| Dear Friends |
March 2009
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| David and Jo Cassidy, retired trustees of RTU-UK but still very actively involved with the work, visited Kallupatti for the 8th time earlier this year. So I am handing over my pen to David for this edition of The Newsletter… |
| Hardly had we departed these shores at the very end of January when we learnt that you were enduring the season of snow and ice while we were just getting used to temperatures of 85 degrees! |
| From outside our visitors’ quarters at RTU, at 8.45am I witnessed daily the children of Anbu Illam, the first Children’s Village, gathering for the short walk of 350 yards to the main RTU campus and school. They formed up in their groups, the youngest first, and prior to moving off one of the mothers always held a short assembly. Every day, from the little ones upwards, they walked two by two, laughing, chattering, full of expectancy, for another day at school. This is what RTU is all about: the children. Remember, all these children are either orphaned or have lost a parent - often through HIV/AIDS - or have been thrown out to fend for themselves, or have even - in the case of baby girls - been saved from female infanticide. |
| Being a retired teacher I was very interested to see for myself the new system of learning in RTU schools, funded by the Indian Government and adopted at RTU about two years ago. I visited St Peter’s primary school on our main Kallupatti site, another primary school called Arumalar in the neighbouring village, and also the children in our school at Bodi, some 60km away. Altogether I must have viewed some 300 to 500 children at their lessons. The system is based on work cards, with examples of arithmetic, English, science, and general knowledge. It allows the children to study on their own at their own pace, so the brightest are not held back and the teacher is always free to give special help to those who require it. All work is marked before the children can move on. I was very struck by the children’s high sense of discipline, and the work standard to which they applied themselves; and their quality of writing and numeracy was of a very high standard. Both the children and the teachers have engaged themselves 100% with this method and it bodes very well for the children’s future. |
| Lastly, while still on the RTU main campus, I must mention the crèche for infant children. There must have been about 30 of them, boys and girls dressed in different colours. They looked a picture of joy and contentment, with appealing eyes and joyful smiles, especially at lunchtime; and with obvious curiosity at us, the visitors. There are four other such centres here and there in the area. |
| Since RTU has been involved with the scourge of HIV/AIDS and what it can do about it, a new village family sponsorship programme has been initiated. The social welfare department of RTU visits local villages and checks the families affected by parents with AIDS who for health or other reasons cannot obtain work. As a result the child or children of the family stop going to school in order that they can try and earn some money. After careful research the families affected in this way are assessed by RTU staff and in varying amounts they are granted sponsorship so that they can fund the necessities of life, on condition that the children attend school. Their medical needs are also catered for. Expensive though this is it is by far the most effective method of aiding the families and ensuring the children continue their education. At present over 200 families are being helped in this way. We attended the inaugural meeting for about 60 such children (where possible with a parent) when they agreed to the sponsorship conditions, and then were each measured for a school uniform! Such is the generosity and thoughtfulness of RTU. |
| I can’t leave the campus without mentioning RTU’s work for old people, some 375 of whom currently receive weekly assistance and are even housed, or live in special areas where RTU can ensure their health and well-being. About 30 of the most old and infirm who are unable to fend for themselves, gather daily on the campus outside the kitchens which cook for St Peters’ School, awaiting a midday meal. Many of these old people would die in the gutter without the help they receive from Reaching the Unreached. |
| A last highlight among so many memories was a visit to a village about 15km from Kallupatti called Endapuli, and its inhabitants - among the poorest of people. We were to join in their celebration for the 5 years this village people had engaged in the ‘sangams’ (self-help groups) scheme. The sangam refers to their own efforts to save small amounts of money regularly, which can then be matched with a loan from RTU. This enables an individual to make a purchase - for example a cow to provide their family with milk and enough to sell to provide an income - and also to repay the loan from the sangam. This scheme is very successful in over 28 villages, and is generally run by the women. In Endapuli there is also an evening tuition centre which enables children and adults of the village to improve their education. The cultural programme of singing and dancing on a makeshift stage which followed the studies, was carried out by students from this tuition centre. They must have rehearsed and rehearsed to reach the standard they achieved, and the whole effort of that afternoon showed the deep appreciation the village people had for the interest taken in their lives of poverty, by the people at RTU. Jo and I were very moved by the wonderful homemade decorations with which they had adorned the immediate stage area. As Brother James remarked to me on the way back, “These are the real ‘unreached’ – we must reach out to them”. The following day, Brother returned with his building manager to choose huts for immediate replacement with a solidly built family home. |
| In conclusion, being at RTU again brought home to us the love, care and good practice of its work for these poorest of people. It highlighted the wonderful and loyal staff, co-workers of Bro James and Fr Antony, and their love and dedication for the poor. Finally, it quietly underlined for us the necessity for sustained funding, without which so much of this wonderful outreach work could not continue. In this your help is essential, and I know that Brother James and all at RTU are most conscious of and thankful for your help and generosity. Please continue to help in this way, in spite of our present difficult times.
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| God bless.
David and Jo Cassidy |
| In the last two Newsletters mention has been made of RUADT, an independent ‘satellite’ project that RTU in India has been helping by constructing a new centre for disabled children - Pushparani Children’s Village. RTU in the UK)have made two contributions totalling over £25,000 towards this project. |
| I am S. Murugan, founder and Director of the Rural Area Development Trust (RUADT). I come from a rural agricultural background. When I was studying in college, I saw a lot of disabled children and adults roaming around bus stands and streets with tins in their hands for begging. At that time the idea was born in my mind to do something for disabled children in the future. After I completed my Bachelor Degree in the year of 1996, I started a very small rehabilitation home for disabled children in a chicken shed, with 14 children. There was no sanitation, no electricity, no water and very little space. At that time Bro James Kimpton was constructing the Nirmala Children’s Village at B. Dharmathupatti (nr Bodinayakkanur) nearby. When Brother came to the children’s home one day, he visited us and saw the children. He decided to help for their health and education. Initially he supported for their corrective surgery and physiotherapy.
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| Later he supported our Balamurugan Handicapped Children’s Village construction. Now around 80 physically challenged children benefit. The year 1997 we have implemented the Community Based Rehabilitation programme in rural areas. The programme helps around 500 disabled people to get identity cards, surgery, aids and appliances, pensions, etc. In 2000 we started a mentally challenged children rehabilitation programme, because of the great need at that time. I visited a lot of villages. Mostly the mentally retarded children are locked in their homes after the parents go to their work. Initially we have started with 4 children in a very small room. Now around 125 mentally challenged children benefit under the Balamurugan Special School.
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| Due to the great need we have started the programme for mentally challenged children in nearby areas, Theni and Uthamapalayam. In Theni for the last five years we have run a rehabilitation centre in a very small private house. It had no facilities like toilets, kitchen, playground or water. That time again Bro James Kimpton visited the centre. He was sad because of the very inadequate small place. We managed 30 children then. Bro James raised the funds through RTU to build Pushparani Children’s Village. I bought the land, 2 acres. RTU also provided two mini buses, water supplies and buildings costing Rupees 45 lakhs*. Now it is running with all the facilities which benefits more than 85 children in the age group up to 14 years. We have totally 650 children managed by our 3 centres.
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| Now we are planning to develop a building at Uthamapalayam. We are already using a rented building. More than 70 children benefit from this centre. Recently we have started using RTU’s home sponsorship programme for severely disabled children living under the poverty line. Now 20 children benefit under this programme. Already Rs.1 lakh is released for the programme. With so many children in great need we welcome further help.
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Bro James Kimpton is one of the Board of Trustees for RUADT. I am helped in a very good manner by his advice and I am guided by him. I am very happy to work with him. And I think this is a golden period for disabled children and underprivileged people in this corner of South India.
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*A lakh is 100,000; so Rs.45 lakhs is about £64,000 at the time of writing.
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(Don't forget that this Newsletter can be downloaded, complete with photographs, from a link on our home page.)
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| Cordially yours, |
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| Brother James
Kimpton |
