Furnishing of a college library

Construction of 20 houses

Dispatch of medical equipment to Peru

Furnishing of a college library

With the financial aid from Hand in Hand, a library was constructed and furnished on the compound of the “Beleshwar Gopinat College” in Balighai, near Puri. The library was inaugurated in January 2003, in the presence of the President of the Prajnana Mission, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda.

Students in that region have to pay very high tuition fees to receive an adequate education; moreover the schools are poorly equipped and there is lack of books and space. The “Beleshwar Gopinat College” had not been able to offer the students a space where they could retire for studying. In the new 450m² library the students now have a quiet room at their disposal where they can dedicate themselves, with books and teaching material, to their studies – an opportunity they rarely have at home.

Construction of 20 houses

The super cyclone in 1999, the drought and famine in 2000, and the subsequent flooding in 2001 all rendered the life of the inhabitants of Orissa’s coastal region unbearable. Thanks to the quick reaction of Hand in Hand some 20 solid and hard-wearing houses could be constructed, and handed over a year later to some of the many victims who had lost all their belongings.

In the district of Kendrapara, in the villages Manikpatna and Tampur, the damages caused by the flooding were extremely severe. The fact that the villages were in remote areas which could hardly be reached by car, the necessary construction material for the houses had to be carried in the traditional way to the locations: in baskets carried by the villagers. The formal hand-over of the keys was conducted by the Maharaja of Orissa during a celebration in July 2002.

MANIKPADA: Quantity and type of constructed houses: 12 RCC Houses Roof terrace: 60 m² Direct beneficiaries: 12 families. TANUPUR: Number and type of constructed houses: 8 RCC Houses. Roof-terrace: 60m². Direct beneficiaries: 8 families.

Dispatch of medical equipment to Peru

Some areas of the tropical forest in Peru are very poor, and cut off from any centralized provision and care. It is extremely difficult to respond to those regions’ immediate necessities. They need, however, urgently, financial aid and medical care, support and help.

One of those regions lies near Iquitos. Most of the children living there are affected by worms, and suffer from malnutrition. Hand in Hand chose an orphanage and started an aid program in 2000: medicines, crutches, orthopedic equipment, wheelchairs and other necessary medical aids were sent and distributed. All was organized in cooperation with the local doctors and voluntary helpers.