Reaching the Unreached
 
UK Tel : 01434 634571
Registered Charity No: 1091295
 
 

 

 

 

Explore our site using the links above (on every page), and the list below on this page.

 

See 'Latest Report'  below right to read about the experiences of Chitradevi and other young people living in RTU's hostels.

 

Download Bro James' latest photos and responses to the dreadful housing he is finding in villages near Bodi.

 

 EXTRA LINKS

   LATEST information

   Resources

     (including our DVD)

   Our latest A4 poster          (Mar 2012 - download)

   Making a donation

   Latest 'Newsletter'

     (Mar 2012 - download)

   Latest 'UK News'

     (Dec 2011 - download)

   Links to other sites

 

       

        Make a donation now Click on the Justgiving logo >

Donate from your UK mobile phone

Just text RTUW11 £10 (Or RTUW11 £1, £2, £3, £4 or £5) to 70070. You will only be charged the cost of your donation. (If you want to give more just send several texts!)

Group of UK supporters visit Kallupatti and see the work of RTU

For the first time ever, we ran a trip to India for supporters in February. Almost a week at RTU - seeing Chidren's Villages and other work in the surrounding area - was combined with visits to the temple city of Madurai, and the hills and wildlife area of Thekkady.

Local women attending a sewing course

One traveller wrote "It was an experience of a lifetime and will remain an influence on the rest of my life for sure, thank you again!"

Preparing lunch for school children and others  - a total of 1500 - in the RTU kitchens

Two of our trustees led the trip, and one Dr James Playfair, got a report into his local newspaper - click here.

We plan to run another trip next year. So watch this space, or if you want to register an interest, why not send us an email?

David Clark raised over £1200

As the 1972 Olympic marathon gold medallist Frank Shorter said: ‘You have to forget your last marathon before you try another.  Your mind can’t know what’s coming.’ I feel this quote is quite apt for an amateur runner like me.  I had run two marathons in the past - but I had forgotten the level and duration of pain I experienced.  I thought it was about time I got back into running and so I entered the Edinburgh Marathon in May 2011, to raise money for Reaching the Unreached.

I have been fortunate enough to have visited RTU on two occasions.  The first time was as a member of a Lasallian Developing World Project team in 2006, and I returned again by myself in 2008.  The experiences I had visiting RTU were truly inspiring.  I was able to witness firsthand the great impact it has on the local community in G. Kallupatti and even further afield in Theni District (in south India).

26.2 miles (can’t forget the last 385 yards/0.2) is an achievable distance for anyone capable of putting in the training.  For me that was about 6 months of training, with four months of intense work to ensure I could cover the distance.  It isn’t easy to describe what it is like to run a marathon – it is a mixture of elation and pain if I’m being honest.  Leading up to the day I was really nervous and could hardly stomach my dinner the night before; but the event for the most part was quite enjoyable.  However as many a runner has told me, there are two halves to a marathon – the first 20 miles, and the last six.  All was going well in Edinburgh until the race turned back on the coast road with just under 9 miles to go.  A strong head wind hit me at the worst possible point, and I hit the wall as predicted at around the 20 mile mark.  (‘The wall’ is a term used to describe the sensation when you have burned all your stores of glycogen and you experience sudden fatigue.)  Unfortunately I lost a minute per mile off my target pace and finished in a time of 3 hours 16 minutes and 3 seconds (no personal best this time).  The miles seem to get longer as the race goes on, but I was glad to be finished and to have raised money for RTU.

Thanks to everyone who has supported and sponsored me.  The total raised was £1246.20 (roughly £1555 once gift aid is added on).  If anyone would still like to sponsor me they can do so online at www.justgiving.com/davidclarkrtu

 

A rig strikes water

...after drilling through hundreds of feet of granite, in Renganathapuram. Read more in our latest Newsletter here.

A retired schoolteacher from Wales...

...makes friends with children, mothers and teachers at RTU's Higher Secondary School. Read here about her most memorable experiences, as reported in our March 2011 Newsletter

REMEMBER RTU IN YOUR WILL.  A legacy is a wonderful way of continuing your support for RTU on into the future. Click here to download our 'Leaving a Legacy' leaflet.  If you have a concern that preparing a will can be very expensive, take a look at this website: www.totallyfreewills.co.uk

The film 'Land of Hope' is a moving introduction to life in RTU's children's villages. View the opening section below, then the whole film can be viewed on YouTube in 4 parts. Click here to view Part 1. You can also request a copy of the DVD from the UK office. 
Read an article about RTU that appeared in this Indian paper - published in Bangalore. Click here to view.
 
   

Welcome!

Reaching the Unreached is a registered UK charity, set up to support work amongst orphaned children and poor villagers is a small area north-west of Madurai in India's southernmost state of Tamil Nadu.

 
    The organisation in south India is run by a local Board and Indian management team. RTU was founded in 1975 by Brother James Kimpton who - now in his mid-eighties - is still actively involved with the work as President of RTU in India.  Read more  
   

Here in the UK, we aim to tell more people about the life-changing activities in India, and raise financial support to enable the work to continue and develop.

 
     
   

 

Look round our website to find out more, for example click here to read about the Children's Villages where hundreds of orphaned or abandoned children live. Or use the links across the top of the page! 

 
     

Read our quarterly Newsletter to get a glimpse of what is happening in this corner of India, and what RTU is doing to make a difference. Download the latest edition here in pdf format, or register to receive it each quarter by email and we will automatically send you the latest edition. Our latest 'UK News and Views' can be downloaded by clicking here.  

 
   

Since it started RTU has built over 7800 decent homes for the poorest village families. In 2010 alone, more than 160 houses were completed in 16 villages.

 

 
   

Report

In our March Newsletter, you can read about life in RTU's hostels for their older children - teenagers up to the age eighteen, when they go off to study for professional or other qualifications.  Chitradevi (see her picture above) writes: "Good morning. At home I have my mother with my two sisters.  My elder sister and I joined RTU in 2001.  In the beginning I was in Miriam Children's Village. The mothers and the managers there played a very significant role in the healthy growth of my life.  I just enjoyed my stay there with so many companions and friends.   Then I moved to the Hostel.  The care of the mother (warden) in the Hostel should be placed on record.  Her care and the love my companions gave helped me study well in school.  I sincerely thank RTU, and all the staff who work here.  

You can read about how RTU Hostels are run, as well as more personal stories from the young people and the 'warden-mothers', by downloading our March Newsletter.

 

"Our aim is to make the young people more self-dependent..."

RTU has six hostels - four for girls and two for boys, with 250 young people growing up there.

More than 40% of RTU's costs are provided by donors in the UK.

Thank you.

 
 
 
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