Planet Hope Newsletter 2023

In the 2023 newsletter, you will read about our education and empowerment activities for children, young women and girls in poor communities.

Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty in which many families find themselves. In the newsletter, you will read about the vocational training courses we offer. Students are trained as ICT practitioners, Eldercare workers. Beauticians, Clothing makers and self-employed entrepreneurs.

This year too, many students successfully completed a course. They found jobs or started their own businesses.

Much attention was paid to providing computer lessons and safe use of the internet and social media to students aged 10-17. Elements that are important for young people to be able to participate in modern society,

You will also read about activities that contribute to strengthening the self-esteem of women and girls. And support we provide to poor communities by distributing food parcels and other necessities.

Together, we make a world of difference for our students and families in need.

Download the Planet Hope newsletter edition 2023

Planet Hope newsletter January-April 2022

In the first newsletter of 2022 Planet Hope provides an update about our various educational activities such as the sports and music academy for underpriviledged children in deprived communities. Read more too about the progress of our vocational training courses in Bangalore en Darjeeling, from elderly care to beautician. And come to know all about our empowerment projects in the various communities in which we make a world of difference for children and women in need.

Download the Planet Hope newsletter edition 1/2022

Planet hope newsletter September-December 2021

Our third newsletter is out. You can read more about our ‘Sport & Music Academy’, focussed on developing the sportive and musical talents of underprivileged children, and about our Happy Home in Darjeeling (West-Bengal) where young women can live independently and study elderly care.

Furthermore, we inform you about the progress of our vocational training courses, from elderly care to beautician and entrepreneurship, and about the projects in the various communities in which we make a world of difference for people in need.

Download the Planet Hope newsletter edition 3/2021

Newsletter Planet Hope May-August 2021

The second newsletter of 2021 is out now. Read all about the affiliation of our Connexion learning center with the Indian Council of Professional Education Mission, as well ass the recently set up Happy Home in Darjeeling (West-Bengal) for students who follow the elderly care course. Besides we look back on two online seminars for international knowledge exchange, organized by Planet Hope. 

Furthermore we bring you up to date with our various vocational courses in Bangalore, the online education program fort toddlers in times of pandemic, the Little Angels school in Pondicherry, as well as our impact in the Bellahalli slum. To conclude some of our interns introduce themselves.

Download the Planet Hope newsletter, august 2021

Newsletter Planet Hope

The first newsletter of 2021 is out. In this, Planet Hope looks back on the first quarter of the year. An eventful period, dominated by the corona situation.

In addition to corona-related activities such as emergency aid to those most affected, the newsletter zooms in on our educational initiatives such as the Connexion vocational school and on new projects in Pondicherry and Darjeeling.

Download the Planet Hope newsletter edition May 2021.

Support the Covid victims in India

Planet Hope has joined the relief initiative of our partner WICCI Belgium to support the victims of the Covid pandemic in India. With the raised funds we support hospitals and elderly homes with protective clothing, oxygen and medication. We need your help too!

India faces the worst Covid outbreak worldwide. The daily number of Covid cases is staggering and the death toll has passed 200,000. There is an enormous lack of medical supplies to fight the pandemic. The Belgium branch of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WICCI Belgium) has started a fundraising initiative to offer relief to the people that are affected. Planet Hope, that already offers local support to the society, has joined forces.

24-hours helpline
Amongst others, our local team and volunteers are offering their help to needy people in critical circumstances, who call the 24-hrs helpline in Bangalore (Karnataka) en Nagpur (Maharashtra). They try to locate free hospital beds and provide oxygen cylinders and medication. Sometimes with success, but due to the lack of medical supplies many people die before receiving help. Many families too have no income to pay for the costs. That is why our team also helps voluntarily at cremations and funerals, so that family members can say goodbye to their loved ones in a dignified way.

Joined relief initiative
The money raised with the aid campaign is spent on protective clothing, oxygen cylinders and medicines. They are purchased outside India and flown in through contacts from the worldwide WICCI-netwerk. We divide the collected funds between the hospitals and elderly homes with whom we work. Your help is indispensable. Please donate to Planet Hope or via our special fundraising action. We appreciate your support!

Online education program extended after Covid wave

Because of the increasing number of Covid-cases in India and the lockdown imposed by the government, Planet Hope has stopped it’s education programs on location. Nevertheless the various vocational courses continue largely online. 

The women who follow the course tailoring and entrepreneurship for example, could take their sowing machines home. Here, they follow online courses and sewing instruction videos from the teacher. Just like at the beginning of the Covid crisis, the children of the daycare daily receive video lessons through Whatsapp. 

During the lockdown our team, in collaboration with other NGO’s, voluntarily joins the Covid relief program coordinated by the government. They support the 24/7 helpline and help families who lost their loved ones, amongst other things with the burials. 

Food aid during Corona crisis

Since the lockdown in India, Planet Hope distributes free food packages to the poor who are struck by the corona crisis. In order to combat the corona virus, Indian prime minister Modi has ordered a national lockdown.

This measure has dramatic consequences for the poor population of India, like day wagers and migrant workers who lose their income immediately. Besides they are not eligible for the food being handed out by the governement because they lack ID-proof. They don’t have identity cards at all, or the documents are with family in their states of origin like Biohar or Tamil Nadu.

Stone quarries and graveyards
The Planet Hope staff, students and volunteers are committed to help the poor families who lost their jods and income bacause of the corona crisis. Every day from early morning to late at night, the team distributes food to communities in the stone quarries and at graveyards.

Food kits
In addition to the basic help by the government (milk and vegetables) Planet Hope hands out food packages with rice, lentils, oil, flour and sugar. We purchase these items with local shops, so these too are supported in these harsh economic times.

Sponsors wanted
Since March, we have supported 250 families and 750 people. Because the crisis continues, we are looking for more sponsors and donors to help the poor families in need.