Supporting our Nandri families to fulfill their dreams

Nandri supports hundreds of our young people and their families with financial loans so they can stay in school and fulfill their dreams of completing their education, achieving degrees and finding well paid jobs to help support their families. We also provide our families with small business loans. Here are some stories of how Nandri has changed these families lives.

Rebecca Studying BSc in nursing in Vellore

Rebecca is from a very poor family who could not afford for her to continue her education in school. She was a very hard working and promising student who dreamed of becoming a nurse. With Nandri’s financial help she completed school and is now with Nandri’s higher education support loan is studying in Vellore to become a nurse.

Hishalini starts her degree

Hishalini was an exceptional student in school but like many of our children, because she was from a very low income family, she could not conintue her studies and go to college. Nandri offered financial support from their Higher Education Programme and now thanks to the loan she received, she is completing her first year of BA in English at Thenpallipattu.

Girija had very little income and no one to help support her. She was finding it very hard to provide food for her family. The strain of watching her family suffer made her struggle both physically and mentally. She reached a stage where she felt she could not cope. She approached Nandri for help and with a small business loan she purchased a sewing machine and set up here own micro business. Her health has improved and she is now building her new sewing business. Thanks to Nandri, she and her family have a hopeful future.

Our Vaccine and Covid19 education programme continues

The number of Covid19 infections among our mothers and their families continues to fall and importantly the number of those very ill with the virus has reduced substantially. Our education programme has been very effective in curbing the numbers of people in our villages infected with Covid19.

We have continued with this important innitiative and in February Joe our director held an awareness and educational meeting for our mothers in the village of Kolappalur. Joe explained the importance of getting vaccinated, it's safeness and also how vital it is to maintain a very high level of hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus.

Nandri in partnership with the local government has organised 100 vaccination camps over the last number of months in the Tamil Nadu region. The village of Kolapppalur has been very receptive to the education programme provided by Nandri and there is now a 95 per cent uptake of the vaccine among the villagers.

Life in our Nandri villages has returned to near normal in the last few weeks as the infection rate has subsided. Our mothers and their families are very grateful for the educational support and practical food and financial aid Nandri has provided through this very difficult time.

Wonderful stories of success and achievements with Nandri’s financial support

The most joyous time is when we hear stories of how Nandri has succeeded in changing the lives of these impoverished people who had no hope and no where to go for help. These mothers and their families received a small loan from Nandri either to start a micro business, for a child’s education, or emergency support, for example to prevent a family who have fallen on hard times from being made homeless. These are very personal stories told with the grateful families permission.

F.M. lives in a rural village with her husband, who labours in the sugarcane fields. His meagre wages are not sufficient to feed and care for his family. F. M. suffers from diabetes and has also struggled with her mental health. The constant worry of how they will survive and provide for their son has taken its toll. Nandri heard of her family’s struggles and gave her a loan to buy a sewing machine. She has created her own business making and mending clothes in her village. Thankfully her over all health has improved and now with the suppport of Nandri, they can afford to keep their son in education.

This young lady, M.S. is from Vellore. She was a very bright and hard working student and had ambitions to become a nurse. Unfortunately as she was from a very poor family, this was just a dream. Both here parents were daily wage labourers and the family could not afford to keep her in education and it would be absolutely impossible for them to pay for 3rd level college. Nandri gave her parents a loan so she could continue on to Nursing College in Bangalore and now she is in the middle of studying for her Bsc in nursing in St Joseph’s College. When she completes her degree, she will be able to find a well paying job and will be able to support her impoverished parents in the future. One educational loan to this girl and her family has changed all their lives.

“We rise by lifting others.” This young father is from Iyyangunam Village. His wife, one of our Nandri mothers, tragically lost her life giving birth to their second child. The father was left in an impossible position. He could not find work as he had no one to mind his two small children. Nandri mothers acted like an extended family to the bereaved father and helped to support him both financially and emotionally. Although they have so little themselves, they understood his struggles and hardship and still found enough to share with this poor family who was in desperate need.

Nandri also came to his aid with financial support and we will continue to look after him and ensure he can afford to send his two children to school. We encourage all our Nandri mothers to work together and help each other. They shared their love and unity and the little money they had to help this poor Dad survive. He and his two children will always have our support but he will also always be a part of the extended Nandri family.

A very productive and busy January 22 for Nandri

Nandri has had a fantastic start to the year, working on our many projects and continuing to help our mothers and their families both financially and emotionally while also supporting both them and their children through further education.

We started the month with a training workshop for our mothers, educating them on awareness, hygiene and safe practice with the arrival of the 3rd Covid 19 wave.

Our mothers attending a Covid 19 awareness workshop

Plant 100,000 Palm Seeds and plants:

Our goal with this project is to plant one million trees in the next five years. This Month our project got off to a great start. We distributed 1000 plants and palm seeds to Kolappalur Panchayat, to sow in public places, such as hospitals, lakes and schools. To date in total Nandri has succeeded in planting 8,000 seeds.

Planting seeds for the future of our planet

Pongal Harvest Festival:

In Tamil Nadu during mid January, we celebrate the Pongal Harvest Festival. This is when our farmers give thanks and celebrate the harvest and the success of all their hard work, planting and raising crops and tending their animals through out the last year. Joe our director joined the farmers and their children in their celebrations. He reminded the farmers of the importance of protecting our environment and utilizing organic farming methods.

Joe celebrating the Pongal festival with our mothers and their children.

Financial assistance for our mothers and their families:

This January we distributed income generation loan support to 45 mothers. With this money they will set up their own micro businesses, paying back the loan with the money they generate.

We gave 3 mothers educational support loans so their children can continue in education.

One mother was in need of urgent emergency financial support due to a crisis situation in her family.

We also distributed Teak wood plants to all the grateful beneficiaries as a symbol of growth and future health and happiness. Our mothers were extremely grateful to Nandri for the opportunity these loans will bring and the chance to change their financial situation and bring a brighter future and more opportunities for their entire families. We look forward to reporting back their stories of success in the future!

Nandri mothers planting seeds and supporting organic farming.

Torrential rain causes devastating floods in Tamil Nadu

From 6th November, heaving rainfall has caused severe flooding across the state of Tamil Nadu, taking the lives of 14 people. The Capital city of Tamil Nadu, Chennai has been badly effected, with hundreds of people having to be evacuated from their homes. Unfortunately the area will see more rain in the coming days, leading to further devastation for the people of this region.

The only shelter available for these children

Many people, already impoverished, living very near to the Nandri Centre have lost their dwellings and all their possessions due to the severity of the flooding. Nandri has taken these people in and is caring for over 100 homeless people, providing them with food and all their basic needs. With the flooding and damage in the region, there is a severe shortage of food and clean drinking water. The meals are prepared daily for these poor families by our Nandri mothers from Chetpet Village. Our mothers are happy to feed these desperate families with the help and support of Nandri.

Joe from Nandri has been visiting the surrounding villages effected by the flooding and distributing food, water and necessities to those families in greatest need. Some of the families who have been made homeless by this disaster are living on the side of roads, railway platforms, in pipes and streets. They are living in a nightmare of floods, mud and misery.

The families are living in intolerable conditions

The torrential rain is not due to stop for another number of days, further impacting the lives of our families. When the flood waters eventually subside, hundreds of people will be left homeless. Nandri, on behalf of these people has been in contact with the local authorities and will be cooperating with them to help build dwellings for those left without a roof over their heads. In the meantime Nandri will continue to give them the shelter, food and water they need to survive.

If you would like to help Nandri to help these homeless families to survive and help us to rebuild their homes and their lives, please donate. Every small donation makes a big difference and these families need your help now. https://www.nandri.org/donate

The daily struggle to survive in the flooded villages

New projects and old continue to benefit our mothers and the environment.

One of our important projects, called “Plant 100000 palm seeds” is continuing to flourish. We have established Eco Protection Force (EPF) and to date with the support of our mothers and their families, we have planted 6000 palm seeds and 2000 saplings in various Nandri villages. Our mothers take enormous pride and pleasure in this project and know they are supporting the environment and making the world a better place for future generations.

A new project we have instigated is Artisan training camps organised by Joe, so that our mothers can learn new useful handicraft skills and set up their own micro businesses. Our aim in Nandri is to equip our mothers with the skills to provide for themselves and their families and support them in setting up their own cottage industry.

Our mothers had a wonderful time and learned so much from the first camp! Some of the crafts they were introduced to included embroidery, lacemaking, quilting and knitting. With their newly learned skills, they will be able to work towards starting up their own little business and with our help, enable them to provide for themselves and their families.

A productive month for Nandri Mothers

Mothers self help groups are a very important part of the Nandri Support system. They are informal gatherings where our mothers come together to help each other address any problems they have in their lives, either financial or personal. While the name “self help” might imply a focus on the individual , our aim is with the help of the group to aid the mothers to solve their own problems.

Nandri offers its mothers a group ready to support each other and help them to overcome adversity. They speak of the sense of care they feel and an inner peace after attending one of the mothers help group sessions.

In the words of Sr Deepika “Our mothers come together with a burden but go home with a light heart.”

Nandri continues to educate and inform their families on the importance of getting vaccinated. The pandemic has caused an unprecedented challenge to the Public Health Service in India, as well as problems with food production and supply. Our families are gradually returning to a more normal life and the number of Covid cases in our villages is currently reducing. In order for this trend to continue, we need our families to get vaccinated.

Nandri organised a vaccine rally in Kolappalur Village, in order to provide vaccines to as many of our families as possible. Nandri worked with the Government of Tamil Nadu to organise and promote this very successful and important event.

Nandri’s vaccine Rally for their mothers and families

NANDRI INSTIGATES INSTALLATION OF WATER HARVESTING SYSTEMS

NANDRI MOTHERS WORKING ON A NEW WATER HARVESTING INSTALLATION

In India, 80 per cent of the population are engaged in agricultural work. Water and irrigation is of course an essential part of the industry.  With climate change, India is experiencing much less annual rain fall and as a result, water has become a very important resource.  Tiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu is one of the driest areas, getting very little rain fall per year.  The average yearly rainfall is only 1074.7 mm, which falls in the months of October, November and December.  The climate for the rest of the year is extremely dry and in the summer months very hot.  

With such a dry climate where our Nandri villages are based, saving rain water is vital.  Nandri has instigated an exciting new project as part of our Clean Water initiative, to establish water harvesting systems in the villages and houses of our Nandri families.  Our first two systems were installed in the Nandri Centre. The centre has an open terrace measuring 2700 sq ft.  The rain water from the terrace is collected through pipes into a special water holding pit dug into the ground.  The water is then filtered through various stones and sand to purify it.  This system since its installation, has provided the Nandri Centre with all its water needs.  

Our next plan is to extend this system to our Nandri villages, so our families have adequate access to clean water to use for drinking, cooking and growing agricultural produce.  Also this will aid our families to have access to water for hygiene purposes. With the pandemic still such a threat to our families, having enough water to wash your hands is presently a luxury.  This new water harvesting system will be life changing for our families.  Something that we so take for granted in our every day life - access to clean water - is presently impossible for our families.  Nandri intends to make this a reality and with your help and generous sponsorship, we can make this dream come true for more of our villages and families.   We thank you, our donors, for your generous and kind support. We would be grateful for any help to continue our work.  

If you would like to contribute, please donate here: https://www.nandri.org/donate

On behalf of our mothers and their families I extend a big "Nandri" (thank you) to you all.  

Nandri organises Covid19 Vaccine Awareness Rally

Nandri Director Joe starts the Covid Vaccine Awareness Rally

Nandri is continuing its campaign to educate our mothers and their families on the importance of getting vaccinated against Covid19. We collaborated with the local Rotary Club in Kolappalur Village and held a Covid19 Awareness Rally. Amongst the villagers in rural communities in Tamil Nadu, there is a great deal of hesitancy, unfounded rumours and suspicion surrounding the vaccine. The aim of the rally was to educate our families on the medical facts regarding the vaccine. We also explained the importance of getting vaccinated both for the individuals and also the community as a whole.

Nandri Director Joe presided over the Awareness Rally, with around 70 mothers taking part. Nandri is supporting our mothers in every way possible in order to help them survive the devastation of the pandemic. In conjunction with the Tamil Nadu Government, we will continue to educate and facilitate Vaccine centers in the rural villages and hold rally’s to encourage our families to take part in the vaccination programmes.

If you would like to support us in this vital work, please donate:

https://www.nandri.org/donate

Vaccine rollout underway in Nandri Villages

There has been an improvement in the number of Covid cases in India but some of our villages have been badly affected by the virus and sadly there have been a number of deaths among our Nandri families.

Nandri is playing a very important part in facilitating and organising the distribution of vaccines throughout our villages. Another important role which Nandri is undertaking, is educating our families on the importance of vaccination. There is a hesitancy to get it amongst some of the villagers and a lack of understanding of how important and affective it is in preventing illness and death from Covid 19 and also stopping the spread of the virus. Our Vaccine education programme will help our families to feel confident and knowledgable before being vaccinated.

Yesterday we facilitated the vaccination of 200 people but unfortunately there was a limited number of vaccines available to us. We are working hard with the government in Tamil Nadu on our vaccine distribution programme and as soon as more are available to us, we will be ready to continue vaccinating our families as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, Nandri is continuing to support our mothers and their families in every way we can. The villages are still in lockdown and people are unable to earn any money. There is a daily struggle to to feed their children and themselves. They cannot afford emergency medicines and tragically some children have been orphaned because of Covid. They are so grateful to have Nandri and know that we are always there, giving them food and money to feed their families obtainInt vital medicines and helping them to survive this pandemic.

We cannot do this work without the generous support of our donors. On behalf of all our mothers, we sincerely thank you.

If you would like to contribute to Nandris ongoing COVID19 relief fund, please donate here: https://www.nandri.org/donate

Nandri helps its struggling families to survive

India’s 2nd wave of Covid has devastated the country. In the last 24 hours, 412,262 new cases and 3,980 deaths were recorded. The hospitals in the larger cities cannot cope with the number of severely ill and dying patients. Worryingly the virus is now spreading through rural India, which up to recently had escaped the worst effects of Covid. These villages are totally unequipped to deal with a surge of the virus in their community. In the town of Susner, in Madthya Pradesh state, very ill patients are being treated outdoors on blankets on the ground.

Nandri villages luckily so far have escaped this rural surge. Still, their biggest challenge is surviving the economic hardship that the Corona virus has caused. When families become financially destitute and struggle to feed their children, being able to keep their sons and daughters in education is impossible. Their priority is to put food on the table for their family. Nandri prioritises supporting them and keeping the children in education with financial support and loans.

Maria is one such student, who has been helped by Nandri’s Higher Education Programme. Her parents are poorly paid coolies and with 5 children, the family were struggling to survive. Maria had ambitions to become a nurse but her parents could not pay for her Higher studies. Nandri stepped in and thanks to their financial support, Maria is completing her first year of a BSc in nursing. When she qualifies, she will get a well paid job in a hospital and be able to help her parents feed her siblings and also support her brothers and sisters to continue their own education. By financing the education and the future of one promising student, Nandri has changed the destiny of the entire family.

If you would like to help Nandri continue to support our families and our students and help break the cycle of poverty, please donate: https://www.nandri.org/donate

We cannot continue to help our Nandri families without your generous support.

Nandri Loans help our Mothers set up new Micro Businesses

Our families have endured extreme financial hardship since the beginning of the pandemic last year.  The economic crisis made life extremely difficult for our mothers to make a living and to feed their families.  As well as advising them on how to stay safe, we prioritised giving them the means to earn money and start their own micro businesses.  

Throughout the last year Nandri continued to help our families by distributing food and other essentials to the villages. The lock down has slowly been eased and people have started to again search for work.  But finding jobs is very difficult. While they are searching, Nandri is continuing to support them and also helping some of our mothers start income generating activities and micro businesses. 

With our financial help, a group of mothers joined together and started a bakery in their village. With our support these mothers will work in their new business and earn enough income to help feed their families and keep their children in education.  

Another group pooled their resources and with a financial loan from Nandri started a textile shop. Other mothers have bought sewing machines to make garments and generate income for their families. Nandri has enabled these women to take the first steps to help them and their families become financially secure and enable them to keep their children in education.  

We could not support our families in their new businesses  without your help.  A big thank you to all our generous donors for your continuous support of our mothers and their new micro industries.  With your continued help, Nandri will help our families to survive during this time of extreme hardship.  

Nandri Nurtures the next generation

The children of Nandri and their well being is essential for the future of our organisation. It is vital for us to give them every opportunity in life to fulfill their potential and become good citizens. Our aim is to support them through education and all areas of their personal growth.

With this in mind, we have commenced a new Nandri initiative to serve the youth in our region. Our aim is to give our young people education, guidance and broaden their opportunities in life.

Our first event was to hold a Cricket Tournament, in memory of Chris Cotterell, a friend of one of our Irish directors, Michael Sweeney, who kindly sponsored the occasion. It was a great success and enjoyed by all who participated. We look forward to many more events to engage our young people and help them to develop, achieve and grow in every way.

Christmas, a time of joy in Nandri

Christmas is a special time for many people throughout the world and for our Nandri families too. It is a time to share our love with each other. As part of our Christmas festivities, Nandri is organizing a multi denominational celebration representing the many religions of our mothers, to share the joy of Christmas with all. Through our service we will impart the importance of love and harmony amongst people of all beliefs.

At Christmas time we share joy of giving with our disadvantaged mothers and their children. This year we gave each mother the gift of a Nandri oil lamp and a card saying “I am a Nandri mother”. Being part of the Nandri family is a great source of pride for all our mothers. The oil Lamp is a symbol of hope - that in 2021 there will be light at the end of the tunnel after our families have endured extremely challenging times in the past year. We hope that 2021 will be a healthy, happy and more prosperous year for all our families. As the new year dawns, each mother will light their Nandri lamp to signify light and hope in 2021.

The lamps will continue to be an important part of Nandri throughout the year. At each of our monthly meetings, one mother will be chosen to light the lamp and preside over the meeting, reminding our mothers that Nandri will continue to help and support them and keep the light of hope burning in all their hearts.

https://www.nandri.org/donate

Nurture to Nourish

“Nurture to Nourish” is the new initiative taken by Nandri to promote organic farming and domestic gardens to meet the vegetable needs of our families in the villages as well as in the cities. By farming organically we nurture nature and encourage soil fertility. To promote this, we teach the children the importance of organic farming.

We have 40 children attending our study classes twice a week and as part of this curriculum we also teach them organic farming. We encourage the children to start their own vegetable gardens in their respective homes. We aim to =educate the children to understand the value of organic agriculture.

Making small vegetable gardens in their own homes without using chemical fertilizers will teach them a valuable life skill to help feed themselves and also creates an awareness of caring for our world. The students in turn bring awareness to their families of the benefits of organic farming for both themselves and the community.

Teaching the children how to make Panchagavya. This is a mixture mainly of cow dung and cow urine used to fertilize the fields. It is organic and promotes plant growth.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”

As India suffers the severe effects of the pandemic, we continue to support our mothers and their families in every way we can, both financially and emotionally. Living under the shadow of COVID19 has been traumatic for all our families. Their lives have been severely disrupted and the children who have not been attending school, have suffered many frightening changes to their lives. With a view to working towards a brighter future for all of our people, and to bring an important air of creative and constructive positivity to our younger family members, we have introduced a new project called Eco Protection Force.

Our aim with EPF is to create awareness among all our people, but particularly our children and the young people of Nandri, of how vital it is to protect and nourish nature. Their education and knowledge of the importance of us all caring for our part of the world, will help ensure that we are all doing our bit to see that this planet is a better place for the generations to come.

Joe, our Director in India, coordinating Eco Protection Forces’ first planting project.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Modi, is working towards making India a more sustainable and greener country. He has spoken of the importance of our duty to care for the planet. “We the present generation have the responsibility to act as the trustees of our countrys’ rich natural wealth for the future generations.” Joe our Director agrees. He has said that he wants Nandri’s younger generation to become Eco Warriors, building a better world. “Our aim is to make our environment green and clean”.

Nandri children and mothers helping to Plant 1000 Palm seeds

Eco Protection Force’s first project was to plant 1000 palm seeds on the bank of the Lake in Indiravanam. Nandri families joined us in great numbers and were happy to be part of this important occasion. This will be the first of many projects that we will undertake, with the help and support of our children and their families.

The key to a greener planet is in our hands and Nandri is proud to be a part of this important work to make our world a better place. We look forward to seeing all the wonderful environmental projects that our young EPF volunteers will undertake. In the meantime, we continue to offer vital financial and food aid to those who need it during this very difficult time. We are so grateful to all our supporters who make our life changing work with our families possible. we cannot do it without you…. so a big NANDRI to you all.

If you would like to donate : https://www.nandri.org/donate

At 4.2 million cases, India now has second highest infection rate in the world.

The substantial rise in COVID19 cases has made India the country with the second highest rate of infection in the world. To date there have been 71,642 deaths throughout the country. The rural villages close to Nandri which have so far mostly escaped the virus, have been enduring untold economic hardship. The financial effects have been devastating. Many of our people have lost their jobs and have been left with no income to support their families. without Nandri they simply would not survive.

Nandri anticipated the appalling impact that Corona Virus would have on the economy and immediately implemented food distribution programmes and distribution of personal protective equipment to our mothers and frontline workers.

Our Micro finance schemes have literally been a life saver for our mothers and their families. Because of their small businesses, they have been able to maintain an income and survive. Many of our mothers had purchased a cow through our micro finance scheme, giving them both a food source through the produced milk and also an income through selling the milk products. This has enabled them to maintain an income and buy food for their families.

Last month Nandri supported 60 new Micro finance loans for new mothers, with a loan of Rs 30000, enabling them to start their own income generating micro business. 37 of these mothers chose to buy a cow and many of them bought sewing machines or opened small shops. These micro businesses will provide vital income for the mothers and their families, giving them a means to survive this pandemic. 60 families lives have been changed. They have a a brighter future for themselves and their children, thanks to Nandri and a just a small loan. These mothers and their families have been given hope and a renewed sense of optimism, when so many in India are desperately struggling to survive this pandemic.

We can only do this with your help and with your help we can reach even more impoverished families and change their lives. On behalf of all our grateful mothers and their families, a big Nandri to you all. If you would like to support our life changing work……

https://www.nandri.org/donate

Nandri offers hope to an abandoned child.

Sharmi was only 6 months old when her mother passed away. Her father did not want to keep her as she would be a burden to him so he abandoned her, leaving her with her elderly maternal grandmother. Her grandmother was already caring for her severely disabled daughter and had hardly enough money to feed themselves. They struggled financially but did the best they could for the little girl left in their care.

During the COVID19 lockdown, their situation became dire. They had no income, no money for food and nowhere to turn for help. Feeding the family had become a daily struggle and there was no possibility of Sharmi remaining in education. Even though she is a bright and hard working student, she was destined to a life of low paid menial work and poverty. Sharmi’s Grandmother heard of Nandri and the work that our organisation is doing with poverty stricken mothers and their families. In desperation the three of them travelled 120 kms on a motorbike to meet Joe our director and ask for some vital food aid and financial help.

Nandri has agreed to support this empoverished family and Sharmi will be included in our sponsorship programme. With our help, Sharmi will be able to remain in education. Her future is now secure. With Nandri’s financial support, she can achieve anything she desires in life and continue on to 3rd level education and a fulfilling career of her choice, secure in the knowledge that Nandri will always be there to help.

Nandri has given hope and a promising future to this little family. With Sharmi’s education guaranteed, she will be able to financially support her grandmother and aunt when she graduates, so breaking the cycle of extreme poverty for this family.

We can only do our work with the help of you, our sponsors and donors. We would like to say a big “Nandri“ for making it possible to give Sharmi the promising future she deserves.

if you would like to help Nandri to help more children like Sharmi please donate: https://www.nandri.org/donate

“Give the children back their childhood”

Life was always a hand to mouth struggle for our poor Dalit families and then COVID19 cruelly struck, making life even more difficult. In the last couple of weeks, to further make their lives impossibly hard, tragedy has effected two of our Nandri families, already struggling to survive the economic disaster caused by COVID19. A devastating fire and a horrible accident changed the lives of two families for ever. Luckily Nandri and our mothers groups have stepped up and supported these families and given them hope for a brighter future.

Amidst the fight to survive the pandemic, one of our mothers house burnt to the ground after an electrical fault. She and her family were left with only the clothes they were wearing. They were totally destitute, having lost all they had built and saved for in their lives. The Nandri community stepped in and the mothers in her Nandri group took her and her family in and provided them with accommodation. Nandri has given them new clothes and the necessities to set up home again and also we are supporting them financially until they rebuild their lives and once more become independent.

Sadly sometimes in India very young children have to grow up far too soon. Their childhood cut short by extraordinary burdens. Princy, a mere baby herself, is the sole carer of her mother who is a paraplegic. Her mum, Bernadeth Mary, broke her spine in a tragic accident. She can no longer walk and has no one to care for her apart from her baby girl. This little one is responsible for feeding and washing her mother and seeing to her every need. Thankfully one of the Nandri Mothers Groups heard of her plight and they are now supporting this little family with financial aid and practical day to day help. Nandri has also brought little Princy into our sponsorship programme and are supporting the family with Rs 1000 a month. With the help of Nandri, Princy can regain her childhood and will have the opportunity to go to school and be just a little girl again.

Presently in India there are 1.58 million cases and 34,968 deaths from COVID19. Almost 50,000 people are testing positive every day and in fact India has nearly 20 times the number of cases as China, a country of similar size and population. Worryingly for Nandri, a charity based in the isolated area of Tamil Nadu, the infection rate in rural provinces is rising extremely sharply.

Nandri to date has managed to mostly escape the devastating health impact of the COVID19 outbreak, although the financial consequences of the lockdown has crippled the community. Our food packages are vital to the survival of our families and the local villages in Tamil Nadu. We continue to educate and inform our families how to protect themselves from the virus while supporting them financially to enable them to survive this pandemic.

No matter what, our families know that Nandri and our mothers groups are there for them and will support them through whatever life throws at them. Nandri has built a huge community of supportive groups of wonderful caring mothers who with our help, guidance and financial aid will lift and help those amongst them who are greatest in need.

https://www.nandri.org/donate If you would like to help Nandri and children like Princy, please donate. We cannot do our work without your generosity.

Over 1 million cases, 25,600 deaths. COVID19 increases its devastating impact on India

In the midst of this humanitarian disaster in India, Nandri continues to support our families and share vital food aid to the local villages. India is the 3rd nation to hit the unenviable milestone of 1 million cases of COVID19 after USA and Brazil. The United Nations Aid chief has said that the support to poor countries has been grossly inadequate and urged the G20 to increase the aid or to suffer the devastating consequences in the future. Certain regions have had to reimpose restrictions to curb the spread of the virus and worryingly for Nandri, there has been an increase in spread in rural areas. The Red Cross have warned that the virus is spreading at an alarming rate in South Asia “India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are together becoming the next epicenter of the virus” As a result of the rapid spread of the virus, Tamil Nadu has reimposed restrictions, resulting in further financial hardship for our people. Per capita spending on Healthcare in India is among the lowest in the world and already Indias hospitals are struggling. The situation in India is at crisis level.

We are continuing to distribute vital aid to our people. The last couple of weeks we distributed vital food parcels to truck drivers in Chetpet, who have had no income and were struggling to survive.

Grateful Truck drivers in Chetpet receiving food packages

In Vellore, we distributed food to the poor who were struggling to survive. Our aid makes the difference between these families eating or going hungry. At the moment in the rural villages, the lack of work and as a result, the lack of income, is a greater danger than COVID19 to our impoverished families. So far in the small secluded villages, there has not been wide spread infection but our families battle with poverty and hunger every day.

Nandri supports a very impoverished family who have the added burden of both parents being blind. Without Nandri’s help they would not survive. The mum and dad have two beautiful children, the eldest of which at 6 years of age, is their parents carer. She cooks and cleans and minds her little baby brother. Life is hard for this family in normal times, but COVID19 has imposed untold hardship on their lives. They know that Nandri will be there to help them through these extremely difficult times and help their children to have a future.

We cannot do our work to help families like these survive without your ongoing support. We thank you for giving us the opportunity to help all of those who need us in these extremely difficult times. Nandri.

https://www.nandri.org/donate Please donate. Your help can make all the difference.