HoPE Post Blog

A New Opportunity for HoPE

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:00:09 +0000

The success and enthusiasm for our first 10 HoPE Learning Centers have propelled us forward with a new goal to open 100 HoPE Learning Centers in communities across India this year.

Now is the time to take action. As we open the doors to new Centers we open the doors to a new destiny for children from impoverished families.

Education is the key to unlocking the unique potential of each individual we serve. We invite you to take part in our mission to Expand – Empower – Engage in 2012.

“Be an Opener of Doors for such as come after thee.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

EXPAND

Help Open 50 HoPE Learning Centers in June 2012

Our first milestone for 2012 is to open 50 new HoPE Learning Centers in June- to enable 1750 children to step out of poverty and into a life of possibilities.

The Centers offer a holistic approach to nurture the mind, body and spirit.

MIND: Phonemic Intelligence creates a state of ‘whole brain functioning’. Academic tutoring teaches critical thinking and encourages success in the classroom.

BODY: Physical activities and nutritious meals support positive health practices.

SPIRIT: Phonemic Intelligence also expands the child’s consciousness and encourages the development of individual talents.

Help these children discover their unique talents and lead a life of dignity and HoPE.

EMPOWER

Support Enterprise Training for Parents of HoPE Learning Centers

The majority of the children attending Hope Learning Centers come from single parent families. For many of these parents, school was not an option as they were required to work and support their families at a young age.

HoPE Learning Centers are now offering enterprise and skills training to empower these parents (mostly mothers) with new found confidence to increase their earning ability.

With your support, we can extend this service to families and communities.

ENGAGE

Bring the Sounds of HoPE to Your Community

As we expand HoPE Learning Centers throughout India, we also recognize the need for HoPE on a global level.

In 2012, we would like to share the foundational teachings of Phonemic Intelligence with communities around the world.

Phonemic Intelligence (formerly Mind Sound Technology) is an educational technique developed by Dr. Baskaran Pillai which uses sound frequencies (phonemes) to enhance intelligence.

A training program will be introduced to prepare volunteers to teach Phonemic Intelligence to underprivileged children in your local communities.

Be part of a collective commitment to HoPE through Education.

Girls’ Night Out!

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:26:07 +0000

Last night, February 4th, another prominent non-profit organization in Chennai, The Banyan, held its annual fund raising event and donor thank you. A lovely well wisher and supporter of Tripura and Girlstown gifted seats for the performance to the girls and the caretakers. This year the event was a play/dance entitled Flame of the Forrest that was adapted from a story from history that the girls are very familiar with.

The event was held in a grand theatre in Chennai with the entrance lit up with fairy lights and bright banners.

Thank you to Sandhya Menon who thought of a wonderful evening for the girls!

Light the Way for New Beginnings

admin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:05:22 +0000

The Triumph of Light

In October we dressed up for Halloween and celebrated by opening our doors and giving to children. In India, families from all corners of the country gathered for Diwali – the Festival of Lights. These holidays remind us how much happiness, love and generosity fill our lives when we give to others.

As November begins, we prepare for a feast of Thanksgiving and reflect on the people who brighten up our lives each day. Honor the gifts of light and make a donation for the triumph of HoPE over the darkness of poverty.

Our GirlsTown Angels Dressed Up in Celebration!

Choose to be an Angel for Others during this Season of Light!

Happiness Quotient

What are the simple things in your day that bring you joy?

Perhaps it is the delight of sipping a cup of coffee each morning?

Or it could be using your favorite smartphone apps during your commute?

Or maybe it is the simple pleasure of going to the movies?

Make the Little Things Count

In a time when our lives can be inundated with stress and discord in the world, these small moments of happiness are essential. The greatest value of this joy is that it can be shared with those who need our help the most. By simply matching the cost of a small pleasure in your day, you can extend this joy to a child or family trying to overcome the perils of poverty.

$10 donation = 1 month for 1 child at a HoPE Learning Center

[That’s just a small coffee a day!]

$20 donation = 1 month of nutritious snacks for 10 children

[That’s a night at the movies]

$30 donation = 30 sleeping mats for the destitute or elderly

[That’s a sushi lunch!]

Even Small Actions can have a Big Impact!

A Ripple Effect

Our mission to bring HoPE into communities suffering from severe poverty is made possible by extending our service to its greatest capacity while spending with the greatest efficiency. With the help of your generous donations we have opened 6 HoPE Learning Centers with outstanding successes. Your angel gifts are miracles in action!

Inspiration in the Classroom

Our classrooms are bright, colorful and stimulating. They are made with durable, cost-effective materials that are easy to maintain. We also put great emphasis on the quality of the teachers and select them based on experience, love and dedication to the children.

Recipe for Success

Healthy food creates the essential energy children need to do well in their work and studies. Our HoPE Learning Centers provide a daily snack of fresh and flavorful dishes prepared by caring women in the local community. This high quality meal only costs $2 per child per month.

Expanding HoPE

Looking ahead, we are excited for new opportunities of growth in 2012 with a goal to open 200 HoPE Centers across India. Our ambitions are high because the need is so great. Please be a part of this ripple effect and send waves of HoPE into these impoverished communities.

Participate in the Success of Others!

It’s Official: 7 HoPE Centers Launching

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 07:14:03 +0000

OUR OFFICIAL LAUNCH!

“A Bright Future For The World’s Children”

What if you could actually help a child to change his/her destiny?

Our HoPE Learning Centers are opening this month in India – 4 have opened already and 3 are opening at the end of month, serving a total of 245 children! They will provide poor children living in unimaginable conditions with the chance to learn educational tools to sharpen their minds and open their hearts, to play creative games, to enjoy food with taste and nutrition, and to expand the scope of their world.

These children come from families that have been living in a cycle of poverty caused by lack of education, disease and abuse. Most of the children are being raised by a single parent and they have been exposed to horrific stories of alcoholism, addiction, malnutrition and inhuman living conditions.

This month we would like to share a few inspiring stories about the power of education and the creation of our Learning Centers. We also invite you to meet a few of the children and families in need of hope.

In India, there is a special day for honoring the teacher, known as the Guru in Indian tradition. The Guru is the one who guides you in life. The day is called Guru Purnima as it is marked by the Full Moon. As the Moon reflects the light of the Sun, giving light to the world at night, a Guru or teacher sheds light on the students intelligence, brightening their future.

This year it falls on July 14th, the beginning of the school year in India. A child needs benevolent supporters who take an interest in their well-being. Be that beacon of light for the children and in turn “give back” to the Gurus in our life. Transform our world by giving the basic human necessities of love, nutrition, exercise and education to those who will carry us into the future – the children.

Tripura HoPE Centers Launch:

Mohini – Our Global Director – Shares from India

Hi Everyone,

I had a most heart-warming and eye-opening experience during my visit to the sites of our Chennai HoPE Learning Centers. I learned a great lesson from the poor about the value of education – how education is the key to creating a new destiny for the poorest children.

I met the local champion of each center – a school headmaster, or politician, or social service worker or simply a dedicated person seeking to give back to the children who will be our future leaders. I was so impressed by our champions’ hard work in the careful selection of the neediest children with fully supportive mothers, of neat buildings that were being painted beautiful, bright hues of purple and green, of passionate and caring teachers who are excited about this opportunity to help children to blossom into their highest potential.

And of course, I was most impressed by meeting the children and some of their parents. Even though living in huts and hovels that are below human living conditions, most children being deserted by a father due to alcoholism and the family living on only 1 dollar a day through the hard labor of a dedicated mother- these children have bright faces, light in their eyes, eager interest and an expectation they are embarking upon something wonderful. I see these children as the great heroes of India- living each day with HoPE for a brighter future despite their current life.

Truth was revealed to me in one final meeting. I visited the homes of several children who will be attending our HoPE Center. The mothers stood in front of their tiny, meager huts with no water, power or toilets- deserted by their husbands and working as servants. One mother spoke for them all, “We are illiterates, so we suffer. Please give our children a chance, so they don’t have to suffer like us.” She held her hands in a pleading posture.

In privileged countries, we often take education for granted. For these mothers, they viewed the alternative education we would be providing their children as their child’s only chance to live a new life, a new destiny. Education is the difference between a destiny of a maidservant or laborer, and a destiny as a future engineer, teacher or computer operator

We have already been requested to open 3 more centers, beyond our 7 centers already opening. Champions of other poor communities are so eager for our help for their poorest children.

Please help us accomplish our goal to open more centers as quickly as possible by sharing your financial support.

Peace, Mohini

Share in the Passion for the Children

Structure and Nourishment for the Mind – Body – Consciousness

The primary focus of our HoPE Learning Centers is to provide supplemental education and support for disadvantaged children so that they may develop the necessary skills, values and character to rise above their present circumstances.

Classes are conducted 6 days per week and include these daily practices:
Enhanced Education Techniques including Mind Sound Technology (MST) and Personal Transformation Program (PTP) created by Dr. Baskaran Pillai
Physical Exercise and Yoga
Tutoring and Guidance with academic subjects
A healthy and nutritious snack
Each center serves 30-35 children who are enrolled in grades 5-8
Facilities are painted in beautiful bright colors to provide an environment for creativity, joy and imagination.

An Insider’s Glance: Yadeesh Introduces Families in Need of HoPE

Tripura Foundation’s Indian Trustee, Yadeesh, has played an integral role in the development of these new HoPE Learning Centers. He has had the opportunity to visit some of the children and their families at home. Yadeesh shares two profound and heart-breaking personal experiences of his first meeting with two of these children.

Meet 11 year-old V. Rajesh. He is currently in the sixth grade. We went to visit Rajesh’s home with the coordinator of the HoPE Learning Center and we were shocked to see that his “house” was merely an 8 x 6 foot covered enclosure with only one small light bulb. Rajesh’s mother, Bhanumathi, worries constantly about her children’s safety because snakes frequently enter their small dwelling.

Rajesh’s father is an alcoholic who used to beat Rajesh, his sister and his mother every single day. His father has left the family and married another woman. Bhanumathi said she is happy that they no longer suffer at the hands of an alcoholic. She works as a house maid for a meager living. Bhanumathi’s daily prayer is that God will keep her alive until her children are grown up. She expressed her confidence in the Learning Center and hopes this education will provide Rajesh with the courage and strength to stand up on his own two feet and find success.

Meet 13 year-old Santhiya. She is in the 8^th grade and she has a congenital disorder prohibitting her from walking properly. We met Santhiya’s mother, Bakkiyalakshmi, who described the torture that she suffered at the hands of money lenders. Her husband is an alcoholic who borrowed money from these money lenders and gambled it all away. When he was not able to repay his debt, her husband simply ran away, leaving his family vulnerable to the violent retribution of the money lenders. She was then forced to give these lenders everything she had to repay what her husband could not.

Bakkiyalakshmi was fortunate to meet a kind-hearted woman who helped her move out of her old village and settle down near Selaiyur. She is presently working as a house cook and earns Rs. 2500 per month. After paying her monthly rent of Rs. 900, Bakkiyalakshmi has to take care of her family on the meager amount of Rs 1600 (about $40 USD).

Help Brighten the Future!

Thank You for Your Continued Support

A Happy Day: Mothers’ HoPE Expands Throughout India

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:32:07 +0000

Welcome to the Tripura Foundation Newsletter:

HoPE Post

May 2011
In This Mother’s Day Edition:

HoPE Initiatives Expanding
*”HoPE on Wheels” Updates
* ALL NEW “HoPE Learning Centers”
Help to Continue the Expansion
Global Donations – Tax Exemptions

We Build HoPE
With Each Brick… With Each Sound…
With Each Donation…

Honor Your Mother Through Caring for the Poor

“No mother, we have not eaten, we are hungry.”

“Aapne khaana khaaya?”, I asked. It was 3pm. We spotted 2 women with 3 children approximately 3, 4 and 8 yrs, who must have been travelling by foot for a long time.
One of the women answered, but I did not understand. We gave them all warm and delicious meals. They were very happy and celebratory. We all waved goodbye like good friends after a nice visit.
When we drove away, Vinod, who had taught me to say “Have you eaten?” in Hindi the week before, explained that the woman answered, “No mother, we have not eaten, we are hungry.”
I could not talk for a bit, my heart was breaking. It was so late in the day and yet they were so cheerful and sent all of that loving, grateful energy.”
~Meena M, HoPE on Wheels Goa

Donate Now and Designate to ‘Poverty and Hunger’

May 8th is Mother’s Day in North America and India. It was April 4th in the UK, and from now until the end of the year, Mother’s Day is celebrated in one month or another in one country or another.

It is unanimous around the world- Mothers merit recognition, especially the archetype of the Universal Nurturing Mother.

One of the most endearing characteristics of a mother is that she loves to feed- not just the children she birthed, but anyone and everyone, young and old. It is one of her nurturing qualities.

A mother only wants the best for the children. She not only wants to see her child survive, but to see him or her thrive.

HoPE Initiatives Expanding Throughout India

“HoPE on Wheels” – Goa

HoPE on Wheels is our compassionate response to taking care of the roadside destitute. Every day in Goa, hot meals are given with love to 50 people who are completely forgotten and living on the street- the elderly, the lepers and the mentally ill. In May, we will be expanding our distribution to 100 meals per day and offering clean clothes and a comfortable mat for a better night’s rest.

“HoPE on Wheels” – Chennai

HoPE on Wheels Chennai has started its own kitchen where hot, nutritious and delicious meals are cooked by our own qualified chef. We reach out to communities in and around urban Chennai that have been identified by our volunteers as in need of support. In phase 1 we are feeding 85 destitute people once per week with plans of expanding to 3 times per week for phase 2. The ultimate goal is to build a large central kitchen and distribution center where meals delivered to several communities per day.

One way to honor your mother on Mother’s Day is to donate
for our HoPE on Wheels program, and nurture the destitute
with food, love and the caring touches that make each day a
better experience.

What does your generous donation go towards?
$20 provides 20 hot meals, or 20 mats, or 5 new sets of clothes to the destitute or abandoned elderly

$100 provides 100 hot meals, or 100 mats, or 25 new sets of clothes for the destitute and elderly

$1000 provides 1000 hot meals, or 1000 mats, or 250 new sets of clothes for the destitute or elderly

Donate Now and Designate to ‘Poverty and Hunger’

“There was a lone figure out in an empty lot, picking up garbage. He blended well with the dull colors but for his slight movements. We stopped and offered him a fresh warm meal and engaged him in a little conversation. We learned that he was 15 years old both parents died. He was aged much beyond 15. He could not look at either of us and it seemed that he felt so ashamed. When asked if he would be interested in continuing his education he first asked if he did not collect garbage, how would he eat? Then we asked if he had food, would he then want schooling? His reply came quickly, resolutely and somewhat sadly. The other children make fun of him. It is too painful to be in school and be put down every day for collecting garbage. He did not want to go back.”
~Meena M- HoPE on Wheels Goa

ALL NEW HoPE Learning Centers

Mother Tripura Foundation Gives Birth to HoPE Learning Centers HoPE Learning Centers is our latest initiative to uplift poor communities by providing enhanced educational and nutritional support to their poorest children. We are selecting children who have no HoPE without our help- most of these children have lost their father through his death, suicide, abandonment, and the mother working as a simple laborer truly struggles to support her children. By empowering these children with our love, enhanced education, and nutrition, our vision is for these children to become community leaders, rather than drop-outs.

Tripura has implemented Dr. Baskaran Pillai’s proven education techniques for both children and adults in several countries. Mind-Sound Technology has been the core of our Enhanced Education programs in India in both of our holistic projects of Boystown since 2001 and Girlstown since 2005.

The successful results of these facilities and programs gave us the new vision of transforming society at large at even a faster rate. The plan is underway for HoPE Learning Centers in outlying urban and rural areas, where there is the greatest need for supporting children and families living in desperate conditions.

Donate Now and Designate to ‘Education’

HoPE Learning Centers Underway

We are in the final stages of our planning, and will be ready to launch the first 6 Centers in the Ist week of June: Selaiyur, Tirutanni, Gumudipoondi, Velur are all outlying areas of Chennai. Madurai is a separate city in Tamil Nadu, and Goa is another state on the west coast of South India.

4 more Centers are in the pipeline for launching the end of June: 1 additional in Madurai and 1 more in Goa. Details are being finalized now.

Each center provides after-school holistic support through academic tutoring, Mind Sound Technology for enhancing intelligence, Personal Transformation Program for all-around personality development, and a healthy, daily snack.

Our India Trustee and Project Manager reports that this innovative Education Initiative is being well received by the public in India and if the financial support is forthcoming, we can launch 30 more by June 2012!

Donate Now and Designate to Education

Padhmasini-aged 12 years, lost both her parents and was left in the care of her aged grandmother. The grandmother works as a servant maid in order to raise this child. With a meagre income of Rs.1,000/month (approximately $23.00 US per month) it is very difficult for the grandmother to fulfill all of the child’s basic needs. There is no one to guide the child and she ranks as a below average student in her class. Padhmasini’s attendance record shows that she goes to school regularly. Even though she struggles, she is determined to come up in life.

Jayasri- aged 10 years, lost her father to AIDS last October. Her mother is HIV+ and the old grandmother takes care of them plus the 6 year old brother. The mother works as a servant maid and earns Rs.1,500/month (approximately $34.00 US per month). The mother has only one wish in this lifetime- to see her children grow and lead a happy life.

As Promised: April Global Call- Join Hands for HoPE- Healing Our Planet

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:30:24 +0000

Date: Sunday, April 24
Time: 8 AM EDT (www.timeanddate.com for time zone calculator)
Call in Number for Live Call: (760)569-7676
Access Code: 902673#

Please Note: Call will be recorded
Playback Number: (760)569-7699
Access Code: 902673#

Are you feeling like you would like to do something positive and proactive to bring healing to the people, lands, plants and animals recently affected by natural disasters or other unrest?

Join us in holding hands, sending light and love, and raising voices in song- together, we can create a tangible energy of love and peace on this planet.

Since Wednesday, March 16th, Pillai Center and Tripura Foundation have joined together to host a daily prayer ceremony for Global Love and Peace. The daily ceremony is conducted at our Pillai Retreat Center in San Diego, a vortex of love and peace.

We invite you to join us for our monthly Global Call for Love and Peace for April, as we come together on a conference call and pray together, fill ourselves with Grace Light, and transmit light to all in need of healing. Our monthly Global Call for Love and Peace is our way of sharing our daily ceremony with everyone, and creating an even more powerful vortex of Love and Peace for healing the planet. This is non-denominational, and all are welcome.

Testimonial About the March Global Call for Love and Peace:

“The Global Call for Love and Peace was a god-send. It was the most high, peaceful, heart-centered and utterly serene moments I’ve felt since the disasters in Japan started. In everyday life, I hear people talk about the worsening situation, shake their heads and feel overwhelmed. On this call, we were led into light-filled, peaceful, purposeful and powerful realms of our inner world to make a difference in the outer world. It felt so real, so tangible- I know an impact was made with our collective prayers. Beginning with us, we definitely are the change we want to see in the world!”

How to Participate in Future Calls and Join Our Global Community in HoPE:

Look for Updates and Notifications On Facebook: ‘Like’ Us

Go to:www.facebook.com/pages/Tripura-Foundation-Builds-HoPE/366177747363?ref=ts

The Information Will Be Given here on www.HoPEPostBlog.org
and in Future HoPE Posts Newsletters
Sign Up on www.tripurafoundation.org to receive the monthlies.

Love, Light, Peace and Healing HoPE,
Team Tripura HoPE

HoPE on Wheels Chennai Picks Up Steam

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:53:28 +0000

Our crew has got the rhythm down now for shopping, chopping, cooking, packing and distributing the hot nutritious meals that HoPE on Wheels delivers weekly to Chennai’s less fortunate. There are many slums or pockets of hutments that are erected in any space available in residential, commercial or industrial sectors in the city.

We don’t forget the single wanderers who roam about the streets on their own picking through garbage and sleeping on the pavement. It takes longer to drive around in rush hour traffic but to hand them a hot delicious meal at dinner time is well worth the effort.

The people are so happy to receive their packets of egg briyani as their food is usually a bit of polished rice with a watery, salty ‘rasam’ mixed in. Our chef is a qualified chef who uses fresh hand picked vegetables and fresh eggs, mixes it with love and makes it 5 star quality.

There is an Indian Archetype called ‘Karuppa Swamy’ who is the icon of the villages. People say that he doesn’t want a fancy temple of his own but his desire is to care for his people by feeding them. This feeding was in honor of this Protector of the People.

Please Click Here to Donate to this Project: (designate to “Poverty and Hunger”)

Feeding The Belly Feeding the Heart: A Brother in HoPE

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 03:22:24 +0000

2010-2011 School Year Wrap Out For Our Girlstown

admin — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:10:00 +0000

This Saturday, March 26th, was the Wrap Up Outing for our girls. The 12th Standard examinations have completed and those girls will be heading back to their families in their native places for the summer holidays. The girls in the other standards still have examinations to write over the next 2 weeks however we had the outing now so all could join in.

The girls got to decide where to go. They chose a few places to make a full day. 1st stop was Birla Planetarium where they were thrilled to see the universe on the ceiling and watch a scary 3D movie about dinosaurs. Next to a beautiful park in the center of Chennai to enjoy lush green gardens, a gold fish pond and a playground. Here they enjoyed ice cream and played in the sprinklers to beat the heat.

Then off to a beach where they played around in the water and sand. Their highlight was to visit a beach to visit a Goddess Temple and a Mother Mary Church.

It was bitter sweet farewell as some of the 12th standard girls will not be returning to Girlstown. If they have the required entrance marks, then they will go on to college. For some this may be the end of their education- it is up to their family and them what they wish to do. Tripura will continue to sponsor the next step, whatever that is.

Tripura offers any and all the girls a paid position in the foundation if that is something they would be interested in. The girls have been doing the MST program for 6 years and they are eligible to be MST trainers, teachers, administrators and ambassadors.

For the remaining girls….see you in June!

A Post-Healing HoPE Call Comment To Share

admin — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:47:19 +0000

~Anonymous