Frishta News - Issue 9 - March 2007
It's been a while since the last Frishta News. Christmas was quickly followed by our Frishta Dinner on 3rd February and then Nigel Studley's three week trip to India immediately after. It's all in this edition of the Newsletter and you may notice there is a race theme too.
India Research Trip
Nigel writes, 'My trip was 9th Feb - 1st March and although it was warmer than the UK, there were also some terrific rain storms. Based in Delhi – Chandigarh – Delhi, it seemed to be one long succession of meetings, but as always the encounters with children were the most memorable. Here's a flavour of what went on:
- 'If I were rain...'
Having spent a fruitless half hour in a bookshop in Delhi's Connaught Place, I was leaving when the large eyes of a child on a book cover drew me in and I made my purchase. The book, 'If I were rain, I would go where water cannot be found', details the hopes and fears of India's disadvantaged urban children and I was instantly engrossed. After reading a few pages, I began chatting with a street boy when a Policeman, with stick raised, approached from behind me. Before I could object, the boy quickly moved back and was literally kicked up in the air by a man who didn't even break his stride. As the boy fell with a cry on the stone floor I noticed the boy's shoeless feet and his 'club' foot. The Policeman helped the boy up and shooed him away.
It was only an hour or so later, as I sank into my train seat and opened the book once more that I saw the boy's face on every page and realised how much I had failed him. Our worlds had briefly touched, even collided, and it had only left him bruised and sore from the experience. I vowed I would do better next time - I was to have many opportunities.
- Frishta Sponsored Children
I visited the Anugreh Bal Jyoti (Compassion and Light for Children) Programme run by Healing Touch, Frishta's partner, in a slum of 2,000 families (circa 8,000 people) beside a main road in Panchkula. The recent rains made many of the mud paths impassable and I was grateful for the stepping stones over the open sewers. It is hard to convey the contrast between the environment and the happy faces of the children attending the programme. They sit patiently and greet us enthusiastically, as we enter. They are taught for 1½ hours each day by teachers from the same slum and receive milk, fruit and vitamins. I was told that when the children were first given a Banana (costing just 2 rupees, or less than 2p each) they didn't know how to peel them! This is because for the same money a family could be fed on home cooked chapattis and so even a Banana was a luxury.
My attention was focused on Akanksha, a 4 yr old girl who is the first child in the programme to be sponsored by Frishta supporters – see her below: she is third left in picture 1, furthest right in pic. 2 and her home in the slum in pic. 3. She nods or shakes her head when spoken to, but soon livens up when the singing and games begin. I later looked through her exercise books and was amazed at the neatness of her writing and colouring. She is showing much promise and will soon start attending school – an impossibility without Frishta child sponsorship.
- Building Land & Legal Stuff
* Met with Engineers and Architects in Delhi and Chandigarh to discuss the design and construction of the project
* Visited the Frishta land and discussed Planning Permission process, fees and bribes (!) with various people – not a straightforward matter as officials were unavailable during the Punjab State elections
* Met with Accountants and Lawyers to set up our own Indian Frishta Trust.
- In the News
Amongst the newspaper stories I read of Punjab election fever, road accidents and Jade Goody's visit to Delhi, there were articles covering the growing concern about the widespread killing of girl babies, or female foeticide. It has reached such high levels that the ratio of girls to 1,000 boys has dropped to:
- India 927 : 1000
- Punjab 798 : 1000, i.e. less than 4: 5
The UK medical journal The Lancet published research that 10 million female babies were aborted in the last 20 years.
Also, Punjab state has the highest Dalit (untouchable caste) population in India at 30% (approx. 8 million), Hindustan Times, 12 Feb 07.'
"The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat!"
Lily Tomlin
Past Events...
Frishta Dinner & Dance Event
Here is an edited version of the newspaper article covering the event…
'On Saturday 3rd February, Frishta held its second fundraising dinner in Birmingham with the attendance of 500 invited guests. The Dining Suite looked beautiful with linen covered seating and ornate flower decorations and the evening started with the English string quartet Dil Se Strings playing Bollywood movie themes, whilst a silent slide presentation introducing Frishta's vision played on screens in the background. Nachda Sansar then got the evening off with a bang by performing traditional Punjabi dance and later the DCS Band thrilled the crowd and got everyone on their feet dancing.
The evening was organised by Rummy Dosanjh and hosted by Jat Dhillon who introduced the serious purpose of the evening with a video of 'Life on the Streets'. The crowd were hushed as he repeatedly clicked his fingers indicating the harsh reality of the death of a child every three seconds. He introduced the founder of Frishta, Nigel Studley, and asked the audience, "Who can stop the children dying?". Mr Studley walked to the stage and put his hand over Jat's hand stopping the clicks and the crowd burst into applause!
Nigel described Frishta's vision and what still needs to be accomplished to make it a reality. He then invited the audience to bring the abandoned and forgotten street children of India into a family - the Frishta family - in a purpose built Children's Village of small family homes, a school and clinic, to be built in early 2008.
The guests responded magnificently to the appeal by raising over £35,000 for the cause. Guests did not go home empty handed, and departed with a Goody Bag containing chocolates and various mementos of the evening.'
Frishta Children's Village
At the Dinner the Village was launched, completing Frishta's journey from Orphanage, to Home, to Children's Village.
Opposite is a layout of the six family homes with 12 children, each with foster parents. A small school and clinic will be added that will be open to the local village of Mukandpur and surrounding communities.
Construction is planned to start in April 2008.
Christmas Cards (!)
Don't worry this is not a plug for our 2007 Christmas Cards! It's a big THANK YOU to everyone who bought our Christmas Cards last year and for the Christmas Donations we received. If you sent someone a Frishta Christmas Card, you might like to follow it up with a copy of the Frishta News eNewsletter? Or just drop us a line if you would like us to forward one on for you.
2006 Financial position
- During 2006, a net total of £42,000 was raised, bringing Frishta's total funds to just under £100,000.
- Copies of the audited Accounts are available on request.
- At the end of 2006 there were 41 'Friends of Frishta' contributing regularly by standing order every month, a total of £10,000 p.a..
- Thank you to everyone for your hard work and contributions to Frishta.
Future Events...
British 10k London Run
Frishta has purchased debentures that guarantee us twelve places in the prestigious British 10K London run, which attracts 20,000 runners and is sold out each year. This year the race takes place on the 1st of July. The route includes many of the historic landmarks of central London, starting at Piccadilly, through Trafalgar Sq., past St. Paul's Cathedral, on to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and finishing near Downing Street in Whitehall.
If you have considered running a middle distance race why not run London in aid of Frishta? A place is yours for £30 and a commitment to raise a minimum sponsorship amount. Frishta can supply a T-Shirt, colourful sponsorship forms, training and fundraising tips. Please apply to info@frishta.org.uk – first come first served!
See below for more info on the race: http://www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk/HTML/British10K2006Frameset.htm
And to close...
Stoop down... to those who are oppressed... Galations 6:2 TM
'A few years ago at the Special [Disability] Olympics, the competitors lined up to run the 100 metre dash. Everyone took off, but as they rounded the corner one of the runners fell and began to cry. Suddenly all the others stopped, came back, helped him up, then locked arms and walked across the finish line together. It was an unforgettable moment. There wasn't a dry eye in the Stadium. What made the runners come back for the one who had fallen? They knew it could have been anyone of them lying there on the track, so they reached out to him. In a very real sense all the runners won the race that day. Are you getting the idea? We only grow as we run together, stopping to lift and encourage each other along the way, and finish victoriously together.'*
There is power in partnership and if we work together we all win.
* Excerpt from The Word for Today, available free from PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY
How to become a Friend of Frishta
Nigel Studley
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Mark 10:14-16