Striving towards and actively assisting in the financial stability, educational fulfillment, physical wellbeing and cultural enrichment of the rural communities in Haryana.

December 2008

Every year, many of us make New Year's Resolutions but unfortunately find it all too easy to give up and simply forget about them.

This year, we'd like you to go public, tell your friends, family and colleagues, ask them to provide you with helpful nudges to assist you in achieving your goal - and ask them to sponsor you efforts to help raise funds for the Buwan Kothi International Trust.

By supporting our 'New Year for Good' campaign and setting up an online sponsorship page with Justgiving, you can make a public declaration that will keep you focused and on course, whilst also raising funds for our work in India.

If you haven't set up a sponsorship page before, it's easy: visit iPledge for Buwan Kothi for more information or watch our YouTube video

Then send out e-mails and let everyone know about the challenge you have set yourself.

So don't just make a New Year's Resolution for 2009 - make one for a really good cause.

December 2008

The Trust has launched a new YouTube channel with video clips about our work.

For more information and to subscribe, visit:

The Buwan Kothi Channel

December 2008

From 1st December 2008, the new postal address for the Buwan Kothi International Trust changes to:

Buwan Kothi International Trust
PO Box 51077
London
E7 7AL

If you are corresponding with the Trust, please can you make sure that you use this new address. Our registered charity address remains unchanged.

October 2008

Congratulations to Anil Awesti, who completed the Lady Godiva Half Marathon in Coventry on Sunday 19th October, raising funds for the Buwan Kothi International Trust.

Anil said he was "feeling quite proud of myself" after aiming to complete the 13.1 mile route in under 2 hours and managing to finish in 1 hour, 50 minutes and 21 seconds. You can still sponsorship Anil by visiting his fundraising page here

October 2008

The Trust is proud to launch our Annual Report for 2007-08, setting our our achievements over our first full year of activities.

To download a copy, click here (287kB)

You can also download our full accounts and financial report for 2007-08 here (220kB)

October 2008

The launch of 'Lust for Life 2008', a new exhibition of photos by Gilly Mundy, took place at Garden Court Chambers in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London on 30 September, with special guest Jeremy Corbyn MP. Click here for photos of the launch.

Limited edition prints are now available to purchase from BKIT's new Online Shop.

Click on the 'Shop' link on the left or here to find out more about how to make a purchase.

BKIT t-shirts and copies of 'Unfinished Sofa Business', the CD of Gilly's music, are also available to buy. The proceeds from all sales go towards the Trust's work in India.

July 2008

On Sunday 20th July, a total of 47 cyclists from London and Leamington overcame hills and a driving headwind to ride from Oxford to the Pump Room Gardens in Leamington Spa in order to raise new funds for the Buwan Kothi International Trust.

The Buwan Kothi Challenge 2007, from London to Southend-on-Sea in Essex, raised over £20,000 and played an important part in ensuring that the Gilly Mundy Memorial Community School was able to open by April 2008.

To sponsor one of this year's participants, visit the Cyclists for BKIT blog for more information. The Trust is hoping to raise a total of £15,000 from July 2008's event.

Click here to see photos from the day.

June 2008

The charity football match between a 'Leamington United for Buwan Kothi' XI and a celebrity team organised by Luther Blisset , the former Watford and AC Milan striker, has unfortunately had to be postponed.

The game, due to take place at Leamington FC's New Windmill Ground on Sunday 10 August 2008, kicking off at 2pm, will now be held in 2009.

June 2008

Chris Clark (brother of Stephanie Carney, one of BKIT's Trustees) and Martin Henery set out on 6th June 2008 to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats, attempting to raise £1 for each of the 971 miles of their journey with proceeds donated to the Buwan Kothi International Trust.

At around 3.30pm on Monday 16th June, Chris and Martin arrived at John O'Groats after ten days of cycling, a journey completed without crashes, punctures or mechanical problems, but with inevitable saddle soreness and general aches and pains (click here for a slideshow of images from the ride).

The orginial commitment to raise £971 has been easily exceeded and the ride will hopefully raise over £2000.

Many congratulations to them both for their amazing achievement! Don't forget, you can still sponsorship Chris and Martin at www.justgiving.com/chrisclark4buwankothi

April 2008

The Buwan Kothi International Trust has launched a new blog that celebrates the efforts and hard work of our many supporters - and reminds everyone that making a donation is not the only way of supporting our activities.

Anyone can get involved by making a Pledge to support rural communities in Haryana and making a difference in any way they can - whether by taking part in (or organising) a sponsored event, or volunteering some free time, or talking to friends and colleagues about the Trust and what it has achieved so far.

So if you have an idea, then make a Pledge and we'll do everything we can to help you to turn your commitment into positive action.

Visit the iPledge for Buwan Kothi blog at www.ipledge.org.uk

UPDATE: JUNE 2008

The 'iPledge for Buwan Kothi' blog has been made Justgiving's June 2008 'Charity Site of the Month' .

March 2008
Hundreds of people gathered on March 17 to dedicate the Gilly Mundy Memorial Community School, exactly one year after Gilly's sudden death. In just 12 months, the Buwan Kothi International Trust has raised over £50,000 to build the school in Lehrian, close to the village of Buwan Kothi where Gilly and his wife Debbie were married.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by a number of the charity's Trustees and members of Gilly's family and was addressed by highly respect Indian educationalist Anil Wilson , who for many years was Principal of Delhi University's prestigious St. Stephen's College.

Primary classes began on 2 April with 100 new pupils and the Buwan Kothi International Trust continues to fundraise for the expansion of the building to include secondary classes and a community resource centre.

Click here for photographs of the school.

The BBC's Jatinder Sidhu covered the opening of the Gilly Mundy Memorial Community School for the BBC World Service: Listen to his report .

PHOTO: Gilly's father Mota Singh, his wife Debbie Quargnolo and his brothers Rupee Mundy and Jas Mundy, in front of the plaque commemorating the opening of the school.