Category: Events

The Newport-based Charity Health Help International (HHI) is 25 in November 2024.  From small beginnings, it has raised almost £4 million pounds to support the most deprived people in Zambia and India through medical work, disability and special needs, self-sufficiency and empowerment. 

Its dedicated team of volunteers not only give their time, energy, expertise and experience freely, but also pay for the UK running costs so that every penny that we are given by our supporters is sent aboad.

Currently its work is in two parts of the world – Monze in the Southern Province of Zambia, and near Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) in the state of Kerala in India as well as in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. 

To celebrate its 25^th anniversary the Charity set itself a target of raising £25,000 to build a new dormitory for disabled students at the Choongo school in Zambia. There were 60 residential students but only 48 beds in the existing dormitory. The appeal for funds has met with a great response from its supporters in Wales and England and thanks to the efforts of SFHHI and generous donations from the committee of the Round Strathaven 50 (see the report on the 2024 RS50 in the news section) more than half of the £25,000 which has now been successfully raised has been generated in Strathaven. 

The new dormitory has now been built and was opened on 23^rd October 2024 – see details of this in the report of the visit of Jute Williams and Kath Russell to Zambia.

Cafe Bridge Days are relatively new in the UK but such events have been enjoyed on the Continent for a number of years. At these, players move between a number of prearranged venues and play several hands of bridge in each.

SFHHI hosted its first Cafe Bridge Day in June 2023. Following its success the second Strathaven Cafe Bridge Day was held on Wednesday 12th June this year. Supported by the members of the Strathaven and Hamilton Bridge Clubs and with visitors from around the country including a party from London a total of 56 players took part. Avondale Church again generously allowed us the use of its premises for registration and for the control of the event throughout the day. From there the players headed out to the first of their playing venues. Six local cafes and restaurants had kindly allowed us the used of their facilities and after the first session the players moved around the town playing a number of hands in each of them, enjoying lunch half way round and returning to the church for prize-giving. The winning pair were Moyra Forrest and Kathy Whaler from Edinburgh. 

A very successful musical evening in the church provided an enjoyable finish to the day.  Contributing to this were a number of Strathaven’s talented musicians and singers including Heather Ewart and Ailesh McInnes, the Strathaven Strummers, Eric and Jackie Rice and Ellen Templeton. They provided an excellent and wide ranging musical treat much appreciated by the forty strong audience. 

As a result of the day’s activities the excellent total of £2000 was raised on behalf of Health Help International helping it towards its target of raising £25,000 this year to build a new dormitory for disabled children at Choongo School in Zambia.

SFHHI’s  2023 annual Bridge Drive took place in a different venue this year. Following the successful Cafe Bridge Day held earlier in the year an alternative less active event offering an afternoon of ‘fun bridge’ was held in the Strathaven Golf Clubhouse on Tuesday 16^th November

It was well supported with sixty players from The Strathaven and Hamilton Bridge Clubs taking part. The support of the Hamilton members was particularly appreciated by the SFHHI committee. An excellent sandwich lunch was provided by the Golf Club prior to play.

The successful winner of the bridge was Strathaven Club member Neil Dougan seen being presented with his prize by Kath Russell. The lucky winner of the HHI cake provided by Alexander Taylors was Mrs Sandra Raeburn 

The excellent sum of just over £770 was raised for Health Help International to help its efforts towards the purchase of a new dormitory for disabled children at a school in Zambia. 

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One of the main projects supported at present in Kerala by Health help International is the Happy Valley Special Needs School in Nedumangad.  The  school building provides the base for the Banyan Tree’s operations in Kerala and from here Philip Mathew, successor to Tom Sutherland, is spearheading HHI’s activities in southern India.

Philip and his team of ten staff at the school care for upwards of thirty handicapped children and young men and woman suffering from a variety of life limiting physical and mental disabilities.

These young people are brought to the school each morning and returned home later in the day using two mini-bus type vehicles  with each of them usually having to make two journeys each time.

They had both reached the end of their useful life and were falling apart due to the dreadful state of the roads in Kerala. Without these means of transport these young people would be unable to receive the education and treatment which Philip and his team provide for them. 

One of the vehicles was replaced earlier in 2021 with monies largely raised by Philip in Kerala but with a contribution of £2,000 from SFHHI 

SFHHI has now been able to provide the sum of £9,000 to enable Philip to purchase a second replacement vehicle, like the first, a 14 seater people carrier. 

These monies were raised by SFHHI from some of its fund raising events but mainly from generous donations received by one or two of our supporters and from the Committee of the Round Strathaven 50 to whom we express our grateful thanks.

The Charity’s regular Supporters Evenings which were held in Newport several times each year had to be discontinued due to the Covid restrictions. An on-line one using Zoom was planned to take place in September 2021 but had to be abandoned on the night due to technical reasons. A great deal of work had gone into preparing for it and Presentations were to be given by the HHI Trustees and a number of the people helped by the Charity in India and Zambia. These presentations are now able to be viewed by following the link below. If you take the time to do so you will be able to see and hear about all the activities which HHI has been able to continue supporting in India and Zambia despite the difficulties imposed on the people there by the Pandemic. The Presentation can be viewed here

With a return to normality towards the end of 2022 a successful ‘face to face’ Supporters Evening was organised by the HHI committee in Newport on Saturday 22^nd October, attended by over forty of the Charity’s Welsh and English supporters. As it was the same evening as the Bridge Drive organised by SFHHI no one from its committee was able to attend but a short power point presentation giving details of Strathaven activities in support of HHI in 2022 was included in the programme.

SFHHI-221022

Strathaven Friends of Health Help International

are asking you to save all your unwanted

OLD CLOTHES, LEATHER ITEMS &

PAIRS OF SHOES (Tied Together), 

SORRY NO DUVETS or PILLOWS

and let us have them

(we’ll collect or you can deliver them to the Metal Container in the Car Park at the rear of Trinity Church Hall off Crawford Street 

The funds we raise using the ‘Ragbag’ charity support organization will be donated to Health Help International’ to help with its work in Zambia and India

Please Help our Effort

To arrange for collection of items 

please telephone 520204, 521059 or 529755