WE DID IT!!!!!!!!! $2,800 and counting...

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who so generously opened their hearts (and wallets) this season to help Vinay and his family!!! As of 12/27, we have far surpassed our goal of $2,200 and are still counting!

We are still trying to figure out what to do with the extra funds, but will likely donate it to one of the other Real Medicine Foundation projects around where Vinay lives and goes to school. If anyone has any other suggestions please don't hesitate to let me know. Regardless, I can assure you that the money you donated will go directly where it is needed.

On top of what this offering will do for Vinay and his family, I want to thank you all for inspiring me! It is really wonderful to be able to witness so much generosity...All of you (close friends, acquaintances and even perfect strangers) came out in support of this simple cause at a time of the year when most people's time and budgets are strained. I have always had a lot of faith in humanity, but this experience really drove that home for me...

Thank you so much. Please stay tuned for more updates!

All the best,
Tyler

Pictures from the Bhil Academy

Above, the old school campus in Jhabua.

Above and below, classes enjoying their new school building (complete with desks, a luxury!)

Help a Family in Need This Holiday Season

Meet Vinay. He is in 6th grade and was born in a tiny, agrarian village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Vinay’s family are farmers, and poor even by Indian standards. Life in much of Madhya Pradesh is hard, and frequent droughts make living off the land unpredictable and challenging.

Against impossible odds, Vinay was chosen to attend a boarding school in Jhabua district, known as the Bhil Academy. The school, set up with foreign aid and through the dedicated efforts of Dr. Fabian Toegel, continues to be supported by the generosity of several NGOs and provides a quality educational opportunity to a handful of children, such as Vinay. For these children, born to extreme poverty and hardship, a chance to study at the Bhil Academy is an opportunity of a lifetime and a real hope for a better life. Recently, a brand new campus was built for the students in the countryside, with room to play and explore, and just be kids!

Vinay is one of the brightest students at his school and continues to excel in all his subjects. He is an avid English-speaker and is showing great promise, but his chance at a brighter future is in limbo as his family struggles to make ends meet in the wake of a terrible personal tragedy. Vinay’s father, who suffered from liver disease and severe diabetes, needlessly passed away at a young age several months ago, to diseases that would be considered routine here in North America. On top of losing the family patriarch, Vinay and his family now face an overwhelming financial debt from countless hospital bills and even loans from threatening money lenders. The amount? A mere $2,200. To us, a reasonable price for months of hospital care. To them, a small fortune. But worst of all, there is the very real possibility that Vinay’s family, unable to support themselves without him, would be forced to withdraw him from the Bhil Academy, essentially ending Vinay’s chances at developing his enormous potential…

This holiday season and beyond, please consider donating whatever amount you can, no matter how small, to help us lift this incredible burden off of Vinay and his family. The holidays are a time for us to reflect on the blessings in our life and to realize how lucky we all are to have been given even the most basic of opportunities. Your gift will go such a long way, so please consider offering a donation as a gift for the holidays.

You can donate several ways:

1-Donate via our NGO (Real Medicine Foundation) online via credit card or paypal. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SPECIFY IT'S FOR "VINAY." PLEASE USE THE PAYPAL OPTION AS THE GOOGLE CHECKOUT OPTION DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO SPECIFY WHERE THE DONATION SHOULD GO. This donation is tax deductible and I personally know the people on the ground who will be distributing the funds. This is probably the best/easiest way to give. Follow the link: http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/donors/

2-Send a check to:

Tyler Chernin
702 DeGraw, apt.2
Brooklyn, NY
11217

3-Donate to my PayPal account by clicking on the donate button below (paypal deducts 3% per donation). This is NOT tax deductible:

Thank you so much and all the best to you for the holidays and beyond!!!