Friday 26 January 2007

Preparation

Some Reading
I'm reading three books. The first is one my mum loved and sent to me years ago. I have started it, but it needs a few committed hours to get going. That's the City of Joy by by Dominique Lapierre. The next is on tape and so I can 'read' while pottering in the kitchen. This I am enjoying and getting something of an understanding of the history of Delhi. I'm about 1/3 the way into that and am enjoying it. This is the City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple. The last , Holy Cow! an Indian Adventure by Sara MacDonald, is irreverent, but again, I should not pass full judgement until I'm done. They're all giving me a sense of the crowds and noise we'll no doubt encounter. My world is very quiet and peaceful; morning walks along the Crane River.

Raising Funds...
On Friday, 26th January we'll be building our shelter for the night. More detail on that in the post below which is from our flyer. It might be a bit icy overnight, as we've had snow this week and the temperature has dropped to seasonal degrees around zero (Celcius) for the first time this season. I think it'll be fun and a good opportunity for getting to know the team, specially as we've only met briefly on a few occasions.
More later.

18 hours in the life of a slum dweller…

On 26 January our team will undertake a sponsored event; to live as a slum dweller for 18 hours – in the front garden of the church!

We will attempt to build a slum hut using available rubbish and junk and then the 15 team members will continue to live, sleep and cook in two 6’ x 8’ huts for an 18 hour period. The weather will be pretty chilly, we will struggle for space and shelter during the day and night and our cooking facilities will be an open fire – these are just a few tasters of the challenges that the Delhi slum dwellers face daily. We will try to recreate the conditions and atmosphere as much as possible in order to understand a fraction of what it is like to live in such squalor.

The cost of the mission to each individual is approximately £1,500. This includes a contribution towards a team donation of £6,000 to cover the cost of the project we will undertake at Zakhira. This will provide for essential improvements to the infrastructure of the slum community clinic and for basic provisions for the slum children’s resource centre housed within it.

If you would like to sponsor a member of the team, please complete the form overleaf and return it, with a cheque payable to ‘St Stephen’s PCC’, to the person you wish to support (tax payers please tick the box near the top of the Gift Aid form).


Declaration

To: St Stephen’s Church, 30 Crown Road, Twickenham, TW1 2AL


Please treat all donations I make on or after the date of this declaration as Gift Aid donations.
OR
Please treat the enclosed donation as a Gift Aid donation.
If you are a tax payer, please tick

AMOUNT £…….....
(Please make cheques payable to ‘St Stephen’s PCC’)

Title and full name (please print)


……………………………………………………………………………………

Address

……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………..Postcode …………………….……


Signed ………………………………………………………………………….

Date …………………………………………………………………………….

You must pay the amount of income tax or capital gains tax equal to the tax we reclaim on your donation (28p for every £1 you give).
…………………………………………………………………………….…

I am supporting the following member of the Delhi Team:

(name of team member) ………………………………………………………