Rachel Humphrey is the Chairwoman of the Universal Freight Organisation and is associated with The Pendsey Trust through the amazing work she has done for our main partner The Dream Trust. For more than a year she has continually been an advocate for helping diabetes sufferers in India including the sponsorship of 11 children whom she was very fortunate to meet during her visit to The Dream Trust back in 2012.
We are very lucky to have Rachel as a supporter, and she was keen to tell us more about her experiences and why she is on board!
‘My company sources a worthwhile charity and together with our Members, we raise funds for 3 years so that we have time to really establish relations and make a difference. I selected The Dream Trust as it was close to my heart as my youngest son; George was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2010 at 9 years old. We are fortunate in the UK to have George’s insulin supplied by our health service.’
‘However, in India many diabetic children from poor families suffer as their parents are sometimes unable to afford the medication that they need. I know the worry and fears for parents of diabetic children and I am delighted that over the past 3 years, we have raised a total of US $7,800 for The Dream Trust. As well as the funds raised through my business, I also personally sponsor 11 children.’
‘In November 2012, my sister Mary and I; made a self-funded trip to Nagpur to visit the Dream Trust. When we arrived at the Dream Trust clinic we were taken to a room where all my sponsored children were waiting – it was a wonderful surprise and an honour to meet them, together with their families. We were moved by the look on the parents faces when we met them, they were so grateful to have sponsorship and although it made us feel good that we could do that for them, it also made us feel sad that something we take for granted (continuous supply of life saving insulin) is so rarely available to these children.’
‘One of my sponsored children is Karishma; a bright girl who found it hard to progress at school due to being in and out of hospital. Many parents can’t afford insulin and this means the children are frequently hospitalized, which ironically costs them much more than the medication. As Karishma is now sponsored and able to take insulin every day, she is doing much better and she told us her aspiration is to become a Doctor.’
‘The Dream Trust also helps to rehabilitate and give the children a future. Some of the funds we raised paid for bikes so that the children could get to school. Education is the only way out of poverty for them. We also visited the home of a homeless couple who the Dream Trust had helped to find a place to rent and funded the ladies insulin. Sadly due to her diabetes, she had suffered 3 miscarriages so the charity lent her a blood test meter so she could control her diabetes better in her 4th pregnancy, and it worked! The couple now have a beautiful little girl. The Dream Trust also bought her a sewing machine so that she can earn some money and become self-sufficient. It was an honour to visit them in their home.’
The following photos were kindly given to us by Rachel in order to help share her experience with us.
If you wish to contact Rachel and find out more about her experiences then please let us know.Â
Additionally if you wish to help in a similar fashion to Rachel by either donating funds for bicycles or sponsoring a child, then please visit our ‘How You Can Help’ section here.