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INDIA - Grail Trust Newsletter 2002
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A Year of Progress We live in an Interdependent World The Value of Child Sponsorships |
Another part of the world, another culture and a very different economic situation. Sometimes I feel it's difficult to write about the Home in South India, because life is so different there. In a sense, there is a much greater sense of community, or sense of "connectedness" together. I was there last March, and I have vivid memories of the Palm Sunday procession around the village, singing hymns and visiting the houses. No need for information sheets and notices about what is happening, because everyone knows! They make their own palm crosses, and the children decorate them with flowers.
We have people from here visiting the Home "out there", and we have had people from there coming here. I have been able to see how it is a "steep learning curve" for each. So many of the things that we take for granted in our own community are different in other parts of the world, and often with very good reason.
This is a way of emphasizing that we live in an interdependent world, so important today. The fact that we can have knowledge and sometimes personal experience of different cultures seems to me to be a good thing, and also a source of hope, not only for what we can give to the rest of the world, but also for what we can learn as we struggle with our own internal problems in our island community.
I read recently that Britain is the 4th richest country in the world. Of course we have situations of real deprivation, in many senses, in this country, but the real poverty in some of the villages and for so many of the people in this part of southern India is scarcely imaginable by our standards. There is also a growing feeling amongst the people that their situation is becoming more vulnerable as a result of an increasingly global economy and multinational business interests. Last year the monsoons rains largely failed again, affecting the whole local economy and making life very hard for those, which is the majority of the people, who work on the land, and of course there is so much less community and state benefit.
As a charity we are very pleased and grateful that Lembit Öpik, the Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire, has agreed to be a Patron of the Trust. Lembit has a real vision for a fairer, more equitable world, a vision of co-operation rather than conflict, and a concern for building bridges of understanding across the world. He writes:
"I'm delighted to accept the honour of becoming the Patron of the Grail Trust, and exhilarated by being part of such a far-seeing project, bringing people of the world closer together. The ongoing charity of so many people in both Britain and Southern India is clearly indicative of the excellent work already achieved. Everyone involved with the project, here and in Tamilnadu, must feel happy with their new friendships and the renewed sense of unity across the globe an achievement frequently missed in today's fast moving, and, it must be said, sometimes inward looking, society. As a Member of Parliament but more importantly, as a person who shares the Trust's concern about these things, I'll do my part to increase the profile of the Grail Trust, and to help with ongoing works of the charity as it continues to make a difference. I'm at your service, just as the Grail Trust has been a priceless service to those it has dedicated itself to helping."
We also welcome The Rt Revd John Pritchard as a Patron of the trust to give us episcopal blessing. John is Bishop of Jarrow. He was formerly Archdeacon of Canterbury and before that a trustee of the Grail Trust.
On the practical side of the Home, the highlight of the past year must be the completion and opening of the Girl's Home, on August 15th of last year. We admitted 31 girls, these being the ones we had identified as being in most need of residential care from the Ebenezer Home, the church home which we have previously supported and for whom we felt a responsibility. We also admitted 9 boys from the Ebenezer Home to our home, bringing our total number to over 80 children. Each year we have many applications for joining our home, far more than we can manage. So we have to be selective according to the greatest priority of need; not always an easy task.
We have made a number of improvements to the home, particularly in converting to gas cooking from open wood fires and installing fans. We have funding plans in hand for staff accommodation for our manager and his family, also for our cook and caretaker, and building work has started for this.
In the coming year we will need to replace our generator, as the present one is not large enough for our increased number of people and buildings. A generator is necessary because there are power cuts in the electricity supply most days, often for several hours. (This is because there is simply not enough electricity to meet all demands.) The cost is likely to be about £800.
We also need to find a more permanent solution to our transport needs. Last year we reported that we would try to manage on hiring a minibus to bring the middle school children back from school, as there are no buses at that time of the day. Since then the public morning bus has been removed, and in spite of representations to have this re-instated a satisfactory solution has not been found, as I witnessed on my last visit. There are also considerable transport problems that the secondary school children have to face. We have reached the point where there is general consensus that the only satisfactory way forward is to have a minibus for our home, which we reckon will have wide use, both for transporting children and also for collecting provisions for the home.
This, together with our intention to use the present somewhat inadequate guest room as a resources room for books/library and equipment, and also as a place for the older students to use and study in, resulting in the need for new guest accommodation, will keep us busy for the foreseeable future.
A major item that I want to stress this year is the value of child sponsorships. It costs £180 a year £15 a month 50 pence a day (approx.) to support one of our children accommodation, food, medical, care .... You can receive regular information about one of our children if you wish. You can have the satisfaction of knowing that this boy or girl will be gaining a real opportunity against otherwise bleak prospects, and he or she will probably be making the very best of this opportunity. As one of our sponsors said: "It's a real opportunity to help, and it also helps my children realise the needs of others, and the need not to be spoilt!"
We are so grateful for those of you who have already taken on this commitment. If we can increase our number of child sponsors we will be less dependent on our general funds for the monthly cost of running the Home, and so be able to reach out to wider needs.
The monthly cost of running the Home has increased in the past year from the figure of £940 to £1,550, due mainly to the intake of girls.
As our Home has been operating for some years we are now seeing ourselves supporting quite a number of our older children in skill-training. Computer classes, mechanical and electrical engineering and driving are popular with the boys. Time will tell what the girls like to do. It is good when we see the students leaving us getting jobs. This must be such a challenging time for them in a fiercely competitive job market. Because we are in a very rural area the opportunity for jobs are not great in the nearby towns, and often young people must leave their home districts and seek work in the big cities, a very different type of environment from the more intimate atmosphere of their familiar home surroundings.
In this past year we have had our first students going on to further education. One boy is following a college degree course, and another, Lazer, who visited the UK about 6 years ago, has gained a place at an engineering college. Congratulations. Others may follow into further education this year, depending on how well they achieve in their exams held last March. This is all good, although it does of course involve a commitment from the Trust to support them for this further period of time.
I take this opportunity to thank all our friends and supporters who make it possible to do what we do. I know it is not possible for most of you to visit the Home, so let me assure you that the impressions of those who are able to visit is that it is a happy and relaxed place where the children are secure, friendly and well-balanced - a marvellous tribute when one is conscious of all that they have had to contend with, and that many have had traumatic experiences. We do thank you all so much, to you who are in the UK and you who are in India, and we know that help is given in many ways. You are the ones who make it possible. We also are so grateful to all our hard-working staff at the Home. They work very long hours with great cheerfulness, and it would never occur to them to put in for overtime!
Finally, I know that all the children and staff would want to join me in sending you our best wishes. Keep up the good work, and introduce us to anyone or any group who maybe interested. David Bryant has been preparing a short 10-minute video of the Home, as an introduction to the work of the Grail Trust, which is available for use. We have an up-dated brochure, and more copies of this newsletter are always available.
Jonathan Robinson (Director)
P.S. Please note that my previous Abergynolwyn address no longer applies. My current addresses are given here. J.R.
The Grail Trust Home is in Chinnammalpuam, a small Village in the very south of India. It was opened in 1996 with about 50 boys. In August 2001 about 30 girls were added to the numbers. |
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Picture galleries |
Rameshkannan A good job I first met Rameshkannan two years ago when he was in his final year. I saw him again when he visited the home in January this year. He looked very smart and proudly showed me his certificates. He had distinction in typing and computer studies (these were the skill-training courses he chose to study after completing his schooling.) Now he has a good job in Madras working for a firm which prints high security materials such as cheque books and postage stamps. He is earning a good wage and often works nights and overtime. He is able to send half his monthly earnings home to help his family who are very poor. D.B. |
Girls move in On 15th August 2001 about thirty girls moved to the new building at the Grail Trust Home, Chinnammalpuram. The opening ceremony took place at 5 pm, and I went to fetch the girls earlier in the afternoon. There was great excitement as they collected all their possessions and boarded the minibus. At the Grail Trust Home, everything was freshly painted and neat and tidy for the big occasion. The girls wore jasmine in their hair and wonderful smiles on their faces. The opening involved unveiling a plaque, saying prayers, cutting a ribbon, boiling a pot of milk over (this signifies a blessing pouring out onto the building), making crosses on the walls and much celebration. The girls moved in straight away and then enjoyed a special meal in the dining hall. It was a great privilege and joy to be there and share the excitement. I returned in January this year to see how they had settled in and I was amazed to find how happy, self-assured and confident they all seemed to be. They are flourishing and doing well at school. Looking through the records of each child I saw details which told me "father dead", "mother dead", low monthly family income, father ill and cannot work etc. It is difficult to imagine the hard times that some of these children have been through. Yet they seem so normal. I feel full of admiration for the children, but also for Jonathan, the staff at the home and all who through their generous support have made this wonderful venture possible. So, a heartfelt thank you to all our supporters and please keep up the good work. David Bryant (Chairman) |
