Rose of Tralee visits Indian slums

The Rose of Tralee, Elysha Brennan, has just witnessed the shocking conditions endured by Kolkata’s most vulnerable children, those who live in the slums, dumps and streets of India’s second most populated city. Each night 250,000 children sleep out, hungry and without proper shelter. ‘Home’ is often no more than a ragged sheet between them and the concrete.
Bettystown native, Elysha travelled to India with the HOPE where she met Riya, a little girl in the care of the HOPE Hospital. This helpless little girl with Osteogenesis Improfecta, a deformity in her arms and legs, was found with a high fever, abandoned on a train, in a plastic bag, but today she is smiling and is safe.
After accompanying the HOPE night ambulance Elysha said “We saw so many beautiful innocent children sleeping on the streets. Their mothers stay up all night by their side to watch them and keep them as safe as possible for fear of them being taken and possibly trafficked. These incredible mothers survive on little or no sleep as they have a full day’s work ahead of them in the morning. These people, despite unbearable and unimaginable conditions, still greeted us with warm smiles and kind eyes.”
HOPE has reached out to over 30,000 children since it began 16 years ago, offering protection, education, training and drugs rehab. The positive impact the foundation has made to so many children’s lives is truly extraordinary. Hope currently supports over 60 projects in Kolkata, nine of which are homes where over 300 children live, ehere they are nurtured, educated and taught they DO matter.
Speaking from India, HOPE Honorary Director, Maureen Forrest stated, ‘Elysha is a fantastic role model and we are delighted she agreed to become an Ambassador for HOPE. She is a true humanitarian and an outstanding person. Her caring nature and strength just shines out of her”.  
Over the coming weeks HOPE will be encouraging people to buy a Gift of HOPE for Christmas, please see www.hopefoundation.ie/shop.  
Elysha will be on TV3’s morning weekend show ‘Saturday: AM’ to talk about HOPE.Each night 250,000 children sleep out, hungry and without proper shelter. ‘Home’ is often no more than a ragged sheet between them and the concrete.
Bettystown native, Elysha travelled to India with the HOPE where she met Riya, a little girl in the care of the HOPE Hospital. This helpless little girl with Osteogenesis Improfecta, a deformity in her arms and legs, was found with a high fever, abandoned on a train, in a plastic bag, but today she is smiling and is safe.
After accompanying the HOPE night ambulance Elysha said “We saw so many beautiful innocent children sleeping on the streets. Their mothers stay up all night by their side to watch them and keep them as safe as possible for fear of them being taken and possibly trafficked. These incredible mothers survive on little or no sleep as they have a full day’s work ahead of them in the morning. These people, despite unbearable and unimaginable conditions, still greeted us with warm smiles and kind eyes.”
HOPE has reached out to over 30,000 children since it began 16 years ago, offering protection, education, training and drugs rehab. The positive impact the foundation has made to so many children’s lives is truly extraordinary. Hope currently supports over 60 projects in Kolkata, nine of which are homes where over 300 children live, ehere they are nurtured, educated and taught they DO matter.
Speaking from India, HOPE Honorary Director, Maureen Forrest stated, ‘Elysha is a fantastic role model and we are delighted she agreed to become an Ambassador for HOPE. She is a true humanitarian and an outstanding person. Her caring nature and strength just shines out of her”.  
Over the coming weeks HOPE will be encouraging people to buy a Gift of HOPE for Christmas, please see www.hopefoundation.ie/shop.  
Elysha will be on TV3’s morning weekend show ‘Saturday: AM’ to talk about HOPE.