Our story
On entering that memorable day of Feb 2002 into the Kathputli Slum, situated in the heart of the city of Jaipur, we were confronted with the sight of many hundreds of under-nourished, unbathed, and shabbily dressed and unclothed children. Although they seemed on the surface content in their peril, we sensed their hearts were crying out for help. As we left that day the questions arose – could we be a people who would just say “we wish you well, keep warm and well fed … and then do nothing about their needs?”
The Helping Hands journey of Bob and Janine Mann
On packing our clothes and leaving our home town of Moranbah, Australia in 2004 we arrived in Jaipur with 1) a few lac rupees of our own, 2) a handful of pledges from some trusting supporters, 3) a hope for a better future for these slum children, and 4) a few plans to get started.
Being on the ground now, interacting with the community people, and through broader surveys we soon identified needs which reached beyond just a shortage of money. Our findings indicated poverty specifically in the areas of income, health, education, work skills and general awareness.
Our first program was a tailoring training centre for young women and men. Today, in excess of 200 young women from this colony are able to stitch their families’ clothes. Quite a few women have been donated sewing machines and now have small businesses, some are employed in sewing factories, and some have progressed through this initial opportunity to other occupations, including school teaching.
For the upliftment of the whole of the slum community we now run various other programs, including – children’s education, adult literacy, skills training, women’s self help groups, savings programs, medical camps, cleaning programs and counseling services. Recently, in conjunction with the local Nagar Nigam and the Water Board, we have constructed community toilet cubicles and completed the ‘water tap in every home’ project whereby 850 community families today have running water in their homes.
In 2005 the Helping Hands School opened its doors, just 27 children came that day. Numbers were soon to increase though, today we are providing totally free education up to Secondary level for 400 children.
We soon plan to begin construction of our own School and Vocational Skills Training Facilities. Here, in addition to educating children, we will be preparing them for the workforce through vocational training programs. Various other skills training programs will also be provided for other poor young men and women not attending our school.
Education and Vocational Skills Training will undoubtedly provide a foundation for 1) long-term intellectual, social and cultural changes, and 2) how these people view the world, their roles in the broader society, and not just their own small community. In the future educated Kathputli society members will be in a position to provide better incomes for their families, with the next generation of parents surely having a priority for advanced education and professions for their children.
We feel honoured to have the opportunity to do this work, and hope that after reading this report you may decide to join with us in this highly successful social development project.
Our kindest regards …