Extract from the newsletter – Read the full newsletter here.

Dear Friends of ‘Friends of India’

What a truly wonderful turnout and atmosphere at our October 7th “First Five Years, Already” celebrations and information evening!

Yes, 5 years have passed under the bridge since a couple of us were motivated through our contributions to the work with the late Peter Ustinov to take up the flag ourselves, launch Friends of India (FOI), and address issues faced by women and children in the south east of India, in the state of Tamil Nadu. In that time we have been able to make a difference to the lives of about 14′000 women and 4′000 children. All thanks to the efforts of a faithful band of volunteers, and to the generosity of a whole family of benefactors. You. But if 18′000 sounds impressive, it is but a drop in a human ocean of needy. By highlighting a sample of FOI’s projects and some of our future plans, this newsletter serves the ‘Grand Plan’ of keeping alive your motivation for helping FOI by showing what can be and is being achieved. And having done that we hope that you will in turn be ambassadors for FOI and go out and gather new support. In money, ‘in kind’, in moral support, and in actions. No matter how good at words or committed in thought we, the ‘organisers’ of FOI are, ultimately what moves and shakes and makes the difference is the resource that you and yours put at our disposal. I hope that you will find this newsletter interesting and useful and worth sharing. At the end you’ll find information about various events, and some other useful info. Read on! Share! Enjoy! And please remember to keep on giving.

Thank you. 18′000 times. So far!

Pam Walsh, Geneva, November 2005

Lord Paddy Ashdown

Lord Paddy Ashdown, since November 2005, FOI’s most distinguished member

British politician, ex-leader of the Liberal Democrats and since 2002 the international community’s High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lord Paddy Ashdown has agreed to be associated with the work of FOI as a member of its ‘Comité d’Honneur’. Lord Paddy was born in India, in New Delhi, and comes from a family of soldiers and colonial administrators who spent their lives in India. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration, and to making him as proud as we are to be associated with the work of FOI.

Working with the Chaîne du Bonheur to offset the tragedy of the tsunami

Nobody missed the news that broke on the world on Boxing Day 2004, when the tsunami slammed first into Indonesia and then the Indian subcontinent. Of the over 228′000 deaths, 11′000 were on the eastern coast of India, including losses amongst communities we support.

Friends Of India was quick to identify a need for new boats for fishermen, and is now proud to announce that it will be working with the Swiss organisation ‘Chaîne du Bonheur’, and thanks to their approval of a request for CHF 200′000 will be able to provide fishing boats for 65 families who had lost all hope of regaining their livelihood. What a difference this will make!

“Bounty”, one of the Friends Of India boats on the coast of TN, named after a theatre character, and paid for by a group of benefactors running in Escalade 2004, Geneva

Extract from the newsletter – Read the full newsletter here.