India (2000-2007)
Wherever the Need started working in India in 2000 when it supported a private school in the city of Krishnagiri in the south-eastern Indian State of Tamil Nadu. Although we didn’t know it at the time, this project to supply a new roof, so the children could actually continue their education during the rainy season, and build dividing walls, so they could focus on their individual class lessons rather than be drowned out by the older, louder children in the adjoining section, would be the forerunner of many projects we carried out in the State.
There would be a few years gap between the project in Krishnagiri and those we would eventually start in and around Cuddalore, but in the meantime we busied ourselves with the Ashraya Orphanage in Bangalore where we started by sinking a borehole to enable the 60+ children to have 24/7 water. This work expanded with the construction of toilets and showers, a solar pump to draw the water from the ground to a tank on the roof and a school bus to take the children from their home to their school. In 2004 we committed the funds raised in our Christmas appeal to feed 11,000 people over a ten day period, co-ordinated by the Ashraya.
Post tsunami India and we contributed to a number of different short term projects to support families and individuals along the Tamil Nadu coast. The largest and most notable of which was a pregnant mothers and baby scheme to monitor the effects of women swallowing large amounts of salt water and the impact on their unborn child(ren).