Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Some of you will have seen me walking around in strange lycra outfits as I have been going through my training for the 2010 London to Paris cyclosportive :). I know its not a pretty sight ! We leave on June 24th !

The London-Paris cyclosportive is a professional event for amateur riders – 350 cyclists will make their way to Paris covering 520km in 2.5 days....  This is going to be tough...

http://www.londres-paris.com/site/html/the_tour/2010_routeoverview.php

Besides trying to get fit and loose some weight I have taken on this challenge to raise money for Future Hope. As some of you know I spent a few months in Future Hope's orphenages in Calcutta in 2008 which has left a deep impression on my. Please dig deep for this worthy cause. It makes a real difference to these children lives. As you can see from the photo's they live on drugs in train stations and Future Hope does exactly what is says on the tin. It tries to bring in these kids and give them hope, warmth, education and the means to have a chance in life. Below you can find some more information. Your support is greatly appreciated !!!

http://www.futurehope.net/introduction.html

Future Hope was set up in 1988 to provide a home, education, medical aid and opportunity to some of the children of Kolkata who found themselves living on the streets of the city. These children suffer extreme poverty and have little or no ability to change their lives. More than anything they need the love and security of a home. Future Hope now runs six homes where more than 200 former street children live and enjoy life.

The work of Future Hope extends beyond our homes and we also run a school with over 150 pupils studying from Kindergarten to Class 10. Our school takes in not only the children of Future Hope but also those from the surrounding slum communities.

We have also built a small community development on the outskirts of Kolkata. This allows those who have found jobs to take on a small home and develop independent life skills in a safe environment close to their friends.

Sport, and rugby in particular, has always played a major role in Future Hope and it is through sport that we have been able to develop discipline and a sense of purpose in many of our children. Children of Future Hope have played at the highest level winning national honours representing India in Rugby . With this in mind we are now working hard to complete our next major project, the Future Hope Sports Academy .

History

Future Hope was founded by Tim Grandage in 1988. At the time he was working for HSBC Bank as a Branch Manager in Calcutta . Tim first came into contact with street children when he became friendly with a group who looked after his car. Through meeting and talking with them he became aware of their problems and needs.

Soon Tim had moved a group of children into his own flat and was looking after their most pressing medical and other needs. Tim soon discovered that many street children in Calcutta gravitated to the main stations of Howrah and Sealdah where many of the children at Future Hope still come from. The original children lived in cramped accommodation sleeping on the floor. Now we have 6 homes where the children can have their own space, study in peace and live a good life.

Street Living

Street children are forced to be independent of adults at a very early age and some thrive on this freedom. We have found there are three common misconceptions about street children:

1. That they lack food, shelter and medical help.
2. That they are incapable of achieving anything very much in life.
3. That they are downtrodden and pathetic.

Many street children tell us they enjoy their lives and the freedom a life away from adults gives them. Some earn reasonably good money scouring arriving trains, sorting rubbish or becoming expert petty thieves. So for a number of street children food, clothing, shelter and medicine are all within their reach, albeit without the consistency of a 'normal' life. The downside of this is that other attractions are there as well and can be paid for. Their fundamental deficiency is therefore none of the above, but rather that they lack a loving, caring home life, values, the guidance of a responsible adult and opportunity. The perils of life on the street are made worse by the easy availability of certain drugs and glue which are often used to overcome the depression that all children face. Given the chance at a young age they can achieve as much as any other child from a more privileged home and the Future Hope children are the living proof of this.

 

Kolkata

Kolkata is a heaving metropolis of some 15 million plus. People from every possible community gravitate towards the city and it is surrounded by some of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the sub-continent. The children in Future Hope come from many different backgrounds and almost every community. Most are forced onto the streets through a combination of economic hardship and broken homes. Many street children have withstood abuse at the hands of their parents or other adults.

During the day street children roam the streets earning a meager living and at night and in the early hours many can be found sleeping in the main railway stations of Kolkata - Howrah and Sealdah. Some street children, though destitute, remain with their families on the streets and so have some protection.

Many children sleep alone and vulnerable on the station platforms and surrounding areas. These children are our immediate concern for they are alone, noticeably thinner and more unkempt than the others. Many are ill, all are vulnerable and most are exposed to serious forms of exploitation. It is these children for whom Future Hope India was established.