Hello Friends of New Hope, It’s been a while since I wrote a newsletter. That’s because I have felt a bit down and I know why. In February I was to take my annual trip to New Hope India, and my partner Allan was coming with me.I was so looking forward to it as Allan hadn’t been to New Hope with me for 4 years. Allan is also Chairman of Friends of New Hope Australia so it was important that he see the changes too. Unfortunately Allan badly damaged his left shoulder,  had surgery and is fine now, we are planning to go for Christmas and the way the year is rushing by, it will be here in no time. But it has left me with a feeling of ‘missing out’ which is ridiculous really because New Hope in Indian is very well organized with the work. I have been going to New Hope for 23 years and the problem is, because Staff, Patients and Children are like my Indian family now, so I’m missing them. One of the main things that we have accomplished in Australia was being passed by Aus Aid and the Taxation Department to be TAX DEDUCTIBLE. We are hoping now that business people and you our supporters will have tax relief when donating to us.

Child Sponsorship has always been important and with Education being the greatest gift that we give to our children, I had hoped sponsorship would be better than it is.I knowit’s easy to be swayed emotionally when you see the big organization’s on TV with their emotive adverts. The thing is, we don’t want to spend money like that for Sponsorship because it means the child won’t get the full sponsorship amount. That’s something we pride ourselves on. All sponsorships with us get 98% of that money for them, as we all volunteer our time and pay our own way, no allowances.2% is for simple administration, a cost that is inevitable. Next time you are thinking of sponsorship and what it means to a child, please come to our website and sponsor.

That’s something we pride ourselves on. All sponsorships with us get 98% of that money for them, as we all volunteer our time and pay our own way, no allowances.2% is for simple administration, a cost that is inevitable. Next time you are thinking of sponsorship and what it means to a child, please come to our website and sponsor.

In India Eliazar (Indian Director) has been busy as usual. He never stops doing, thinking and acting for his patients,the children and everyone that comes for care or help. Eliazar is inspirational to all he meets. He and Ruth are also very impressed that their daughter Honey is taking an administration responsibility at our new school. Honey has been working in Dubai, for some years and in that time learnt many skills that make her perfect for this position.

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We supported three senior girls to Nursing and all qualified and Pavani has decided to work with us both in the Hospice for the HIV children and also in Muniguda every month for a few days when the Cataract eye surgery is going on. The surgeons do on average 30 patients at one time and we have been doing 60 to 90 a month this year. Pavani is still ‘recovering’ from the incredible surprise for her, of meeting the man whose family had sponsored her Training. Michael Avery who we think of as ‘the keeper of the website’ made a short but memorable visit and by seeing all the pictures he had been dealing with on the website ‘came to life’ in his visit. The Cataract eye surgery is all sponsored, and I smile when I think that the dear old folks who ‘suddenly see again’ have had it all paid for ordinary people like us around Australia. The funds we raise go to all kinds of projects. New Hope is a well run organisation that has externally audited accounts – every nut and bolt so to speak is accounted for .When funds are donated it enables us so to fix a pump, buy a wheel chair, purchase second line HIV drugs, fix a motorbike that a Paramedic uses, repair the bathroom doors on the aged leprosy patients home – endless and almost mind boggling what we see done with the donations.
I would like to thank the friends from different places across Australia for holding ‘morning tea’ fund raisers for the cataract eye surgery projectand for the Tribal women nutritional programme that targets pregnant women aiming to reduce child low weight births that is the main cause of infant mortality in their community. One thing is clear we need to go on doing everything to help these women as it has long term repercussions on the number of pregnancies they have due to the loss of a baby. In all throughout the Tribal villages, New Hope has visited and helped over 500,000 people. Isn’t that amazing?
I have said many times that we can’t improve their poverty but we can improve their quality of life.

Rohini- RIP, The senior Citizen of New Hope Muniguda.

In 1995 when we were working independently through the Government of Orissa permission to eradicate leprosy we covered 2,500 villages, most were remote, in hills and forested area with no roads. One pioneered area of eradication of leprosy and immunization of women and children is called Raghubari. FIOH and New Hope Rural Community trust helped fund the construction of a First Aid Centre and Community Centre. Rotary assisted in us putting in a Solar, then rare vaccination ice box. Mr. P. K. Patro who is still with us kept reporting a man who was living in a tree branch hut at the end of a path in the furthers village. The man already grossly deformed had been evicted form his village. He lived by village people putting food scraps in a pot which he was permitted to collect only in the nights as seeing him would be ‘bad luck’. After being told by many villages in the area that we could not take water from their wells as we too were contaminated by working with leprosy patients we all became more and more determined that the ‘man at the end of the path’ would be convinced to take medication and also be encouraged to come and stay at our Community Centre. It took a lot of everything and eventually he started treatment, was declared negative and then left his hut and came to stay with us at the Community Centre in Muniguda. In Raghubari area where all this happened, years and dates and age have no meaning. You either lived to be married or died and then you lived to see you’re your own children born to live or die. No event ever took place in Raghubari that would let you say ‘I remember this or that” – The first date was established by us – starting a Clinic. There was a path up through the hills to the plateau and we kept widening it and making it a little easier because of our long time volunteer Maggie sister who kept encouraging us to make it more accessible for women to come down to the Government Hospital or to market, and so the Maggie Track started.

Over the last two years his care was given from the Rotary Club of Midland, as are all of the Aged Leprosy Affected in the Custodial Care Centre were – Thank you.

 

He recently passed away peacefully in his sleep.

He lived the last 15 years with a better quality of life, more services than even 90% of the population in Raghubari – which still has a high Infant Mortality rate, but NO leprosy. Sadly malaria is a major killer. Rohini was grossly deformed and always made us aware in those days that ‘early treatment prevents deformities’ – He rarely complained, mostly smiled and laughed everyday at something and was respected by everyone and certainly loved by the children in Nameste House as he was a great teller of forest stories. Age unknown – but very old!

We will always have a wish list as New Hope is about improving and maintaining a quality life for all our patients and the children.

1. THE $500 WISH LIST

We have planned well and have grass well organized ready to get a new COW to increase the milk for children, especially the HIV.

We are coming close to break even with our POULTRY project. If we had a donation it would been we had the cash flow to sell the non laying hens and take in new chickens. Its easy to manage if we had the funds to turn over the programme.

4. PROTECTIVE FOOTWEAR for LEPROSY PATIENTS 
Whenever I visit a Leprosy Colony, usually with Eliazar – I see the Cobbler fitting specially made protective sandals. I have known the cobbler since he was a child at Nameste House. His legs grossly deformed by Pilio – (now eradicated.) Now married with 2 children Bhakti was trained for the job and he does it well. I still feel sad when I see these older children, now grown up of course, but sadly deformed by Polio. I think of the many times I would go with the Health Team uo to a Place called Raghubari. It was a path through the hills and forest. There is still a sign ‘The Maggie Track’ – but now not a bad road like out the back of Broome.

5. CATARACT EYE SURGERY
If I am still volunteering for New Hope when I am 90 – we will still be asking for money for cataract eye surgery! The situation is that sad and that bad. We are in contact with more than 2,000 leprosy patients all aged or aging and New Hope is their only chance in 9 out of 10 cases for getting the simple operation. The number of aged poverty line Tribals will be ongoing for at least the next 20 years as the ‘fall behind statistic means there are always 4% aged blind with cataract. Without a charitable organization like us the problem will never be resolved. The Government knows the problem and is thankful for what we achieve in helping them. New Hope is a Government recognized Hospital. The Surgeons come from Government hospital to operate. In the simplest terms – we are restoring vision Its simply needs $50.

6. The TEN and TWENTY DOLLAR wish list.
New Hope India still amazes me with what they do with $10 and $20 dollars – I even feel embarrassed when I see how little I get today with even $20 when I go shopping – and yet with the exchange rate difference and Eliazar and Ruth careful buying – well it amazes. 2 Bedsheets, thick cotton long lasting $10.. Everyday reasonable quality rice for children or aged leprosy patients – or to supply food to two aged homelsss people who live ‘squat’ in the New Hope Bus Shelter $10 gets 25kg. To supply 25 rural Tribal women in the hills a Safe Delivery Kit to help reduce Infant Mortality Rates $20. All children need footwear in the Homes and Care Centres – It not fashion but a need to help cut back on parasites (hookwork=msthat feed on the childrens blood in the stomach) $20 – gives 5 pairs of sandals.
If you made a PayPal or Bank Order for $10 a month – a girl would get education that will change her future life and the family she will eventually have. $20 given every month would simply ensure that 12 aged leprosy patients got a care pack that we call a Bundle of Love. OR – If you would like to give any amount at all and would like to tell us how.

• $10 2 Bedsheets for Aged Leprosy Patients or HIV+ Children
• $10 25 Kg of Rice or 6 litre cooking oil or 6 kilo of a legume for protein
• $20 Safe Delivery Kits for 25 women in a rural tribal village
• $20 Children’s Footwear – Sandals for 5 girls

Thank you all for all that you do in supporting New Hope, we appreciate every donation, prayers and thoughts that you show to us.

Maggie Sister.

Ps Don’t forget that I love to talk about New Hope and have been visiting clubs, churches and women’s groups for many years. It is not a fund raising talk, but a sharing with you my passion for New Hope India. This is a great way to spread the word about New Hope and I’m told that people enjoy it and my sense of humour. Please contact me via email here.