Welcome and thank you for visiting my Just Giving page.

In March 2020 I visited Chennai to make a film about the wonderful work of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in India and to highlight their student sponsorship scheme which offers young people a vital pathway out of poverty and the chance to build a better future for themselves and their families. One of the students we filmed was Andrew. You can view the film here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtdQFP39I1g&t=19s

From an early age Andrew dreamed of becoming a doctor and studied hard to achieve his ambition. As he approached the end of secondary school, he applied to a government loan scheme to enable him to enrol on a course in Medicine. The scheme is highly competitive and his hopes were cruelly dashed when he narrowly missed out on a loan. Undeterred, he applied to a college for the four-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree course, and he and his family were overjoyed when he was accepted.

His family set about trying to raise the funds for the course fees and moved further into Chennai so he could be closer to the college, even though they would have to pay higher rent and his father would have a much longer journey to work.

The local SVP group in Chennai saw how committed Andrew was to his studies and how the whole family was sacrificing so much to pay his fees, which are about £4,600 a year. They supported an application to the Indian SVP student sponsorship scheme, which proved successful and Andrew is now in the third year of his four-year course and loving it. 

Thanks to the support of his extended family and friends, the SVP sponsorship scheme and local SVP members who help personally, Andrew was making good progress but Covid-19 changed all that. While the £120 a year he receives through the sponsorship scheme has helped, finding the rest of the fees has been a constant worry and is now proving almost impossible. There have even been some occasions when Andrew could not attend lectures because his parents were unable to make a fee payment on time. 

Now many of those who generously supported Andrew have lost their jobs and are themselves struggling. To make matters worse, his father recently contracted Covid-19 and had to be hospitalised, which was an extremely worrying and stressful time for the whole family. Thankfully he is now home and on the long road to recovery but it's not clear when he will be well enough to return to work.

"I want to become a doctor so I can support people who cannot afford treatment and give them free medical care' , Andrew told me. His father is very proud of him and is grateful for all the support the family has received: ‘My son studies day and night, which is something to be very proud of. Help for his studies came all the way from England, and I know the SVP are helping other students in the same way. I consider it a privilege to receive assistance for my son’s education. Thank you, SVP."

Andrew's family need to find around £9,000 over the next two years-  a really daunting prospect in the current circumstances. But if we can raise £3,000 now, it will at least help him get through this year and give his family some hope. The funds will be routed through the Indian Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which has very robust and transparent financial systems, and will be given to the family by the local SVP group. I am in regular contact with Andrew and the local leadership of the SVP.

Can you help Andrew by making a donation today to help him complete his studies?

• Donating through JustGiving is easy, fast and totally secure and your personal details are safe - Just Giving will never sell them on or send you unwanted emails. 
• Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the SVP so it's a very efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. 
• Other than a card processing fee you will not be charged for making your donation but you can contribute to Just Giving's costs if you choose to. 

India and the rest of the world needs doctors now more than ever. Can you help bring hope to Andrew's family by making a gift within your means today?

You can view the film we made about Andrew and some of the other students on You Tube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtdQFP39I1g&t=19s