Community Outreach at Christmas

This time of year is a great opportunity for Helping Point to serve the most vulnerable in its communities, helping to meet the material needs of widows and others struggling with poverty.

This Christmas, Helping Point will be distributing food, saris and other clothing to many who live with so little. The team will also host special meals for a number of poor people the local communities to help mark this special time of year. Helping Point will also be providing food to the families that were hit hard by Cyclone Titli in October.

If you would like to donate towards this work, please give here. We are hugely grateful for all donations.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year 2019!

Christmas Celebrations at St. Simon School

This Christmas, St. Simon School will keep up its annual tradition by hosting various activities for the children, their parents and the local community. The children have just finished their half term exams and they are ready to celebrate.

The school will host a Christmas meal for needy people in the local area, and on the 22nd of December the children will put on a nativity play and dance recitals for their parents and other community members. The children from Jhola Children’s Home will join them at the school too, so they can all enjoy the festivities together.

We expect the events to be well-attended and well received, as they are every year. We are looking forward to the children’s performances!

Merry Christmas from everyone at Helping Point

Jhola Children's Home Update

Jhola Children’s Home in Odisha was established in 2010 to care for children who were orphaned or displaced by anti-Christian violence in 2008. It continues to provide a caring home for these children, as well as others from extremely poor backgrounds.

Fifty-one children, ranging in age from six to fifteen years, now live at Jhola children’s home. Around 20% of the children are orphans, the rest coming from single parent families in the area who are unable to care for them, or from other very poor backgrounds. Living at the home enables these children to avoid being trafficked or subjected to child labour and to receive proper ongoing nutrition and health care. Parents visit regularly to spend time with their children.

When a request is made for a child to be admitted, the individual circumstances are carefully considered by Helping Point India’s board. The boys and girls are cared for by the warden, his wife and the cook who work together as a team to prepare the children’s meals. It is hoped to add another couple to the staff in time but this is not currently possible due to a shortage of accommodation. The children receive their education in the local schools where they learn in the native Oriya language, and they are doing very well.

Materials have all been purchased for a new accommodation building for the girls and work will begin shortly, now that the rainy season is coming to an end.

Update from St Simon's School

Monsoon season is now over in Odisha, and thankfully all the children were kept safe and dry in their new accommodation building when Cyclone Titli hit last month. They (and we!) are very grateful to those whose giving made this possible.

Unfortunately, the dining/worship hall building at the school was destroyed in the cyclone. We are fundraising to replace the building with a solid concrete one which will be able to withstand future cyclones. If you are able to donate we would be very grateful - you can do so here.

Update on the school year so far

June 18th saw the start of the new school year at St Simon’s. There are now 235 pupils, 50 of whom were new this school year. Only 44 of the pupils are girls, a reflection of the fact that many Indian parents still regard the education of daughters as less important than that of their sons.

The end of year exams took place in March and most children did well. Six of the ten year olds were entered for a government run competitive exam with an average pass rate of about 10%. All six of the St Simon’s pupils who entered passed, an exceptional result for the school and a great opportunity for the boys involved. They will now transfer to a state-run residential ‘Model School’ in nearby village and will have a free education paid for by the Indian government up to graduate level.

In April, prior to the start of the summer holidays on May 1st, pupils moved up to their next class and on the last day of term all the parents came to visit. These families remain especially thankful for the provision of food for their children, made possible by the funding from our donors. Each year a special health check of the pupils is carried out by a local government team and any children who need it are taken to a district level centre for free medical treatment.

The most recent government inspection in July (which scrutinised all aspects of the children’s welfare and education) went very well and inspectors were impressed by the level of the pupils’ English.

The pupils enjoy singing with great gusto - in English, Oriya and Hindi - and learning Bible stories each morning and evening. These sessions are led by the school chaplain, Brother John, who has been responsible for the pupils’ spiritual welfare since the school started eleven years ago. About ten percent of the St Simon’s pupils are from a non-Christian background. When children are admitted to the school it is clearly explained to parents that pupils will take part in Christian devotions every day, and parents’ written consent has to be given.

The St. Simon’s children are taught by fifteen teachers, all of whom have a Bachelor of Education qualification and are dedicated to the well being of their pupils. Four of the teachers are women. A further ten non-teaching staff help provide care to the children. The school has recently appointed a new Head Teacher, Naynanada Edla, to run the school alongside the Principal Ravi Babu. Hoseoy Pal continues his work as an administrator. There will shortly be a Fire and Safety inspection which will enable the school to identify and put into practice any necessary measures to conform to government standards.

The recent support by GEM in the UK has provided funding for the construction of desks and beds in the dormitory and school block. This construction is getting underway soon. GEM has also generously provided some resources for new computers for our recently added computer classroom at St. Simons. Thank you, GEM.

A huge thank you to all supporters of St. Simon’s School!

With love,

Bidyuta and the St. Simon’s Children and Staff

Cyclone Titli hits Helping Point - Fundraising Appeal

Helping Point was hit hard by Cyclone Titli on the 11th October. Thankfully, all of the Helping Point children and staff are safe, however, some buildings at St. Simon’s School have been destroyed. Please keep checking this page for updates.

We are fundraising for two funding areas - emergency Community Relief for local families affected, and a rebuilding fund to construct a permanent Dining/Worship Hall to replace the above damaged buildings at the school.

Please pray for:

• Safety from further harm or damage, particularly safe drinking water and power to be restored.

• Swift and decisive action by the Helping Point Team and local disaster relief efforts.

• God’s love and care for his people to be shown in miraculous ways.

Update (17:30 13/10):

The roads have now been cleared, allowing Bidyuta access to Jhola Children’s Home and St. Simon’s school. All children are safe and the rain has temporarily subsided. Continue to pray for safety and peace as the Helping Point team determines what actions need to take place in the coming days.

Update (18th October):

It will take a month to restore proper electrical power to the school and Jhola Children’s Home. Meanwhile, generators are being used to provide two hours' electricity a day and to pump water, with Helping Point staff working 24/7.

Our team have also been visiting local communities over the past two days to assess the extent of the damage of Cyclone Titli. Many homes have been destroyed, power lines damaged, and water supply cut off. Please pray for the relief efforts of Helping Point and for the continued good weather following the storm to allow for easy access to these areas.

Please pray:

• Giving thanks that there was no loss of life.

• For the children at the school as they recover from the trauma of the cyclone.

• For the local community and for Helping Point staff as they seek to bring them help.