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 It costs so little to change the life of so many and to bring a smile to a mother’s face knowing that she can get emergency medical help for her child.
 The Founder and President of Siloam International Dr Karl Becker (right) with Dr Sarojini Thomas (left), one of Siloam’s first eye surgeons to be employed.
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Siloam
project in Chennai, South India
Dear
Friends,
The budget of Siloam-India each month amounts to over £10,500. Although
a good portion of these funds are raised in Germany and Switzerland, I
am asking our UK Siloam supporters to play a larger role in helping to
support this ministry which is a practical christian witness in the Hindu
heartland. Although a good number of our mission friends are helping directly
by sponsoring children in our hostels for the blind, the deaf and dumb
and our girls' home, their sponsorship commitments are not intended to
cover all the total commitments of the hostel expenses which amount to
£2,500 per month. This is what it costs to look after a 110 children
and provide accommodation, education, food, clothing and medical expenses.
But, if you want to sponsor a child, we will send you a photo and personal
details of a particular boy or girl so you can pray for and help to support
them for just £10 per month.
Our medical centres are vital in South India in remote areas as often
a doctor may be miles away yet alone a hospital which although may provide
free medical treatment, may be just too far away. Our medical centres
and eye hospital in Chennai demand a budget each month of at least £1,200.
This is in addition to our monthly budget for our eye hospital in Coimbatore
which also needs to maintain a monthly budget of £1,500 paid by
UK supporters.
To maintain our 56 Siloam churches, we need £2,400 each month to
look after the needs of our pastors and their families as well as maintain
their churches. Often the congregations are so poor that they are unable
to maintain any realistic contribution. Occasionally, food or firewood
is given to help a pastor’s family but this does not really meet
his financial needs.
Siloam’s Golden Crown Bible College and Seminar also requires a
budget of £2,500 every month to look after its 75 students and pay
for all the faculty and provide food for every student for which we only
allow £10 per month.
Then, we come to the item which no one wants to pay for the administration!
Well, we have to pay salaries, rents and watchmen and medical staff, and
many items that you would expect in any institution in South India. Although
we try to keep the administration costs as low as possible, we still have
to find around £1,700 per month to pay for electricity, postage,
telephone, transport and also the Provident Fund which in December last
year costs us an extra £3,000 because we had to pay a back payment
to the Government for something like National Insurance.
So, you can see that this project is very challenging but the problem
is, most of our German supporters are now getting older and frailer and
unable to contribute as they did in the past. Also, the German economy
is not doing as well as in previous years and many people are being forced
to pay for their health care costs just like we are in the UK.
But, I believe it’s vitally important that we help to maintain this
Siloam project in Chennai (formerly known as Madras) so that we can continue
to have a christian witness in this spiritually dark subcontinent.
Your gift of £100 could help provide medical supplies for our clinics
and eye hospital. A gift of £50 will help to supply all the needs
of 2 children in one of our hostels for one month.
A gift of £60 could pay for a refractionist in our eye hospital
and a gift of £90 will pay the monthly salary of a doctor, just
imagine how much our GPs earn here.Whatever you can afford will be vitally
appreciated. Gifts of £5, £10 and £20 will be added
together to meet our monthly commitment. Last month, I sent you our annual
budget proposal brochure which states that we need to give at least £1,000
from the UK. This is already really in need of updating if our colleagues
in Germany are not going to be able to contribute in such a generous way
as they have in the past.
Please give as generously as you can so that the projects can be maintained
because this is a real life saving ministry to so many who are unable
to afford proper education or medical care.
Also, it is a vital spiritual lifeline to young men who want to be equipped
in our Theological Seminary to be christian workers and ministers throughout
the length and breadth of India.
Please donate generously, your contribution will mean so much to those
who have so little.
Yours sincerely on behalf of those in need in South India
Richard Norton
Director - Siloam UK
Gift
Aid Declaration Form
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