Daisy & Jake educate Indian Street Children

For the last ten years, Chamber Member, Daisy & Jake Nurseries have sponsored a Day Centre in India via a charity called The Tender Heart Foundation. The foundation offers help and hope to street children, providing a basic Early Years education that could lead to a primary school place at the age of 6. These children would otherwise face a much bleaker future. The foundation builds relationships with local families to end the cycle of child poverty through education while also helping with basic essentials like food and shelter for children who would otherwise go without.

Last year, Managing Director of Daisy & Jake, Lisa Collins, travelled to Northern Goa in India to visit the Centre and share the basics of the Early Years Foundation Stage with teachers there and show how it can measure child attainment levels. During the visit she was overwhelmed by the poverty and adverse conditions the children faced and in awe of the wonderful support the foundation has provided to offer them a brighter future. The foundation has helped over 9,000 children during the ten years and has recently opened 4 additional Centres to help even more.

This November, Lisa returns to India with key Daisy & Jake staff including Prenton Manager Ann and Moreton Manager Ruth. The purpose of the 8 day trip is to evaluate the progress made since last year and share further ideas and teaching methods to improve the children’s chances of integration into mainstream education. In addition, they will take sufficient funds to buy fundamental provisions to help alleviate some of the worst aspects of their living conditions.

Staff members are funding their own travel and expenses and in the build up to leaving, the six Daisy and Jake nurseries have been hosting fundraising events where staff, parents, children and friends have raised almost £9,000 to be donated straight to the Tender Heart Foundation to pay for these essentials. The cost of running a Day Centre is £2,000 for the year so this is a significant donation that will make a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of children. With 800 children on register at Daisy and Jake nurseries in Wirral, there has been lots of enthusiasm and support for fundraising events, including Pyjama Days, Danceathons and Quiz Nights.

Lisa said “We are so pleased to have raised this money to help The Tender Heart Foundation with the important work they do. Without the participation of our children and the support of their parents, friends and local businesses it would not have been possible. I would like to offer my personal thanks to everyone who helped. The Tender Heart Day Centres offer street children the chance to escape a lifetime of poverty through early year’s education and adolescent training for teenage girls in tailoring and embroidery. As a business involved in childcare at home it is fitting and rewarding that Daisy & Jake can offer our help to children living in such desperate conditions abroad”