Education India Project #9316

Education & hope for 165 needy children in India

by Reaching Hand

Education & hope for 165 needy children in India

Project Report | Feb 25, 2020
When There's a Will, There's a Way.

By NIKI kRASKA | CHILD DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

When There’s a Will, There’s a Way.

Just ask our senior boy, Prem. Prem has been growing up in New Home for the past 14 years and is now the eldest boy at our home. His childhood was marked with many transitions, not only in our home, but also in different schools as we figured out which educational setting was the best for him. Through these transitions, Prem experienced a number of challenges as any child would at such a young age, including some behavioral issues. Even with these challenges, he passed his 10^th Board Exams in NIOS with 79 percentage, a very good score. Yet we were uncertain about his future or where he would go next. But Prem had plans of his own. He knew he had what it takes to succeed, if he were to get the chance. We were able to give him that chance in HMR PU College, and he ended his 1^st PU year as the college topper! Each quarter he proves again and again how hard work and determination pays off, consistently ranking among the top in his core subjects of accounts and business. Not only does his hard work show in the classroom, but also in his character, as he has grown into a responsible and caring young man. He dreams of becoming a Chartered Accountant, and if he keeps up this pace, he will surely reach his dreams. All the best, Prem!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Lighthouse International Academy (LIA) held their first official Sports Day on the 28^th of November. Thirty-Seven of New Home children attending LIA got to participate in a race or game according to their grade level, with our top athletes competing in 100 m, 200 m, and 400m relay. It sure was an energetic and fun-filled day completed with a march past, musical display, physical drill, and, of course, medals and awards. Ganesh and Moses both received awards of distinction for receiving 3 individual medals. The students are already looking forward to improving their skills for next year’s Sports Day!

Feeling Merry and Bright this Holiday Season!

The month of December is ALWAYS an exciting one for New Home – with a program each and every weekend to celebrate the holiday season. This year the season was kicked off with the children’s day at Catholic Club. Boys and Girls showcased their talents with dance performances and engaged in dance and play throughout the event. Our LIA students also got to showcase their talents in dance and singing during the Thanksgiving Program. It wouldn’t be the holiday season without our annual surprise from Devi Aunty’s group – this year they took all of the children out to a restaurant for some enjoyment and a hearty meal. And of course, with the spirit of giving, our children were blessed with new clothes and gifts from our generous donors. THANK YOU for everyone who made the full month memorable!

Moving On Up!

These past months, we’ve had the privilege of attending 2 graduation ceremonies for 7 of our outstanding boys and girls graduating from 12^th grade. From St. Charles Women’s Pre-University College, Sazhuni in Science and Leshini in Commerce graduated in November; and from HMR Pre-Univeristy College, Prem and Shashi in Commerce, and Ruth, Renuka, and Sam in Arts graduated in January. How proud we were of Prem and Ruth when we learned they were both nominated for Student of the Year. Most of these boys and girls have been growing up in our home for the past 10 to 14 years, so it is such an honor to see them succeed and reach this milestone in their lives. They all will be taking their II Pre-Univeristy College Board Exams in the month of March, so please do send them lots of good luck!

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Nov 26, 2019
The Sky is the Limit

By Anish Saha | Manager- Comms, Fundraising & Volunteer Management

Jhanavi (Right) and her cousin

Another quarter passes and we continue to grow from strength to strength! What they say is true, "All one requires is just the chance to an opportunity", and the children of New Home and Lighthouse Academy are a testament to this statement!

Story of Resilience

Jhanavi came to New Home at the tender age of 4 years under very unfortunate circumstances. In the beginning, and understandably, she was very emotional. Through the love and care she has received at New Home, and the bond she was able to make with the other girls that she lives with, she has been blossoming in her social skills and development.

Now at the age of 6, she is very caring towards the other young girls she lives with, treating them as her very own sisters. She is studying in KG at Lighthouse International Academy where she lights up the classroom with her laughter and smile. Many of our other children, both young and old, have developed a close relationship with her through her gentle and big heart. As she grows up in New Home, she will definitely become a positive leader and role model for others.

Annual Sports Day at St. Michael's School!

St. Michael’s Sports Day is a day our children look forward to every year. Maria, in her 10th and final year at St. Michael’s participated in the Marching Band, and received 2nd place in throw ball and 1st place in table tennis! Chaitra, in grade 9, sang with the school choir and got 2nd place in basketball, 2nd place in the 200m run, and 3rd place in the long jump.

Not only are they great sportswomen and involved in extracurricular activities, they both, but are also doing very well in their studies as they study in the commerce track. Maria is preparing for her 10th ICSE Board Exams and aspires to be a teacher or work in the airline industry and Chaitra aspires to be an ambassador for India.

An Unforgettable Experience

Recently, Clark’s Exotica Resort and Spa invited our children to display their artistic talents in a showcase on their site. Five of our teens got to take their paintings and crafts to display and sell as a fundraiser for their education fees, while they mingled with Clark’s staff and management. It was great exposure for our teens as they learn skills for their future.

Another exciting event took place when Toccata came back to Bangalore! Toccata Musical Productions, a musical ensemble from the UK, performed “Gimme some Lovin” – a concert filled with some of the world's most legendary hits. Our LIA students got to experience a special students-only show and interact with the talented singer and musicians. An awe-inspiring experience for all of our own gifted singers and musicians.

Lighthouse Academy is full of Celebrations!

Lighthouse International Academy (LIA) celebrated 2 big celebrations – India’s Independence Day and our first LIA Founder’s Day!

For this year’s Independence Day program, each class of LIA prepared a performance to honor our country, including a powerful and emotional mime reenactment of major historical events. August 31st marked our Founder’s Day celebration – in which we got to honor those who worked hard to see the dream of LIA become a reality.

LIA has a strength this year of 61 students, almost double the strength of last year’s student body. We are very excited to see the growth of LIA and look forward to the success of our students this year.

St. Michael Sports Day

St. Michael Sports Day Awards

Art showcase at Clark's Exotica Resort and Spa

Independence Day Celebration

Independence Day Celebrations

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Aug 30, 2019
ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18

By Akshaya Kumar Sagar | Chief Operating Officer

It gives me immense pleasure to present to you Reaching Hand’s Annual Report for the financial year
2017-18. Our programs continued to reach out to children, youths & women especially from the
marginalized communities; to make a positive & sustainable impact in their lives and in the last year,
most of our work focused on reaching the unreached communities through our innovative programs.
Our support has directly reached out to impact from 22000 to over 37,000 students through different
programs in 150 schools with Girls Education, WASH, Women Empowerment, Skill Training, My School
& My Community.

We believe that lasting social change can only become a reality when underlying causes of poverty and
social exclusion are addressed in a holistic manner and therefore this year we started our community
development program called Namma Samudaya -My Community. The program is designed to help the
local people identify their problems, co-create solutions, and then implement the same on their own
with professional & financial support from HCL Foundation, RH Team, Local Leaders & Government,
thereby, lending the dimension of sustainability and ownership to the whole vision of empowering the
community.

Several milestones were achieved during the year and the report outlines some of our key achievements
and how we got there. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders - especially
our children, youths, women, corporate partners, donors, volunteers, government, vendors, community
leaders, Reaching Hand staffs and well-wishers for their strong and consistent support, without which
we would not have been able to achieve so much. I would especially like to thank our Board Members
for their contribution, particularly when we needed to find solutions to big development challenges.
Best Wishes.
Akshaya Kumar Sagar
Chief Operating Officer

Attachments:

ReachingHand2018.pdf (PDF)

1 Attachment

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