Firm lends a helping hand to those in need

The generous donation from the foundation, which has been supporting community projects overseas since 2013, will help towards rebuilding the roof of East Coast Primary School in Tharangambadi which was badly damaged by flooding.

The floods that hit the region between November and December last year killed approximately 500 people and displaced just under 2 million.

John Lees, trustee of the foundation and founder of ABS UK Ltd, heard of the devastating news and flew out to the region to lend a hand volunteering in the clean-up operation.

East Coast Primary school relies solely on donations to provide education for Dalit children aged 3 to 11 who would not normally have access to education. The building is in poor condition and up to 90 children are taught in eight extremely small classrooms.

Mr Lees said: “After seeing first-hand the devastating effects of the Boxing Day floods in Calderdale and hearing about the flooding in Tharangambadi we decided to revisit the school and see how we could help.

“I spent a full week volunteering in 35 degree heat but it was all worth it when I was able to spend time with the children and see how our funding was helping to improve their education”