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NEWSLETTER

December 2014

 

End of Year Annual Update

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www.bhagya.info

Encourage

Educate

Empower

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Bhagya Summer Report

 

Dear Friends of Bhagya,

 

 

Another year has gone by so fast and we've had many developments at Bhagya to share with you! 

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Bhagya Home

 

Bhagya Home now has 7 girls who live, laugh, learn, play, eat, sleep and of course fight together!  For the first time in their lives they have access to nutritious food, an education, healthcare and most of all a sense of home and community.   Little Poorni who came to us when she was almost 2 years, was initially expressionless, frightened and unable to walk.  She has made great progress since and is now full of smiles, cries and mischief!  She walks well, is vaccinated and potty-trained and ready to start school next year.  

 

2 new girls, Sneha and Nisha joined us this year from living on the streets.  They are now in school and slowly but steadily making progress.


 Veronica who leads project management at Bhagya has done an incredible job in helping Renuka transform the lives of these girls, by no means an easy task given their backgrounds.  Many days are still a struggle as we work to instill positive behaviors but we know, and they know, that better times are ahead.  


 Another key highlight in the lives of these girls is the presence of Renuka's mother, who is fondly called "Amachi" (Tamil for grandmother).  Her love, affection and engagement in their daily routine has made a such a difference to their sense of family.  In turn, Amachi - at age 90 - is going strong thanks to this sense of community.

 

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Other 2014 Highlights:

 

  • 20 young women were trained in computer skills, spoken English and personality development

  • 10 girls were trained in tailoring

  • 5 additional girls were sponsored for education

  • We launched our web presence with our revamped website (www.bhagya.info) and ourfacebook page

  • We expanded our donor base as more people learned about the work we do and the results we are seeing

  • We started the long-awaited process to obtain our 80G status (tax exemption in India which requires a certain level of activity before the entity can qualify) and additional "Child Welfare Centre" certifications that comply with new regulation

  • Upgraded our computers and purchased 2 new sewing machines

  • Together with our US-based partner Caleb Hope Foundation (CHF) we collaborated on bigger plans for the future!

 

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So what do we have planned for 2015?

 

The time has come for us to start the process of securing an independent space forBhagya (currently run out of Renuka's home) as the organization grows and the number of girls living there increases.  While we intend to make the move only in about 2 years' time, we will launch a drive to start raising funds to secure a new location starting this year.  We plan to do this through grants that CHF will apply for on our behalf as well as through donations

  • We will budget for 3 additional girls to join us atBhagya home bringing the total number to 10.  However, we are temporarily suspending proactive efforts to grow Bhagya Home due to new regulation that we are working to comply with.  However, the need is great and we want to be ready if an urgent situation arises

  • Increase the number of girls entering our computer certification and tailoring programs and focus on job placements for them

  • Increase the number of girls whose education we sponsor.  This has emerged as a significant need as many girls of single parents struggle to keep them in school due to financial difficulties.  We are working to strengthen our agreements with the family to ensure that there is no disruption to education once they are sponsored

 

We would love to stay connected with you through the year!  Please like us on facebook and follow our updates, visit our website or write to us atbhagya07@hotmail.com

 

We wish you every happiness at Christmas and every blessing in 2015.  Thank you for supporting us and helping our girls.  

 

You didn't have to, but you did - and that made such a difference!

 

Love,

Renuka & Sharon

 

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http://www.bhagya.info/how_can_help.html

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