THE PROJECT

I'm raising £500 for DMU Square Mile to help rebuild the homes of the Loving Community through the Manav Sadhna and Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. This will help the individuals living with leprosy raise their homes above the floods which they face during monsoon each year.

A little about me

My name is Devica Jamnadas. I am a DMU alumni and currently work as a Business Analyst at Experian. I aspire to inspire individuals and motivate them to fulfill their dreams and ambitions and along the way help as many people as possible, in ways that matter.

MY STORY

Whilst I have been to India several times with family - mostly for a vacation, religious trip or visiting relatives - for me this opportunity comes with roots-calling me to give back to the people of the place I call home.

This is very important to me because this will be the first time I will not be an NRI who feels helpless when hearing of the conditions back home. Rather I will get the chance to live and breathe the lives of the individuals of the Loving Community.

Gandhi Ashram and Manav Sadhna aims to positively help a small community of leprosy patients and their family members, known as the Loving Community. To this present day, the leprosy disease carries a severe social stigma, not only within society but also within families. The original settlers of the community were forced to flee native villages either because they felt they would shame their families if they stayed or, in some cases, faced danger because of the physical impact of the disease and the common belief that it can be spread easily. Similarly they face a lot of other challenges to be accepted in a society where the caste system also plays a major role.

Therefore, I wish to break the barriers which families, upbringing, caste system and the society has created, where the divide keeps us oblivious to the sufferings of others. For me, this will be the first time I will be able to help those I have never known before and that in itself will be the biggest achievement for me during my trip. To be able to give them my time, share my experiences and embrace their culture and lifestyle, I am hoping you can help make my endeavors a reality and fruitful.

Links

http://www.dmu.ac.uk/community/public-engagement/india.aspx

http://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2018/may/students-work-with-communities-in-india-to-protect-homes-from-flooding.aspx

Help me succeed!

Here are some ways in which YOU can help:

• Please share this project with anyone you think would support us – on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat over the fence or on your blog.
• Share it with everyone you know as we think it's a great idea, and the more people who know about it, the more likely we are to make this work out brilliantly.
• And finally please sponsor me and help make this happen. Every penny towards this cause will go a long way.