A nice surprise in my in-box … my Project Mala’s sponsored child’s school report

Amidst the adverts, circulars and scams it was nice to see in my email inbox a message sent to me by Project Mala. The charity through which I sponsor a school child in India seems to have just the right balance between making me feel acknowledged and involved without being bombarded or pestered. The message I have just opened is particularly exciting as it tells me that they have updated the latest school report of the child I sponsor so all I have to do is login with my own username and password to find out how Neha and her family are.


The report tells me the percentage marks Neha has achieved in mathematics, English, Hindi and general knowledge. It also tells me her percentage attendance: a very impressive 96.7%. I think this is particularly admirable when I read further in the report that Neha lives 4km away. I am pleased to read elsewhere in this school report that she has not had any major illness.


At the end of the report are some brief ‘general comments’ which provide me with an interesting insight into what life is like for a family in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the area of India where Project Mala works. Apparently the parents of the child I sponsor are agricultural labourers. In December last year her father sold his cow (for £31.25). His January purchase is perhaps a ‘sign of the times’…. a new mobile phone.

Newsletter: How would you read yours?

When this blog began, (please see my first entry, ‘introduction’, April 2010) I explained that one of my reasons for becoming a sponsor with Project Mala, the charity that gives quality education to children in remote villages of India, was a hope that it would be an interesting experience that would give me a chance to learn new things…as well as the child I sponsor! Receiving 'Mala News', the Project Mala Newsletter, is one of the ways I am able to learn more about what life in India is like for some children and what a small charity in England can do to make a positive difference...with a bit of help from people such as you and me. 


I appreciate the Project Mala Newsletter very much for several reasons. I appreciate ‘the reminder’ that I am a Project Mala child sponsor: having set up the sponsorship arrangement no further commitment has been required of me which must be good for anyone with a hectic lifestyle as time inevitably flies by. I am happy though to take the time to read about the impressive and significant work that is being done by Project Mala since the last newsletter I received six months ago. I do feel the newsletters are well-timed: I am contacted enough to make me feel regularly informed but I am not contacted too much that I feel bombarded with communication. Nor do I feel that a disproportionate amount of the charity’s resources are being spent on the sponsors rather than the children as the Project Mala Newsletter is just two A4 sides long, covering a range of topics in bite-sized chunks. I find the newsletter is a quick and easy read which leaves a lasting impression. I have found that a particularly memorable part of the Project Mala Newsletters is the photographs of the children, their classrooms and their teachers. See some for yourself just by clicking here.  


The latest edition of the Project Mala newsletter has been sent to me by email whereas previous copies have been paper versions, posted to my home address. The email that the Newsletter is attached to expresses concern that when sending email to their sponsors ‘on mass’, the message may be caught by a spam filter and so Project Mala requests acknowledgement that the newsletter has arrived ok. They also ask whether sponsors are happy to receive the newsletter this way in the future. Although I like a paper copy so I can read it during my daily commute, I am happy to print a copy of the newsletter for myself, thereby saving this small charity’s time and money so they can be spent on the hundreds of children and their families who are benefiting from the life-changing opportunities Project Mala provides.

Have you got a moment to take a look at a copy of Mala News now? I'm sure you'll find a fascinating read if you do. There are several copies of Mala News available on the Project Mala website which is where you can also start to sponsor a child or make a donation. I am so pleased I found Project Mala ...I hope you may be too.