Ann

Every year she protests and every year they plead with her to continue as President of YWCA, Eastbourne, Ooty. YWCA runs a hostel for 30 working girls and also 7 cottages for long stay. They were in a dreadful state. During her tenure from 2005, Ann has been a sort of catalyst and encouraged the Committee Members to renovate the entire place, beautify it with her jigsaw puzzle pictures etc and introduce various facilities to make the inmates’ lives decent and comfortable.

RESCUE WORK

We build houses for deserving pedlars, workers and disabled beggars in Coonoor, and sponsor the education of deserving children. We don’t belong to any dodgy Trust or Foundation; so, no admin expenses. Your money goes directly into the needy person’s bank account (and not to any corrupt Indian’s voluminous pockets) and we supervise its use. You are welcome to come and verify the facts.

Our aim is to rescue and improve their lot in ONE generation.

HAND-UPS, not HAND-OUTS.

Thank you.

Douglas Memorial Children’s Home

It was virtually uninhabitable and dangerous, as their sponsors stopped helping them…and asked Rev Theo and his wife Christine to either close it down or live on faith!

Now it is the most beautiful Home in the Nilgiris with good facilities.

Once I got it back on its feet, other sponsors have stepped in to help build a hostel for girls. It is now the most beautiful Children’s Home and has 25 boys and 10 girls. It also has two staff rooms for those interested to visit, interact with and teach the children – English, manners, honesty, courage, arts and crafts etc…

Condition for help: That they would go easy with the evangelism.

I’m afraid the evangelism is still on…

Murugan

Murgan has lost both his legs due to polio and is a beggar. He has also lost his wife. He has five girls.

Condition for help: He must put his children in the Christian Mission Service where their boarding, lodging and education are taken care of.

He agreed with alacrity.

Sadaka

He suffers with a club foot, works in a tea stall in the market, and his wife Rabia has lost the use of both her legs due to polio. They have adopted a beautiful girl.

Condition for help: Rabia must start to earn and the daughter Firdose must learn English.

Daisy

Daisy’s husband of a perforated ulcer in 1989, leaving behind Daisy and two children aged 4 and 6 – Ruby and Daniel. Daisy works a manual labourer at construction sites in Coonoor, earning Rs 70 for a day that starts at 9 and ends when the sun sets. How she manages to shift stones and carry bags of cement, and how the children have managed to study thus far on this diet is another conundrum.

Condition for help: The children must start earning within a year, rather than go in for further (useless) further education.

I put both of them into a Computer course and now both of them have decent jobs.

Ranga

Ranga and his wife are now too old and infirm to carry on as pedlars. Their hut was washed away by the monsoon, and at the time, his pregnant daughter was abandoned by her husband.

Condition for help: His daughter must be sterilized post-partum.

They finally realized the soundness of the advice and got her sterilized after the birth of a baby boy. Her husband has now joined her.

Shanthi

Shanthi is another daughter of Rangaswamy. When I finished building Ranga (and his daughter Mahalakshmi) a house, she asked for a house of her own. She works as a manual labourer earning Rs 70 per day and her husband works in a tea stall earning Rs 100 a day. Their daughter is nine years old and doing well in school. They were living in a shed in which I wouldn’t put cows in. Shanthi voluntarily opted for a sterilization after the birth of her only daughter…which is an exceptional thing to do in her circumstances.
The house is a reward for her courage and good sense.

Kalaiarasi

She was abandoned by her husband soon after marriage. She is a manual labourer earning Rs 75 per day, and has a daughter. Her parents and siblings told her to leave the house when her daughter Tamilselvi came of age.

Condition for help: Her ghastly extended family will not occupy her house.

Abdul Wahab

Abdul Wahab has a spastic arm and leg and sells garlands in the market for Rs 50.00 per day. His wife was almost blind and could not work. On questioning, they said that they never saw a doctor about it. I sent her to the ophthalmologist who prescribed spectacles. They have a 15-year old deaf and dumb daughter who is attending a school in Ooty. It is not a school for such challenged children (there is no appropriate school in the area) but she seems to be managing. I dread to think of her future in this society. They also have a 10-year old son.

Condition for help: His wife starts to earn. But her general health is poor and she is unable to work every day.

This family is in dire straits.

Manimaran

Manimaran works collecting waste paper for recycling and makes Rs 75 per day. His wife, Parvathi works as a labourer and earns a similar amount. They have two children, both of whom are bright and doing well in a government Tamil-medium school. Parvathi came to me asking for help as Manimaran was in Palakkad hospital, 3 hours from here, (allegedly) being treated for diabetes and septicemia. They had incurred a debt of Rs 37,000.00, which would be virtually impossible for them to pay off. I am sure that this is another case of the callous medical profession duping the patient. I got him out of hospital and sent him to a colleague of mine who has asked him to enroll in the diabetic clinic in Coonoor hospital. He produced the necessary paperwork and is now on insulin. (The debt has been cleared.)

The family was asked to vacate their mud dwelling as the owners wished to sell it. They came to me asking for help.

Condition for help: Parvathi should earn and their children should learn English.

Kadhiravan

Kadhiravan injured his right hand some fifteen years ago while working as a coolie lifting heavy loads in the market. It has left him somewhat deformed and disabled. He does a few odd jobs in the market and earns Rs 75 per day. His wife Rajeswari has poor sight and difficulty breathing…and has never been able to afford to see a doctor. I sent her to the ophthalmologist who has prescribed spectacles for acute astigmatism. They have two children aged 7 and 5, who are attending a Government Tamil-medium school.

They were in debt to the tune of Rs 19000.00 for which they are unable to even pay the interest. (The debt has been cleared.)

Condition for help: Rajeswari should earn and their children learn English.

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is 34 years old and earns a living by collecting waste products – plastic, bottles, paper, rags etc and selling it to the recycling people. She makes about Rs 1500.00 per month. Her husband, Arumugam 35 years old is a manual labourer shifting loads from lorries. As work is not guaranteed, he works on an average 3 or 4 days a week earning Rs 125 per day, which works out to Rs 1500.00 per month.

They have three dependants: Arun Kumar aged 11, Ashok Kumar aged 10 and Lakshmi’s mother who is 72 and blind and who begs at the local temples.

Condition for help: Children to learn English.