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.