Cheerful givers ready to break their hundis

Anantapur: Drawing inspiration from the generous work of late Father Vincent Ferror, who worked relentlessly to transform Anantapur, scores of cheerful givers are all set to break their hundis (earthen piggybanks) on Saturday here to pool in money for providing nutritious food, education and welfare of orphan children in the district.
The ‘Seva Hundi’ programme is conducted every year on April 9, since 2012, to pay rich tributes to Father Ferror who founded Rural Development Trust to uplift Anantapur and adjoining areas from clutches of mass poverty and deprivation. In 2012, Father Ferror’s son Manchu Ferror gave a clarion call to people in the district to help their “own brethren” when the same was done by Father Ferror, who came all the way from Spain.
The idea which caught the imagination of children, underprivileged, affluent sections alike spread like a wild fire. In the first year itself, Rs 84 lakh was pooled in from 43,871 hundis. Those who intend to partake in the mass charity programme drop their ‘sacrificial offering’, that is adding up on the small change over the year. In 2014, 85,542 hundis’ contribution resulted in Rs 1.88 crore funds for orphans. Similarly in 2015, a mind boggling Rs 3.45 crore was pooled in from 1,15,000 people. The programme is held under auspices of the Rural Development Trust (RDT) founded by Father Ferror.
The funds raised through hundis are spent on education of 500 orphan children and on providing nutritious food to 5,500 children, pregnant women and senior citizens living in Nallamala forests. Speaking to The Hans India, a girl who is all set to part with her savings by breaking her hundi, says she is compelled to give after being struck by a quotation of Mother Teresa: ‘Give until it hurts.’
RDT is currently working in 3,244 villages of 102 mandals in the States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is virtually running a parallel government and implementing schemes on a scale almost equal to the district administration.