Accounting For The Future Orphans

The NGO is manned by Venu, his sister Swathi Reddy and his friend Prashanth. “My focus is on educating these kids to the best of their capabilities”, says Venu, who is in Delhi to complete his post graduate examinations. Venu hopes to be a pediatrician and surround himself with bright young children. The young medico’s bitter experience with NGOs had driven him to set up one of his own.

I couldn’t help but notice that most NGOs, on the pretext of a good cause, embezzle funds and indulge in questionable practices,” says Venu, who stresses on the need for legitimate sources and mechanisms to check the functioning of such organisations. Today, with a corpus of Rs 20 lakh and two branches in Karimanagar and Hyderabad, the NGO is supporting four engineering students and two candidates aiming for medical seats, expenses of which is being borne completely by Venu’s team.

Setting up the NGO was all but easy, says Venu, who encountered several roadblocks during its inception. “I was asked to pay bribes just to register the name of my NGO,” he recalls. “There is no dearth of largehearted people in India. But several NGOs and orphanages have earned a bad reputation and donors refuse to contribute as they do not know where their funds are being parked,” he says. Prashanth who is a software engineer believes that a clean and transparent system can bring many d o n o r s closer to orphans who are desperately in need of support.

“Even our auto drivers and washerwomen contribute to the education of these children as we request the donors themselves to pay the fees instead of giving it to us,” he says. Venu also wishes to address people’s disregard towards orphans. “Many of us who visit orphanages believe we are doing good to the kids. But most of us are insensitive and we don’t realise it.

I see many people visiting orphanages on weekends with a stash of books and some fruits. They arrange for temporary entertainment programmes for the kids. They do not realise that kids feel imprisoned as they have to dance and interact with the visitor in accordance with the latter’s terms,” he says, stressing that orphanages need volunteers who can contribute to serious work. “We need young people who can spend time regularly to help children with their studies.

” Venu’s NGO has also opened a branch in Hyderabad so their bright candidates could be brought to the city to be given quality education. “We have enrolled some of our kids with the Mastermind Coaching Centre for the CA examination and a few others with Chaitanya College for their Intermediate education,” informs Venu. Neo Helping Hands is looking to support orphans till they complete graduation. “Primary education has become very expensive,” laments Venu, relieved that several colleges provide scholarships to well-deserving candidates from poor backgrounds. The medico is all set to start his own school for orphaned and abandoned children. “We would accept kids of any age. The only criteria is that they should not have a living parent”, says Venu.