Join us for dinner in Waikanae
We will repeat the very successful dinner outing from last year at Samrat restaurant in Waikanae, after Harry gets back from India, probably late November or so. Apart from catching up and purchasing some tea, the food will be great as usual. Details to follow.
Why do we get so immune to repeated catastrophes in places like Assam?
AMT newsletter no 12, (see Publications page) has photos from the latest devastating floods in Assam. As usual, the non-Indian press concentrated on the rescue of rhinos rather than people. It is impossible to really appreciate the precarious nature of the existence for many hundreds of thousands of people in Assam, other Indian states and countries like Bangladesh, dependent on rivers and rain but easily overwhelmed by too much or too little of it. Watch the excellent 'Thirty Million' short film by New Zealand producers about the situation in Bangladesh which mirrors that of people in Assam living near the Brahmaputra river. thirtymillionfilm.org/ which you can watch for free on Vimeo
What would it be like to be an Adivasi tea estate worker in Assam?
AMT newsletter no 11, (see Publications page) has some facts and figures for you to ponder.
Assam Medical Trust
The Assam Medical Trust is a charitable organisation, registered with the New Zealand Charities Commission (www.charities.govt.nz ), whose purposes are to:
- promote health
- promote education
- reduce poverty
for the poor of northeast India.
The organisation raises money and uses it to provide educational scholarships for capable children, particularly girls, from poor families in rural Assam and Meghalaya, 2 states in northeast India. These scholarships allow children to stay at school until they pass their 'Class 12' exam (equivalent to New Zealand's NCEA level 3 ie age 17-18 years). With this exam and good English skills, these children can compete for jobs that will lift them and their families out of grinding poverty.
Currently the Trust supports 89 children and plans to gradually increase this number.
The Trust pays successful applicants up to 65% of their school and/or boarding fees - NZ$50/year for a 'Day Scholar' (someone who lives at home) and NZ$200/year for a Boarder.
Latest project
Visit to Assam October 2016
Harry will return to Assam and Meghalaya in October. Newsletter 13 will have a report and photos - click on the Publications tab.