Norfolk Christian charity's plea for orphan funds
 A Norfolk Christian charity which is helping some of India's poorest children is appealing for donations to finish building a school and children's home.
The Hope Community Trust, which is based in Mile Cross Lane, Norwich, has already raised £35,000 towards the project entirely through donations from the associated Grace Christian Fellowship in Norwich.
But they need another £8,000 to finish building the children's home and 12-room school building which it is hoped will eventually house more than 100 pupils.
Donations of books and school equipment have already been sent to the new school from educational institutes in Norfolk.
The trust works in partnership with an Indian based charity in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and at the beginning of this year, with the money already raised, purchased five acres of land to build a children's home and school in the village of Kuntinivalasa. The school opened in June with 28 youngsters attending lessons in a makeshift small accommodation block.
Now the charity is making an urgent appeal to raise the money needed to finish off the building by April, when they plan to move pupils into the finished school and orphanage.
Linda Bousfield, who works at the trust base in Norwich and took a trip last year to visit the project in India, said: “It is heartbreaking what has happened to many of the children whose parents are just too poor to be able to provide for them, but it also heart-warming to see the work being done by the trust and the fellowship, giving the children three meals a day and providing a roof over their heads and an education.
“A lot of the people in the region are classed as untouchables, which leaves them with no status at all, nobody else will help them or talk to them, meaning they are also the poorest people, this is exactly who we want to help, we desperately need that last funding money to help us finish off the school and provide a shelter for the children to keep them safe from harm.”
The children the charity is hoping to help are those who families cannot afford to feed and educate them.
In some of the rural locations in India, children are sold into bonded labour in rice fields to pay debts the families have. The charity hopes with the new orphanage and school they will be able to help more children avoid this fate.
Anyone wanting to make a donation to the building project should make cheques payable to Hope Community Trust and send to Pastor N Smith, Cross House, Mile Cross Lane, Norwich, Norfolk.
at nickyatbobbili@yahoo.co.uk or c/o Cross House, Mile Cross Lane, Norwich NR6 6DS Tel 01953 601083 or 07775 587251.
Click here to see the Grace church directory entry.
This story is courtesy of www.eveningnews24.co.uk
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