Our project director Monica Augustine shares her thoughts on how our young people thrive thanks to the opportunities they are given through Batemans-Satkaarya. Four of them are pictured above with an awareness poster they created about drug abuse.

The best part about the work that we do at Batemans-Satkaarya is to see our naïve little girls transform into ‘stronglligent’ (a term coined by our very own girls) women who are able to stand up to the pressures and challenges of this world.

It is a very proud moment to see and hear stories of resilience, courage and determination of our girls who have taken every challenge in their stride and have stood up for their rights, even if it meant losing prestigious opportunities. Nothing deters them from pursuing their goals!  Hence it is always very special to watch our older girls who have gone out to come back and inspire the younger lot by sharing their valuable life lessons.

Every girl who has passed out from Batemans-Satkaarya has a wonderful story to tell of how the myriad opportunities presented here have made a significant impact on how successful, strong and independent they are today. These range from being able to access the books in the library to the various activities in the form of art, music, dance, drama, sports, life skills, presentations, responsibilities and the freedom to think and voice out their opinions and suggestions.

In a world where so many people take only to Google and ChatGPT, children at Batemans-Satkaarya still refer to various books and newspapers for putting together information and presentations. A testament to this fact was when one of our girls, Jestina Mckenzie, was recently recruited by Ford India based on the wonderful presentation that she had done and Jestina attributes her success entirely to similar opportunities presented at Batemans-Satkaarya.  And to this very day, Batemans-Satkaarya continues its good work empowering little girls to think and explore and chase their dreams.  The pictures here stand testament to the impact of our work.

 

 

Special snack after school

Traditional clothing from Assam

A time for fun

A massive thanks to all the volunteers who helped out at the Batemans’ food stand at July’s Truck Festival, near Oxford.

Once again, festival-goers flocked to the Batemans stand, ensuring that more than £13,000 was raised.

Meanwhile, our trustee and founder, Alex Jacob, was featured in the Oxford Times’ positive coverage of the event. (See the cutting from the Oxford Times below.)

 

 

Batemans trustee Vinod Hallan has stepped down from his role after many years’ service.

We wish him the very best and owe him many thanks for his support over the years. One of his main roles was as a valuable adviser to our project team in Chennai who benefited from his extensive experience in education.

He has also raised thousands of pounds for Batemans, including a successful sponsored walk along the Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, as shown in the picture above.

Becky Sewell, chair of trustees, said: “A massive thank you to Vinod for all he has done for Batemans. It’s great to know that all our staff (and the children they help) will continue to reap the benefits of his wisdom and insights.”

A Chennai-based engineering company has made a major contribution to Satkaarya this year.

Pricol Engineering Industries has allocated approximately £24,000 from its corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund to help fund our work.

Chennai-based trustee Natasha Conlon first introduced Pricol to the project in 2023 and now Raghland Samuel, managing trustee for Satkaarya, has secured the funding.

Raghland added: “We are hoping for further good news from other India-based companies we have approached for CSR funding.”

We are looking forward to welcoming lots of our supporters to a special drinks reception on Thursday 8 May at the historic Tallow Chandlers Hall in London.

It will be a chance for hear from Batemans trustee and award-winning conservation architect Paul Crosby, who travelled 18,000 miles by motorbike from our hostel in south India to his home in Cumbria.

Paul has already delivered three sold-out talks in his home town of Kendal. Now he’s heading south!

Book your tickets here. And find out more here.

Another event that’s approaching fast is our annual plant and cake sale in the wonderfully restored gardens of St John’s Church in Chelmsford, Essex on the morning of Saturday 3 May. We hope to see some of our loyal Essex supporters there.

 

Batemans has benefited for many years from the generous support of the Tallow Chandlers Livery Company.

So our team in Chennai was delighted to receive a visit from Jonathan Spence DL, a senior member of the company and also a distinguished Freemason.

The girls entertained Jonathan and his colleagues with special dance and song and a presentation of their life at Satkaarya. Afterwards Jonathan described his experience as “extraordinary and uplifting” and observed that the Trust “makes a meaningful, transforming difference to the girls for whom they care”.

We are delighted that one of our students, Gayathri, is back to normal active life, after undergoing a series of medical interventions for a life-threatening congenital condition.

In total, Gayathri has undergone four major surgeries since joining Satkaarya, but now she is recovering looking forward to starting school soon.

We are very grateful to all the kind people who generously contributed to Gayathri’s cause.

 

The year 2025 began on a festive note with the celebration of Pongal, the equivalent of harvest festival in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The girls dressed up in traditional attire, drew colourful rangoli patterns on the hostel floor and performed at a grand dance show organised by one of the leading dance academies in Chennai.

 

Hear from Batemans trustee and award-winning conservation architect Paul Crosby, who travelled 18,000 miles by motorbike from our hostel in south India to his home in Cumbria, capturing dozens of historic buildings along the way with his wonderful line drawings and watercolours.

• Support Batemans by buying copies of Paul’s work, ranging from the grandeur of Moghul palaces to a humble Tibetan dwelling along the Silk Road.
  
• Find out the latest news from Batemans’ projects in Chennai.
• Enjoy wine, beer, soft drinks and canapés in a historic 17th Century London building.
• Venue: Tallow Chandlers’ Hall, 4, Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2SH. 
• Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
• Nearest Tube: Cannon Street
• Tickets: £40 per person
• Book online via: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/27672
• Pay by cheque: Send a cheque marked Tallow Chandlers’ Reception to Rebecca Sewell, Batemans Trust, c/o 166 Chesterton Road, Cambridge CB4 1DA.

 

 

 

 

How our former students are thriving in the world of work… news on our outreach programme… some lovely pictures from Chennai… latest fundraising news.

It’s all in our 2024 newsletter.