which contains sugar & minerals, so the children will be able to have a healthy glass of coconut water every day,” says Mastan.

Meantime, while the construction is being carried out, HEAL India’s educational committee will be responsible for buying furniture and stationary and recruiting well-qualified teachers in the coming months.”

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Diwali brings extra sparkle for Gopi and friends

Friday, November 23rd, 2012

THERE was a great deal of excitement at the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur as they celebrated the Diwali festival.

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

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HEAL children raise a glass to village choir

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

CHILDREN at the HEAL Village in Guntur are able to enjoy refreshing drinks from a newly-
installed water cooler, thanks to the generosity of a small village choir in Hampshire.

When the United Voices Choir, from Sandleheath, near Fordingbridge, raised £350 from their
first public performance in May, they contacted HEAL to ask how the money could best be
used for the benefit of the children at the Village.

Children at the HEAL Village in Guntur line up for a drink from their new water cooler

“We had already decided to give the proceeds to HEAL as one of our members had taken part
in Cycle India and it seemed such a good cause,” said choir spokeswoman Valerie Allpress.
“We wanted to know if there was some specific purpose which this money could be used for.”

HEAL sponsorship secretary Steve Sargent got to work and asked Children’s Village co-
ordinator Mrs Marudwathi how the money could best be spent for the comfort of the
children. She consulted with staff and a new water cooler was agreed upon.

The United Voices Choir perform at their fund-raising concert for HEAL

“The machine which was installed by a previous donor many years ago had been defunct for a
long time, so refreshingly cold drinks were not available,” said Steve. “Between April and
July the midday temperatures often reach 40 to 45 degrees so this item will be a real
benefit to the children and make their lives more comfortable.

“The smiling faces of the children lining up for a glass of cold water say it all. You
cannot imagine what a luxury this is for them. The chance of a drink of clean water,
cooled by the machine which the choir has kindly donated is a dream come true.”

Having started out with just a handful of singers and a pianist, the United Voices Choir
has grown over the past year and now has members of all ages, including mothers with young
children, grandparents and one great-grandmother.

After deciding to give a public performance on the eve of the Queen’s Jubilee, the choir
were joined by a local group of handbell ringers, while friends served cream teas and
cakes afterwards.

“To our amazement the church was packed and we raised £350 and, what’s more, everyone was
very complimentary,” said Valerie. “As it was just before the Jubilee, we finished our
concert with Rule Britannia with lots of flag waving.

A message of thanks from the children at HEAL Village to the United Voices Choir

“When we started the choir, we did not anticipate what a happy group it was going to be.
We have all made new friends and enjoy each other’s company.

“The choir have seen the photos of the children lining up at the water cooler and we are
all delighted that our singing has brought about an improvement in their lives.”

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Posted in bala kuteer school, Charity Donations, Heal Children's Village, Heal UK, News from the Village | No Comments »

Child sponsors urgently needed at Bhadrachalam

Monday, November 5th, 2012

CHILD SPONSORSHIP is a wonderful way to bring hope for a brighter future to a child living
in poverty.

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/

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Child poverty motivates Cardiff student’s run for HEAL

Saturday, October 6th, 2012

A CARDIFF medical student says that every step he runs in next weekend’s Cardiff Half Marathon he will be thinking of the children who stand to benefit from him taking part.

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.

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Posted in Charity Donations, Charity Events, Child Sponsorship India, children poverty india, Fundraising, Heal UK, Poverty Trap, Sponsor-A-Child India, Volunteers | 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 »

Family tragedy sparks charitable act

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

A BIRMINGHAM doctor will dedicate a new institute for the blind to his son when he travels to his native India to lay a foundation stone at HEAL Paradise Village later this year.

Dr Dhanum Chunduri, a GP at the Sparkbrook Community Health Centre, where his wife Vijaya and daughter Jyothi also work, has donated £71,000 towards the building of the Phanendra Chunduri Institute for the Blind at the village, being constructed by the UK-based charity HEAL (Health and Education for All).

Dr Chunduri’s 22-year-old son Phanendra died in 2000 after contracting fulminant viral hepatitis while studying medicine in Debrecen, Hungary.

Daughter Jyothi suffered from glaucoma since childhood and lost her eyesight eight years ago, and the family were inspired to create an institute for the blind in India after visiting a rehabilitation centre in Peterborough, the city where HEAL founder Dr Satya Prasad Koneru works as a GP.

The Chunduri family

“I first met Prasad in 1982 when Heal was just in its infancy,” said Dr Chunduri. “He was distrbuting leaflets at a function and we were very impressed with his charitable activities and used to help wherever we could.

“My family originally supported an educational college in India and set up the Phanendra Chunduri Memorial Trust in my son’s name. We donated nearly £100,000 for the construction of lecture halls, and a science laboratory at Noble College in our native Machilipatnam, where one room was allocated as a museum for the Trust.

“My daughter has been blind since contracting glaucoma in 2004, so we thought of setting up an institute for the blind, something Indian people are desperately in need of.

“When Prasad came to me and told me about HEAL Paradise we decided to fund an institute for the blind there. We wanted to do something for the public, as there is very little help from the government for blind people.”

Phanendra Chunduri

Paradise Village, at Thotapally in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is the brainchild of Dr Prasad and will become home to 1,000 orphaned and destitute children when it is completed next year.

Dr Chunduri, who has four brothers and three sisters, will be accompanied by younger brother Krishna Babu when he revisits Paradise in November. Krishna Babu, a neurologist based in Dallas, Texas, has donated funds for the building of a vocational centre at the Village and will also lay a foundation stone on the same day.

For more information on HEAL Paradise Village and how to make a donation, please visit www.healparadise.org.

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Posted in Charity Donations, Charity Sponsors, children poverty india, Heal Paradise Village, phanendra chunduri institute for the blind | No Comments »

Across India by auto-rickshaw for HEAL

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

THIS summer, three friends with a taste for adventure are embarking on an epic journey – and will raise money for HEAL along the way.

An auto-rickshaw

Jamie and Charity Knight and Olivia Bartleet will be driving 3,700 kilometres across India in an auto-rickshaw – the famous Asian ‘cabin cycle’.

Auto-rickshaws are familiar sights in all Indian cities and are basically three-wheeled motorbikes with a roof on top. Tuk-tuks – as they are commonly known – are an alternative to taxis as a means of getting from A to B.

The team will be travelling from Guwahati, a major metropolitan city in the Assam region, where they will buy their tuk-tuk and drive it all the way to the other side of the country to Jaisalmer, the Golden City, in Rajastan.

The journey will be anything but a guided tour, however, with the three adventurers being left very much to their own devices.

“This is not a high-end race event with uber-expensive, souped-up automobiles and a host of support teams,” says Charity, a graduate of Bristol University. “Our trip is being independently organised by the three team members, with inspiration taken from adventures by the likes of Charlie Boorman and the Adventurists.

“There will be no-one to help if our auto-rickshaw breaks down, or if we get stuck in a monsoon, with the cabin filling up with rain water due to lack of windows or doors.

“We shall be crossing through deserts, through the foothills of the Himalayas, across marshlands and through the most chaotic of cities, where we will no doubt fear for our lives as we dodge cows, people and buses.”

The team admit to having no car mechanic experience and language could be a problem, but the trip should nevertheless be an unforgettable adventure.

“It will be an experiment in survival,” says Charity. “Days will be spent in deserts, with petrol stations being a far off dream and sleeping in a bed a mythical tale. Our auto-rickshaw only travels an average of 30mph, so if injury strikes, we are in trouble.”

Charity Knight and team set off to the Mongol Rally

Two of this intrepid trio, brother and sister Jamie and Charity, from Ashurst in West Sussex, have already taken part in the Mongol Rally last year, driving across 10 countries and two deserts, passing along the River Volga, through the Ural mountains and into Kazakhstan.

“Our trip to India is not just about adventure and experience,” says Charity. “We are raising money for a charity close to our hearts, HEAL, which helps relieve under-privileged children, educating them so that they will never live a life of poverty again. We are aiming to visit one of their projects in India, so we can see how we are helping, and where exactly the money goes.

“We hope that people can help us support this charity and sponsor us on our adventure, whether it is through cash donation, or sponsorship in some other form.”

You can make a donation by logging on to www.justgiving.com/AnAutoRickshawAcrossIndia and you will be able to follow the trio’s progress on a blog here on the HEAL website later this month.

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