Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

Whispering Hope takes immense pleasure in wishing you and your families a fantastic Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  May the blessed Infant shower His magnanimous blessings on each of you.

Whew! Thats a full load!

'Wow' wouldn't even be enough to express my happiness at the bounty received for my charity programs.  This time it was soft drinks, and a whole load of toiletries.  A big Thank You goes out to the angels who contributed towards this bounty - Divya Vigneswaran from Chennai and Beliz Meran from Turkey. 

Clap hands for the Ladies!

When you have music in your name, you would want to ensure that all those around you dance and sing!  And Whispering Hope has just that in two of its sponsors!  Sangeeta Sakariya from the US and Sangeeta Veena from Chennai - these beautiful ladies sponsored the little treats for our Christmas program in Chennai - a variety of biscuits, sweeties, crispy chips - fun things for the little ones who want to dance with joy at receiving these goodies.  Pics posted in the album!

Thank you SANGEETAs!!

Gracious Thanks

Our gracious thanks go out to Mahalakshmi Kannan & Lakshminarayan, P. Balasubramaniam, David & Mary Roberts, Maria & Savio DMello - all from Mumbai, Biju & Sudha Damodaran from Muscat, for their valuable contributions to help our Christmas programs in Andhra Pradesh be a mighty success. 

Thanks to you guys, Whispering Hope lived up to its name of spreading miles and miles of smiles.

May the Almighty God bless each of them and their families with abundant good health, happiness and prosperity.

And now its for the BOYS!

After the girls, we went along to visit the boys at the St. Mary's High School, Pratipadu, Tadepalligudem, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh.  Much fun was had as you can see from the photos in the album.  A very big Thank you goes out to Rev. Fr. Sebastian, Rev. Fr. Steven, and Rev. Fr. Arputham for giving Whispering Hope this opportunity to spread a mile of smiles. 

Rev. Fr. Sebastian can be contacted on +91 8106030778.

Time for the Girls!

After the boys, we now visited the young girls (and a few boys) at the Carmel Convent, Chebrol, West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. Cake, Chicken Puffs, and Fried Chicken were distributed to the hungry little mites.  A colourful hand towel was given to our little friends as a keepsake. A short and sweet treat and a good time was had by all of us. Photos uploaded for your viewing pleasure.

Rev. Sr. Resin, the Superior can be contacted at the Convent on +91 8818 251370 - during school hours only.

A Christmas Starter at the Infant Jesus Boys Home, Guntur

The 5th of December dawned bright and sunny and Whispering Hope got ready for the first of its Christmas programs.  There are 45 boys at the Infant Jesus Boys Home in Guntur and an evening of fun, games, songs and dance was planned. 

The program started off with the distribution of fruit cake and Sprite, early in the evening.  Dr. Nikhil gave the boys an interesting talk on personal hygiene and this was much appreciated by the boys.  Mrs. Sheela joined us and distributed colourful examination boards to the children.  Mr. Suresh with his guitar taught the boys some beautiful carols and they joined in with much gusto. 

In between the program, lucky numbers were called out and small prizes were distributed to the children; the Christmas gift itself being a colourful hand towel for each of the boys.  And finally the moment they were all waiting for - a festive dinner. Vegetable burgers and fried chicken provided by Castle Crunch, Guntur - who gave us a big discount on the price; this was followed by a flavoured rice, the evergreen gongura and yogurt raita. 

Whispering Hope lived up to its name by bringing in a mile of smiles. Photographs have been put in the album alongside.

Rev. Fr. Fatima Maria Reddy can be contacted on +91 9848018577.

 

Gifts for a King!

It seemed appropriate to start my charity programs with the blessings of Christ the King.  Giving the first gift to the King himself, would ensure that Whispering Hope continues to receive gifts to pass on to the underprivileged and the poor people that we meet from time to time.  This we did on the feast day of Christ the King, that's 22nd November 2015 and presented the priest with gifts for the altar and ceremonial garments.  For the faithful gathered, fresh buns and cup cakes were passed around. Photos uploaded in the album for all to see.

Its the Festival of Lights

This Diwali, I visited a little village in the West Godavari District with my good friends Jessie & Nirmal.  We went along to a small church which we fondly refer to as the Church of Instant Miracles. It was beautiful to see the pathway lit up with little oil lamps.  A wonderful sight.  From there, we visited the Carmel Convent.  These nuns house a few girls who come from poor backgrounds.  While most of the girls went home for the holiday, a few were left behind.  They were so excited to see us and all the goodies that we had taken them.  Their hearts welled up with happiness when they saw that we had taken a few Sparklers and chocolates!  With squeals of delight, these youngsters had a great time and went to bed with a smile on their face.  What was going to be a dark day for them, turned out to be a bright happy one because of Whispering Hope.

Here come the B I R D S !!

Its such a delightful past time feeding the pigeons that flock around for their daily grain.  As the sun begins to rise, and spread its warmth around, the birds leave their nest and sit at their vantage point, waiting for me to open my front door. They then start flying past or come to rest on the balcony wall and make little noises to let me know that they are ready for their first meal.  Dollops of grain are dropped on the wall or on the ground and a signal is passed from one bird to another and then they all swoop down to gather what they can.  The antics, the fighting between the males, the scurrying around to get more - makes for a thoroughly enjoyable start to one's day!  Have a look at the photos and let me know what you think.

Birthday time!

Whispering Hope takes utmost pleasure in celebrating birthdays from time to time.  We enjoy having a birthday party with all the trimmings - cake, snacks, ice cream, and gifts galore.  In October 2015, we celebrated two birthdays - Judith Glasford, a young lady being brought up by the Salvation Army, and our lovable protégée Bomi.  Photos in the album mark this precious day.

The Little Things

A packet of biscuits, a health drink, a chocolate, a pair of sandals, a train ticket, a meal or two, a helping hand when needed, a dip into the purse for some medicines or even a pair of Calipers for a polio affected young lady - Whispering Hope has been there and done that! 

We look for opportunities to do the little things because thats what pleases us the most.  It comes out of love and compassion for the needy and we are happy doing what we do best!  May God bless us with His providence to keep helping the down trodden.

De Paul Bhavan

When Cuneyt Meran and his lovely wife Beliz gave me their Baby's Pram, I had no idea where it would go.  They asked me to give it to some poor lady and her baby. But then when I found that it wouldnt be put to proper use, I checked with my aunt Jackie DCruz and she said that the De Paul Bhavan could put it to good use.  So armed with the pram, snacks and a heartful of love, my cousin Noreen Joseph and I went across to this place in Vizag along with our good friend Hari who so very kindly took us across in his fancy car!

I would say that it was a morning well spent - meeting with the Sisters who run the place, the children and the older inmates who are in one way or the other disabled.  What touched me most was despite their inabilities, they welcomed us with a warm smile and showed their affection and fondness for us visitors.  We were like members of their family.  They proudly displayed their necklaces and the Sisters told us that they were passionately fond of 'bindis' - those little red dots that are put on the forehead - and any kind of jewellery. Must make a note of that for the next visit!

Whispering Hope would like to thank Cuneyt and Beliz Meran for the pram, Paul for collecting the items off the bus, Hari for giving us a ride, Noreen for accompanying me and last but not least, Jackie for suggesting that I make a trip to this real deserving unit.  Looking forward to going there again! Photos of the visit posted in the album alongside.

De Paul Bhavan, Yendada, Vizag; Tel. No. +91 891 2781480.
 

Photos

Please do go through our photo album and see the joy that Whispering Hope spreads around from time to time.

All this was made possible with the help of our sponsors from many a land - Australia, Canada, England, India, Oman, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and Zimbabwe.

May God bless you and keep you in His loving care.

Whispering Hope goes on Holiday!

Once the 'Summer Holiday in Guntur' program concluded for three batches of people, it is now time for Whispering Hope to go on a much needed break.  We just have to get through some school fee payments, give a helping hand to a polio affected young lady a new pair of calipers, and take care of a couple of needs and then Whispering Hope will shut shop until the next time! 

Thank You!

A big thank you goes out to all our sponsors for making it possible for Whispering Hope to reach out to so many people in need.  Whether it be for medicines, little treats, pensions, school fees, WH sponsors are always ready to help.  Some of the sponsors have been with us from the very beginning and some come and go.  We pray for these GEMS and their families that God will bless them abundantly and grace their lives with His loving presence.

We would also like to thank Gillian Chua and her husband Peter Henry from Singapore for their help in distributing little diaries dedicated to our Blessed Mother Mary.  May our Lady continue to inspire them in bringing the faithful closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Guntur - Here we come!

As part of our annual holiday plan, Sita and her sons Sagar & Samir, Shoba and her husband Venkatesh and their little daughter Bomi, landed in Guntur to spend a few days with me.  From past posts, one can gather that these children are Whispering Hope's favourites.  From icecream treats to pizzas, from temple tours to chilling out at home, the kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly and it was  a pleasure to bond with them. 

When I ask my sponsor Biju Damodaran to help me out with my plans, he turns out to be a shiny knight in armour and gives me a giant helping hand!  I just cant begin to understand how I could do without him and his lovely wife Sudha.  Thank you so much Biju and Sudha for giving these kids and their parents the best of times - a memory which they will cherish in their young hearts for many a year.

Summer Holidays

It is not always that a warm welcome is extended to the less fortunate people that we get to meet from time to time.  This time Whispering Hope treated a young widow Lizzy and her two little sons, Joshua and Kevin.  They were accompanied by her mother Lourda Mary and came all the way from Mysore to Guntur to spend a few days with me.  From Guntur they moved onto Vizag where they spent some quality time with their relatives.  Lizzy's husband died in a road accident leaving her bereft.  Its heart rending to see her struggle to bring up her two little boys and we hope to have the privilege of giving her a helping hand from time to time.

A huge 'thank you' goes out to the vivacious Vivienne Manuel from Sydney for making this a dream come true for the young Lizzy and her family.

The little things that we do!

From the distribution of baby clothes (thanks to Dyllis Almeida and her daughter Wanda Tulloch from Sydney) and toys for children (courtesy David Gomes from Melbourne), to new clothes for the auto man (thanks to Elizabeth Pereira from Melbourne), we continue to spread a mile of smiles in the simple things that we do. 

Be it a treat, an icecream or a little gift, we reach out to many a people from different walks of life.  From pensions for young widows and old ladies, to kick-starting saving schemes for children, to medical assistance, family outings or just feeding the hungry, Whispering Hope is out there making a difference.

This wouldnt have been possible if it werent for our sponsors who come forward from time to time to give a helping hand.  Whispering Hope is so grateful to be associated with Biju & Sudha Damodaran from Muscat, Balu from Hyderabad, Sangeetha Veena and Sathya from Chennai, Mahalakshmi and Lakshminarayanan from Mumbai, Bridget White Kumar from Bangalore and Regina Rani also from Chennai.  Needless to say this has been much appreciated and we wish you well in all that you do.

Family time at the start of 2015

To begin the year 2015, it was nice to share some good food and fun times with my extended family - Sandra Das and her children Frank and Fenella, and their cousin Andrea Shipman and family.  A sumptious New Year buffet lunch was enjoyed by all of us at the Palm Beach Hotel, Vizag.  Photos have been uploaded on my Face Book Page - Whispering Hope.

Taking it easy in 2015!

Its now the end of January and I just realised I have been very lazy and not touched this blog for a long time. Maybe one of the reasons was that I wasnt my usual self with ill health adding to my woes. I have now decided to take things easy in 2015 and go slow on my charity work, though once you are in it, you always remain in it and cant really let go. While I will be making a plan to check out which direction Whispering Hope should move in, I am always ready to serve the under privileged on your behalf. Some photos of the recent activities are being uploaded into the album. Check it out!