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Actress Shelley King first heard about HOPE during a memorial service for a friend and fellow actor. Now a long-standing HOPE Ambassador, Shelley reflects on her first visit to the charity’s programmes in Kolkata and being a child sponsor.
I first heard about HOPE at a memorial ceremony for the actor Saeed Jaffrey, who was a close friend of mine and had intended to support HOPE had he lived.
I was prompted to support the charity in memory of Saeed. So, when I was next in Kolkata, which is my birthplace, I met with the late Geeta Venkadakrishnan, who was then director of HOPE in Kolkata.
She was an inspired and an inspiring lady. She took my partner Trilby and I to see slum communities, Residential Childcare Centres for street-connected children, Hope Hospital, the schools, and creches in the city and its surrounding suburbs. We were introduced to children and young adults who had been abandoned, exposed to trafficking and abuse.
I will have an abiding memory of the following: the tireless bravery of the small HOPE team. The work at the outstanding Hope Hospital. The achievements of the young adults who have built lives and careers as a result of the lifelong support they are given from the charity. It was a delight when we visited the beauty parlour [part of HOPE’s Life Skills Training Institute] and received manicures and pedicures while having great fun with the trainee beauticians. The IT department is particularly impressive for both boys and girls, providing real opportunities for work in an ever-expanding industry.
Over the years we have met with children and young adults, sung songs, had serious conversations, and aside from their obvious academic achievements we have been struck by the smiling faces, laughter, and contentment that they radiate.
HOPE does not just stick a plaster on the wound, it gets to the root causes of poverty and gives the lessons and tools to allow people themselves to make sustained change and progress in their lives. Those who work for HOPE, both globally and in the UK and Ireland, do so with a kind of dedication and selflessness that the organisation, founded and lead by Maureen Forrest inspires.
HOPE is a fully transparent charity, and any donations will go directly to those in need. This I have seen with my own eyes.
Sponsoring a child is a wonderful two-way experience. The children themselves benefit from a sustained and personally focused education and for the sponsor there is a deep joy and satisfaction in seeing the children grow and develop year on year, shared photographs depicting their achievements, and their happy smiling faces say it all.
