Our charitable organization works in some of the villages around the city of Vijayawada in the large federal state of Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh is situated in the south of India on the gulf of Bengal. Vijayawada is the capital city. The rate of analphabetism is higher than the national average of 42% and currently stands at 66%. The majority of the population works in agriculture. Harvest yields are heavily dependent on the whims of the monsoon rains. The average temperature is around 32 degrees centigrade with maximums of 49 degrees in summer and extremely high humidity.
Vijayawada is situated on the Krishna River on the east coast of the gulf of Bengal. It is a very interesting city, which is visited by many tourists. It is one of the most important railway hubs of the Indian sub-continent. The inhabitants of the region work mainly in the rice fields, the most important staple food . Rice fields characterize the landscape. Rice is usually harvested twice a year. If there are no monsoon rains the heat destroys the harvest; if the rains are too strong, floods destroy the harvest. Both result in unemployment . As almost everywhere in India electricity is very often in short supply, creating major problem in all areas of daily life.
The orphans and the poor students that Helping Hand for India is trying to save originate from the region of Vijayawada with its approximately 4.5 million inhabitants.