In the previous blog we told you about our new partner Stichting Kindia in India, with whom we entered into a partnership in 2023.
We would like to tell you about a special boy named Mani. He became involved in the JET project at an early age, and the Kindia Foundation has been supporting this project since 2007.
JET is a project for needy children. The circumstances and backgrounds of the children who are allowed to live at JET are very diverse. For example, rejection due to a disability, or abandonment by their parents. Unfortunately, alcohol consumption also occurs in families and often these are poor families. These children are easy victims for child labor and sexual abuse. In addition to the small number of children (between 20 and 35) who live at JET, there is a school where 250-300 children from the area can receive education every day in ten grades. These students also come from poor families who would otherwise have no chance of getting a good education.
Mani followed education through project JET. He comes from a very poor family and is severely physically disabled. He was not safe at home. His brother died young and his father took it out on Mani. ”Why hadn’t he died, after all he was already handicapped and useless” according to his father. His father started drinking and Mani was insecure about his life several times. In the years on JET, Mani has progressed a lot. His speech has improved enormously, in 2021 he took the oral final exam of the 10th standard and passed, this seemed impossible to him at first.
Because it is physically impossible for Mani to find a job, the management of JET has spoken to his mother. In June 2022, a private shop was donated in which Mani sells a number of products that the people in his village need every day. His mother helps him with the purchase of materials and maintenance. His father has left the family and is not longer in contact with Mani.
Under the circumstances, Mani and his mother are doing well. Every day he earns a little money with his shop and when his mother is at work he even runs his shop independently. Mani has a lot of perseverance! However, the circumstances in which he and his mother find themselves are appalling. The house is little more than a small dark hut with two worn-out stretchers inside.
The Kindia Foundation collects money to build a new house for Mani and his mother that is wheelchair friendly, has water and electricity and is furnished so that the basic needs are present.
The Hilverda Foundation has donated an amount of more than €3000, with which we make a nice contribution to the realization of a new house for Mani!
We will keep you informed about how things are going and will inform you by email. photos in the near future show how the construction of the house is progressing.