Fundraising

Although we have had a lot of in-kind support - see below - we do need some money to sustain the project. For example we pay two voluntary workers who catalogue, classify and shelve the toys and learning resources a monthly remuneration of $30 ($ 15 each) per month. The workers change each month. Also there are costs associated with moving the boxes from New Delhi to Dhemai. With the first shipment representatives from the local organisations travelled to Delhi to meet the shipment and take it back by train. In addition after discussions with local people we would like to fund some bednets for distribution and perhaps source some sewing machines and pay a local person to teach some of the women how to sew. At the moment local women make their own cloth on looms at the centre but it would be useful for them to be able to use this cloth to make clothes or items for sale.

All this costs money and we are holding a fundraiser - a quiz night - on the 17th March 2007 with John Kenneally, one of the Bald Brothers on ABC Radio as our MC.

Our supporters

Initially we raised $1200 through donations and fundraising initiatives to cover establishment and incidental costs but many of the other expenses for the project have been covered by direct support from organisations and individuals:

•Around 700 toys and learning resources were acquired through donations from toy libraries in South Australia, schools such as Burnside School and individuals and welfare organisations like Lions Club of Edwardstown.

•STA Travel Trust gave us a grant to cover travel expenses for Rupali to travel to Assam

• Udoy negotiated with Malaysian airlines and DHL Courier service to carry the freight free of cost from Adelaide to New Delhi.

•Two local organisations in Assam (SPADE and Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development) worked together in developing and implementing an early childhood development project at the grass root level

A Healthy Village

The Toy Library is functioning well and is proving a valuable resource for the school and for the children in Dhemai. At the request of the village, Rupali's parents, Bhuban and Meera Saikia donated a harmonium, a hand-pumped keyboard instrument (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonium) to the village. At the opening cermony of the toy library we noted that the children sang but there was no musical accompaniment so the harmonium will be a very welcome addition for village celebrations.

With the help of the the Edwardstown Rotary Club we were able to send T-shirts, baby blankets and caps in November. We are now investigating the most cost-effective way to provide bed nets for malaria prevention to people in the village.