A ground breaking ceremony

The ceremony was the blessing of the ground where the  cornerstone of a special new building will be started at Shanti Nivas. A small hole is made in the ground, prayers are said for a successful build, and for the success of the use to which the building is dedicated. Some cement is put on a few stones Mary, Victor and all present join in the prayers. There is later a further ceremony with the builders who will be involved, using the traditional coconut breaking ritual of the Bhumi-puja, to bring good luck and a good building.

You are probably wondering what this is all about so for the blog this month I have invited a very special lady, Faye, to tell you about her charity, 'Spread Some Sunshine' and how it is supporting Victor in India. 

You may remember Faye and her team from my previous blogs about the London 10K




and their brave swim in the freezing sea off Brighton.

“My charity Spread Some Sunshine first became involved with BFIT 3 years ago after a mutual friend kindly introduced Victor and myself. Our charity aims to bring smiles to children living in poverty, pain or suffering so we wanted to get involved with the fantastic work that Victor and his team carry out with HIV orphans in India.

We started off by introducing our birthday scheme (which allows UK families to buy a birthday gift for a child overseas) to one of the homes that cares for 23 children. It was very successful and the UK sponsors loved receiving the photos that victor would email over each time a gift was handed over.

In 2014, my mother and I flew out to experience BFIT's great work first hand and had an incredible trip. Victor was truly inspirational and we hit it off immediately! We visited all of the children's homes and projects and spent time in the leprosy colonies distributing food.

 Through chatting with Victor we discovered that on site chickens would be really beneficial at the orphanages so on our return we set up an Easter themed "adopt a chook" scheme and are currently building our second chicken shed and supplying chickens.

We were lucky enough to spend some time with Victor on his UK visit and over dinner he mentioned his aim to build a home where HIV positive pregnant ladies with little support can receive love and care during their pregnancy.

 Victor's aim was to build a house that could home around ten women at a time and to ensure they received the appropriate medical treatment to prevent the transmission of HIV to the baby during delivery. This was something we were really keen to get involved in so in July this year we ran the British 10k on BFIT's behalf and raised £4000. We also raised some funds towards it by swimming the choppy waters between the piers in Brighton.

Work on the house is now beginning and we are planning more events to fund the second half of the building cost. We will be putting all money's raised from our annual cheeky naked calendar (which uses well positioned props!) towards the calendar and are planning a Bollywood night in February. 

In March, my mother and I, plus one of our fundraising supporters, will be lucky enough to go back to India and hopefully see the house in its final stages!

 It has truly been a privilege meeting Victor and his team and helping to spread a little sunshine into some special children's lives."

Thank you Faye and 'Spread Some Sunshine'!

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Karen, my daughter, and I are pleased to announce that our fundraising efforts were rewarded with a donation of £37 to the British Legion Poppy Appeal and £205 to Brighter Future for the 76 poppies we made. Karen sold lots of them to the three choirs she belongs to. The bank manager admired them so we will target the bank if we make them next year!
The quince jelly making is finished and selling well. along with one card selling session at my church we took £210.

Manya

NB. The last day for International Standard Post to India is Monday 7th December.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two of our HIV children died this month.

Despite being on anti-viral therapy (ART) two of our young people have died this month.
ART does not cure HIV/AIDS, there is no cure, but the treatment is supposed to slow down the progression of HIV into AIDS. There are five recognisable stages of the virus. The earliest stage has no symptoms.  It used to be unrecognisable, even by blood test, under the age of 2 and a half, but I read recently that there is now a method of earlier detection. If the person has no symptoms, having been confirmed HIV infected by a blood test, then they are said to be a-symptomatic. One or two of out children remained a-symptomatic for several years. We were so worried that they might have been misdiagnosed, and hence condemned to  the stigma of having HIV, that we had them retested!

In the second stage of the viral infection the appearance of other infections make themselves known. Skin infections, sickness, diarrhoea, a propensity to catch everything going, shingles, measles, chicken pox and the usual childhood infections, including malaria, because HIV/AIDS has weakened and gradually destroys the immune system. By the fifth stage, full blown AIDS, the immune system is completely destroyed. Certain infections, like TB are acquired on the way and are in themselves killers.  The ART drugs are very toxic and eventually destroy the liver or kidneys.The children have to be on them for life and their long term effect is not known, as treatment for children in India only started in 2007.

Our young boy at Karuna Nivas would have been thirteen this year. He had been with us since he was seven years old.He died of cancer of the ear and throat - Kaposi's sarcoma This complication is relatively unknown now in the west, as in the west the drugs give to treat HIV have improved.

Our other child victim was also a teenager. She had been detected as having severe anaemia and died of liver failure.

One of these children had a sponsor who sent pictures and a letter to let her know that there was someone, many thousands of miles away who cared about her.

 We have many unsponsored HIV/AIDS children who would appreciate an uncle or aunty to whom they could send a card at Christmas and receive one in return. We don't know how long they will live but we do our best to give them a happy and loved childhood.

The more  children who are sponsored the better. 

Swathi's double celebration!

The Shanti Nivas Children 

 This confident and happy girl is Swathi.She is celebrating her 20th birthday and taking up the position of  Assistant House Mother to the 28 children at Thompson House.on the Shanti Nivas campus. 

The adoring smiles of the children show how much she is loved by them.

Swathi first came to Prem Nivas on the day the home for HIV positive children opened in October 2006. Swarti was our eldest girl and was the first to finish High school from where she went on to gain her 'A' levels in Physics, Maths and Biology at a college in Gajapathinagaram, the village where Prem Nivas is situated.

Since the day she joined us Swathi had wanted to be a nurse but because she is HIV positive it was not possible. One of our sponsors paid for Swathi to study secretarial subjects including English and Computer Studies at a vocational training centre in Vizianagaram.   After her course Swathi  divided her time between helping Victor in the office in DMC House and caring for the children at Prem Nivas. She was able to pass on her computer knowledge and typing skills to some of the older children. Some of our youngest children live at Prem Nivas.

We thought that Swathi might try to find employment locally but suddenly we were faced with the prospect of the Shanti Nivas Housemother leaving to study Theology.  Swathi seemed to be the  ideal replacement for Kamala. Swathi has always looked after the children younger than herself and they regard her as 'Akka',  - big sister! 

Now Swathi is very happy to be employed by Brighter Future as Assistant Housemother and she is teaching computer skills too whenever the children's  timetable allows.

When the children are at School I am sure that Swathi will find her way to visit patients in the Hospice, where we currently have 3 children and four adults. Her innate nursing skills will be appreciated.

Victor says Swathi is very Happy working for Brighter Future.  

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My daughters and I are in full swing making Christmas and general cards to sell for Brighter Future. We have two bookings at churches in Bury St Edmunds to sell the cards. We have also been making felt Poppies  to wear at any time of the year.The poppies are £2.50 each. 

We are giving 50p for each poppy bought to the British Legion and taking £2 for Brighter Future! 

Faye organises another great team and Fun Day!

Do you remember how difficult it was to find runners for the London 10K  this year?

Faye's 2013 team 

 Danny was as active as usual and now that school has started again he will soon be letting us know how much his team raised by sponsorship. 

Faye's charity came to our rescue again and ran to raise funds for  Brighter Future. 

Faye's 2015 team

Faye's 2015 10K team collected £4500 in sponsorship and they are donating it to Brighter Future for a very special and specific project at our Shanti Nivas campus in Vizianagaram district. 
Faye has been supporting Brighter Future since meeting Victor and Danny in 2014. Faye has been out to see Victor and his work in coastal Andhra Pradesh.Victor visited Faye and her family when he was in England in June this year.

Faye and her supporters are raisng funds to build a Mother's Home for women who are HIV+ and have no where to live. They may have been evicted from the traditional joint-family home after their husbands died. Many were blamed for his death! Others are evicted from rented accommodation because they have HIV. Yet others cannot pay  rent  for a roof over their heads as they have no income other than what they can glean by begging. One of our ladies lives in a shelter of leaves built for her, near the railway line, by some students.

 Brighter Future always tries to respond to local needs. Victor and his staff see what  the situation is where they operate and try to offer a solution.

 That is how the idea of a Mother's home was born. It is not a new idea. Brighter Future India first mooted the idea of a Mother's home in 2012 when the Shanti Nivas campus opened its doors to the HIV+ children of Thompson House and when the Hospice. There was room to build, but as usual, there was no money to build a home.Now Faye has come to the rescue and has taken on the not inconsiderable burden of raising funds for the project. (If any one would like to 'chip in' they are most welcome!)
 

Eight brave souls!

Faye and eight friends did a sponsored swim at Brighton last month. It made me shiver to see the photos of them in the water! Faye said it was very cold for the swim between the two piers.  They also had the problem of the current changing to cope with at the end of the swim.  This event was part of a 'Fun Day' and raised £1000 towards the Mother's Home project. What a wonderful and inspiring person Faye is!. 

A huge thankyou to all Faye's friends and their sponsors. 

The website appeal for mattresses

That appeal for mattresses!
You may have seen the appeal that Victor sent, with photos, that was on the web site.
I am pleased to say that three people from Lincolnshire,who wish to be anonymous, have responded generously to the appeal and the mattresses are being delivered as they are made.

The foam sheet  mattresses are covered with 'rexine' for hard wear and have a cooler surface included in the construction for comfort in the hot season.  Each  mattress also has a sheeting bag made for it.
The children tuck their mosquito nets under the mattress.

A special message from Manya

An assurance to all of our sponsors and donors

In view of all the recent news in the media about Kids Company and of scams about the selling on of data base information  I would like to assure all our sponsors and donors that Brighter Future International Trust administrative staff are all volunteers and do not receive salaries. 
Furthermore they keep  administrative costs to a minimum. The quarterly Newsletter is funded by one of the trustees and he also pays for the postage that it's distribution entails. The new website, brighterfutureinternationaltrust.co.uk was also paid for by the same gentleman, as well as the new printed letterheads for BFIT stationary.
Brighter Future does not disclose our data base information outside of Brighter Future. 
The trustees regard it as their duty to be good stewards of your gifts and donations.

Personally, I do claim for ink cartridges and stationary from time to time but I pay my own fares to India and other costs, like injections and visas,that this entails!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our kind sponsors and donors for their continued support. Some of our child sponsors have been with us since 2004 when Danny and Victor set up the charity in India! Our newer supporters are equally appreciated and new ones are always welcome with open arms to join the 'Brighter Future Family' of sponsors and donors.

Food Parcels for One Hunded HIV/AIDS Sufferers

Every month Brighter Future takes life saving food and medicine parcels to Narasannapeta.

Narasannapeta is the large vilage, with a population of 75000, in Srikakulam district, about 100km from Brighter Future's base at DMC House in Vizianagaram.

 Srikakulam district is sandwiched between the mountainous Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Biscay. It borders the state of Odisha and is officially regarded as 'backward' because of the poverty of its people, who rely on agriculture  and gathering forest crops, in a difficult climate. There is little industry.  Women and girls play a very traditional role in the household and  literacy rates are low, especially among women.

On the edge of Narasannapetta, 25 km from the chief town of Srikakulam district, confusingly also called Srikakulam, is our Karuna Nivas Home for  children with HIV/Aids  Karuna Nivas opened in 2010 in an old school building next to Narasannapeta Leprosy Colony. Brighter Future rents the building from the Leprosy Colony. We have 20 children at Karuna Nivas in the care of Mary our Nurse/Housemother and her staff.

The children, apart from Ram babu our graduate, go to local schools and it is while they are at school during the day, that Brighter Future uses the building as a community centre where HIV infected mothers can see our Doctor and Nurse, meet one another and collect parcels of food and medicine to supplement their own resources.

This month 100 women came to collect the 5kg rice, 1/2 kg each of wheat, soya, peanuts and cooking oil. 
These women are malnourished and very few of them can find work on the days that they feel well. Although our Pastor has helped them to apply for pensions only a handful of them actually receive the £2 a month. 
Government pension plans tend to be proposed and superseded before they come to fruition! Two years ago it was announced that only government registered women, who had not missed one single appointment since 2008 to collect their ART (anti retro viral medicine), would be eligible for a pension.  A year wise roll out was proposed. How can anyone who is racked with weakness, sickness and body pains not miss one single appointment? Finding food takes up a large proportion of the day for many of our women, begging and scavenging. Many cannot find the  bus fare to the medicine collection point! Those that have little jobs, like washing up in roadside cafe's get paid in kind not cash. If you want agricultural work you assemble at a known place and wait to be chosen to work - rather like the biblical story of hiring the workers for the vineyard.
With lentils costing 80p a kg how far would £2 go?

New HIV/Aids patients found and tested positive in July 2015

Our mothers with a permanent address and ration books can get  35kg of cheap government rice. Those with young children  are glad that their child is eligible  for a hot meal at school.The majority of our HIV/Aids patients rely on our food parcels to survive from one month to the next. Some have no other source of food. We also give prophylaxis to supplement the 10 tablets the government gives them. Our doctor gives  vitamins and other general medicines as  needed. 

Over the last eight years that Brighter Future has been caring for these people there has been some significant changes. We now have men coming for food parcels. Previously widows came after their husbands had died. Nowadays we have men coming for the parcels - they are surviving because  ART is available  - they are living instead of dying. They are also able to spread the infection and need councilling about their lifestyle!

Food and medicine parcels cost £7 per person per month. 

Another part of this project is when our staff go into the villages to find people who do not know they have HIV. The doctor and pastor set up a general 'health camp' and villagers come along with their problems. Prescriptions are given and suspect HIV cases are discretely invited to go with our nurse to be tested at the special government centres in the large towns. Confirmed cases that have a large amounts of the virus in their bodies are started on the drugs that will slow down the progress of the virus. Those with less virus have to wait until they are more severely infected! 
(In the West treatment is started when the patient has less virus in the blood, In the West all children are started on the ART as soon as HIV is confirmed).

It was this programme that found Nilaveni.

Nilaveni

Getting started on the very toxic drugs can cause a lot of sickness, diarrhoea and fever in malnourished people with protein deficiency. Some abandon the treatment. Some stop and start. Both very dangerous scenarios.

Our food and vitamin parcels help the patients to adjust to the medicines. Some patients are admitted to our Hospice to acclimatise to the treatment.Of course as India has 70% of the world's TB it is also necessary to test for that infection and treat it. In children the TB manifests itself as glandular TB rather than pulmonary TB.