LETTER FROM DIRECTOR – New Hope India – Dear Friends, thank you for helping us here at New Hope India.
Climate change keeps us in suspense. Will the Monsoon rains be early or late? Do we plant our rice seedlings now, or wait?
You have helped us with the banana plantation, which has been much, much more to us than simply sweet food. Our senior girls have worked with a volunteer to water the plants during the hottest summers India have experienced. Our children get a banana each day, giving them important vitamins and minerals. In the future, if we can grow a surplus, this small plantation will be income-generating.
Our leprosy-affected senior citizens are still well cared for. Their meals, clothing, and medical care are supplied through New Hope.
Thank you, Friends, for helping us achieve this.
We circulated our need for BANANA PLANTS as a part of the long-term sustainability in India. We chose BANANA because they are a ‘need’ fruit-food for the children and the aged, and because the surplus sells easily for income generation
THIS IS STILL A PRIORITY FOR US IN INDIA.
The need. We can still plant more – a surplus would become part of the aim to be income generating towards more self sufficiencywww.newhopeuk.org |
Sai Laksmi came to us with a ‘tag’ ‘may not survive’ Second time with Tuberculosis. Now incredibly well. Her background. She had never eaten a banana |
Senior girls also helped in summer watering of all the garden. They worked with a volunteer to ensure that there was sufficient water during Indias now predicted hottest ever summers |
The senior boys on school end year holidays planted the tubers. Always smiles Now at a Vocational Training course that includes Solar maintenance and mechanics |
WE HAVE MANY PRIORITIES – AS ALWAYS BUT- Because if very difficultcircumtances our priority –
real priority is for CARE IN LEPRPSY COLONYhttps://www.newhopeuk.org/newly-found-leprosy-colony/
(We are hping that the UK Charity Games4GOOD will support this project 0n 2026 Until than it a funding priority.
 |
THANK YOU GAMES4GOOD WHOHAVE NOW FUNDED 100 CATARACT EYE SURGERY FOR TRIBAL COMMUNITY – MANLIY WOMEN.
If you wish to sponsor a Cataract Ye Surgery – separate to Games4Good there is a waiting list of leprosy persons needing Cataract Eye Surgeryhttps://www.newhopeuk.org/virtual-gifts/wish-list-donations/ cataract eye surgery If you wish to sponsor a Cataract Eye Surgery – separate to Games4Good there is a waiting list of leprosy persons needing Cataract Eye Surgery https://www.newhopeuk.org/virtual-gifts/wish-list-donations/ cataract eye surgery
|
 |
Minnu, a baby affected by Downes Syndrome and left in a basket on a beach, with a supply of clothes, was found by some of our workers. This was almost (40?) years ago, and Minnu is known as ‘The Boss’ at Namaste House!
|
Bhavani came to us as a ‘give away baby’. She has Cerebral palsy and has been totally blind and non verbal since birth. She is not from the Kondh Dongria Tribal community we work with, but from the area of Araku. She has been cared for day and night since she first came to us.
|
This is Sunil, challenged in so many ways, though included in every activity, taken by other seniors either by wheelchair or carried.
|
| My wife, Ruth, and I have worked alongside one another at New Hope, all of our adult lives. Many hears ago we identified needs to help mentally disabled children – before 1995 (date?) – there was no provision in Western Odisha for their care. Desperate parents were known to leave children with multiple and profound needs in our compound, knowing we would take them in.
We came to build Namaste House, a home and school for these children, and they have grown with us. Ruth is there each day, a mother to abandoned young people. They communicate with one another on different levels; |
New Hope India became a Trust in 1965 but the Trustees were already working in leprosy care projects. Eliazar says ‘that by a twist of circumstances’ a group of the then future Trustees of New Hope attended a Taize meeting in Chennai. Several of the young people they met came and volunteered time. (One was Ruth Maxey, who became the first Secretary of the founding New Hope Rural Community Trust; Esther Gillan also Ruth Maxey – Of oddities late ls year a niece of Ruth came to visit for a few days at Namaste House.Allvisitors at Namaste House are warmly welcomed. .
LEGACY OF Two Sisters
Many years ago, a New Hope supporter requested a dedication stone in memory of her late sister, to be placed in the heart of our Kothalavalasa community centre. She sensed the warmth of the centre’s residents, and it comforted her to know her sister’s memory was treasured there. After the stone was installed, the children took it in turns each weeks to clean and polish it, and refer to this as …’time with Aunty’.
Sadly, last year, the surviving sister also passed away and I had the honour of being able to attend her funeral. She rests in peace in beautiful hillside cemetery in England, over looking the sea. She generously left a donation to New Hope in her Will and we are certain it would have pleased her to know this is going to aid the care of our Leprosy affected Senior Citizens.
Jill Ghanouni
Forty Years of New Hope
In the early 1980’s, UK volunteers came out at different times to help in the leprosy colonies. One colony, Jhan Jhur, in a remote area of Andhra Pradesh, was flooded out by monsoon rains. I was a volunteer at that time, travelling with a couple of experienced workers and we waded, sometimes waist deep, through the flooding to reach this colony. When we finally arrived we were met by scenes of devastation – wrecked huts, meagre belongings and livestock swept away, no one had eaten for three days, and a man lay dying. To my inexperienced eye, I did not know where to begin or who to start trying to help first but the workers calmly took control. 24 hours later we were set up: wound dressing lines of waiting patients, organising food distribution, endeavouring to clean up the water supply and the man who had died was buried.
JHAN JHUR COLONY STILL EXISTS (Photo post Covid Group
Conditions are better and everyone there receives on going care through New Hope’s support.
Jhan Jhur colony exists to this day.
Conditions are better and everyone there receives on going care through New Hope’s support.
One of the workers who taught me so much about Leprosy care, married a few years later. His son, Anil, has been a volunteer with New Hope for 10 years, following his Dad’s death..
It is inspirational to see him carrying on the legacy of his father’s efforts to make life better for so many who suffered before New Hope’s work began.
Jill Ghanouni
 |
Here you see the son (left of photo) of one of the late Paramedics, continuing his work as a volunteer, fitting this in around time from his full time job. (Right of the photo is Ramu, who ensures that homeless street women receive morning meal ‘tickets’ in the city of Visakhapatnam).
|
We have a special Fund for Love Bundles – see www.newhopeuk.org We have many colonies who are always in need of this item – and more so after funding a ‘new colony in 2023. (Two years on we are still supporting this incredibly poverty lie colony Some distance from Muniguda – but unsupported why any NGO. It is a reality that a number of aged leprosy affected widows would be living in ‘rags’ except for this Love Bundle support.
A visit to the zoo is always an enjoyable outing, and for the small boy U. Sai, his first trip to the Vizag Zoo was truly exciting. The zoo, known as Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, avoids the word “cage,” instead providing large natural enclosures where animals can roam freely and enjoy privacy whenever they wish. Shaded areas keep them cool during the summer, and friendly elephants often come close to visitors for fruit or even to be gently scratched, making the experience both fun and memorable. |
 |
It is hard to believe that all of the senior (all over 18 years – came to us as small children – several as ‘babies’ Grew up went to school and several became or are becoming Burses. Several are trained and employed Tailors and 3 girls doing Tailoring vocational training – ALL VOTED IN THE LAST STATE ELECTION.
|
Sunitha – From a fearful child to Nursing College
We believe we know her surname from her mother. The birthday is a day we gave her as being the date when she came with her mother to us. Her mother had been ‘referred’ to New Hope. You could say ‘sent’ as she came with a woman Constable in plain clothes. She had been found begging on the railway station with Sunitha.. Her mother did not speak and although she came for meals she looked at no one and we let the situation work itself out. Sunitha clung to her mother who appeared distraught and appeared pregnant. Slowly Sunitha started to mix with the other children bit by bit but when the meal bell rung she would scurry back to her mother. One senior staff member by small action of leaving biscuit packets on her mother’s bed and later new clothing, won her trust to start and accept us.Her mother spoke a form of Hindi and hard to understand. It seems that her mother was married and the father on seeing her pregnant again simply left the ‘hut’ where they were staying in Kolkatta. We didn’t ask and just accepted what she decided to tell. us. Our work is to care, not enquire!. As her mother’s delivery time came closer she became mentally disturbed and just prior to the delivery she was admitted to a care centre in the Hospital. Post delivery of a boy the Government asked New Hope to accept the boy as the mother had been given to Missionaries of Charity for care as she had mentally deteriorated. In all of this Sunitha settled in and accepted our kind version of her mother going to a nice place to live. We told her about her brother but she did not show that much interest. When he came to stay with us she just accepted it as was. Sunitha is a child – now a young person – of New Hope – as simple as that.
| 10th Class – Good marks in all and 75% pass in English is really good here.
|
Now in a Nursing College – Government recognized. 3 years.
|
Ophthalmology and Midwifery. New Hope is a life long family home for our young people and we are as proud as any parents to watch them grow and become contributing members of society, making a difference to the world.
 |
 |
Supported by Soroptimist Manchester. (Photo at left is Sunitha with College Fee cheque) (Soroptimist who interestingly sends knitted Beanie’s for several years, and now every child under 9 years has a warm hand-knit ‘keep ears warm’ protection. The giving of these ‘Beanies’ was given with a lesson by the New Hope Traditional Health works to mothers about using natural cotton (grown wild in the area) for careful ear cleaning.)
There are now 6 senior girls at various levels of training related to ‘medical’ from Ophthalmology to Midwifery. We are also thankful to a very dear friend (ex-volunteer) who also supports our Nurses’ appeal. Something we always seem to need. |
We received this incredibly great news from Eliazar, Director of New Hope Rural Leprosy Trust. (He takes no credit for this, but the truth is the Bhubaneswar Hospital called him and asked that he contact another NGO in the whole of their western Odisha area. New Hope, of course, almost all of the children fall in the total area we cover.
————————————————————————- ———————————————— ——————————————————-
NEW HOPE RURAL LEPROSY TRUST
New Hope Community Centre, Muniguda, Rayagada District, Odisha – Email newhopeindia25@gmail.com
ODISHA State got an a opportunity, that there was a 9 surgeons from America came to Odisha to operate free of cost to the children who are suffering with urology and with other complications. The Kalinga hospital in Bhubaneswar is provided the hospital to do the surgeries for free of cost. The Government paid for travel, food & other supplies to the children and to their parents. The surgeries are done to the children who are suffering with the following problems.
- Hypospedius, 2. Inguinal Hernia, 3. Hydrocele, 4. Undescened Testis, 5. Umbilical hernia, 6. Burn Contracture &7.Cleft lip and palate.They have requested the New Hope R.L.T and other NGO’s to find such a children in the rural areas and to send the children to the Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneswar. The New Hope Team in Muniguda Odisha, worked hard with local government officials and local communities and sent 43 children to the Klinga hospital in Bhubaneswar. Out of 43 children sent by the New HopeR.L.T – 22 children are able to have successfully surgeries are done by the hospital. The balance of 21 children are provided with medication and they will be able to get the surgery in future.
As Secretary of New Hope Rural Community Trust and with all of the Trustees we sincerely appreciate all who support the work through our UK Trust.Its incredible who gives. UK senior citizens give to support an aged leprosy person in a leprosy colony. A close long time senior friendgave for an equally aged cataract blind tribal person. It is hard to explain how sponsorship of children changes young lives for ever.
In our next Newsletter we will share with you the story of two sisters, now both passed on and how their legacy has give so many a better quality of life. Sincerely, Jill Ghanouni.jillghanouni@gmail.com
