A loving tribute

Dear friends,

It is with great sadness that we write of the death of our wonderful Stuart.  His passing will leave such a huge hole in so many lives – he spent his life dedicated to helping those less fortunate than himself, working tirelessly until his final days on projects which have transformed lives in Ghana, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and beyond.  

There is so much about his life and work to be warmly remembered that we will write at greater length in the near future.  For now, if you are able to and would like to mark Stuart’s passing, please consider contributing to the Memorial Fund that our Trustee, Michael, has set up to help continue his extraordinary work.

With love from all at Star Action

Sri Lanka: Clothes for the destitute elderly

Clothes for a destitute elderley lady in Sri Lanka

Our work continues in Sri Lanka, where the economic situation is not good.  This lady received a parcel of new clothes.

Shonali and her partner show us their lovely new baby

Shonali, daughter of Richard and Sasees, and her husband were recently delighted to introduce their new son to the Bright Life family. Congratulations from all of us!

Keshav’s work for Star Action in Nepal

This 107 year old woman was delighted with her shawl

Image 1 of 6

We want to share with you the photos we have received from, Keshav.

Recently, the focus of our work has been helping the poor and destitute in Kathmandu, and most particularly the elderly. As you may know, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, and very badly hit by the pandemic. Another factor increasing the poverty and suffering in this country has of course been the lack of tourists throughout these past two years:

We, here in Nepal, celebrated Christmas in a very meaningful way: by helping the less fortunate with our 2021 Christmas gifts you so generously arranged. We chose an assisted living facility in the district of Lalitpur in the Kathmandu Valley which needed our help the most.

 
Helping elderly women abandoned by their families has always been our priority because such women need the most help in Nepal. All women living here are illiterate and most of them are widows. We were told that one of the ladies (in the close-up photo above) at the facility was 107 years old who was rescued from the streets of Kathmandu. In our interaction, they shared their stories with us some of which were very heart-wrenching. However, our Christmas gifts brought smiles to their faces and they gave us all their blessings and best wishes. They expressed their heartfelt thanks to you all and Star Action for all the wonderful gifts (they loved the warm shawls for the winter). 

HOW OUR WORK HAS CONTINUED IN SPITE OF LOCKDOWN

Sri Lanka has been badly hit by the pandemic, and there have been a series of ‘lockdowns’, followed by partial opening up, and then another lockdown. Different regions have been worse hit than others. It has been particularly bad in the Colombo area where Rohan lives. (As you may know, he has been working with us since the Tsunami and during the Civil War.)

The Eastern Region, where our work has been concentrated recently, has fared a little better, and as we write, things are opening up again. In
order to help all those individuals we are supporting (like our elderly granny, Arosoma), we have continued our regular payments and also a
slightly reduced salary for our teachers. Repairing damaged homes, (even those built by government agents, with substandard materials, after the Tsunami), has also been an important part of our work.

Africa has followed a similar pattern; Ghana continues to be badly hit by the pandemic and lack of vaccination supplies. However, in September we received more positive news about our little school in Asiakwa. The headmaster has told us that they are re-opening again after a second closure earlier this year. He has asked permission to have poultry on our Star Action land adjacent to the school, so
chicken and eggs can be used to supplement the school lunches. We are continuing our sponsorship of our very poor pupils, so they can attend school and also giving them their new uniforms and lunches.

India: Schools in Tirenuveli have recently reopened and life is gradually returning to normal, so we are planning to commence our new project. Through this, we will be able to give support to many more children, (mainly girls), living in their own homes, but with Star Action paying for good food for the family, and providing school uniforms and paying the school fees.

Richard & Sasees have been extraordinary in their dedication thoughout; they are pictured here following a post-Covid review meeting.

EMERGENCY COVID APPEAL FOR INDIA

UPDATE Feb 22

Thank you so much for your wonderful response to our appeal; your compassion & generosity enabled us to give the much needed extra help to our STB/Brighter Life Children’s home in Tamil Nadu, South India. In this compact community district (Tirenuveli has three and a half million inhabitants), most needing to earn daily wages, it was impossible to maintain Covid 19 Lockdown in the way it has been done throughout much of Europe. Inevitably Covid badly infected some of our children (and our elderly family too). With your help we were able to give them the care they needed, and they have recovered, except, sadly, Richard`s own mother, who passed away later in the summer.

 

Please consider donating to help support our Brighter Life family in this very difficult time: any help you feel moved to give will be greatly appreciated – we will use these extra funds immediately to take advantage of any medical or other assistance they can get.

 

Several of our children are already seriously ill. Social distancing is not possible, so the virus is spreading rapidly. Richard and Sasees are exhausted, as you can see from the photo. 

Richard’s mother, Chandra, is ill and other relatives too. They live far away, in a part of India even worse affected, so of course this is adding  to their distress, as well as the death of four of Richard`s ex-school mates, all only in their forties.

 

There is no NHS in India, and most medical care is expensive, and even if there is the money for it, there is no vaccination available at the moment for most people –  as you will know from the news.

 

 Sasees tells us that the local hospital in Tirenuveli has advised: ‘steaming process for the children to avoid virus entry through nose and mouth. We have started this with our children. In the steaming process we boil water and then add eucalyptus oil. It clears the nose and throat and this process is helping us a lot.’  They, and we, are hoping this will also help protect Rosammal, the only older resident in our care at the moment.

 

Now we have heard that poor Mayakannan has a swollen face after his fever – as you can see in the photo – and the hospital are doing more tests. Any form of treatment for him or any of the children is expensive and adds to the worry for Richard

and Sasees. (They are trying to work within a very strict budget as they know our limited funds are very over-stretched at the moment.)

Any additional help you feel moved to add to the support you are already giving us will be greatly appreciated – so we can remove money worries –  allowing them to take advantage of any medical or other assistance they can get. (For example more nourishing food,  and herbs, and help for Sasees with the cooking, cleaning and washing! She is doing this now, in addition to caring for the children, and trying to keep up with their ‘home lesson’ as schools are of course closed again.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zahra’s progress

Veterinary colleagues

Image 1 of 8

Dear Sir, 

 

I wish you “Happy New Year 2021”, hope you and your family are happy also in good health.

 

Zahra has completed 5th semester and will continue 6th semester in the middle of Febuary 2021.  I attached Zahra’s pictures which done some activities …

 

Thank you very much for your kindness and success for you all. 

 

Warm regards,

 

Desy 

India update

2020 has been a difficult and challenging year for our Brighter Life Children’s Home in India:  It has been impossible for India to

conduct a successful lockdown against Covid 19 in the way that many others have succeeded. The sprawling population, many living on daily wages, have been unable to change their normal lifestyles very much.

To keep our children safe, and with all schools closed, Richard and Sasees have kept everyone at
home conducting their own devised school lessons (Sasees having been Head of English at a large school before she joined us).

Many families in the UK have struggled to care at home with two or three children for the long lockdown. Imagine the problems tor Sasees and Richard with over thirty. Self-discipline is a big part of the children’s home life and routine, and this has helped greatly to keep harmony and fun as main themes in 2020.

Inevitably the cost of food has risen to strain their budget and the loss of cook Rani, who now lives 100 miles away after her marriage, has compounded the challenges. But you can see from recent photos that the smiles are still there and everyone is growing stronger and brighter in the usual way.  The images and video here show the celebrations and some of the new clothes that the children received at Diwali.

New clothes for Diwali

Image 1 of 9

Nepal Update

Keshav and Sujata write from Nepal:

Christmas gift distribution program in Pokhara

Image 1 of 8

I have sent a few photos from this year’s Christmas gift distribution program in Pokhara. On the recommendation of my sister, we visited an elderly centre in Pokhara and gave away gifts to the elderly women and men there. The Centre has been providing for 12 elderly people (both women and men) of which two were in the hospital due to some regular health issues. The Centre is in the middle of a small woods but is sunny and fresh. For the winter, we provided scarves to the ladies and jackets to the men. To support their daily ration, we provided rice, lentil, sugar, tea, salt and a special Christmas food packet too. As you can see in the photos all residents were happy and grateful. They send you lots of thanks and warm greetings.

Rakshana’s Sinhala class

Rakshana was able to resume her classes on August 11th after the end of the lockdown

Arosamma’s dinner

The video shows Arosamma, a lady we are supporting in Sri Lanka, receiving a supporting income from Star Action at dinner time.

News from Brighter Life

[Show as slideshow]

Kate Neil Interview

Letter from the Trustees

Jenny writes to reflect on the work of Star Action over the last 13 years, and gives some updates on current projects

One of the most heart-warming things about our work with Star Action over the past thirteen years since we started our little charity has been the appreciation we have received from people we have been able to help – thanks to your support. As you may know, we began our work in Sri Lanka just after the terrible tsunami wave devastated parts of the south and east coast of this beautiful little island, which was also still suffering from years of civil war.  Now, thankfully, the war is over but there remain many repercussions from this time, many bereaved families and traumatised people.  The Tamil people in the war-torn area are still suffering inequality of opportunity, and lack of education, even in the basics of the language of the whole country (Sinhala), and this is one reason why we have been focusing recently on our education projects, as well as helping particularly sad and broken families and individuals in need of urgent medical help.

When Stuart and I were in Sri Lanka in February, we were particularly touched by the people who came to see us this time, not to ask for more help (although there were plenty of those too!) but simply to say ‘thank you’ and share what a difference Star Action’s help had made to their lives.  You see, with a little charity like ours, there is a personal link with individuals – some of these dear people feel almost like our own family, as we have met them now on a number of visits. They also appreciate the continuity of seeing the same faces.

This is also true of our children’s home in India, now called ‘Brighter Life’, but originally founded as ‘Save the Babies’ right back in 1996 by our Trustee  Kate.  Right from the beginning she did not want the home to be too big, so there would always be a family feeling.  She has achieved her goal, with the help of our wonderful houseparents, Sasees and Richard.

We are so happy that at last her family commitments at home (with help from me and Stuart in caring for her five-year old twins)  are allowing her to return to her Indian family.  She will be writing all about her visit in the next newsletter.

Star Action has also been able to give help in Nepal.  This is a country which we know has a special place in many of your hearts as it does in mine, since my trekking days there and, latterly, my visits following the devastating earthquake.  Keshav, our good friend now, also brings the ‘family feeling’ to all his work, both for Star Action, and as Deputy Headmaster of a large school in Kathmandu.  The same is true of Hamida and Fred, whose latest report on our Community Centre school in Ghana is included in our Africa section.

So, dear friends, we thank you very much for all your generous support which enables us to continue this truly worthwhile work.  We know it is just a ‘little drop in the ocean of need’, but the smiles on the faces of the people and children whose lives have been touched tell their own story.

With love from,

On behalf of all our Trustees, 

Joan, Kate and Stuart 

PS  I first drafted this letter just before the tragic bombings in Sri Lanka. We are glad to report that no one involved with our Star Action work was killed or injured, but our latest reports from Rohan are that the whole country is still deeply traumatised and the income of many is affected by lack of tourist visitors, so our prayers and continuing support of all our projects are very much appreciated.

Bangladesh – supporting Shakeenah

Shakeenah is our hardworking, hardstudying MBBS trainee doctor from Sri Lanka.  She is beginning her fourth year at Chittagong University in Bangladesh, where she has ambitious plans to specialise in Gynaecology.

Shakeenah is the middle child of three in a poor family in Sri Lanka.  She has excelled at school and passed into Chittagong Medical College, Bangladesh to study for MBBS.

The Sri Lankan Government pays her tuition fees and her Father has managed to find $130 (£100) per month to pay for her accommodation, food, and living expenses for the last two years. 

Mother has bad arthritis and the family are struggling to find this essential money to keep her at the College for another (minimum) two years.

Star Action is keen to pursue this support, not only for the prospect of another much-needed doctor to practise in the Sri 

Lankan Muslim Community, but also because the College is close to the massive recent influx of Rohingya refugees (mainly Muslim) driven out of Myanmar.  Shakeenah and the other training doctors are likely to play a valuable part in treating these homeless refugees in the next months.

Sri Lanka – New Veterinary Student

Zahra Astriani is 18 yrs old and has long desired to become a vet and pursue her love of animals.  Star Action is conscious that animals are not always treated well in the Developing World and an addition to the limited supply of veterinary practicioners will be a valuable asset to Indonesia.

September 2018 – Ghana update

With much capable help from our Star Action stalwarts, Hamida and Frederick Bote-Kwame, Star Action has decided to lease the Youth Training Building on the outskirts of Asiakwa to a school of 90 pupils.

The accompanying land will be used as playground and sports field.

The owner and Headteacher, Samuel Asamoah is also Pastor of a local Christian Church in the town.  He runs the school on a ‘shoestring’ and his ambitions for the children are similar to ours at our children’s homes and schools.  He already numbers amongst his pupils many who can only afford to pay half fees, and he has agreed to include more from poor families on free scholarships.  This will be helped by Star Action charging a rental of 1 Ghana Cedi per annum (about 17 pence Sterling).

Hyper-efficient Hamida is finalising the legalities as I write, and these will include representation on the School’s Board of Management by herself and another good friend of Star Action, a retired International Architect who is a respected Elder of Asiakwa and who will safeguard our interests and closely monitor the quality of the children’s education.

September 2018 – Nepal update

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to send help to the  earthquake-damaged Panchakoshi School in Pokhara.  See our Nepal page for more details.

Update September 2018 – Sinhala Teaching

SINHALA TEACHING PROJECT UPDATE

The amazing good news is that we now have 150+ children benefiting from our growing Sinhala Teaching Project. From a small beginning—just one lady, Amudha in Lal’s village of Kayankerny teaching a few children in her home (she now has an extension which was crowded with over 40 children on our recent visit)—we have 6 more teachers in other villages, the latest being Mala in Kudamumakal, who teaches in the Nursery School (earlier request for playground equipment.) We found that she is fluent in Sinhala and very willing to have the extra job of after school Sinhala classes and a class of older children.

The Buddhist school at Mylankarachai we visited last February with Richard and Sasees is going from strength to strength, with 60 children attending. They are divided into two groups with the younger ones with two teachers, Kanthilatha and Sulakshmi, and the older children with formidable Sisili Perera—a very well organised older lady who was outspoken in her requests for books, pens and other teaching material! All our teachers are paid 5,000 rupees a month (£25) and are happy that their salaries are secure (quite unlike government paid teachers in this area who find that often their salaries remain unpaid for many months). We particularly love this   Buddhist school which is right next to the Buddhist Temple and there is a most beautiful aura of peace and healing pervading this whole village.

Nirojini (see photo on page 1) has a new group along the coast in Ooriankadu and Rokshana is now using her own home to teach after school Sinhala in Mankerni.  Rokshana also has two assistants, who help the 42 children of varied ages with problem homework from school.

It is so good to realise that all these children —and many more to come—will benefit from the opportunity to learn the main      language of their country, not just Tamil, which is spoken only in the North and Eastern Provinces and severely limits future job      opportunities.

October 2016 update

Children from the Cardomom Hills region

Jenny travelled to Sri Lanka with her son, Michael, this year as Stuart’s wife, Bobby, was very sadly taken ill and has subsequently died.  Our thoughts are with Stuart and his family.

Star Action continues to transform the lives of poor communities in Eastern Sri Lanka with agricultural projects such as rice, groundnut and chicken production.  Our focus on education also continues apace, as Rakshana takes on the task of teaching children the national language of Sinhala in Mankerny – this is particularly important for the Tamil speaking children who might otherwise be unable to benefit from the national education provided.  Others who have given much over the years to support the education of children here – such as Sneeha – are moving on to train in nursing with Star Action’s support and blessing.

In India, Richard and Sasees continue to provide a refuge for children.  Our most recent recruits are a small group from the desperately poor Cardomom Hills region, who it is hoped will have an opportunity to break the poverty trap of poorly paid manual labour in the tea plantations that might otherwise be their meagre inheritance.  The life-changing impact that our Brighter Life home (as we are now calling the Save the Babies orphanage) has, can be seen in Marcus, one of our first babies, who is now studying for his A Levels in Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

Star Action has also been able to be of assistance to more people in Nepal: we have helped by stocking the library of the Haven on Earth Orphanage that Jenny opened in 2014 and, through the generosity of one supporter, have been able to rebuild the home of a family that was destroyed in last year’s earthquake.

We are indebted to our active and growing band of supporters, who have, through their unstinting generosity, helped us to improve the lot of so many.  Thank you

November 2015 Update

It’s been quiet on the blog but we have been busy working behind the scenes!

This has been another year of good progress with our projects to help individuals and families in severe poverty and to contribute to the education of the next generation.   One or more of the Trustees was able to visit India and Sri Lanka during the summer and we were able to steer assistance in Nepal, after their two devastating earthquakes, from a base in Qatar.

Christmas is nearly here again.  STAR ACTION Christmas gifts help you find the answer to ‘what do I give…?’ but also enable us to give more greatly needed support to really deprived children and sad families in Sri Lanka and India.

Also see our latest Newsletter for news from Nepal and a possible new project to help the Syrian refugees trying to live in Turkey.

We thank you so much for all your support throughout 2015 and send warm greeting for Christmas and the New Year ahead.

December 2014 update

Thank you for all your interest and support of our Star Action work. It has been a busy year for us here at Star Action; please browse through our site or download the newsletter from the sidebar for updates on all our projects and news of new ones too—including our new friends in Nepal.

We have had a another successful year running our Christmas gift scheme and hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and a happy start to 2015.

Christmas Gift scheme – New for 2013!

This year sees the launch of our Christmas Gift scheme – a choice of gifts that can make a real difference to our friends in Sri Lanka.

Visit the Christmas Gift Page for more details.

October 2013

Stuart and I have just returned from another visit to Sri Lanka and India to check up on the progress of all our projects.

In India we were very pleased with the progress in completing our new home for our ‘STB Children’. The response to our appeal in April was wonderful. After 17 years of moving from rented house to rented house, it will be a bonus to have the
permanent home and more settling for the children.

In Sri Lanka we are launching our new ‘Buy a Gift for Christmas’’ project and happily report that there is now light at our little East Coast School of Aranculam. Our teachers have their bicycles and we have two new toilets being built.

A big thank you to all our kind supporters.

April 2013 Update

It’s been a busy few months since our last update, and we are thrilled at the progress that your generous support has enabled; you can read about developments in both India and Sri Lanka by down loading our new  NEWSLETTER

• Electricity for a forgotten school
• Pawalam’s house now built
• Our new Chicken Farm project...

New Home for Indian Orphans

This project is moving quickly now, and, as you can see from the picture, is two thirds of the way there.  You can imagine how excited the children are about their new home!

In order to complete this permanent home for our ‘Save the Babies” family, we need a further £10 000 and are launching a special appeal to this end.  Excitingly, a generous supporter of Star Action has promised to match every pound donated for this appeal up to £5 000 so your generosity will be doubled!

It’s easy to donate – find out how here.

HAPPY HOLIDAYING IN SRI LANKA?
Visit beautiful Sri Lanka. See the Island, tour our projects, and stay in our Golden Sunset Guest House.  Phone Stuart at (UK) 01395 568064 or visit golden-sunset.org for more details.

October Update

Dear Friends and Supporters of Star Action,

I am delighted to tell you that we have received wonderful support for our emergency appeals for our destitute war widow Pawalam in Mankerny, Eastern Sri Lanka.

Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to go straight ahead and built her little house. She is now safe and dry, with new clothes for herself and all the children (these made by our sewing machine lady Sutharsini). She is so very grateful to Star Action. Thank you.

We have also received further wonderful help for our ‘Build a Toilet’ project, and this means that we can go forward with the building of two more toilets.

Great appreciation to everyone.

Love and greeting from Jenny

Little Temples for World Peace – News Update September 2012

Sri Lanka

During our recent time in Sri Lanka, August 2012, I spent as much time as I could meditating in the Little Temple for World Peace by the sea.  Stuart joined me for sunset prayers and meditation.  We both believe that there is increasing spiritual power in this Little Temple, which has been of significance in bringing about the current peace in Sri Lanka. 

July Update

June Update

Kate (Neil) has just returned from her annual summer visit to our STB Children.

They are enjoying school holiday time now and Kate reports that they are all well and happy!

More news of the new house building project to follow in her report.

May update

Greeting from Jenny

My dear friends and supporters of Star Action,

I have recently returned from a very rewarding visit to Sri Lanka and India, with my colleague and co-founder of Star Action, Stuart.

We try to visit Sri Lanka twice a year, if possible, but certainly each February, so we can personally check on the progress of all the up and running projects and oversee the initiation of new endeavours.  This visit has been very fruitful and I am particularly excited about our new community education project in the remote and formerly war-torn East Coast village of Mankerny, and also our ‘build a toilet’ scheme in a very poor fishing community on the West Coast.

Asiakwa Project

Latest News March 2012

Fred and Hamida are working for some months now in Kumasi, not far from Asiakwa.  After a recent visit Hamida says: ‘We are currently putting the finishing touches to the building.’ She goes on to say that she has begun her teaching work at Kumasi University.  We are all hoping that this will help her with the next stage of the project to get government grants and assistance from the Ghanaian Education Authorities in beginning the actual equipping and teaching work in the Centre.

Happy New Year

Our dear Supporters of Star Action,

As we begin this New Year season we are writing to thank you for all your wonderful support of Star Action throughout 2011.  We are really delighted at the progress which has been made in the completion of our building for the Vocational Training Centre in Asiakwa, Ghana, the subject of our appeal to you at the beginning of the year.

Star Action India News

Jenny reports: All twenty children in our Save the Babies home are doing well. Our youngest child, MAYAKANNAN (2 years) and his sister DANA LAKSHMI (4 years) have settled in well and will learn enough English from Sasees to pass the ‘English Test’ all children take before Primary School. PADMINI (5 years) and MARCUS (8 years) have already passed this test. Marcus is proving particularly bright and is learning Tamil (the local language) along with Hindi and English. POPPY (3 years) now at nursery school is also good with English and could be very clever. Our cleverest older child is VELAMMAL (13 years) who in spite of her terrible start in life as a street beggar, dead mother and father suffering from leprosy, has blossomed in Save the Babies’ care. At senior school now, she came 10th out of 60 girls in the top group. She hopes to train as a nurse.

Star Action in Africa

We wish to share with you the plight of our teenage friends in ASIAKWA, a remote location in Eastern region of Ghana, West Africa. Children attend school up to the compulsory lower secondary school level (age 14 years). Beyond this, many parents in this village cannot afford to continue educating their teenage children. Consequently; these young people roam around with nothing to do; they have little or no skills as they grow into adulthood; teenage pregnancy is rife in the community and also the problems of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Signs of poverty abound in the village. In short, the community is slowly dying.

Jenny’s Marathon Swim

Jenny"s Marathon Swim

I completed my 26 mile swim on 11th October raising just over £3,500. A huge THANK YOU to all those who gave so generously.

The money raised will enable us to complete the next stage of erecting the building to provide a Vocational Training Centre for the young people of Asiakwa. We are striving to continue fundraising for the project and you will see below details of Fred and Hamida Bote-Kwame’s Appeal.

With grateful thanks,

Jenny Dent – Star Action Trustee

Star Action Sri Lanka

Again Jenny reports: Our two weeks in Sri Lanka have been very fruitful. We checked up on all our existing projects (see updated SRI LANKA PROJECTS page ….) and made plans for new ones, including helping another very poor school in the North East civil war battered area of the island. It was moving to see children leaving one of the poor schools we had previously helped, carrying their ‘Star Action school bags’.