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Frishta News - Issue 13 - Summer 2008

In this copy of Frishta News:

Welcome to our Summer 2008 edition of Frishta News. It's the first eNewsletter to be sent from India and there is plenty of news on the Project progress to keep you up to date.

Nigel Studley writes:

Hello from India!

Well we finally made it to India!

Our last week in the UK was a bit of a mad rush: packing the house up and getting it ready for tenants, but with the help of friends and family and by working right through the last night we just managed to get it all done in time. When we arrived at Heathrow to catch our flight to India we were tired and a little frazzled so what a delight it was to meet Glen, a friend from our street, who invited us into a First Class lounge where were refreshed and breakfasted in serene surroundings - the perfect antidote to the previous 36 hours!

The flight passed off OK, but the coach ride from Delhi to Punjab was a rude awakening (literally) as the coach had not one, but two tyre blowouts before we finally arrived at our destination.

We have been in India for 3 months now and have taken some time to settle and get ourselves established. It is definitely harder living here than just visiting, as you have to fend for yourself and face many issues you wouldn't otherwise encounter. Everything takes longer than expected, e.g. buying a canister of Gas (to cook with) is complicated because it is rationed and we need to give ID proofs for everything. We are gradually getting used to the way of life here, but it will take me a very long time to get used to the driving in cities with cars, buses, scooters, bikes horse-drawn carts and pedestrians, and the odd cow, coming at you from all directions, which is very scary!

Fond Farewells

I was very touched by the response of my work colleagues at HSBC to my departure. It included breakfasts, lunches, dinners and a moving speech from my boss and a video which was a great way to mark my 19 years with HSBC. Thanks for all your good wishes and generosity...

Farewell Collection

There was a fantastic response to my Farewell collection and so far over £3,000 has been raised - I say so far, because it's still not too late to make a contribution if you want to... www.bmycharity.com/byebyenigel It was also great to read the encouraging messages from so many friends and work colleagues. All the money raised will go towards play equipment: slide, swings, climbing frame and tyre-rope ride for children in the Frishta village. Thank you.

"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions.
You may have a heart of GOLD, but so does a hard-boiled egg!"
Unknown

Frishta on the BBC

Before leaving the UK and to add to our already hectic last few weeks, we took part in the BBC1 daytime programme 'Trash to Cash'. The concept is to raise money from your house clearance with half going to charity (Frishta) and half to a personal project, which for us was our trip to India. As the programme was aired on the 4th June after we left and we can't get the BBC iPlayer in India we still don't know how it came out - but hopefully you managed to catch it. The good news is that we raised over £300 for Frishta and made the house a little emptier.

FRISHTA Goes Green!

We have engaged the Architects 'The Elements' to work with us on the village design and already the partners Siddartha Wig and Anant Mann have made many suggestions about reducing the environmental impact and costs of the project:

Project Progress Report

Planning Permission

Planning Rules for the State of Punjab changed in JAN08 and Architects were engaged to check the new PUDA (Punjab Urban Development Authority) rules. The advice given was that PUDA's restrictive rules would apply, however the Frishta land lies outside of the Municipal boundary. This was confirmed by the Mukandpur Lambardaar (Village second-in-Command) and the process was checked with the Tehsildar (Registrar) at the Dera Bassi Civil Court: Project Master Plan/Blueprint is to be submitted to the Mukandpur Sarpanch (Village Chief) for planning approval.

Architect

As already mentioned we have employed the Architects 'The Elements' to prepare the Master Plan, detailed structural drawings, assist with selecting the building contractor and supervise the work over a phased construction period of four years - see below

Land Survey, Measurement & Marking

Maanchitra Surveyors have been commissioned for the Land Survey. The survey drawing confirms a drop of 5 metres from the top (widest point) to the bottom of the land, which can be taken advantage of with sensitive landscaping, a possible water feature and natural amphitheatre. The land was re-measured and the boundary marked with concrete pillars in May. The Lambardaar, Patwari (Govt Land Officer) and adjoining farmers and landowners were all present. This was time consuming and exhausting process, but, no bribes were paid.

Construction

After all the effort of re-measuring the Frishta land and putting in the pillars, it's important to ensure that the land is guarded, pillars are not removed and no encroachment occurs again.

Without full planning permission we are not able to build any permanent cemented structures. However, we have built a room and toilet for our Chaukidar (Hindi for Guard) with bricks and mud as is the local custom - see opposite.

Project Budget

The booming Indian economy is causing prices to rise sharply. RPI Inflation is on an upward trend and currently stands at 11% p.a. Prices of steel and cement have doubled in the last year and the Indian Government is attempting to freeze steel prices. These increases will naturally have an impact on the project costings, hence the need for cost savings and local grants mentioned above. The Architect believes the estimated construction cost of Rs. 800/sq. ft. and total cost of £250k for Phase 1 may still be achievable with reduced use of steel and other innovations. The construction will be divided into the following three phases:

Phase 1A (Sep08 - Sep09)
Construction of one double-storey foster home, with a self contained ground floor family home for twelve children on each floor (24 in total). All necessary site works and support facilities for the homes, e.g. Bore Well, Sanitation, Boundary Wall, Security and tree planting.

Phase 1B (2010, for 12 months)
Construction of two double-storey foster homes, with a self contained ground floor family home for twelve children on each floor (72 children in total) Construction of Learning Centre, Medical Centre, Central Kitchen & Stores, Reception and Offices. (Total covered area of 14,000 sq. ft.) All necessary landscaping, play areas and site works support facilities for the homes.

Phase 2 (mid 2011, for 12 months)
Construction of six double-storey foster homes, with a self contained ground floor family home for twelve children on each floor (potentially 144 children in total). Construction of amphitheatre, swimming pool. (Total covered area of 28,000 sq. ft.) All necessary site works.

During the next few months potential foster parents will be interviewed and children will be located. Potential foster parents and 2 orphan children have already been identified.

"Life is a Festival to the wise."
Unknown

FRISHTA Joins the Consortium for Street Children

Frishta is proud to announce that we have joined the Consortium for Street Children (CSC). The CSC consists of 59 UK based organisations, working in 89 countries, dedicated to the welfare and rights of street living and working children and children at risk of taking to street life. The CSC is the only worldwide network that works collectively to help street children on a global scale. It mobilises resources to coordinate and support committed individuals and organisations in the interest of street children and deliver efficient and responsive programmes that help build a global community in which the rights of street children are promoted and protected.

Grant Success

Following on from the £15,000 grant received from The Waterloo Foundation last November, we have had further success in 2008 in obtaining grant funding:
£20,000 from Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust towards construction of the Village
£10,000 from HSBC's Corporate & Social Responsibility (CSR) department
£2,000 from the Father O'Mahoney Trust, Our Lady of the Wayside Church
£1,000 from Dorfred Charitable Trust towards the drilling of our Bore (Tube) Well

Supermarket shopper's Super Generosity

Susan Liow, Frishta's Chief Fundraiser writes...

Friday 25th April 2008 dawned bright and sunny as I drove to Sainsbury's at South Ruislip, Middlesex. It was the first of the two days that Sainsbury's had kindly allowed Frishta to hold a collection at this store; which we greatly appreciate.

We collected a total of £649.79 over the two days!! The generosity of shoppers at Sainsbury's was very heart-warming. We had a mother and son donating £10 each whilst a man who came in to use Sainsbury's coin sorting machine gave us his bag of change totalling £31.55!! It was most touching when teenage schoolchildren dipped into their wallets and gave us whatever change they have.

We would therefore like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all the shoppers who kindly contributed.

We also would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Claire & Emily Fellowes, Annette Fox, Joe Hammond, Wai Chee Ko, Benjamin & Daniel Liow, Kamini Patel, Mayumi Vecchione, Jim, Jillian & Jake Weiss who have given their time to help with the collection. It would not have been possible without your help. So thank you, thank you and thank you!

    

2008 British 10K London run

It's just a few days before our Frishta team of 14 run in the 2008 British 10K London run on Sunday, 6th July. So how about sponsoring one of our plucky runners... here's a choice of two

Erika Kottiath www.bmycharity.com/erikakottiath
Harjit Singh Gill www.bmycharity.com/harjitsinghgill

And to close...

"This is what God does. He gives his best... If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that... what I am saying is 'Grow up'. Live graciously and generously towards others, the way God lives towards you"
Matthew 5:46-48, The Message

These first three moths in India have been all about setting the right foundations both for us as a family and for the Children's Village. There have been many frustrations on both fronts and we have had to spend a lot of time doing things that you would expect to be simple and straightforward, but are not. We are learning all the time and thankfully we haven't made any major mistakes! During all this preparatory work our goal of caring for disadvantaged children sometimes seems a long way off. However, we keep reminding ourselves that it's important not to give up when you know you are doing something right. Also, your support, prayers and encouraging emails help to sustain us.

How to become a Friend of Frishta


Nigel Studley

Help us spread the word about Frishta's vision of Giving street children a home, an education, a hope and a future. If you have found this newsletter interesting, please forward it to a friend.

If you have any comments, questions or offers of help, please contact us - details opposite - or email us at the address info@frishta.org.uk

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Registered Charity No. 1100368

 
"Jesus said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the kingdom of God." Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them!"
Mark 10:14-16