By Akshay Sagar | Director - Operations
Dear Friends,
A big Hello from all of us at Reaching Hand!
It has been a busy few months for all the children and staff at Reaching Hand!
On 26th January the children and staff of Reaching Hand celebrated Republic Day with HCL team. It is one of India’s most important national events. It was on January 26th, 1950 that the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state. The HCL team provided sweet treats for the children and hosted many different games and activities such as dancing and singing along the HCL staff. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the day remembering our great nation’s democratic values!
GOALS TO GOODNESS – A CHARITY SOCCER TOURNAMENT AMONGST CORPORATE IN BANGALORE
In February we organized our first inter corporate soccer tournament - Goals To Goodness (G2G) fundraising event! This included 16 corporate teams who all participated in the matches, a fantastic friendly event! The children were keen to get involved as they also got an opportunity to play a friendly match with Oasis children. The event was organized to raise awareness and funds for our orphan children. The event was a huge success and got very good recognition in the media. We are planning to have more in the near future!
February also saw a very busy time for all the children’s studies, as they all knuckled down to prepare for their annual examinations. Their exams then took place in March, and we are hoping that they will be rewarded for all their hours of study time by achieving good grades! Will are anticipating their results which will be due by the 1st June.
At the end of March, we were pleased to welcome Emily Parkes,our first International Volunteer! Emily is a BSc Geography graduate from the U.K, and she will be working with us on voluntary placement for 6 months. Emily will be in the office helping the Director of Operations with fund-raising for the charity, as well as working closely with the children, helping with their reading and giving support to our older children who are entering their teenage years. She is staying in the girls New Home throughout the duration of her stay.
Reaching Hand Run towards a Positive Future in the TCS Bangalore W10K Marathon!
On Sunday 19th May, more than 100 supporters of Reaching Hand took part in the TCS Bangalore 10K Marathon 2013, including our children, staff, volunteers, our Care Champions – Derek Dsousa, Patrick Pitchappa, Kumar Raju, Emily Parkes & V M Samuel, and Corporate Partner, Infinite. United with various other causes and NGO’s, we ran for the better future of our children! In the Majja run, the atmosphere was alive with samba music, dancing and creative fancy dress! Reaching Hand came bearing t-shirts, banners, gloves and some crazy headdress! Mr. Lemuel Paul, Employee Club President of Infinite Computer Solutions (Corporate Partner of Reaching Hand for the Marathon) said – “The marathon was a great way to de-stress, and lot of fun too. However the cause [Reaching Hand] that we ran for made our participation more satisfying than anything else.” Mr Sunder Rajan, Senior Vice President (Human Resources) of Infinite found that “It’s a thrill to run with everyone for a common human cause. I really felt I have accumulated more energy after Running together with all”. Indeed the aim of this event is to bring people together with their passions and aspirations, the common purpose being fitness, and representing a cause they believe in.
We wish to thank all those who participated with us, as well as everyone who sponsored Reaching Hand. The Bangalore Marathon is an interactive and engaging way in which our charity can raise funds, reach out to the public and promote our cause.
BIAL AIRPORT VISIT 21st May 2013 - “Aiming to Fly High”
On Tuesday the 21st May, our children had a fantastic day out to Bangalore International Airport. Upon reaching its fifth birthday, the children were invited to celebrate with them. A grand tour of the airport was given to our children and staff, demonstrating the procedure of check-in, luggage and security, giving us a deeper insight into its organisation and day to day running’s. The children were able to have a bus tour of the airfield, and it was clear to see the children’s delight getting up close to the aircrafts! We were then provided with a delicious lunch and had a craft exercise, where the children made origami butterflies and planes. This kind of exposure for our children will encourage them to aim high, and pursue a challenging career, maybe working for the airport themselves one day. The chance to come so close to the gateway of far-reaching places will also inspire travel and an interest in the rest of the world! Much thanks to BIAL for organising such an intriguing program behind the scenes of the airport, and the lunch and activities were enjoyed greatly by our children!
WOMENS EMPOWERMENT SAFETY PROGRAM 22nd May 2013
“Sharing knowledge to inspire lives”
A team of employees from Goldman Sachs joined us in Kagglipur to meet our ladies who are part of Reaching Hands program to teach tailoring skills to vulnerable, and poverty stricken women in the local community. On Wednesday 22nd May, 17 employees came to educate and demonstrate the many issues women face in this society, including lack of education and abuse. The women were advised on their human rights, and guided on how to deal with various situations that may put them at risk. With two groups of people from very different social backgrounds, the women soon integrated with everyone, and built up their own confidence engaging with one another. Also the language barrier was broken by various exercises encouraging those to introduce themselves and share their stories, and trust and hugging exercises. It soon became evident that everyone really began to relate to each other, and much fun and laughter was had by all. Thank you to Goldman Sachs for sharing these important issues to our ladies, and offering them guidance on how they can manage their lives, these lessons can prove to be invaluable.
“Real Madrid Coach brings Inspiration to our vulnerable Children”
On Tuesday 14th May a selection of 14 boys from the Bangalore based charity, Reaching Hand had the chance to meet and have a training session with Guillermo Escudero Tello, Head Coach of Real Madrid’s youth football team. This took place at HAL’s playing fields. Accompanying the children from Reaching Hand were Mr Thomas Saju, Mr Akshay Sagar, Mr Santosh P. V and Ms Emily Parkes. From Lokko Sports Mr Noel Wilson, Mr R. Gopal, and Mr Santosh Kiran. The Real Madrid Foundation are working with Lokko Sports to develop football in India, and Guillermo has been undertaking football sessions for young players and coaches in Mumbai, and Bangalore. The boys of Reaching Hand had a practical session with Guillermo practicing various games and new techniques, followed by a friendly match. This engagement with professional footballers will certainly impact the boys, and inspire higher aspirations for their futures, maybe even to work hard to take football up as a career themselves. Reaching Hand is partnered with Lokko Sports, and will receive further training and support from them to inspire our children and improve their skills.
So we have been working hard to organise activities and events for the children during their summer holidays, whilst also trying to reach further by continuing to raise funds for our new development – New Home and Dream School Project. We can happily report that we have recently obtained the land for the site, but still there is a lot of money to find and a great deal of work to be done to plan this exciting development. Folowing are the some of the links of the happenings.. ......
BONUS DAY ANNOUNCEMENT - 12th June 2013
Kindly visit the link and donate to our project as your money will get matched to the maximum. Please visit the below link for more information. http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/education-and-hope-for-50-orphans-children-in-india/
1. https://picasaweb.google.com/108383794776764127244/FOOTBALL?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCgp5b3k6bOOA&feat=email
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN9HlNt5L7Q
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT AND FAITH IN OUR WORK.
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