My Thank You letter to the DM cheekily told him that most of the children were very late for school that morning. Not because they didn't get up in time, or because there was no water to shower with. It was because the firewood was too green to catch light and produce enough heat to cook the breakfast. We had ordered our gas cylinder but being near the end of the month nothing was available. The DM immediately contacted the boss of the gas agency telling them we were to be allotted 3 cylinders a month as an institution caring for children. Mr Venkat went the same day with another letter from me enclosing proof of our children's home status and returned with a cylinder of gas!
The next day we were informed that a local government officer connected with education would visit us. The upshot of this visit was that the wheels were set in motion for all of our children who are on anti-retroviral (ART) therapy should be able to receive a 'pension' of 300 rupees a month.(about £3) straight into a bank account. Wonderful news! A little Nest Egg building up for these òrphans for when they leave us.
We have been trying to get this 'pension' for our ART patients attending our Feeding and Finding project and very few have been successful. Similarly we have not had much success getting widows' pensions for them They live in a neighboring district and are dependent on their local officials.
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| HIV infected women receiving monthly food parcels in 2016 |
