2008 Harvest Appeal

This year Bethany people wanted to provide a well for a community somewhere that didn't have safe water. We started off our Appeal hoping to raise £1500 pounds for a well from an alternative gift catalogue. We then asked our contact Ron Prosser of Health Help International, if they had any well or water projects that needed help at the moment.

On on the second Sunday of October Ron came and gave us a slide show about HHI's work in India. See more details at http://www.hhi.org.uk/ and http://www.christian-greetings-cards.co.uk

Village people have to buy water from a truck at the moment

Each new well will improve the life of everyone who live in a little group of houses dramatically

Many houses are also in desperate need of new Roofs

In his presentation Ron told us he has a worker in a very poor Indian village, where the people really need help to renovate wells, homes and toilets. He sent us an email he got from the worker last November, an extract below..

I wonder if God might in 2008 visit his faithful people in a concrete way. He needs our hands and feet. Through the HHI Alternative Gift Scheme. We estimate so 50 toilet/bathrooms are needed. The cost of a toilet/bathroom is 100 pounds.

a toilet ---------------- 50 pounds
a bathroom -------------- 50 pounds
a well ----------------- 150 pounds
a tin roof ------------- 150 pounds
pipe structure for roof - 60 pounds
tin sheets for roof ----- 70 pounds
labour for roof --------- 20 pounds
5 sheets ---------------- 10 pounds
10 sheets --------------- 20 pounds

After talking about it at Coffee morning and at a Church meeting we felt we should support these people.

We raised nearly £200 at our Harvest supper, which followed a short harvest thanks service at which the children performed a musical sketch which highlighted how many different people we rely on for out food supply. Thanks to all that came along to support and gave so generously.

Good food and good company are enjoyed by all at the Harvest Supper

The children perform their musical sketch, before we went into the school room for our supper.

The money raised at the harvest supper was added to a special Sunday collection and other donation we received to make a grand total of £2700 which was handed over to Ron at Health Help International

PS Thanks also to the person who gave one of our regulars £20 in the street, we will make sure that gets to southern India too.