Last year, many of you donated generously and heartfully for our first Hope Town in Manila. Our GK Tripura Hope Town was just completed a few weeks ago.
Thirty families are now living a new life of Hope in Hope Town Manila.
Just imagine their feeling everyday when they wake up to a beautiful new home and walk out into a beautiful new neighbourhood! Our Hope Town residents are enjoying ongoing values formation classes so they learn to take good care of their beautiful new homes and environment. They are also participating in community governance and opportunities to do volunteer work in the community- wonderful ways to build a sense of pride and responsibility.
We thank our partners, Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines, for their great service in nurturing and building GK Tripura Hope Town every step of the way, and continuing to offer our families a helping hand in improving their lives in every way.
Hope Town India Ready to be Born!
Many of you know we have been working this entire year to create the plans for our first Hope Town in India. We are now ready to give birth to Hope Town India- building is slotted to begin after August 15th!
I would like to introduce you to some of the faces and stories of Hope Town India. These people need a helping hand to enter a life of Hope. Their lives thus far have been the worst conditions of poverty, suppression, the lowest possible caste and little Hope that life would ever change.
Selvi’s Story
Selvi belongs to a tribe that catches snakes. They are called Irula tribes. She is 19 years of age and married. She has a daughter. Her husband Munian is 22 years of age. She and her husband live with her father and mother in this small hut.
Her husband works as a labourer in a wedding hall 20 kilometers away. He earns Rs.60 (little more than $1 USD) per day. Selvi’s father works at a farm as a labourer. The monthly income of the family is Rs.2500 (about $50 USD) and they struggle to survive. It costs Rs. 4000 ($85 USD) per month to feed a family of four.
Previously they used to catch snakes and sell the skin. Since the Government has banned catching the snake and export of the snake skins, now the women catch rats and eat the meat.
Dorai and Gangamma’s Story
Dorai and Gangamma live in this small hut. Dorai works as a labourer in a fruit garden which is 5 kilometers away. He has no formal education. He belongs to the nomadic hunting tribe known as Narikoravas. He, his wife and their infant child survive on his meagre income of Rs.1,500 (about $30 USD) per month. They live in this tiny hut which has no electricity.
Anita’s Success Story: Future of Hope Town
Anita is 17 years of age and she is in the 12th grade. She studies Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology and she wants to become a teacher. She also belongs to the Narikorava tribe. She is the first girl in her community living in that area to be educated till 12th grade.
It is indeed remarkable for Anita to have come to this level with nobody to teach her from her family or locality. She is dedicated and wants to help other children of her community to come up in life. Anita will be a great role model for the young children of her community to transform their lives.
Anita’s family live in a small dilapidated house and her father has health issues which prevents him from doing hard labour. It is only her mother’s hard work that helps her family to survive.
Anita’s mother Mariamma is an enterprising lady who would love to raise goats for livelihood.
Conditions Before Hope Town
This settlement of tribal people is in a remote rural area called Gumudipoondi, about 1.5 hours drive north of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu.
These people migrated from living in the forest when the government banned them from catching and selling snake skins. Many of them had to survive by catching and killing rats- eating the meat.
They are from the untouchable caste, which is considered the lowest social status in India.
All of them are struggling to survive financially on a typical combined family income of the equivalent of $50 USD per month. Even the cost of food sufficient to feed a family of four is $100 USD per month.
Their houses are huts and shacks made of mud, thatched roof, and plastic sheets and tarpaulins to somehow seek shelter from the elements. The houses are 6 foot by 6 foot. The height of the house is also 6 feet. They have to crouch to enter the house.
| Open-air Kitchen | Bath Room and Shower | Typical House |
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After Hope Town- A Model Community
Thirty families will receive the gift of a new, lovely home built in community style of 2 rows of 15 houses, with a common paved area in between with flowering plants and benches.
Small plots of land are allocated for kitchen gardens for all residents. Fruit trees will provide greenery and nourishment, as well as extra income from the sale of the fruits in the future.
A Community Hall will be constructed for community meetings, Mind-Sound Technology sessions, and classes on health, motherhood and child-raising.
Transforming from the Inside Out
Mind-Sound Technology (MST), Dr. Pillai’s educational program for enhancing both intellectual and emotional intelligence, will be practiced by all residents twice per week.
MST has been implemented with over 5000 children and adults around the world, and has demonstrated very positive results with higher test scores, greater focus and concentration on schoolwork, cooperation and participation, feelings of peace and happiness and overall well-being.
Practicing Leadership
Residents will participate in a community system of governance modelled after the local government. People will have the opportunity to serve the community in roles of leadership and accountability.
Go Green!
Hope Town will feature the following green initiatives:
-Rain water harvesting
-Waste water treatment with banana plants
-Recycling and composting
-Aluminum is replacing almost all timber in construction of houses
Nutrition for Healthy Bodies
Kitchen gardens and fruit trees will provide healthy fruits and vegetables for residents.
We will provide goats and chickens to all families. Goat milk will help to nourish their bodies, and breeding goats provides an excellent income opportunity. The eggs from the chickens are valuable as high-quality sources of protein to combat malnourishment.
Social Entrepreneurship
-Micro-loan systems will be used to encourage families that are motivated to start simple entrepreneurial endeavours. An example of an appropriate endeavour is the packaging of dry provisions like pulses and cereals.
-Men will be trained in simple, cost-effective and innovative building technologies that can be the basis of a new livelihood. Our future plans for Hope Town include construction of a girl’s hostel and a school to benefit residents and nearby villagers. So our men of Hope Town can have the fulfilment of literally helping to build their community, while they have a new livelihood.
Preventive Health Care
Medical camps will be provided on a yearly basis to help screen residents for potential health issues, and connect them with caring organizations providing free healthcare for the poor in need.
How You Can Help
An entire house can be sponsored with $3000. Half a house can be sponsored with $1500. Or you can donate $100 to give a pair of goats to a family and give the gift of daily nourishment and an additional income source. Even just $25 will provide a family with 10 chickens to provide valuable daily nutrition.
Donate
- $3,000- sponsor a home in Hope Town for a family
- $1,500- sponsor half of a home in Hope Town for a family of 4
- $700- sponsor a quarter of a home in Hope Town for a family of 4
- $100- sponsor a pair of goats that will help a family with nourishment and a steady income
- $25- sponsor 10 chicken for nourishment for a family
For more information on our Hope Town Initiative or to donate, please go to http://www.tripurafoundation.org/programs.html.
