About the Friends
The Friends of Baale Mane, Gopalapura is a UK registered charity (registered number 1120353) whose sole purpose is to support the Baale Mane.
Two of the trustees, Chris Harrison and Matt Clarke, first came into contact with the Baale in 2004 through their participation in a programme organised by Leaders’ Quest. Chris and Matt spent a wonderful afternoon at the Baale at the end of a memorable week during which they experienced the extremes of Indian society: from the boardroom to the slum. They were both captivated by the Baale and the energy and optimism that radiated from the girls and the Paraspara team and could not believe how much was being achieved by a dedicated team with very limited resources. As they came away, Matt asked Mary, the Baale manager, whether there was anything that she needed. “Another cow”, came the answer. “Anything else?” Matt asked: “A fridge…..and a washing machine”
And so the relationship started. It took almost a year for Matt and Chris to figure out how to send the money, and during this time it became clear to them that the long term future of the Baale was in peril. They learned that the premises were rented and that the lease was due to expire and was unlikely to be renewed.
Matt quickly agreed to help and with additional support from Graham Sheffield, who visited the Baale through Leaders’ Quest in December 2006, The Friends was registered as a UK charity in July 2007.
In Graham’s words
“During my inspiring week with Leaders’ Quest, one experience stood out for me in terms of how I might make an ongoing contribution: that was the visit to the Baale Mane. The need is self-evident, but what struck me was the commitment of the team on the ground, and above all the positive and overwhelming spirit of the girls themselves, despite all the disadvantages of their young lives to date. There was such a wonderful atmosphere of joy and welcome in the Baale, it was impossible not to become involved and help them to build a future for themselves and their friends.”
The three were quickly joined by Sandeep Dwesar, a colleague of Graham’s at The Barbican Centre and today The Friends has nine trustees, including the original team. You can learn more about the roles that we each play and our motivations for being involved on The Friends’ Trustee page.
To date the Friends have raised in excess of £300,000 for The Baale. The initial goal was to provide funding to purchase land at Gopalapura and to construct a new home. Today, The Friends provides a significant proportion of the operational funding for The Baale, and supports the trustees of The Baale Mane Trust in developing strategy.
