People First International

 

Helping the poor of India

             "giving hope where before there was none"

People First International (PFI) is a Charity which has been operating now for over 14 years.  It was started in 1992 by Nick Hansen when he was visiting a very poor part of India with an Indian friend,  Deepak Kumar.  They were in a  village in Bihar State and saw a child waiting in an empty building.  When asked  what he was doing,  he said he was waiting for the school to start.  He had been waiting for a long time,  because although the building was there,  the State had no money to pay for a teacher!  So,  no school!

At that point,  Deepak and Nick decided they would do their best to start a school in that village.  Back in the UK,  Nick started to raise money from friends and neighbours,  and the Charity PFI was born!   It has steadily developed from then to the point now where some 2000 children in the Bihar and Jharkand States of India are receiving education from the organisation now known as People First Educational Charitable Trust,  (PFECT) ; a Charity registered in India under Indian Trust Law Number 9062, which provides education and training for children and women in the BodhGaya, Bihar area of India.

In the UK, PFI became a Registered Charity Number 1113822 in April 2006. We have a Board of Trustees who administer the Charity, All workers for PFI are volunteers and the administrative costs are as close to zero as possible.  As a registered charity we are allowed to reclaim tax paid by our donors in the UK.  This adds 28% to those donations.  If you wish to contribute you will find information on the donate page.

Resume Photo Read an article on the conditions existing today in the Bihar region of India
Bihar Today - A backward glance
The Bihar region of India
CURRENT NEWS

Photo from Album Number 21
Winter warmth and blanket appeal. Many thanks.
Children at Gaya Special Home received warm woollen sweaters and blankets recently as the cold winter nights are rapidly approaching. The District welfare officer, and the Magistrate in charge of the home helped distribute the sweaters and blankets along with writing books and pens, all donated by the Trust.

The Trust will continue to make sure no child suffers from the cold at the home, and will continue to work with the authorities to help improve living conditions at the home .We will continue to help ensure the prompt release ,paticulary of innocent children falsely implicated in criminal cases, and those charged with very minor offences, or no offence at all.

At a seperate function at Rescue Junction the Supt of Gaya Police helped distribute more blankets and sweaters. The Supt wrote in the Visitors book, .......view more
Photo from Album Number 22
Welcome
It was our pleasure to welcome Janet and Wylie Greig from OWCF (USA) to see our projects recently, here seen visiting Khiryama School.

Everyone at PFECT expresses their gratitude for their interest in our work, and send our thanks and best wishes to all at OWCF , an organisation based in California which has supported our work for many years.
.......view more
Photo from Album Number 58
Floods in Bihar
May be you heard a brief news item this morning saying that Bihar had suffered severe flooding.
A damn had burst in Nepal the river water had forced an entirely new course through Bihar leaving untold damage in its trail.

I became less bleary eyed rather quickly but was reassured when they said it had happened 10 days ago but the extent had not been recognised until the Prime Minister had flown over it.

Any way I did phone Nick who said "Oh yes it happens every year large funds are on their way but already the pillagers are rampant and the wicked powerful ones will take all the money and nothing good will come of it, as usual"

So just to set your minds at rest and to ensure none of you think no more fund raising is necessary as they have all been wiped out .......view more
The Story of People First

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It all began in the Spring of 1992. In the beginning, there was one School, in the Village of Paini. About 80 Children assembled under a tree, with one teacher, and began to lea rn to read and write.

Gradually and naturally other Village Schools began to start running, often educating the first generation for a hundred years or more. Other local people came forward expressing a willingness to become involved in the work. Over 20 Villagers all got together from the Village of Kanjiar and offered to donate land to the Trust. All they wanted in return was a proper School for all the Village Children. The Kanjiar Project was born.

Support began to come from other countries and kind individuals raised funds within their own countries; from Switzerland, America, Austria, and Australia, and in the U.K.

A Women's Sewing Centre was started, giving the Women of the Village a place to meet and support each other, as well as learn sewing skills and perhaps eventually own their own sewing machine and earn an independent source of income with the help of an interest free loan provided by the Trust.

A local lawyer came forward in India and offered to register the Trust and form a fully legal Indian Organisation with Charitable Tax - Free status, and government permission was also obtained form the Union Home Ministry to receive foreign funds.

A Group of doctors from the U.K came forward with the idea of improving the Health in the Villages, where no such Health care exists, even forming a Newly -registered Charity in the U.K - "Health For All ", based in Kent to support such Projects on a grant aid basis. This Project aimed at Women and young mothers is now up and running.

The Trust wanted offer something to our Students who were not Academic, but had other skills and talents like Song & Dance, Art, Drama, & Practical skills. The idea of a Vocational Training College was born, which will also offer Adult Education, and eventually quite possibly Computer Training. Construction has already started, Thanks to a Capital grant from the Karuna Trust in the U.K.

And for the future, the Trust is considering an Agricultural and Forestry Project to both raise income for the Trust through cash crops but also offer training course to poor local farmers with on-going support and seeds etc, so they can increase their families income.

So from that One School in 1991, 16 Schools now educate over 2000 Children daily. A small Hostel accommodates certain selected students to study seriously for their School leaving examinations and University entrance examination. Two Students, originally form our Village School are already half way through their B.A & B.Sc University courses.

We are building 2000 futures, and giving hope where before there was none.


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Registered Charity 1113822.

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