Current Be A HERO Project: Construction of a multi-purpose building (Community Centre, School, Medical Clinic, and Convention Facility) in Telpura, India, in partnership with Bal Vikas Kendra.
Overview – Bal Vikas Kendra
Since 1973, Bal Vikas Kendra (BVK) has engaged in mercy ministries to the poor of Northern India. India Mission, (now Bal Vikas Kendra) was founded by Emmanuel and Beulah Raj in the late 1960’s. This organization has focused upon the rural regions of the Himalayan foothills and Punjab regions of Northern India.
Bal Vikas Kendra: BVK is caring for approximately 1200 destitute children in five children’s homes in India. These children, rescued from the streets, are now in children’s homes – cared for, being fed, clothed, and educated. After graduation, the students are given the opportunity for university education, career training and various apprenticeships. Since inception, over 3000 children have benefited from life in a BVK home. BVK has learned that the best way to impact a community is to focus on the needs of the marginalized, with a goal to improving their lives and assisting them in breaking the cycle of poverty for the succeeding generations.
Besides caring for the orphans, BVK also trains workers to care for the elderly, provide medical aid, educate on health issues, and various other community social work. They provide relief and aid to earthquake, flood, and drought victims.
Driven by compassion for the poor, Emmanuel and Beulah Raj have founded, and now oversee 6 schools (kindergarten to grade 12), 5 children’s homes, 5 day care centres, and 11 churches. Reaching thousands of people, they employ 141 people including teachers, nurses, cooks, office workers, social workers, pastors, accountants, groundskeepers etc.
Our Be A HERO Director for India, Steve Clarke, and his family, has been involved in a number of building projects and humanitarian aid programs over the past 25 years. In 1979, while a university student, Steve spent a summer working with the Raj’ in India. He was profoundly impacted by their ministry and commitment to the poorest of the poor. Eventually, Steve took his family to live in Dehradun, volunteering for 14 months at one of Bal Vikas Kendra’s children’s homes. He now travels to India on a regular basis to meet with the directors, review the progress, the finances, staffing, and discuss potential projects. During his trip in March 2005, Steve and the staff of BVK finalized the plans for the proposed multi-use building, a Community Centre/Convention Facility, School, and medical clinic in Telpura.
Proposed Project
In partnership with Bal Vikas Kendra, Be A HERO proposes to build a Community Centre/Convention Facility, Medical Clinic, and School in Telpura, India.
Bal Vikas Kendra has been working in India building schools, children’s homes, and day care centres for almost 40 years. They are well known and respected for their work among the poorest of the poor.
Location
Telpura is approximately 25 kilometers from Dehradun, and 250 kms north of New Delhi. Emmanuel and Beulah Raj (founders of BVK) have their home on an adjacent parcel of land. BVK purchased this adjoining piece of property almost 10 years ago, with the intent of some day building a regional operations base, and a community centre there.
Rationale
The Community Centre/Convention Facility is seen as a vehicle to transform society by taking strategic measures to reduce poverty and increase opportunities, particularly for destitute children and families. A medical clinic will provide a much needed fully stocked and staffed clinic for this region. The school would provide access to education in this impoverished area.
Community Centre
This will provide a location for medical clinics; adult education classes; health seminars; tutoring and meals for children; recreational and other community activities. These classes and clinics will contribute to an improvement in the over-all well being of the community, providing hope for a better tomorrow. The Convention Facility will host conferences, seminars and retreats for leaders, youth and other groups, providing both a much-needed resource, and generating income for the programs.
A portion of the operating costs will be recouped by rental of the facility, and fees payment from those able to pay.
A Community Centre can provide the backbone for a community, giving all access to medical clinics, educational programs, and a gathering place. This small start can provide a key to a future of healthier, better-educated, productive citizens.
- Adult and children’s evening classes
- Tutoring for the area’s children (with a meal provided)
- English language lessons
- Educational health seminars including such topics as basic health, nutrition, hygiene, sex education, HIV, Aids education etc.
- Vacation Bible Schools in the summer (including meals for the children)
- Base for humanitarian outreaches, relief/aid work, and crisis event response
Convention Facility
- Leadership training
- Community outreach training – Leaders will be trained to address the needs of their own communities (food, shelter, nutritional, educational, vocational, social, spiritual etc)
- Retreats, conventions, seminars for regional leaders, youth and other groups
- Conference centre for up to 75 people including dorm accommodations, kitchen, dining hall, and meeting rooms.
Facilities would include: classrooms, library, reading room, kitchen, dining hall, dorm rooms, meeting rooms, and a recreation lounge. In the future an English primary school is planned as part of this facility.
Medical Clinic - There is a desperate need for a fully stocked and staffed medical clinic in this region. The son of Bal Vikas Kendra’s founders, Joash Raj, has recently (in 2004) completed his training (in America) as a medical doctor, specializing in pediatrics. It is his intention to establish a medical clinic in India, and set up a combination of local medical staff, and a rotation of volunteer medical staff visiting from overseas to provide the staffing requirements for this clinic.
School - Education is virtually inaccessible to the poor of this region. A free, public school would initiate a profound change to the impoverished of this area, ultimately catalyzing lasting benefit for generations to come
Sustainability:
Market research in the area has indicated a need for a convention facility. BVK plans to rent out the building for various other groups to use for their conferences, meetings, seminars, classes, camps and retreats. A fee will be charged for the classes and tutoring offered, for those able to pay. These income streams will somewhat (although probably not totally) offset the operating costs of the facility.
Cost of the Community Centre/Convention Facility Project:
BVK already owns the land, and has paid for the site plan and building plans to be developed.
Community Centre/Medical Clinic/School |
TELPURA - DEHRADUN (INDIA)
ESTIMATED BUDGET (In Indian Rupees) |
| ITEM |
AMOUNT |
TOTAL |
USD |
BOUNDARY WALL
6 ' high, 740 ' long |
1,66,500.00 |
|
|
FABRICATION & ERECTION
OF MAIN GATE 154 ft. |
54,000.00 |
|
|
CONSTRUCTION
DEEP TUBEWELL
app 300 running ft deep |
4,000,00.00 |
|
|
| |
|
6,20,500.00 |
13,550.00 |
1ST FLOOR CONSTRUCTION
7410.20 sq. ft. |
|
|
|
| warden's quarter |
|
|
|
| meeting hall |
|
|
|
| Dining Hall |
|
|
|
| Kitchen Room |
|
|
|
| Toilets |
|
|
|
| Medical clinic |
|
|
|
| Classrooms for school |
|
|
|
| Total for First Floor |
|
40,75,500.00 |
88,850.00 |
2ND FLOOR CONSTRUCTION
7318 sq. ft. |
|
|
|
| Campers Rooms |
|
|
|
| Guest Room |
|
|
|
| Classrooms for school |
|
|
|
| Toilet Block |
|
|
|
| Total for Second Floor |
|
40,75,500.00 |
87,750.00 |
| Total for Building |
|
87,20,900.00 |
190,150.00 |
| EQUIPMENT |
|
|
|
| Beds & Bedding |
3, 46, 500.00 |
|
|
| Kitchen & Pantry utensils |
84, 000.00 |
|
|
| Dining Utensils |
32, 000.00 |
|
|
Store Room
containers & Cupboards |
75, 000.00 |
|
|
| General Linen |
50, 000.00 |
|
|
| Conference Hall Equipment |
70, 000.00 |
|
|
Audio Visual Aids
& Play Equipment |
2, 80, 000.00 |
|
|
| Gardening Equipment |
25, 000.00 |
|
|
| Motorcycle |
60, 000.00 |
|
|
| Utility Truck |
5, 50, 000.00 |
|
|
Dining Tables &
Chairs/ Benches |
2, 00, 000.00 |
|
|
| Electrical Equipment |
1, 50, 000.00 |
|
|
| Other Misc. Equipment |
10, 000.00 |
|
|
| Books and School Supplies |
1,88,500.00 |
|
|
Desks, chairs and
tables for school |
2,29,300.00 |
|
|
Medical supplies
and equipment |
26,87,470.00 |
|
|
| Total for Equipment |
|
50,37,770.00 |
109,850.00 |
Total Funding Requisition
for Bal Vikas Kendra |
|
137,58,670.00 |
300,000.00 |
| |
|
|
|
Note: conversion
rate used: .0218 |
|
|
|
100% of all funds donated for this project will be applied directly to the project. Be A HERO does not keep anything for administration. Be A HERO is able to do this because the Hero Partnership and Pillar Program participants designate their donations specifically for administration. If you would like to invest in this project, we accept donations by cheque or by credit card. Click here to donate.
You will be sent a receipt for income tax purposes early in the following year.
