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The village is located in the state of Andrah Pradesh in Southern India amid a vast area of rolling tableland 120 miles south of Hyderbad. The village economy is primarily based on agriculture. Most families cannot afford to send their children to school where they could acquire the skills and opportunities needed to break out of an intergenerational cycle of poverty.
Economic opportunities in the village are scarce, especially for women. Family plays an important role in the social life of the village. They practice various faiths, including Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Households consist of parents, married sons and their wives, all unmarried children and the children of sons.
Many Mattampally families suffer from extreme poverty, and education is the only way for their children to gain an opportunity to improve their economic situation.
Our K-10 Educational Sponsorship Program gives needy childeren the opportunity to attend private schools in Mattampally.
HC students attend private schools because the quality of public schools in the area is very poor; teachers often fail to show up for work at public schools.
Enrolled children receive tuition, school uniforms, books, school supplies, quarterly health check-ups and access to emergency medical care.
Each sponsor receives letters and pictures from his or her child three times a year. The cost to sponsor a child is $260 per year.
We also provide scholarships for qualified students who want to continue their education after graduating from tenth grade, which is the highest level of education available in the village.
Our sponsorship program continues to enable many young students to pursue college degrees. There are currently 17 students from Mattampally attending various universities through the generosity of you, the sponsors.
If you're interested in sponsoring a child through this program consider donating:
HC provides regular medical check-ups as part of the Educational Sponsorship Program, and has established a Family Medical Care Fund to provide visiting nurse services and emergency medical treatment.
Malaria and dengue are two mosquito-borne diseases that exist within the region. HC provides mosquito netting to families in order reduce the risk of exposure to these life-threatening diseases.
HC helps families construct latrines to improve sanitation and protect water quality.
The Hot Meal Program provides two cooked meals per day to severely malnourised children and to sponsored homeless elders.
Meals are prepared and served at the Jeveena Jyothi Community Center, and food comes from an on-site communitiy garden.
In 2003 a severe drought caused widespread famine conditions throughout Southern India, and HC responded by donating truckloads of rice to the village.
Because many villagers rely on agricultural jobs, a number of families left Mattampally to search for work in the cities, leaving elderly relatives behind. However, HC famine relief efforts provided basic necessities that helped families stay in the village and helped children stay in school.
There are a number of homeless elderly in the village who have been abandoned by their families and are reduced to begging on the street. We provide two hot meals per day and one new outfit to a homeless elder.
The Jeveena Jyothi Community Center provides overnight shelter to sponsored elders and respite during the day from high temperatures and monsoon rains.
New Women's Cooperatives are meeting once a month, and village women are learning how to collectively manage money and how to grant, receive and pay back small loans.
We sponsor a variety of job development activities, including sewing and embroidery classes for women, donations of start-up supplies for small businesses and donations of livestock for the production of milk and eggs.
We respond to special needs of individual families by providing donations of food, livestock, cooking stoves, cooking utensils, wooden food storage cupboards, clothing, cots, bedding, mosquito netting, toiletries, iron storage cabinets, furniture, home repairs, home construction, latrine construction, family medical care, wheel chairs, bicycles and more.
When funding is available, an International Women's Day Celebration is held at the Community Center. On this day village women gather at the community center to share a meal, listen to speakers, and participate in games and fun competitions.
We appreciate donations in any amount. Click the button below to contribute whatever you are comfortable with or choose any of the options at the right to direct your support to a specific cause.
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Our mission is to form relationships that instill hope by establishing financial, emotional, spiritual and personal commitments between sponsors and impoverished families in Mattampally, India. We maintain an office in Ithaca, New York where volunteers perform all office administration and fund raising activities. In Mattampally the HC India Program Coordinator works in conjunction with a local nonprofit organization, the Jeveena Jyothi Charitable Trust (JJCT), to identify community needs and to develop and manage on-site programming.
JJCT is a nondenominational organization, formed for the sole purpose of receiving and distributing Hearts' Cry humanitarian aid donations in Mattampally. JJCT was founded by Fr. George Allam, who volunteers his time as director and visits the village on weekends to oversee programming. Staff positions include doctor, nurse, women's development coordinator, community center cook and tutors.
The name of the Jeveena Jyothi Community Center means "Life Light," and it literally brings those qualities to the village. Built in 2005, the community center was funded completely by Hearts' Cry donations. In addition to providing office and storage space for on-site HC programming, the Community Center is used for numerous programs and event, several of which are listed to the right.
Wilfred Santhiagu
Program Coordinator - Mattampally, Andhar Pradesh, India
Jeveena Jyothi Charitable Trust
Partner Non-Profit - Mattampally, Andhar Pradesh, India
Founded and run by Father George Allam, the Jeveena Jyothi Charatible Trust is a small nonprofit organization based in Mattampally that helps HEARTS' CRY assess the village community's needs. JJCT as formed as an Indian charitable organization solely to receive and distribute HC donations in the village.
Janis Graham
President
Rosanne Mayer
Vice President
Martha Hamblin
Secretary
Kim Alexander
Treasurer
Rachel Ash
Megan Begert
Sanjeev Bhojraj
Christen A Bonacci
Toni Greenlee
Sarah Johnson
Audrey Kahin
Ellen Wheeler
Mark Wheeler
Please contact us if you wish to use our pictures at a higher resolution for fundraising or promotional purposes. Do not use without permission.
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