Fred Crowe – Page 2 – Nandri Blog

October 2, 2015

Our 2015 Graduates

20 years ago when Tony Barron started what was then called Child Aid Ireland . His objective was to convince and help families to keep their children in education. In those days a child could leave education at 9 or 10 years of age. Nowadays the parents realise that their children as far as possible must go on to 3rd level. Through our mothers self-help groups with 2000 + mothers we must take some credit for that realisation on the importance of education.

Three years ago we realised that many of our families could not afford the upfront fees to send their children for third level education. We introduced a micro-finance programme where they get a loan for the fees and repay a small amount each month, while the child is in education and then the graduate will complete the payment once he or she has finished.

This has been very successful. This year, 70 children have graduated. In India, families stick together and the graduates will send money back to their impoverished parents. Of course in rural India where arranged marriages are the norm, the wife will often move in with the husband’s family to look after his parents as they age.

In September we met the students photographed above. We explained to them the importance of paying back and many of them agreed once the got a job they would sponsor a child. In fact, a number of them signed a standing order to start the process. Already the money committed by standing order will send three further 18-year-olds to college in 2015

Fred Crowe

September 8, 2015

Microfinance works

Last month we handed out 35 loan cheques to mothers who will buy a cow. We also gave out 45 loans to mothers to fund their children’s third level education.

Since we started our micro finance program we have issued 1100 loans to our mothers in order for them to earn an income and to improve their overall living standard and to fund their children’s education. We have a 100% repayment rate and our loan book is now such that the repayments every month enable us to issue 25 new loans.

The mothers learn how to manage money, they earn the self respect of their family and their peers. They know that every repayment every month enables another mother to get closer to receiving her loan.

Over the last few years we have been changing the culture from one of our mothers receiving handouts to one of receiving loans. They are beginning to see the benefits of this.

A major benefit for us is our sponsors money is used more efficiently. The same euro is recycled time and time again

Many mothers join our programs in order to benefit from our child sponsorship program. (handout)

Our objective is that within three years of joining a mothers self help group a mother will receive a loan to purchase a cow.

The income she can learn from a cow is way above the handout we give in the form of child sponsorship. Increasingly also we are only including in our sponsorship program children of widows or from broken homes or single parents. We try to ensure that the money goes to those most needy.

September 8, 2015

No Helmets

Probably less than one in 100 motorcycle riders or passengers in rural India wear a crash helmet . In India a motorcycle is referred to as a two wheeler. 🙂

Above is a photograph of a father with his 10-year-old son hanging onto the fathers belt in order to ensure the two sacks of flour or rice don’t fall off the back.

It’s a very familiar sight to see a father with a three or four-year-old in front of him and the mother sitting side saddle with a six or eight month old child. There seems to be total disregard for safety.

India has 1% of the world’s cars but 6% of the world’s road deaths. It’s evidently illegal not to wear a crash helmet but it seems the law is ignored.

Our staff use motor cycles to visit villages and I made it quite clear to them that they must use a crash helmet.

September 8, 2015

We are half way there

I arrived in Chennai and immediately made my way to the site where our rural development centre is under construction.

We expect to complete the building and have the official launch and opening on 14th February 2016. If you would like to visit India and see the real India you are invited to attend the opening. We are going to organise a number of days visits to some of our different programmes and villages and mothers groups.

None of this would be possible without the very generous donations of a number of individuals.

This building will enable us to better serve the 2000 families which we currently help and would hope to double this within two years.

August 18, 2015

Fr Joseph returns to sunshine

Fr Joseph, who is the CEO of our partner organisation in India has been in Ireland for the last few weeks. He has been very busy every day meeting sponsors in Dublin and Cork.

Joe has been in charge in India for about 10 years and during that time he has implemented many unique changes. We are the only charity in the world where every one of our sponsored children has their own bank account. The child’s mother manages this account. This gives her a great sense of status and pride. Dalit women do not normally own a bank account. He has successfully implemented a micro-finance programme where since 2012, 850 mothers have benefited and are now the proud owners of a cow or a sewing machine or some other assets which they use to earn an income. He also implemented third level education loan program. Already 250 children are benefiting from that.

None of this would be possible without the support of our hundreds of sponsors who pay by standing order or direct debit every month. Remember €1 is a days wages for the mothers we serve. We have also had some very kind and generous donors whose donations have enabled us to build a rural development centre which will ensure that our partner in India, Child Aid Trust.

Father Joseph received many donations while he was here and all of that money will be invested in our various programmes in India.

Fred Crowe

May 31, 2015

Fundraiser in Arklow

Today the 31st May 2015 the On your Bike” in Arklow, enjoyed a sunny day and over 150 participated.

May 16, 2015

Rural Development Centre – first sod is turned

Yesterday Friday the 13th May 2015 the ceremony was held for the starting of the building and the laying of the foundation stone. This foundation stone was blessed by Nandri President and Director Fr Michael Murtagh in Ireland and personally delivered to India.

Before the building constructio commences a Bhoomi Pujan ceremony is carried out. According to Hindu culture, the earth is considered to be a mother. Bhoomi is the Hindu goddess Mother Earth. Before the start of construction, usually a Bhoomi Pooja is performed. This is to ask permission from Bhoomi Deva, and to get her good will and assistance. It also is to ask forgiveness for the disruption of the many living beings already on and in the land.

This building will provide administration and training and support facilities for our 2000 mainly dalit families. Once the building is completed in January 2016 we would hope to expand and grow the number of mainly families to double that number.

February 12, 2015

Nandri ensures a student nurse completes her education

Antoni (not her real name) has been living in an orphanage since she was four years of age. Her uncle paid her fees to go to nursing college for the first year. Three months after the start of the second year it transpired that he was not interested or not in a position to pay for the second year’s fees so she was evicted from the college.

In February 2014 we met her and agreed to give her Rs.25,000 (€350) for her 2nd years fees and the orphanage agreed to pay her accommodation fees. We thought she could get some kind of bank loan but evidently the banks will only give a loan if the student applies in the first year. Sounds a bit silly but that’s the way it is.

We have have to repeat the loan for the third year and we will have to give her a loan for the fourth year as well.

Most of our third level education micro finance loans will be partially repaid from the date the child starts college. In fact the repayments are generally currently enough to cover a full years years loans.

Most of our loans are for Rs.10,000 per annum. The loans to the student nurse are unique but makes the difference between her finishing her nursing education and not doing so. And eventually when she repays us the money can be used to finance another nurse or engineer or whatever

Fred Crowe

CEO

January 26, 2015

Successful mothers conference 2015

Our mothers conference on Sunday was a great success. Over 2000 mothers turned up and marched about a kilometre from one school to another. Originally we had intended to have about 1500 of our sponsored children but the mother’s indicated they would prefer to have a day out without the kids 🙂 . I suppose mothers are the same everywhere.

Sunday was also national voters day and we used this to raise the profile of our partner here and I believe we were featured on the local News channels.

In December I was contacted by Sigurdur, a retired video producer from Iceland and he offered to produce a short video for promotional use by Nandri. He videoed a lot of the march and the subsequent conference which we hope to edit over the next few weeks so that you can see the highlights. Today he spent shooting what will be a five minute video about the impact which we have had on one family. It really illustrates how all of our programs integrate for the benefit of the children and mothers in our various programs.

I will tell you more about this in a separate blog

January 24, 2015

Mothers conference is on tomorrow.

Michael Sweeney my fellow director and I arrived in India today Saturday. We initially flew to Dubai which is an eight hour flight and then we flew from Dubai to Chennai where we were picked up. It is about three hour drive to Vellore where we will be based for the next 6 days.

This is a photograph of a street banner advertising our mothers conference which is on Sunday, 25 January. 2000 mothers will attend.

It does serve to publicise our local partner Child Aid Trust and the work that it is doing. I believe the other two in the photographs are local dignitaries and being associated with them also is beneficial to Child Aid Trust.