NEWSLETTER NO. 56Spring 2013

PO BOX 16163CLAPHAM,

LONDON SW4 7ZTTel: 07779 259393

enquiry@calcuttarescue.org.uk

www.calcuttarescuefund.org.uk

Registered charity no. 290917

When Calcutta Rescue chief executive, Dr Bobby,suffered a heart attack inNovember no one imaginedthat he would be back at thehelm six weeks later.

But such is his commitmentto the charity he has servedfor 23 years that he amazedstaff and well-wishers alikeby insisting on returning towork at the start of the year.

With CR facing a £67,000hole in its budget this year,and a range of importantdecisions to be taken, hewas determined to be thereto steer the organisationthrough the rapids and pro-tect the vital work that yourdonations fund.

He said: “By the grace of the Almighty I have recovered well, though I confess that I am yet tocome to terms with my strictdietary restrictions and lifestyle modifications!

“Being under sort of ahouse arrest post dischargefrom hospital, I was eagerly

counting for the stipulatedsix weeks to elapse to getback to work.

“I am happy that my

colleagues splendidly livedup to the challenge of myabsence. Back in office theywere so supportive which

helped me to adjust quicklyand get back to the businessof meeting staff to inspirethem, ensuring their cooper-ation and support in this crucial time.”

The hole in CR’s financeshas been caused by a fall indonations in recent monthsdue to the global recession.Staff in Kolkata are doing all they can to cut costs whileprotecting vital services.

But you too can help. If youhaven’t made a donationrecently please considerdoing so now using the formin this newsletter. Or why nottake part in the FIREWALKwe are organising?

Your support will ensurethe charity’s continuing helping those who mostneed it – from life-changingschooling for youngsters toante natal care for malnour-ished mums-to-be, innocula-tion for infants, and life-sav-ing treatment for people suf-fering from drug-resistant TBand HIV.

REALCOMMITMENT

Do something amazing at our

SEPTEMBER FIREWALK - page 5

Dr Bobby is back helping Calcutta Rescue

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Elizabeth investigatescancer patients at CRCancer nurse and researcher,Elizabeth Reed, spent threemonths as a volunteer inKolkata assessing the care ofits 35 cancer patients and eval-uating a report done by a UKnurse volunteer the previousyear.

She found that the most com-mon cancers were ChronicMyeloid Leukaemia, AcuteLymphoblastic Leukaemia andbreast cancer and most of thetreatments funded by CR wereaimed at curing them.

She explained: “I reviewed allthe medical notes and inter-viewed 15 patients through aninterpreter.

The interviews revealed thata diagnosis of cancer affectsnot only the patient but every-one around them.

Symptoms such as fatigueaffect the ability to maintaineveryday activities like work inadults or schooling in children.

Financial concerns causeconsiderable anxiety. Many selltheir possessions and anythingof value to fund treatment.

As a nurse researcher I haveexperience interviewing cancerpatients but this was so verydifferent.

I found it really difficult tolisten to the hardship that thepatients have endured.

Cancer is just one of theirmany problems but theirresilience was inspirational.

Those who received treatment, financial supportand care from Calcutta Rescuewere very grateful, acknowl-edging the implications of whatwould have happened to them without this.

My time in Kolkata withCalcutta Rescue has been arich and rewarding experience.

Meeting and working with thefriendly and supportive staffand the inspirational patients isan experience I would nothave missed.”

Sean stumbled across CR in1991 while on an extendedvisit to India.

With the first Gulf War aboutto start and Western volun-teers leaving Kolkata for fearof reprisals (which nevermaterialised) he used hismanagement experience,gained from 12 years in theArmy, to run a street pharma-cy at CRs Nimtolla GhatClinic on the banks of theHoogly River. There he metthe charity’s inspirationalfounder, Dr Jack Preger, whoencouraged him to join theUK support group.

On his return he contacted

the group and startedfundraising and editing thenewsletter. Now a journalistand editor in south Londonwith a wife and son, he isorganising the firewalk inSeptember. Last year he wentback to Kolkata to visit theprojects – an experience hefound profoundly moving anduplifting.

Asked why he is stillinvolved in the support grouphe said:“My work for CalcuttaRescue Fund only takes afew hours a month, and I getso much back. I have madesome great friends, learnednew skills, got involved in a

very different culture and,above all, have the satisfac-tion of knowing that what I amdoing really is helping tochange lives for the better.

Each time I put together anewsletter I am re-inspired bywhat the team in Kolkataachieve, often against all theodds and in the most difficultcircumstances. The UK vol-

unteers are very friendly andinteresting people of all agesand from all walks of life. Ifthere were a few more of us Iknow we could achieve evenmore!”

If you would like to getinvolved ring Karen on07779 259393

STILL INSPIRED to support CalcuttaRescue’s work AFTER 22 YEARS

Elizabet Reed now working at

Princess Alice Hospice in

Esher, Surrey

CRF trustee Glen Kendall interviews the editor of this newsletter, SEAN DUGGAN,about his involvement in the charity.

“ ”My work for Calcutta Rescueonly takes a few hours a month,and I get so much back...

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Last summer staff at CalcuttaRescue’s street medicineworking in one of the city’smany slums found a little six-year-old boy, Surojit Das,who was suffering from rickets.

Rickets is a softening ofbones in children due to defi-ciency or impaired metabolismof vitamin D, phosphorus orcalcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity.

Until the early 20th centurychildren in Britain suffered fromthe condition but it has almostvanished thanks to improveddiets and awareness ofchildren’s dietary needs.

Surojit was examined by theoutreach doctor and found tobe weak, malnourished and tohave a deformity of his chest;so the doctor referred him toCR’s Tala Park clinic for furtherassessment.

Surojit’s family has beenliving a tent on the streets formore than five years with nobasic amenities.

They are exposed to opendrains, garbage, pollution andstagnant water. They do nothave a proper place to cooktheir food or to take a bath.

His mother is a maid servant and the family’s solebread-winner as his father is

an alcoholic who doesn’t livewith them.

But since July, CR has beenproviding medication and nutri-tional support to the wholefamily.

Not only is Surojit slowlyrecovering from malnourish-

ment but he is now going toschool.

CR believes in giving holisticcare and in Septemberenrolled the boy in its TalaPark School. His mother wasoverjoyed. “I could never go toschool but am glad that Surojit

is lucky. He is getting educat-ed. He is so excited!”

Shy at first, Surojit now hasmany school friends. Ask himwhat he wants to do when hegrows up and he will proudlysay that he wants to be a doc-tor so that he can help others.

Delousing doesn’t sound this much fun!

From rickets to

RECOVERYSurojit Das’smother speaksof her joy as her son battles backfrom rickets to enjoy school life

Delousing doesn’t soundmuch fun, but it was foryoungsters at CR schoolsrecently.

A health check found that asignificant number had liceand so it was decided to treatthem and, at the same time,make sure their whole familyand the home environmentwas treated too.

Volunteer Elizabeth Reedsaid: “We had a productionline. Valerie, a Swiss nurse,checked the children andanother volunteer and Ishampooed and dried theirhair. Then each child wasgiven enough shampoo forthe whole family.

I was the owner of the hairdrier. Many of the kids hadnever seen one and the olderboys initially laughed at the

girls but pretty soon theywere demanding their hairwas quaffed too!

What amazed me was nochildren threw a fit andrefused. They absolutelyloved it with some sneakingin who didn't have lice butwanted their hair washed anddried!”

“”

The kids absolutelyloved it with somesneaking in whodidn’t have lice butwanted their hairwashed and dried!

ELIZABETH REED

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With five old cars donated and dozens of supportersnow using Easyfunraising to shop online CalcuttaRescue is getting some much needed extra revenue.Here is how you too can help.

EasyfundraisingThis is similar to many loyalty shopping sites, but instead of earning points when you shop, CR will receive a donation.It's as simple as that! You can shop with over 2,000 wellknown stores who will donate a percentage of what youspend. For example, John Lewis will donate 1%, Amazon2.5%, The Body Shop 6%.1) Log in online, join Easyfundraising and select CalcuttaRescue as your charity.2) Start shopping, follow the links to over 2,000 online retail-ers and shop normally.3) Online purchases earn an automatic donation to CalcuttaRescue.

Congratulations to Jane C who has raised over £200 forCR by shopping with Easyfundraising!

GIVACARA pain-free way of disposing of your old car in a constructive,socially beneficial manner. GIVEACAR does all the work foryou, arranging your car’s collection, getting the best priceand liaising with CR.1) Fill in an online form at www.giveacar.co.uk or phone thecompany on 020 0011 16642) Your car is picked up, usually within three days.3) Your donation is made. Your car is sent to scrap orauction, and the proceeds, after costs, go to CR.So far we have had three cars donated, each averaging£90 for CR.

Visit www.calcuttarescuefund.org.uk for information of allour partners services. Click on Donate for details.

The

students

with Calcutta

Rescue’s

founder,

Dr Jack Preger,

and, inset, a

young artist at

work.

A party of students didn’t justvisit Calcutta Rescue’s schoolsin February, they painted them.The Dutch students and theirteachers visited the charity tosee for themselves the work itdoes. They were impressed, ifa little overwhelmed, by the different diseases and the circumstances of patientstreated at its clinics. Keen todo their bit to help, they thengot out their paint and brushesto brighten up the schools. AtNo. 10 school they created pictures of animals, flowers,and the sun and painted theterrace bright yellow. AtTalapark School they paintedtwo school classrooms brightyellow and blue. Other activi-ties they took part in during the visit were making basketsat the handicraft project andstaging a cricket match againstthe school children.

After a huge amount of time and effort, the team trying to put together the Road Less Takensponsored drive from London to Kolkata this year ran out of time and had to call it off. They arestill hoping to be able to stage a rally to India in the future, so watch this space!

New look for CR schools

Your online shopping can help...

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Now is your chance to dosomething truly amazing andraise money for CalcuttaRescue.

In November last year I didmy first firewalk for a localhospice and enjoyed it somuch that I decided immediate-ly to organise one for CalcuttaRescue Fund.

This is such a fun way toraise money and do somethingthat gives you a big boost byovercoming your natural reluc-tance to walk across a bed ofcoals which is at 1,200F!

In fact after two hours of psy-chological preparation with theexpert team from Blaze, whoorganised the hospice firewalkand are the leading UK firewalkcompany, you will understandwhy it is actually safe and bemore than ready to confidentlymarch across the coals.

In fact Blaze, who will be run-ning our event, is proud tohave an unblemished safetyrecord since its founder ran hisfirst firewalk in 1984. And in allthose years it has never had avolunteer come along and thennot do the walk.

I can honestly say that thewhole event is one of the mostexhilarating I have ever done..

Unlike sponsored runs,swims, mountain climbs etcyou don’t have to do any train-ing. As long as you can walkyou can do this. And becauseof the unusual nature of theevent potential sponsors tendto be even more generous.

Age is no barrier, with anyonefrom 14 upwards able to takepart. When I did it many of theparticipants were in their sixtiesand seventies. And it is a greatbonding experience – which is

why we are encouraging you toget a friend, family member orwork colleague to do it too.

Anita Barclay, who took partin November along with friendsand family said: "It felt warmunder your feet - it felt moreuncomfortable standing on thetarmac before.

"It was good to do somethingdifferent. We probably woulddo it again next year."

We want as many people aspossible to take part at themagnificent Holy TrinityChurch on ClaphamCommon in London on theevening of Saturday,September 14.

In addition to the firewalk itselfthere will be a range of stallswith food, drink and handicraftscreated by people helped byCR in Kolkata and other enter-tainment for friends and familyto enjoy while waiting for you todo the fire walk – which is anunforgettable spectacle.

We are hoping that those whotook part in our sponsoredsleep-outs in recent years wantto do this too (it is much morefun!) as well as lots of our othersupporters and their friends.

Firewalking may not besomething you thought youwould ever do, let alone enjoy.

That is what I thought untilsomeone at work suggested Igive it a go.

Believe me, once you havedone it you will wonder whattook you so long!

And if you can’t make theevent please do sponsor us atwww.justgiving.com/CRF-Firewalk2013

Sean Duggan Editor

Sean Duggan crosses the hot coals in November

Certificates and happy faces after the walk is over

Firewalk with me

HOW YOU can join the firewalk teamTo take part all you have to do is to email me at sduggan111@hotmail.co.uk with the namesof anyone taking part, their telephone numbers and email addresses or addresses,so I cansend them all the information. Alternatively, you can write to me at PO Box 16163,Clapham,London, SW4 7ZT. There will be a £25 charge per person to pay for the services of Blaze.You can then get fundraising using the sponsorship form in this newsletter or by setting up ajustgiving account online.You will be amazed how generous people will be when they learn what you are doing! Go to our website for lots more information about the event. Check out more about Blaze and firewalking at www.blazefirewalking.com

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When you have finished with this newsletter please share it with a friend or colleague

Despite the growth of a middle class in India and an economythat is growing rapidly, one in six urban Indians lives in slumhousing that is cramped, poorly ventilated, unclean and "unfit forhuman habitation".

That is one of the findings of the country's first complete cen-sus of its slum population.

As the Guardian newspaper reported in March, that means thatalmost 64 million Indians still live in shanty towns similar to thoseportrayed in the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.

The first-ever nationwide report – prepared from data collatedfor the 2011 national census – looked at urban slums in some4,000 towns across India. (A slum was defined as a settlementof at least 60 households deemed unfit for human habitation.)

The report found that 30 per cent of Kolkata’s 14million pluspeople live in slums. Mumbai is even worse at 41 per cent.

In fact the real number of slum dwellers is likely to be consider-ably higher. India's Planning Commission has recommended thaturban clusters with as few as 20 households should be classedas slums. "We will be analysing the census data on the basis ofthe new definition," said Dr C Chandramouli, the registrar gener-al. "This is likely to increase the number of slum householdsacross the country."

And the problem is getting worse because, since the economicliberalisation introduced in 1991, state governments have left thetask of creating affordable housing to the private sector. Butbecause housing for the poor is not profitable, little is being built.

Nationwide, more than one-third of slum homes surveyed hadno indoor toilets and 64% were not connected to sewerage sys-tems. About half of the households lived in only one room orshared with another family.

One in three live in slums in Kolkata

PWC praises children

“THESE KIDS ARE A DEFINITION OF THE WORD AWESOME!” said Moumita Ghoshof PricewaterhouseCoopers Kolkata after its employees came into Calcutta RescueComputer Training School as part of their volunteer week. Fifty students took part ingames and quizzes they organized and afterwards each received a gift.

Calcutta Rescue Fund AGM - Saturday, November 16Our Annual General Meeting will be held in London. Details of the time and location will be in the next newsletter or

check our website later in the year.

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They may live on the streets but CR’s schoolboys provedthat they are the kings of cricket.

Back in January they took part in the Rajiv Ganguly SportsTournament organised by the Friends of Kolkata. CR’s 9-a-side team saw off seven competing teams over severaldays, winning the final match by 27 runs against RDSSundarbon. Pintu Chowdhury of Talapark School was namedman of the match. And the girls had fun too, taking part in acultural programme laid-on by the organisers.

CR in Kolkata welcomes professional volunteers,medical and non-medical, to help with capacitybuilding of CR's dedicated staff.

There are a number of posts available and detailsare available at www.calcuttarescuefund.org.uk .

If you're interested in applying, write to us at recruit-ing@calcuttarescue.org.uk attaching a brief CV. Or ifyou've got some questions or would like to chat aboutthe possibility of volunteering phone 0777 925 9393.

Kings of cricket

Can you help?

“We are a family” says CR’s ITexecutive Padam BahadurChetry more popularly knownas “Bahadur da”.

Bahadur, a Calcutta Universitygraduate, joined CR in 1994 fol-lowing his dream to help othersless fortunate than himself. Hestarted as an office assistantand, seeing his aptitude forcomputers, the charity paid forhim to do a diploma in comput-er hardware and networking.Today Bahadur is responsiblefor maintaining all the charity’scomputers, troubleshootingproblems and training staff. Healso handles the income taxand accounts for all employees.

For the staff in Kolkata, he is aone stop solution for any ITproblem. And with so much ofthe charity’s work now comput-erised Bahadur admits it is noeasy task.

He said: “I don’t get much timeto do research yet whenever Iam a little free I read about thelatest IT happenings around theworld. “

Due to his hectic working lifehe does not spend as muchtime with his own family as hewould like.

But he has no regrets abouthis commitment to CR which heregards as his second homeand family.

We are familysays IT whizzPadam Bahadur is responsible formaintaining CR’s computer network andis happy to help those less fortunate

Calcutta Rescue Fund (CRF) is exempt from registration under the Data Protection Act 1998 but is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. CRF holds your

personal information for the purposes of its fundraising activities and in case it needs to contact you in relation to your work for or connection with Calcutta Rescue. CRF does not sell or otherwise sup-

ply your personal information to any other organisation and will not disclose your personal information to anyone else unless required to do so by law or the order of a competent government authori-

ty. If you do not wish to receive the CRF newsletter, please write to us and we will remove you from our mailing list.

Enquiries general – Karen Gleave 07779 259393 Recruitment – crfrecruiting@googlemail.com

Website – www.calcuttarescuefund.org.uk Email:enquiry@calcuttarescue.org.uk REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 290917

THANK YOU to everyone who supports the work of Calcutta Rescue.

Without your help none of this could happen.

DONATE ONLINEYou can donate securely online using your debit or creditcard through Justgivingwww.justgiving.com/calcuttarescue or Paypalwww.crfpaypal.org.uk.If you are a taxpayer, Justgiving is better as it can claimGift Aid for us.

DONATE BY MOBILE PHONEIt’s free to send a donation text on all networks and 100% ofthe money comes to Calcutta Rescue Fund.To donate £10 text CALC22 £10 to 70070To donate £20 text CALC22 £20 to 70070

DONATE BY POSTYou can send us a cheque or postal CAF voucher to POBox 16163, Clapham, London SW4 7ZT. Cheques shouldbe made payable to Calcutta Rescue Fund. If you are ataxpayer, use the donation form inside this newsletter forGift Aid.

DONATE BY STANDING ORDER£10 a month buys insulin for a diabetic patient£15 a month keeps a child at school£20 a month buys medication for a cancer patientStanding orders are vital to give the work in Kolkata adependable income. To set up a regular standing order,please use the donation form inside this newsletter.

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8FROM THE PROJECTSSNAPSHOTS

Four ways YOU CAN HELP Calcutta Rescue TODAY

1) Arsenic filtration project

2) Fitting sandals at Chitpur

leprosy clinic

3) Wound dressing at Chitpur

4) The street medicine team

working in one of the city’s

many slums

5) Drawing water at a well

6) Health education run by the

street medicine team

7) A patient attending Tala Park

Clinic

8) Medicine ready for collection

at Tala Park Clinic

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Calcutta Rescue provides free healthcare, education and vocational training tothousands of the poorest people living on the streets and slums of Kolkata,India. Please give what you can.

Calcutta Rescue

Firewalk

Registered Charity No 290917

Name Address Email Amount

Please sponsor me to take part in a sponsored firewalk onClapham Common on Saturday, September 14

Donation Form Calcutta RescuePO Box 16163, Clapham

London, SW4 7ZT

Your gift could save a life or transform a future Registered charity No290917

Please return completed donation form to PO box 16163, Clapham,London, SW4 7ZT - Thank you!

www.calcuttarescuefund.org.uk www.calcuttarescuefund.org.uk

1. Your details 1. Your details

Title: ............ First Name: ................................ Second Name......................................Title: ............ First Name: ................................ Second Name......................................

Postal Address: ...............................................................................................................

........................................................................... Postcode: ..........................................

Email .................................................................. Telephone: .......................................

2. Your gift

A. CHEQUE - I enclose a cheque for £.......... (cheques made payable to Calcutta Rescue Fund)

Please tick this box if you would like to be sent a receipt.

B. STANDING ORDER - I would like to make a regular gift to Calcutta Rescue Fund of:

£10 £25 £50 £100 Other amount please specify £……….

Every month Every quarter Every 6 months Every year

Starting on...................................... until further notice.

From my bank/building society account number:.....................................................

Name of bank/building society: ................................................................................

Name of account holder: ....................................... Branch sort code:......................

Full postal address of bank/building society:............................................................

……………………………………………………………................... Postcode……………….........

Signature:....................................................................................................................

Date: ...........................................................................................................................

Calcutta Rescue Fund: Account 0171356. Sort code 30-92-92. Lloyds Bank, 1-2 London Road, East Grinstead, East Sussex.

3. Gift Aid

I am a UK taxpayer and I want Calcutta Rescue Fund to reclaim tax on this and any future donations*

Signature:.......................................................... Date:...............................* Please note that to qualify for Gift Aid, what you pay in income tax or capital gains tax in the tax year you make the donation must at least equalthe amount of tax we reclaim on your donation. Registered charity No. 290917

4. Keeping in touch

Calcutta Rescue would like to keep you updated about our activities and events. Please note we will not pass youdetails to any other party. I would like to receive my FREE periodic Newsletter By EMAIL By POST (delete as required)

Tick here if you would prefer not to receive this information