Daring to Dream – The Work of The Hope Foundation in India

9th December 2010

Daring to Dream – The Work of The Hope Foundation in India, a new book celebrating the work of The Hope Foundation with the street and slum children of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) will be launched in Cork on Wednesday 15th December in Meade’s Wine Bar, 126 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork.

This new book was written by Dr. Ethel Crowley, a Cork-based sociologist who spent six weeks in Kolkata researching the work of The Hope Foundation in Nov/Dec 2009. Daring to Dream is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of The Hope Foundation, changing the lives of street and slum children and their families throughout the vast Indian city. The book is comprised of textual and photographic profiles of the various projects, and interviews with HOPE staff and children whose lives HOPE have transformed. One young woman raised in a HOPE home said “HOPE is my mother and father – they gave me life”.

Offering an insight into the complexities of Indian society, Daring to Dream is an ideal opportunity for the reader to look beyond the clichés about India and see the socio-economic and cultural realities that make India what it is. It is a must-read for anyone who has been or would like to be taken through the “country of 1,600 languages”.

All proceeds from the sale of Daring to Dream will go directly to The Hope Foundation, which was set up in 1999 to raise funds for one girls’ home, and now works with 16 Indian NGO partners to rescue thousands of children from the streets and slums of Kolkata, improve their quality of life, and give them a better future. Today, The Hope Foundation funds 64 projects including education; primary healthcare; shelter; vocational training; child protection; and drugs rehabilitation; and has reached out to over 22,000 children through education alone and hundreds of thousands more through primary healthcare, in partnership with Irish Aid.

Author, Dr. Ethel Crowley has lectured in sociology at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin and with the Open University in the UK. Her work has been published in the areas of women’s studies, development, globalisation, rural sociology and contemporary Irish society.

Speaking about her new book Ethel said “I visited Kolkata over a year ago, and my experience there formed the basis for this book. The commitment and devotion of those involved with The Hope Foundation was clearly evident from the minute I arrived to the minute I left, and I felt it was something that needed to be recognised and recorded.”

Maureen Forrest, Hon. Director of The Hope Foundation said “We’re delighted with the finished product that is Daring to Dream, it really gives an account of our ongoing work in Calcutta. I would like to thank Ethel most sincerely on behalf of The Hope Foundation for the time and energy she has put in to compiling this beautiful book.”

Daring to Dream – The Work of The Hope Foundation in India is available now from www.hopefoundation.ie and retails for €25.99.

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