A small Wiltshire charity is celebrating its 20th anniversary having raised more than £600,000 to help relieve poverty among children and young people in India.
Kathy Miller celebrated having founded the Neem Tree Trust with a coffee morning on Saturday (October 21) at Holy Trinity Church in Bradford on Avon.
She formed the charity with her husband Ken in 2003 and runs it from her home in Avoncliff after visiting India for the first time as a volunteer.
Kathy, 75, says: “I had no idea at that time what that first visit would lead to! My lovely husband, Ken, died suddenly 10 years ago and our event on Saturday was also in memory of him.
“I’m sure he would be very proud that we have celebrated our 20th anniversary.
“I will be going to India next Wednesday to visit the patients and children we support and I will be staying for three weeks.
“Due to Covid, this is the first time I have been able to visit for four years.”
The Neem Tree Trust helps to relieve poverty among children and young people in Tamil Nadu in south India, by holding numerous fundraising events.
It does this primarily by helping to support children at a centre 15 kilometres from the town of Tirunelveli which cares for differently abled boys from the poorer parts of the local community.
Mrs Miller said: “It is the aim of the home to provide the boys with a safe, caring environment in which they will learn to become independent and self-sufficient and to acquire skills that will enable them to earn a living once they leave to return to their villages.”
The second is the St Luke’s Leprosy Hospital at Peikulam, a referral centre for leprosy patients suffering from complications that cannot be managed by GPs, private clinics and government hospitals.
“Leprosy is still shrouded in mystery and superstition, with many people not realising that leprosy can be cured. By visiting villages and schools with films and audio-visual aids, the St Luke’s health education team is able to spread the good news that leprosy is curable and that help can be given to those in need.”
Over the past 20 years, she has donated £347,546 to the boys’ home and £252,695 to St Luke’s Leprosy Hospital, a total of £600,241.
Kathy added: “This is quite an achievement for a small UK-registered charity run from my home in Avoncliff with minimal expenses. I could not have achieved this without the help and assistance of our truly loyal supporters in Wiltshire and beyond."
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