A COUPLE who met in the slums of India are jetting off to help some of the world’s poorest children after setting up their own charity.
Steve Flett and Darshika Saxena, who had previously volunteered in the poverty-stricken country, have recently set up Being Children in order to help slum and street children around the world.
The newly married couple, from Middlesbrough, decided to leave their teaching jobs at international language schools and hope to provide impoverished children with an education, healthcare, food and clothing.
The pair have teamed up with a friend to get the charity up and running on the ground and will be heading out themselves shortly.
Mr Flett said: “We have a friend in India, Robert Lyon, who has started outreach work for the charity by giving out monthly health packs to over 500 slum and street children in the state of Goa.
“Once we get there ourselves we’re hoping to use our teaching experience to conduct lessons based around the Indian curriculum. It may be that we operate initially in the slums, but hopefully we will be able to find a suitable building that can be used as a school.”
The 33-year-old Teesside University graduate added: “We’d like to focus on improving education, healthcare and nutrition, but also on the children having fun and concentrating on just being children.”
Darshika, a post-graduate in clinical Psychology, said: “We believe that in order for the children to have a good childhood, it is also necessary to involve the parents and community and spread awareness by conducting workshops and providing counselling.”
The 27-year-old added: “Change is gradual but not impossible. We hope to make that change in the lives of these less fortunate children. We can’t do this alone. We need your help and support.”
The couple, who are flying out to Goa in a couple of weeks, have set up a website www.BeingChildren.org and a Facebook page.
They are appealing for anyone who is able to help in any way, to get in touch through the website or by emailing beingchildren@hotmail.com
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