Below is the report on the start of the 2024 school year from the Ted Foundation and Help A Kerala Child Charity. The school year in Kerala commenced on June 3, 2024.
Overview of Ted Foundation
Ted Foundation (Charity number: 1119772) currently supports 195 children in Alappad in Kollam district, 4 children in Idukki, and 21 children in Arattupuzha of Alappuzha district.
- Key People Behind Ted Foundation
Linda Cartwright, UK – Founder and Trustee
Philip Abraham, UK – Trustee
Karren Warwick, UK – Trustee
Padma Kumar, UK – Trustee
Ann Fitsell, UK – Sponsor/Supporter
Sunil Varkey, India – Co-ordinator
Arun Chandran, India – English Tutor
Jyothy Byju, India – Mother Co-ordinator
A gathering was organised to distribute school essentials at all three project locations: Idukki, Arattupuzha, and Alappad, on June 25th, 28th, and 29th, respectively. All children were provided with a rucksack filled with Back to School Essentials.
Foundation History
TED Foundation was started by Linda Cartwright, who resides in East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. With support from Kerala Link, the project grew and managed to find sponsors for about 305 children. 106 children have completed their school education with the support of the Ted Foundation and have moved on to further education and employment in government, private and Gulf countries. The foundation is now incorporating a support process for children leaving the project, in case they need help or advice.
Idukki Project
The Idukki Project was initially formed with the active participation of Mrs. Anne Fitsell, who is originally from Idukki district but now lives in England. She is a major supporter and sponsor of the TED Foundation and was instrumental in organising the Idukki project. Although she usually visits the children and presents the Back to School Essentials, she couldn’t attend the gathering this time.
The Back to School Essentials distribution was attended by Ted Foundation Trustees Linda Cartwright, and Charity Co-ordinator Sunil Varkey.
Help A Kerala Child – A Kerala Link Project at Arattupuzha
This project at Arattupuzha in Alappuzha District, initiated by Kerala Link to expand Ted Foundation, offers additional support to help these children become reasonably fluent in English, aiding them in finding jobs in other states and Gulf countries. Weekly English tuition with a focus on spoken English is provided to the sponsored children.
The Back to School Essentials distribution event held on June 28th was attended by Philip Abraham, Linda Cartwright, Karen Warwick (former teacher), Sunil Varkey, Arun Chandran, Jyothi, and Nicole Abraham, a UK Secondary School teacher.
Nicole used the opportunity to give the children a one-hour English lesson, supported by Karen, prior to the distribution of school kits, with their parents watching in the background. Nicole prepared a lesson about England and life in London, and she was impressed by the children’s ability and participation. They read the write-up handed out about London and answered questions posed by Nicole. She plans to provide further online classes via Teams to support them.
Alappad Project
The Alappad project currently supports 195 children from economically backward families in the tsunami-affected Alappad village. The School Kit distribution held on June 29th was attended by Linda Cartwright, Sunil Varkey, and Jyothi.
IT Centre at Alappad
Ted Foundation has an IT Centre at Alappad equipped with 9 desktop computers and 2 laptops with broadband connections. The IT Centre provides online services for children to research school projects and associated schoolwork. It is also useful for downloading academic books and content for academic projects. The computers are used to check exam results, apply for higher education courses, and various application forms, as well as to apply for jobs online.
Reference Library
A reference library is also functioning with the IT Centre, now housing 186 Malayalam books and 279 English books available for reference.
Support us:
If you would like to support any of the TED Foundation projects, please contact Philip Abraham via email at philip@keralalink.co.uk
