“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”

As India suffers the severe effects of the pandemic, we continue to support our mothers and their families in every way we can, both financially and emotionally. Living under the shadow of COVID19 has been traumatic for all our families. Their lives have been severely disrupted and the children who have not been attending school, have suffered many frightening changes to their lives. With a view to working towards a brighter future for all of our people, and to bring an important air of creative and constructive positivity to our younger family members, we have introduced a new project called Eco Protection Force.

Our aim with EPF is to create awareness among all our people, but particularly our children and the young people of Nandri, of how vital it is to protect and nourish nature. Their education and knowledge of the importance of us all caring for our part of the world, will help ensure that we are all doing our bit to see that this planet is a better place for the generations to come.

Joe, our Director in India, coordinating Eco Protection Forces’ first planting project.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Modi, is working towards making India a more sustainable and greener country. He has spoken of the importance of our duty to care for the planet. “We the present generation have the responsibility to act as the trustees of our countrys’ rich natural wealth for the future generations.” Joe our Director agrees. He has said that he wants Nandri’s younger generation to become Eco Warriors, building a better world. “Our aim is to make our environment green and clean”.

Nandri children and mothers helping to Plant 1000 Palm seeds

Eco Protection Force’s first project was to plant 1000 palm seeds on the bank of the Lake in Indiravanam. Nandri families joined us in great numbers and were happy to be part of this important occasion. This will be the first of many projects that we will undertake, with the help and support of our children and their families.

The key to a greener planet is in our hands and Nandri is proud to be a part of this important work to make our world a better place. We look forward to seeing all the wonderful environmental projects that our young EPF volunteers will undertake. In the meantime, we continue to offer vital financial and food aid to those who need it during this very difficult time. We are so grateful to all our supporters who make our life changing work with our families possible. we cannot do it without you…. so a big NANDRI to you all.

If you would like to donate : https://www.nandri.org/donate

At 4.2 million cases, India now has second highest infection rate in the world.

The substantial rise in COVID19 cases has made India the country with the second highest rate of infection in the world. To date there have been 71,642 deaths throughout the country. The rural villages close to Nandri which have so far mostly escaped the virus, have been enduring untold economic hardship. The financial effects have been devastating. Many of our people have lost their jobs and have been left with no income to support their families. without Nandri they simply would not survive.

Nandri anticipated the appalling impact that Corona Virus would have on the economy and immediately implemented food distribution programmes and distribution of personal protective equipment to our mothers and frontline workers.

Our Micro finance schemes have literally been a life saver for our mothers and their families. Because of their small businesses, they have been able to maintain an income and survive. Many of our mothers had purchased a cow through our micro finance scheme, giving them both a food source through the produced milk and also an income through selling the milk products. This has enabled them to maintain an income and buy food for their families.

Last month Nandri supported 60 new Micro finance loans for new mothers, with a loan of Rs 30000, enabling them to start their own income generating micro business. 37 of these mothers chose to buy a cow and many of them bought sewing machines or opened small shops. These micro businesses will provide vital income for the mothers and their families, giving them a means to survive this pandemic. 60 families lives have been changed. They have a a brighter future for themselves and their children, thanks to Nandri and a just a small loan. These mothers and their families have been given hope and a renewed sense of optimism, when so many in India are desperately struggling to survive this pandemic.

We can only do this with your help and with your help we can reach even more impoverished families and change their lives. On behalf of all our grateful mothers and their families, a big Nandri to you all. If you would like to support our life changing work……

https://www.nandri.org/donate

Nandri offers hope to an abandoned child.

Sharmi was only 6 months old when her mother passed away. Her father did not want to keep her as she would be a burden to him so he abandoned her, leaving her with her elderly maternal grandmother. Her grandmother was already caring for her severely disabled daughter and had hardly enough money to feed themselves. They struggled financially but did the best they could for the little girl left in their care.

During the COVID19 lockdown, their situation became dire. They had no income, no money for food and nowhere to turn for help. Feeding the family had become a daily struggle and there was no possibility of Sharmi remaining in education. Even though she is a bright and hard working student, she was destined to a life of low paid menial work and poverty. Sharmi’s Grandmother heard of Nandri and the work that our organisation is doing with poverty stricken mothers and their families. In desperation the three of them travelled 120 kms on a motorbike to meet Joe our director and ask for some vital food aid and financial help.

Nandri has agreed to support this empoverished family and Sharmi will be included in our sponsorship programme. With our help, Sharmi will be able to remain in education. Her future is now secure. With Nandri’s financial support, she can achieve anything she desires in life and continue on to 3rd level education and a fulfilling career of her choice, secure in the knowledge that Nandri will always be there to help.

Nandri has given hope and a promising future to this little family. With Sharmi’s education guaranteed, she will be able to financially support her grandmother and aunt when she graduates, so breaking the cycle of extreme poverty for this family.

We can only do our work with the help of you, our sponsors and donors. We would like to say a big “Nandri“ for making it possible to give Sharmi the promising future she deserves.

if you would like to help Nandri to help more children like Sharmi please donate: https://www.nandri.org/donate

“Give the children back their childhood”

Life was always a hand to mouth struggle for our poor Dalit families and then COVID19 cruelly struck, making life even more difficult. In the last couple of weeks, to further make their lives impossibly hard, tragedy has effected two of our Nandri families, already struggling to survive the economic disaster caused by COVID19. A devastating fire and a horrible accident changed the lives of two families for ever. Luckily Nandri and our mothers groups have stepped up and supported these families and given them hope for a brighter future.

Amidst the fight to survive the pandemic, one of our mothers house burnt to the ground after an electrical fault. She and her family were left with only the clothes they were wearing. They were totally destitute, having lost all they had built and saved for in their lives. The Nandri community stepped in and the mothers in her Nandri group took her and her family in and provided them with accommodation. Nandri has given them new clothes and the necessities to set up home again and also we are supporting them financially until they rebuild their lives and once more become independent.

Sadly sometimes in India very young children have to grow up far too soon. Their childhood cut short by extraordinary burdens. Princy, a mere baby herself, is the sole carer of her mother who is a paraplegic. Her mum, Bernadeth Mary, broke her spine in a tragic accident. She can no longer walk and has no one to care for her apart from her baby girl. This little one is responsible for feeding and washing her mother and seeing to her every need. Thankfully one of the Nandri Mothers Groups heard of her plight and they are now supporting this little family with financial aid and practical day to day help. Nandri has also brought little Princy into our sponsorship programme and are supporting the family with Rs 1000 a month. With the help of Nandri, Princy can regain her childhood and will have the opportunity to go to school and be just a little girl again.

Presently in India there are 1.58 million cases and 34,968 deaths from COVID19. Almost 50,000 people are testing positive every day and in fact India has nearly 20 times the number of cases as China, a country of similar size and population. Worryingly for Nandri, a charity based in the isolated area of Tamil Nadu, the infection rate in rural provinces is rising extremely sharply.

Nandri to date has managed to mostly escape the devastating health impact of the COVID19 outbreak, although the financial consequences of the lockdown has crippled the community. Our food packages are vital to the survival of our families and the local villages in Tamil Nadu. We continue to educate and inform our families how to protect themselves from the virus while supporting them financially to enable them to survive this pandemic.

No matter what, our families know that Nandri and our mothers groups are there for them and will support them through whatever life throws at them. Nandri has built a huge community of supportive groups of wonderful caring mothers who with our help, guidance and financial aid will lift and help those amongst them who are greatest in need.

https://www.nandri.org/donate If you would like to help Nandri and children like Princy, please donate. We cannot do our work without your generosity.

Over 1 million cases, 25,600 deaths. COVID19 increases its devastating impact on India

In the midst of this humanitarian disaster in India, Nandri continues to support our families and share vital food aid to the local villages. India is the 3rd nation to hit the unenviable milestone of 1 million cases of COVID19 after USA and Brazil. The United Nations Aid chief has said that the support to poor countries has been grossly inadequate and urged the G20 to increase the aid or to suffer the devastating consequences in the future. Certain regions have had to reimpose restrictions to curb the spread of the virus and worryingly for Nandri, there has been an increase in spread in rural areas. The Red Cross have warned that the virus is spreading at an alarming rate in South Asia “India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are together becoming the next epicenter of the virus” As a result of the rapid spread of the virus, Tamil Nadu has reimposed restrictions, resulting in further financial hardship for our people. Per capita spending on Healthcare in India is among the lowest in the world and already Indias hospitals are struggling. The situation in India is at crisis level.

We are continuing to distribute vital aid to our people. The last couple of weeks we distributed vital food parcels to truck drivers in Chetpet, who have had no income and were struggling to survive.

Grateful Truck drivers in Chetpet receiving food packages

In Vellore, we distributed food to the poor who were struggling to survive. Our aid makes the difference between these families eating or going hungry. At the moment in the rural villages, the lack of work and as a result, the lack of income, is a greater danger than COVID19 to our impoverished families. So far in the small secluded villages, there has not been wide spread infection but our families battle with poverty and hunger every day.

Nandri supports a very impoverished family who have the added burden of both parents being blind. Without Nandri’s help they would not survive. The mum and dad have two beautiful children, the eldest of which at 6 years of age, is their parents carer. She cooks and cleans and minds her little baby brother. Life is hard for this family in normal times, but COVID19 has imposed untold hardship on their lives. They know that Nandri will be there to help them through these extremely difficult times and help their children to have a future.

We cannot do our work to help families like these survive without your ongoing support. We thank you for giving us the opportunity to help all of those who need us in these extremely difficult times. Nandri.

https://www.nandri.org/donate Please donate. Your help can make all the difference.

India: 4th Highest number of COVID19 infections in the world.

India has reported 500,000 confirmed cases of COVID19 and a record daily leap of 18,500.  The infection rate is surging in the major cities.  In Delhi, a city of 20 million people, there are only 13,200 beds for COVID19 patients.  Epidemiologist Jayaprakash Muliyil, advisor to the Indian government, states that India's low death rate compared to the number of infected is most likely due to the fact that a COVID19 death to be confirmed, the deceased has to have been tested for the virus before being included in the statistics. But with a population of 1.3 billion, the level of access to testing is very low.  

In Tamil Nadu, where Nandri is situated, the Death toll has increased to 1,025. The region remains one of the highest infected in India.  Nandri continues to support all our families and the people of the surrounding villages.  We distribute rice and basic necessities to thousands on a weekly basis.  We continue to educate our mothers and their families on the need to stay vigilant to protect themselves from becoming infected.  Our families are so grateful to have Nandri’s support through these desperate times.  

Even while our families struggle to survive the pandemic, our mothers reached out to one of our Islamic Nandri members whose daughter was getting married.  They supported her with funds for the wedding, a special wedding gift and shared what little they had in order to make the day special for the bride and groom.  Nandri consists of mothers from many different religions.  We embrace people from all castes and creeds and encourage tolerance and understanding among our mothers self help groups.  Our mothers are part of the large caring family of Nandri and with our help, they support each other through challenging times in their lives.  The very grateful bride and groom welcomed all the mothers to the wedding and in the gloom of the Coronavirus, there was a ray of sunshine as they all celebrated with joy, the couple's special day.  

Geetha Mary a proud Computer Science Graduate

Geetha Mary, the eldest child in her family, has always been a bright and hardworking student and was keen to pursue a career in computers. Her mother works as a domestic cleaner in the local school and is the only wage earner in the family, as her father is too ill to work. The family was struggling to survive and Greta Mary had given up her ambition to go to college. She knew she would have to get a menial poorly paid job in order to feed her family and help them all survive.

Nandri stepped in and financially supported the family. They helped Geetha Mary continue in her education and to her proud parents delight, she went on to graduate with a degree in Computer science. Thanks to Nandri’s continued support Geetha Mary can now help her family financially and she gives back to her community by teaching the children about computers in the local school. She is an inspiration to them, that with hard work, determination and a helping hand from Nandri, they too can achieve their ambitions. Geetha Mary, so grateful to all our supporters and donors said “Thanks to the sponsors who made my dreams come true”.

By giving to Nandri you too can help make dreams come true for other students like Geetha Mary. If you would like to donate: https://www.nandri.org/donate

Jancy donates her first salary as a nurse to Nandri

Last January at the Nandri Conference, in front of thousands of Nandri Mothers one very proud mum looked on as her daughter Jancy presented Nandri with a donation of her very first salary as a nurse. She thanked Nandri and explained that this was a token of her gratitude for all Nandri has done for her.

Jancy with Joe our director in India and Phelim our CEO

Jancys story began a few years previously when Joe, our director, heard of a bright and hard working student who was heartbroken as her family could no longer afford to keep her in education. Jancy is the oldest of 5 children, two of whom are handicapped. Her parents are daily wage earners, eeking out a meager living and barely managing to feed their family. After finishing school, Jancys dream was to study to become a nurse but for a girl from a poor Dalit family this was an impossible dream. She started working in a menial job, earning a pittance to help support her family. Joe stepped in and enrolled her in our higher education programme and with a loan from Nandri she was thrilled to be able to commence her studies in Nursing College.

Jancy has completed her degree and is working as a nurse in a Hospital in Delhi. She is now in a position to contribute to her family’s income and support her younger siblings in their education. This wonderful young lady is just one of hundreds of success stories - boys and girls whose lives have been transformed because of Nandri’s support and sponsorship through 3rd level education. Because of Nandri’s help these children have escaped from the inevitable poverty passed on from one disadvantaged generation to the next.

Nandri is proud to be helping to change the future of both our children and their families. If you would like to contribute, please donate here: https://www.nandri.org/donate

June begins with a substantial increase in COVID19 in India

India's rate of infection with the Corona virus continues to rapidly rise with to date a recorded 217,541 confirmed cases and tragically 6,091 deaths. These figures make India the 7th highest infected country in the world. This represents a substantial increase in the last couple of weeks. Densely populated cities such as Delhi and Mumbai are seeing a spike in infections. Day after day, there has been a record number of cases and deaths. As we start the month of June, There is no sign of the spread of the virus decreasing or the curve reaching its highest point.

Nandri sadly has experienced the first two cases of infection among its families. We are doing everything in our power to care for them. Throughout India rural areas have seen an increase in the virus as millions of migrant workers return home to their villages from large cities with high levels of infection, bringing the virus with them. The increase of COVID19 in the villages is extremely worrying as there is little health care available and few doctors to care for the sick. Unfortunately some migrants who returned from cities to quarantine centres near their villages are absconding and causing further infection in their communities.With the threat of COVID19 now reaching rural villages, we have strongly stressed to our families the importance of safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus as the impact of wide infection rates on Nandri and the local villages would be devastating.

In the meantime the working class Indian people are enduring untold poverty and food shortages because of the lockdown. Right now our rural Nandri families are suffering far more from the economic effect of COVID19 than the Corona virus itself. This week we distributed rice to 250 rickshaw drivers and their families in Chetpet whose livelihood has come to a sudden halt because of lockdown. This rice will prevent them from starving for 10 days. We are working hard every day to support our mothers, their families and the local villages with food distribution and financial aid and importantly encourage them to keep safe and do everything possible to prevent COVID infection that would severely impact the whole community. Thank you to our supporters and donors for helping Nandri undertake this essential work.

On behalf of us and the countless people you are helping, a heartfelt Nandri to you all.

If you would like to contribute to Nandris ongoing COVID19 relief fund, please donate here: https://www.nandri.org/donate

Remembering Fred

20th May 2020 would have been the 70th birthday of our wonderful past CEO Fred Crowe. Fred sadly passed away in 2019. He was an absolute inspiration to us all.  He worked tirelessly for Nandri with an incomparable passion and dedication.  

After he first  became a sponsor in 2006, Fred visited Nandri. Joe, our director in India too him to Vellore to visit our mothers and their children who live in the slums. They came across a young mother with twin babies less than a year old and an older 5 year old daughter. She and her children were thin and extremely malnourished. The other mothers told Joe and Fred a heart breaking story. This young girl was alone in the world and was so desperate that she was trying to sell one of the twins as she could not feed her three children. She wanted her child to go to a family who could feed her and give her a better future.  When fred heard of her desperate situation, he was moved to tears. We immediately enrolled the children in our child sponsorship programme. We started to work with the mother and gave her income support to help her get on her feet. With this lifeline from Nandri we managed to keep the family together and ensured they escaped a life of abject poverty. Nandri gave them hope and a future.whenever  people would ask why he was involved in Nandri, he would tell the story of this poor mother.  After his visit to India  and seeing the amazing work it was doing with the extremely poor people, Fred became more and more involved in the charity. 

Fred became CEO in 2014.  He was the driving force and a vital part of Nandri over the last number of years, instigating many new projects including a project that Joe suggested, the hugely successful micro finance scheme for our mothers. To date we have nearly 3000 mothers who’s lives have been transformed by Micro business loans from Nandri. Also now our children are being given the opportunity to escape from poverty by staying in education. Many continue to third level colleges and have successful careers.  Other projects include proper sanitation and organic farming. For now during COVID19 lockdown, our main aim is feeding our families and expanding our reach to  the broader community in Tamil Nadu. 

 Fred had such a love and affection for the Nandri Family.  His laughter and sense of fun was infectious.  How the people of Nandri adored him!  He may not have spoken their language but his warmth and his love for them did not need words. I admired his amazing achievements for the charity one day and his response was “I have got more out of my involvement with Nandri than I ever gave.  I just love the Indian people.”  Fred was happiest surrounded by the children and their mothers. He loved to play with the little ones. Joe remembers that he would lose himself in their company and behave just like a child himself!  He would be surrounded by giggling children and laughing mothers. They all just loved being close to him. 

Fred knew his time was limited and one of his main aims was to ensure that Nandri would continue its wonderful mission to help mothers and their families to escape poverty. Because of Fred’s legacy and hard work, today Nandri continues to thrive and expand its out reach to those in need.  I know Fred would be very proud of the work that Nandri is doing with its families and the community during this terrible pandemic. 

Happy heavenly 70th birthday Fred.  

We love and miss you, 

from all your Nandri family 

Lockdown extended as number of COVID19 cases dramatically rise

This week has seen a considerable spike in COVID19 cases throughout India. In one day there was a record increase of 5,609 new cases. This brings the total number of people infected to 112,000 cases with 3,435 deaths. This is a worryingly large rise since last week. As a result the government has again extended the lockdown until the end of May. Some essential businesses will be allowed to operate. Tamil Nadu, the state where Nandri is situated, also continues to see a high number of new cases. There are now 13,967 people infected with the disease in our region.

Joe, our director in India, delivering vital supplies of rice and basic food necessities

One area that has been identified as an infection hot spot is a food market in Chennai, the capital City of Tamil Nadu State. In fact to date, 2000 cases have been linked to this market. Food markets in India are crowded and bustling affairs, with zero chance of observing social distancing. Koyambedu market is one of the largest in Asia, covering 65 acres in the heart of Chennai. It is the centre of the food supply system to Chennai City and the surrounding areas and as such a vital but now dangerous part of the food chain. Originally the government tried to make the market a safer place but this has not worked. The authorities have now closed the market and relocated vendors in an attempt to halt the rapid and widespread infection rate of the virus.

Nandri has always been aware of the importance of educating our families in order to prevent the spread of COVID19. We appointed staff members to phone our mothers regularly to both instruct them and to also check on how they are doing and whether they are in need. Our mothers in turn then educate the other members of their villages in how to stay safe. An important aspect of educating the families is teaching our children how to stay healthy and maintain good hygiene. We instigated programmes specifically aimed at the children. They are going through a very worrying time in their lives and In order to help them, we have organised drawing competitions and games for them to keep them occupied while at home during the lockdown.

Educational art competition for our children.

We continue to expand our community outreach programmes to feed our mothers and their families and also to visit the neighbouring villages and provide bags of rice, oil and cooked meals to those who are struggling to survive. Nandri is providing a vital link for those who otherwise would be starving and unable to get any aid. Without Nandri’s help, these people Would be in a hopeless situation.

This week we helped two young sisters who had lost their parents and are now living with their elderly grandmother. They were at the point of starving when Nandri heard of their urgent need for food. We delivered rice and other basic necessities that will feed them for a month. We supported more than 700 families in Vellore City with 10 kgs of rice which will feed them for 10 days. The Corona virus has caused great hardship in the large cities. People are in desperate need of food and basic supplies. Nandri literally has been a life saver for these people. We will continue to support them as long as they need our help. Without your help we could not do this life saving work. Nandri to you all for helping us make such a difference in helping our people survive the lockdown and this dreadful pandemic.

Joe delivers life saving aid to two sisters who had neither food nor money

Our children, our future

Nandri broadens its outreach to help more survive the pandemic

India’s COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The figure for infections to date stands at 78,810 and tragically there have been 2564 deaths.  Tamil Nadu state continues to be in the top three areas of infection.  Without a doubt the lockdown has very much reduced the number of deaths but not without a severe impact on the economy and the poor people of India.  On a positive note, India, among many countries, is in the crucial world wide race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19.  There are now 10 potential vaccines being tested in India. The world anxiously waits for a vaccine to stop the spread of this virulent disease.

Lockdown in India continues till 17th May.  Following this, there will be a gradual loosening of the restrictions. In the meantime the effect on India’s economy has been devastating.  Indians are awaiting details of a relief package to help jump start the economy.  The government plans to spend 260 billion to help revive the severely impacted businesses but what about the poor? In the words of Rita Dewan, VIce President of Indian Society of Labour Economics:  “People are out of money, what about them? Where will they go?”  Our mothers, their families and the local community will depend on Nandri to help them survive.  

Nandri’s mission is to support our mothers and their families as well as the impoverished villages in the surrounding areas of Tamil Nadu throughout this crisis. Our support will be vital for the survival of our Nandri families and the broader community in the weeks and months to come.  Our work to help our poverty stricken community survive the financial damage of  COVID-19 has just begun.  While continuing to support our mothers and their families, and local villages, we have again extended our outreach further into our local community, thanks to the much needed  financial aid received from our sponsors and supporters.

This week as part of our community expansion, we distributed rice to Narikuravar families and local unemployed drivers who lost their jobs during the pandemic.  We were introduced to a mother with six children, whose husband had recently died.  She has no income and no means of support for her and her children.  Nandri provided her with food and will continue to help her and her family survive. We also visited the village of Irungal and distributed much needed rice and financial aid to 23 families who were struggling to survive.  Nandri has been a lifeline to these families who have been severely impacted by the lockdown. 

India’s financial recovery from this crisis will be slow and the needs of our mothers and our local communities will be many.  Nandri will be the rock on which our families can depend and with your help we will do everything in our power to help them through these extremely difficult times.  A heartfelt Nandri to our donors for all your support. 

If you would like to contribute to Nandri’s ongoing COVID-19 relief fund, please donate.

Vital new financial aid arrives from Ireland

The number of cases of Corona Virus continues to rise in India. To date there are 53,000 cases of COVID19 and 1,787 deaths. In Tamil Nadu, where Nandri is situated, there are 5,000 confirmed cases. More than ever, our families need our help and support.

Due to the generosity of our donors, this week we sent a further 25,000 euros to Nandri to help our volunteers in Tamil Nadu continue to not only support our mothers but to expand aid to neighboring poverty stricken villages as well. The Dublin Lions Club also held a virtual Bingo Night in aid of Nandri. They managed to raise over 1500 euros in much needed funds. This money will enable Nandri to feed an additional 128 families this month.

The extra financial aid has helped us greatly to expand our aid operations throughout the area. Nandri in collaboration with generous sponsorship from I – PAC Consulting Ltd., distributed 1000 parcels of food in four locations in Vellore. We will be continuing to distribute this vital aid for 20 days. These parcels are being given to people who are destitute – daily wage earners, migrant workers and homeless people, with no where to turn for help.

Again, thanks to the Generosity of I – PAC., our volunteers distributed food aid to people in Kakithapattarai, Vellore. Normally they make a meagre living from working as roadside vendors, bullock cart drivers and building workers. During the lockdown they have no money and no food and without our support they would be starving. Nandri also sent 300 kgs of rice to the village of Kasthambadi. The villagers were struggling to survive and were very grateful to receive this vital aid.

Since 2012 Nandri has provided micro finance loans to 3000 mothers, enabling them to buy a cow and start their own micro business selling the milk the cow produces. These loans literally change the families lives, giving them income, independence and their children an education and a future. During the COVID19 pandemic, their cows have been an enormous benefit. It has provided a source of food for them and their families during this very difficult time.

Nandri has substantially increased its aid to the needy people of Tamil Nadu in the past week, thanks to our supporters and donors who have given so generously. On behalf of everyone in Nandri we would like to express our very grateful thanks for helping us to help our people survive this dreadful pandemic. From the bottom of our hearts, a big nandri to you all.

If you would like to contribute to Nandri’s ongoing COVID19 relief fund, please donate.

A 3rd level degree for Jayaseelan

Jayaseelan and his two brothers lost their mother when they were very young. Their father, Royappan, did his best to care for his three sons while earning a meager wage.  He joined one of the Nandri mothers groups as the only male, in order to get the support he needed to bring up his sons. Tragically the boys father died leaving the three children orphaned and penniless.  

Nandri stepped in and supported the brothers in their education.  Jayaseelan was always an excellent student and continued on to 3rd level college with the help of a loan from Nandri.  He completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer applications and now works as a software developer in Chennai. He is earning a good wage and supporting his younger brother to complete his schooling. 

Without the constant support of Nandri through out the years, these boys would have had no chance to escape a life of abject poverty.  Jayaseelan and his brothers have a promising future ahead of them, all thanks to the support of their Nandri family.

COVID19 - How vital emergency fund money has aided our families

As the disaster of the COVID19 virus first loomed over India and the entire country was told to remain at home, Nandri realised that our families were going to be severely impacted. Our poor daily wage workers would be unable to earn any money. Faced with the challenge of supporting our mothers and their families through the total lockdown, we managed to raise 40,000 euro to ensure we could help them survive this catastrophe. Many of our loyal sponsors and also new donors, understanding the severity of the impending crisis, have given so generously to Nandri.  Here are some of the many ways this money has helped us to help our mothers and their families and also to aid the wider poverty stricken community in Tamil Nadu.

The COVID19 fund has been invaluable to all our families.  It enabled us to commence many emergency projects to feed, educate and protect our families as well as other very poor villages in our region. Immediate financial aid was distributed to all our families.  Joe, our CEO in India, traveled around 87 villages in Tamil Nadu, distributing 500 rupees for each mother to the leader of the mothers groups. In total we have provided emergency financial aid to 4721 mothers. With this money our mothers will buy 10kg of rice, 1 litre of cooking oil and other essential food items.  This will feed a family of 5 for 10 days. Without this money our families would have gone hungry. If one of the mothers is going through a particularly challenging time, the other mothers in the group will rally round to help her financially.

Nandri has implemented vital education programmes for our mothers and families.  We see knowledge as an important weapon to keep COVID19 at bay. Nandri has provided classes covering social distancing, hand washing instructions and the importance of wearing masks.

We provided masks for our families and also for those in the district working on the front line, who are in contact with the public, such as police, government officials etc. We educated them on the importance of masks to prevent the spread of the virus.  Our people have embraced wearing their masks as the new norm. Our mothers are now making them and sharing with the nearby villages.  

In this time of need, Nandri has extended a helping hand to all.  We set up a mobile food kitchen to visit poverty stricken people, including the Narikuravas, Gypsies from a nearby village who were starving.  We fed them for two days and organised the local government to continue caring for them.  
We are also feeding seven very poor migrant families from Northern India who have been left destitute as they no longer have any work or money. Nandri is supporting these families with vital food items for the last 10 days.

The lockdown has been very effective in stopping the virus spread throughout India and as a result, the government has extended it beyond the initial 3 weeks. We do not know how long these restrictions will be enforced.  As a result our poor families will continue to be severely impacted as they simply cannot earn their daily wages. We will continue to support them and other poor families in our region. We will do everything in our power to help them through this horrendous time.

Close to where Nandri is situated, we have 5 refugee camps where more than 1500 families are living in severe poverty.  These people fled Sri Lanka during the war. Due to the lockdown they are not permitted to leave the camps and have no means to earn money.  Their situation is dire. With further funds Nandri could reach out to these and other desperate communities and provide them with basic food to help them survive this catastrophe. These poverty stricken families are in a hopeless situation.  

Our Nandri families know that we are always there to look after them but these are extraordinary times and Nandri’s resources have been severely stretched. Looking to the future, if the lock down continues and our families cannot work, our mothers will need more money to buy food. Nandri also wants to help other very needy communities in Tamil Nadu, who urgently need our help.  The bottom line is we will need to raise further funds to help us continue our vital work.

As always, we say a very grateful “Nandri” to our sponsors, donors and supporters for helping us to help our mothers and their families and the other very poor communities in Tamil Nadu. Without you we could not do this vital work. Particularly as this time, your financial support is even more invaluable to the Nandri family.

If you would like to contribute to Nandri's ongoing COVID19 relief fund, please donate here: https://www.nandri.org/donate

OUR MOTHERS GROUPS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE OF COVID19

On 23rd April, India recorded 681 deaths and 21,393 confirmed cases of COVID19.  Tamil Nadu where Nandri is situated, had 18 deaths attributed to the virus. The strict lockdown has been very difficult for our poor rural families but it has been successful in lowering the spread of the disease.  

This week Joe, our CEO in India, delivered Nandri’s financial aid package for the COVID19 crisis to the leader of each of our mothers groups. Our mothers groups are a very important part of the structure of Nandri.  There are 4721 mothers in 268 groups, each one headed up by a leader. Each group has between 15 - 20 members. A mother may decide to set up a group herself and become the leader or a leader is nominated by the other women in a mothers group.  It is looked upon as a very important and responsible position in their villages.

WIth the finance that Nandri has provided to each of our leaders, they will make sure that each mother in their group has enough money to eat and buy the necessities for them and their families.  As he visited all the villages, Joe took the opportunity to remind the leaders of their roles in educating their mothers' group on maintaining social distance and handwashing.

Each of our leaders have risen to the challenge of mentoring their group through the pandemic, as well as monitoring the mothers financial well being in this very difficult time.  The mothers know that their leader is always there, as a representative of the Nandri Family, to help and guide them through this very challenging crisis. 

COVID19 - Nandri helping our families to survive.

Today, India has confirmed nearly 14,000 cases of COVID19 and 452 deaths to date.  Like many countries,  India has a shortage of personal protective equipment in their hospitals. Of course this is vital for the protection of the doctors and nurses on the frontline of fighting the virus. The government is ramping up the manufacturing of necessary equipment as well as COVID19 tests which are also in very short supply. As well as a limited number of tests, so far India only has 111 testing centers to handle a population of 1.3 billion people.  This is grossly inadequate.  The number of critical care hospital beds is also very limited.  This makes Nandri’s mission of limiting the spread of COVID19 amongst our families all the more important.

Our aim at Nandri is to protect and educate our families and as much as possible prevent the spread of the virus in the villages.  We are implementing our education programmes and our mothers have been very receptive in following the guidelines. Our families are wearing masks and also manufacturing them to distribute in their villages. We demonstrated social distancing with one of our mothers groups to emphasize the importance of keeping two meters between yourself and others at all times.

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We continue to monitor the welfare of all our families during this crisis. One woman who needed immediate aid is a widow who has kindly taken in a orphaned child, who had no other relatives to look after her. The widow who lives in a shack in the village, is a very poor daily wage worker who because of the 21 day lockdown had no money to feed herself and the child now in her care. Nandri provided her with rice and money to survive the lockdown. We have promised to support them through this very difficult time. Looking forward, we will also help this woman to keep the child in education so she will grow up to have the opportunity of a better future

Nandri is also providing feeding stations for those who are unable to work during the lockdown. We visited a village of Narikoravas people, nomadic gypsies who make their living by selling handmade goods on the streets. They were extremely grateful to Nandri for the emergency food. We also organised for them to access ongoing government aid.

For all our families, knowing that Nandri is there to help them get through this time of crisis, is a huge source of comfort. We will not let any of our families down and they know that our Nandri Family is there for them as long as they need our support. They are so grateful to us but it is the generosity of our wonderful donors who make our work possible. A heartfelt “Nandri” to you all.

Update on impact of COVID19

Education is a priority. Our hand washing leaflet

India to date has 5865 confirmed cases of COVID19, with Delhi being the worst hit area.  Authorities are worried that Indias healthcare system will not be able to cope as the virus spreads throughout the country.  They are converting sports stadiums and train carriages into make shift hospitals. Tamil Nadu, where Nandri is situated reported a fresh spike of cases and presently the region has 834 people who have contracted the disease. This means that worryingly the area has the second highest number of infections in India.  

Train carriage being converted in to an emergency hospital

Our aim is to try to stop the spread of the virus throughout our Nandri villages by educating our families on the importance of frequent hand washing and social distancing.  As much as the recommended increase and implementation of these rules has been an adjustment to us in first world countries, this is going to be so much harder for our rural families in a 3rd world country who have no access to toilets or running water and live with large families in small dwellings. One of Nandri’s projects is to improve the living standards of their families by helping them to build toilets and have access to clean water.  We are making progress but still have a long way to go.

In rural India the poor rarely have proper sanitation in their villages - defecating in fields is the norm.  They have no access to running water in their homes and have to fetch water daily in buckets from the well to wash hands and rinse cooking utensils. This is why our education programme is so important for our families so that they understand the importance of these new measures to avoid being infected.  We have implemented our programme already, we are also distributing leaflets promoting hand washing and it is being very welcomed by our mothers and their families. The mothers are also making masks for themselves and their families and also giving them to the police and other public figures. 

During the 21 day Government lockdown our mothers will have no income.  We have organised for the immediate distribution of emergency money to each family to help them through this extremely difficult time.  Our mothers do not have access to bank accounts so this means our Nandri staff travelling to all of their villages in order to distribute the emergency funds to them.  This in itself will be a huge undertaking but it is already underway.  This will provide our families with enormous relief, not having to worry how they can afford to feed their children and themselves. 

Dealing with COVID19 is going to be a very frightening time for all our Nandri mothers and their families but we will be there for them in every way possible to help them get though this catastrophe. Without the help of our generous sponsors, none of this would be possible, so on behalf of all our families, thank you - or in the Tamil language, a big “Nandri” to you all.

COVID19 - How Nandri will support our mothers and families through this Global Catastrophe

India, the second most populous country in the world has declared a 21 day national lockdown. There have been many shocking images of millions of migrant workers trying to leave the cities to return to their villages. These daily wage workers have been let go from their jobs. They live from hand to mouth with no savings and now with no work their only option is to return to their rural villages. There is no safety net to help them survive this global catastrophe.

Migrant workers returning to their villages crowd outside a bus station in New Delhi

All our Nandri families are being severely impacted by this lockdown and will be in great danger when the Covid Virus hits their villages. They live in very rural areas with little or no medical care and we have seen cities like New York with top rate health care brought to its knees by the number of people very ill and losing their lives. The Indian Government is giving some support but it will not be enough for our families to survive 21 days without work or income.

Migrant workers and homeless being fed in a New Delhi shelter

Nandri is there to help and support our mothers and families through this desperate time. We will support our families financially. Just 1000 rupees (12 euros) per month to each of our mothers will help them survive this unprecedented pandemic. It is important to help our families avoid contracting this disease, especially as they will be particularly vulnerable as there is very little medical care available to them. We have implemented educational programmes in order to teach our families about the importance of hygiene - especially hand washing and to emphasize the importance of social distancing to prevent spread. This disease is new to us all and it is vitally important that our families are informed how to prevent contracting it.

Some migrant workers have to walk days to return to their villages

The world is going through an unprecedented pandemic that is devastating countries both rich and poor but the effect that Covid19 will have on our poorer countries is unimaginable. We have seen wealthy Nations with sophisticated health care buckling under this virus. India has a population of 1.3 Billion, of which 360 million live in poverty. This virus does not discriminate on who it infects but the poor are so much more vulnerable. Nandri has already transformed the lives of over 5000 poor Dalit mothers and their families and through out this pandemic we will do everything in our power to protect, support and see our vulnerable families through this desperate time.

We want to thank our donors who make it possible for Nandri to do its work in supporting our mothers and their families. In this extraordinary and very frightening time, a special thanks to you all for helping us to help them. As Nandri means thanks in the Tamil language we would like to say a big “Nandri” to all our donors and supporters.

Some of our 5000 mothers who attended Nandri’s annual Conference in January

No Water, No World

This years Annual Mothers Conference was a tremendous success, with over 5000 mothers joining the Directors of Nandri from Ireland to celebrate the mothers achievements in the past year and to look towards what the future holds for Nandri.

And we are off! Toria from Ireland waves the starting flag for the procession

The Theme of this years conference was “No Water, No World”. Nandri appreciates the importance of nurturing our environment for the good of present and future generations. Many of our new projects, such as Tree planting, will embrace this philosophy and through these initiatives we will educate our mothers and in turn their children on the importance of caring for our world

Some of the 5000 mothers marching to the conference

Many special awards were presented to celebrate individual achievements and afterwards the mothers were entertained with songs and dances by local performing groups. The conference is a great opportunity for the mothers to network and learn what other activities various mothers groups are engaged in. The mothers thoroughly enjoyed the day and left with feelings of happiness and pride to be a part of the Nandri family.