| Dear Friends |
December 2006
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| Two of our small children have died despite all our efforts, from this nightmare called HIV/AIDS. One girl was eight years old; the boy-child was two. Both had lost their parents because of this incurable disease. Both were the only children of their parents who came to us abandoned into our care, unwanted by their relatives. Two families completely wiped out. This kind of not uncommon tragedy should be the concern of all who care about children. This now makes nine of our children who have died from AIDS because they came to us too late and we could do nothing to arrest the progress of this very difficult disease |
| Two other little ones have recently come into one of our Children’s Villages, two brothers, who are a growing concern because they are both so weak, so emaciated. Both cases of HIV+. One is a baby who refuses to be parted even for a minute from the six-year old brother. I look at them both with one of our warmly caring “mothers” and wonder whether I will have to send them soon to the AIDS hospice half an hour away, for very ill people. |
| We have seven children there now. We have now moved all the HIV positive children in the four Children’s Villages to the new Children’s Village where I stay and where we have a resident nurse. There are now around 50 such children in this beautiful place and altogether, with others in need, there are 190 children in this family-care village, most of them AIDS orphans or soon-to-be orphans. |
| Our Children’s Villages, all four of them, are often on the verge of overflowing with the constant demand for admissions. This is more so with the AIDS/HIV epidemic. We have a State-wide reputation for accepting AIDS affected children and for integrating them in all our programmes, as well as giving them superior medical care. We have reached the stage where there will be a need for yet another Children’s Village. We are very hesitant to go through all the process of buying land, building and providing all facilities and staffing. It can be done but we need to look at continuity, maintaining the best possible standards of care and ongoing financing |
| Home Sponsorship Programme
So we started a satisfactory alternative for families not affected by HIV/AIDS. The children who apply for admission and who could classify as candidates for a Children’s Village, but whose relatives could cope if we gave some financial assistance, will be recommended for Home Sponsorship support. This will then be passed on to our various social workers and community development staff, who will make a visit to the family and do a survey. We will assist only those children who continue to go to school in their area.
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| Constant monitoring is done and each month the parent(s) will come for a full day to the RTU complex for sharing and counselling. Each family must maintain an account of how they use the money. Schools will be visited to check on the children. Misuse of finance means the beneficiary will lose further help. For one and two children in a family we give Rs.500 (£6, $11, €9) per month, for three Rs.750 (£9, $17, €13), for four we give Rs.1000 (£12, $22, €18). We also provide all school needs, and clothes occasionally - especially at the beginning of the school year. |
| By this system:
1. The children are not in danger of neglect or hardship.
2. The children can go to school instead of having to work.
3. The whole family benefits.
4. The children remain as long as possible at home with their family.
Presently there are 176 families on this programme. But there is an increase from month to month. The total number of children who benefit is about 500.
I wish to emphasize that normally these children would have been admitted to one of our Children’s Villages. There are enough children now on this programme for a couple of Children’s Villages. We do not have a fixed source of funding for this programme, but somehow we manage each month. |
| HIV+ Home Sponsorship Programme
This is parallel to the Home Sponsorship Programme but takes care of children affected by AIDS. It is quite separate from the Home Sponsorship Programme but is run on similar lines. It is aimed at those families who are HIV+ and who are unable to cope financially due to their sickness. In most of these families the mother remains as a widow, the husband having died from AIDS.
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| These women are often quite ill themselves and are unable to work in order to support the children. They are often also harshly treated by neighbours and relatives. The children will also find it hard to gain admission to schools, etc. The amounts paid are the same as in the Home Sponsorship Programme and the beneficiaries also meet monthly though separately, and have full access to medical care.
There are 60 families on this programme, mostly widows, and the average number of children per family is about 3. That also makes enough children to form yet another Children’s Village which we do not want at present.
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| One result of this outreach is that suicides of HIV+ patients have stopped, in the area we cover. When a widow is left who is also HIV+, life can become extremely difficult, and suicides were common enough. We make it clear that we will take care of the children should the remaining parent (always the mother) no longer be able to cope. This has already happened and we have also given a refuge to five AIDS affected women.
“Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to me” (Jesus Christ). |
| I was made very aware of this when a six-day old baby girl was brought to us by her mother. Six days of age is a terribly young age to be dumped merely because the father orders the mother to get rid of the baby in any way at all and not to come back with the child. I knew then that in this baby Jesus Himself was once again, as so often before, coming into our care. She now has a new mother and loving brothers and sisters. |
| Every day in our work is Christmas Day. We wish you all blessings at this season and offer our deep gratitude for all your concern and help. |
| I wish to introduce to you our Mr. Gomathymurugan who is now the Director of Reaching the Unreached. He has now assumed most of the overall responsibilities for running the very large and complex NGO (non-Government Organisation). This relieves me of a considerable amount of work and leaves me mostly to keep an eye on our four Children’s Villages.... |
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| Greetings!
I am a family man belonging to the deep South of Tamil Nadu. Since 1989 I have been in the Social Service field. Prior to my association with RTU, I had my own computer business at Chennai and was also a freelance computer consultant especially to Social Service Institutions. I was astonished on my first visit to RTU in June 2001. Since then I have been working with Brother James Kimpton. At RTU every day we have interesting challenges. I have improved my love for the poor under the gentle guidance of Brother James. RTU is a multi-religious and large organisation; we learn from Brother to see things in minute detail. We will put our honest efforts to keep the current quality for ever, in the philosophy of Reaching the Unreached.
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It is my pride to be part of RTU. I pray for God’s blessing for sound decision-making, for the continued betterment of RTU, and for all its well wishers.
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With warm regards, Gomathymurugan
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...Mr. Gomathymurugan has had wide experience in similar fields of development and he is an astute and accomplished expert in financial controls. He has been with us since 2001 and it is my hope that eventually he will run the whole show.
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| Cordially yours, |
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| Brother James
Kimpton |
