#LCIF – stories with no names or photos

IMG_7209.JPGWe recently received a grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation #LCIF  for the purpose of giving loans to some of our mothers.  In July we issued 25 loans and in August we issued 15+1. The +1 was a loan made possible by the loan repayments from the loans given in July.

We have over 3,000 mothers in our mother’s self help groups. This #LCIF fund will be used for loans for widows and single mothers.

Here are some of the stories of these women who work tirelessly for their children.

Mother 1 – has lost her husband because of alcoholism. She has a child who studies in 10th standard. She works as coolie in Chennai for a very meager income. She is homeless and lives in her parental house which is totally damaged. Through this loan, she will buy a cow. Her mother will look after the cow and generate income. This will be an additional income for the family to comfortably meet their basic needs and the educational requirements of her child.

Mother 2-  husband died in accident five years ago. She had three children, two daughters and a son. Both her daughters have died. Her son abandoned her after his marriage leaving her penniless. She struggled for her own survival.  The cow loan has restored her dignity with livelihood to become self-reliant and self-sufficient.

Mother 3-  husband died due to alcoholism. She has got three female children and all of them are studying. One of her child is doing nursing course. She works as a daily wage earner with insufficient income hardly enough to meet all her family needs and the education of her of her children. The loan has helped her buy a cow and generate income to create the desired economic changes in her family with proper food, health and educational needs of her children.

Mother 4 – husband succumbed to death due to alcoholism.  She has got three children and all of them are studying. She is the sole bread winner in the family. With her meager income, she was finding it very difficult to educate her children. Through this loan, she will set up a small petty shop which will bring an additional income to the family. This will enable her to create assets to provide proper education for her children.

Mother 5 – husband died of sudden cardiac arrest. She has got three children and finds it very difficult to give them proper food and education. Her children are doing 3rd level education. Though she is uneducated, she wants her children to be educated well. She has got cow loan and will generate adequate income out of this to educate her children without much financial constraints.

This is the mother who got the loan from the repayments

Mother 16 husband abandoned her 10 years ago. She has a son studying in 9th grade.   She is an agricultural laborer. Due to decreasing nature of agricultural activities caused by the constant failure of monsoon and the drought situation in the district, she suffers from seasonal unemployment. Even when there is work she gets very low income hardly enough to meet both their needs. Life for her and her son is always at stake. The for a cow will bring a ray of hope into the lives both, she and her son, creating sustained source of income for them. With this assured source of income she will be able to envision a bright future for her son with good education and employment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit to Nandri Centre by Caroline Keane

Caroline with mothersCaroline who lives in Ireland was visiting Southern India. She contacted us about children’s clothes which she had brought to India. The clothes have now been distributed to some of our children and she also visited our centre and sent the following email.

 

My visit to a Nandri Mothers’ Self Help Group meeting

More than 3,000 women in some of the poorest areas of rural Tamil Nadu now have their own successful little businesses thanks to the help of Joseph Abraham (Joe), managing trustee of Child Aid Trust which is Nandri’s partner in India and Nandri’s Micro Finance programme, funded by Irish donors and recently by #LCIF (Lions Clubs International Foundation).

Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting Nandri in person, meeting some of these inspiring women at their monthly group meeting and hearing their stories.

Some of the women have received a modest loan (€350) from Child Aid Trust/Nandri to start their own income. One of the women I met proudly told me about her tailoring business, another has bought a cow, while a third lady is now making shoes. Because of their micro loans and hard work, they are all now able to provide better lives for their children.

caroline keane with mothersAs well as these micro-finance loans all of the mothers save Rs.100 each month. This is about the amount of money which they earn for a days work in the rice fields. any mother can also borrow from their own group. All of the savings and repayments are relent each month.

It was lovely to see all the women smartly turned out in their colourful lilac-and-white sari uniforms which they wear to their monthly meetings.  These Dalit mothers are proud to belong to a group.  They clearly enjoy these get-togethers where they save each month, repay their installments, share their experiences and catch up with each other. From start to finish they were full of enthusiasm, chatter and smiles.

I was particularly impressed by how well managed the programme is and how supportive the women are of each other. Every loan and repayment is carefully and clearly accounted for by a local Nandri staff member using the individual and group reporting set up by Joe. The women have their own individual loan account books which, as well as repayment details, also include a page where they write what their children would like to study in the future, e.g. to be a nurse or engineer. These mothers are determined to make their businesses a success so that their children can have a better education and future than they have had.

Nandri do not receive any interest or fees from these loans. Instead, the women contribute a small 1% fee into a fund towards college education for children of members within their own group.

Although working on shoestring and also running other activities, Joe and Nandri are aiming to have 4,000 mothers and families benefiting from their membership this time next year. Impressive indeed, especially since this programme was first started four years ago, in 2012.

Aside from the Micro Finance programme, Nandri’s other local initiatives including a sponsor a child programme, evening tuition schools and skills training for adults.

Joe and Nandri also have other great initiatives and ideas which they can implement with a little more funding. They are strong champions of social improvement through education and community empowerment because it works. It was really remarkable to see first-hand how they are experts at stretching even the smallest donation to make a huge difference.

If you’re thinking of donating to a charity that can make your money go a long way, I recommend without hesitation http://www.nandri.org

Caroline Keane

 

My Nandri Experience – By Toria Moylan

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Let me start by saying I am not easily amazed. I am not easily impressed. I am not easily moved. But from my experience of The Nandri Foundation in India, I felt I had to write something as I am amazed at what an inspiring charity they are. I am impressed at the hard work and devotion the volunteers give to the poverty stricken people of Tamil Nadu. But mostly I was moved, deeply moved by the people of India and how The Nandri Foundation motivates and empowers families through education. Because of Nandri there is a light at the end of the tunnel for each child’s dream of a brighter future. They are turning that dream into a reality

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toria3After less than a weeks planning my last minute trip to India with my Dad is happening. The impossible became possible we got our Indian visas in 2 days, the stress as well as the blood pressure was high but it was all worth it in the end I am going to India! Our first day we travel and travel and then travel some more, finally after getting to India. We wait for an hour and a half for our bags, the endless prescriptions, sun creams and bottles of deet went from important to vital. But alas, the bags emerged, and we could breathe again.
The heat hit us like a wall when we walked out of the air conditioned airport. It’s a heat I’ve never felt before, its heavy, humid. The noises are almost overbearing. A constant honking of horns, street dogs barking and the buzzing noise of people shouting in the streets harmonise into song. Chaos surrounded us. The smells are pungent, wisps of putrid scents of open sewage, diesel, spices and human sweat overwhelm our senses.

 

We embarked on our 3 ½ hour drive from Chennai to Vellore , little did we know the roads of India are a free for all and the one with the loudest horn gets right of way. I learnt the traffic is worse than I could have imagined so be patient, in Chennai there are 4 million people trying to get around the small city. Its best to just go with the flow in India and have faith you won’t die on the roads. Seeing 4 or 5 people driving long on one motorbike is not unusual. Finally never ever ever rent a car in India unless you have a death wish, leave the driving to them. After 3 1/2 hours of heart palpitations and sweats from numerous close calls we arrive at our hotel. I met Father Joe for the first time and he is the furthest thing from my preconceived idea of a priest, he is charismatic, friendly, fascinating and warm.
We attended a wedding in the church of an orphanage which homes a number of sponsored children by Nandri. The wedding itself is an experience I will never forget, they were honoured to have my dad and I essentially “crash” their big day, something we couldn’t understand. Following the wedding we had a meal in the orphanage with the priests. It is clear almost immediately these priests who are so lively and young at heart not only preach the word of God but live their lives by it too by caring and providing for the orphans and lead by example through living a good life.

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Mother Group Visits – Once we’ve caught up on some much needed sleep we hit the road with Father Joe to visit Nandri mother groups meetings. They could not contain their happiness that foreigners had come to visit them, it was humbling. They would squeak with excitement when we shook their hand. The room was filled with a sea of blue Sari’s supporting the biggest of grins, eyes watching our every move. The organisation of the meetings is what stood out to me the most. During each meeting minutes were taken, accounts were thoroughly checked and any issues were discussed and resolved, all lead by Joe. The Idea of the mother support groups was a new concept to me. Nandri are forming their own micro community of mothers, who in India are oppressed and often mistreated by the male dominant society in which they live. The mothers support and care for one another whilst learning new values of hard work and the importance of education in the child’s life, in turn overcoming years of unjust tradition and culture one step at a time. Nandri has inspired thousands of mothers to believe in themselves. They can change their future, through financial aid, creating community based support groups and motivational speeches about the “Nandri vision” by Father Joe. Before they could have never envisioned a change or an improvement in their lives. “If I have the belief I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning” – Ghandi The Nandri Foundation provide mothers with the capacity to do it.

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We visited a blind school, a truly humbling experience, these children face challenges no one in the western world could begin to imagine. They played beautiful music for us, the children ran around laughing and smiling and playing games. Their disability does not hold them back nor do they let it define them. We stopped off at another destination on our list, Father Joe’s Parish. He succeeded a priest who deserted this parish so it was left destitute and after a lot of hard work the parish was habitable once again. Previously riddled with snakes and scorpions you can imagine how nervous I was walking into the place, that vivid imagery didn’t leave my mind until we left. Afterwards we pulled over for a “coconut break”. Alongside the roads there are men everywhere with small motorbikes carrying far too many coconuts for it to be safe. We ordered our coconuts and he begins to hack at the coconut with his Machete, we sipped away and this stuff puts Vita Coco to shame it is delicious, a couple of satisfied customers hopped back into the car and on we went.

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toria8The food is something that takes getting used to, I’m a fan of very spicy food at home but India takes spicy to another level. I’d advise anyone travelling over to pace yourself and your stomach. I was lucky enough to escape the dreaded Deli belly I’d been warned about, I managed to avoid all and any sicknesses over there by some miracle. I was told to bring a few energy bars in my bag in hind sight I wish I had but then again I didn’t go to India to snack on NutriGrain. I got to do some sight seeing while I was in Vellore, I visited the famous Southupaarai Dam and the golden Temple which was stunning. We shopped for Sari’s, Mehndi (what we call Henna), Bangles and silver anklets to complete my transformation into an Authentic Indian- well that’s a stretch but it was fun immersing myself in the culture.

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I visited more mother group meetings and the transparency of each groups accounts resonated with me, it is unequivocal where each cent is going and that its going towards their children’s education. What I found to stand out to me the most was the Micro financing plans. Nandri is a sustainable charity with systems in place that will run forever irrespective of who’s running them. The mother groups support one another in society but also financially as not to damage the groups creditworthiness. Each mother will have their own bank account, a facility that was previously not available to lower caste people. Nandri adopts what I believe to be the most practical approach.

toria10They could have establish their own infrastructures and claimed complete control over everything in the system. But that would have taken away from the current orphanages and schools that exist and help children today. So alternatively Nandri decided to enhance the current infrastructures by adding facilities such as toilets, more classrooms, bedrooms, teachers and so on. Nandri want to enhance what already exists, they trust people to do the right thing, the right way. Nandri understand that the poor people must be given opportunities in efforts to overcome their poverty, they must be treated the same as middle class citizens and given equal opportunities. Nandri is slowly but surely changing the prejudicial views against the lower caste, Dailt’s who are viewed as the outcastes in Rural India.

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When I saw the Nandri Centre it reinforced the idea that everyone irrespective of your class should be entitled to equal opportunities. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor, its safe to say I was blown away by it. This huge building stood in front of me, an inspiring vision where the low caste mothers will receive the highest quality training here. As Joe tells me, if you train them with the best facilities they will become the best they can be, their current income should not handicap them. Once again Nandri are redefining the traditions people have been bound to and are providing a sustainable long term solution to eradicate India’s poverty.

toria12Chennai Floods – They experienced the worst rain and flooding for over 150 years wile I was in India. I come for some sun and heat and the weather follows me from Ireland. Twice I went with Nandri and Arni Lions club volunteers and we handed out blankets, rice, flour, coil and other basic needs to badly flood effected areas. We drove and drove and drove bouncing along the damaged roads, the pot holes are mini man holes at this stage. We travelled to remote villages along side overflowing lakes and rivers where people’s homes were filled with water up past their knees, and most of these “homes” were mud huts. People were getting sicker and sicker from the rain. They could not work for days on end therefore they did not have money so inevitably they could not eat. Yet every home I went into to give a Pack to they wanted me to stay and have tea or something to eat.

toria13Somethings that have really stuck with me from my experiences in India, everywhere I went the smiling eyes, genuine happiness, the immense kindness and the sharing of what little they had was overwhelming it’s their culture, their nature, their norm.

 

In the school I was teaching they taught me what Christmas means to them and it is worlds apart from our Western Christmas. Christmas only becomes special and meaningful when you share what you have with those you love or those less fortunate. This belief is instilled in them from a young age, so when the heavens opened and the flooding hit, many were left homeless, families who could barely afford to feed themselves were donating to help these flood effected families, “So whatever you do to the least of my brethren you do to me”; If that’s not Christianity I don’t know what is.

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toria16Father Joe is heading up the workers for Nandri over in India and I can put my hand on my heart and say there is no faulting him. He has a heart of gold and lives the good life we all want to live yet somehow he does not get deterred along the way. Joe tells me a story from the bible. Something I’d never thought I’d be writing about but it resonated with me, it was about how you must stay true to yourself. “A man sees a scorpion drowning and picks it up to save it, but it stings him, he drops it back in the river, he tries to save again and again but the same thing happens. Eventually he saves it and the disciples ask him “why do you keep trying to save it, if it keeps stinging you?”. He explains it is the scorpions nature to sting but it is human nature to care and love so you must save it, never let someone else’s nature change your own.” We all want to make the world a better place than we found it but the evil and bad in the world can make us doubt the help we give will make a real difference but we must not change our nature, you must “Be the change you want to see in the world”- Ghandi.

toria17I came away with a lot more than I could have ever hoped for. I learnt a few Tamil phrases, but by far my Favourite is Nandri- meaning thank you. Father Joe explained to me how they do not say thank you to their friend in India because if you are good enough friends, of course you would do something for them. (To any future volunteers the head bobble means yes- it looks like a no but I can assure you it means yes, took me a while to wrap my head around it.)

Naming the Charity Nandri in my opinion is appropriate for 2 reasons. Firstly it highlights these peoples’ appreciation for life and for the Nandri Foundation giving these poverty stricken people an opportunity to change their future through education. Which is the main barrier faced by these mothers and children, it is their ticket to a better life. ” A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expect” Ghandi By teaching Indian mothers to work hard for what they want they will appreciate what they achieve so much more than if they were simply handed it. The Nandri Foundation empowers and instils new values which can be past on from generation to generation. They are also teaching mothers to deal with their issues and take the matter into their own hands, echoing my fathers mantra “if its got to be, its up to me.”
In the future Nandri hope that it will be a self Supporting system through its new generation moment. The new generation movement will be all the children who have been fortunate enough to receive Nandri’s support. Who finished their education and are now working and can support themselves, their family and can afford to contribute back to the Charity that empowered them in ways they could have only imagined. Showing their appreciation, their thanks, their Nandri.

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Making entrepreneurs of our mothers

This week we arranged three days training programme for eight of our mothers on making candles and incense. These mothers will in turn show other mothers how to make candles. Many of mothers have already received a loan to buy a cow and this provides regular income. Candlemaking will be an additional source of revenue. Candles are used extensively in India for religious and other occasions. Almost every day the electricity fails so candles will also be useful to provide light.

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Healthy mother happy kids.

Yesterday a mother of one of our sponsored children died of anaemia. She was 35 and may she rest in peace. Her husband died a few years ago from alcoholism.We have recently arranged with a local hospital in conjunction with the local Arni Silk Lions Club to visit one of our villages every month to check out the health of our mothers and children. Hopefully such conditions as anaemia and heart problems can be spotted and treated before they become more serious.

Our biggest problem will be to convince the mothers to attend a doctor for the checkup as they believe they should only go to a doctor if they have a problem.

Our Nandri Centre which opened in February 2016 has given us local credibility. Previously this hospital would just have regarded Nandri as another one of the tens of thousands of charities in India, some legit and some not so legit just like Ireland 🙁

The healthy mother featured here was a sponsored child. Last year while I was in India she handed me a cheque for Rs.1000 in gratitude for her educationimg_1194.jpg

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Our 2015 Graduates

2015-09-19 12.21.4520 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.

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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

 

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.

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.

2015-09-23 15.26.18India 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.

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.