All that rain was very good for filling the well and the new percolation pond, which by raising the water table for a radius of up to 500 meters has already benefited several surrounding farms as well, and decreased soil erosion and water loss to the river. One hundred and fifty multi-purpose Palmyra trees have been planted around the pond to help stabilize the banks, along with eight new special coconut palms. Bunding and hedge planting is now ongoing work around the 1.68 acres in which the pond lies. Only when this is completed will it be filled with a rich variety of healing plants of all sizes.

This year the hottest driest months have been blessed with some rain which does not always occur at this time, so planting of field crops and a steady harvesting of vegetable is going well. One of the most important activities based on the farm is the collecting and distribution of traditional seeds to the farmers in the targeted villages. Sixteen varieties, including pulses, vegetables, millets, herbs and trees have been distributed over the year to 58 farmers. Some of them have `returned` a proportion of seeds harvested from the plants grown from the gifted seeds, thus building up a seed `library` for even wider distribution.

Dr Balasubramani has retired after six faithful years of voluntary service, conducting the twice-monthly homoeopathy clinics in Vadagarampoondi and surrounding villages. Each clinic day he travelled by four buses the 160km return journey from his city home to our remote area where health care is not easily accessible. Before retiring he made sure there was some one to take his place, and so we welcome Dr Jeevanantham, a young BHMS (Batchelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery) graduate, who travels even further each time!  Dr Jeeva is now treating around ten patients each visit, and is already popular in the village.

‘Once again I felt greatly privileged to be sharing something of the joys and also a little of the angst of the day-to-day life in the deeply rural area where our Trust is working. Travelling with me was Justin Grew, a horticultural graduate from UK. We stayed in the brick and tiled terraced multi-purpose building that has a kitchen at one end and a bathroom at the other. The bathroom has both a western style and an Indian style toilet. The water for showering and for flushing the toilet is brought in buckets from the well and ladled to where it is needed. The used shower water goes directly out through a hole in the wall at ground level, so a very simple water harvesting technique is to have plants growing right there, catching every drop without any extra effort from man, beast or machine.

Here are tomatoes and marigolds flourishing in front of the bathroom.

We arrived after dark at the tail end of a rainy period, crossing the knee high river and along the extremely slippery clay track accompanied by caring neighbours with lanterns, wind-up torch and cell phone beams. Next morning revealed the heart-warming change wrought during my two years absence. Now trees, paddy, lentils, cotton, various vegetables, medicinal herbs and flowers were flourishing in the two-acre parcel of land we call the Mother Field (around the buildings) and also in the adjacent two and a half acre plot. The distant one and a half acres had been mostly planted with bamboo. The remaining parcel of land was awaiting the percolation pond before being developed.

That morning Xavier showed us the trees he had chosen for people who have gifted them and we put the sponsors name label by each one.
 

Xavier with the tree labels

Mango tree

Nava Maram (Tamil)

Pomegranate

However, the astonishing progress which has been made will, we hope, make the wait worthwhile.

MAY is the hottest month in Tamil Nadu with temperatures often over 40 degrees so most of the farm work is done in the early morning and evening. Chilli plants are still cropping well, sesame is growing and is used as a cooking oil and for skin protection. Maize is being grown for animal fodder – thorn fencing has been erected around it so that it is not eaten by inquisitive wild animals! 100kg. of maize for human consumption was harvested on 2nd. June.
So far nothing has been grown on area 133/2a as the soil condition is extremely poor. However maize is a very tolerant plant so will be the first crop to be planted here. A total of 100kgs. of onions have been harvested.

Our most distant parcel of land (26/4) which was originally intended to be a social forest area is now being considered for planting with a special type of thornless bamboo which is not on sharp-eyed wild animals’ menu list so does not need any protection! The government will supply the saplings. It is coppiced and harvested every 5th. year, stores a high amount of CO2, has a ready sale for its numerous uses – such as scaffolding and roof beams – and is suitable for arid areas.

Several farmers’ support groups have been set up in adjacent villages where members meet to learn from each other and share resources. This hopefully is the beginning of Xavier’s long held vision for a University for Yeomen.

JUNE continued very hot and dry with temperatures reaching 41C. Strong winds made the situation worse with dust blowing everywhere and our trees having to be given extra support. All of ours survived but unfortunately fully grown trees in adjacent areas were uprooted.

At this time Typhoid Fever was rife in the area and Arokiam, the elderly retired village officer who has helped us on the land from the beginning, became ill and decided the time had come to retire. We will all miss him as his local knowledge and support have been invaluable to us, and especially to Xavier. Xavier also became ill but worked on as he had to continue taking care of the animals. Fortunately he eventually went to stay with friends who lived 4kms. away and they looked after him. Poor Xavier was also bitten twice by a scorpion but treated himself with both herbal and homeopathic preparations.

Various of the fruit trees are cropping. Aubergines and okra are producing continuously. The farm workers have been self sufficient in vegetables for six months now. More ploughing and dunging was done and an area prepared for the raising of rice seedlings before they are transplanted to the main field Lakshmi is now in calf again. Once she has calved, she and her baby will be sold as she is now 8 and is producing less milk. This is an economic decision as much of her feed now has to be bought in.

Xavier is now welcoming up to 10 people daily including from other NGOs in the district. Xavier and a group of farmers are planning to visit Auroville in July. This large community to the north of Cuddalore is now known worldwide for the work it is doing in the fields of tree planting, organic agriculture and the use of renewable energies such as solar power.

In JULY the temperatures dropped to a more comfortable level and the farm work continued. The calf was sold and some of the poultry which had been reproducing at an incredible rate were also to be sold to bring the number down to a more manageable level.

The best time to construct the percolation pond which will catch the monsoon water would be the hottest months of May, June and July. Although there is the possibility of some government aid for water saving projects, Xavier thinks we should budget for £3000 and that this should be our priority for next year. If you would like to make a donation towards this crucial project, we would be extremely grateful.

In AUGUST and SEPTEMBER Xavier and his trusty motor bike braved the pot-holed and dusty roads to have meetings with Government officers to discuss the various offers being made to farmers. In September the 200 thornless bamboo saplings were delivered and they will be planted as soon as the soil is sufficiently moist from the rains.

500 teak saplings being offered at no cost by the Forestry Department have been applied for. Teak grows well on dry land, is a good shade plant, encourages bio-diversity, sequesters carbon until it is harvested and will bring in some income.

A visit from a Government engineer has been promised. The purpose of this is to investigate the proposed site for the percolation pond and there is also the possibility of a grant towards more vermi-compost equipment.

Also in September Xavier was invited by visiting agricultural officers to attend a 4-day visit to observe agricultural work in the south of Tamil Nadu. Only some of it was devoted to ‘natural’ i.e. sustainable farming but hopefully some useful contacts were made.

This season’s crop of onions were harvested quickly before the rains could spoil them and chili plants put in their place. Towards the end of the month, more ploughing and manuring was done in some areas to prepare for the planting of approximately one acre of rice and another of cotton.

Lakshmi and new calf were sold to a farmer who has enough land to grow plenty of fodder for them and another cow and her female calf (yet to be named – suggestions please!) has been bought.

We told you earlier about Xavier treating himself for scorpion bites. He made a powder from the crushed leaves of a particular tree known to him although he cannot tell us the Latin or English names. The powder was for internal use and he also made a paste to apply to the bites. So far 16 people have benefitted from this. Normally severe pain lasts for anything up to twelve hours. With Xavier’s treatment the pain lessens within minutes and has usually completely gone within four hours – an incredible improvement.

Apologies, but no photos this time. Hopefully plenty will be sent to us by Janet Bedford during her visit. She leaves in the middle of November together with a supporter, Justin Grew, who will be doing a research project on the wild and traditional plants which grow in the area and their uses. To this end, Xavier has been asked to fence off an area of undisturbed land so that native plants may grow on naturally and Justin will then have his first study area to work on.

Janet, Xavier and Justin had applied to attend a conference in Bangalore the day after Janet and Justin arrive. Its theme is Folk and Traditional Healing and they all have been accepted.

Several people who came to our wonderful concert on Easter Monday put their names on the list to receive a DVD of the event. These are now available at a cost of £10.00 plus post and packing. It’s actually two DVDs as the concert was quite long and the producers thought it wrong to edit out some of the music. So, more for your money! If there are any more of you who were not able to attend but would welcome an opportunity to see and hear this beautiful celebration of song, an order form is enclosed.

Our website, www.chati.org.uk. is currently being revamped and should be completed by Christmas. We know that many of you have Email. Should you be happy to receive future newsletters by this method, we would be grateful if you could let us know by going to the ‘contact us’ section on the website. It’s a cheaper way for us to keep you up to date. We will then put you on the list for automatic Emailing. Obviously newsletters will also be posted on the website in the usual way. Janet will also (technology permitting…) be Twittering and Blogging on to our site while she is away which will mean we in the UK will be up to date with the latest developments more quickly than ever before.
 

For people who have never previously seen them, here they are.  

Enormous changes have taken place since Xavier, and later his fellow workers, started to work on our land. The results of his schemes can now be seen in the health and productiveness of the vegetable crops and the strong growth of the trees.

To us, the photos below are amazing. Trees which were only planted two years ago are making strong and healthy growth. Rice and lentils have been harvested as well as the onions, maize and other vegetables which we have already told you about. One of the pictures shows rice with cotton bushes in front of it. We hope to receive soon the photos of` the trees and their dedication plaques which have been sponsored by some of you and will pass them onto you as soon as possible. As you may know, conventionally grown cotton is one of the crops most frequently doused with a cocktail of pesticides and fungicides. Ours were grown solely with cow’s urine and dung, neem powder and vermi-compost spread over the area to be planted. During the cotton’s growing period, it was regularly watered with a diluted solution derived five different kinds of leaves and cow’s urine put around the root area and the result was that the bolls were totally disease free. Unfortunately, at the moment we cannot afford to apply for Organic certification so cannot sell the crop as such. However we are still looking for a buyer who might be prepared to pay us a little more for its purity.

Our initial group of three hens and and a cock which were donated by local farmers in return for some vegetables are now doing their best to help us increase and prosper and there is now aflock of thirty two birds and another hen is sitting! Xavier’s pride and delight is Lakshmi and her calf. She now provides us with milk, urine which is used for fertilizer and pest control and manure which goes on the land.

Like many other charities, we are struggling to keep CHATI afloat. Our treasurer has just done last year’s accounts and tells us that we actually forwarded more money to India than we received for the same period. This was only possible because we had started the year with a balance in our bank account, but obviously it is not a sustainable way of continuing. So we still need all your contributions as there are many plans to be implemented.

A flier is enclosed for our next fundraising event which promises to be an exciting and interesting evening. So we would urge you to support this event and raise at least some of the funds needed for us to continue the valued and valuable work which Xavier and the other workers are carrying out and which is benefitting more and more villagers in terms of teaching the way forward with their own land exchanging good food for services and labour. It has now reached the stage where local people, some of whom at the beginning doubted the sense of Xavier’s ideas, are now admitting to him that his experiments here are valid and, for Xavier, the knowledge that his dreams of starting a ‘model farm’ are beginning to come true, there is a feeling of pride in his work and a renewed sense of purpose.

We all really value your support and look forward to seeing many of you on Easter Monday evening at the church.
 

Here we are absolutely delighted that Bob Flowderdew has consented to become a patron. His belief in organic methods of gardening and agriculture is widely known and we feel that his support for us will be of much help in our future requests for funding from grant giving organisations. He has also offered to give us advice if he is able regarding problems Xavier might encounter in future.

In India the ‘new’ charity has now been registered and we know all the various regulations which control SHATI’s tax-exempt status so matters should be more straightforward from now on.

The first harvests have been gathered – tomatoes, cucumbers and ocra (ladies’ fingers) which were given out as samples especially to people Xavier wants to convince of the benefits of organic growing. Also onions which are rose coloured and very strong tasting. They made the cook weep! But the workers for whom he cooked them approved of the taste.

The animal and vermi shelter is now completed and the first batch of worms are doing well and have already produced over 200kilos of compost. Xavier will not get any animals until we have a live-in worker to look after them. However the tiled house now has a bathroom installed with a western type and an Indian style toilet, both plumbed into the cess pit behind the building. There is also a wash basin. At the other end of the building, the kitchen now has shelves.

The land to the east of the home site has been planted with its first crops using traditional seeds of cotton and rice procured from local farmers. Apparently these varieties do not need irrigation. The rice is already showing good dark green growth. Ragi (a type of millet) is to be sown on part of the land lying to the west of the well as this appears to be more fertile and the other portion used for tree planting as last year it proved extremely difficult to plough and yield its green manure crop. The 150 trees which have already been planted are growing well and are already over 5’ high. Vegetables are being intercropped between them. 1,100 feet of irrigation piping has been laid with 9 outlet branches which will be used when needed. Land levelling and contour bunding with a JCB has been completed on 3 acres and the bunding round the rice area has been planted with black and red gram (lentils) from a traditional source and the Government will buy some of the crop after harvest at a reasonable rate. The bunding will help direct the rains to the crops instead of just running to waste.
On the wider agricultural scene, apparently the government is subsidising the growing of a plant called Jatropha for bio-diesel which seems to be a project being promoted in many other countries. This, plus an increasing realisation of the importance of food security as well as inflation, has led to an increase in the price of farm land. So far we have paid on average £140 per acre for our purchases but the latest value is apparently an amazing £875 and this obviously has huge implications for our fundraising here in the UK. We have discussed the bio-diesel matter with Xavier who agrees that food security is our first aim but jatropha might be considered as an income crop at a later date.

Our bank manager, who has ten acres of waste farm-land in his native area, has held a function to launch his own organic enterprise. Xavier was a guest speaker as was a professor from an agricultural college who expressed great interest in our work. One of our objectives has always been to use our agricultural project as a farmers’ resource centre so the invitation to Xavier is another step on the way. This is already being put into action in a small way as quite a few of the local farmers are already paying visits to watch our progress and talk to Xavier about his methods. As you can see from the photo below, even when Janet Bedford was there in 2007 some of them were already interested in what we are doing.
 

Christmas catalogues are already starting to make an appearance so it seems a good time to remind you that we still have copies of our Christmas CD left at £5.00 each plus post and packing – a good ‘stocking filler’. And hopefully some of you might like to buy an ‘alternative’ Christmas present for a relative or friend - a SHATI tree for £10.00. Order forms for both these are enclosed with this newsletter. We are raising more funds by holding ‘bring and buy’ sales every Friday (unless it’s a howling gale!) outside Godshill Organics who, once again are being absolutely brilliant in the support they give us. We’d love to see some of you there - a good selection of books is one of the main features at the moment. We are hoping that the annual Pumpkin Competition will be held again this year as that also raised both money and awareness for CHATI but at the moment this is uncertain. If it does go ahead we’re sure you’ll read about it in the County Press.

From the trustees in the UK and India and the villagers who are benefiting from our work, thank you for your support and our best wishes for the coming season.
 

In January this year Barbara Gray, one of our Trustees, paid a return visit to CHATI Nagar nearly one year after opening the first building on the land and planting a coconut tree. She was amazed by the incredible change out in the fields where the growth of trees and shrubs is quite astonishing to a western eye. Xavier took great pride in showing her round and describing the many uses for all the plants and the methods used to make sure they have the best chance in life here on this very poor land.

The slogan ‘Reduce, Recycle, Reuse’ is second nature to Xavier who makes use of everything which comes to hand, and so the flooring which has been pieced together in our second building uses stone slab offcuts purchased incredibly cheaply from a stone merchant, where they were just waste material. However we understand this building can only be finished when more funding is available. At that time at least one of the rooms will be available for use as a bedroom for visitors which will be much more comfortable, used as were are in the West to ‘easy living’! The animal and vermi-compost housing is nearing completion. Animals will be purchased when we have the steady funding for a live-in farm worker. While she was there, Barbara filmed progress on the land – some of this material will appear on our web-site which is under construction. She also presented a delighted Dr. Balasubramani with a blood pressure monitor and stethescope which he had been wanting for some time.

Janet Bedford has now been back for three months and, as a retired teacher, would love to include schools among the places where she would be delighted to give talks. She would also welcome invitations to speak to Church and social groups. Her telephone number is given at the end of this newsletter. 

The pictures show Dr. Balasubramani receiving his badly needed equipment from Barbara and Xavier showing off one of the ‘fruits of their labours’. At the moment the harvest is used for the meals of the workers. Soon we hope more villagers will be benefitting. We apologise for the poor quality of the pictures this time – their journey to the screen came via a film, then a DVD and finally onto the computer!

In February, Dr. Balasubramani and Xavier were visited by another homoeopath who practises in London. Eileen is a colleague of Colin Symon, who opened the CHATI clinic two years ago. Eileen was travelling in south India and made several short visits to see our work.

A slight complication has arisen with the Indian charity due to the fact that, unless a charity registers for tax exemption at the time of its being set up, Income Tax has to be paid on all the money received, but we were not told this at the time. It only came to light when the auditor out there was doing the year’s accounts. The way round this is for another sister Indian charity to be set up with tax exemption applied for right from the start. It will obviously have the same aims and objectives and will be run in exactly the same way. However, it would be better if the name were slightly different. In Tamil, ‘ch’ and ‘sh’ are written the same and have the same sound. Therefore it is intended that the new charity in India will be called S.H.A.T.I. which will stand for Sustainable Health and Agriculture Trust India.

With this newsletter we are enclosing the proposals and costings for the projects which Xavier is hoping to undertake this year. We hope you find them interesting.

Quite a few of our supporters have expressed the opinion that we should not be sending ‘thank you’ cards for the donations we receive but should be devoting all the money to the projects but we really are so grateful that sending a card seems a very small acknowledgement of our gratitude. However, for a trial phase we will only send cards or receipts to individuals who request one or to organisations who require one for their financial records and we hope you agree with this course of action.

Other supporters have said they would like to ‘sponsor’ an animal in a similar way to several other charities as this would provide a more personal link with the work. However in our situation this is not practical so we have devised another scheme. For £10.00 you can buy a tree. Where possible there will be a choice which will be noted on the form. At other times it will be according to what Xavier is able to source and what is most suitable for the site. The tree will be planted with a metal label showing the name of the donor and the date of planting. If the tree is to be given as a gift or in celebration of a special event, a very brief message can be added. Donors (or giftees)will then receive a photo of their tree at planting time, one a year later which hopefully will show a sturdy sapling and then one when it bears fruit. In a few years time, a photo of all the fields should be a beautiful sight. The money for each tree, as well the cost of purchasing it, will cover the cost of the planting, tree guard, the compost and fertiliser which Xavier has found to give the plants the best start and the watering until it is well established.

Whilst we are delighted with the support you have all shown CHATI so far, we are wondering if there any of you who would be interested in doing a little more. We would love to have more trustees and co-opted members. Trustees obviously have responsibilities relating to the actual running of the charity and taking decisions regarding future direction. As far as we are aware, we have taken all the necessary actions to ensure that CHATI is run on a totally honest and legal basis, so future trustees will not be faced with having to undertake such an onerous task. Co-opted members don’t take policy decisions but contribute much valued ideas, energy and support. We normally have meetings once a month- the usual venue is Quay Arts where we have lunch and then a meeting- an extremely pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. This time is not set in stone and could be altered if it wasn’t convenient for anyone wanting to attend. If any of you are interested in attending a meeting to see what goes on, you are very welcome. If you telephone either Janet (01983753918) Barbara (01983 564003) or Angie (019835282779) we can let you know the date and time of the next meeting.

Finally, the web site is almost ready and already you can see some of the material on it. You can find it at www.chati.org.uk

Thank you again for all your support
 

Whilst there she saw over two dozen coconut trees and a similar number of banana trees being planted around CHATI I LAM which will initially be used as shade trees for other crops.

Young trees need protecting from marauding deer.

The leaves from bananas are used as plates and can be composted afterwards. Banana trees will crop within one year. The main cropping stem dies and is cut down, but shoots spring up
from the base in the following year and they will then bear fruit. This process can continue for some years.

Our coconuts are special. They come from Xavier’s family area and, although they take longer to start cropping, when they do the coconuts are much bigger and the flesh is meatier. Both banana and coconut leaves can be used as thatch for shelters.

Teak trees, which grow well here as they don’t need as much water as other trees, have also been planted and will be used for timber as well as being a cash crop. Vegetables and shrubby herbs will be intercropped between the trees. They make good ground cover which prevents evaporation of moisture from the soil and also add to the humus content. Green vegetables and legumes are also being planted. Xavier is learning from early trials what does
and what does not work.

Around our land holdings, shallow channels take the seasonal run off from the rains. In the future we hope to be able to trap this water and seasonally rear fish.

In the last few months the tiled multi-purpose house has been almost completed. As it has a small kitchen and a toilet area, it will mean that visiting volunteers can stay there and have a more comfortable time. More tree planting and ploughing in of the green manures will also
be taking place. The current project is the construction of a building which will provide shelter for the vermi-compost production and for cows, chickens and other live stock.

Xavier’s previous experience with a few local farmers has taught us which variety of worms and which method of production bests suits our circumstances. The worms in their beds of cow manure will need protection from hot sun, heavy rain (and chickens and other interested parties!)

As far as relating all this work to the map is concerned:

AREA 26/4 will eventually be a ‘social forest’ which will be for general village use where workers will share the benefits. At the moment it is planted with ‘fox tail’ which is a type of millet and this will be ploughed in as green manure before it goes to seed.

AREA 27/3 is fallow.

AREA 132/7 is the ‘home base’ where our first tiny building is situated which is used for storage and occasionally for sleeping in. It is also the area where the new building which is almost complete is situated, near which the vermi-compost sheds will be built. The part which is out of the construction area is also planted with foxtail.

AREA 133/2a has been roughly ploughed to assist in uprooting old thorn trees which have the most vicious spines. The branches are being used for temporary fencing and firewood.

Nothing is wasted.

The medical clinics are continuing under the enthusiastic and loyal guardianship of Dr. Balasubramani. Kannan, one of the AILELC church workers, is translating into English the testimonials of several patients concerning their benefits from attending the clinics. Prakash is continuing with his studies.

At this point we would like to thank all the people who support us and our work. A particular ‘thank you’ must go to Godshill Organics, whose continual generosity is a source of great encouragement to us and also the Christian Community in Stroud who invited us up earlier this year to take our display and give a talk and where we are returning early in November when Graham Dixon and Zarah Hible have kindly offered to put on a concert of piano and vocal music, and we will be able to show a DVD and update the congregation on progress.

Another group of supporters have kindly enabled us to produce, on a ‘cost only’ basis, a CD of Christmas music which we will have available for sale soon. The price is extremely reasonable - £5.00 plus post and packing – a really nice little stocking filler or as gifts for friends.

Despite all the efforts we are making to increase our sources of funds, we still need all the help we can get. We are waiting for Xavier to send us his project proposals and costings for 2008 and, although we know we must not take on too many projects at once, it is vital that we maintain the progress and impetus with which we started two years ago.

The people of Cuddalore and Perambulur Districts are starting to feel some benefits from all our work and we can’t let them down now. So, once again, we are hoping that you will be able to send us a donation.

Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE TO ORDER.............COPIES OF THE CHATI CHRISTMAS CD @ £5.00 each
Plus 90p. Post and packing for one or two copies
Plus £1.85p. Post and packing for more than two copies.
I ENCLOSE A CHEQUE FOR....................................MADE OUT TO CHATI.
NAME......................................................................................
ADDRESS ........................................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................................
POSTCODE ........................................
TEL. NO. IN CASE OF QUERIES........................................
Please send your completed order form to:
Angie Bromfield,
21 St. John’s Road,
Newport,
Isle of Wight,
PO30 1LN.

As we told you in our last newsletter, Janet Bedford left for India in November. She has now gone up to the Nilgiri hills where it is much cooler (the temperature around Kalpoondi is 40 C) but access to E-mails is very easy for her and her mobile phone is giving splendid connections so she is still extremely busy researching medical and agricultural matters and is in frequent contact with Xavier. Our local bank manager, who lives in Kalpoondi during the week, has now agreed to be a Trustee which is splendid news as he will be able to keep an eye on the financial side of things which will be a great help for Xavier. We also have a fifth Trustee – a member of the local farming community who is also an enthusiastic supporter of the work Xavier is initiating.

The well deepening and widening work is now completed and the water level is suitable for our needs and of good quality. The work gave employment to a team of traditional skilled well-workers based in the area. The costs involved put quite a drain in our finances but it is definitely a good investment yielding sustainably and being capable of water harvesting . Other water saving techniques will be utilized too. Xavier has been negotiating the supply of electricity to CHATI land as it might be possible to get free current for the pumping of water for irrigation - solar power is not suitable for this work. We are waiting for the outcome of his enquiries and the arrival of a 5hp. Pump and irrigation pipes.

Several months ago we received the first proposals and finance requests for Ongoing Farm Work and Land Reclamation for January – December 2007. The costings for each individual item were very precise and it was obvious that a great amount of research had been done on each project. After considering both proposals, the total cost of both of them being £5669, CHATI UK felt able to fund two separate payments each of £2000, with consideration in July of the final amount due and once we have seen evidence of how the money has been spent.

Barbara Gray, a retired Head of Nursing at St. Mary’s who is now also a Trustee made a visit, travelling from Kerala in January to spend a month with CHATI. She spent much of her time working with the hostel boys and was also requested to organise a three-day health promotion course which included first aid and hygiene , diagnosis of major diseases and Aids `awareness and the home care of patients, emotional care of the terminally ill and pre-and post-natal care and child care. She also visited outlying villages with Janet where many villagers came to seek medical advice. As well as all this, she was guest of honour at the opening of our first building! This simple stone construction about which we told you in our last letter has been completed. It was built mainly from mud, stones saved from the well enlargement, bricks and cement and also some bought in materials.

Xavier arranged for a simple opening ceremony which about 60 guests`attended. The local Catholic priest arrived on the back of Xavier’s motor bike, with his white robe flapping! Barbara, as chief guest, unveiled the stone, cut the green ribbons across the doorway and gave a ‘universal’ blessing and blessings were also given by the priest and Peter from the AILELC hostel. The building is called CHATI ILLAM which means shelter or home.

The VIP’s were garlanded, speeches made, people gathered round a beautiful coloured kolam in the larger of the two rooms, Xavier’s idea behind the ceremony was to introduce CHATI to local influential people – village officers, leading farmers, etc.so that people are aware of the value of our work to the locality. For the time being, this building will be used for storage and, when it is connected to the electricity supply, Xavier will be able to sleep there. We have now also received the Proposals and Budget Requests for the continuation of the Integrated
Healthcare Clinics and also for Support Staff. As it is crucial that the clinics continue, we have agreed to send a proportion of that budget but cannot, at the moment, finance the cost of support staff although we are aware that Xavier’s workload is becoming larger by the day. We are rapidly reaching a critical level in our finances and are having to balance the importance of continuing the projects already started as against extending our energies to other work. Should you feel able to give us any further financial support at this time, it will enable us to consider further funding for both these projects. Dr. Balasubramani is still conducting his fortnightly clinics `as well as having assisted at clinics in several other villages. In particular he received an invitation to attend at a fishing village on the Tsunami stricken Tamil Nadu coast. Even two years after that horrifying event, many villagers are still suffering physical and mental ill health – their feeling being that their friend the sea, with whom they
had lived` for years and from whom they derived their living, had suddenly destroyed them and now they feel insecure and betrayed.

Prakash, our student homeopath, has finished his second year of studies and was thrilled to be chosen as one of three students to prescribe at a day camp in a poor area of Coimbatore, travelling overnight to get there. His experiences there were similar to those he had already experienced when helping at CHATI clinics in regard to the number of patients and the complaints from which they were suffering.

All in all, we feel we have made a good start but are becoming more and more aware of how much work there is to do before the people living in the villages where CHATI is working can benefit from a long term and sustainable improvement in their lives. It is good to feel that they are all very enthusiastic about CHATI and have pledged their support for the projects being undertaken there.

Together we can all achieve these goals.

We hope to be able to include further photographs of the progress so far in our next newsletter. Our next fundraising event will be on the afternoon of Sunday 9th. September at Northcourt.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have generously allowed us to use their beautiful home and grounds for a cream tea and musical entertainment, both choral and instrumental. There will also be time for guests who wish to walk round the wonderful gardens – a real treat as they are usually only open on ‘Yellow Book’ Days. There will also be a raffle. We will be sending all our` supporters a flyer soon so, if you live on the Island or are on holiday here, we would love to see you and as many of your friends as`would also like to come.

On behalf of CHATI UK and all the villagers of Cuddalore district, thank you for your support.

At the moment many villagers have Chikun Gunia – similar to flu but with long lasting symptoms – and most of them are showing great improvement after his treatment. We are so amazed by the support Dr. B. is showing for this project as he has only one day off a week from his usual work and has to travel for over two and a half hours by two buses just to reach the clinic from his home in the nearest city.

Malene Vlarsen has made a second visit to work in the clinics and followed up some of her cases. Colin Symon from the UK, also a homeopathic practitioner, travelled there at the beginning of the year as well, treated many people and cut the ribbon for our new (rented) clinic and office room.
As you can see from this photo, sanitation and general environmental matters are of enormous importance to local villagers who are themselves taking positive action to improve their situation.

Xavier, our ‘man on the spot’ recently attended a two day ‘Natural Farmers Movement’ meeting that took place near his home village. CHATI has been registered as one of the members. It appears that much interest is now being shown in various parts of India for a more natural way of farming to counteract the reliance on chemically supported agriculture and the reaction by villagers to the big chemical manufacturers and inventors of the
Terminator’ gene as they realise these will destroy all their knowledge of sustainable ways of producing food. The Indian government is now also supporting sustainable agriculture and is starting to provide training for farmers so all our efforts are going in the right direction, albeit very slowly. We now own a total of four acres of land, a deposit has been put down on a further one and a half acres and more is being negotiated. This would mean that we will have eight acres. By careful negotiation Xavier has managed to keep the price low. A well is being widened and deepened and a stone building is being constructed which can be used for storage and for training courses for the farmers.

A different building as our base is now being rented in the village which is more secure than our previous one. It will mean Xavier can live there which is ideal as he will then be only fifteen minutes walk away from the main part of our land. It can be used as an office, a base for the clinics and visitor accommodation and hopefully a western style bathroom can be installed.

Xavier will be working full time` for CHATI from January 2007 and is currently working on a detailed five year plan and budget. His enthusiasm for everything we are all trying to achieve is quite fantastic. We feel that we should support him as much as possible and for this reason Janet Bedford left for India in November and will probably stay for a year. It is truly an exciting time for us all but……………..

As you can see, our projects are really taking off and Xavier has many ideas for broadening the work. However, we have now reached a situation where, despite the fundraising we have done this year, we have nearly run out of money. Unless we can fill the coffers very soon, the work will come to a halt with sad consequences for the people who were just starting to benefit from the work.

You have been so generous in the past, if you feel able to donate again we would really appreciate it. A donation form is enclosed – and thank you.

To begin with, we have heard from Janet Bedford (founder Trustee) who has been in Tamil Nadu for the past six months. The first step that Janet and our Indian associates have taken is the purchase of two and a half acres of impoverished land which will be improved with vermi-culture as a preparation for sustainable organic farming. The farm will also be used to train local farmers in these methods.

A new project Janet has told us about involves village people utilising traditional herbs to make anti-viral and anti-fungal toothpowder. The income from this project will be used as seed money for additional local self-help enterprises.

The other piece of exciting news is that a building in the vicinity of Kalpoondi is being rented in order to set up an integrated medical clinic offering first aid, herbal and homeopathic medicine for poor local villagers. It is our intention to partially staff this facility with homeopathic graduates from Europe who wish to gain experience of tropical health problems, diseases and homeopathic keynote prescribing ( which is a useful method for
quick prescribing). We are pleased to report that our first homeopathic graduate volunteer, a practitioner from Denmark, Malena Vlarsen, recently completed a one-month intensive prescribing programme as part of the integrated medical clinics.

Jayaprakash Williams is in his first year of a homeopathic medical degree course which we are funding. When he has time he helps at CHATI clinics including a Christmas Day camp held in another village.

Needless to say, all of these ambitious projects require substantial funding and we are looking to our generous supporters and sponsors for additional donations. If you feel able to contribute, we have attached a donation and Gift Aid form. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported and continue to support our work amongst some of the poorest people on earth.