Lindsay Hart

Consultant - fundraiser/strategist
Lindsay Hart
Hyderabad, India
UK

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Family, friends, love, fun, friendly, independent, sharing, caring, fulfilled, change, children, volunteering, empathic, Bhumi, India, Bollywood, networking, purpose, happiness, fundraising, mentor, leadership, consultant, positive, honesty, professional, movies, travel, art, laughter, outgoing, humour, success, training, writer, loyal, determined, challenging, ideas, enthusiastic, authentic, innivative, education, music, passionate, trust, dynamic, energetic

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Profile

Hi.

Welcome and thank you for coming into my world, if I can support you in anyway please ask, I look forward to connecting with you.

Let me tell you a little about my life now,I decided to quit London for 6 months (at least) to work as a volunteer in Hyderabad, Andrhra Pradesh in India. I am so very excited about being here helping to make a difference in the lives of so many people and working with other volunteers (many who are young professionals or students from Hyderabad).

I found the NGO through asking my Ecademy contacts in India if they knew of any organisation that could use my diverse skills and lo and behold I was inundated with offers of help - I found Bhumi through one such and here I am! The power of networking!!!!!!!! Great isn't it.

Bhumi has 'adopted' probably the largest slum in the city. There are 100 thousand people living in a 3sq km area, that is a lot of people in a very small space!! A lot are migrant workers - they have come in from the rural villages (just like in the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800's) to look for work and some find it and some don't. Both the do's and the don'ts really struggle to make any real sort of life outside of work. Earning enough money to eat is sometimes all that life offers them and not always enough food either. Bhumi - runs programmes for many different sections of this community such as:

Women's Self-Help Groups - these have been set up by women to help women (many of whom may be the only breadwinner in the family) to borrow money. Previously they could only access money through moneylenders who charge them exorbitant rates on a daily basis.The money comes from a central pot into which they each contribute a small amount 50 or a 100 rupees monthly - they then repay the loan at a much lower rate than that of the moneylenders. The money could be used for buying produce to sell again in the market or buying a sewing machine so that they can start a small business. With the 'profit' they raise their families income and lifestyle. This may mean that they can pay for medicines which, now, are too expensive so a vicious downward spiral starts - they get sicker and need further medical treatment and so on; or rather than sending their children out to work they can go to school and gat a better chance at life.. After 6 months of 'on time payments' the women can go to the bank and access a loan at a commercial rate - a real win-win situation for all concerned - more income and a more commercial business. This is a self-funding programme administered by the two Razia's 2 wonderful women who give all the groups so much time and support and manage the finances. They help the women learn about managing money - budgeting keeping 'books' etc and they then become a support group for each other. There are over 35 groups now and rising, so many women and families are being helped.

Health worker training

Bhumi is funding the training of 8 health workers. The women go for training Monday - Thursday morning and during the afternoons they go into the slum and offer basic health and hygene advice as well as supporting the families of learning disabled children (see below).

It costs 40pence (65cents/43euros) per person per year to provide this care (remember there are approx 100,000 people in the area). If basic hygene was understood and applied over 70% of illnesses could be prevented. It costs so little (to us) and makes such a significant and vital difference to this community.

School and Nursery

The school has been set up for children with leaning disabilities - these are the forgotten children in every way. At home they are often left with grand-parentsor carers who are unable to care for them effectively and the community has no real support system. Bhumi help the families access a small 'pension' which each of these children is entitled to, a very long and difficult task! The parents, who are often illeiterate cannot do this by themselves as they cannot afford to take time away from paid work and even if they could the whole process of getting to the right place and dealing with the officials would just be beyond most of them.

In the mornings the children come and are 'taught' at whatever level they are capable of, they range in age from 4 or 5 up to 21. During the afternoons the health workers go to the homes of the most severely disabled children (including babies) and help support the parents/carer so that they can improve the life of the child.
The nursery is for the children of women who come to the Centre for computer and spoken English training. They play and learn (the children that is)! to write and speak English, they look so cute with their little blackboards and 'chalk pieces'!

FUNDING

To help fund these programmes, and many more, we offer Leadership and Personal Development skills training on a commercial basis. The trainers, some of whom are volunteers,
offer the highest standards of training as they work within commercial training organisations, the equal of any. We also recieve some funding from government agencies who support our work. However this is never enough so we do need to fundraise, as I am putting this profile together, we are looking at different strategies to achieve, at least, covering our basic costs. The more money/support we have the more people we can help. Any ideas most welcome!

Everything Bhumi does has the effect that everyone participating benefits - the health workers are trained and therefore can earn more, the learning disabled children get the small pension they are entitled to and some form of education, the Self Help Group women gain as they learn to manage money and increase their families income and wellbeing.

Win/Win for all

I am so very excited to be working in such a dynamic and caring organisation, please come and visit me here again and I shall be putting up photos and maybe some video of our work.


Happy networking!

Lindsay Hart