Host Organization: Rural Association for Development and Helpful Assistance (RADHA)
Location: Manali, India
Timeline: April 2007 – May 2008
ABOUT RADHA CHILDREN’S HOME
Taken from Felicity Yeo’s internship account:
“RADHA stands for ‘Rural Association for Development and Helpful Assistance’ and is a registered Indian NGO. It comprises not only the children’s home, but also includes a women’s cooperative and provides the unemployed and poor immigrants with support. Mrs Sudershana perceives and seeks to address the embedded problems in her society through active action, rather than accepting them with resignation. She is often approached by those in need of help, and hence the NGO was born directly out of the dire need to respond to these problems. Thus, RADHA is a pertinent NGO with a direct impact.
The RADHA children’s home is more akin to a big family than an orphanage, hence the name ‘RADHA children’s home’ is merely an approximation rather than an accurate description. Rather than starting off with a concrete conception of creating a children’s home, Mrs Sudershana’s compassion led her to take in a few destitute children and to nurture them as her own, even though she herself has 2 children who are now in their 20s. As word spread, more orphans and semi-orphans were brought by their mothers or relatives to Mrs Sudershana, and were taken in with open arms. At the time of our joint venture, 12 children from the age of 2 to 13 were being sheltered and cared for.”
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Kids eating healthy meals at RADHA Children’s Home
EPN’S INVOLVEMENT
End Poverty Now helped fund the RADHA Children’s Home during a time in which government cutbacks made procuring food and educational resources difficult. With EPN’s assistance, the children at the orphanage were able to continue their education and continue receiving healthy, nourishing meals. An EPN intern, Felicity Yeo, had the opportunity to volunteer at RADHA during summer of 2007. She met children like three-year-old Puja, who was brought to the home in bad shape after being abandoned by her parents. Felicity was able to teach Puja along with the other children English, lead them through educational activities, and accompany them on excursions.
Read about Felicity’s internship experience! See: In Her Own Words: Felicity Yeo’s Internship Experience with RADHA, July 2007
Children from the RADHA home in class