OUR HISTORY
Friends of Rural Development Trust UK (FORDT UK) is a UK based charity working hand in hand with a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) in India. Rural Development Trust (RDT) was started by Vicente Ferrer of Spain and Anne Perry of United Kingdom. What started as the vision of a committed couple aimed at a few villages in the drought prone area of Anantapuramu has now grown into a massive organisation encompassing health, education, livelihood training, animal husbandry, arid region agriculture, water conservation and so on.
The following demographic data speaks for the magnitude of its undertaking:
Villages in the project: 3662
Project area: 7390 sq. miles
Target Population: 4.08 million
RDT works with many marginalised communities that lack opportunity and representation such as The Dalits (also known as The Untouchables, stuck in servitude and poverty as a product of the Indian caste system); forest dwelling tribes; nomadic tribes herding livestock, migratory workers often cutting stones or working on dam or mine sites. RDT provides specialized training programs and activities to not only support those in abject poverty but also those suffering from ill health. RDT offers training in basic health, education and shelter alongside guidance on sustainable agricultural and animal husbandry. Furthermore, RDT provides financial and technical advice to support those in need.
FORDT UK was formally registered as a charity in 2017, with the aim to work hand in hand with RDT to improve the quality life of those in need. Since its inception, FORDT UK has evolved to working with projects beyond the medical field. Schemes include the child sponsorship scheme, orthopedic visits to RDT, student nurse placements, annual trustee visits and raising money for the livelihood project. More information on all of these projects can be found on our website.
KOPPADA RAJARATNAM
Chairman
The current chairman of FORDT, Koppada RajaRatnam, has been associated with the NGO since 1981. When the medical facilities within RDT were in the nascent stage, RDT sought help from nearby secondary and tertiary hospitals for their patients. As soon as he qualified as an orthopaedic surgeon he started rendering orthopaedic and orthotic support through the institution where he trained and worked.
In 1987 he travelled to United Kingdom in pursuit of further qualification and training and started working for the National Health Service. He reconnected with the NGO in 2002 and started visiting the NGO as an orthopaedic volunteer. In 2006 he joined a group of Spanish Orthopaedic Voluntary surgeons (ACOV) who had set up a long-term collaborative contract with the NGO in 2004 (http://www.acov.org/index_en.html).
Appreciating his commitment to the NGO, his departmental colleagues at Macclesfield District General Hospital joined hands with him resulting in the formation of FORDT UK. It was formally registered as a charity in England and Wales in 2017.
The aim of FORDT is to work hand in hand with the Indian NGO augmenting the welfare schemes. Activities of FORDT are gradually evolving beyond the medical field. A number of UK sponsors are financing the care of vulnerable children and funding has been provided for livelihood schemes for young adults. The website provides useful information on various ways of supporting the charity and contribute to the good work it is doing.