Two of our special children, Priya and Sanjoli spend the day at the community center enjoying the new toy library we are setting up. They also love the big size pratham story books.

This week when we delivered nutritious snacks to the primary school children on the hillside, we also presented them with a Pratham story book each! They were delighted. If they bring their book back when we next visit, they will get a new one. Hoping to instill a love of reading and imagination in these difficult times.

Click to follow our activities during April to June this year …

Since May 15th our environment team have re-started their work collecting plastic from all the areas of our village. Even though the quantity of plastic people have been using since the lockdown is much less than usual, they have already made over 50 plastic blocks.

Due to the lockdown since March many rural families are suffering increasing financial hardship. Nishtha has provided nutrition rich packets of channa, peanuts, dried dates, soya nuggets and fruit to 150 of the poorest primary school age children in our area to supplement their very basic diet. We will repeat this every 15 days until the schools re-open to ensure that the children are not malnourished.

Dr. Barbara provides an essential service during this lock down by opening Nishtha clinic every morning for over 20 elderly and poor villagers.

Our staff are all using this extended lockdown to get ahead of the work: mulching and composting the fields, cleaning the water tanks, doing the accounts, polishing the workshop floor and sorting and airing the books in the library.

Today our vehicle went down to Kotla, 30 kms away, to deliver 20, 16 Kg food parcels to very poor migrant labour families from Bihar, MP and UP identified by the administration as in need of help. Some are being held in quarantine in the government school in Kotla. The 11 children among them were given packets of fruit. The women, many of whom were colourfully dressed in their tribal costumes were told that this supply is supposed to last them for 2 weeks.