News

Hope Project Newsletter, December 2021

written by Samiur Rahman and Elisabeth Henschel; edited by Heiko Schrader

Overcoming Challenges: Hope Brings Back Life in The Project

Dear friends,

As it has all over the world, Covid-19 has altered life as we know it here in Delhi, here in the Basti. Too many lives have been lost, too many of our near and dear ones gone forever. Many in our community have lost their livelihood and it is slow and tedious trying to find new jobs. The children lost their source of socialization and regular live education for many months.

Hope never lost contact with its beneficiaries though. With the distributions of dry rations to the families in need, milk and eggs for the children and online teaching we were able to stay in contact with the neighborhood. When the second wave subsided, we were also able to assess the situations better through personal interactions and visits to people’s homes. This helped to keep families from migrating back to their rural homes, trips that would surely be more dangerous than beneficial at this point.

We are relieved and glad to report that the MMU and Health Centre are providing medical care for people in need again, both in the Basti and in our Trans-Yamuna communities. In this time of need, we have also expanded our service area and have reached hundreds of new patients, all of them with no other access to healthcare.

The educational programs including Creche, Pre-Primary, Non-Formal School, Tuition and Evening School have been able to resume, of course taking the necessary hygienic precautions. Several of our students have been able to finish their schooling with us and a few have gone on to enroll at PGDAV college, University of Delhi, others have started their vocational training with Hope. We are so very proud of all of them.

While we are all still struggling, your donations and your endless support have made it possible for us to keep our doors “open,” to provide for and assist a community that would otherwise be cast aside or forgotten. Thank you for always believing in our work — you make it possible.

Iram Kamal Parvez — A Journey to Health

Iram has been a student of Hope’s evening support class since 2019. Her family has been facing tremendous financial issues because both her parents are severely ill. Her father needed extensive surgery and her mother suffers from a hernia complication. The only income in the family came from her brother who is employed in Mumbai. To add to their miseries, Iram’s appendix burst, requiring her to undergo multiple surgeries. An alarming situation arose when due to the complete lockdown, her doctors left the treatment halfway, which left her bed-ridden. When lockdown ended, she went for a check-up, but her doctors determined that Iram was too weak for further surgery. The whole matter was discussed in a meeting conducted by Hope’s executive director, wherein it was decided that Hope would be providing financial as well as medical help. Subsequently, food and medicine were delivered on daily basis to her home by one of Hope’s outreach workers. After two months, she was ready for surgery. Iram had the surgery a few days ago and it was successful. Now she is gaining strength quickly and a complete recovery is expected. We wish her good health!

Ziyan — Skilled and Self-Sustained

I am Ziyan, a 16-year-old boy studying in XIth class in the government school. I started my education in the pre-primary of Hope Project. I am able to support my family. Thanks to Hope! I was interested in computers from the very beginning so with my elder brother’s suggestion, I joined Hope and learnt the basic skills of computers which further proved beneficial for me as I started to work at a cyber cafe during lockdown. At the time of my exams, I used to come to the the Hope Project for online exams and got good marks in my exams. It was a second reason for me to be grateful to Hope for its services. Computers, to say it as a cliché, are my passion. My thirst for computer skills didn’t quench there and I started to learn Photoshop at The Hope Project. In a span of two years, I learnt almost every skill of computer and currently I earn 4000 a month and support my family. I have found Hope in the walk of my life as a strong pillar of support when I needed it the most!

November, 2021

Dear Friends of Hope,

With this brief note, I want to update you on the current state of the Hope Project as it resumes activity after the most recent virus surge.

At the time I am writing, 95% of Hope Project staff have been vaccinated. Vaccination rates are slowly improving in the area surrounding the main offices in Nizamuddin Basti as well as in the surrounding areas of New Delhi. Water damage to our building from recent monsoon flooding is being repaired, and painting, plastering, and mending of any leaks is in process. Half of Hope’s students have returned, attending either online, in person, or both. Staff are busy preparing to resume all classroom instruction very soon. Now that the middle class are again hiring unskilled laborers, the area has a high number of migrants returning to the city looking for work. For this reason, emergency food is still very much needed in the community.

I have attached a letter from both Pir Zia and Pir Shabda that speaks to their support of the important work of Hope.

With appreciation,
Richard Cuadra, Hope Project board president

September 2021

Dear friends of Hope,

Our world is full of challenges and it is easy to become overwhelmed and forget that so many people are joining, connecting, and helping each other.

I am filled with gratitude each and every day when I observe how our community (you friends of Hope!) supports the Project. Donations keep coming in, and are so appreciated, as the Project’s needs continue to grow. Many of you, I know, are helping others in your own communities as well as the Hope Project, which is inspiring — and the generosity is delicious and nutritious for the soul.

I speak with the executive director of the Project, Samiur Rahman, every two or three weeks to support him with the complexities of the Project and keep current with the Hope Project challenges. He has recovered from Covid and says he feels fine, but when I ask again with a little more curiosity, he says he is often more fatigued than usual. His daughter and wife are fully recovered and back to their usual activities.

Samiur reports that it has been raining and flooding in Delhi for three solid days. The surrounding streets of the Project have water about two inches high, and some seepage is getting into their building, but they have been able to keep the Project dry. As you can imagine, the homeless in Delhi struggle with so much water, as there is little protection. The Project is offering food and funds to help the migrants who keep moving from town to town. Like everywhere in Delhi, jobs have decreased, so giving milk and eggs to more and more who need food is the job at hand. Tourism has been very low, but Indians are beginning to travel and feel hopeful about life returning to some new normal.

Staff at the Project are fully vaccinated, the population of the Basti is 50% vaccinated, and Delhi is around 40%. Considering the challenges in getting the vaccine distributed in India, these numbers are positive and hopeful. The Project has focused on demystifying the vaccine by providing education regarding its effectiveness and safety in addition to facts about personal health and how to stay safe. Covid hospitalizations have declined, and cases in Delhi are slowly decreasing.

Children in the 9th through 12th grades are attending classes, and younger children have a combination of coming to school and working from home. Preschool is closed because it’s safer and more available to have childcare at home. Staff are back at work, checking in with families, and keeping people aware of what services are available.

Dr Lipi has had a recurrence of breast cancer and is receiving chemotherapy. Although she is very tired, she is helping guest doctors who are filling in until she can return. Please add her to your healing circles, she is a gift of healing and love, and we want her back in full health.

Again, all of the Project staff are grateful and feel the support of this growing community of compassion and generosity. Your support continues to provide a vision of an improved life for all.

With gratitude,

Richard Cuadra, Chair, Children’s Ashram Fund

From Carmen Hussain (board member); edited by Samiur Rahman (executive director) and Heiko Schrader (board member):

August 18, 2021

I hope you are all safe and sound and have had a good summer. I have just returned from Kashmir and had a meeting with Samiur at Hope. The Covid-19 situation in Delhi is still uncertain, there are only very few fresh Covid cases in Delhi, but the government is playing it safe, not opening up the schools yet. There is also a strong fear, that a third wave is coming in September or October; certainly this has an effect on Hope. Therefore, I was very amazed to see the place busy and bustling as always, without the kids being there.

Since the government still restricts schools from opening, the Project now has a new strategy. All the employees come to the office and from there they deliver directly to the community whatever is possible and necessary. Small groups of students, especially those who will have exams coming up, are invited to come directly for consultations with their teachers. The nursery and kindergarten ask the parents to pick up work assignments from the project and bring them back the next day. Along with this, they hand out materials like crayons, pencils, paper, etc., so that the kids can work at home. Also, the medical center is very busy. Kids have been monitored by the community workers visiting the families, and it has been found that a larger number of children are malnourished. There is a system in place to ensure that all the children get their milk every day and other supplements if necessary.

In Trans Yamuna all the classes are running, since they are held in private houses and therefore fall through the restriction measures. There too, ration packages are distributed to those in dire need. Altogether, the project has changed systems to immediately support the community with what is needed right now. Vaccination has been promoted for anyone above 18 years. The government has failed to deliver vaccines for everyone free of cost, so that Hope now organizes for their youngsters and adults to get vaccinated in the private hospitals, and pays for it. All staff members have had at least one vaccine, and some are fully vaccinated.

I was happy to see Asha back in office, and our new school coordinator, Dr. Sumbul, also seemed to have grown into the work and the community. I am sure that Samiur, together with his team, will come up with more changes for now, until things can go back to normal (if that ever happens). The place is full of energy again and the current issues are addressed right away. Sadly, Dr. Lipi has fallen seriously ill and will need some time to recover. However, the medical program is well prepared to handle all that is necessary in the meantime.

Our KIN (Kids in Nature) Rajasthan program is also busy by constructing the boundary wall and drilling the well as the minimum infrastructure required to start activities. We will go visit the site by the end of September to see how we can implement the next steps and deal with pending formalities.

All best wishes, and many thanks to our donors,

Carmen, Samiur and Heiko, 8 August, 2021
~~~~~~~
…and from Samiur Rahman, executive director

My Dear Friends,
I hope this mail finds you all well. It has been a long time since I met / communicated with you. On behalf of myself & my family members, I express sincere thanks & gratitude for the prayers of all of you during our illness due to coronavirus. Currently we are all fine. Both Shaista & I have taken the first dose of the vaccine, as advised by the doctor. My son-in-law & daughter will get the first dose after 15 August.

Pir Shabda, Mr. Richard, Ms. Madhura, Ms. Waduda, Brinda, Dr. Lynne Williams, Saki, Halim, and Zuleikha have always been in contact & also informed me of your best wishes & prayers for the well being of my family at the time of crisis. May Almighty Allah keep all of you in good health & peace of mind forever.

The pandemic is not over. Hope has always been at the doorstep of our beneficiaries during the pandemic. We are doing our best to serve those in need. Due to the emerging areas of concerns, there are new challenges & issues. We have developed strategies and approaches to deal with these. We have been successful in our endeavour and our teamwork continues to bring smiles to the face of our beneficiaries.

Thank you again,
Warm regards,

Samiur Rahman

July 2021

Dear friends of Hope,

I am intent on keeping you informed as to the status of Hope Project India as it navigates India’s second wave of the COVID crisis.

As mentioned in my last communication, a large number of the staff contracted Covid, including Hope’s executive director, Samiur Rahman, and his wife, Shaista. Although Samiur and Shaista have recovered from the acute stage of illness, their energy remains low. I was taken aback to hear Samiur’s voice so weakened and without its usual vibrancy and energy. God willing, he and the other affected staff will fully recover. Currently, Samiur has been able to go into the project two or three days a week.

During the second lockdown period beginning May 5, 2021, Hope Project’s Health program (Hope Health) continued online communication and visits by community health workers to assess the needs of the community. Through networking with the various health agencies, Hope set up three temporary stations for the distribution of free emergency medications and equipment, as well as access to virus testing, vaccination, and emergency hospital admission. Rations and the distribution of milk and eggs to those suffering from illness and tuberculosis has become essential to the community. The distribution of condoms and sanitary pads also are important in maintaining community health.

The infection rate due to the second wave of the coronavirus has decreased considerably as compared to the peak during May 2021. After a strict five-week lockdown, the Delhi government allowed several activities with a 50% staffing level. Hope Health resumed in-person primary care treatment and consultation as of June 8, 2021. The beneficiaries of the services include a large number of homeless and elderly.

Dr. Lipi Dhar, Hope Health’s medical director, writes that it is their intention to resume more community public health services as lockdown restrictions in Delhi are gradually lifted over the month of July. In the meantime, it has been an opportunity for staff development and education, including attendance at a training program at the Nehru Nagar Chest Centre.

Additional good news is that the Kalliopeia Foundation Fund has granted the Hope Project $7,000, which is huge boost to our mission.

Yours in service,

Richard Cuadra
Chair, Children’s Ashram Fund
Board member, Hope Project

June 6, 2021

Dear friends of Hope,

I want to update you on the current situation at the Hope Project.

Those served by Hope are mostly daily wage workers who are unable to work. It is their children who study at the Hope Project or are cared for at the creche. However, the rapidly escalating spread of covid and lockdown necessitated that the creche and all in-person instruction shut down in April. Online computer classes were organized; few students, however, were able to join due to lack of access to smart phones and the internet. Several students could not attend due to family obligations brought on by the crisis. Additionally, several Hope staff and their family members contracted the virus.

The immediate need of the community has been for rations. All efforts have thus turned to providing food, as well as milk for babies and children. Teachers are in frequent communication with their students, giving instruction about the spread of covid-19 and the precautions to be taken, as well as general guidance on how to manage during the crisis.

Dr. Lipi, Hope Project’s medical director, and the health staff remain a critical source of health information and are an important link to resources for coronavirus testing, treatment, vaccination, and, if necessary, hospital admission. Hope has been essential to procuring supplementary medicine and equipment such as immunity booster kits, nebulizers, oxygen cylinders, oximeters, masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.

Samiur Rahman, Hope Project’s executive director, writes:
We immediately revived our network, which was established during the previous lockdown period and started identifying the families in need. Currently a team is working in Basti, one in Trans-Yamuna & one in Sarai Kale Khan. Dry rations and milk are distributed to the families on a regular basis. We will ensure that no one starves or remains hungry.

The current survey reveals that the economic conditions of the lower middle level and poor families have become worse. With loss of livelihood opportunities and expenses incurred for treatment, they are left with nothing. Those who have lost their family members and dear ones are living in anxiety, fear, and trauma. There is a huge need to address many issues which we have yet to learn. We will not only serve our Project communities but also anywhere in Delhi in need of immediate relief and support.

We remain so very grateful for your support and interest.

Richard Cuadra, Chair, Children’s Ashram Fund

May 2021

Dear Friends,

Many of you have reached out to me regarding the heartbreaking crisis in India and Hope Project India. I have been in close contact with our friends there, and the situation is much more dire than is being reported in the news. Our executive director, Samiur Rahman, his wife and family, several Hope Project board members, a number of staff and their families have been very ill with the virus. Thankfully, they are slowly recovering. They report, however, that thousands of deaths there are going unreported. Masses of people wait in line for any medical care, and are dying as they wait. The numbers of people affected are astronomical — most likely three times as many as what we are hearing — as none of those dying at home or in the streets are reported as COVID deaths.

These excerpts, from an email from Carmen Hussain, a Hope Project board member, describe the situation in the Nizamuddin Basti:
When they came to the Basti yesterday, they were quite shocked to see that it looks like the entire community is out on the streets, no masks and kids playing in the alleys all over. Protecting oneself and all the hygiene protocols has become one of the major teaching subjects of the Hope online classes. I am pretty sure that a large chunk of the community can probably not tolerate the congested living quarters; the heat (41 C, 105 F) in the narrow Basti, with no air passing to give relief. Asha tells me, that in the area she lives, every household has at least one person affected. This is the case in so many areas, and I know from people closely connected that there are lots of deaths all over.

That’s the reality….

As usual, you will ask what needs to be done and what can help, and as usual we can just tell you that we are trying to stay on top of things and that all your support is going a long way in helping to keep up the work at Hope. At the moment also, in addition to donating funds, please also direct your healing prayers to India, to Delhi, to the communities Hope serves, and to all people in dire need. I picture the Dargah as a centre of radiating healing energy and light to those in need.

The Hope Project physical space is in lockdown, but staff are continuing the work from their homes. Classes are continuing online, Hope’s doctor is remotely coordinating medical care in the community, and emergency food provisions are being mobilized. Thus, Hope perseveres with resolve and resilience in its mission of service to the poor and the vulnerable.

With deep appreciation for your concern and support,

Richard Cuadra
Chair, Children’s Ashram Fund
Board member, Hope Project