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Frishta News - Issue 8 - December 2006

In this copy of Frishta News:

Welcome supporters and Friends of Frishta, to our pre-Christmas Newsletter. 

A very special welcome to 35 new subscribers!

India’s awful Child Rights record

Many forecasters are commenting that India is poised to become one of the world’s great economic and political powers. Recent economic liberalisation and high growth has helped India become a nation with an exciting future ahead of her. By 2050, it is predicted that India’s economy will surpass that of the United States. However, this economic growth has been accompanied by a concentration of the population in cities, the emergence of urban slums, mammoth problems of poverty and urban poor, unemployment and a growing number of street children.

On 11th December 1992, India acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, granting her children basic human rights and recognised children as a distinct group of individuals whose concerns needed to be addressed separately under law and by government policy.

The UN rights for all children are:

  • the right to a name
  • the right to health
  • the right to food
  • the right to freedom
  • the right to protection
  • the right to education
  • the right to leisure
  • the right to think.

However, fourteen years later, child rights activists say that the implementation of these rights by successive Indian government has been very poor. India shows some disturbing trends and there is still much to do:

The story of one family that Frishta is helping

In 2005 the family’s father died in a motor-cycle accident when he was run over by a bus. The father was just 35 years of age and worked as an electrician for a Government department on daily wages. 

The mother, Krishna, is an uneducated village woman and suffers from severe arthritis.  The only job she has been able to get is an office peon (servant), but her earnings barely cover food and rent and are not sufficient to send her children to school.  Life is not easy for them, but despite the difficult circumstances she does her best to keep the family together.  Frishta, in collaboration with our sister charitable society Healing Touch, is helping her to raise her children with support for school fees and expenses to have a better future and stop the family slipping into poverty.

The Frishta Children’s Village Project

Frishta believes that all children should be cared for in a family setting, but often this is not possible. We have a vision to care for 70 street and abandoned children in the Frishta Children’s Village. With the help of our supporters this vision is becoming a reality - the construction of this 1st phase will begin in January 2008.

Future First – Investing in our Children

HSBC Bank is launching a five-year, $10 million dollar programme to improve the quality of life of street children and ‘cared for’ children around the world by providing education and by teaching life skills.  Frishta will be applying to the programme for funding through its Indian sister charity next year.

"Why do you scrape every stone together to gather wealth and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish it all"
Socrates

www.frishta.org.uk

The Frishta web site has been re-developed by Jonathan Spybey of Sien Total Media.  Please take a look and whilst there have a look at our…

Christmas Cards & 2007 Calendar

One Example of how our web presence helps Frishta
I received this email recently from the girls of Walford Junior School, down-under:

“We are girls from a school in South Australia and we have been learning about micro credit and poverty around the world. As part of this learning journey we were given a micro loan of $A70 to buy some products to make into something to sell within our school.  We sold all our products and paid back the loan making a profit of $A132(£53). We need to give this money to a deserving charity and your pictures and facts on your web page really reached us and we would like to donate this money to you.”

Looking For Christmas Presents?

Go shopping where you can make a difference to our work at Give or Take.  You'll find great gift guides, along with hundreds of on-line stores including John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Hamleys, WH Smith and Thorntons.

What's more, everything you buy earns money back, which you can donate to Frishta.  It's free to join, your presents won't cost a penny extra, so all it needs is a few moments of your time to sign up, and you can start raising money today.

Past Events

HSBC Dinner

On 15th November a team from Frishta (Rummy Dosanjh, Bal Tagger, Bernie Woollard and Nigel Studley) were invited by Mr. Rupe Benning to the HSBC West Midlands South Asian Banking Unit annual dinner in Birmingham.  After a short presentation of Frishta’s work and vision to the 500 guests, a voluntary charity raffle was held and £3,400 was raised and many new contacts made.

‘For we know life’s never measured by how many years we live, but by the kindly things we do, and the happiness we give.’
Anon

Put your heart into Christmas

The following night, 16th November, London’s Canary Wharf held its 3rd Charity Night throughout its shopping malls.  Frishta was one of 12 charities to be selected to participate by selling Charity Wristbands to shoppers who could then take advantage of the free gifts and discounts of up to 20% at shops and restaurants and the free entertainment.  We were supported by the staff of Tiffin Bites Indian Restaurant (Jubilee Place mall), who introduced their customers to Frishta’s work and raised money, and we sold Christmas Cards and Calendars from our Frishta stall, raising £1,000 in total.  With thanks to Christina, Simone, Rachel, Kate, Jagoda, Stephanie, Rita and Win.

Future Events…

Frishta Dinner Feb07
Those of you who remember our Birmingham dinner in 2005 will be pleased to know we have organised another and we are aiming to make it an even more memorable night.  It will be held at the Second City Suite on Saturday, 3rd February and if you would like tickets, please contact Rummy Dosanjh, Tel 07775 733388 or Mindy Dosanjh, Tel 07966 372211.

Have you planned your 2007 Holiday?
If you prefer holidays with more of a challenge than being the first to get your towel on the sun-lounger at the beach or pool side, why not consider a trip with Charity Challenge?  The holidays are as varied as you are, from trekking to the lost Inca city of Machu Pichu in Peru (personally recommended!), a Rajasthan Tiger bike ride in India, plus horse riding and water expeditions and other trips to many exotic locations.  You can have a memorable holiday and raise money for Indian street children at the same time.  If you are interested in knowing more, please drop us a line – contact details below.

Stop Press!

Frishta has been awarded a sizeable grant from a UK foundation – more details in the next edition of Frishta News.

And to Close

The Christmas holiday is a time when families come together and enjoy each other’s company (hopefully!) and with the giving and receiving of presents.   During this season of giving, please don’t forget the children whose home is the street and who will not be enjoying the pleasures of Christmas that we all take for granted. Why not give the gift of life to a street child this Christmas by becoming a Friend of Frishta:

If we all care
If we all contribute
Together, we can build something of lasting impact!

A happy Christmas and a safe and peaceful New Year to all our readers and thank you for your support in 2006.

How to become a Friend of Frishta


Nigel Studley

If you have any comments, questions, offers of help or you no longer wish to receive our Newsletter, please email us.

 
"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