Looking back at 2011

Looking back at 2011, where did we spend the most funds? Where did we spend our time?
It should not be a surprise that we spent more than 50% of the funds in supporting professional course students which are expensive and are still out of reach for many of the rural students.

Rural students still struggle to pay their tuition fees, irrespective of the education stream. There are families who cannot support their wards finish arts and science courses or vocational courses. Almost 3/4th of the funds were spent in paying tuition fees for such students.

We are ringing in the new year with a great news - A girl from Chatrapathi village has got a job offer after finishing her course in textile technology with Helping Minds support. Now she will be able to support herself and her poor family and things look brighter for her. Helping Minds wishes this student a great and fulfilled year.

With your support, we hope to bring joy and cheer to more and more such families in 2012. We hope to continue to get support from our patrons and well-wishers so that we can bring in hope for more deserving students.

We wish students, their families, our patrons and supporters a great and fulfilled new year!

Letter from Akkur Government school Headmaster

Here is a letter from the Head master of the Akkur Government school near Nagapattinam, thanking for the teacher salary support from Helping Minds trust for the teacher who is doing an awesome job enabling several students to get Engineering seat from a government school.

Supporting Educational Institutions in Rural Areas

While helping individual students is rewarding, nothing compares to the feeling we get when we support an educational institution that in turn helps hundreds of students. In late 2009, we started helping out a goverment high school at Akkur, Nagapattinam district to provide a teacher to teach Electric Domestic Appliances. This is one of the areas that can provide quick employment opportunities for the students or enable them to start on their own. Since then, we have been supporting the salary requirements of the teacher to impart the students with right skills.

There are numerous schools in rural areas that need support from the society. There are schools with no proper water facilities or even basic infrastructure, with poor student teacher ratios that need support. If you are interested in supporting such a rural institution that can help hundreds of students and children in the area, do get in touch with us. We will be glad to work with you.

Our support for the mess fees of 2 students also continues. The Salem Medical College student receives support for mess fees, and we have also started supporting a Computer Science Engineering student at Bargur engineering college.

At HM, machines keep humming in the background...

The HM machines never stop. It keeps humming in the background, ever so silently. Every one of our volunteers and executive members have a full time job, and have families to take care of. Yet, they amazingly find time to ensure that the activities at helpingminds never stop. Requests for education support keep flowing in, and everybody involved in processing requests, validation, members fund collection, expenses, finance, technology team everybody somehow finds time amidst their busy and demanding schedule to ensure that the fund reaches the right institution at the right time. A quick snapshot of the checks we released in the last 2 months is given below -

5/9/2011 Naveen 3201.00
7/9/2011 Kanraj.R 1300.00
17/9/2011 Mythili 960.00
7/10/11 Naveen 3357.00
13/10/11 Mythili 910.00
13/10/11 Kanraj.R 1019.00

A lot of hard work goes behind every check received by our beneficiaries to pay their tuition fee or their mess bill, and as an organization, we are very thankful to our volunteers and team members.

New beginning. New Journey - Helping an engineering student!

We recently received a support request through one of our volunteer/member. The student had just finished school, and had received admissions into engineering college. The student's academic record looked impressive - 93% in SSLC (Grade 10 for those who are not familiar with Indian education system) and 88% in HSC (Grade 12).

An impeccable record on the books, but one has to see the conditions in which he achieved this. His parents are coolies who wouldn't possibly earn more than 2-3$ a day. He has 2 younger brothers and the family of five lives in a government provided shelter of just 250 sq ft. He had no financial support from his relatives.

If a student at a such young age can brave such adverse situations to score great marks deserves a lot of help from our society. Students like him are an asset to our nation, they should not be denied an opportunity to realize his potential and dreams. And that's exactly what we did. With our supporter's help, the student has been enrolled into the engineering college, his tuition fees are paid and hostel/mess fees have been taken care of.

It feels wonderful to help someone who deserves it. We thank our volunteers who introduced him to HelpingMinds, our validation committee members who did the background check of the student, and finally our supporters who patronized through their funding.

For this student, the journey has just started. And so does for HelpingMinds too. We'll support him until he graduates. We will need more funds to do that, and we seek your support. If you wish to support this student, do let us know. We will provide complete details of the student to you for you to understand the beneficiary better.

What's your story?

With raising inflation, more & more students are struggling to make ends meet. Many of our volunteers and patrons come from such backgrounds & understand the pain of paying tuition fees, books, mess fees, clothes etc without landing a burden on parents.

What's your story? Tell us how you managed during your college days and we will publish it on our blogs.

Share your story at http://www.facebook.com/helpingminds. Be an inspiration.

Continuing support for Arani Diploma student and Dharmapuri MBBS Student

HM has paid Rs. 1132 towards the mess fees of Arani Diploma student on 18 July 2011 and Rs. 930 on 9 Aug 2011. HM has also paid Rs. 4129 for the mess fees of Dharmapuri MBBS Student on 5 Aug 2011

Do you 'Like' Facebook? Do you tweet?

If yes, good news.You can find Helpingminds on facebook and twitter now.
If no, great news. You can get on to the bandwagon now and stay connected with helpingminds.

When it comes to Social media, we know that we may not be the fastest. We may not be the geeks. We are not the early adopters. We may be jumping in little late, but we are here to stay. Helping Minds is now on Facebook and Twitter.

Like us on Facebook at Helping Minds and follow us on twitter through @helpingminds. It's a great place to connect and help each other. Join us, and do let your friends know.

Next? Yes, Google+.

Continuing Support for Tiruchengode B.Tech Student

The student is doing 3rd year B.tech textile technology at K.S.R college of technology,Tiruchengode . The student has got CGPA of 8.96(till sixth semester). We have already helped the student last year and he had scored 9.1 CGPA last year. Also he had done internship project at vardhman textiles punjab successfuly and they have given preplacement offer to the student. The student had got a bank loan of Rs.42985. But the college fees is Rs. 59450. Helping minds is cotiniuing support to this student and had paid Rs.16465 on July 22 2011.

Support for PACR Diploma student

The student had completed 10th std in 2008 and had scored 439. She is currently working in a a local company as a winding worker. The student's mother is doing weaving and father is a watchman. Also his health condition is not good. He had met with an accident and operated on both the legs. So he could not send her daughter to college during 2008. Also they did not have much of wealth left with them as they spent a lot for his treatment. But the student is willing to continue her studies. Now the student has got a seat to do Textile Technology course in PACR College. Considering the economic background of the student and the student's willingness to learn, Helping minds had paid Rs. 9382 on Jul 22 2011.

Support for VSB Engineering College Student

The student is doing BE Computer Science II Year in VSB Engineering College. The student had scored very good marks in 10th and 12th std. The student's father is a textile labour and mother is a tailor. Her younger sister scored 467 in SSLC and continuing in Government School. The student's brother is doing his 9th std in Government School.Though she had chances to get a seat in Government college,Thirukkuvalai, She did not join because of lack of awareness and also they were not in a position to bear hostel fees and mess fees. When the student joined college in first year, the fees was 52500 - 20000 (for first graduation students) = 32500. But now, the College conveyed that only when the Government pays Rs. 20000 for this year, the college will pay back the amount. So the student has to pay Rs.20000 now. Considering the critical condition of the student, Helping minds accepted to help her and had paid Rs. 10000 on Jul 22 2011.

Support for CMS College B.Tech Student

The student is doing B.Tech Information technology in CMS College of engineering. His mother was working as a maid. Now due to her medical conditions, she is not able to work. After 10th std, he had worked as room boy in one of the star hotel for 2 years. Then he did Diploma (Electronics and communication engineering) in CSI polytechnic college salem. Then he had worked as PCB board designer in AIR+MAK industry in coimbatore(1.5years) experiance. Then he joined CMS college of engineering namakkal as a lateral entry student. For his second year, he has got help from friends and relatives and also has got some amount for interest. For 3rd year, he has got money on interest (Finance). He is not able to get money this yr on finance because he has not paid the amount he had got earlier. So he has googled to see trusts that can help him and he requested Helping minds to help him. Considering the critical situation of the student, HM had paid Rs.10000 on 1 July 2011 towards his college fees.

Support for Erode sengunthar engineering college student

The student is doing B.E Mechanical Engineering in Erode Engineering college. The student had scored 82% in his first semester. The student's father passed away. His mother's earning is very less and might be sufficient for her and her daughter. Also her daughter is doing +2 in Government School. She has to bear the tution fee for her daughter as well. They applied for education loan and they are able to get Rs. 40000 per year. The student was initially supported by one of his relative. But now, he is in need of money. Out of the total fees of Rs. 57000, he is getting an education loan for Rs. 40000 and looking for support for the remaining amount. Considering his family situation, Helping minds team decided to support him and had paid Rs. 10000 on 26 June 2011.

Support for Vellakovil Panchayath union middle school

In this school, there are around 73 students from Std I to Std V. But there is only one teacher to take care of these students. But there are more number of teachers present in the school to handle from Std VI to Std X. As per rules, Higher class teachers should not be allowed to to teach primary classes. So the school HM requested AEO to deploy one teacher. Teacher is sent to this school on deputation But it is not regular. The teacher comes once in a week. Mr.Chandrasekar , teacher of this school requested HM to give salary for the teacher at least for Feb, March and April. Also Government will appoint the teacher after July only because of elections,new govt etc. So HM had decided to take up this request and had paid Rs.1250 each month from February 2011 to August 2011.

Continuing help for Trichy Anna University BE Student

HM is continuing support for the Anna University Computer Engineering student and had paid the fees of Rs 10855 on 1 July 2010.