Senior moments!

My daughter quoted this phrase to me a few months ago and I didn't know what it meant. I suppose that I have led a rather a cloistered life, not in religious institution, but in India.

 For the first seven years of my retirement I lived and worked in some of the poorest states of India, where even the district town was like a village in terms of facilities. I could have had my teeth pulled by the local man who squatted at the roadside in the crowded, narrow streets of the  chowk, but it was safer to travel 100 miles to a big city to see a Chinese dentist and be offered bottled water for the drilling process. That journey alone could take anything from three hours to fourteen hours, depending on road jams and  custom's police raids on the buses, which carried passenger's bundles of goods on the roof across the state boundary, from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh. When I was told that my treatment would need 6 visits I baulked at the journeys involved, and the time away from my leprosy patients, and had  the teeth extracted instead.

When my resident's visa expired and I had go to India on a tourist visa, my six summer months in England were mainly devoted to office work to support the charities for whom I worked in India, cycling to the shops, library and on my gardening hobby. My sons and daughters lived far away so that we only met up at Easter which was very near our birthdays. I did, however, take part in the local pub quiz to try and keep my brain ticking over, until the day when I didn't know a royal quotation that had become famous in the UK but not in my part of India! 

In the 90's mobile phones entered my life and I bought three for myself and my Indian  physiotherapy colleagues, in case I needed their expert advice. as we were hundreds of miles apart and the landline telephone would be in an open fronted shop in the noisy village centre.  In 2000 I bought my first laptop and printer to take out to India.The printer was the size of a box of tissues and worked by an infra-red connection to the laptop.

I admit to being a Radio 4 fan and am gradually  educating myself by downloading selected catch-up programmes on my latest gimmick, a tablet.  I have now learned about 'senior moments'. My daughter gave me  'When I Am An Old Woman' and this month I met some ladies in purple and red celebrating their founder's birthday.Getting wiser every day! I've also planted purple petunias with red geraniums in my urns.

A pro-pos the senior moments I have just remade my will and have taken out legal documents to allow my children to make decisions for me, when I can no longer order my life by notes and reminders everywhere! My will had had eight codicils added to it - adding this and that charity to leave a legacy to, whenever I went out to India. As property prices rise my assets increase as my cash flow dries up in the battle of living costs. I don't want to be caught by inheritance tax and prefer to leave money to the charities I like.and the rest to my children.

Brighter Future has a Codicil form which can be used to leave something, a percentage or  a stipulated amount, to Brighter Future. It just has to be witnessed, signed and kept with an existing will.  If you would like to help Brighter Future in this way you can copy the Codicil form below and print it. Alternatively email me for the form.'Legacy Giving to Brighter Future' to pmanya.norris@gmail.com

CODICIL

I (full name)_____________________________________________________

of (address)_____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

DECLARE this to be a Codicil to my Will dated and made the ______ day of the 

________month of 20___

1. I give the sum of £________ to Brighter Future International Trust of 29 Hurst Road, Kennington, Ashford, Kent TN24 9PS (registered charity number 1110823)
for its charitable purposes. I further direct that the receipt of the Chair or Treasurer of Brighter Future International Trust for the time being shall be a full and sufficient discharge of the said legacy.

2. In all other respects I confirm the said Will. 

IN WITNESS whereof I hereunto set my hand this______day of the _____month of 20____

SIGNED by the said (print name)_______________________________________

Testator/Testatrix's signature_________________________________________

First Witness signature______________________________________________

Name___________________________________________________________

Occupation_______________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Second Witness signature___________________________________________

Name___________________________________________________________

Occupation_______________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Greetings from Victor!

Dear  All 

Greetings from Victor of Brighter Future India! I am currently in the UK travelling to meet Brighter Future supporters and friends. 

I am thankful to The Leprosy Mission England and Wales for sponsoring me to come over to the UK to participate in the Annual Country Learning meetings. These were so useful to me and very informative. They will impact on my personal development and community development projects. Thank you TLMEW

My itinerary is very full,  travelling to different places and meeting as many supporters of BFIT as possible. 
My thanks go to all trustees and my mentor, Mrs. Manya Norris, for organising my visit to supporters, so that I can thank them personally for the kind love and support which they provide, especially for children homes, leprosy and HIV work.

Once again  thank you all of our dear supporters who make Brighter Future's work in India possible. 

Yours very sincerely

Victor Parisipogula 
Director 

A little note from Manya!
If anyone has an old digital camera or mobile phone Victor will be glad to make use of them. He distributes phones to staff members on all the projects so that they can keep in touch with him at all times. Only the main office and Prem Nivas have land lines so mobile contact is very necessary.
Having a camera in each of the projects means that we are able to gather more photos to put on the web site, Facebook and this blog, as well as send to you if your child is in the picture.
.

Exams taken - results awaited!

These young people have finished their 10th year at High School.

The tenth year in Indian schools is equivalent to the fifth form and the exams thay take are equivalent to our old 'O' levels or the GCSE's taken in years 10 /11. The Indian students take 6 subjects, which for our children in the State of Andhra Pradesh are, Telugu, Hindi, English, Social Science, Maths and Science. They must pass in all subjects.

Brighter Future's children this year include Rainbow Children and children from Prem Nivas and Shanti Nivas.If they pass all subjects they are eligible to go on to tertiary education in a separate College, like a sixth form College here in the UK.

That these  people have been able to get an education is because of the principal aim of Brighter Future. In 2004 Victor and Danny set up the charity to enable children from leprosy colonies and from slum areas to go to school, and have regular medical and loving care, so that they could overcome the poverty and stigma of leprosy into which they had been born. They would no longer need to go begging on the streets with their parents, With education they would  be regarded as 'normal children' and equiped to lead independent lives.

In 2006 another stigmatized and ostracised group of children, those born with HIV/AIDS were welcomed under  Brighter Future's umbrella.

The fact that we have two young men at university and thirty students in colleges speaks for the success of Brighter Future's strategy. Every year more and more children make it to college, and the predominance of girls among them is encouraging. The majority of these children did not start formal education until they came to Brighter Future. The children from colonies went begging with their parents or stayed at home as their parents could not afford the books or uniforms.

Children whose parents died of AIDS were asked to leave school.Some did not even start school because of the death of the family breadwinner or because they themselves were too sick . 

For three years the children at Prem Nivas were refused admittance by all the local schools, government, as well as private.That is why we started our own primary school at Prem Nivas. 

The bad news is that college and university places cost money!

University places cost about £500 a year and colleges last year were asking £250 per annum per student. Let us pray that the 10% inflation has not reached the education sector!

We are in great need of student sponsors - kind people to pay a young person's fees (which includes the compulsory uniforms, books and a bicycle to get there).

Could you support a student or gather together in a group to educate one! 

Gather 12 friends, relations or colleagues together 

at £2 each a month?

Our dear Jack Chappell has died

Our dear friend and benefactor Jack Chappell died on 30th March 2015. He was 94.  

"With deep sadness I send this message knowing Jack is no longer with us. He was a remarkable and kind person. His love and generosity for the poor and children will live on at Brighter Future in India. I know how sad everyone at Brighter Future India is knowing of Jack's passing. My prayers are with them, Gary, Kate and all Jack’s  family at this difficult time.Thank you Jack for all your love and support.Rest in Peace Jack".

Danny, Brighter Future UK

"I am really grateful to Jack for his kindness in providing a wonderful building and place for the children in NEED. Without Jack's support in 2004 Brighter Future could not be in the position it is today.As Danny rightly said it wass Jack who gave stability and opened doors for the care services for our children".

Victor, Director Brighter Future India

My daughter Karen got to know Jack and his wife Dorothy when they were parishioners of St Mary's Bullwell in Nottingham. Jack and Dorothy admired the banners which Karen had embroidered for the church. Dorothy offered embroidery materials to Karen as she was no longer able to manage her craft making because of ill health. One thing led to another and Karen told Jack and Dorothy about my volunteering work in India with blind and polio as well as my work preventing deformity in leprosy. In those days I was living permanently in India and it was not until Christmas 2000 that I took a month's holiday and was able to meet Jack. When I returned to India he gave me £100 to buy educational toys and games for the blind and polio affected children in Orissa. I sent him the photos of the children and he noticed that one young man had a very broken wheelchair. I had moved on to work in Uttar pradesh but Jack  arranged for the purchase of a new wheelchair. 

 I had started writing the Brighter Future Newsletter in January 2005 so Jack got to know that we wanted to purchase a permanent home for the children so that they did not continually have to change their 'home' as the leases ran out on rented houses and schools changed with each move. I returned home and started an appeal to raise funds to buy a permanent home for the children. Jack said that if I  raised £6000 he would fund the rest of the purchase price and legal fees.   DMC House was born in memory of his dear wife Dorothy. We opened the home officially on February 26th 2006, Jack and Dorothy's wedding anniversary. This date is remembered every year by the children of the DMC House to thank Jack and to pray for him and Dorothy.

DMCHouse

Jack meets Victor for the first time
When Victor came to the UK two years ago the first person he visited was Jack to express his thanks and gratitude for the gift of DMC House.  

 When I again went out to India in November 2006 Jack again gave me money to shop for the children. I stopped  on my way through Delhi and arrived by train in Vizianagaram with umpteen large parcels. The 'Jack toys' were given to the children for Christmas. 

When we built new  houses for the elderly residents of Bapuji leprosy colony jack paid for a house for which the owners were very thankful.

When a fire  destroyed a whole village of huts and mud thatched houses and the reidents lost everything, Jack bought each household a rice cooking pot.

He bought a rickshaw for two Bapuji residents, who were not very disabled, to share and earn a living for their families.

Jack also sponsored three children for ten years. He gave to other charities too.

Jack was a real gentleman with a sense of humour, a fount of stories and a generous heart. We hope that he did not suffer greatly during this last year . 

Thank you Jack for all you did for Brighter Future, God Bless You.

Our Hospice

The Hospice is on the Shanti Nivas site and is named the ' Pickford Memorial Hospice' in honour of one of our former trustees, David Pickford. 

The hospice was built with funds from the David Pickford Foundation, together with the £6800 proceeds of the 2012 London 10K running event. It can accommodate up to 20 patients.

The Pickford Memorial Hospice was opened in August 2012 to provide nursing, respite and palliative care to people with HIV/AIDS. Although aimed at taking children, together with their mothers, we also admit HIV+ adults in need of care. Some are suffering from the effects of starting anti-retroviral drugs, others have severe complications and some are terminal.

Nilaveni was living in a shelter of branches

Patients are referred to us by doctors, professionals at HIV testing centres, and our own field staff and social workers.

The government hospitals must admit severely ill HIV/AIDS patients. However, they keep them for as little time as possible, usually only a few days. None will admit infected children with their mothers. Sick mothers can bring their children to our hospice if they have no one to leave them with, similarly sick children can be accompanied by their mothers and siblings. Mothers who have to work are welcome to stay whenever they have no work or when they are sick.

Appalnaidu and his mother both had TB and HIV

In the first three months of operation the hospice admitted 64 patients. Fifteen were terminal. Some were re-admitted after they had discharged themselves to check on elderly parents, or to travel to their ART collecting centre, which could be 70km away.  Typically they go back to unhygienic conditions, to a situation where there is no food, where they don’t take their medication, run out of it or take it on an empty stomach. Symptoms like diarrhoea and sickness recur, dehydration and weakness debilitate them further and they seek re-admission.

. HIV+ patients suffer sickness, diarrhoea and fevers because of their vitamin and protein deficiencies. They cannot tolerate the highly toxic ART drugs in such a condition. They all need treatment for these deficiencies and for anaemia. They need a nourishing diet and food supplements.

Our councillor will liaise with the referees and escort patients from their homes or hospital to our hospice.  The government hospitals must admit severely ill HIV/AIDS patients. However, they keep them for as little time as possible, usually only a few days. None will admit infected children with their mothers. Sick mothers can bring their children to our hospice if they have no one to leave them with, similarly sick children can be accompanied by their mothers and siblings. Mother's who have to work are welcome to stay whenever they can take time off work.

Sanyassi had everything wrong with him but
he lived in the hospice for over a year

90% of the patients are ambulatory and take showers and use the bathroom themselves. There is a geyser supplying hot water in the winter months. Patients can keep food items that they have been given by visitors in the hospice fridge. There are air conditioner units in some rooms. All food is prepared in the main kitchen but the patients have their own trays, eating vessels, glasses and bottles for filtered water, which they are encouraged to wash after use. Patients are provided with a basket to keep home clothes in and each has a hospital type of bedside locker. There is a washing machine for hospital laundry.

It is a big defect in the ART distribution that patients cannot be easily transferred to the nearest centre at Vizianagaram, to collect their ART. In Africa nurses and local clinic staff are trained to be able to distribute ART and the ART treatment take-up rate is better and maintained long term. This problem needs to be addressed by the government of India and the state governments. 

Abraham recovered from his TB
He now looks after the cows and chickens 

Many of our patients have a history of having dropped out of treatment because they could not travel the long distances to the ART collection centres. They could not afford the fares or take the time (if they are lucky enough to be working as daily wage labourers in agriculture, washing dishes in a roadside café or begging for food going from shop to shop).

The majority of our patients suffer from the opportunistic infections that invade their body’s weakened defence system. The HIV virus has left them with very little natural immunity to bacterial, fungal and viral infections. TB is rife in India and we have admitted 15 patients for the directly observed treatment of TB. The course is usually for six months but patients can return home after the first part of the course has been completed. However, one lady patient whose family refused to take her back, or visit her, was with us for the full 6 months of treatment before she was strong enough to go to live with a daughter in another far away State. 

Ramadevi, of Thompson House, reads
a story to the hospice patients. 

Abraham learning numbers

The patients have a TV, simple books, puzzles, educational toys and construction kits to play with. They like to help with little jobs around the campus and enjoy joining in the celebrations with the children of Thompson House, 

as well as the Christmas party!

It costs £30 a month per patient to care for each hospice patient. This includes the nurse's salary, doctor fees, food, transport and electricity.

From August 2012 to March 2014 there were 117 admissions. and 21 deaths.

From April  2014  to  March 2015 there were   114 admissions and  14 deaths, three of whom were children. 

We would welcome  £10 a month towards a patient bed cost! 

Playing the memory game

Many of the ladies cannot read or write
and do not know numbers

Vijaya plays with a patient

Baby Anita

 Bhavani, our deaf and dumb mother, comes to the Hospice every month for a few days with her little daughter, Anita and her own mother.

 This time there was a special gift waiting for little Anita. One of our sponsors who lives in Germany had sent some nice dresses for Anita and a toy and necklaces too.

The black kohl on Anita's forehead, and under her eyes is seen as beautiful in India. Little girl's seem especially attracted to Victor!

Doesn't she look a picture with her lovely clothes.

When another little girl, Prassana, was about three she always ran to Victor when he arrived at Shanti Nivas, and to our amusement, called Victor 'daddy'.

In reality all the children love Victor. The younger ones call him 'big uncle' and boys who have left DMC house and Prem Nivas still come back to see him.

A Special Anniversary

Brighter Future Development Trust was set up by Danny and Victor in May 2004 for children from leprosy colonies so that they could go to school, and receive regular medical and loving care in a safe environment. Instead of begging for a living they would have the opportunity to lead independent lives after their education was completed, at whatever level they were capable of attaining.

By Christmas there were 20 children. Their sponsors paid £12 a month and the children lived in leased accommodation. However, leases ran out and the children, once they had been allowed to attend the government schools, faced the problem of having to change address and schools every few months.

Manya, who had worked for the same NGO as Victor for many years, started an appeal to buy a permanent home for the children. £6000 was raised and then a miracle happened! Jack, who had followed Manya's volunteering work India for many years, offered to pay the rest of the money in memory of his wife, Dorothy. And so DMC House was born.

In 2012 Victor realised his dream of meeting Jack and thanking him. He hopes to renew the acquaintance this year.

Every anniversary of the opening of DMC House by Manya on the wedding anniversary of Jack and Dorothy, February 26th, is marked by a special ceremony of thanks and prayers for Jack and Dorothy. Dancing, singing and a special meal follow for the children, now numbering 88.

It was at this opening ceremony that Manya asked Victor what provision there was for the local HIV/AIDS orphans (of whom India was reported as having 2 million).We did a survey and found that there was no one willing or able to support many of this ostracized and stigmatised group of innocent children, Nine months later Prem Nivas was born.