HOPENEWS

Summer 2013|Issue 11

HOPE News is kindly sponsored by:

Fighting PovertyChanging Lives, Saving Futures

“Please don’t pitch the world’s poorestagainst the poor at home”

Maureen Forrest, Hon Director, HOPE

Just a couple of weeks ago, the international charity,St Vincent De Paul, issued a statement in support ofoverseas aid. The Society is active in 148 countriesaround the world, mostly Third World countries. Itknows the levels of deprivation that exist in thecountries that the Irish Government and the Irishpublic support.In such difficult economic times, people have arguedthat we should only give to local charities. In an idealworld there would be no need for charities orfundraising at home or abroad, but this is very farfrom an ideal world. Poverty in India is a dire and hopeless poverty. Itmeans being homeless, always hungry, at risk ofabuse and often sick. Life is a daily fight for survival.The poor in Kolkata exist rather than live. They getno support from Government. The poverty on thestreets and in the slums is on a completely differentscale to poverty in any first world western countrylike Ireland. Children living on the streets of Kolkata in abjectpoverty are being denied their human rights: theright to food, and shelter and the right to achildhood. Our main story in this edition focuses onmalnutrition and we bring you Ganesh’s story. He isa five year old boy who was found severely malnour-ished and at death’s door when he was rescued bythe HOPE night watch team.

Welcome

3

Chairman’s Message

Thank you for supporting The Hope Foundation over the past year. We need your support to continue tomeet the needs of children and vulnerable families in over 60 HOPE projects in education, health care,child protection and vocational training in Kolkata. I visited Kolkata recently to see firsthand all of ourprojects and can assure everyone of the great work being done by HOPE and also of the continuing greatneed for our services.

I thank my fellow Board Members for their dedication and warmly welcome Shruthi Chindalur, EMEASales Director at ORACLE and Mary O’Shaughnessy, Department of Food and Business, UCC, onto theHOPE Board and look forward to us all working together in the year ahead.

Dermot F O’Mahoney, Chairman, The Hope Foundation

Contents Page

Welcome messages 3Maureen Forrest, Hon. Director, The Hope Foundation.Dermot O’Mahoney, Chairman, The Hope Foundation.

Surviving malnutrition in Kolkata 4Ganesh was just four years old, dying on the streets of starvation when the HOPE night watch team rescued him. He is making great progress in the HOPE Weight Watcher'sHospital, which celebrates it's fifth anniversary this year.

Education in Action 6Students share stories and find out how the HOPE Immersion Education programme is development education in action. Third level colleges are also working with HOPE to help change street children's lives in Kolkata.

Volunteers share how they experienced Kolkata 8What’s it like being a HOPE volunteer? Caitlyn O'Callaghan, student volunteer, & Jean Noonan, HOPE Yoga for Children experience.

Partners for Change 9Find out how a programme based on GPS co-ordinates is giving addresses to slum dwellers in Kolkata for the first time.

For more HOPE news...sign up to our ezine on www.hopefoundation.ie

Contents Page

HOPE News 10Photos from campaign days, fundraising drives and activities in Ireland and Kolkata

HOPE Events 11Photos telling stories of what people have done to reach out to help street and slum children by raising funds for HOPE

News from HOPE UK & HOPE Germany 12

Campaigns for Change 13A gender equality campaign called 'She is' has been launched by HOPE in Kolkata; the HOPE Violin project is bringing the magic of a musical education to children in HOPE projects and Joy Saba who lives in the care of HOPE shares his story

Would you like to help a street child to break free from poverty? 14Complete this banker's standing order form to make a regular monthly donation to HOPE

Upcoming Events Diary 15

© 2013 HOPE News, The Hope Foundation, Silverdale Grove, Ballinlough, Cork.Tel: +353 21 4292990 Email: office@hopefoundation.ieThanks to all the photographers and contributors who sent in material for HOPE News.Editing & Production Mgmt: Mary-Rose O’Sullivan, Rose Communications,Cork. Tel: 086 811 4944, www.rosecommunications.ie

Follow us on...DISCLAIMER: The Hope Foundation does not guarantee the accuracy ofstatements made by contributors or advertisers, or accept responsibility for any statement which they may express in this publication.

H O P E N e w s 2 0 1 3 | I s s u e 1 1

www.hopefoundation.ie

Dear Supporters,

Firstly, I would like to warmly thank you for supportingHOPE’s work for the street children of Kolkata(Calcutta) over the past year.

India has the highest rate of deaths of under 5s inthe world and malnutrition of infants and theirmothers is a primary cause. Our night watch andhealth care projects are fighting malnutrition amongthe street and slum people of Kolkata. We need yoursupport to continue this life-saving work, to givelife-saving health care and put food in the mouths ofhungry families. I send very special thanks to all the secondaryschools taking part in our Immersion Educationprogramme and third level colleges that supportHOPE. Please know that your energy andcommitment inspires us all as I know the experienceof being in Kolkata and meeting the children in theHOPE projects continues to inspire you. You can read about volunteers’ experiences inKolkata in these pages and see photos from manywonderful events and activities organised all overthe country as well as in the UK and Germany. Weare all working to turn the tide of abject poverty andgive street children a chance of a better future. Thank you for your support and please help us tocontinue this important work for the very importantlittle children whose lives and futures depend on us.We will not let them down! Every blessing and Good Wish,

AnnouncementsHOPE now has a full-time office in

Coleraine House in Dublin 7,

Tel: (01) 8716930.

HOPE is now a registered charity in

the USA. We would be delighted to

welcome US citizens

living in Ireland as

HOPE supporters.

T A X - E F F I C I E N T G I V I N G HOPE can reclaim the tax paid on your donations if you are aPAYE Taxpayer.

PAYE and Self Assessed TaxpayersIf you donate €250 or more to The Hope Foundation during the tax year, the valueof your donation to HOPE can be increased dramatically. The 2012 Budget allowedfor some changes to the Tax Relief Scheme on charitable donations which means thisincrease applies to both PAYE and self-assessed taxpayers.

The Hope Foundation can claim an extra 31% (an increase from 25% in previousyears) of the value of your donation(s). This rate is regardless of your marginal rateand is of no extra cost to you.

To claim your tax back for HOPE, please do the following:• When making your donation(s) please provide HOPE with your name and

address so we can include you in the annual Tax Reclaim.• HOPE will then send you a Certificate for Tax Relief (CHY2 Cert).

Please complete and sign this CHY2 Cert and return to:THE HOPE FOUNDATION, SILVERDALE GROVE, BALLINLOUGH, CORK.

• HOPE will submit your details to the Revenue Commissioners for a tax refund onyour donation. Separate tax relief does not accrue to you, the donor. *Donations are cumulative so a standing order of just €21 a month will bring you over the threshold.

Thank You for Your Kind Support

You can reclaim the tax paid on your donations yourself ifyou are a Corporate.

In the case of corporate donations, the company will claim a deduction for the donation as if it were a trading expense.

Again, HOPE will provide you with a receipt for this purpose.

Maureen Forrest with girls from Panditya Girl’s Home in Kolkata

54

Surviving malnutrition in Kolkata

as he is now sitting up in bed, loves colouring and playing catch with his soft toys and is well and truly onthe road to making a full recovery.

So how could this happen to such a young child? Howdid a family come to neglect their child to the extentthat he was near death?

Before his rescue, Ganesh had been living on thestreets of north Kolkata with his parents and ninebrothers and sisters. While his siblings were not asbadly malnourished, some were still in need of treatment and care. His parents, day labourers and ragpickers, simply did not have enough money to buyfood for the whole family. They simply did not earnenough to keep their family alive.

They are not alone in Kolkata. With over one millionpeople, including 250,000 children living on thestreets, the city is a place where hundreds of peoplewould have passed Ganesh each day as he lay on thefootpath, yet nobody took any notice. Nobody seemedto care.

Ganesh is one child who has been rescued by our nightwatch team. However, not all children are as lucky. Malnutrition affects over 47% of children under threein India. Child malnourishment can be directly causedby the poor health and nutrition of their mothers. Atleast half of infant deaths in the country are related tomalnutrition – India has the highest number of childdeaths in the world, with about 1.65 million Indianchildren dying before their fifth birthday - mainlycaused by malnutrition of the mother and child.

The Hope Foundation works to help children likeGanesh and make it possible for them to enjoy theirchildhood like other children their age. HOPE believesthat no child should suffer hunger or be so vulnerablethat they may not survive.If you would like to do something to support our nightwatch programme, we can help you organise afundraiser, or send a donation today to: Hope NightWatch Programme, The Hope Foundation, SilverdaleGrove, Ballinlough, Cork, or donate online at:www.hopefoundation.ie

Ganesh's sister visits him in the HOPE Hospital

Ganesh is on the road to recovery

All ph

otos cou

rtesy of M

ark Carey

• 47% of children under 3 in India are malnourished• At least half of infant deaths in India are related

to malnutrition• India has the highest number of child deaths in the

world, with about 1.65 million children dying before their 5th birthday - mainly due to malnutrition of the mother and child.

Ganesh Mali was found on the streets of Kolkata bythe HOPE night watch team last December and wasfighting for his life. He was suffering from severemalnutrition, anaemia, respiratory distress anddiarrhoea. Just four years old, Ganesh only weighed8kg (the healthy average weight range for this agegroup is 14kg-25kg). Would this child survive?

The night watch team tried to rescue Ganesh from thestreet that night, but his mother refused to leave himgo. However, they did not give up and another volunteer came back the next day and got permissionto have him admitted immediately to the HOPEHospital.

After three months of intensive care, Ganesh wasresponding positively to treatment. He has been progressively gaining weight since and will stay in hospital to ensure a 100% recovery. Recent volunteershave noticed the huge improvements in his health,

Caring for the PoorHOPE WeightWatchers Hospitalopen 5 years!This year is the 5th anniversary of the HOPE Hospital,which was set up through a partnership that startedin 2006 with WeightWatchers Ireland which contin-ues to support it. We aim to continue to supportstreet and slum dwellers by providing them with themedical treatment and hospital care they so rightlydeserve. People who attend our hospital do sobecause they cannot afford to go anywhere else. Thisis their lifeline and we hope it will continue savinglives with your generous support.

“To be poor is to be born of a malnourished mother inconditions where your survival is uncertain; to survivewith inadequate food, clothing and shelter, withoutthe stimulation of learning or play; to growunequipped intellectually or physically to be aproductive member of a striving society.”Tharoor (1997)

On the road to good healthThis is Meghna, an 8 year old girl rescued from the streetsby HOPE’s Night Watch team in February 2013. When shewas found, Meghna had a hugeswelling on her neck. She hadbeen living without treatmentfor two years, as her motherhad passed away and herfather does not make enoughto look after her.After admission to The HOPEHospital, it was discovered thatMeghna had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a typeof cancer originating from white blood cells that is oftencurable. She was seen by an Oncologist andrecommended to have three chemotherapy sessions. Thanks to the amazing work of The HOPE Night Watchteam, the HOPE Hospital and all the specialists whoworked with her, Meghna is now in almost perfect healthand will soon be discharged from hospital.

Caring for Ganesh: reaching out the hand of hope

Nothing is as healing as a mother’s love

Meghna in the HOPE Hospital

This is the reality of abject poverty

76

Education In Action

I spent the summer of 2012 with a small group of teachertraining students from Mary Immaculate College ofEducation in Limerick working in Kolkata with the HopeFoundation. The preparation before we went and thesupport from HOPE during my stay were key to thesuccess of the experience.

The fundraising aspect was daunting at first but I wasoverwhelmed by the response in my community, forexample, a street collection raised over €3,000. Thepeople I worked with showed us love and kindness.I worked with Indian teachers in a crèche each weekdaymorning who were training in the Jolly Phonics programat the time and we were able to share our experienceswith them. Afternoons and evenings I taught English withmy fellow students to children in a coaching centre.

The most wonderful part was spending time with thechildren. They constantly made me smile and their senseof fun and laughter was infectious. Their eagerness tolearn was palpable and despite language barriers, I formedbonds that were amazing. I learned a great deal from theteachers I worked with-seeing how such limited resourcesdid not impinge on their competency and they reinforcedmy belief that the teacher is the best resource. Ipersonally left India a richer person from experiencingtheir open expression of spirituality in every aspect oftheir lives which reminded me of what is truly importantin life.

Deciding to work with HOPE was one of the mostrewarding decisions I have ever made. I felt supported ateach stage of my experience, including after I came home.I would highly recommend HOPE as an organisation towork with. I have wonderful memories from myexperience for which I will be forever grateful.

Barbara Mulvihill

My Indian ExperienceMary Immaculate College is a HOPE Partner since 2012

Dear Teacher,

Every year, The Hope Foundation

affords

schools an opportunity to travel to Ko

lkata, as

part of HOPE’s School’s Immersion

Education programme for Transition Year

and 5th year students.

How does it work? Following fundr

aising

activities and orientation, a group of s

tudents travel to India as

ambassadors for their school. They witne

ss the reality of their peers’ lives, as

they see the poverty experienced by a

bandoned and abused street children.

Students and teachers visit various pr

ojects, for example, children’s homes,

crèches, education centres, cricket p

rojects, the HOPE Hospital and Life

Skills Centre. They meet and play games with children w

ho have the chance

of a better future because of their fu

ndraising efforts. HOPE works with 14

local Indian NGO partners funding over 60 projects in e

ducation, healthcare,

protection, nutrition, vocational train

ing and counselling.

Does this sound like something your school

would like to experience? For a

Teacher’s pack or more information, please get in

touch – we look forward to

answering any questions you have.

Best wishes,

Madeleine Cummins

021- 4292990

madeleine@hopefoundation.ie

Support for street children via UCC HOPE Society “University College Cork Hope Foundation Societywas founded last September to promote and assistthe great work being carried out by HOPE. As well ashelping the charity with fundraisers, our membersalso organize and run their own. This has grown fromhaving 80 students selling HOPE Butlers chocolate inOctober, to filling the College Bar for our Father TedQuiz. We also want to give back to the studentsthrough speakers, workshops and other skill-buildingevents. Next year should be even more exciting as wegrow the Society. “

Shane McCarthy,

New Teacher shares Froebel-HOPEpartnership experienceWe all gathered in Dublin airport, 30 newly-qualifiedteachers from Froebel College of Education and ourdestination was Kolkata, India. We were leaving tospend five weeks teaching in HOPE education centersas part of the Froebel-HOPE Teaching Partnership. The sights, sounds and smells of Kolkata came as anassault on our senses. The crowds, horns, street sellers,

traffic and scenery, coupled with the intense heatand jet lag had me thinking that I had entered asurreal world.

The Centres we taught in varied from crèches tocoaching centers (which support education andprovide nutrition and health care to children) toNabidishas (coaching centres run in policestations). I was stationed with my teaching part-ner Shane in Tollygunge Nabidisha. This was like adrop in center for children, many of whom werenot in formal education.

Any apprehension I had was wiped away thesecond I walked through the doors and said helloto the two wonderfully positive and friendlyteachers Alora and Gangotri, and interacted withthe happy energetic children that I would beteaching.

It was a fantastic experience to teach in acompletely different environment. There were nodesks or chairs and no interactive whiteboards ortextbooks to distract you from the teaching andinteraction with the children. We played languagegames, maths games, played sports (lots ofcricket!), created art pieces and much more. Thechildren were enthusiastic and so eager to takepart in the different methods that we have in theIrish education system that they had not seen,such as group work, pair work and active learning.

I’m not cut out for the Indian heat but it was withgreat sadness that I left Tollygunge Nabidisha.Alora and Gangotri had given us so much help andso many laughs. It was even more difficult toleave the children as despite the many socialproblems going on in their home lives, they wereeager to learn, participate in activities and helpout in every way they could.

It was the most amazing experience of my life sofar and I would definitely encourage anyone tovolunteer. HOPE is doing fantastic work for thesewonderful people. Kolkata is a truly unforgettablecity, filled with unforgettable people.

Ruairí Mc Donnell

Students from HOPE’s Immersion Education programme in Kolkata

HOPE Ambassador Hannah Devane joined ShaneMcCarthy (second left) founder and auditor of UCC

HOPE society and friends at Cork Fashion Week to raisefunds for HOPE

Students visiting a HOPE crèche in Chetla Slum, Kolkata

Students from CBS Highschool, Clonmel whoraised €8,000 for HOPE and in turn won

sponsored flights to India

Group Leader Susan Max enjoying Holi at Kasba Girls Home

Making new friends

Partners in Change

8 9

These are women, most of them mothers themselves,who work in the homes around the clock caring for thechildren as if they were their own. We worked closely with the children and these house mothers and experienced first-hand where our fund-raised moneywas being spent.

One day, one of our group asked the House Mothers: “Ifsomeone could give you a present, anything at all, whatwould you like?” to which they all unanimously replied‘perfume’. We were surprised, but in India, perfumecould cost people two to three months’ salary!

After this conversation, we decided to do something totreat the House Mothers; after all, these women reallymake the difference in the child’s life. Using the basiccosmetics we had brought with us from home, wetreated them to some yogic breathing to relax them, afacial, a massage, a mani/pedi, did their make-up andmost importantly, treated them like queens!

The Carers floated out of work that day and I evenspotted two of the younger women skipping home armin arm giggling about their new looks. It’s amazing howsome ‘me time’ can lift a person. Love and affectiongoes a long way.”

Go with an openmind and heart!Caitlyn O'Callaghan is from Crecora, Co. Limerick, and had just finished studyingOccupational Therapy in NUI Galway whenshe volunteered with HOPE

“I volunteered with Hope for three months fromAugust to November 2012. I had just finished collegeand wanted to have a new and exciting experience, to

witness life in Kolkata first hand and be part of HOPE’swork. Meeting volunteers who had just returned before we headed off was invaluable in preparing us for thechaos, colour and madness that awaited us!

In our first two weeks we had the opportunity to visitthe different projects all across the city. It was great tosee the diversity of HOPE’s work and to meet staff andchildren in the education centres and homes.

Once we began to work on the projects, the weeksflew by and we soon felt very much at home.Volunteering with HOPE was a fantastic learning experience, to be immersed in a different culture andto meet with individuals who have survived throughthe most difficult of circumstances and still manage tolaugh and smile.

No two days were the same and you learn how to adapt to changing, sometimes challenging circumstances, to communicate through whatevermeans necessary and you will no doubt learn a fewBollywood dance moves from the amazingly talentedkids!

I can safely say I will never forget my time in Kolkataand the children I worked with. I would recommend volunteering to anyone; go with an open mind and an open heart.”

A treat for the Carers

Jean Noonan is from Cork and visitedKolkata with YOGA FOR HOPE last October

“Imagine if all you hoped for was a bottle of perfume?I was in Kolkata with HOPE last October and what I sawand experienced will stay with me forever – people living in awful conditions and experiencing such trauma you wouldn’t believe. However, the story I wantto share with you is one of joy.

HOPE runs 13 protection homes in Kolkata for rescued street children. Not only do the children have aclean bed, clothes, food and an education, they alsogive them a mother’s love. This warm care is providedby ‘house mothers’.

Pure, clean water “Clean and safe drinking water is nowflowing at four Hope Foundation homesthanks to our partnership with Splash.Splash is a US-based NGO formerly named“A Child’s Right” and they have installedhigh-quality water purification systems inthe Tollygunge Boys home, Kasba Girls

Home, Panditya Girls home (and office) andthe Life Skills Training Centre including the

Hope Café.

The Splash filters provide 15 times more clean water perminute and over 300 times better filtration than the previous filters. Splashhas also donated a 10-year supply of spareparts and committed to maintaining thefilters for 10 years. The cost savings for HOPEis estimated to be about €34,000-. The HopeFoundation was the primary partner inhelping Splash to become established in Indiaand the four HOPE projects are the firstimportant step towards many more childrenreceiving clean drinking water for years tocome.”Aaron Walling, Regional Manager, Splash

MAJOR SUPPORTERS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

As many as four billion people around the world lacka unique address and are living in slums,shanties, semi-permanent campsites andother unplanned settlements. Without anaddress, how can a person engage fully intheir society? An address enables a personto access social welfare entitlements,health care, utilities, and other benefitsand enables NGOs, banks, andgovernments to contact and keep track offamilies and individuals. The Hope

Foundation in partnership with ‘Addressing the Unaddressed’launched a pilot project last year tostrengthen and improve the access toGovernment services for below pover-ty-line slum dwellers in Chetla, Kolkata. Using GPS mapping and surveys, over2,500 Chetla residents today have aunique address code. This code providesindividuals with an identity, whichbefore was almost impossible in one ofKolkata’s overcrowded and unregisteredslums, home to thousands surviving in

abject poverty. Through active advocacy and networking by HOPEstaff, this code has become the gateway for the Chetlacommunity to avail of Government services such asBelow-Poverty Line cards, Ration cards, BirthCertificates and more.A special thanks to UCC International Development &Food Policy students Liam Madden and HannahCorboy who did their six month university placementin Chetla and became fully immersed with the localstaff working on this project, including HOPE internNiamh Caffrey.

ADDRESSING THE UNADDRESSED: Giving slum dwellers an identity

Volunteers

10

Events NewsEvents News

Photographer Mark Carey (centre in hat) withparticipants on the week-long photography

workshop in Kolkata photographing street life and HOPE's projects in Feb 2013

Eli Lilly presented HOPE with a Cheque for €5,000 to buy to equipment for the HOPE Hospital

Models Emma Waldron, Niamh Geaney andHannah Devane help launch The Hope

Foundation's 2nd annual Day of HOPE, in aid ofstreet kids in Kolkata

A group of volunteers in Dublin braved the coldDecember waters, taking part in HOPE’s Santa

Splash last December

Last year's YOGA for HOPE group from around Ireland with leader Mella Murphy (sixth from left) in Kolkata

Children from St Michaels National School inBlackrock demanding a day for street children!

Participants in the Golf for HOPE experience in Kolkata last March

HOPE Himalayan walkers Padraig O’Donoghueand Sean Lenihan on a visit to the HOPE Hospital

Geeta visiting Ireland from HOPEKolkata, at the Copplestone Food

Company in Cork

Our 2012 HOPE U Can Paint grouppictured in Kolkata, where they spenta week painting HOPE’s children’s

homes and crèches

Maureen Forrest welcomesMinister for Children, TD FrancesFitzgerald and Irish ambassadorto India H. E. Feilim McLaughlinto HOPE projects in Kolkata

Running for HOPE at the CorkWomens Mini Marathon

Diva’s Next Door fundraising for HOPE in DublinThe 'Be The Change' group heading off to Kolkata to spend

4 weeks volunteering in HOPE's projects last August

Susan Forrest, HOPE Marketing Co-ordinator, withIndian Ambassador to Ireland H.E. Debashish

Chakravarti and Irish Education Minister Ruairi Quinnat the Ireland India Business Association lunch

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins meets JayannMaher and Niamh Caffrey from the Dublin Office

and HOPE Overseas Director, Jenny Browne

International Roseof Tralee 2012Nicola McEvoyalong with DonalClancy, Chairmanof Laya Healthcare,at the launch ofthe Annual CorkLunch.

Sandra Murphy, Rising Tide Restaurant / TV3’sApprentice and Vivienne McCarthy, LockdownModels & The Dress Bar at the launch of the

HOPE Apprentice which led to 2 students in CBShighschool Clonmel raising over €8,000 for HOPE

HOPE Vice Chair MaireadSorensen wins InternationalPhilanthropist of the Year

Award, 2013

Geeta and Maureen pictured with Norah Casey and Louise Forrest at the

Annual Dublin Luncheon

11

Brothers Tour Guides: Norbu, Rinku, Dubai and Hiren with Maureen Forrest in Cork, visiting Ireland for the first time. They enjoyed visiting previous

walkers and HOPE volunteers they had met with HOPE in India

12

UK

Dear Readers,HOPE UK continues to go onwards and upwards,increasing our donations and supporting more projectsin Kolkata. We have increased our child sponsorshiplevel to more than 100 child sponsors and enlistedmore schools to help support and spread the wordabout HOPE. We held a number of wonderfulfundraising events throughout the year and are verygrateful to the kind and generous support we havereceived from all our supporters, donors and friends.Thank you!Sam Collins, Director, HOPE UKsam@thehopefoundation.org.uk

London FundraisingLuncheon

Mairead Sorensen,C E O B u t l e r ’ sChocolates, JakeCanuso, of ITV’sBenidorm andMaureen Forrest at

the second annual London Luncheon at the DorchesterHotel last October, which raised £26,000 for the BoysHome. To support this year’s event on October 3rd,please visit www.thehopefoundation.org.uk or email sam@thehopefoundation.org.uk.

HOPE YogaHOPE Patron and yoga teacher Simon Lowe is onceagain organising the Yoga Garden Party at AvingdonPark in Winchester on August 3rd. Some of the bestyoga teachers in the country will be leading classes,and it includes events for children. The event last year,held at Commonwork Farm (where Simon hosts hisyoga retreats), raised more than £7,000.

HSBC Cycle smashes targetsHSBC’s Risk Management teamtook part in a virtual ‘Cycle forHOPE’ across their UnitedKingdom sites to raise money tofor the Kasba Girls Home. Theteam of 50 cycled more than3,000 miles (the equivalent ofcrossing India one and a halftimes), and raised almost £7,000 –a big thank you to all who tookpart in a ‘Cycle for HOPE’ across 5of their UK sites to raise money.

London 10k RunWell done to ‘Team HOPE’ for putting another team in this year’s London 10k run on July14th. Contact the office if you wish to take part next year.

GERMANYGerman Rose selectionHope Germany had an information stand at the Rose ofTralee selection 2013 at the Schlosskeller in Frankfurt. Weinformed people about the work that HOPE is doing in Indiaand enjoyed the excitement of the new Rose selection!

Elaine Zaunseder, who was selected to be the new GermanRose has agreed to support HOPE and our work for the slumand street children in Kolkata and we are delighted to haveher as an ambassador and new member in the HOPE family!

Degussa bank active in drug rehabilitationThe Degussa bank has partneredwith HOPE to help rehabilitatesolvent addicted boys living inthe Punorjibon rehabilitationhome in Tollygunge, Kolkata. Theboys formerly lived at high riskat the Howrah railway station.Their life consisted of begging,recycling plastic andnewspapers from trains andabusing solvents to forget abouttheir problems.

International News The boys in the home have undergone detoxification andlive in the shelter of HOPE with support of socialworkers and other HOPE professionals that care abouttheir future. They go to school, learn or work invocational training so they can find a job and liveindependently one day. Thanks to Degussa Bank for theircontribution towards the Punorjibon Home.

13

Gender equality campaign in Kolkata

‘She is’ is acampaign aimed atraising awarenesson the rights thegirl child. It waslaunched by HOPElast December andits mission is toencourage parents

to nurture, immunize and educate their girl childrenand to make children themselves aware of their rights.

According to the UNDP (United Nations DevelopmentProgramme) report published in March, India is southAsia's worst performing country on gender equalityafter Afghanistan, and the countries of Pakistan, Nepaland Bangladesh, all poorer than India, do comparative-ly better when it comes to gender equality. India is

ranked 136th out of 186 countries.

HOPE’s ‘She is’ campaign aims to fightgender inequality and to stop femaleinfanticide, which continues to be high,irrespective of the financial condition ofa family.

The campaign launch took place in eightlocations across Kolkata. Street playswere prepared and directed by localcommunity workers from the 37 slums,showcasing various child rights issues.

Posters illustrated the various issues faced by the girlchild and participants from the HOPE homes and proj-ects highlighted their rights and the rights of others.

The campaign was inaugurated by ‘Tapur’ from thefamous Indian TV series ‘Tapur Tupur’ and thestreet plays were judged by a panel of theatre andfilm judges.

Bringing the gift of music tothe slumsThe Hope Violin project was established this yearto let music work its magic on the street children

of Kolkata. The projectaims to encouragestreet and slum childrento enjoy learning a clas-sical instrument withthe hope that they willlearn a skill for life in asafe and fun environment.

The project is the brain child of Dublin-basedsisters Eimear and Larissa O’Grady, bothprofessional Irish musicians with a wealth ofexperience in teaching, playing and performingmusic. Eimear had previously volunteered withHOPE and wanted to find a way to return andcontribute. Fortunately, the answer landed on herlap. As a teacher at St. Agnes in Tallaght, Dublin,where every child receives free weekly violin

lessons, Eimearhas seenfirsthand themagic withwhich a musiceducation cantransform acommunity.

Campaigns of Change

Child SponsorshipShanti is the first child to besponsored through HopeGermany by Manuela Ludewigfrom Berlin. Shanti has had atough life so far. Her parentsused to work in a roadsidetea stall. When she was amonth old both her parents wereelectrocuted in an unfortunate accident. Shantiwas looked after by her grandmother for a couple ofyears. Her grandmother has to work as a householddomestic in order to make ends meet. Shanti hasbeen admitted to ABWU Children’s Welfare Home toget proper care and education in a safe environment.Here she can be a child again and doesn’t have tocare about what to eat or how to support hergrandmother. We hope to help many other childrenlike Shanti through the child sponsorship programand thank our fist sponsor very much! Get in touch if you would like to sponsor a childthrough Hope Germany in 2013!

“My name is Joy Saha.I am 15 and came to HopeKolkata Foundation whenI was 14 and I am nowstudying in class-VIII. Ihave never seen my parents and do not even knowwhere I was born. I used to roam around railwaystations like a vagabond with nobody to take careof me and worked in different places.

An old man brought me to HOPE KolkataFoundation and at times he comes to meet me. HKFhas given me the opportunity to study and has alsohave given me an identity of my own. I amsincerely grateful to HOPE and will be forever.

Uncles and Aunties love me here. They are alwaysbeside all the children. They also advise me how totake care of myself, how to be disciplined and areguiding me about my future. I dream of becoming adoctor or a scientist. I pray that I can fulfill mydream. I love arithmetic, physical science and lifescience. I also love the different sports but cricketand football are my favourites and I also lovemusic.”

Joy Saha’s own story

Eimear and Larissa believe that by giving thesechildren the gift of music from a young age, theircognitive ability, literacy and numeracy skills andabove all their focus will benefit enormously. Thegift of music truly can be life changing.

If you are a musician looking to volunteer with TheHOPE Violin project, or if you would like to donatea violin, please get in touch.

Children in one of HOPE's protection homes inKolkata excited about their first violin lesson

The HOPE Violin project’s youngest player!

Sam Collins with PhilMumby of HSBC

Degussa bank partners with HOPEGermany

Date: ____________________________________

To the Manager:Bank Name: ___________________________

Bank Address: ____________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Please pay HOPE €: _______________________

Allied Irish Bank Ltd., 66 South Mall, Cork,A/c No. 50677089 Bank Sort Code: 93-63-83

Every Month/Year*

Starting on: ______________________________(date) until further notice

*Delete where applicable

�

B A N K E R S ’ S T A N D I N G O R D E R

Name: ___________________________________________________(block letters please)

Address: __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Account No: __________________________

Bank Sort Code: _______________________

Signature: ________________________________________________

When completed, this form should be sent not to your Bank, but to The Hope Foundation,Silverdale GroveBallinloughCork,Ireland.

There are many organisations and people that generously give their time and expertise to The Hope Foundation. They enable HOPE to develop and promote top quality events and to reach more people with effective messages. There are too many to list in this newsletter and some prefer to remain anonymous, but you know who you are! On behalf of all the children in Kolkata, Thank You!

HOPE UPCOMING EVENTSJune 29th Bhakti Fest of HOPE, LeitrimAugust Be The Change, Irish student

volunteers in Kolkata13th-21st September HOPE Performance with a Difference15th September Cork Women’s Mini Marathon20th September Annual Cork Lunch, Maryborough House Hotel3rd October London Luncheon, Dorchester Hotel18th October National ‘Day of Hope’ 26th Oct – 3rd Nov HOPE U Can Paint27th Oct – 6th Nov Yoga for HOPE26th Oct – 10th Nov HOPE Himalayan WalkDecember Santa Splash for HOPEFeb - March Immersion Education Programme in KolkataMarch HOPE Golf Classic, Douglas Golf ClubMay Annual Dublin Luncheon, Four Seasons

Hotel, Dublin

HOPE’s Mission StatementHOPE is dedicated to promoting the protection of street & slum children primarily inKolkata (Calcutta), and the most underprivileged in India, to promote immediate and lasting change in their lives.

IRELAND:

The Hope Foundation Head OfficeSilverdale GroveBallinloughCork.Charity Reg No CHY 13237T: +353 21 4292 990E: office@hopefoundation.ieW: www.hopefoundation.ie

The Hope FoundationColeraine House,Coleraine Road,Dublin 7.T: + 353(0) 1 8716930E: dublin@hopefoundation.ie

INDIA:

HOPE Kolkata Foundation39 Panditya Place, Kolkata700029 West Bengal, India.Registered under FCRA(Foreign Contribution Regulation Act)T: +91 33 2474 2904 E: info@hopechild.orgW: www.hopechild.org

The Hope Foundation Branch OfficeLake Garden C-533Lake Garden, Kolkata700045 West Bengal, IndiaT: +91 33 4064 5851E: office@hope-foundation.inW: www.hope-foundation.in

GERMANY:

HOPE DeutschlandHOPE Foundation – Deutschland e.V.Ludwigkirchstraße 810719 BerlinCharity Reg No VR 6048Telefon: +49 30 956 08 734 E-Mail: info@hopefoundation.de

UK:

HOPE Foundation UKMagnum House, High StreetLane End, Bucks HP14 3 JG, UKCharity Reg No SC 038809T: +44 844 478 0778E: info@thehopefoundation.org.ukW: www.thehopefoundation.org.uk