A thank you letter from Odanadi to you

June 16, 2011 at 9:51 am (India, Yoga)

Dear Yoga Stops Traffickers,
We hope this email finds you all well and we would like to, once again, thank you for all your amazing efforts for YST 2011.
Amazingly, funds are still coming in from the 93 events around the world, which you organized, participated in and made such a huge success. The last count was roughly £30,000, which constitutes about two-thirds of Odanadi India’s annual running costs! This is a huge achievement, so well done!
The following list should give you a better idea of the crucial ways in which your financial contributions are helping Odanadi India:
• First and foremost, a significant portion of the money raised from YST will go towards PREVENTION, a cornerstone of Odanadi’s work in the fight against human trafficking. Through its 60 pioneering village vigilance committees(which cost thousands to run each year), Odanadi will be able to continue its work, educating and empowering some of the most vulnerable communities in southern India – including the Dalits and Adivasi tribal communities. There have been times when Odanadi has had to stop its crucial prevention work due to lack of funding, so this is a hugely significant achievement for them and you.

• Over £1,500 will be spent each year on rescue operations. This includes transportation costs  and financial support for those rescued and reintegrated. A further £1000 pays for legal fees incurred by Odanadi as it takes action against traffickers in the courts.

• £9,000 will pay for all the food for the residents at Odanadi for a year, currently 60 in total.  With food inflation running at over 10% this is vital.  The residents are also working to grow their own organic food and your money will also help with this.

Home grown produce.JPGRadishes and gardeners.JPG

• £1,000 pays the salary of the cook for a year.

• £2,000 will pay for the upkeep of the buildings at Odanadi for a year.  This includes repainting large parts of the building, repairing the floor in the kitchen and fixing broken windows.
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• £1,500 pays for a counselor for a year. The counselor deals with family disputes, domestic violence issues as well as working with the residents to help with their issues and concerns.

• £2,000 pays for the education of the children.  This includes materials such as book and pens and also the fees for the five residents currently studying at university.  Informal education also takes place.  In this picture the residents are working on a project where they say what they like at Odanadi and what they would like to do in the future.  Many of them want to be doctors, teachers or social workers.

Consultation with children.JPG• There is also a range of other rehabilitation activity that the students also partake in, such as yoga, art therapy, ceramics, dance, drama and Karate!
Yoga Practice.JPG• Lastly and most importantly, every remaining penny, dollar and cent will be needed for The Boys’ Home Fund, which is one of Odanadi’s most crucial – and ambitious – fundraising projects. The Odanadi boys currently live in temporary mud structures on a piece of land just outside Mysore. They have been waiting years to build a safe, permanent home with basic necessities such as electricity, running water, bathrooms, a kitchen, and new dormitories so Odanadi can provide a home for up to 60 more boys and young men, so many of whom are desperate need. The cost of the project is an estimated £90,000, so every penny you have raised counts! 

Thank you so much for your ongoing support! 
With best wishes from all of us at Odanadi

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