Project Updates from India
Follow the latest news and progress from our charitable projects.
Second Board Visit of 2026: Bringing Help in Kurnool’s Heat
Our second board visit to Kurnool in July 2026 took place in intense heat. Access to drinking water, freshly prepared meals and personal support was all the more important. Board member Monika Pfeifer, who has been involved in our charitable work for many years, joined us once again.
A Laptop for the Future
In July, we were able to fulfil a request first shared with us during our Easter visit: a student supported by our HIV programme received his own laptop at a special presentation. It will help him study, complete assignments and access new knowledge.
The handover was a joyful moment for everyone involved. It showed how a personal conversation can lead to practical support — and how important it is to listen to young people and encourage them throughout their education.
Water, Hand Fans and Hot Meals
To help people cope with the high temperatures, we gave out 50 hand fans to people in need on the streets of Kurnool. We also distributed drinking water and hot meals, freshly prepared in our community kitchen according to Ayurvedic principles.
Monika helped serve meals at the ashram and joined deliveries to neighbourhoods facing severe poverty. With a rickshaw loaded with food, water and fans, the team reached people most in need of support. These deliveries also brought help to people who were ill, frail or experiencing homelessness and unable to attend the ashram’s daily meal service.
New Shoes for the Schoolchildren
Alongside our ongoing support, we purchased new shoes for the children at the Balasai Free School. Their feet were carefully measured using a template beforehand to ensure a proper fit.
Well-fitting shoes make the journey to school easier and protect children’s feet in everyday life. Their joy and gratitude showed how much even a seemingly small act of kindness can mean.
Our July visit reminded us once again of the value of personal conversations and close cooperation with local volunteers. We thank all our donors and supporters for making this practical help possible.
Easter Board Visit 2026: Making a Difference Every Day
At Easter 2026, board members, honorary members, association representatives and long-standing supporters travelled from Germany and Austria to Kurnool. Among them were Martin Krampfl and Monika Pfeifer. Together, they visited ongoing projects, met with the local team and helped distribute meals.
Particular attention was given to how the projects are organised and how donations are used responsibly. Martin Krampfl, our business administration specialist and financial controller, reviewed local procedures and accounts. Close cooperation between the team in India and those responsible in Austria and Germany is essential to delivering reliable support.
A New Kitchen Providing Daily Support
Our fully funded community kitchen had been completed and officially opened a few months earlier. The Easter visit gave the group an opportunity to see it in daily operation.
Since April 2026, the meal programme has been running every day. Around 50 meals a day are currently distributed on the streets of Kurnool, while a further 30 to 70 people in need receive a daily meal at the ashram.
A cook and an assistant cook have been employed to prepare the meals. They follow Ayurvedic principles, with an emphasis on balanced nutrition. Despite difficulties with the gas supply and the challenges this creates, the Trust’s staff continue to prepare meals reliably every day.
Reaching People in Need Together
Our board members helped serve meals both at the ashram and on the city’s streets. Alongside local volunteers, they travelled by rickshaw with freshly cooked meals to reach people unable to attend the meal service themselves — particularly those experiencing homelessness, illness or physical weakness.
A warm meal eases hunger. A personal encounter also brings kindness and the reassurance that someone cares. This is central to our work: treating people facing hardship with respect and offering practical support.
Daily Meals for Children at the Balasai Free School
Children at the Balasai Free School, which we support in Kurnool directly beside the ashram, also receive a meal every day. On school days, they are additionally given prasad — blessed food — after singing bhajans, or devotional songs, in the morning.
Alongside this ongoing meal provision, we were able to offer further practical help. New shoes were purchased for the schoolchildren — a simple contribution that makes a real difference to their everyday lives.
The visit showed how much reliable cooperation can achieve. Our heartfelt thanks go to the local staff and volunteers, and to all the donors and long-standing supporters who make this daily care possible.
HIV Support: Protecting Health and Opening Doors to Education
During our Easter visit, we distributed medicines and food packages to children, young people and students living with HIV. We also spoke openly with them about their needs, the challenges they face each day and the support they urgently require.
This support continues throughout the year. We currently help around 50 people each month, providing food, assistance with access to HIV medication and other essential support. Computers have also been provided to students living with HIV or facing severe financial hardship.
During this visit, two students specifically asked us to share their letters with our donors. They want people to understand their circumstances and how much timely support matters for their health, education and journey towards an independent life.
Two Personal Stories
The following personal accounts have been lightly edited for clarity before publication.
“Hello, my name is R., and I am in my third year studying biotechnology. I have been living with HIV since birth. Both my parents died when I was a child, leaving me to fend for myself.
Poverty, malnutrition and health problems have made life very difficult. To continue my studies, I took on small jobs wherever I could find work. For almost eight years, I faced many hardships. Even so, I never gave up and kept trying to move forward.
After so long, I have finally received support, and I am very grateful. Thank you.”
R., biotechnology student
Another letter expresses the need for help with healthcare costs and support with studying:
“I am currently studying for a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE).
I have been living with HIV since I was born in 2001. Both my parents were also living with HIV, but at the time they did not have the information they needed about the condition. Today, my mother supports me on her own.
I need help to cover any hospital and treatment costs if health problems arise in the future. I would also like a laptop to help me with my studies and explore new technologies.
Support with my education and everyday essentials would help me continue my studies. Help with finding work after graduation and taking the first steps towards an independent life would also mean a great deal to me.
Thank you for any support you can give.”
Creating Opportunities Together
These letters show the determination with which these young people pursue their education despite difficult circumstances. Reliable medical care, adequate nutrition and suitable learning resources can help them continue on that path.
Your donation helps provide essential support and opens up new opportunities for young people. We are grateful to everyone who stands alongside us and supports our HIV programme.
Within days, we had arranged a laptop for the student — and further support followed.
Board Visit in June 2025
In June 2025, our chair, Monika, travelled to India to see our ongoing projects first-hand.
Her visit and the dedicated work of our partner organisation, the Balasai Baba Trust, attracted considerable attention in the Indian press and on several regional television channels.
One question came up repeatedly: how can relatively modest resources make such a lasting difference to so many people?
The coverage also included an interview with Vinod, our board member in India, which you can watch here.
Below are excerpts from press and television coverage:
(Videos and links to follow)
A Caring Community
A Home for Children and Adults Living with HIV
Update from June 2025
In many parts of India, children and adults living with HIV still face rejection and exclusion. Every day, we see how stigma affects their lives: they are often made to feel unwelcome in temples, places of worship and public facilities.
At the Balasai Baba Trust, our compassion knows no boundaries.
A few kilometres outside Kurnool, we support a residential community that offers people living with HIV a new home. Among its residents are orphaned children who have lost their parents to AIDS.
Here, they find medical care, but above all love, security and the chance to simply be children — with dignity, hope and a future to look forward to.
Adults living with HIV have also become part of this community, sharing a life built on acceptance and mutual support.
It is deeply important to us that everyone here has a place where they feel welcomed and cared for, free from fear, exclusion and rejection.
Please join us in supporting this work.
You are warmly invited to visit us in Kurnool, southern India, to meet the people we support and see first-hand the difference your kindness makes.
Thank you from the heart for your contribution.
Nutritious Meals Every Day – Thank You for Your Regular Donations
Update from June 2025
In Kurnool, southern India, people most in need receive a warm, nutritious meal every day, funded through our Annadanam daily meal programme at the ashram.
Our goal was to secure enough regular donations by 1 June 2025 to sustain the programme for the long term. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we achieved this:
More than €1,100 in monthly donations has been pledged.
This ongoing support secures daily meals for around 50 people — a powerful expression of compassion, hope and solidarity.
A new community kitchen is currently being built at Kurnool Ashram to prepare the meals. You can see the first photos of the construction progress in the gallery below.
📸 Click the button below to see the latest construction photos and follow the progress of our community kitchen.
Our heartfelt thanks go to all our supporters for their generous contributions to this important project.
