NEW HOPE INDIA SUPPORTER UPDATE – JUNE 2024

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Greetings!

We’re at the end of a very hot summer with record heat (you don’t feel the heat when you see the mangoes ripening – Kothavalasa children’s thinking!).

The last three months have simply been ‘busy’, implementing projects and seriously checking on the senior students’ studies, as many have now finished important exam levels that will guide their futures.

It was not ‘all work and no play’ though. In the middle of an extremely hot summer we had two ‘cool’ days and – with exams over – they all ‘pushed’ to go to the zoo. It’s been several years since they all went. Bhavana, ‘a little girl then’, did not go but she has now been for the first time, as has U Sai. Both were amazed to see how tall a giraffe really is. They had a picnic lunch in the shade and returned exhausted physically and mentally, but happy!

Thank you for all who are caring for our work – our goal is to work for change. Write to newhopeindia@live.com or visit New Hope Australia’s website or Facebook page, links at the bottom of the page.

Eliazar T Rose
Director, New Hope India

 



CARE AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT

We are now waiting for more final exam results for our senior girls. Two are interested in Nursing careers but exam marks and competition for the entrance exam is very difficult.

The GOOD NEWS is that Nandini has done very well in learning the difficult work of being an Ophthalmic Technician, to the point of being able to examine and prescribe glasses for vision. She was able to ‘work-learn’ at the renowned LV Prasad Eye Institute, with whom we have connections and has just passed an entrance exam to be able to study in nearby Vizianagaram for a B.Sc – Ophthalmology Degree. It’s a three-year course and will mean a Government job. Those who hold this position in the Health Department of the State go into villages and to urban town areas managing free eye examinations for people.

It is difficult to write about how well these ‘girls’ – now young people – have come to this point of education without us remembering where they came from, backgrounds that are sadly almost too difficult to comprehend.


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Raju and Venkatesh (below) have been at different agriculture colleges for their fifth-year colleges, for two years.

The focus is on agricultural orientated subjects. They are both now going for two months of tutoring/coaching to sit for an entrance exam to study B.Sc – Agriculture with a scholarship.

 




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Our two Rainbow senior boys, Rudropathy and Prasanto (left), both did very well – 773 and 729 marks.

They are now trying to decide their Vocational Training options. Both are interested in Diesel Mechanic training but it is difficult to get into. At the same time, both are interested in computers! We are giving them the options!

 



NAMASTE HOUSE – CHALLENGED YOUNG PEOPLE

It all sounds like Kothavalasa is full of activity – AND IT IS – but don’t think that Muniguda is quiet!

I have been in Muniguda on and off for the past three months – still unhappy that it is so hard to find experienced people to work in the field nowadays. Muniguda is still a small town – and our District Centre, Rayagada, has grown and takes most young people who have finished basic upper high school studies. We are fortunate that we have good childcare women for our Namaste House seniors.  

We have been given funds for new wheelchairs and protective footwear. The footwear is a must now as when they go out, with their disabilities, many have been hurting their feet. Added to the reality that even though they are watched carefully, they do wander out in the summer sun and the ground is simply hot – too hot to walk on without footwear.


Several months ago, the Government Medical Department asked us to bring all the Namaste House ‘children’ in for medical check-ups – something they should be doing annually and from our Centre (the situation that has been rectified for next time)!

Many who have visited Muniguda will have met Sakuntala who started as one of the first three Health Workers in 1996! She is now Shire Vice Chairperson and ensures that ‘her’ Namaste House family are given attention when needed

THEY ALL VOTED

We had just formed New Hope and with the words ‘Leprosy’ and ‘Rural’ – but on my first visit to Muniguda checking as to why there were so many leprosy-affected persons in that area, I saw a girl crippled with Polio crawling across a muddy road after a sudden rain storm.

That is when we became what we call a ‘horizontal’ working organization. Not a ‘single’ subject, single object work. This helps explain how incredibly happy all our Trustees are with the reality of seeing senior girls VOTE. At that time 1985, not one of the wives of our Trustees voted. It was a ‘thing’ across India – women didn’t vote and yet we had a woman Prime Minister – India!
 
This month has been a rather mixed one. Seniors have sat final exams and 90 per cent have done extremely well, and only one needs to sit for one subject to pass. I can say that the exams were very challenging as agreed by our senior Teacher here who tutors students with us.   

This was a major time of activity. The joy however was something different. Our senior girls (18-plus) all had the Voters Cards, and all voted at the State Election. It’s a dream come true for the Trustees and especially Ruth. The girls had political discussions and no one asked what they favoured in what party and policy. It was like a very real individual vote of their choice. The long-term effect of them voting is the big picture. 

When Ruth and I married there was no concept of a woman – a wife – voting. It was a very, very male thing. When we moved to Muniguda it was one of the first and important things – Ruth received a Voters Identity, and this meant that the three then-senior Health Workers also received Voters cards. The three of them were the first Tribal women to vote in Muniguda/Rayagada District. The Voter Card became a key to them having an identity to join in a Self Help Savings Group promoted by New Hope, and the women were able to open bank accounts in their name. It was a bit hard for the Bank Manager to accept the concept of women in the bank depositing small amounts!

LOVE BUNDLES

This year we are truly indebted to so many, especially Friends of New Hope Broome, for the support to give Love Bundles to people living in leprosy colonies.

Post covid we have seen several widowed, poverty-line women with one or two children come to several of the colonies. Rejected when they became widowed – a throwback to superstition sadly – I sometimes think of it as a ‘Widow’s Mite’ situation.

Together with funds from so many supporters in Australia, we reached out to more colonies than ever. A number of colonies are close to us now – what is an expanding town (whereas when we started in these colonies they were on the far extreme outskirts of any town). Business people are giving more meals in several places – but the concept of giving what you all know as a Love Bundle is not in business people’s minds. The act is good – giving a meal – but the intention is often for their own ‘giving’ sense and that is different to giving because the recipients, aged leprosy persons, need it regularly not haphazardly! 

Much of the Love Bundle distribution was done for many years by the late Nana Sahib who was ‘righthand’ to Maggie Sister when she was here volunteering. This work is now done by his widow, Teba Bhag, and son Anil. For Broome people, giving at Jhan Jhur Colony is a little special as this was the main workplace for Maggie Sister. What we call Hiracud Colony, together with Jhan Jhur, is now on our website for giving meals. It has become a priority due to the more aged and disabled people in colonies.

Thank you for your time, if you have any questions please write to newhopeindia@live.com.

Sincerely,

Eliazar T Rose




This man was in Jhan Jhur when Maggie Sister started her first leprosy colony visits. Anil (above and above left with Ramu) is the son of our late Para-medical Worker Nana Sahib, who accompanied Maggie on her visits. Anil (and Ramu) have taken responsibility for all the Sambalpur District Colonies where we give medical and social care. 

FEB 2024

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BACK TO HOME

NEW HOPE INDIASUPPORTER UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2024

New Hope Rural Leprosy Trust – working for change, reaching out with care and education.

For me as the Director and speaking for the New Hope Trustees and Staff, the Facebook picture alongside from Deanne, Friends of New Hope Australia’s Secretary, says it all.This India – Australia friendship will have been sustained for 20 years in October. It cannot be measured in individual achievements but by the simple fact that it reaches out and has impacts that are at times truly unimaginable – even for me. The words ‘leprosy’, ‘education’ and ‘disability’ are part of New Hope Trustee’s own life experiences. Eliazar T RoseDirector, New Hope India

CARE AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT

We are so thankful to all who through sponsorship make care and education of the children and young people with us possible.
Raju (right) who came to us as a baby with impaired vision, is now at college. Sunitha with a background that cannot be expressed in truth – it’s all behind her now, her goal is to study Nursing at college.

The journey of life for all of these young people did not start with a smooth path. Beverley Selten, Friends of New Hope Australia’s Chairperson (pictured left with Sunitha) learnt this again on her last visit.

NAMASTE HOUSE, MUNIGUDA

Namaste House is home for our challenged young people.The old photo above was like the symbol of Namaste House. The children, when first seen by our late Maggie sister, devastated her. The house and children were one of her first fund raisers.Funds were raised for corrective surgery in Visakhapatnam. Then through a Rotarian friend, funds were raised for the first ever vaccination storage facility in Odisha – a solar powered freezer for polio vaccines – as was the need in those days. We had long eradicated it prior to India being ‘Polio Free’.During all of this we also accepted – out of sheer compassion – children with serious challenges. So challenged that many families literally just abandoned them.

Limma 

Limma came to us as a ‘nothing boy’, abandoned – in real terms – and was given to us as a ‘burden’. Yet he adjusted, slowly coping with his situation. The woman who really ‘made him’, his Care Person, gave up her own family time for many years.

Chikki

Some might say Chikki exists in her own self but in real terms she has far more ‘going on’ than the casual observer sees. Recently, her long time sponsor sent some gifts (thank you Michael). From being with her we understood she comprehended.

UPGRADED WATER SYSTEM

New Hope suffered at many different levels during and as a result of Covid, as well as two extremely hot summers. Our green projects simply deteriorated and staffing was a serious problem.At the bottom of it all was the stress of not having our water system in order as it had previously been. However now, through a generous donor, we have come to a point where we will be back to being far more self-sufficient short and long term. Tony Selten (pictured below), a regular long time visitor (with his wife Beverley) put it all in order. We will never face the water storage issues and impact of a lack of workers with the irrigation system Tony has installed. Tony involved all of the senior boys and there is no doubt that they learnt – from hands on work – skills that will stay with them. Simple skills to make minor repairs is really not embedded in our society. Few families or homes have basic tools for minor repairs. The concept of ‘handy person’ is not there but our seniors now have seen and learnt so much.

LIFE-CHANGING BICYCLES

Since our last newsletter, we have been able to gift three bicycles to senior students. These bikes improve student’s and other’s day to day life. The ‘Milk Boy’ bike is used by whoever takes our morning surplus milk to the nearby Milk Depot.

Side note: a well known New Hope child to all visitors, Vasu was accepted into a mini village Vet Course by the recognised Visakaka Dairy Institute (and despite having a speech impediment, he passed fifth year high school).Vamsi lives and cares for his aged Gran, who is blind and, at 85 years (or so), ‘too old’ to have cataract eye surgery. He saves three hours and Rs150 a day in getting to College.

Ram works in the early morning grazing neighbours goats, before walking or hitching rides to junior College. He now rides a bike to and from home, where he lives with his Grandmother.This care for young people at home is the responsibility of Ramu, our in the city in charge.To all who gave funds for bicycles – thank you.

NURSING TRAINING – THE BEGINNING

When New Hope made the move from Jeevan Jyothi Home in Vizianagaram to Kothavalasa there was a separate room for a group of 10th Class students. In those days, circa 2008, 10th Class was almost the ultimate level of education due to the social and financial situation of many families. Our 10th Class had many students who were from leprosy colony backgrounds.

If I say that today it is difficult to get girls into Nursing with a scholarship at a Government District Hospital – it’s nothing compared to back when we started. The girls needed much more than just a good mark – with exams and tests that were hard to imagine.
Two women, Maggie Sister from Australia and Elizabeth Toon from the United Kingdom, gave and raised funds many times to ensure that funds were made available for senior girls wishing to become nurses.
Now, motivated by many factors including recent fundraising events such as the Christmas markets in Broome (see below), we are marking funds for Nursing Scholarships. These funds will ensure we are ready for the always hoped for ‘accepted for nursing’ letter. When a senior girl gets this letter, New Hope have (like all selected for the year by the Government) 24 hours to be ready, including with fees, uniforms and certified certificates.
In 2023 we have been so fortunate to have two seniors admitted. There are now three nurses in training, including Parvithra who is doing a Primary Health Care course; Renuka who has now completed and is waiting appointment; and Babi who completed her course and is engaged in employment. Babi is also enrolled for higher Nursing skills (Bachelor of Nursing). All require financial assistance.
The situation has changed a lot as of 2024 but it is still not an easy admission. More girls are educated in reality and so the number of applicants increase, maybe four fold.
Would you like to give towards supporting nursing scholarships? Contact newhopeindia@live.com

BROOME SIP AND SHOP CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Funds raised by the Broome Sip and Shop Christmas Markets in its second year allowed New Hope to supply many more Love Bundles to those with great need. Love Bundles not only meet the immediate needs of people but show love. As the event was so successful, New Hope has been able to implement the Maggie Sister Nursing Fund for our young women pursing nursing careers. Thank you Broome!Maggie lived in Broome for many years and it’s a tribute to her and her community that this fund be set up in her name. Maggie’s work with New Hope, in leprosy colonies, with children disabled by polio and others, earnt her an OAM. Her dream and vision was for senior girls to have an opportunity to become nurses. The many thanks include Lisa and Craig Spicer for their organization of the event, and Ian McConnell for donating an artwork for use in fundraising.