Eight weeks ago Simon and I lost our son Kit 23 weeks into the pregnancy. This is the 6th child we've lost and so Finty our daughter is truly a blessing. Losing a child at this stage is harrowing, confusing and deeply isolating. The grief felt isn't like any other and it plummets you into a strange form of shock. 

The day I lost my son Kit a lady from The Hope Foundation, the charity I used to work for posted picture on Facebook of a little girl with the most radiant smile and the caption 'Your life is no better or worse than anyone else. Keep smiling, keep shining & keep your head up :-)
(Photo taken in Bagar dump slum outside the hope foundation education centre- these beautiful little beings donating some love)'

On what was the saddest, scariest and darkest day of my life this little girl so far away with her Love and Light gave me the grace to remain strong and be grateful for the very fortunate life that I have. I promised myself I would find her after all of this and help her, to thank her for unknowingly giving me such strength. 

And so rather brilliantly the Hope Foundation found her! She's called Radha and there's more information about her and her family below. I want to help her, her siblings and her parents and I'm asking you to help me do that.. for those times in all our lives that we experience the true rawness of being human.. vulnerable and a little bit scared... Radha's family will experience this challenge daily.... 

If you are able, please donate.... thank you from Simon and Caroline x

Radha's Story

Bhagar slum is an area located alongside one of Howrah’s largest dumps.  It is an unregistered slum that is situated between the junction of Bally and Howrah Municipality.  This slum has an approximate population of 2,000 people with 340 households.  It has only one drinking water source and twelve toilets.  Tuberculosis, skin diseases, malaria, diarrhoea and other water borne diseases are rampant. 

The women and children of this area earn their living through scavenging the fifty foot high pile of rubbish for paper, plastics and other materials.  150 trucks come daily with city garbage including dead animals.  Rats, pigs and other animals scavenge for food in the dump.  Plastic, metal, rubber, paper are all collected and sold for re-use and recycling.  There is a large issue with many of the men living in the Bhagar area suffering from alcohol addiction.  When that occurs the women and children are forced to work to make up for lost earnings.

Radha is a very sweet girl, she is 4 years old.  She has 3 sisters and 1 brother.  Her father works as a rickshaw puller but is unable to work for most of the time because of his poor health.  Her mother works hard daily as a maid servant to earn a living for the family.  Radha
lives in Bhagar with her family under difficult circumstances.  They need financial support at the moment.